5 ‘You Were Never Really Here’ (2017)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%
Joe’s a gun-for-hire who specializes in rescuing girls and brutally punishes their captors. After a senator’s daughter is kidnaped by a major human trafficking network, Joe’s hired to find and rescue her but along the way, he uncovers a larger force at play involving corruption and abuse of power that he can’t turn his back on.
You Were Never Really Here is an intense neo-noir thriller directed by Lynne Ramsay. Phoenix’s performance is exceptionally haunting and delivers a character who is a slight homage to Taxi Driver‘s Travis Bickle. Like Travis, Phoenix is traumatized by his past military service and to feel useful again, he takes on a noble but dangerous cause that could cost him his life in the end.
Watch on Prime Video
4 ‘Hotel Rwanda’ (2004)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%
Paul (Don Cheadle) and his wife run a hotel together in Rwanda where they happily live with their children. Their bliss is shattered when Hutu forces initiate an ethnic cleansing against the Tutsi. Paul and his family open their home to thousands of refugees but when the United Nations forces start to leave, Paul must find a way to protect his family and the refugees from Hutu troops.
Hotel Rwanda tells the true story of Paul and Tatiana Rusesabagina who provided shelter for refugees during the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Phoenix plays an American journalist named Jack who has been assigned to document the horrific events and ends up using alcohol as a method to cope with the trauma.
Watch on HBO Max
3 ‘Parenthood’ (1989)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%
A perfectionist father is struggling to accept his kids’ shortcomings and dealing with his siblings who have family problems of their own including divorce and surprise pregnancies. Through patience, support, and more patience, each family manages to come together to resolve their issues and remember the importance of loving your family no matter who they are.
Directed by Ron Howard, Parenthood was Phoenix’s first major movie role and the opportunity for the young actor to work with stars such as Steve Martin, Dianne Wiest, and Rick Moranis. Phoenix plays Wiest’s withdrawn son and went on to earn a Young Artist Award nomination for Best Young Actor starring in a Motion Picture.
Watch on Netflix
2 ‘Her’ (2013)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
Theodore’s a sensitive romantic who makes a living writing personal letters for other people. After being heartbroken by the end of his marriage, he finds company in Samantha, the A.I. host of a new operating system. As Theodore starts spending the majority of his time talking to SAM, he finds himself falling in love with the virtual assistant.
Directed by Spike Jonze, Her was also written by Jonze who early on had Phoenix in mind for the role of Theodore (according to Variety). Phoenix co-stars with Scarlett Johansson who voices Samantha, Chris Pratt, and Phoenix’s future partner, Rooney Mara. Other stars such as Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, and Brian Cox also lend their voices to characters in this modern-age romance.
1 ‘C’mon C’mon’ (2021)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
Johnny’s an emotionally broken radio journalist who travels around the country to interview children and ask them about their future hopes and dreams. When he’s left to care for his nephew, Jesse, the two go from state to state as Jesse provides a new perspective for Johnny that sparks an unknown emotion in him for the first time.
C’mon C’mon is a heartwarming independent A24 film written and directed by Mike Mills and was Phoenix’s first film coming off the success of his performance in Joker. The movie premiered at the 48th Telluride Film Festival in Colorado and received universal praise from audiences and critics who considered it to be one of the actor’s greatest performances of all time.
