Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
We can all agree that Justin Timberlake is one of the most talented performers of our generation. He brought “SexyBack”, he’s impacted the gift giving process forever (“D*ck in a Box”) and there’s no telling how much talent will explode out of him and onto our screens when he’s around his bestie, Jimmy Fallon.
With the release of his new single, “Can’t Stop The Feeling!”, from the upcoming Trolls movie and soundtrack, we’re bracing ourself for what appears to be a lot of quality JT, and this certainly won’t be the first time.
We took a closer look at all 16 of his previous film roles and made the definitive ranking of each of them. Some are great and some are…ranked a little lower. There are baseball movies and animated movies and also that time he got beat up. See where your favorite big screen JT role landed!
Carlton, 'The Open Road'
I know for a fact that I’ve seen this movie, but I can’t remember a single thing about it and that’s why it lands at number 16. Even if his other roles weren’t great, there was at least something memorable about them. This movie sounds decent enough, with a great cast including Kate Mara, Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen, but for Justin Timberlake to do something entirely unmemorable? Hmm..
Jacques Grande, 'The Love Guru'
See, you remember this movie don’t you, even if you didn’t see it? Credit where credit is due, this film gave us Justin in a speedo, if nothing else. And yeah, pretty much nothing else. But for that speedo, we thank you, Mike Myers.
Boo Boo, 'Yogi Bear'
Ok, it’s adorable. And it feels wrong even placing this anywhere near The Love Guru. But, as we will remember later in this list, this is not Justin’s strongest voice role. Still cute though!
Frankie Ballenbacher, 'Alpha Dog'
Please transport yourself back 10 years and remember how exciting it was that Justin was going to be in a real movie with an actual wide release. Trust me, it was very exciting. He had all those tattoos, and he parties and he lifts weights! It looked like we were in store for a dark and dangerous role from JT. Which isn’t false! He certainly held his own amongst a cast that includes Emile Hirsch, Ben Foster and that guy from 2gether, and clearly made some friends as 3 of his future In Time co-stars are also in this movie.
Justin wore a fedora as only he could, and he gave a solid, serious performance when it comes to making moral decisions like, “Should we kill this teen boy?” For a first major movie role, JT gives a believable and promising performance.
It was very exciting.
Johnny, 'Trouble With The Curve'
Justin entirely belongs in this star-studded cast that includes Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams and John Goodman. He’s sweet and sensitive in his second movie about baseball (after The Open Road) and knows how to shine in a strong ensemble. Plus, he can say he’s acted with Eastwood, which even some of today’s biggest actors can’t claim. His chemistry with Adams is lovely, and while this film broke no box office records, it’s nice to see it there on his IMDB page.
Ronnie, 'Black Snake Moan'
Justin serves up some super steamy scenes with Christina Ricci in this movie, and what more could you want? While it’s one of his earlier roles, he also gets to put that southern accent to use, portray a character with an anxiety disorder, and it’s his first role as a military man (more to come on that). You can tell it’s something he took seriously, and it’s nice that he chose a less obvious role for himself.
Josh Pollack, 'Edison'
Justin stars here as a young journalist poking his nose where it doesn’t (read: does) belong, uncovering corruption in the police department. In his technical first big film role, he gets to star alongside Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, and LL Cool J—not bad for a noob! The film may or may not have gone straight to DVD, but you can tell Justin really gave it his all. And he does a decent job! The film also features a scene where he gets beat up, if that’s your kind of thing.
Artie, 'Shrek the Third'
Justin sounds right at home amongst Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) and Shrek (Mike Myers) as the rebellious new king, Artie, in Shrek the Third. It’s very cute and it’s Shrek, so you know it’s a fun film. Plus, it’s a good indicator that he will bring something special to his role in the upcoming Trolls movie.
Private Pilot Abilene, 'Southland Tales'
Say what you want about this film, and it probably won’t be too favorable, but it gave us a drunk, high, goateed Justin Timberlake lip syncing to The Killers. The film was booed at Cannes in 2006, so maybe just watch this clip and that’s all you need to know about it.
Scott Delacorte, 'Bad Teacher'
Obviously a nerdy Timberlake is a great Timberlake. As the naive new substitute teacher, Justin brings a sweet side to a movie about a less sweet person (Cameron Diaz). Plus, there’s an awkward dry humping scene it’s hard to be mad at.
Jim, 'Inside Llewyn Davis'
Hey, let’s all watch Justin Timberlake teach Oscar Isaac and Adam Driver about music! While he doesn’t have a huge role in this Coen brothers film, it only makes sense for him to be there in a nice wool sweater.
Richie Furst, 'Runner Runner'
It’s nice that we live in a world where Justin can act alongside Ben Affleck and it feels right! You may have missed Runner Runner as it didn’t quite rack up any Oscar noms, but if you’re looking for something fun that won’t require you to do a lot of thinking, this is an enjoyable choice. It’s also a clear sign that JT’s acting game has improved. Who wouldn’t want to watch him hang out on boats and other various tropical locales? He plays a smartypants gambler who wears fancy button downs and gets yelled at by Anthony Mackie. Runner Runner is sort of like if Alpha Dog met The Social Network—it’s worth a watch!
Jason, 'Model Behavior'
In this 2000 TV movie, Justin plays a model, natch, who is unbeknownst to him, in the middle of a big ‘ol switcheroo. A model (Maggie Lawson) switches lives with a basic just to see what it would be like! Justin thinks he falls for the model, but it’s really the basic. He’s as cute as a button in this really charming movie that made all teens swoon at the time…and maybe still now, too.
Will Salas, 'In Time'
It’s Justin Timberlake running! And looking at his life clock on his forearm! No, it never really makes sense, but it does give us a nice peek at what Justin Timberlake: action star would look like. Jason Statham has nothing to worry about, but Justin is the clear star of this film that also includes his former Alpha Dog co-stars Amanda Seyfried, Vincent Kartheiser, and Olivia Wilde… as his mom. It’s never going to make sense. But it’s more fun than it ever got credit for.
Sean Parker, 'The Social Network'
A million dollars isn’t cool. You know what’s cool? Of course you do because Justin has delivered one of this generation’s most iconic sentences in a film. He makes the original Napster creator seem like someone who is sexy and fun and you’d want to be friends with even if it might be a little dangerous. His pairing with Jesse Eisenberg is strangely intriguing and it’s this role in David Fincher’s 2010 film that convinced the world that Justin is a real, legit actor.
Dylan, 'Friends with Benefits'
2011’s Friends with Benefits is Justin’s real shining moment. We got to witness him as Dylan, strut around in his dress shirts and ties and fool around with Mila Kunis. In this role, he could incorporate the charisma that oozes out of his every pore, while also getting material that required him to show an emotional, serious side. It was the perfect role for women to swoon over him and men to understand why, as they clearly wanted to be him. He’s funny, he’s sexy and he’s thoughtful Justin. Plus, the pairing of Mila and Justin makes all the sense in the world. In fact, the whole movie makes sense, which is unfortunately not something that can be said for every other film on this list. You’ll want to watch this one over and over again, almost as badly as you’ll want to high five him after sex.
