The Big Picture
- Steve Zahn's film career spans multiple generations, with roles in '90s classics and recent television successes.
- Zahn's performances in films like 'Uncle Frank' and 'Lean on Pete' showcase his ability to portray complex, empathetic characters.
- From romantic comedies to war dramas, Zahn's versatile acting skills shine in a range of genres, including 'You've Got Mail' and 'Rescue Dawn'.
It speaks to an actor’s range if they can successfully reinvent themselves for members of several different generations. Film fans that eagerly consumed 1990s classics like Crimson Tide and Out of Sight may remember Steve Zahn for his numerous supporting roles, while kids who grew up in the past decade may look at him fondly as the quirky dad in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies.
Zahn has been crushing it on television recently with his performances on The White Lotus and George & Tammy, but his film resume is equally as impressive. These are the ten best Steve Zahn movies, ranked.
10 'Uncle Frank' (2020)
Uncle Frank is one of those festival darlings that, due to its distribution directly on Amazon Prime Video and not in theaters, never had the chance to initiate a larger cultural conversation than the one following the weekend of its initial release. The charming crowd-pleaser stars Paul Bettany as the closeted gay professor Frank Beadle, who must reunite with his family upon the death of his homophobic father.
While Frank fears that his family won’t accept him and his new lover, his brother Mike (Zahn) goes out of his way to let him know that his sexuality doesn’t bother them at all.
9 'Lean on Pete' (2017)
Andrew Haigh’s Lean on Pete is far more than the typical “horse movie weepie.” The beautiful story of the teenage runaway Charley Thompson (Charlie Plummer) and his horse “Lean on Pete” is a beautiful homage to outsiders, misfits, and those that choose a life on the road over the perils of living at home with a difficult family.
Among the quirky characters Charley and Lean on Pete encounter on their journey is the abusive man Silver (Zahn), a potential foster father, who reveals his true colors after too many drinks.
8 'Reality Bites' (1994)
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Reality Bites is one of the most definitive 1990s independent films; while some ‘90s indies tend to show their age, the fact that Reality Bites is about trying to capture the vibe of “Generation X” makes it a great cultural touchstone that’s worth revisiting for nostalgia alone.
The film surprisingly holds up in terms of its political correctness and addresses issues of sexuality more sensitively than other films of its era. Case in point, Zahn appears in a rather touching subplot about a gay friend of Winona Ryder’s that struggles to come out to his conservative parents.
7 'You've Got Mail' (1998)
Zahn has an amazing ability to somehow appear in classics of every genre. Nora Ephron’s romantic comedy classic You’ve Got Mail is one of her definitive films, even if every aspect of the concept and story feels incredibly dated 25 years later.
Zahn pops up as George, one of Kathleen Kelly’s (Meg Ryan) employees. George seems generally puzzled by the strange changes in his boss's behavior, and his nonplussed face at her desperate rearranging and planning is hilarious. Being the background player when Ryan and Tom Hanks cook up their magic together is challenging, but Zahn manages to stand out.
6 'Captain Fantastic' (2016)
Captain Fantastic follows the journey of the disillusioned anarchist Ben Cash (Viggo Mortensen in an Oscar-nominated performance), who raises his children off the land and rarely visits normal society. Unfortunately, Ben and his clan of kids have to make some major life changes when Ben’s wife, Leslie (Trin Miller), unexpectedly dies.
While Leslie’s father (Frank Langella) hates Ben and feels that he corrupted his daughter’s political views, her sister (Kathryn Hahn) and her husband, Dave (Zahn), are more empathetic to his views. Zahn gets to play the awkward role of a man who is unsure what expectations he should have.
5 'Dallas Buyers Club' (2013)
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Dallas Buyers Club distinguishes itself amidst other dramas about the AIDS crisis because of its diligence in exploring how those in need were denied proper health care and taken advantage of. Matthew McConaughey won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Ron Woodroof, an HIV-positive activist who started a secret “club” to dispense medications to other victims.
Dallas Buyers Club empathizes with the victims and treats them as more than just “names.” Zahn appears as Ron’s close friend Tucker, a police officer in Dallas who observes the crisis.
4 'War for the Planet of the Apes' (2017)
Leave it to Zahn to tackle nearly any aspect of performance, including the groundbreaking art of motion capture. His performance as “Bad Ape” in the excellent trilogy capper War for the Planet of the Apes adds a new level of depth to one of the darkest summer blockbusters ever made.
“Bad Ape” may at first appear to be just a comedic side character, but as his relationship with Caesar (Andy Serkis) progresses, it’s clear that he’s been the victim of terrible abuse. Why would he have been given the name “Bad Ape” in the first place?
3 'Shattered Glass' (2003)
Shattered Glass is one of the best films about the changing nature of technology in journalism and how the nature of truth can be unraveled by one scandal. Hayden Christensen gives the performance of his career as the real New Republic reporter Stephen Glass, who falsified countless stories by hiding his sources.
Zahn has an integral role as the Forbes reporter Adam Penenberg, who fact-checks Glass’ stories and realizes there’s more to his improbable circumstances than diligent reporting. It only takes a few Internet searches to realize that Glass has created a web of deceit.
2 'That Thing You Do!' (1996)
That Thing You Do! explores the misconception of what being a “one-hit wonder” really means. While the initial spotlight can certainly be exciting for a band, the rapid decline after the hit fades from the public consciousness can be tough to deal with.
Zahn appears as Lenny Haise, the guitarist of “The Onders” who seems to see things clearly when his bandmates indulge in fantasy. It was a great way for Zahn to show off his musical ability, as the stage performances throughout the film feel very authentic.
1 'Rescue Dawn' (2006)
Zahn has never been as heartbreaking as he is in Werner Herzog’s Vietnam War masterpiece Rescue Dawn. The film explores the incredible true story of the German-American pilot Dieter Dengler (Christian Bale), who is shot down and captured by Vietnamese villagers sympathetic to Pathet Lao.
Zahn is unrecognizable as Martin, a prisoner-of-war who's been starved and beaten to the point that he has lost all will live or believe in escape. It’s a deeply layered performance that implies years of heartbreak, even if Zahn never delivers a dump of expositional dialogue.