Mark Wahlberg bounces between action, comedy and drama with a stoical persona that plays very well onscreen.
Give him a chance to put a Boston accent to work, and he’s unstoppable.
Here are the best Mark Wahlberg movies, from least to most great.
Ted (2012)
Mark Wahlberg can seem very serious, both onscreen and in interviews, so when he allows himself to be vulnerable and silly, like he does in Ted, it pays off.
Wahlberg had done comedies before Ted — notably 2010’s The Other Guys, and the top movie on this list, which has plenty of comedic moments.
But he really popped in Ted because the film put him in such relentlessly ridiculous situations as he played innocent straight man to a filthy-talking CGI bear.
Daddy’s Home (2015)
We know: If you haven’t seen Daddy’s Home, it sounds like a completely generic and skippable comedy. But it’s great.
Mark Wahlberg has it both ways by playing a cool, tough guy in a very funny movie. Will Ferrell plays Brad, a straitlaced, reliable stepdad trying to compete with Wahlberg’s motorcycle-riding biological dad, Dusty, when he decides to re-enter the lives of Ferrell’s new wife (Linda Cardellini) and her children.
We laughed very hard as Brad, stuck in a wall, pleaded with Dusty to please put on a shirt.
This is the second Ferrell-Wahlberg pairing after The Other Guys.
The Departed (2006)
Mark Wahlberg is terrific as Staff Sergeant Sean Dignam, who trades dark insults with Alec Baldwin’s Captain George Ellerby before emerging as the film’s avenging angel.
Wahlberg deservedly received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for the role, and the film won Best Picture, as well as Best Director for Martin Scorsese.
Wahlberg’s standout performance is especially impressive when you consider he shared the screen with a murderer’s row of actors, including Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Martin Sheen, and the aforementioned Baldwin — and was the only one in the cast to earn an Oscar nomination.
The Fighter (2010)
Look, we’re not ashamed to tell you we broke into tears during this movie. And it was because of a Mark Wahlberg line.
Yes, Christian Bale won Best Supporting Actor for his typically excellent performance as Dicky Eklund, the troubled half-brother of Wahlberg’s character, boxer Micky Ward. But Wahlberg very much holds his own.
Wahlberg excels at playing characters with working-class Massachusetts roots, which is no surprise given his Boston upbringing. He was a real-life friend of Micky Ward, and more than did his friend justice in capturing his torn loyalties. He also deserves credit for getting the film made, given his role as co-producer.
Are we saying The Fighter is a better movie than Martin Scorsese’s Best Picture winning The Departed?
We love Martin Scorsese, but yes. Yes we are.
Same goes for the next film on our list, the best Mark Wahlberg movie of all.
Boogie Nights (1997)
Mark Wahlberg doesn’t seem very proud of Boogie Nights, but he should be.
During a 2017 appearance with Cardinal Blasé Cupich in which Wahlberg talked about his Catholic faith, the actor said: “I just always hope that God is a movie fan and also forgiving, because I’ve made some poor choices in my past. Boogie Nights is up there at the top of the list.”
He later clarified to People on the red carpet for Daddy’s Home 2: “I was sitting in front of a couple of thousand kids talking about and trying to encourage them to come back to their faith, and I was just saying that I just hope he has a sense of humor because I maybe made some decisions that may not be okay with Him.”
He added: “I don’t want to compromise my artistic integrity or choices based on my faith or my family, but I also have other things to consider, and being a little bit older and a little wiser, the idea of having to explain that movie and the reason behind it to my kids is another issue.”
More on Boogie Nights
OK, but: Boogie Nights is a masterpiece.
Director Paul Thomas Anderson deserves tremendous credit for recognizing that Wahlberg was perfect to play the charming but naive Dirk Diggler, and Wahlberg has never been better.
Leonardo DiCaprio, star of Anderson’s current Best Picture contender One Battle After Another, has said he wishes he took the Boogie Nights role that ultimately went to Wahlberg. But honestly, we don’t think he would have been better.
If you liked this list, you might also include these stories from Wahlberg’s Boogie Nights co-star, Heather Graham.
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Main image: A publicity still of Mark Wahlberg in Boogie Nights. New Line Cinema