Great Reynolds films
He has been a reliable boxoffice star in the past few years. The Canadian-born actor, who excels in actionand romance-driven comedies, consistently delivers a devastating combination of irresistible charm and perfect comedic timing. As Disney+ viewers get a chance to see behindthe-scenes of Ryan
Reynolds’ world in the new reality series Welcome to Wrexham, Stuff to Watch lists eight of his greatest movie performances – and where they can be streamed.
Buried
(2010, itunes, Googleplay, Youtube) Reynolds’ Iraq-based American truck driver finds himself in a sticky situation in this tension-filled thriller. Depending on your sensibilities, the result is either a stunning, bravura piece of cinema, a touch lacking in visual stimuli, or deeply unsettling.
Deadpool
(2016, Disney+) Played with gusto by a lithe and smarmy Reynolds, Marvel’s ‘‘Merc with a Mouth’’ cracks wise heads and errm ... stiffies, as he bashes his way towards finding the man who destroyed his last chance at happiness. It is not for the sensitive – or easily offended. Writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick keep the gags and innuendo coming thick and fast.
Definitely, Maybe
(2008,
itunes, Googleplay, Youtube)
Engaging romantic comedy about a 30-something dad in the midst of a divorce and the bedtime story he tells his 10-year-old daughter about his life before marriage.
A truly charming Reynolds keeps Abigail Breslin – and the audience – guessing whether Isla Fisher, Elizabeth Banks or Rachel Weisz is her mother.
Free Guy
(2021, Neon,
Disney+)
Sure the premise of this somewhat surprising romantic comedy is not exactly original – essentially a mash-up of The Truman
Show, Wreck-it Ralph, The Matrix, TV’S Westworld and Groundhog Day – but it entertains, thanks to charismatic turns by Reynolds and the impressive Jodie Comer (Killing Eve). He has an absolute ball playing Guy, a non-player character in the mega-popular online game world of Free City.
Pokemon Detective Pikachu
(2019, itunes, Neon Rentals, Googleplay, Youtube)
When news first broke that Reynolds was ‘‘vocalising’’ the eponymous star of this live-action take on the popular multimedia megafranchise, alarm bells went off in many households, worrying that this would be a Deadpool-like skewering of the beloved ‘‘pocket monsters’’. Thankfully, it is a family-friendly mystery for Pokemon fans of all ages.
The Proposal
(2009,
Disney+)
Sandra Bullock’s Margaret Tate keeps a fresh-faced Reynolds on his toes in this rom-com about a young man forced to marry his boss to save her being deported to Canada. It works because of their chemistry and a terrific turn from the marvellous Betty White.
The Voices
(2014, itunes) Reynolds is effectively creepy as Jerry, a bathtub factory worker who pursues his office crush (Gemma Arterton), with the help of his court-appointed psychiatrist. Things go pearshaped when she stands him up on a date – and his subsequent actions are guided by his talking pets.
Woman in Gold
(2015, Academy Ondemand, Roxy Ondemand)
‘‘This is like a James Bond film – and you are Sean Connery,’’ Helen Mirren’s Maria Altmann says of Reynolds’ nebbish lawyer in this based-on-fact drama.
But his performance is from the Jimmy Stewart school of acting, as he attempts to get back Altmann’s family’s artworks from an Austrian gallery which ‘‘acquired them’’ from the Nazis.