Tim Curry was born to be an entertainer, and for over five decades, the 77-year-old English-born thespian proved that there isn't a medium that he can't conquer. While he got his start on the stage in the 1960s, Curry quickly established himself as a force to be reckoned with on the big and small screens. On top of that, he has dozens of voice acting credits and even a couple solo music albums under his belt.
Sadly, Curry suffered a stroke in 2012, severely limiting his acting ability. Still, his impact will never be forgotten, as his multitude of iconic roles -- from the antagonistic clown Pennywise in the miniseries It to the cross-dressing scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show -- have had a multi-generational impact. While Curry has maintained mainstream status as a cult classic fixture, he's also enjoyed a good deal of critical success over the years. With that in mind, here are Tim Curry's 10 best movies, according to the critical review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.
10 Charlie's Angels (2000) - 68%
Charlie's Angels
- Release Date
- November 2, 2000
- Director
- McG
- Cast
- Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, Bill Murray, Sam Rockwell, Kelly Lynch
- Rating
- PG-13
- Main Genre
- Action
Based on the television show from the mid-70s, Charlie's Angels stars Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu as the crime-fighting trio and Bill Murray as John Bosley, the go-between for the Angels and the mysterious Charlie. Starring Tim Curry as the villainous head of a communications-satellite company called Redstar, the 2000 film sees the Angels tasked with tracking down a software mogul (played by Sam Rockwell). But, all is not as it seems.
What Makes It Great
Raking in a worldwide box office gross of $264.1 million, Charlie's Angels was the 12th highest-grossing film of 2000. From a critical standpoint, the McG-directed movie was praised for being an effective popcorn flick filled with solid comedic moments and high-octane action scenes. Though both the made-for-TV adaptations of Stephen King's It and Charlie's Angels boast a 68% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the latter just narrowly earns its spot on the list, with 146 critic reviews compared to It's 25.
Stream on Paramount+
9 Clue (1985) - 70%
Based on the board game of the same name, Clue is a campy whodunit featuring a brilliant ensemble cast that includes Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Eileen Brennan, and last but not least, Tim Curry as the butler Wadsworth. The film's plot basically follows the premise of the game, with Wadsworth and the colorfully-named party guests searching for the culprit behind the murder of mansion-owning blackmailer Mr. Boddy, played by Fear frontman Lee Ving.
What Makes It Great
While Clue underperformed at the box office and received mixed reviews at the time of its release, the film later enjoyed a noteworthy cult following. It's hard not to be charmed by the fast-paced comedic performances throughout the film, as the stars clearly had a solid acting rapport. Kahn, who actually improvised Mrs. White's hilarious "flames on the side of my face" speech, is a massive bright spot, but it is Curry, with his high-energy exposition and hysterical one-liners, who largely carries the film.
Stream on Prime Video
8 Muppet Treasure Island (1996) - 71%
Four years after The Muppets graced the screen for The Muppet Christmas Carol, Jim Henson's classic creations got together once again for yet another literary adaptation. Muppet Treasure Island, based on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic pirate novel, features a mix of puppets and people, with newcomer Kevin Bishop starring as heroic orphan Jim and Tim Curry showing his acumen as a big-screen antagonist as the duplicitous pirate Long John Silver.
What Makes It Great
If you're a fan of The Muppets, then Muppet Treasure Island definitely delivers. It's got it all: the adventure, the gags, the musical numbers, and the overall hijinks from beloved characters Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Gonzo and Fozzie Bear. The movie was a moderate box office and critical success, but one thing that pretty much every critic agreed on was that Curry put on a stellar performance as the main villain.
Stream on Disney+
7 Rugrats in Paris: The Movie (2000) - 76%
Two years following the box office success of The Rugrats Movie in 1998, everyone's favorite toddlers from the Nickelodeon animated series reunited once again for Rugrats in Paris: The Movie. For this adventure-filled installment, Tommy, Chuckie, and the rest of the gang travel to EuroReptarland, a Japanese amusement park in Paris, where they face off against the child-hating Coco LaBouche (Susan Sarandon) and her accomplice Jean-Claude (John Lithgow).
Alongside renowned voice actors Kevin Michael Richardson and Billy West, Tim Curry guest stars as a singing sumo wrestler. While the trio's karaoke performance of Donna Summer's Bad Girls with Angelica is certainly memorable, it's a scene that doesn't necessarily hold up today.
What Makes It Great
Critics and audiences loved the second Rugrats movie. It had everything that fans loved about the show: the familiar characters, the jokes, and the adventure, and with a 30-million-dollar budget, it also offered stunning visuals and even a few epic action scenes. On top of that, viewers were particularly touched by Chuckie's emotional storyline, as he struggles with the death of his mother throughout the film.
Stream on Paramount+
6 The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) - 79%
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
- Release Date
- August 14, 1975
- Director
- Jim Sharman
- Cast
- Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Richard O'Brien, Patricia Quinn, Nell Campbell
- Rating
- R
- Main Genre
- Comedy
Widely considered to be the first major cult classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is based on the 1973 musical The Rocky Horror Show. A send-up of horror and science fiction B movies from the 1930s, the movie stars Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick as a couple who seek sanctuary at a mysterious castle after getting lost on a rainy night. While there, they meet a wacky cast of characters, including Tim Curry's cross-dressing mad scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter, his Igor-esque assistant Riff Raff (played by Richard O'Brien, who wrote both the screenplay and the original musical), and Frankenstein creation Rocky Horror (Peter Hinwood).
What Makes It Great
There's a solid chance that either you or someone you know has been to a screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. While it didn't really do much after its initial release, the film skyrocketed in popularity due to fun-filled, audience-participatory midnight screenings. To date, the movie has earned over $220 million worldwide, and even appeared on the box office charts as recently as 2021. Thanks to catchy musical numbers like "The Time Warp" and the inspired performance of Curry, the campy flick became a cultural phenomenon that forever changed how movie musicals were made and marketed.
Stream on Hulu
5 The Wild Thornberrys Movie (2002) - 80%
The Wild Thornberrys Movie
- Release Date
- December 20, 2002
- Director
- Cathy Malkasian, Jeff McGrath
- Cast
- Lacey Chabert, Tom Kane, Cree Summer, Tim Curry, Lynn Redgrave, Jodi Carlisle
- Rating
- PG
- Main Genre
- Adventure
Everyone's favorite cartoon family of wildlife documentarians made their feature-film debut in The Wild Thornberrys Movie. Lacey Chabert reprised her voice-acting role as Eliza Thornberry, the 11-year-old girl who can talk to animals. For her cinematic adventure, Eliza fights to rescue a cheetah cub from evil husband-and-wife poachers. Tim Curry also returned as the eccentric Thornberry patriarch Nigel, while a number of acting legends, including Marisa Tomei, Rupert Everett, and Alfre Woodard, lent their voices to the Wild Thornberrys-verse for the first time.
What Makes It Great
Praised for its wholesome family fun, pro-environment message, and hit-filled soundtrack, The Wild Thornberrys Movie was both critically and commercially acclaimed. It received a number of nominations, including a BAFTA Children's Award nod for Best Feature Film, but its major bright spot was Paul Simon's "Father and Daughter," which received both a Globe Globes and an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.
Stream on Paramount+
4 The Shout (1978) - 87%
Based on the short story by Robert Graves, The Shout is a British horror film that tells the story of a traveler named Crossley (Alan Bates) who terrorizes a couple (Susannah York and John Hurt) via a sinister form of magic. Tim Curry is also featured in a relatively small-but-crucial role as the man whom Crossley regales with his insidious tale.
What Makes It Great
Though it's probably one of Curry's least-known movies and didn't perform well at the box office, The Shout was, by all accounts, a critical success. It was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 1978 Cannes Film Festival, and also received the Grand Prize of the Jury. Critics especially enjoyed Jerzy Skolimowski's direction, the eerie tone and atmosphere throughout, and the powerful score from Genesis bandmates Michael Rutherford and Tony Banks.
Stream on Tubi
3 The Cat Returns (2002) - 88%
Tim Curry proved his voice-acting acumen once again as the villainous Cat King for the English-dubbed version of Studio Ghibli's The Cat Returns. Based on the manga of the same nameby Aoi Hiiragi, the movie tells the story of a girl named Haru (voiced by Anne Hathaway in the English version), whose ability to communicate with cats leads her on a journey to a magical kingdom filled with talking felines.
What Makes It Great
Beloved by audience members and critics for its wholesome charm and beautiful animation, The Cat Returns garnered $65 million at the box office, making it the seventh highest-grossing movie of 2002. While it may not be among Studio Ghibli's most renowned works, like Spirited Away or Howl's Moving Castle, The Cat Returns is largely considered to be one of the Japanese animation studio's most underrated films.
Stream on Max
2 The Hunt for Red October (1990) - 88%
The Hunt for Red October
- Release Date
- March 2, 1990
- Director
- John McTiernan
- Cast
- Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, Sam Neill, James Earl Jones, Joss Ackland
- Rating
- PG
- Main Genre
- Action
Based on Tom Clancy's 1984 novel, The Hunt for Red October effectivelyintroduced the prolific writer to the cinematic world. CIA analyst Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin) makes his big-screen debut in the submarine thriller movie, where he is tasked with proving that the defection of a Russian submarine captain (Sean Connery) is for the purposes of avoiding war and not causing it. Tim Curry stars as Dr. Yevgeni Petrov, the medical officer onboard the titular Red October.
What Makes It Great
Edging out The Cat Returns on the list with 76 critic reviews compared to the former's 25, The Hunt for Red October grossed slightly over $200 million worldwide, making it the sixth highest-grossing movie of 1990. Its success was largely built upon the suspenseful atmosphere present throughout the film, the well-written script filled with twists and turns, and the masterful performance of Connery. The movie rightfully received recognition at the 63rd Academy Awards, earning nominations for Best Film Editing and Best Sound, and winning the award for Best Sound Effects Editing. Just behind Das Boot, The Hunt for Red October holds an important place in movie history as one of the best submarine films of all time.
Stream on Paramount+
1 Kinsey (2004) - 90%
Kinsey
- Release Date
- September 4, 2004
- Director
- Bill Condon
- Cast
- Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Chris O'Donnell, Peter Sarsgaard, Timothy Hutton, John Lithgow
- Rating
- R
- Main Genre
- Biography
Kinsey tells the true story of sex researcher Charles Kinney, whose groundbreaking 1948 publication Sexual Behavior in the Human Male was one of the first recorded works to examine sexual behavior in humans. Written and directed by Bill Condon (Chicago, Dreamgirls), the biographical drama stars Liam Neeson in the title role and Laura Linney as his wife Clara, who helped contribute to his research. Tim Curry stars as Thurman Rice, a researcher who clashes with Kinsey throughout the film.
What Makes It Great
For its frank and honest portray of Charles Kinsey's work and the stellar acting of Linney and Neeson (Roger Egert compared his performance to Russell Crowe's in A Beautiful Mind), Kinsey was lauded as one of the best films of 2004, earning a spot on over a dozen critics' top 10 lists for the year. Given its niche subject, the film was only a moderate box office success, though Laura Linney did earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and also received acting nods from the Golden Globes (as did Neeson) and the Screen Actors Guild Awards. On top of that, The National Board of Review chose Kinsey as one of the top best films of the year.
Rent on Apple TV
Comments
Post a Comment