The 15 best Timothée Chalamet movies, ranked

EW looks back on the young actor's finest work, from his early awards fare in "Call Me by Your Name" to his ongoing turn in the "Dune" franchise.

It’s easy to spot the depth and nuance that Timothée Chalamet brings to every smirk, lowering of the eyes, and drop of the shoulder. This, mixed with his spindly physique that makes him appear as light and poised as a dancer, creates his singular star power.

Through this prism, he often portrays sadness and isolation, but he also flirts with comedy, sometimes in the same swoop. Many of those strokes are hits, but some are sadly misses. Just what are the best Timothée Chalamet movies? Read on to find out EW’s take.

15. The Adderall Diaries (2015)

An underwhelming film about a sad boy who becomes a sad memoirist, Chalamet is inert and aimless in flashbacks as a beaten-down teen who’s pushed to the brink by his abusive father. There’s nothing much beyond that here, but Chalamet still carries the role with aplomb.

Where to watch The Adderall Diaries: Max

14. Hostiles (2017)

Chalamet in a gruff western with Christian Bale, Jesse Plemons, and Rosamund Pike? Yes, it exists, and no, it’s not the best showcase for his acting skills. But it's still notable for casting Chalamet as his French, saccharine self in an arid drama about a U.S. Army detail escorting an ailing Cheyenne war chief home through an unforgiving terrain. He may stand out sorely from the rough ‘em tough ‘em ensemble, but that’s the point, given that his soft character is apprehensive about being there in the first place.

Where to watch Hostiles: Starz

13. Love The Coopers (2015)

What can be said about this project starring Timothée Chalamet, John Goodman, and Diane Keaton? It’s a film where Chalamet is maybe the least interesting or messy family member in an awkward ensemble. Goodman and Keaton are always great, but this movie is trying too hard to be a new Royal Tenenbaums but cuter, and it simply doesn’t work. The cast is rounded out by folks like Olivia Wilde, Anthony Mackie, and Ed Helms, but notice now we’re just rattling off names in a Chalamet-centric list since there’s so little Chalamet to discuss.

Where to watch Love The Coopers: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

12. Interstellar (2014)

This film excels in a way Christopher Nolan didn’t match again until Oppenheimer, as it feels so completely realized and emotionally thought out. Here, Chalamet does a fine job playing a curious and moody son to a space traveler on a mission to save humanity from a raging famine. The film is ranked low on this list since his character is so secondary and subdued, but overall, Interstellar is worth your time. Never again would Nolan figure out how to use an actress (Anne Hathaway) so well, which is a shame, because if he can do it here, it stands to reason he could do it again. Perhaps going forward, we’ll see more female characters who are not part of the dead or put-upon wife club.

Where to watch Interstellar: Paramount+

11. Don’t Look Up (2021)

While Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence seem to be in two different movies about a meteor headed for Earth, Chalamet plays a quasi-homeless youth who is loose and alive in a way the actor isn’t often allowed to be. The poise is gone, and there’s a kind of fun camaraderie with his costars in its place. His role is small, but Chalamet makes an impression in a film that (inconceivably) has a so-so Meryl Streep, an outrageous Ariana Grande, and a livewire Tyler Perry. Don’t Look Up is as chaotic as it sounds, and Chalamet is goofy in a naive way that actually elicits a few laughs.

Where to watch Don’t Look Up: Netflix

10. Miss Stevens (2016)

An endlessly endearing film, Miss Stevens sees our boy working his Classic Chalamet Operating System (CCOS), playing a depressed teenager who loves theater and sort of seduces his teacher (Lily Rabe). There are so many mutations of the Chalamet charm, but it’s rare for his characters to feel so locked in and moving independently of audience expectations. The film could have fallen emotionally flat, but it’s instead a career-best turn for Rabe and a showcase for Chalamet’s lived-in spontaneity and infectious earnestness (something we’d like to see more of in future projects).

Where to watch Miss Stevens: Tubi

9. The French Dispatch (2021)

The French Dispatch is a gorgeous (and patently loose-plotted) ensemble film featuring Chalamet as a delightfully odd activist in a complicated romance with a journalist. We might even say he recalls Jason Schwartzman in his earlier, more chaotic collaborations with Wes Anderson; he’s sad, of course, but he’s also playful as a spry student rebel. Here, Chalamet is still recognizably himself, but he gets to have a bit of fun, too.

Where to watch The French Dispatch: Hulu

8. Wonka (2023)

Chalamet tries his hand at being Willy Wonka here, and in many ways, he (surprisingly) succeeds. The actor eschews the sadness of Gene Wilder’s performance but borrows some of his quirky kindness (and, more importantly, he manages to work with kids without it feeling creepy). In terms of humor, though, Chalamet doesn’t even come close to Wilder, but he finds his own magic in the off-kilter character. His charisma pops here in a way we haven’t previously seen, almost steamrolling the sweatier parts of the movie musical into something grand and effective.

Where to watch Wonka: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

7. Beautiful Boy (2018)

This ill-fated Oscar bait isn’t great, but it’s not bad either. Steve Carell co-leads as a desperate father who refuses to give up on his addict son, and he’s good, but he’s been a far more effective Serious Actor in other films (see: Little Miss Sunshine). Chalamet’s version of a (distractingly still movie star handsome) strung-out drug user is helped by his ability to be pensive and placid. That dichotomous talent has opened dozens of doors for him, but Chalamet always comes across as warm and alive.

Where to watch Beautiful Boy: Amazon Prime Video

6. The King (2019)

The King sees Chalamet star opposite Ben Mendelsohn and Robert Pattinson, who both shine brighter than his Henry V. The role of a tormented young prince who must rise to the throne isn’t wasted on Chalamet, however. He gets to utilize his stage experience in this loose but satisfyingly dramatic Shakespeare adaptation. It’s just that Pattinson is such a brilliant weirdo that it’s hard to stand next to him; and Mendelsohn is so purely, jaw-droppingly gifted that there is no stealing focus when he’s getting one over on your character. Still, Chalamet does a great job here, and it’s one of his best films, if only because he spars with top-notch talent and still convinces us he was the best choice for the role.

Where to watch The King: Netflix

5. Ladybird (2017)

This is Saoirse Ronan’s film, but Chalamet is a gracious costar as a popular boy who takes her virginity. Greta Gerwig reliably writes the character as a bit of a cad, but the end-of-high-school setting lends everything a brightness, even Chalamet’s schmoozy, lazy lies. She also allows him to be kind of funny, which is normally verboten in the Chalamet Acting Universe (CAU). Sure, he might host SNL sometimes, but he’s not the most confident comedic performer. With wry dialogue and an excellent scene partner in Ronan, Chalamet lands a few jokes, maybe for the only time in his career at this point.

Where to watch Ladybird: Netflix

4. Little Women (2019)

Greta Gerwig’s follow-up to Ladybird is an equally beautiful film that also stars Timothée Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan. Playing Theodore Laurie and Jo March, respectively, the film sees the former try his best to win the affection of the latter, who rejects him. He’s incredibly good as an f—boy charmer who might discard you at any moment (though justice sees him get cut loose).

Here, he embodies the calculations behind sad-eyed contemplation, resembling something like the idea of sincerity, but rather than depth, his core is made of molten overconfidence. That duality is a delicate balance to strike, but Gerwig wisely recognizes that if she leans into Laurie’s youthful abashedness, his arrogance is almost imperceptible from his loneliness.

Where to watch Little Women: Staz

3. Call Me by Your Name (2017)

The film that shot Chalamet’s career into the stratosphere sees him play a queer teen in a complicated relationship with an older adult. The actor anchors the story by letting life swirl around him. His sad eyes may turn coy, his looks of despair may become looks of longing, but he nonetheless remains steady. This finesse allows tenderness to pour in and inspires supporting characters to emotionally blossom. (Michael Stuhlbarg’s delicate way of showing kindness towards his possibly queer son is a thing of beauty.) It’s no wonder this film gave Chalamet a reputation for being wise beyond his years.

Where to watch Call Me by Your Name: Hulu

2. Bones and All (2022)

Chalamet is often cast as characters who feign their feelings, expertly playing them against expectation. But in Luca Guadagnino’s cannibal romance, he is genuinely tender and emotional as Lee, giving a performance that ranks among his best for how uniquely human and loving it is, regardless of the subject matter. Flanked by equally mighty actors Taylor Russell and Mark Rylance, Chalamet’s Lee craves human flesh, but he also carries the weight of his conscience. He wears the shame and complexity of his compulsion almost like a shadow, creating just enough room for Russell’s Maren to break through his walls and be with him in every sense of the word (and title, IYKYK).

Where to watch Bones and All: Amazon Prime Video

1. Dune (2021)

Bright and yearning, Zendaya’s Chani stands in contrast to the dark void that is Chalamet’s Paul Atreides. For most of the film, he’s anxious and trying to contort himself into a put-together man. But when so many family members and friends die around him, we see his deep despair through a widening of the eyes or an extra low-shouldered meditation.

This performance isn’t the most, well, active acting of the star’s career, but in director Denis Villeneuve’s hands, we’re given a Chalamet that is stoic, perched at the precipice of rage, heartbreak, and falling apart. This high-tension/low-simmer approach sees the actor embed himself equally well in scenes with explosions and sets with nothing but a concrete slab. It’s a difficult and technical role that looks easy because Chalamet is just that good.

Where to watch Dune: Max

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Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.