Jeff Bridges is an actor known the world over for his agreeable demeanor. For him, entertainment is a family business. He and his elder brother Beau Bridges—also an actor—were known to show up on their father Lloyd’s shows from very young ages. Eventually, each found their own individual voices in Hollywood. For Jeff’s part, he became a peculiar but integral one. His performances fill every scene he’s in. When he smiles, he does so with his whole face. When he frowns, likewise. His breakout performance—The Last Picture Show—turned out to be the greatest film of the talented Peter Bogdanovich’s career. In the years that would follow, Bridges would take on a myriad of intriguing roles. Along the way, he would become Kevin Flynn in Tron, Obadiah Stane in Iron Man and most importantly, “The Dude” in The Big Lebowski. Here are his seven best films.
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Not often have an actor and a role been so inextricably linked. In the minds of many fans, Bridges is “The Dude.” His jelly sandals, pendleton sweater and easy-going attitude have been burned into collective consciousness of popular American culture. His role in the fantastic Coen brothers classic is surely the greatest of his career. When a mix-up results mysterious enforcers urinate on his favorite rug, Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski strikes out looking for retribution. As a result, he finds himself caught in the orbit of the man the enforcers meant to target, a massively wealthy man also named Jeffrey Lebowski (David Huddleston). With incredible supporting performances from Julianne Moore, John Goodman and Philip Seymour Hoffman, it is a hilarious, deservedly-lauded film.
The Last Picture Show (1971)
Peter Bogdanovich’s adaptation of Larry McMurtry’s coming-of-age novel is a masterpiece. Two longtime friends, Duane Jackson (Bridges) and Sonny Crawford (Timothy Bottoms) are high school seniors and nearing a parting of way. The former going into the military, while the latter staying in their hometown of Anarene, Texas, which is steadily declining. The former is dating a gorgeous local girl (Cybill Shepherd), while the latter is having an affair with the gym teacher’s wife (Cloris Leachman). They spend much time meditating about their futures, feeling ever more unsteady in them as graduation approaches.
Hell or High Water (2016)
Screenwriter Taylor Sheridan and director David McKenzie’s western thriller is as exciting as it is timely. Two brothers, Toby and Tanner Howard (Chris Pine and Ben Foster) conspire to rob a chain of Texas banks. They only empty the teller drawers, which keeps federal agents disinterested. Toby is divorced and trying to do right by his boys, while Tanner is a short-fused ex-convict and one hell of a shot. However, as efficient as their plan is, things start to go awry. To make matters worse, a couple of Texas Rangers (Bridges and Gil Birmingham) are hot on their trail.
True Grit (2010)
The Coen brothers’ remake of True Grit is, arguably better than the original John Wayne film. Hailee Steinfeld gives a breakout performance as Mattie Ross, 14-year-old daughter of a murdered farmer who seeks revenge. To help her track down Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), the man who killed her father, she recruits Reuben “Rooster” Cogburn (Bridges). Cogburn is a grisled, aging U.S. Marshal with an intangible quality that Mattie describes to as “true grit.” Rounding out their hunting party is LaBeouf (Matt Damon), a Texas Ranger who also would like to find Tom Chaney for his murder of a Texas senator. It is a thoroughly enjoyable and gorgeous western.
Starman (1984)
John Carpenter’s Starman is massively underrated. An ethereal alien (Bridges), who is come to Earth to respond after finding the message left aboard the Voyager 2, is instead shot out of the air. He sends a distress signal back to his home planet and recruits the help of a widow named Jenny Hayden (Karen Allen), whose late husband he takes the form of. With her—initially hesitant—assistance, he attempts to reach the rendezvous point where his extraterrestrial cohorts will beam him up. Of course, matters are complicated when they have a run in with the police and become fugitives.
Heaven’s Gate (1980)
Michael Cimino’s Heaven’s Gate is about love and it’s about rich versus poor. James Averill (Kris Kristofferson) is the sheriff of Jackson, Wyoming in 1890. He presides over a land dispute between the cattle farmers and the destitute immigrants. He also competes for the affections of the proprietor of a local brothel named Ella Watson (Isabelle Huppert) with Nathan Champion (Christopher Walken), who is aligned with the cattle farmers. Bridges plays a local man who builds and runs a skating rink, a local marvel affectionately called “Heaven’s Gate.” The film performed very poorly at the box office and was given mixed reviews by critics until the mid-2010s when a director’s cut was released and widely lauded.
The Fisher King (1991)
Terry Gilliam—one member of the Monty Python comedy troupe—has spent his career making whimsical films. The Fisher King is no different. Bridges plays Jack Lucas, a radio show host whose world is shattered when he provokes the wrong call-in guest, resulting in a mass murder-suicide. By chance, he eventually meets one of the victims’ widower, Parry (Robin Williams). He is homeless and spends his days searching for the mythical Holy Grail. Jack, in a continually miserable state since the event, decides that his best course is to help Parry in his Quixotic mission. It is a strange, affecting film.
