Jason Bateman was a famous child actor, but his career really hit its stride later in life. His comedic timing is remarkable, and he has a knack for playing the calm, sarcastic guy surrounded by people who are completely losing their minds. But he can also go surprisingly dramatic, as anyone who watched Ozark knows. From hilarious dysfunctional families to a dark life of money laundering and everything in between, these are eight Jason Bateman productions worth watching.
1. Arrested Development
Jason Bateman is perfectly cast as Michael Bluth, the only supposedly normal member of a dysfunctional wealthy family. As the family business falls apart, Michael tries to keep everything together, including his chaotic and unpredictable family. Arrested Development is a truly smart comedy, packed with clever running jokes, puns, laugh-out-loud throwaway lines, ridiculous situations, and deeply flawed characters. Bateman’s dry reactions to all the insanity and impeccable comedic timing work to balance all the ridiculous situations.
2. Ozark
If you only knew Bateman from comedy, Ozark would be a big surprise. The series gives Bateman the chance to show off his dramatic chops. He plays Marty Byrde, a financial adviser who launders money for a drug cartel and suddenly finds himself in a life-threatening situation when everything goes horribly wrong. In an attempt to save their lives, he and his family move to Missouri and begin laundering money for the cartel. Things go badly almost immediately and keep getting worse for all four seasons. Bateman is great as Marty, who is forced to stay calm and come up with inventive strategies to keep his family safe. Laura Linney is just as good as his wife Wendy, who turns out to be much more comfortable with their new criminal lifestyle than anyone expected.
3. Game Night
Game Night is one of those comedies that is much better than its silly premise makes it sound. Bateman and Rachel McAdams play an ordinary couple who enjoy their weekly game nights, until one such event turns into a very real kidnapping. The only problem is everyone thinks the whole mystery is still part of the game. Bateman does what he does best: plays the straight man to every ridiculous character around him and stays relatively calm while crazy things happen.
4. Horrible Bosses
Almost everyone can relate to having a terrible boss at one time or another, but the guys in Horrible Bosses decide to actually do something about theirs. Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day play three friends who craft an absolutely terrible plan to get rid of their bosses: murder them. Naturally, the trio hits plenty of obstacles along the way. Bateman plays the most sensible member of the trio, although the benchmark is not high with this group.
5. Juno
Bateman isn’t the star of Juno, but his character is integral to the funny and heartfelt story. He plays Mark, one half of the married couple hoping to adopt Juno’s baby. He seems like a laid-back, cool adult, especially compared with his much more serious wife Vanessa. But the more time Juno spends with him, the more obvious it becomes that Mark is lacking in several ways and hasn’t really figured out how to exist as a grown-up at all. Bateman does a good job of making the character likable before revealing his less appealing nature.
6. Bad Words
Bateman plays a seemingly terrible person in Bad Words, and that’s exactly what makes the movie funny. His character, Guy Trilby, figures out a loophole that allows him to enter a national spelling bee for children even though he’s 40 years old. He then competes against kids without feeling remotely bad about defeating them and crushing their dreams. Bateman also directed the movie, which likely explains the specific mean style of comedy Bateman seems to love. Guy is rude, petty, defensive, and completely inappropriate. Despite his flaws, we can’t help but want to know why he’s doing all of this. Eventually, we learn there is more to his odd mission than simply wanting to beat a bunch of children at spelling.
7. The Gift
The Gift starts out like a straightforward thriller and gets very unsettling as it goes along. Bateman and Rebecca Hall play a married couple who run into an old classmate, played by Joel Edgerton. The man starts dropping by their house, which at first seems slightly odd and then grows increasingly uncomfortable. When he starts leaving gifts, it becomes clear that something isn’t right. Bateman’s character initially seems to be a nice, normal guy, but we begin to suspect he might have another side entirely.
8. This Is Where I Leave You
Jason Bateman once again finds himself surrounded by a dysfunctional family in This Is Where I Leave You. After his father dies, Judd returns home and is forced to spend a week with his siblings and his outspoken mother. Old grudges, relationship problems, and plenty of secrets come out while everyone is stuck together. The huge ensemble cast includes Tina Fey, Adam Driver, Jane Fonda, and Corey Stoll. Once again, his ability to remain calm while everyone around him gets louder and more chaotic works well. It’s funny, messy, and great for Bateman’s understated comedy.