Jason Bateman has had more success at making a career out of being hilariously deadpan since anyone since Bob Newhart. Bateman was a child star, first appearing way back in 1981 in Little House in the Prairie before, more famously, in Silver Spoons from 1982-1984, and in Valerie from 1986-1991, growing up on the small screen. Bateman was a journeyman, but quality TV actor until the cult-turned-mainstream success of the wonderfully subversive Arrested Development made him a huge star and also made him in-demand for film roles as well. He’s had some great comedies, most lately the awesome Game Night, as well as surprising by showing dramatic range in films like Juno, Up in the Air, and The Gift. As his career nears 40 years already, Bateman has become extremely good at picking projects that showcase his type of laconic humor and expect him to continue to be a fixture on TV and film as long as he wants to act.
Jason Bateman’s 10 Best Movies
1. Arrested Development (2003-2018, FOX, Netflix) Michael Bluth
2. Juno (2007) Mark Loring
3. Up in the Air (2009) Craig Gregory
4. Game Night (2018) Max
5. Zootopia (2016) Nick Wilde
6. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) Animal Instincts Detective
7. State of Play (2009) Dominic Fox
8. The Gift (2015) Simon
9. Office Christmas Party (2016) Josh Parker
10. Ozark (2017-2018, Netflick) Marty Byrde
Honorable Mention: Central Intelligence (2016) Trevor
Oscars, Golden Globes & Emmys
Oscar Wins (0): None
Oscar Nominations (0): None
Golden Globe Wins (1): Arrested Development (2005)
Golden Globe Nominations (3): Arrested Development (2005, 2014), Ozark (2018)
Emmy Wins (0): None
Emmy Nominations (4): Arrested Development (2005, 2013), Ozark (2018 – Director, Actor)
My Favorite Bateman Scene:
“DMV” from Zootopia (2016)
Next Film: Bateman is coming off of two Emmy nominations for season one of Ozark. The Netflix drama returns for season two on the streaming service on August 31, 2018.
Love that scene from Zootopia! 😀 … loved the whole film actually. 🙂
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As do I, but nothing tops that scene….which is a sadly accurate representation of the DMV in certain states in which I’ve lived. Looking at you, California!
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I know it’s a cliche to say so, but Arrested Development is so, so good.
His role in Juno, a movie I love, is… surprising and surprisingly dark. Talk about an actor taking a chance with a role. What an overall fantastic ensemble cast that movie has.
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AD is the gift that keeps on giving. Bateman can do dark. The Gift and Ozark are both very dark. Comedians can go there pretty easily, since that’s usually where they get their humor.
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Look no further than Charlie Chaplin. He made movies where he was destitute, starving, and wrongfully imprisoned, yet somehow, to this day, you watch the films and want more.
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