The Five Best Joseph Gordon-Levitt Performances

This past decade has seen Joseph Gordon-Levitt blossom from a relatively successful child actor into a full-fledged, A-list, Hollywood star. You may remember him from Angels In The Outfield or as Tommy Solomon on 3rd Rock From The Sun, but now Gordon-Levitt has become a very talented adult actor, time after time giving deep and daring performances in both supporting and starring roles. This has been the biggest year yet for Gordon-Levitt by far and it's not even done yet. Looper is finally in theaters and in the next few months he will star in Lincoln. He'll also make his directorial debut with Don Jon's Addiction. In honor of the theatrical release of Looper, we've compiled a list of Gordon-Levitt's top 5 performances. Keep in mind, this list is purely based on his performance in the film, not the quality of the film as a whole. Also, please note that we only took into account Gordon-Levitt's pre-Looper performances. Click below to continue reading. 5. (500) Days Of Summer Regarded as the showcase of everything that's so adorkable about Zooey Deschanel, (500) Days Of Summer was truly propelled by an exceptional performance from Gordon-Levitt, who plays love-struck and love-flattened Tom Hansen. Marc Webb's directorial debut features an out-of-order story that provides a brilliant display of the diverse range of emotions that Tom goes through. Gordon-Levitt is able to show the highest points of a man in love, and seconds later the crushing depression that comes from a failed relationship, all while remaining totally likeable and relatable. Most Impressive Scene: The expectations vs. reality scene is incredible. The side-by-side view of one night going two very different ways is a terrific way to show Tom's varying reactions. Not only does Gordon-Levitt do an excellent job at displaying the contrast, but the exact execution needed to pull off that beautiful scene is impressive in itself. Definitely the highlight of the film. Click below to continue reading. 4. Hesher It's a shame that Hesher has gone relatively overlooked considering it had great performances from top to bottom. Both Natalie Portman and Rainn Wilson were excellent, but Joseph Gordon-Levitt completely out-shined his co-stars as the titular character. Every action and event in the film felt very believable and that speaks volumes to Gordon-Levitt's performance. Through the whole movie he's a fun character to watch, but also has a mysterious feel, the combination of which becomes incredibly impactful when his growth is shown. Most Impressive Scene: The grandma's funeral was incredible. Rage masking sadness is a theme common in Gordon-Levitt's great performances, but this instance may have been the maddest and the saddest. Bursting into the church, disrupting the funeral, and carting the casket out of the church for the walk he owed the grandma was incredibly moving. Click below to continue reading. 3. 50/50 When 50/50 first came out, I wasn't sure what to expect. What was first thought to be a "cancer comedy" ended up being so much deeper and much more moving than I think anyone could have predicted. For those who haven't seen it, Gordon-Levitt's character Adam is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer which leaves him with a roughly 50% chance of survival. Not exactly the lightest subject, right? Gordon-Levitt is faced with the task of showing all the generic stages of denial, frustration, fear and finally acceptance, which is something many actors have done before. What's so impressive about Gordon-Levitt's performance though is how subtly his imperfection in the process is shown, making him a vulnerable character who gains the audience's sympathy while still avoiding coming across as a hopeless, passive victim. Most Impressive Scene: The moment before going under for surgery was phenomenal. Gordon-Levitt's sudden panic at the terror of realizing he may never wake up again was flooring. His tears and complete vulnerability at this thought were enough to leave many viewers with tears streaming down their own cheeks. If that wasn't impressive, I don't know what is. Click below to continue reading. 2. Mysterious Skin Gordon-Levitt's boldest performance by far is Mysterious Skin. A story focused around two boys who were molested in their childhood, Gordon-Levitt completely steals the show here, outshining the rest of the cast in every way possible and delivering a haunting performance that sticks with the audience long after the film is done. Playing a gay teenage prostitute would be a daunting task for any actor, but Gordon-Levitt seemed completely immersed in his role, going to darker places than most actors would ever consider. He had amazing monologue after amazing monologue and was completely successful in showing the hardened exterior and vulnerable interior of a deeply scarred boy. Most Impressive Scene: The train ride home and the time in the bathroom after he's been raped and beaten is the boldest and most haunting bit of the whole film. The way that Gordon-Levitt conveys not only physical pain, but also intense emotional turmoil is marvelous. The build-up of emotion is so great, and so believable, that it's almost impossible for the audience to not feel his pain. Click below to see Gordon-Levitt's best performance. 1. Manic Manic marked a huge step for Gordon-Levitt in breaking away from lighter-youthful roles and proving himself as a serious actor capable of taking on much darker characters. Without Manic, odds are he wouldn't have snagged many of the other roles on this list. The success of Gordon-Levitt branches out from the groundwork laid here, making Manic undoubtably his greatest performance to date. As Lyle, a teen admitted to a mental institution for beating another boy's head in with a baseball bat, Gordon-Levitt perfectly conveys the proper amount of regret beneath his hardened exterior. That regret is essential to gaining the audience's empathy, which Gordon-Levitt does and more. Add to that his intense stares and the moments when he lets emotion break through and it forms a deep, complete character. Most Impressive Scene: The scene where Lyle finally lets his emotions loose and flips out on Zooey Deschanel's character is brilliant. Not only does he perfectly show his regret at taking his frustrations out on the wrong person, but his freak out shows the demons he is holding inside, and how they've built past the point he can control. Absolutely incredible job by Gordon-Levitt. Well that's my ranking, if you think I've missed one that's better share your picks in the comments section below. Be sure to check out Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Looper, now in theaters.