Bill Hader's 10 Best Movies Ranked, According To Letterboxd
With season 3 of HBO's Barry being delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic (via Deadline), fans of the show have had ample time to catch up on the rest of Bill Hader's filmography. Letterboxd users have rated all of his films, and some have been higher ranked than others.
Whether it's a voice role in a blockbuster like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, a performance in an indie like The Skeleton Twins, or a supporting role in a well-known comedy like Superbad, Bill Hader's filmography is wide-ranging and is filled with fantastic performances and cameos.
10 Tropic Thunder - 3.47
Tropic Thunder is a 2008 action comedy film directed by Ben Stiller, who also starred in the film along with Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr, and follows a group of actors making a Vietnam War film. The film parodies war films of the past but Tropic Thunder also contains other movie references and acts as a meta-commentary on Hollywood.
Bill Hader plays studio executive Rob Slolom, who acts as the assistant to Tom Cruise's producer character Les Grossman. Despite not having many scenes, Tom Cruise's performance is one of the more memorable parts of the film, and playing his right-hand man ensures Hader stays in viewers' minds as well.
9 Star Wars: The Force Awakens - 3.48
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a 2015 science fiction film directed by J.J. Abrams and stars Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher along with newcomers Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, and Oscar Isaac. Being the 7th film in the Skywalker saga, the film follows the fight between the Resistance and the First Order and their pursuit of Luke Skywalker.
Bill Hader, along with Ben Schwartz, provides the voice of the droid BB-8. BB-8's cute and playful nature takes up a significant part of the emotional core and overall entertainment factor of the film, and a lot of that has to do with Hader's voice work. He's not well known for the role, but his work undoubtedly left an impact considering the popularity of BB-8 and its related toys.
8 The Skeleton Twins - 3.49
The Skeleton Twins is a 2014 dramedy film directed by Craig Johnson and stars Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig. The two SNL alumni play estranged twins in the movie, who attempt to mend their relationship after a near tragedy.
Hader's acting is a little more serious, partially due to the fact that his character Milo is diagnosed with depression in the film. However, both he and Wiig show off their range with fantastic performances. While a completely different tone, the role almost certainly prepared Hader for the dramatic-comedic mix of his role as a depressed hitman turned actor in HBO's Barry.
7 Hot Rod - 3.55
Hot Rod is a 2007 comedy film directed by Akiva Schaffer and stars Isla Fisher and Andy Samberg, who plays the titular stuntman, Rod (who is attempting to raise money for his stepfather's operation). This was the first feature film that The Lonely Island trio helmed as a creative unit.
Hader plays Dave, a slightly dense childhood friend to Samberg's Rod, who assists him in performing the stunt. It's one of his earliest film roles, but it has remained a standout in his filmography. It's regarded as a cult classic and one of the great 2000s comedies starring SNL cast members, despite initially bombing critically and at the box office.
6 Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping - 3.56
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is a 2016 mockumentary comedy film directed by Akiva Schaffer & Jorma Taccone, and starring Andy Samberg. It follows Samberg's Conner, who is being filmed, documentary-style, over his solo album failure and The Style Boyz disbandment.
Hader plays an on-the-road guitar technician named Zippy, who, for some reason is really intrigued by flatlining (like in the 1990 Joel Schumacher film Flatliners). While his role is mostly a cameo, it's certainly memorable among the many celebrity cameos in the film, and Popstar remains one of the most rewatchable comedies ever.
5 Toy Story 4 - 3.60
Toy Story 4 is a 2019 animated film directed by Josh Cooley, starring Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, and Annie Potts. The film follows the characters on a road trip after meeting a new toy named Forky, and they also end up at a carnival along the way.
Bill Hader plays a lazy carnival worker named Axel, who finds Buzz Lightyear on the ground, assumes he's a lost toy and places him as a prize at his game stand. While only a small part of the plot, Axel gave Hader another chance to use his voice-acting skills in an animated movie after recent films like Ralph Breaks The Internet and Finding Dory.
4 Superbad - 3.85
Superbad is a 2007 comedy film directed by Greg Mottola, and stars Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse as three high school friends, who attempt to attend a party before graduation and go on a quest for alcohol to gain favor with the popular teens.
Hader plays a cop named Officer Slater along with Seth Rogen's Officer Michaels and they befriend Mintz-Plasse's McLovin in the film. Slater and Michael's relationship with McLovin is a big part of both the emotional and entertainment cores of the film and their antics are one of the most memorable parts of the movie.
3 Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - 3.87
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is a 2010 comedy film directed by Edgar Wright, and stars Michael Cera and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Scott and Ramona and follows Scott's attempt to fend off Ramona's 7 evil exes in order to date her.
Hader only has a voice cameo in the film but it's arguably one of the most important roles, and it's appropriately named The Voice. He commentates during some scenes in the film and adds a lot of comedic value, as well as accentuates some of the more video-game-inspired elements of the film.
2 Inside Out - 3.88
Inside Out is a 2015 animated film directed by Pete Docter and stars Amy Poehler and Phyllis Smith, and follows the emotions of a girl named Riley and her move from Minnesota to San Francisco.
While Poehler and Smith play Joy and Sadness respectively, Hader plays Fear and they make up 3 of the 5 emotions present in Riley's mind. Fear weighs all of the good and bad outcomes of Riley's decisions, and Hader voices him really well (possibly due to the fact that the audience can tell he was quite passionate about the character and wanted to do right by him).
1 Her - 4.05
Her is a 2013 science-fiction romance film directed by Spike Jonze and stars Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson. Phoenix plays Theodore, a man who buys an operating system, voiced by Johansson, and develops a romantic connection with it.
Bill Hader has a very small voice cameo in the film where he plays a man pretending to be a woman in a voice chat with Theodore, but it's easy to miss as it only lasts around 2 seconds. Although it's probably among his briefest roles in a film, he adds to the comedy of the scene well and ends up being a part of one of the most popular and beloved films on Letterboxd.