John Cusack, the former teen heartthrob known for his deadpan cool and intense roles, turns 60. From his early days in teen romcoms to his later villainous turns, Cusack's career spans nearly four decades. Here is a ranking of his 20 best film performances.
20. The Journey of Natty Gann (1985)
Set during the Great Depression, this Disney film follows a tomboy named Natty who rides the rails searching for her lumberjack father. Cusack plays a wise young hobo, marking his first notable role.
19. Tapeheads (1988)
Produced by Mike Nesmith of the Monkees, this goofy 1980s comedy features Cusack and Tim Robbins as losers whose rock video company prospers after a Skylab-related tragedy. The soundtrack and cult supporting cast are highlights.
18. High Fidelity (2000)
Cusack stars as a record store manager in this adaptation of Nick Hornby's novel, set in Chicago. While he struggles to convincingly portray a list-compiling manchild, the film offers breezy fun with its take on commitment-phobic masculinity and pop culture gatekeeping.
17. Max (2002)
Set in 1918 Munich, Cusack plays a Jewish gallery owner who indulges the artistic aspirations of a disgruntled army veteran (Noah Taylor) with a talent for antisemitic oration. This Hitler origin story features eye-popping performance art, including Cusack sinking naked into a giant meat grinder.
16. Say Anything... (1989)
In Cameron Crowe's directorial debut, Cusack plays Lloyd Dobler, a slacker who falls for the cleverest girl in school. The film includes the iconic boombox scene and strong supporting performances from Lili Taylor and Cusack's sister Joan.
15. Con Air (1997)
Cusack plays a sweaty US marshal in this action-fest about convicts hijacking a plane. Nicolas Cage stars as the heroic prisoner on parole, while Cusack fills the onlooker role amid outrageous hamming from John Malkovich and Ving Rhames.
14. Fat Man and Little Boy (1989)
Cusack haunts the memory as a fictional scientist who suffers the consequences of a lab mishap while working on the first atom bomb. His character says, "Everybody should make it, except me. I'm going to die." Paul Newman stars as General Groves.
13. Bullets Over Broadway (1994)
As the Woody Allen surrogate in this 1920s-set comedy, Cusack plays a playwright whose production is financed by casting a gangster's moll. Oscar-winning Dianne Wiest is a hoot as an alcoholic actress.
12. The Sure Thing (1985)
Before Stand By Me, Cusack starred in Rob Reiner's teen variation on It Happened One Night. He plays Gib Gibson, a beer-swilling slob whose plan to have sex with a California hottie gets sidetracked during a cross-country ride with a buttoned-up fellow student.
11. Eight Men Out (1988)
John Sayles' period drama details the Chicago Black Sox scandal, where baseball players agree to throw the 1919 World Series. In a stacked ensemble cast, Cusack plays the luckless shortstop Buck Weaver in one of his first adult roles.
10. 2012 (2009)
Can sci-fi novelist Cusack reunite with his wife before director Roland Emmerich destroys the planet with solar flares and tsunamis? The billionaires have a survival plan, but Cusack's love rival meets a sadistic fate.
9. The Paperboy (2012)
In this deranged southern gothic, Cusack plays a swamp-dwelling, alligator-hunting racist creep with a sad Nic Cage hairdo. The film is best known for Nicole Kidman peeing on Zac Efron's jellyfish stings, but Cusack's performance is unforgettable.
8. Grand Piano (2013)
Cusack exudes smarmy menace in a mainly voice role as the villain in this preposterous thriller. Elijah Wood plays a neurotic pianist who receives a death threat during a concert. Eugenio Mira directs with adorably bonkers style.
7. Identity (2003)
Ten people stranded at a remote Nevada motel are murdered one by one in James Mangold's psycho-thriller. Cusack plays a Sartre-reading ex-cop who tries to solve the mystery, stumbling across a plot twist that enrages on first viewing but proves fun on rewatch.
6. Maps to the Stars (2014)
Deep into his villain phase, Cusack is chilling as a celebrity therapist whose pyromaniac daughter confronts her family's dark secrets in Los Angeles. David Cronenberg's grim Hollywood satire features a fearless performance from Julianne Moore as a drug-addled film star.
5. Love & Mercy (2014)
This non-linear Brian Wilson biopic interweaves Paul Dano as 1960s Wilson with Cusack as the heavily medicated 1980s incarnation. In the 1960s, Wilson revolutionizes pop music while struggling with mental illness; in the 1980s, he is redeemed by love.
4. 1408 (2007)
Cusack delivers a virtuoso performance as a writer who checks into a haunted hotel room, wrestling with ghosts and his own traumatic past. Based on a Stephen King story, it's virtually a one-man show, with a brilliant cameo from Samuel L Jackson.
3. Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)
Cusack co-produced and co-wrote this black comedy about a depressed hitman attending his high school reunion. Alan Arkin is hilarious as his therapist. The film embodies deadpan cool with dark hints about modern America's moral relativism.
2. The Grifters (1990)
Cusack definitively left teen movies behind as a cute but shifty conman in this adaptation of Jim Thompson's novel. Anjelica Huston plays his mom, Annette Bening his sexy girlfriend. It's lowlife Greek tragedy with fantastic performances and an unforgettably bleak ending.
1. Being John Malkovich (1999)
Cusack asked his agent for the "craziest, most unproduceable script," resulting in Spike Jonze's feature-directing debut. Cusack plays a peevish street puppeteer who discovers a secret portal into John Malkovich's mind. Charlie Kaufman's scenario stirs questions of identity, sexuality, and control into a surreal cocktail.
