Top 11 J.K. Simmons Movies
- CJ Tiernan
- 6 hours ago
- 7 min read
By CJ Tiernan
Character actor is the term often used for people that make a career playing supporting roles rather than starring as your typical leading man or leading lady. When you call J.K. Simmons one of the most prolific character actors to ever grace the silver screen, you pay him great compliment. He has earned it. Simmons has worked alongside countless stars and held his own on screen against them all, having played menacing, loving, and even characters using only his voice (including the yellow peanut M&M in the M&Ms commercials for like 30 years). You can stack his filmography up against just about anyone. Below is my Top 11 List of my favorite J.K. Simmons movies I’ve ever seen. Disclaimer: as he is often in a supporting role, I didn’t count his cameo roles as standalone options on the list so there are actually 16 movies in my Top 11 (insert Mitch Hedberg joke about 2-in-1 shampoo here).
1. Whiplash (2014)
Whiplash is one of the greatest films ever. It is so incredible and the performance of J.K. Simmons is a big reason why. There is tension throughout the film, born of the hulking menace of Simmons’ character, Terence Fletcher. He won an Academy Award for the performance (the first of two nominations in his career so far). The final scene of the film is my favorite ending of all time. They say, “those that can’t do, teach.” He teaches so hard, man.
2. Klaus (2019)
Christmas movies have a special place in our hearts because liking something is, in part, derived from our familiarity with it and we watch the same ones every year. As a result, it can be tough for a newcomer to crack the Top 11 Christmas Movies List. This one is in my Top 5. It’s that good. It’s an animated movie, featuring Simmons in the title role, about the origins of certain aspects of Christmas (kinda). It’s funny, it’s sweet, it’s violent, all the things you want from a Christmas movie.
3. The Ladykillers (2004)
The Coen Brothers partnered with a heist movie. I’m sorry. You need more? How about Tom Hanks dressed as Colonel Sanders, a Wayans Brother, and J.K. Simmons looking like he’s ready to pan for gold in the mid-19th century. It may have been critically panned but clearly those people hate fun. I, for one, love fun and love this movie.
4a. Palm Springs (2020)
Time travel movies are fantastic, as are the sub-genre: time loop movies. Groundhog Day is the O.G., against which all others will always be compared. I liked this one more. It’s more adult than most other options out there but man is it a fun ride. Simmons is featured as a guy who’s been accidentally brought into the time loop after it’s begun and is not a fan of the results. Violence ensues.
4b. Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019) - (Cameo)
Spoiler Alert: If you are this far behind on the MCU you are either very young or you don’t really care but I nonetheless believe in spoiler alerts. This is a fantastic final-scene surprise cameo. J.K. Simmons became synonymous with J. Jonah Jameson because he seemed so perfectly cast in the original Sam Raimi trilogy. It was a bit of a stunt cast but, because I didn’t know it was coming, it was a wonderful surprise. Also, this is one of the best MCU movies and Spider-Man is my favorite Superhero.
4c. Burn After Reading (2008) - (Cameo)
One of the best tools in the Simmons’ arsenal is the straight man. He has a deep voice that demands authority without needing to ask for it, so when he plays it straight, we laugh. Such is his role in this movie. He is essentially reacting to the chaos that plays out on screen through a repeated escalation of misunderstandings, but doing so in memo form. It’s just delicious. The whole movie is delicious. Brad Pitt and George Clooney have never been more off the rails.
5. Thank You for Smoking (2005)
Here, Simmons plays the boss of the main character: a tobacco lobbyist played by Aaron Eckhart. At one point he laments that teen smoking is decreasing, as it is the “bread and butter” of the tobacco industry. As a staunch anti-smoker myself, I loved this movie for the over-the-top satire of the tobacco industry. I’m also a sucker for breaking the fourth wall, which is done kind of a lot in this movie.
6a. Zootopia (2016)
This is a crazy fun idea. Zootopia is a world where all the animals live in one giant city, complete with appropriate biozone sections. They can walk and talk and wait in line at the DMV. Simmons plays the mayor (a lion) of Zootopia. When this movie was in theaters, my brother spent the day after he first saw this movie, in the theater watching it again. High praise.
6b. La La Land (2016) - (Cameo)
Damien Chazelle came out of the gates with back-to-back bangers. He directed Whiplash and followed it up with this musical gem. With just the opening scene (a traffic jam wherein all the occupants hop out of their cars to sing and dance) he establishes so much of the fantastical, whimsical world where the plot transpires. Simmons small role as Ryan Gosling’s boss is memorable because he fires Gosling for playing jazz (after lambasting Miles Teller in Whiplash for not playing jazz well enough). You would think that Chazelle would be placed in a jazz pigeon hole after that but, nope, his next movie was about Neil Armstrong (and he found a new muse as Ryan Gosling was again the star. Move aside, J.K. Simmons, and let the man go through).
7. Juno (2007)
Juno is a fantastic movie. It touches on universal themes like teen pregnancy and indie music. J.K. Simmons got to wear a bit of a different hat as he was the loving and understanding father of said pregnant teen. In addition to Simmons, this powerhouse cast features Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney (who also won a Supporting Acting Oscar), and the artist currently known as Elliot Page. The music in this movie is so emblematic of the era; it’s a real time capsule.
8. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
This is the one with Doc Ock. Simmons again plays J. Jonah Jameson, this time in the best of the Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies. It’s dramatic, with higher, more global stakes than the first movie and it’s got a cool train scene. I know we’re talking about J.K. Simmons here, but let’s take a moment to give it up for Alfred Molina. He’s wonderful in this role and the effects are really impressive (lots of puppetry was used).
9. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Spoiler Alert: They brought together all three Spider-Men. Maguire, Garfield, and Holland are all together in one scene in the biggest conglomeration of Spider-People since Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse a few years previous. They changed the role a bit for Simmons from the first time he played the character almost 20 years earlier. In fact, they used him to lampoon the sensationalism of far-right “news” sources. Spider-Man has a lot of villains in this movie but J. Jonah Jameson may be the biggest to Peter Parker.
10a. Spider-Man (2002)
Here it is. The one that started it all. Peter Parker becomes Spider-Man, accidentally gets his grandpa killed, and kisses the love of his life upside-down in the rain. Willem Dafoe plays the bad guy and, to quote Weird Al, “he’s wearing that dumb Power Rangers mask, but he’s scarier without it on.”
10b. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) - (Cameo)
There are so many characters in this movie that you’d be saving yourself time listing the parties not involved. At one point in time there are like a hundred Spider-Men on screen at the same time. It’s awesome. I highly recommend watching it. I was bummed it ended on a cliff hanger but they crammed so much in that you can understand it. Simmons plays, and stop me if you heard this one before, J. Jonah Jameson. This time, he plays the role across multiple dimensions. Wait, he did that in real life too. Fun.
10c. Up in the Air (2009) - (Cameo)
This is the third Jason Reitman film on my list (Thank You for Smoking and Juno are the others). Simmons is only in one scene but it’s pretty memorable. George Clooney plays a dude that fires people professionally. He turns the firing of J.K. Simmons’ Bob character around by asking “How much did they first pay you to give up on your dreams?” He pivots the loss of Bob’s job as an opportunity for Bob to do something he loves and actually wants to do. Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga round out a formidable cast. Fun fact: the city the plane is over when Clooney reaches 10 million miles mid-flight is my home town: Dubuque, Iowa.
11. Juror #2 (2024)
A Clint Eastwood movie made in 2024? This guy is the Terminator. He can’t be stopped. It’s an incredible movie that follows a guy on a jury forced to decide the fate for a crime that he begins to think he may actually be responsible for. Simmons plays another guy on the jury who also becomes suspicious. Thrilling, gripping, and worthy of your time.
Final Thoughts
J.K. Simmons, to sum it up, is in a bunch of magnificent movies and you should just watch them all to ensure you don’t miss out on the good stuff. I am genuinely excited whenever Simmons is sprinkled in among the cast list for a new release. He’s also recently dabbled in some critically acclaimed TV. And if you aren’t a Super Hero person (what’s wrong with you?), you can choose any of the 11 non-Spider-Man movies on my list. Thanks so much! Have a great day! Here’s a list of the other J.K. Simmons movies I’ve seen.
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