The 30+ Best Peter Sarsgaard Movies
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1Peter Sarsgaard, Carey Mulligan, Alfred MolinaIn the 2009 drama film, An Education, a bright but naive schoolgirl Jenny Mellor (Carey Mulligan) finds her life taking an unexpected turn when she becomes enamored with a charming older man, David Goldman (Peter Sarsgaard). Set in 1960s suburban London, the movie unfolds as Jenny's traditional education is juxtaposed against the glamorous, yet morally ambiguous lifestyle that David introduces. Directed by Lone Scherfig and penned by Nick Hornby, the film earned three Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. The narrative explores themes of love, deception, and the price of maturity without sacrificing its undercurrent of societal critique.More An Education
- #306 of 675 onThe Best Movies Roger Ebert Gave Four Stars
- #40 of 55 onThe Best Oscar-Nominated Movies of the 2000s
- #44 of 106 onGreat Movies That Take Place In The '60s
2Hilary Swank, Chloë Sevigny, Peter SarsgaardIn Boys Don't Cry, we follow the gripping journey of Teena Brandon (Hilary Swank), a young woman navigating life in rural Nebraska. Transgender before the term was mainstream, she transforms herself into Brandon Teena, charming and loved by many. Yet, her secret lies like a ticking time bomb, threatening to upend her newfound life. Peter Sarsgaard plays John Lotter, whose turbulent friendship with Brandon forms the crux of the narrative. Directed by Kimberly Peirce, this film won Swank an Oscar for Best Actress. It's a poignant exploration of identity, love, and the human spirit.More Boys Don't Cry- #117 of 253 onThe 200+ Best Psychological Thrillers Of All Time
- #12 of 126 onThe 100+ Grossest Movies Ever
- #14 of 133 onThe Most Utterly Depressing Movies Ever Made
3Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Chris O'DonnellBiology professor Alfred Kinsey (Liam Neeson) has a perfectly respectable life teaching and doing research at Indiana University along with a happy home life with his wife (Laura Linney). When he realizes that his students, many of them married and with children, still come to him with personal questions about human sexuality, he fights to begin teaching sex education courses and conducts extensive interviews about the sexual history of volunteers despite high-profile opposition.More Kinsey- #540 of 675 onThe Best Movies Roger Ebert Gave Four Stars
- #42 of 71 onThe 70 Best College Movies
- #23 of 25 onThe Best Biopics About LGBTQ+ Figures
4Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle FuhrmanIn Orphan, Kate (Vera Farmiga) and John Coleman (Peter Sarsgaard) open their home to a nine-year-old girl, Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman), in the wake of a personal tragedy. As Esther settles into the family, her demeanor starts to shift and strange occurrences begin to unfold. The film is a psychological thriller that delves into the complexities of parenthood, trust, and deception. With an eerie narrative and chilling performances, this movie keeps viewers on edge till its shocking climax. A distressing tale of adoption gone wrong, Orphan unravels the dark secrets that lurk beneath innocence.More Orphan- Dig Deeper...'Orphan' Is A Forgotten Horror Film That Deserves A Second Chance
- #51 of 253 onThe 200+ Best Psychological Thrillers Of All Time
- #76 of 396 onThe Best Horror Movies Of All Time
5Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, John HurtCaroline Ellis (Kate Hudson), a good-natured nurse living in New Orleans, quits her job at a hospice to work for Violet Devereaux (Gena Rowlands), an elderly woman whose husband, Ben (John Hurt), is in poor health following a stroke. When Caroline begins to explore the couple's rundown Bayou mansion, she discovers strange artifacts and learns the house has a mysterious past. As she continues to investigate, she realizes that Violet is keeping a sinister secret about the cause of Ben's illness.More The Skeleton Key- #48 of 253 onThe 200+ Best Psychological Thrillers Of All Time
- #125 of 396 onThe Best Horror Movies Of All Time
- #33 of 53 onThe Best Movies Where The Bad Guy Wins
6Jodie Foster, Peter Sarsgaard, Erika ChristensenAirplane engineer Kyle Pratt (Jodie Foster) is heading home from Germany to New York on a double-decker Elgin 474 to bury her husband. But three hours into the flight, she awakens to find her young daughter missing -- and the entire flight crew, including Capt. Rich (Sean Bean) and Air Marshal Gene Carson (Peter Sarsgaard), claims that the child was never on board. Determined to find her daughter, Kyle searches the limited space of the plane, all the while trying to maintain her sanity.More Flightplan- #31 of 143 onThe Best Movies of 2005
- #72 of 138 onThe 100+ Best Disaster Movies Of All Time
- #3 of 18 onThe Best Horror Movies About Airplanes
7Zach Braff, Ian Holm, Ron LeibmanIn Garden State, Andrew Largeman (Zach Braff) returns to his New Jersey hometown after a decade, prompted by his mother's death. A struggling actor in Los Angeles, he's been numbed by prescribed medications, a legacy from his psychiatrist father, Gideon (Ian Holm). Upon returning home, Andrew meets and connects with the eccentric Sam (Natalie Portman), sparking a journey of self-discovery. Directed by Braff himself, this quirky dramedy deftly explores themes of family dysfunction, mental health, and personal growth without resorting to cliches or melodrama. It won the Grammy for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture.More Garden State- #57 of 99 onThe Best Movies Of 2004, Ranked
- #27 of 45 on50+ Quirky Romance Movies With Unique Love Stories
- #56 of 63 onThe Greatest Directorial Debuts Of All Time
8Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Jamie FoxxJarhead, an American biographical war drama film, is a journey into the soul of Anthony Swofford (Jake Gyllenhaal), a young Marine recruit. Trained as a sniper by Staff Sergeant Sykes (Jamie Foxx) and disillusioned by the mundane reality of the Gulf War, Swofford grapples with his identity amid the desert's searing heat. Directed by Sam Mendes, this 2005 release offers an intimate look at the psychological toll of warfare. Notable for its lack of combat scenes, Jarhead instead focuses on the internal battles fought within soldiers themselves.More Jarhead- #3 of 10 onThe Best Movies About the Gulf War
- #160 of 264 onThe 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
- #40 of 143 onThe Best Movies of 2005
9Hayden Christensen, Peter Sarsgaard, Chloë SevignyYoung hotshot journalist Stephen Glass (Hayden Christensen) puts on a good show for his adoring editor, Michael Kelly (Hank Azaria), but admits deep insecurities to his fellow writer, Caitlin Avey (Chloë Sevigny). When Glass begins turning in outrageous stories, his popularity skyrockets, but rival journalist Charles Lane (Peter Sarsgaard) becomes suspicious as to their factual accuracy, and eventually discovers that Glass has been fabricating many of his sources.More Shattered Glass- #12 of 16 onThe 16 Best Movies About Frauds, Ranked
- #41 of 50 onThe Best Movies About Having A Moral Dilemma
- #13 of 16 onUnderrated Movies About Real-Life Scandals
- 10Amanda Seyfried, Peter Sarsgaard, Chris NothAfter the release of "Deep Throat" in 1972, porn star Linda Lovelace (Amanda Seyfried) becomes an international sensation and spokeswoman for sexual freedom and hedonism; six years later, she presents a darker side to her story.
11Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, Robert ProskyAs death row inmate Matthew Poncelet (Sean Penn) nears his execution date, he calls upon Sister Helen Prejean (Susan Sarandon) to help him with one last appeal, maintaining that he is innocent of the murders of a young couple. Poncelet begins to form a bond with Prejean, and she visits both his family and the relatives of the victims, hoping to learn more about the case. As things begin to look bleak for Poncelet, Prejean does all that she can to comfort and console the hardened convict.More Dead Man Walking- #55 of 126 onThe 100+ Grossest Movies Ever
- #191 of 379 onThe Best Movies Of The 1990s
- #134 of 675 onThe Best Movies Roger Ebert Gave Four Stars
12Harrison Ford, Liam Neeson, Peter SarsgaardFollows Captain Alexi Vostrikov (Harrison Ford) who, at the height of the Cold War, is ordered to take over command of the nuclear missile submarine K-19, pride of the Soviet Navy. His assignment: Prepare the K-19 for sea and take her out on patrol -- no matter what the cost. But problems with the K-19 arise that may lead to a core meltdown and explosion that will certainly kill all aboard, and possibly trigger a nuclear war. Vostrikov must choose between his orders and the lives of his men.More K-19: The Widowmaker- #89 of 152 onThe Best Movies of 2002
- #5 of 52 onThe 50+ Best Submarine Movies
- #28 of 44 onThe 40+ Best Lost At Sea Movies
13Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeremy Irons, John MalkovichThe former musketeer Athos (John Malkovich) swears vengeance after despotic King Louis XIV (Leonardo DiCaprio) causes the death of his son. Summoning his old comrades Porthos (Gérard Depardieu) and Aramis (Jeremy Irons), he hatches a plan to liberate a shackled prisoner rumored to be the king's twin brother, and then install him on the throne. But the three musketeers must also contend with their old friend D'Artagnan (Gabriel Byrne), who has remained in the king's service.
14Val Kilmer, Vincent D'Onofrio, Adam GoldbergAfter the murder of his beloved wife, a man (Val Kilmer) in search of redemption is set adrift in a world where nothing is as it seems. On his journey, he befriends slacker Jimmy "The Finn" (Peter Sarsgaard), becomes involved in rescuing his neighbor Colette (Deborah Kara Unger) from her own demons, and gets entangled in a web of deceit full of unexpected twists and turns.More The Salton Sea- #143 of 152 onThe Best Movies of 2002
- #56 of 63 onThe Very Best New Noir Movies
- #63 of 97 onThe 90+ Best Drug Movies of All Time
- 15Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson, Peter SarsgaardA college professor confronts her unsettling past after meeting a woman and her young daughter while on vacation in Italy.More The Lost Daughter
- #345 of 371 onThe Best Movies Based On Books
- #47 of 51 onThe Best Directorial Debuts Of Famous Actors
- #12 of 17 on17 Movies You Forgot Had An Organized Crime Subplot
16Molly Shannon, Laura Dern, Regina KingAfter her beloved beagle dies unexpectedly, an office worker named Peggy (Molly Shannon) looks for ways to fill the void in her life. Bringing in treats for her co-workers and fussing over other people's children fails to work, and when an ill-advised love affair with a gun fanatic (John C. Reilly) dies on the vine, she "goes to the dogs" in more ways than one.
17Patricia Clarkson, Peter Sarsgaard, Kelli O'HaraThe Dying Gaul is a 2005 American drama film written and directed by Craig Lucas. The screenplay is based on his 1998 off-Broadway play, the title of which was derived from an ancient Roman marble copy of a lost Hellenistic sculpture.
18Liev Schreiber, Marisa Tomei, Peter SarsgaardHuman Capital is a 2020 American-Italian drama film directed by Marc Meyers, it is a remake of the Italian film by Paolo Virzì, loosely based on the Stephen Amidon novel. A tragic accident causes two different families to clash.
19Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Peter SarsgaardJune Havens (Cameron Diaz) chats up her charming seatmate on a flight out of Kansas, but she doesn't realize that she will soon land in the middle of an international adventure. The fellow passenger, Roy Miller (Tom Cruise), is a covert operative who claims he has been set up to take a fall. Now his reluctant partner, June must dodge bullets in Boston, leap rooftops in Austria and evade bulls in Spain, while she and Roy learn that trust is the most important survival skill.More Knight and Day- #61 of 73 onThe Greatest Movies About CIA Agents & Operatives
- #33 of 44 onThe 40+ Best Tom Cruise Movies, Ranked By Fans
- #15 of 46 onThe 40+ Best Spy Comedies Of All Time
20Jennifer Lopez, Vince Vaughn, Vincent D'OnofrioIn The Cell, Jennifer Lopez delivers a chilling performance as Catherine Deane, a child therapist. This is no ordinary therapy, however. Employing an experimental technique, Deane dives deep into the minds of her patients - literally. When serial killer Carl Stargher (Vincent D'Onofrio) falls into a coma, FBI agent Peter Novak (Vince Vaughn) recruits Deane to enter his mind and discover the location of his latest victim, trapped in a custom-built cell. The line between reality and nightmare blurs as Deane navigates Stargher's twisted psyche in this psychological thriller.More The Cell
21Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter SarsgaardPlunged into a universe of intergalactic intrigue, Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds), an audacious test pilot, is chosen by the mystical Green Lantern Ring. This powerful artifact bestows upon him the mantle of the Green Lantern, part of an elite force tasked with maintaining peace across the cosmos. The film Green Lantern explores his journey from novice to hero, battling Parallax (Clancy Brown), a fear-feeding entity threatening universal annihilation. Directed by Martin Campbell and featuring Blake Lively as Carol Ferris, this movie is a thrilling exploration of courage, responsibility, and destiny in the vast backdrop of space.
22Kate Hudson, Christina Ricci, Casey AffleckDesert Blue is a 1998 American comedy/drama film written and directed by Morgan J. Freeman and starring Brendan Sexton III, Kate Hudson. Christina Ricci, Casey Affleck, Sara Gilbert, and John Heard.
23Jake Gyllenhaal, Reese Witherspoon, Alan ArkinIsabella El-Ibrahimi (Reese Witherspoon), the wife of an Egyptian engineer, tries desperately to track down her husband after he disappears on an international flight. Meanwhile, a CIA analyst's (Jake Gyllenhaal) world spins out of control as he witnesses the engineer's unorthodox interrogation at the hands of secret police.
24John Goodman, Tommy Lee Jones, Mary SteenburgenIn the Electric Mist is a 2009 Franco-American drama/mystical film based on the novel In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead by James Lee Burke. It is directed by Bertrand Tavernier, written by Jerzy Kromolowski and Mary Olson-Kromolowski, and stars Tommy Lee Jones in the lead role of Louisiana police detective Dave Robicheaux. The film has never been released cinematically in the U.S., only in Europe and Asia. It was shown twice on just one evening in James Burke's hometown of New Iberia, Louisiana. A trimmed-down version, cut by the studio, was released direct-to-DVD in the United States. A longer director's cut version was released in the rest of the world and premiered at the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival. In 2009, the director's cut version won the Grand Prix at the first "Festival International du Film Policier de Beaune", which is the continuation of the "Festival du Film Policier de Cognac." It opened on April 15, 2009 in France to positive reviews while reviews for the American version were mixed. In December 2009, Bertrand Tavernier released a book titled Pas à Pas dans la Brume Électrique, which is a day-by-day account of the shooting of this movie.
25High Falls
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Waris AhluwaliaHigh Falls is a short film by Andrew Zuckerman starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Saarsgard written by Alex Vlack. It is about a married couple and a mutual best friend that go the Hudson Valley over the 4th of July weekend. The husband and wife separtely divulge secrets about each other to their best friends - secrets that ultimately threaten to undo their marriage.
26Liv Tyler, Susan Sarandon, James MarsdenRobot & Frank is a 2012 film written by Christopher D. Ford and directed by Jake Schreier.More Robot and Frank- #10 of 20 onThe Most Underrated Sci-Fi Movies Of The 2010s
- #45 of 52 onThe Best Memory Loss Movies
- #6 of 12 onBest Science Fiction Movies Streaming on Hulu
27Kathy Bates, Rupert Everett, Meredith EatonAfter her husband (Dan Aykroyd) leaves her, a woman (Kathy Bates) travels to London for the funeral of the pop star, Victor Fox, she's adored all her life. There, she meets the lover (Rupert Everett) of the dead pop star, and convinces him to come back to Chicago with her to figure out who killed the singer.More Unconditional Love- #78 of 83 onThe 80+ Best PG-13 Indie Movies
- #36 of 52 onThe 50+ Best PG-13 Teenage Gay And LGBTQ+ Movies
- #72 of 78 onThe 70+ Best Movies With Dan Aykroyd
28Sienna Miller, Nick Nolte, Mena SuvariThe Mysteries of Pittsburgh is a 2008 film based on Michael Chabon's The Mysteries of Pittsburgh. The screenplay was written by Rawson Marshall Thurber, who also directed. It was produced by Michael London and executive produced by Omar Amanat. Shooting in Pittsburgh ended in October 2006, with the film set for release in 2008. It made its world premiere in January 2008 at the Sundance Film Festival. Set in 1980s Pittsburgh, the film follows the affairs of two young men with one woman, and later also with each other.
29Penélope Cruz, Ben Kingsley, Dennis HopperDavid Kepesh (Ben Kingsley), a renowned professor, has no interest in monogamy. Instead, he prefers to dabble in lustful flings with women. When he meets Consuela Castillo (Penélope Cruz), a student in her 20s, he is intensely attracted to her. Though his trusted friend George (Dennis Hopper) warns him not to become overly attached to the much younger Consuela, David begins to feel that his relationship with the student may become serious. However, his personal reservations may doom the affair.- 30Peter Sarsgaard, Rashida Jones, Tony RevoloriThe Sound of Silence is a 2019 American drama film directed by Michael Tyburski. Peter Lucian (Peter Sarsgaard) is a "house tuner" working in New York City helping his clients tune their homes to adjust their moods for the better but he meets a challenge with Ellen (Rashida Jones) as her chronic exhaustion has more to do with the mysteries of the soul than the discordant ambient noises in her home.
