20th Century Fox/STX/Warner Bros
It can be hard to shake a typecast—but Jason Bateman has been doing his darndest. After starting his career as a child actor in the early ’80s in shows like Little House on the Prairie and Silver Spoons, Bateman eventually re-emerged in the mid-2000s as one of the most reliable pieces in comedy. With the ability to play both a straight man and a wild character, Bateman had clearly found his niche.
Since 2017, though, Bateman has been consistently playing against that comedy niche, finding great success with his Netflix series Ozark, which has now released its third season. In Ozark, he finds himself in a grim, dark midwestern setting, playing a character who launders money and is always stuck in the midst of heavy crimes.
But even outside of his acclaimed role both in front of and behind the camera on Ozark, Bateman has been more than just the guy in comedies for quite a while. That’s not to say he’s not still capable of cracking you up—that’s always gonna be there. But you may have missed a few projects between Arrested Developmentand Horrible Bosses through the years that might make you look at this longtime favorite in a different light. Below, we’ve navigated a list to help you navigate some of Bateman’s best, whether it’s an old favorite, a new favorite, or something you had no idea even existed.
1
Game Night (2018)
Let’s put it bluntly: Game Night is one of the best comedies of the 2010s, and while it got enormous praise upon its release (85% on Rotten Tomatoes), it’s still somehow underrated. Bateman, playing a not-as-nice-as-he-thinks-he-is jerk, leads a really impressive cast that also includes Rachel McAdams, Jesse Plemons, and Kyle Chandler, among others.
Basically, if you like an action/adventure movie with a ton of twists and turns that will also make you laugh a lot, this is the movie for you. It’s almost like if David Fincher decided to make a screwball comedy. Don’t sleep on Game Night.
2
The Gift (2015)
If you like the way Bateman plays against type in Ozark, don’t look further than 2015’s The Gift. Again, Bateman plays a guy here who thinks he’s a nice guy, but when an old classmate shows up and introduces himself to he and his wife, things start to really change. As this devastating thriller goes on to show, there’s always more than meets the eye. This movie draws you in, and before you know it you’re on the very edge of your seat.
3
Bad Words (2013)
Part of what makes Ozark such an exciting project for Bateman is that not only is he the star of the show, but he produces and directs it himself, too. Bad Words, in turn, was the first feature film that he directed himself.
Here, he plays a bitter 40-year-old man exploiting a number of loopholes to make his way into a children’s spelling bee. The movie is more vulgar than we’d ever seen Bateman before—and his character is a real piece of work. Watch if you’re into crude humor.
4
This Is Where I Leave You (2014)
Based on Jonathan Tropper’s book of the same name, this 2014 dramedy focuses on four siblings (Bateman, Tina Fey, Adam Driver, and Corey Stoll) who have to return to their childhood home after the death of their father. It’s incredibly heavy subject matter, and something that can obviously be relatable for just about everyone at one time or another. The movie mixes humor with its moments of levity, though, and ultimately the talents of its incredible cast make the ride well worth the melancholy.
5
Arrested Development (2013- ???)
If you somehow haven’t watch Arrested Development yet…um, well, what are you waiting for? Now’s the time. While the revised Netflix seasons have been a bit more polarizing, the original run’s first three seasons are simply some of the greatest TV comedy of all time. Bateman leads a cast that constantly fires on all cylinders, including Will Arnett, Portia De Rossi, David Cross, and more. Just watch, and then you’ll probably get about 100 more jokes and memes you see on the internet every single day.
6
The Family Fang (2016)
The second film Bateman both directed and starred in (just before he got started with Ozark) was The Family Fang, which was also based on a novel of the same name. Bateman stars here with Nicole Kidman (!) as a pair of siblings navigating life with their extremely eccentric performance artist parents, one of which is played by Christopher Walken (!!).
7
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)
Though it’s his smallest role on this list, Pepper Brooks might be Jason Bateman’s funniest—it’s certainly his zaniest. As the kooky color commentator to Gary Cole’s play-by-play man Cotton McKnight, Pepper plays Bateman as the definitive mid-2000s bro, spiked hair, sunglasses and all. You can almost smell the body spray just by looking at him.
8
Horrible Bosses (2010)
Though it came out just at the start of the 2010s, Horrible Bosses held its own to the end as one of the decade’s best comedies. With Bateman joined by Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day as his buddies, this dark comedy is one of the standard setters for the genre. And guess what—the totally unnecessary sequel isn’t half bad either.
9
Zootopia (2016)
They like to say animated movies are “for the whole family” a lot, but Zootopia is one that truly lives up to the billing. While the expansive world filled with animals will appeal to anyone old enough to understand what’s going on, the larger world themes and humor of the film make this a worthwhile movie for anyone to watch. It’s one of the best of the genre.
10
Up In The Air (2009)
If you’re looking for proof that Bateman has been playing dicks for quite some time, look no further than Jason Reitman’s Academy Award-nominated Up In The Air. The movie focuses on George Clooney’s character, who works in an inherently dick profession—he fires people when their bosses are too cowardly to do it themselves. Bateman plays Clooney‘s boss, so that should just about say it all.
11
Hancock (2008)
Hancock was a pretty big movie when it came out, but it’s not talked about much 12 years later. Will Smith plays a drunk, out-of-work superhero, and Bateman plays a PR guy trying to repair his image. Works for us.
12
Disconnect (2013)
Not many people have seen Disconnect, a rather heavy movie that feels a little bit like a heavy, internet-focused version of one of those New Year’s Eve or Valentine’s Day movie. Three different stories about creepy or unfortunate online situations are interconnected in interesting and surprising ways. Bateman’s story finds him as the father of a boy who finds himself in a particularly upsetting cyberbullying scenario, and he deals with the painful fallout.
13
Juno (2007)
Ellen Page’s breakout movie also served as a great showcase for Bateman in the post-Arrested years (the first time around) to show that he can be something other than Michael Bluth. Bateman and Jennifer Garner play the prospective adoptive parents to the titular Juno’s baby, but the story, of course, doesn’t quite play out according to plan.
14
Office Christmas Party (2016)
Sure it’s a Christmas movie, but Office Christmas Party is a funny watch for all seasons. With an absolutely stacked cast, (Bateman, Jennifer Aniston, Olivia Munn, Kate McKinnon), this movie makes for a great 1-2 punch with Seth Rogen’s The Night Before as a pair of modern day raunchy holiday classics. It’s crude! Go in warned.
15
The Outsider (2020 – ??)
If you missed the first season of The Outsider, well, we’ve got good news. Now that it’s over, you can binge the whole thing at whatever pace you like. Based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name, the series focuses on a crime that finds Bateman’s character dead-to-rights at the scene of a brutal murder—but also a few hundred miles away.
The series is loyal to the text while also expanding it in a number of enriching ways. Bateman absolutely crushes it as Terry Maitland, and also is one of the series’ producers and directors.
Evan Romano
Evan is an associate editor for Men’s Health, with bylines in The New York Times, MTV News, Brooklyn Magazine, and VICE.
