Top 5 Michael Douglas Films

Today is the birthday of Michael Douglas. I admire Douglas even when I think he makes some bad choices. He has been in around 50 movies! Picking the top 5 wasn't easy but here are my personal favorites.

5) Wall Street/Falling Down -  Okay a bit of a cheat here picking two but Wall Street had to be mentioned and Falling Down is a personal favorite. Douglas is at his best as Gordon Gekko. It's his most recognizable role, but the film doesn't really hold up all that well. Falling Down is silly at times and a bit one note but I really do like Douglas' performance as a man who has had enough bullshit in his life.

4) Wonder Boys - Curtis Hanson's Wonder Boys gets overlooked a lot yet it remains one of the best films of 2000. Douglas plays a pot-smoking English professor who is dealing with a whole mess of messed up people. He is warm, funny, and all around great in this movie.

3) The American President - Douglas is effortless here with Annette Bening in this Rob Reiner directed film. He really is the whole reason to watch the film. Aaron Sorkin's script is terrific as well.

2) Romancing the Stone - The film that introduced me to Michael Douglas. As Jack T. Colton, Douglas is like a slightly smoother Kurt Russel here. Robert Zemeckis makes a fun adventure film but Douglas really is where all the fun is.

1) The Game - David Fincher's The Game tops my list of most overlooked films ever. The film is a masterpiece and hopefully the recent Criterion Collection release will help others recognize it as such. Douglas here is a revelation. He plays a character similar to others he has played before and the movie uses that familarity to great effect. This is a story about a man whose life view changes dramatically and Douglas never forces anything, never plays it too big. However, by the end of the film no one can deny that a change has happened and it's all routed in Douglas' subtle performance.

written by Matthew G. Robinson