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These are the most acclaimed films of Philip Baker Hall, the prolific character actor who started his career at age 30 in 1961. Hall had an especially strong run in the 1990s, where he appeared in some of the decade’s biggest movies, including Rush Hour, The Truman Show, The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Insider, Boogie Nights, and Magnolia. Hall became especially associated with Paul Thomas Anderson, who directed those latter two movies, with their collaboration beginning with 1996’s Hard Eight.
This ’90s renaissance was precipitated by his classic guest appearance in a 1991 episode of Seinfeld, where he plays the relentless, hard-nosed library cop Lt. Bookman, lightly parodying the characters he rose to prominence with in the ’70s and ’80s on TV. Hall appeared in just about every major TV show of those era, including Miami Vice, Cagney & Lacey, and MASH. (And his 1984 film with Robert Altman, Secret Honor where he portrayed Richard Nixon, drew significant acclaim.) Most recently, he had long TV stints on The Loop and Modern Family. Hall had even more uncredited and memorably brief parts in Argo, Enemy of the State, The Rock, Say Anything, Midnight Run, and Ghostbusters II.
#1
Adjusted Score: 101867%
Critics Consensus: Intelligent, compelling, and packed with strong performances, The Insider is a potent corporate thriller.
#2
Adjusted Score: 101184%
Critics Consensus: A funny, tender, and thought-provoking film, The Truman Show is all the more noteworthy for its remarkably prescient vision of runaway celebrity culture and a nation with an insatiable thirst for the private details of ordinary lives.
#3
Adjusted Score: 101100%
Critics Consensus: A good-hearted film about a difficult topic, 50/50 maneuvers between jokes and drama with surprising finesse.
#4
Adjusted Score: 97151%
Critics Consensus: Grounded in strong characters, bold themes, and subtle storytelling, Boogie Nights is a groundbreaking film both for director P.T. Anderson and star Mark Wahlberg.
#5
Adjusted Score: 100710%
Critics Consensus: A quiet, dialogue-driven thriller that delivers with scene after scene of gut-wrenching anxiety. David Fincher also spends more time illustrating nuances of his characters and recreating the mood of the ’70s than he does on gory details of murder.
#6
Adjusted Score: 88767%
Critics Consensus: With Matt Damon’s unsettling performance offering a darkly twisted counterpoint to Anthony Minghella’s glossy direction, The Talented Mr. Ripley is a suspense thriller that lingers.
#7
Adjusted Score: 89469%
Critics Consensus: Magnolia is an ambitious, lengthy work that ultimately succeeds due to interesting stories and excellent ensemble performances.
#8
Adjusted Score: 88861%
Critics Consensus: The witty and charming In Good Company offers laughs at the expense of corporate culture.
#9
Adjusted Score: 83416%
Critics Consensus: An absorbing showcase for Philip Baker Hall, Paul Thomason Anderson’s feature debut is a gamble that pays off handsomely.
#10
Adjusted Score: 82727%
Critics Consensus: Featuring wonderful performances from Ben Kingsley and Tea Leoni, You Kill Me is a charming, funny take on the familiar inner-lives-of-hit-men premise.
#11
Adjusted Score: 80163%
Critics Consensus: This late-period Harrison Ford actioner is full of palpable, if not entirely seamless, thrills.
#12
Adjusted Score: 80611%
Critics Consensus: The Contender wears its political heart on its sleeve, but strong performances and a solid screenplay help the end result add up to a gripping drama from either side of the aisle.
#13
Adjusted Score: 80577%
Critics Consensus: This humorously amoral, oddball comic thriller features strong performances by Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear as a flamboyant, aging hit-man and an out of work suburban businessman, respectively.
#14
Adjusted Score: 43412%
Critics Consensus: Path to War brings Lyndon B. Johnson’s full term to vivid life with terrific performances and a screenplay that provides an intimate look into a president’s psyche along with the far-reaching consequences of his decisions.
#15
Adjusted Score: 33048%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#16
Adjusted Score: 45423%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#17
Adjusted Score: 25196%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#18
Adjusted Score: 75012%
Critics Consensus: A challenging piece of experimental filmmaking.
#19
Adjusted Score: 69090%
Critics Consensus: An outstanding ensemble cast propels Kiss of Death, a noir-ish crime thriller that’s slick and big on atmosphere, even if its script may only provide sporadic bursts of tension.
#20
Adjusted Score: 70522%
Critics Consensus: Scabrously funny and gleefully amoral, Bad Words boasts one of Jason Bateman’s best performances — and proves he’s a talented director in the bargain.
#21
Adjusted Score: 66706%
Critics Consensus: Witty and provocative.
#22
Adjusted Score: 66520%
Critics Consensus: This stagy production has enough funny moments to work.
#23
Adjusted Score: 66785%
Critics Consensus: Offering both broad and insider jokes, The TV Set is a sharp satire that will please both the average moviegoers and pop culture aficionados.
#24
Adjusted Score: 36458%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#25
Adjusted Score: 63519%
Critics Consensus: A kick-ass addition to the cop-buddy film genre.
#26
Adjusted Score: 60299%
Critics Consensus: Its semi-improvised structure finds Larry David squarely in his wheelhouse, but with few laughs and a muddled message, it doesn’t live up to his usual standards.
https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/philip-baker-hall/
