Mark Wahlberg stars in the new “based on a true story” drama “Joe Bell”, which opens in theaters on July 23rd. I’ve already screened it, but I can’t share my thoughts on it just yet. However, I can reveal my favorite films starring the Academy Award nominated Wahlberg:
“INVINCIBLE” (2006)
My introduction to Wahlberg was this Disney football drama where he played Philadelphia Eagles player Vince Papale.
“THE OTHER GUYS” (2010)
It’s not an outstanding comedy but a fun and memorable movie featuring Wahlberg, Will Ferrell, Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson. Plus scenes were filmed near where I live in Albany, NY!
“TED” (2012) & “TED 2” (2015)
Seth MacFarlane’s “Ted” was very funny and I honestly did not expect the sequel to be EVEN BETTER! It’s a shame “Ted 2” didn’t do nearly as well as the original at the box office but I’m glad the character is coming back for a new Peacock series. Maybe Wahlberg will make a cameo.
“LONE SURVIVOR” (2013) & “PATRIOTS DAY” (2016)
Wahlberg has collaborated with director Peter Berg five times, and these are… by far… their two best films.
“DADDY’S HOME” (2015) & “DADDY’S HOME 2” (2017)
Like the “Ted” franchise, I prefer the second “Daddy’s Home” to the first because of the script, the casting and the fact that I laughed even more.
“ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD” (2017)
Ridley Scott’s John Paul Getty dramatic thriller made plenty of headlines for the Kevin Spacey / Christopher Plummer swap. Plummer was excellent and Wahlberg and Michelle Williams were also quite good.
“INSTANT FAMILY” (2018)
I caught-up with this comedy on its fourth weekend of release and I’m glad I did. The cast is delightful and the material balances lighter and serious themes well.
“SCOOB!” (2020)
Wahlberg did a great job as the voice of the Blue Falcon in his first-ever animated movie. As director Tony Cervone told me, “I was as shocked as you are that he had never done animation before because he is so perfect for it.”