Here is the thing about John Krasinski, no matter what he does, he will always be known as Jim Halpert from the hit sitcom The Office. It isn’t the man’s fault, for he an uber-talented actor, and now a director and a producer. The thing is, it is very difficult to separate Jon from Jim because year after year, for nine years he had such a hold on the audiences. Just as it is difficult to deduct Rachel Green from Jennifer Aniston, no matter what she’s done or does. The same goes for John.
Ever since The Office ended, John has directed projects such as The Quiet Place I and II, done an Amazon series called Jack Ryan. John may not have as many movies under his belt as his wife Emily Blunt does, but after a mega-successful, the year 2019, John went on to direct, produce and star in his own web-news Youtube series called Some Good News, eventually selling it in a multimillion deal to ViacomCBS. Fans who had supported John in his low-budgeted Youtube quest to bring good news to people in the wake of the pandemic hit out at him for being a sellout. John may star in his series, but here are his other projects to look at
With that being said, here are John’s top 10 movies according to Rotten Tomatoes.
A Quiet Place (95%)
Genre: Apocalyptic thriller/horror
He cast his wife, Emily Blunt opposite him in his project. A Quiet Place turned out to be a hit both critically and at the box office.
The story traces a family, living in a post-apocalyptic world where some sort of alien hunts humans by sensing the noise that they make. So there are no dialogues in the movie, sign language, strong facial expressions, and perfect sound mixing. John plays the head of the family, Lee Abbot while Blunt plays his wife Evelyn Abbot. The family heads to a quiet life in the woods, to escape from the monsters. But guess what, the aliens are sensitive to noises everywhere!
A Quiet Place got its sequel in 2020, the release of which is stalled due to the Corona Virus pandemic. We’ll have to see how that one turns out!
Kinsey (90%)
Genre: Biographical drama
Not Krasinski’s best performance, but we are restricted by ratings. Kinsey came before The Office and John were cast as a character named Ben who discusses his private life with Kinsey.
Kinsey is known for his work in sexology. He mostly and famously remembered for writing the Kinsey Reports in 1948 and 1953. These reports trace the science behind the understanding of human sexual behavior at a time in which it was barely discussed.
Just so you know, Liam Neeson took the titular role of Kinsey in the 2004 movie. The report more precisely traces the “Sexual Behavior in the Human Male.”
The Wind Rises (88%)
Genre: Drama
Family involvement in The Wind Rises meant big bucks for John, Emily, and Stanley Tucci. The movie is the fictionalized tale of a World War II Japanese aircraft engineer, Jiro Horikoshi. He famously designed the aircraft that propelled Japan’s victories in World War II. That is until they surrendered. So essentially, the movie is his story and those around him, such as family, friends, and co-workers.
The Wind Rises was opened to American audiences after it was opened in Japan. It was dubbed in English by John and co. for audiences worldwide. Jiro is voiced by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. John Krasinski and wife Emily Blunt back him up as Naoko Satomi and Kiro Honjo, his friends. They are coworkers, Krasinski’s Honjo and Joseph’s Jiro. They are employed at the same aircraft manufacturer before the war begins.
Detroit (84%)
Genre: Biographical drama
Krasinki’s hair in Detriot is so much like his Jim hairdo. The movie came out in 2017 and Krasinski’s role as a lawyer was loved by the audiences. The story is about a real-life story of the Algiers Motel incident, which occurred in Detroit in 1967. A racially-charged tale, of course, that should help you understand the undertones of racism and the underbelly of it in America.
As we said, Krasinski plays a lawyer who comes to the defense of white police officers who murdered black teenagers. Krasinski took such a role to break out of typecasting roles, just to let audiences know he was available to do anything. Audiences were still used ti Krasinski from The Hollars or something. More lighthearted roles for Krasinski in the future, please!
Monsters University (80%)
Genre: Animation/R-Rated
Probably the one that is most loved by his children. Okay, maybe it’s not meant so much for children since it is R-rated. Monsters University is the tale of two monsters Mike and Sulley who join Monsters University in order to graduate as the scariest monsters on the planet.
Mike and Sully become best friends in their quest to do so. More like John and Dwight frenemies. Krasinski plays Frank McCay in the movie, the one who pushed Monster Mike to pursue his dreams in the first place.
Kranskinki has done a brilliant job voicing Frank, he does sound like a terrible monster.
Dreamgirls (78%)
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Would you believe in his early years John Krasinski starred as a screenwriter and director who hoped to cast Beyoncé’s character in an R&B musical? Yep, that’s right!
One of Krasinski’s early films, The story is about a talented trio of singers who become support for a big star in the R&B music industry.
He plays this manager to constantly keeps the trio at a bay, almost threatening them altogether. The other cast of the movie included Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé, Eddie Murphy, and Jennifer Hudson.
Big Miracle (75%)
Genre: Drama
Bet you didn’t know Krasinski and Drew Barrymore starred in a movie together? Big Miracle is the least talked of John’s movies. The story is based on Tom Rose’s 1989 book Freeing the Whales, and it came out in 2012.
It is the family tale of a news reporter (Krasinski) and an activist (Drew Barrymore) who join hands to save a group of gray whales who are about to be harmed by ice that is forming in the Arctic Circle. A big leap from a paper selling salesman there, don’t you think?
He plays the journalist, Adam. Barrymore plays Rachel Kramer, Adam’s ex-flame who joins him in on the mission.
Monsters Vs. Aliens (73%)
Genre: Animation/Comedy
He gets interrupted on his date with his girlfriend Katie gets by a robot’s landing.
The story goes somewhat like this, a woman named Susan is suddenly transformed into a giant on her wedding day after getting struck by a meteor. She is locked away in a secret facility somewhere with a bunch of strange monsters. They look like monsters in the beginning, but it turns out they are world’s only hope. Soon an extraterrestrial robot will wreak havoc on the earth. John’s pal Rainn Wilson from The Office also stars in the movie as Gallaxhar. The other castmates include Seth Rogen and Reese Witherspoon.
Away We Go (68%)
Genre: Drama/Romance/Family
Together they play an adventurous young couple who travel across America. The movie released back in 2009, during John’s The Office fame. So obviously the man had to do comedy. The film was a big dull dud at the box office, but nevertheless John’s performance enchanted the audiences. They have a baby on the way and their view of life keeps changing each day.
With a baby on the way, their time is limited. As they reconnect with their family members, old friends and make some new ones. They learn to discover what matters the most to them amidst all of the chaos in the world.
Away We Go is more like an existential tale of a couple who travel across America. The genre is broadly Drama/Comedy-drama. It was directed by one of the greatest directors, Sam Mendes, and the screenplay was done by Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida.
The Prophet (66%)
Genre: Animation/Family/Kids
This movie is the adaptation of Kahlil Gibran’s book of the same name.
The story is the tale of a widowed mother, Kamila. It is during the Ottoman Empire that she tends the home of a man under house arrest, Mustafa, in Lebanon.
What she doesn’t know is that Mustafa harbors secret feelings for her. She takes care of his home and she is busy raising her daughter who times and again gets into trouble. Since Kamila is alone, she has a heck of a time dealing with all at once. John Krasinski voices Halim, the soldier that at first guards Mustafa and later helps him escape.
