(Photo by Buena Vista/ courtesy Everett Collection)
John Cusack pulled off the tricky act of being one of those It kids of the ’80s without having that distinction become an albatross hanging across his career once the decade ended. Cusack found breakthrough roles in just about every permutation of the teen comedy in the spandex and big-hair era: the hormonal-driven (One Crazy Summer), the bizarro creations (Better Off Dead), the rom-com (The Sure Thing). But Cusack had an erudite quality that separated him from his contemporaries, drawing him to name directors like John Sayles (Eight Men Out) and Cameron Crowe, the latter of whom he worked with to close out the decade with perhaps the best romantic-comedy in a decade full of classics: 1989’s Say Anything….
Cusack of the 1990s represented a maturation that allowed him to fit into just about any mold: drama (The Thin Red Line), comedy (Bullets Over Broadway, The Grifters, Being John Malkovich), romance (Pushing Tin), and even action (Con Air). Some movies combined all the genres, like 1997’s Grosse Pointe Blank (in which he plays a hitman attending his high school reunion), one of those high-concept Hollywood movies that endures for decades after release.
2000’s High Fidelity may have been the last we’ve seen of Cusack in classic rom-com leading man form, as in the ensuing years he’s been putting more work into genre fare, and playing shadowy figures and villains. Highlights from this ongoing period include 1408, 2012, and Grand Piano. Meanwhile, 2015’s Brian Wilson biopic Love & Mercy is just about as good as anything he’s done in his career. And now we’re taking a look back with all John Cusack movies ranked by Tomatometer! —Alex Vo
#64
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Frank Carden (Morgan Freeman), one of the world's greatest assassins, is handed a lucrative contract to kill a highly secretive... [More]#63
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A retired assassin is drawn back into his former life and a confrontation with an old rival when his daughter... [More]#62
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Steven (Ryan Phillippe) and Shannon (Rachelle Lefevre) risk their lives to uncover the truth behind their newly adopted daughter's disappearance... [More]#61
Adjusted Score: 3746%
Critics Consensus: Aside from an opportunity to watch a mustachioed Nicolas Cage acting from under a wig and behind a prosthetic nose, Arsenal has depressingly little to offer.
Synopsis: The Lindel brothers, Mikey and JP, only had each other to rely on growing up. As adults, JP finds success... [More]#60
Adjusted Score: 4069%
Critics Consensus: Shanghai is crippled by a weak story and fatally undermined by clunky direction, making for a period political drama that lacks all of its key components.
Synopsis: In the months before the attack on Pearl Harbor, an American intelligence official (John Cusack) investigates a friend's death in... [More]#59
Adjusted Score: 8226%
Critics Consensus: Hitting the pavement with an empty tank of inspiration, Drive Hard goes through its action beats in fits and starts before puttering out completely.
Synopsis: A driving instructor (Thomas Jane) who used to race autos is forced to drive a getaway car for a thief... [More]#58
Adjusted Score: 12334%
Critics Consensus: Busy with attitude and light on intrigue, The Bag Man is a mystery box with nothing surprising inside.
Synopsis: A criminal waits in a seedy motel and waits for his boss after killing several men to steal a bag.... [More]#57
Adjusted Score: 12906%
Critics Consensus: Shoddily crafted and devoid of suspense, Cell squanders a capable cast and Stephen King's once-prescient source material on a bland rehash of zombie cliches.
Synopsis: A graphic novelist (John Cusack) begins a desperate search for his estranged wife (Clark Sarullo) and son (Ethan Andrew Casto)... [More]#56
Adjusted Score: 11537%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Lauren and Russell Curran decide to move away from the bustle of the city and into the peaceful oasis of... [More]#55
Adjusted Score: 28338%
Critics Consensus: Thinly scripted, unevenly acted, and overall preposterous, The Raven disgraces the legacy of Edgar Allen Poe with a rote murder mystery that's more silly than scary.
Synopsis: In 19th-century Baltimore, Detective Emmett Fields (Luke Evans) makes a horrifying discovery: The murders of a mother and daughter resemble... [More]#54
Adjusted Score: 11537%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A vengeful judge takes the law into his own hands when two cops kill his young son during a routine... [More]#53
Adjusted Score: 30348%
Critics Consensus: Not even Cusack's bankable hitman angst can save this dimly lit, shaky-cam, wannabe thriller from missing its target.
Synopsis: Emerson, a disgraced CIA agent, guards Katherine, a code operator, in a top secret CIA installation in Britain. When heavily... [More]#52
Adjusted Score: 31845%
Critics Consensus: War, Inc. attempts to satirize the military industrial complex, but more often than not it misses its target.
Synopsis: Assassin Brand Hauser is sent to Turaqistan to carry out a hit. Occupied by the US corporation Tamerlane, Turaqistan is... [More]#51
Adjusted Score: 36955%
Critics Consensus: Despite its famous cast, the movie lacks sympathetic characters and is only funny in spurts.
Synopsis: For an awkward, self-conscious girl like Kiki (Julia Roberts), being the personal assistant to a beautiful megastar like Gwen (Catherine... [More]#50
Adjusted Score: 38853%
Critics Consensus: Despite some charms, overt emotional manipulation and an inconsistent tone prevents Martian Child from being the heartfelt dramedy it aspires to be.
Synopsis: Wanting to experience fatherhood, a man (John Cusack) adopts a youngster (Bobby Coleman) who has an unusual crisis of identity,... [More]#49
Adjusted Score: 42244%
Critics Consensus: Despite good work from its likable leads, the romantic comedy Must Love Dogs is too predictable.
Synopsis: Sarah (Diane Lane), is 40 and recently divorced. Believing Sarah needs to date more, her sister, Carol (Elizabeth Perkins), creates... [More]#48
Adjusted Score: 37450%
Critics Consensus: Dragon Blade is beautifully staged and choreographed, but between the battles, its talented cast is overwhelmed by a dull story and choppy editing.
Synopsis: An exiled Chinese general (Jackie Chan) offers shelter to a renegade Roman (John Cusack) and his legion, then becomes involved... [More]#47
Adjusted Score: 43158%
Critics Consensus: With an animation style that apes Tim Burton, and a slew of cultural references that aren't clear enough to reach the crowds, Igor's patched together antics make it hard to see who the film is trying to please.
Synopsis: Lab assistant Igor (John Cusack) dreams of becoming a mad scientist like his master, Dr. Glickenstein. When the doctor runs... [More]#46
Adjusted Score: 48839%
Critics Consensus: Roland Emmerich's 2012 provides plenty of visual thrills, but lacks a strong enough script to support its massive scope and inflated length.
Synopsis: Earth's billions of inhabitants are unaware that the planet has an expiration date. With the warnings of an American scientist... [More]#45
Adjusted Score: 39541%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A staunch advocate of healthy living, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (Anthony Hopkins) opens a sanitarium that promotes his progressive, if... [More]#44
Adjusted Score: 51492%
Critics Consensus: Trashy and melodramatic, The Paperboy is enlivened by a strong cast and a steamy, sordid plot, but it's uneven and often veers into camp.
Synopsis: In 1969 Florida, reporter Ward Jansen (Matthew McConaughey) returns to his hometown to write a story about death-row inmate Hillary... [More]#43
Adjusted Score: 44775%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: College roommates Tim Gerrity (James Spader) and Peter Burton (John Cusack) seem as if they'll be friends forever despite their... [More]#42
Adjusted Score: 51475%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Assigned to oversee the development of the atomic bomb, Gen. Leslie Groves (Paul Newman) is a stern military man determined... [More]#41
Adjusted Score: 51619%
Critics Consensus: The Ice Harvest offers a couple of laughs, but considering the people involved, it should be a lot funnier.
Synopsis: As the attorney for a mobster (Randy Quaid), Charlie Arglist (John Cusack) has access to some not-so-clean money, which he... [More]#40
Adjusted Score: 50783%
Critics Consensus: Solid performances by the leads, but the generic ending needs help.
Synopsis: Two air traffic controllers (John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton) who thrive on living dangerously compete to outdo each other on... [More]#39
Adjusted Score: 51929%
Critics Consensus: Clint Eastwood's spare directorial style proves an ill fit for this Southern potboiler, which dutifully trudges through its mystery while remaining disinterested in the cultural flourishes that gave its source material its sense of intrigue.
Synopsis: In this adaptation of John Berendt's book, a young journalist, John Kelso (John Cusack), travels to Savannah, Ga., to cover... [More]#38
Adjusted Score: 55819%
Critics Consensus: Shadows and Fog recreates the chiaroscuro aesthetic of German Expressionism, but Woody Allen's rambling screenplay retreads the director's neurotic obsessions with derivative results.
Synopsis: A serial strangler is on the loose, and a mob of neighborhood vigilantes is on the hunt. When several neighbors... [More]#37
Adjusted Score: 23280%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Three friends on a wilderness excursion find a fortune stashed in the woods. Now they must outrun the white collar... [More]#36
Adjusted Score: 56798%
Critics Consensus: A mixed bag of uneven tone occasionally saved by John Cusack's astute performance leaves the audience to fend for themselves in this Adult World.
Synopsis: An aspiring poet (Emma Roberts) takes a job as a clerk at an adult bookstore and tries to make her... [More]#35
Adjusted Score: 62478%
Critics Consensus: Con Air won't win any awards for believability - and all involved seem cheerfully aware of it, making some of this blockbuster action outing's biggest flaws fairly easy to forgive.
Synopsis: Just-paroled army ranger Cameron Poe (Nicolas Cage) is headed back to his wife (Monica Potter), but must fly home aboard... [More]#34
Adjusted Score: 34800%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A nameless Chicago cab driver (Paul Dillon) picks up more than 30 different passengers over the course of a typical... [More]#33
Adjusted Score: 46287%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: After graduating from high school, art school hopeful Hoops McCann (John Cusack) struggles to complete his application to the Rhode... [More]#32
Adjusted Score: 59051%
Critics Consensus: City Hall explores political corruption with commendable intelligence, but this web of scandal struggles to coalesce into satisfying drama.
Synopsis: Tragedy strikes when a child is caught in the crossfire between a cop and a mobster on the streets of... [More]#31
Adjusted Score: 63832%
Critics Consensus: Light and charming, Serendipity could benefit from less contrivances.
Synopsis: On a magical night when they are in in their 20s, Jonathan (John Cusack) meets Sara (Kate Beckinsale). He finds... [More]#30
Adjusted Score: 60506%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Unemployed pals Ivan (John Cusack) and Josh (Tim Robbins) decide to start Video Aces, a company that produces music videos.... [More]#29
Adjusted Score: 62828%
Critics Consensus: Though this by-the-numbers true procedural seems basic, The Frozen Ground presents a welcome return for Nicolas Cage in a solid performance.
Synopsis: A teenage escapee (Vanessa Hudgens) provides a critical break in the case, as an Alaskan detective (Nicolas Cage) hunts a... [More]#28
Adjusted Score: 69386%
Critics Consensus: Narratively unwieldy and tonally jumbled, Maps to the Stars still has enough bite to satisfy David Cronenberg fans in need of a coolly acidic fix.
Synopsis: Driven by an intense need for fame and validation, members of a dysfunctional Hollywood dynasty have lives as dramatic as... [More]#27
Adjusted Score: 65177%
Critics Consensus: A refreshing departure from the current crop of Iraq war dramas, Grace is Gone is a heartfelt, finely acted portrayal of grief and healing.
Synopsis: Stanley Phillips (John Cusack) receives the kind of news that every spouse of a soldier dreads: His wife, Grace, has... [More]#26
Adjusted Score: 72487%
Critics Consensus: Its flagrantly silly script -- and immensely likable cast -- make up for most of its flaws.
Synopsis: Four pals are stuck in a rut in adulthood: Adam (John Cusack) has just been dumped, Lou (Rob Corddry) is... [More]#25
Adjusted Score: 68178%
Critics Consensus: Witty and provocative.
Synopsis: As labor strikes break out throughout the country, New York is alive with cultural revolution. Nelson Rockefeller (John Cusack) commissions... [More]#24
Adjusted Score: 67037%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: An out-of-work loser (James LeGros) is driven to action by the IRS, his girlfriend and the characters who cross his... [More]#23
Adjusted Score: 72237%
Critics Consensus: Well-acted in the execution of its provocative "what-if?" premise.
Synopsis: This is the story of a young artist named Adolf Hitler (Noah Taylor) and his relationship with a Jewish art... [More]#22
Adjusted Score: 81087%
Critics Consensus: Gut-wrenching and emotionally affecting, Lee Daniels' The Butler overcomes an uneven narrative thanks to strong performances from an all-star cast.
Synopsis: After leaving the South as a young man and finding employment at an elite hotel in Washington, D.C., Cecil Gaines... [More]#21
Adjusted Score: 78390%
Critics Consensus: An implausible but entertaining legal thriller.
Synopsis: After a workplace shooting in New Orleans, a trial against the gun manufacturer pits lawyer Wendell Rohr (Dustin Hoffman) against... [More]#20
Adjusted Score: 75933%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Fiona Flynn (Moya Farrelly) and Kieran O'Day (Aidan Quinn) cross the class divide to find love in 1930s Ireland. Fiona... [More]#19
Adjusted Score: 79455%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In an Arctic village in 1931, British mapmaker Walter Russell (Patrick Bergin) selects 12-year-old Eskimo Avik (Robert Joamie) as his... [More]#18
Adjusted Score: 78767%
Critics Consensus: Better Off Dead is an anarchic mix of black humor and surreal comedy, anchored by John Cusack's winsome, charming performance.
Synopsis: Lane Meyer (John Cusack) is a teen with a peculiar family and a bizarre fixation with his girlfriend, Beth (Amanda... [More]#17
Adjusted Score: 82695%
Critics Consensus: Grand Piano is so tense in its best moments -- and appealingly strange overall -- that it remains rewarding in spite of its flaws.
Synopsis: A concert pianist who has stage fright finds a threatening note written on his sheet music just moments before a... [More]#16
Adjusted Score: 22584%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A Wyoming horse trader (John Cusack) clashes with a rancher (L.Q. Jones) who abused his horses and their Indian caretaker.... [More]#15
Adjusted Score: 86633%
Critics Consensus: A high-concept high school reunion movie with an adroitly cast John Cusack and armed with a script of incisive wit.
Synopsis: After assassin Martin Blank (John Cusack) has trouble focusing on his work, resulting in a failed assignment, he returns to... [More]#14
Adjusted Score: 86387%
Critics Consensus: The Thin Red Line is a daringly philosophical World War II film with an enormous cast of eager stars.
Synopsis: In 1942, Private Witt (Jim Caviezel) is a U.S. Army absconder living peacefully with the locals of a small South... [More]#13
Adjusted Score: 86809%
Critics Consensus: Relying on psychological tension rather than overt violence and gore, 1408 is a genuinely creepy thriller with a strong lead performance by John Cusack.
Synopsis: Mike Enslin (John Cusack) is a successful author who enjoys worldwide acclaim debunking supernatural phenomena -- before he checks into... [More]#12
Adjusted Score: 88923%
Critics Consensus: Chi-Raq is as urgently topical and satisfyingly ambitious as it is wildly uneven -- and it contains some of Spike Lee's smartest, sharpest, and all-around entertaining late-period work.
Synopsis: The girlfriend (Teyonah Parris) of a Chicago gang leader (Nick Cannon) persuades other frustrated women to abstain from sex until... [More]#11
Adjusted Score: 60625%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Factory worker Joe (John Doe) leaves Los Angeles and embarks on a road trip through the desert on his vintage... [More]#10
Adjusted Score: 88832%
Critics Consensus: Though its final outcome is predictable, The Sure Thing is a charming, smartly written, and mature teen comedy featuring a breakout role for John Cusack.
Synopsis: Gib (John Cusack), a college freshman, keeps striking out with women. When he learns that a beautiful Californian (Nicollette Sheridan)... [More]#9
Adjusted Score: 87393%
Critics Consensus: Beautiful animation, an affable take on Russian history, and strong voice performances make Anastasia a winning first film from Fox animation studios.
Synopsis: The evil wizard Rasputin (Christopher Lloyd) puts a hex on the royal Romanovs and young Anastasia (Meg Ryan) disappears when... [More]#8
Adjusted Score: 91426%
Critics Consensus: Perhaps less than absorbing for non-baseball fans, but nevertheless underpinned by strong performances from the cast and John Sayles' solid direction.
Synopsis: The Chicago White Sox, who are set to play the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series of 1919, are at... [More]#7
Adjusted Score: 93406%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Warm-hearted family tale of a girl's cross-country trek to find her father, set during the bleak days of the Depression... [More]#6
Adjusted Score: 90164%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A once-peaceful frontier town becomes a den of vice after vicious outlaw Dutch Albert and his gang arrive and begin... [More]#5
Adjusted Score: 94412%
Critics Consensus: Coolly collected and confidently performed, The Grifters is a stylish caper that puts the artistry in con.
Synopsis: Hard-as-nails Lily Dillon (Anjelica Huston) works as a swindler for dangerous bookie Bobo (Pat Hingle), probably the only man she... [More]#4
Adjusted Score: 99147%
Critics Consensus: As unconventional and unwieldy as the life and legacy it honors, Love & Mercy should prove moving for Brian Wilson fans while still satisfying neophytes.
Synopsis: In the late 1960s, the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson stops touring, produces "Pet Sounds" and begins to lose his grip... [More]#3
Adjusted Score: 97460%
Critics Consensus: The deft hand of director Stephen Frears and strong performances by the ensemble cast combine to tell an entertaining story with a rock-solid soundtrack.
Synopsis: Rob Gordon (John Cusack) is the owner of a failing record store in Chicago, where he sells music the old-fashioned... [More]#2
Adjusted Score: 98997%
Critics Consensus: A gleefully entertaining backstage comedy, Bullets Over Broadway features some of Woody Allen's sharpest, most inspired late-period writing and direction.
Synopsis: Struggling 1920s playwright David Shayne (John Cusack), having failed to secure financing for his latest work, reluctantly makes a deal... [More]#1
Adjusted Score: 102054%
Critics Consensus: One of the definitive Generation X movies, Say Anything... is equally funny and heartfelt -- and it established John Cusack as an icon for left-of-center types everywhere.
Synopsis: In a charming, critically acclaimed tale of first love, Lloyd (John Cusack), an eternal optimist, seeks to capture the heart... [More]ncG1vNJzZmidlJ7BsL7ImqNnqp%2Bpwaa606ikmqyfmsBvr86mZqCtmZmycK3LpWSjp5ijeqTB0pqapGWdpMOqsdJmqZqmm5qxcA%3D%3D