Make The Case: 5 Essential Mark Ruffalo Films

The list is chronological, and not intended to be in order of which is best.

List considers acting roles only. If the actor also directed the film, then that will be kept in mind.

Thanks to Mark Ruffalo, I’m actually excited about a Thor movie.

That’s pretty cool.

Okay, I’m not being super-kind to the Chris Hemsworth-led MCU entries. I like them. I do. It’s just that both solo Thor efforts are probably at the bottom of my personal ranking of every movie that’s come out so far. I’m sure Disney is going to be devastated over this.

But we get Ruffalo’s Hulk in the third movie, and I’m delighted by that a lot more than I should probably admit. There is something about a Hulk/Thor buddy cop caper that makes me okay with using words like “caper.” I’m sure the rest of the movie will be pretty good, but that’s really the one element that I care about the most.

And again, that’s largely thanks to Mark Ruffalo. It was perfect casting to put him in the role of Bruce Banner, who has an anger monster issue that lends itself pretty naturally to a movie. However, while all previous movie (and live-action TV) incarnations have interesting moments or performances, only Ruffalo as Hulk has finally given us the perfect combination of the condemned man, humor, and a monster who can do more than fuck up giant alien spaceships (but it’s important he does that, too). It’s a shame that he didn’t come along sooner. We may never get Ruffalo headlining his own Avengers movie, but we have an extremely reliable actor in the part, wherever he may turn up.

At the same time, it’s important to keep in mind that Ruffalo continues to appear in movies that don’t feature Robert Downey Jr. levels of sass. He has been working steadily in movies and TV shows for over 20 years, building that reliability that most of us associate with him. The movies are varying in quality, but Ruffalo isn’t. He brings a measured, flexible intensity to all of his performances. Picking just five from such a prolific, consistent actor wasn’t easy.

 

1. You Can Count On Me (2000)

After spending several years as a supporting character in a weird blend of mostly terrible films, Ruffalo garnered a significant amount of attention for his role as a career fuckup in You Can Count On Me. While the movie is largely focused on Laura Linney’s character, and her various complicated relationships with the people who make up her chaotic life, the movie is perhaps the first time Ruffalo has the opportunity to steal the show. Playing Linney’s character’s brother, he does. You could also make the argument that You Can Count On Me began Ruffalo’s trademark of providing an essential supporting role for the larger story. As time went on, he would also get movies that showcased his ability to stand as a compelling lead.

 

2. My Life Without Me (2003)

Again, we have Mark Ruffalo in a supporting role, as a love interest for Sarah Polley’s terminal cancer patient character. And while My Life Without Me features a great story about acceptance, particularly where it concerns death, and stellar turns from both Polley and Deborah Harry, Ruffalo is once again a scene-stealer. He is particularly effective at playing quiet, intensely focused individuals, who at the same time are struggling to make sense of a myriad of unpleasant things. On that note, My Life Without Me features all of those trademarks, but it is a film that has unfortunately become somewhat obscured.

 

3. Zodiac (2007)

I’m willing to put forth the opinion that Zodiac is still David Fincher’s best film as a director. This absolutely riveting, largely factual, ensemble drama takes us through the long, often bleak story of the infamous 60s/70s serial killer Zodiac. If you know the formidable, elaborate history of this story, then you know from the beginning that the killer was never found. Although a particularly intriguing suspect was eventually identified, nothing ever came of it. To date, the case has never been solved, and Fincher has to maintain our interest with the knowledge that most of us probably already know that. And he does, with intensive, relentless pacing, rich characters, and an attention to detail that never distracts from atmosphere or the larger narrative.

While there are several exceptional performances in Zodiac (really, this movie is a high mark for just about everyone who appeared in it), Ruffalo is one of the strongest. By 2007, he was finally a name that most people could spot. If nothing else, they knew his face. Another intense, low-key performance as San Francisco cop David Toschi would prove to be Ruffalo’s best at that point. Films such as these worked to establish Ruffalo in his current place, as one of the most reliable performers in his medium.

 

4. The Kids Are All Right (2010)

It’s tempting to dismiss The Kids Are All Right as standard Oscar bait. Maybe so, but a slew of great performances from the likes of Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, and Mia Wasikowska makes it impossible for me to be cynical. Ruffalo grabbed an Oscar nomination for his performance as a guy who just wants to run his organic foods restaurant, hang out with sarcastic ladies, and apparently donate sperm when the mood strikes. He deserved the nomination in what is probably still his best romantic lead performance to date (he’s good at these kinds of movies, but he has managed to avoid making an entire career out them). In fact, he deserved to win that year (Christian Bale won, which I still think was bullshit).

He didn’t win, and that’s fine. Eventually, he will.

 

5. The Avengers (2012)

In the four years since the first Avengers film rolled out (Jesus, time flies), Ruffalo has bounced around a number of different films. He has been pretty great in most of them, particularly in Foxcatcher, Spotlight, Begin Again, and Infinitely Polar Bear. But in the end, attention and respect must be paid to his first turn as Bruce Banner/The Hulk. In the first place, Ruffalo is once against a notable scene-stealer in a large ensemble filled with people who are known for the same. His performance as The Hulk is so perfect on every possible, essential level, people actually started demanding another Hulk movie.

We almost certainly won’t get one, but we’re getting what will hopefully be his best run as the character to date in Thor: Ragnarok, so there is that.

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