Best John C. Reilly Comedic Performances (original) (raw)

Published Mar 25, 2022, 1:30 PM EDT

John C. Reilly has had a fascinating career. He's an unlikely leading man. That is to take nothing away from his overall talent as an entertainer, however. Reilly is certainly versatile, with notable comedic and dramatic roles in both film and television. He has frequently partnered with some of the funniest people in the industry, including multiple projects alongside Will Ferrell. But Reilly has had only one film credit since the pair created the disastrous Holmes & Watson together in 2018, leading him to publicly ponder if his career was hitting a brick wall.

Not so fast. Reilly landed the starring role as Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss in the HBO Max limited series Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, bringing him back into popular culture in a way that is both funny and nostalgic. Let's look at the best comedic performances of John C. Reilly's career.

Cal Naughton Jr. in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)

John C. Reilly and Will Ferrell in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

Image Via Sony Pictures Releasing

If you were to narrow it down to one film that changed the trajectory of Reilly's career, it has to be Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. It was the first collaboration between Reilly and Ferrell, who played the NASCAR duo of Ricky Bobby (Ferrell) and Cal Naughton Jr. (Reilly). Although Ferrell plays the title role, much of this list probably doesn't even happen if not for Reilly's success in Talladega Nights. He had some of the movie's funniest lines, not the least of which is his hilarious confession about posing in Playgirl under the name Mike Honcho.

Sasquatch in Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny (2006)

Image via New Line Cinema

Even the biggest fans of John C. Reilly might've missed his cameo in Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny, but he's there. Reilly reprises the role of Sasquatch, which he also played in the 1999 TV series, Tenacious D. When JB (Jack Black) eats some suspicious mushrooms in the woods, he goes on a magical, frolicking drug-trip with the uncredited Reilly as the gigantic, furry beast. It's one of the funnier parts of an otherwise outstanding cult-comedy, so it must be included.

Dewey Cox in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)

Image via Columbia Pictures

Just a year after his breakout in Talladega Nights, Reilly starred in the Judd Apatow and Jake Kasdan parody, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. Reilly plays Dewey Cox, a satirical mashup of every rumor and stereotype ever used in a musical biopic. Cox grows up on-screen as a legendary rock star, has an on-again, off-again romance with Darlene Madison (Jenna Fischer), and meets a lot of other rockstars along the way. Walk Hard certainly isn't the best movie of Reilly's career, but it's notable in that it was his first role as the lead in a major motion picture.

Robert in The Lobster (2015)

Image via TIFF

The Lobster is an under-the-radar dark comedy, and it's strange in all the right ways. The central plot in this dystopian alternate universe is that newly-single people are taken to a hotel and given 45 days to find a partner. Those who fail to pair up in that period are turned into an animal of their choice. It's at the hotel that The Lobster's protagonist, David (Colin Farrell), meets Robert (Reilly). Robert's funniest moment might be when he suggests being turned into a parrot, despite his notable lisp.

Ralph in Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

Wreck It Ralph flexing his muscles

Image via Disney

Another of Reilly's big, starring roles came along in 2012 with Disney's Wreck-It Ralph. Ralph (Reilly) is a video-game character living inside a classic-style arcade, along with several other classic game characters. In the film, Ralph pairs up with Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) to try to change his reputation as a “bad guy.” Reilly has noted in the past that he and Silverman ad libbed portions of their dialogue, which played a big part in making Wreck-It Ralph popular enough to warrant the 2018 sequel, Ralph Breaks the Internet.

Hank Marlow in Kong: Skull Island (2017)

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Audiences were mixed on Kong: Skull Island, which wasn't really a comedy and didn't really promote Reilly as one of its lead actors. Reilly's fellow Marvel alumni Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, and Brie Larson gained top-billing for this one. Yet it's Reilly as Hank Marlow who steals the show, providing the experienced voice of reason – albeit, a kooky voice of reason – for the other characters on the island. It's clear that Reilly was given free rein to ad lib once again, and he knocks it out of the park.

Reed Rothchild in Boogie Nights (1997)

One of John C. Reilly's earliest roles was in Boogie Nights. The protagonist Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg) meets Reilly's character, Reed Rothchild, at a party early in the film. The two have a hilarious back-and-forth where Rothchild sizes up Adams, first asking if he works out and then noting that he can squat far more weight – a clear lie. The two rise to stardom together in the adult film industry, but the unfocused Rothchild ends up with a career as a magician. Looking back, it's easy to see a lot of Reilly's future roles in his Boogie Nights character.

Dale Doback in Step Brothers (2008)

Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in Step Brothers.

Image Via Sony Pictures Releasing

Yet another collaboration between Reilly and Will Ferrell results in maybe their funniest movie: Step Brothers. Dale (Reilly) and Brennan (Ferrell) are 40-year-olds living with their parents until Dale's father (Richard Jenkins) marries Brennan's mom (Mary Steenburgen), forcing the four of them to become one big, awkward family. Dale and Brennan begin as enemies, but they soon rally around their mutual hatred of Brennan's brother, Derek (Adam Scott).

The hilarity of the movie, and Reilly's performance as Dale, is remarkably nuanced. Even unspoken details, like Brennan making a giant plate of nachos while watching women's exercise videos, are incredibly funny to see. The entire bit between Dale and Brennan regarding Dale's drums, which runs throughout the movie and results in Brennan rubbing a clearly-fake pair of testicles all over the set, is worthy of the comedy Hall of Fame. Step Brothers is the ultimate Reilly and Ferrell team-up, and the laughs are non-stop.