Jesse Eisenberg has been in some of the greatest movies released in the last decade. He has also been alongside some of the greatest actors of all time and lived to tell the tale. This is one guy who has been very fortunate to land such promising and rewarding roles, as seen in Zombieland, The Social Network, The Village, 30 Minutes or Less, and so many more. It must be exhausting keeping up with the big ballers of Hollywood while becoming one yourself.
In this article, we will explore some of Eisenberg's greatest movie roles, discuss them and rank them. Which films deserve the gold medal, and which do not? Several are close in success and overall popularity, while others might be excellent films but not necessarily Eisenberg's greatest leading role. One thing is certain, Eisenberg is a goofy, aloof guy who often plays the nerdy, underdog in most of his Hollywood roles. It suits him, and he seems to be at home in the roles which makes for even better acting.
6 30 Minutes or Less (2011)
This hilariously stupid movie, 30 Minutes or Less, has a ton of laugh-out-loud moments involving massively inappropriate funny guy, Danny McBride (Eastbound and Down), Nick Swardson, Aziz Ansari, and Eisenberg. In this movie, Eisenberg is a pizza delivery guy who now is the proud owner of a bomb strapped to his chest by two bad guys set on owning their own massage parlor. Dwayne (McBride) forces Nick (Eisenberg) to rob a bank for $100,000 with the promise that he will give Nick the code to stop the bomb once the mission is completed. Obviously, nothing works out the way Dwayne wants, but it makes for a decent movie.
5 Adventureland (2009)
Adventureland is a goofy movie where Eisenberg works at an amusement park for his summer job. It's a horrible job, but he gets to hang out with Kristin Stewart, Ryan Reynolds, and Martin Starr. We watch as Eisenberg's character grows up, gains confidence, stands up to bullies, and gets the girl in this cute comedy.
It goes to show that some actors play one role and that is themselves because they are hilarious, quirky, and entertaining without the actual "acting." Eisenberg has certainly starred in slightly more serious roles, but his fame comes mostly from his silliness, nerdiness, and underdog characters he plays. His role in Adventureland is precisely the type of role he aces, by being himself.
4 The Art of Self-Defense (2019)
This strange movie, The Art of Self-Defense, follows a man, Casey Davies (Eisenberg), who is literally afraid of everything after being jumped and robbed one night by a motorcycle gang on the way home from the store. He decides to enlist in the local karate dojo and learn to protect himself. Little does he know that he will be taking a step into crime, toxic masculinity, and weird night classes that end in extreme violence and danger. He makes a few friends despite the insane sensei and ends up confronting him in the end regarding the strange attacks the man has unleashed on the town.
3 Zombieland: Double Tap (2019)
This sequel to Zombieland is good, but not great. Eisenberg did a great job in his role and the movie, Zombieland 2: Double Tap was overall, enjoyable, even with the addition of Madison (Zoey Deutch) to their group of witty, cynical zombie-hunting characters. Madison dragged the movie down a few notches for being the stereotypical "dumb blond" which really just ended up getting on everyone's nerves. She did come through in the end but not before wrecking our eardrums with that obnoxious laughter.
The movie would have been excellent without her character and had the likes of Rosario Dawson, Bill Murray, and Luke Wilson added to the mix. Bill Murray's cameo made the movie fantastic in a way no other could. Here's hoping we get to see a Zombieland 3 in the near future.
2 The Social Network (2010)
The Social Network is a powerful film about the beginning of the end, basically. Life was whimsical and easy compared to how it is now with life in the social networking lane. Social networking has given purpose to many businesses and driven news in a much quicker way, but it has also taken a toll on the personal lives of everyone on it.
This is a film about Mark Zuckerberg (Eisenberg), the beginning of Facebook, and the stupidity behind it that somehow helped it become a billion-dollar company. It has a fantastic lineup of actors including Justin Timberlake, Dakota Johnson, Jesse Eisenberg, and Aaron Sorkin. We follow along as Zuckerberg, a 2003 Harvard University graduate, becomes one of the youngest billionaires to date.
1 Zombieland (2009)
Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, and Bill Murray all starred in this post-apocalyptic comedy road trip, Zombieland. It's a tough decision, but this has got to be the greatest Eisenberg film to date. It has everything: hilarity, inappropriate humor, a man obsessed with finding Twinkies, zombies, an interesting rule book, and love.
We ride along as Eisenberg's character, Columbus, is picked up by a scary, morbid, and completely hilarious Tallahassee (Harrelson), and the adventure of an apocalypse is off breaking stuff, kicking zombie butt, and making friends on this fantastic horror comedy. Emma Stone also stars in the film as Eisenberg's love interest, Wichita. He just really wants to tuck her hair behind her ear.