10 Greatest Films of Jeff Goldblum

Jeff Goldblum was born in Pittsburgh in 1952. His first appearance on film was playing a thug identified in the credits as “Freak #1” in the 1974 Charles Bronson film Death Wish. In total, he has appeared in 73 films, a few dozen television series, and in eight plays on Broadway.

Goldblum is hardly a chameleon. He’s six foot four, gangly, and imbued with a near manic energy level that is expressed through stream of consciousness dialogue laced with very keen observations. He doesn’t submit to a role, he envelopes the role. That may limit his range a little, but it makes his every performance fascinating to watch. He’s one of the most idiosyncratic and yet charming stars in Hollywood.

10. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984) — A film so bizarre that Goldblum looks like a straight man. The film has a great cast including Petter Weller, Ellen Barkin, Christopher Lloyd, and John Lithgow. Rock star science nerds battle aliens.

“Hey, hey, hey, hey-now. Don’t be mean; we don’t have to be mean, cuz, remember, no matter where you go, there you are.” — Buckaroo Bonzai

9. Igby Goes Down (2002) — The title character, played by Kieren Culkin, evokes no sympathy. He’s a whiny, spoiled little snot. But, the supporting cast makes this dark comedy interesting to watch. Goldblum plays his stepfather. Susan Sarandon and Bill Pullman play his parents and Clare Danes plays a girl he meets.

“I believe, umm, that certain people in life are meant to fall by the wayside; to serve as warnings to the rest of us; signs posts along the way.” — D.H. Banes

8. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) — Wes Anderson’s take on Moby Dick is wacky. I don’t understand why critics disliked it so much. Murray is great as the obsessed cross between Captain Ahab and Jacques Cousteau and he’s supported by a stellar cast, including Cate Blanchett, Angelica Huston, Willem Defoe, Jeff Goldblum, and Owen Wilson.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go on an overnight drunk, and in 10 days I’m going to set out to find the shark that ate my friend and destroy it. Anyone who wants to tag along is more than welcome.” — Steve

7. The Tall Guy (1989) — Emma’s first big screen role was written by Richard Curtis and co-starred Jeff Goldblum and Rowan Atkinson. It’s a silly, very funny film about a struggling actor that falls in love with a nurse. The embedded musical adaptation of The Elephant Man is not to be missed.

“Are you going to walk me home? Or should I just get murdered on my own?” — Kate

6. Deep Cover (1992) — Laurence Fishburne and Goldblum are excellent in this neo noir. Fishburne plays a cop that is tasked with going undercover amongst narcotics criminals. Goldblum plays a lawyer/drug distributor.

“A man has two things in this world: his word and his balls. Or is that three things?” — David Jason

5. Adam Resurrected (2008) — Paul Schrader directed this surreal story of a holocaust survivor, ailing in an Israeli mental hospital especially intended for those traumatized by the holocaust. Goldblum is at his best here, especially in the scenes with Willem Dafoe.

“You of all people should know what I am trying to teach these people. The artifice. The necessary lie that we all needed to survive.” — Adam Stein

4. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) — A quirky visual feast. Wes Anderson is known for quirky visual feasts, but he outdoes himself in this almost fairy tale story of a concierge and lobby boy at a hotel during a revolution. Since the English patient, Ralph Fiennes has been typecast in withdrawn, icy roles, but he just completely lets go in this film and is a joy to watch. This is a 1930’s screwball film that looks like it was filmed in the 1970’s. Truly Grand.

“Did he just throw my cat out of the window?” — Deputy Kovacs

3. The Big Chill (1983) — Lawrence Kasdan wrote and directed this well acted bit of navel gazing about a group of students from the 1960s getting together in the 1980s after one of them dies.

“Don’t knock rationalization; where would we be without it? I don’t know anyone who could get through the day without two or three juicy rationalizations. They’re more important than sex.” — Michael Gold

2. The Fly (1986) — David Cronenberg’s body horror story has aged very well. It’s just as creepy and disturbing and its use of practical effects is impressive. Goldblum plays a scientist that, after an experiment goes wrong, slowly starts turning into a fly.

“You have to leave now, and never come back here. Have you ever heard of insect politics? Neither have I. Insects… don’t have politics. They’re very… brutal. No compassion, no compromise. We can’t trust the insect. I’d like to become the first… insect politician. Y’see, I’d like to, but… I’m afraid, uh…” — Seth Brundle

1. Jurassic Park (1993) — The adaptation of Michael Crichton’s wonderful novel is the most exciting take on the idea of man playing god and suffering the consequences, yet put on film. Steven Spielberg brilliantly takes on a fundamental sci-fi premise but inserts it into the ultimate popcorn action thriller.

“God creates dinosaurs. God destroys dinosaurs. God creates man. Man destroys God. Man creates dinosaurs.” — Ian Malcolm

Other films considered for this post include Earth Girls are Easy, Le Week-End, and One of the Hollywood Ten. What would make your list?