Giovanni Ribisi has an incredible acting resumé and is recognizable from many iconic movies and television shows. From playing Frank Jr., Phoebe's brother on Friends, a side character who had major main character energy, to Nicolas Cage's rebellious brother, Kip, in Gone in 60 Seconds (2000), Ribisi's talent is hard to ignore.
Ribisi has perfectly embodied roles of all genres and, while he may not hold an A-list place as moviegoers' go-to actors, he definitely deserves the spotlight. Fans may recognize him from the acclaimed Amazon Prime original series Sneaky Pete, or perhaps from the hilarious Seth McFarlane comedy Ted (2012). Either way, Ribisi has a long and exciting career still ahead of him.
Heaven (2002) – 7.0
Ribisi starred alongside iconic actress Cate Blanchett in 2002's Heaven where he plays Filippo, an Italian policeman who becomes Phillipa's (Blanchett) confidant and lover through the investigation of her husband's murder.
It doesn't go unnoticed by viewers the similarities between Ribisi's and Blanchett's characters' names, which portrays a cathartic metamorphosis and deep bond between the two. Being able to present a performance that holds any amount of chemistry with an icon like Cate Blanchett is impressive in itself.
Boiler Room (2000) – 7.0
In this crime-drama-thriller, Ribisi plays an integral role in a suburban investment firm whose legitimacy becomes quite questionable. The story centers around a college dropout who's desperate to gain his father's respect, so he takes a position at the sketchy firm, but soon realizes the risks it poses.
Alongside Ribisi is a stellar cast including Ben Affleck, Nia Long, Jamie Kennedy, Scott Caan, and Vin Diesel. Viewers very positively reacted to the depiction of the classic tale of a rejection-riddled child trying to appease their parents.
Public Enemies (2009) – 7.0
Public Enemies is a fantastic gangster film that often gets overlooked. The movie focuses on the Feds trying to take down notorious criminals John Dillinger (Johnny Depp), Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham), and Pretty Boy Floyd (Channing Tatum) during the historic crime wave of the 1930s.
Ribisi takes on the role of Alvin Karpis, known as "Creepy" to others because of his sinister smile. Alongside Ribisi are also amazing stars like Christain Bale, Jason Clarke, Marion Cotillard, Carey Mulligan, and Stephen Dorff.
Cold Mountain (2003) – 7.2
Cold Mountain won Renée Zellweger an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, but it also earned six other nominations. A beautiful, dramatic period piece, the film presents the story of the end of the Civil War where a soldier is traveling back to Cold Mountain, North Carolina, to reunite with his love.
Ribisi's costars compile into an incredible cast, which leaves no surprise to the amount of Academy Award nominations that it garnered. Among the top-billed are Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Charlie Hunnam, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Brendan Gleeson, Natalie Portman, and Donald Sutherland.
The Virgin Suicides (1999) – 7.2
Based on the novel of the same name by Jeffrey Eugenides, The Virgin Suicides quickly attracted a cult following and the film adaptation didn't leave fans disappointed. Sofia Coppola directed the 1999 film that centers on a group of young men who become entranced by the Lisbon daughters' extremely sheltered lives.
While Ribisi doesn't actually appear in the film, he's the integral narrator that guides the viewers through the story. The other stars of the movie include Kirsten Dunst in one of her best movies, Josh Hartnett, Hayden Christensen, Danny DeVito, and Kathleen Turner.
Selma (2014) – 7.5
Selma was a pivotal biographical film that focused on the ever-important Civil Rights issues of the 1960s. The Oscar-winning movie centers on Martin Luther King Jr.'s campaign for equal voting rights and chronicles the iconic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.
Ribisi played Lee C. White, a real-life person who was an attorney and special assistant to John F. Kennedy. Accompanying him in this notable role are Oprah Winfrey, André Holland, Tessa Thompson, Common, Niecy Nash, and Cuba Gooding Jr.
Lost Highway (1997) – 7.6
Lost Highway is an especially interesting and intriguing film, not only for its presenting one of the darkest David Lynch scenes, but Robert Blake's role must be noted as he's an accused murderer in real-life. This film is also a David Lynch production, which makes its abstractness non-surprising to go along with his previous films like the television series Twin Peaks, Mulholland Drive (2001), and most recently newsworthy, Dune (1984).
The movie absolutely embraces the classic Lynch directorial approach of a creepy intrusion on the main characters. Costarring with Ribisi, are Bill Pullman, Patricia Arquette, Gary Busey, and (inconspicuously) Marylin Manson.
Lost In Translation (2003) – 7.7
Another Sofia Coppola-directed masterpiece, Lost in Translation centers on the story of Bob Harris (Bill Murray) and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) forming an unlikely bond when their lives cross paths in Tokyo.
Ribisi plays a celebrity photographer, John, who's also Charlotte's husband and generally disengaged in his marriage and also physically away on business, leaving Charlotte on her own in the massive city. The film presents the strenuous tensions that can occur in long-term relationships, especially when working out who one really is and what one wants.
Avatar (2009) – 7.8
The James Cameron epic, Avatar, took theaters by storm in 2009 and left audiences wanting more adventure on the planet of Pandora through the floating mountains. While the first installment garnered many unpopular opinions, fans are still waiting with anticipation for the second movie later in 2022, 13 years after the first.
Ribisi plays Parker Selfridge, an adequate surname, an agent sent to Pandora to optimize the mining of Unobtainium without consideration of the planet or its inhabitants. He's slated to return for not only the sequel, but also the third, fourth, and fifth installment of the franchise.
Saving Private Ryan (1998) – 8.6
Saving Private Ryan is inarguably one of the war movies of all time with its unapologetic and raw depiction of the individual missions throughout WWII and how integral they were to the Allied victory.
Steven Spielberg's war epic has an incredible amount of talent within it, which makes its five Academy Award wins, and six other nominations, not surprising. Alongside Ribisi's T/4 Medic, Wade, whose explicit death is one of the most memorable scenes in the movie, he supports other fantastic actors like Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Matt Damon, Vin Diesel, Bryan Cranston, Ted Danson, Paul Giamatti, and Nathan Fillion.