Since he first came onto the scene as one of the strongest additions to Saturday Night Live of his generation, Bill Hader has been an omnipresent comedic force like few others. With writing (and even a couple directing) credits, Hader has shown skill both in front of and behind the screen, recently co-creating one of the most awarded shows currently airing on HBO, Barry.
Although he is almost exclusively a comedic actor, his range found in some of the darker shows and movies he appears in not only work dramatically, but even show his ability to generate tension and fear with his bizarre and manic mannerisms and line delivery. While he still doesn't have the filmography built up to put him in the high end of a favorite actors list, I still feel he belongs in the conversation when attempting a personal top 100.
What follows are a handful of my favorite performances of his, which I suppose I will condense down to a clean five.
But first, I want to mention the mediocre Amy Schumer comedy, Trainwreck. Now, I didn't hate this nearly as much as I expected, but when it came out I wasn't fully aware of just how awful Amy Schumer was, and I still found myself puzzled by how this unfunny and unattractive woman found herself in the lead role of a fairly major theatrical release. That being said, there were a few genuinely good aspects to the movie (John Cena, in particular, I found surprisingly hilarious), and even when Schumer herself wasn't terribly funny, her chemistry with Hader was pretty great and they found in this relationship enough to carry the movie. Ultimately, while it's certainly not a one man show, I still feel it was Hader who did all the heavy lifting here, as he managed to successfully play off LeBron James as well -- and LeBron really sucked.
5-
Stefon in Saturday Night Live
I don't really care for SNL, as I feel the forced humor of a pack of man-children playing dress up on a weekly basis seems more like sock puppet therapy than a legitimate source of comedy, but that doesn't mean memorable and/or funny things don't occasionally spring forth from it. Stefon is an example of that, and one of very few memorable original characters the show has produced over the last 20 years. But really, it's not just the character himself that's so memorable and entertaining, it's the way Hader portrays him. Yeah, it can be a bit sloppy, but that's part of the charm of live television. He clearly enjoyed playing this character, and it shows.
4-
Hot Rod
I'm not ashamed of the fact that Hot Rod is one of my favorite movies ever, and I will defend its hilariousness to the bitter end. It's packed full of funny characters, great one-liners, and goofball slapstick, and I love every idiotic minute of it. So it only stands to reason that Bill Hader, despite not being one of the central focuses of the movie, has his share of great moments. His delivery is so casual and matter-of-fact that even the most mundane pieces of dialogue are totally hilarious to me. He plays this character so straight, it works in wonderful contrast to the tone of the film. And yes, he is right, pools *are* perfect for holding water.
3-
Bob's Burgers
Appearing only in a handful of episodes over the first few seasons of the show, Hader's Mickey still holds a place in my heart as one of the best side characters in the show. A criminal whose plans are often pretty insane and poorly conceived, Hader manages to bring so much charm and innocence to this character that he becomes insanely likable instead of just plain insane. Since he only shows up a few times, his appearances are usually pretty memorable, and some of his episodes are among the best in the entire series. I wish they'd bring him back, as the show has reached that point where it just doesn't have the charm it used to, and I think a little more Mickey might help to bring the magic back.
2-
Barry
I briefly mentioned this near the beginning of the post, so if you've actually been reading, you probably would've guessed this would show up again, but yeah, this show is pretty terrific. A pitch-black "comedy" that works better as an action thriller than most action thrillers do, Barry is a show that relies heavily on its lead actor to make or break it, and Hader finds that perfect comedic and dramatic balance between cold-blooded killer and plucky aspiring actor to keep the show on its feet. This is undoubtedly a difficult role to make work, as the tonal shifts are sometimes jarring, but he makes it work every single time. As great as the entire supporting cast are, this is Hader's show in every way, and he does some of the best acting of his career here.
1-
Documentary Now
Not only is this a show that gives Hader tons of characters to work with, but when viewed even as isolated performances, there is enough great acting here to fill half of a top 10 Bill Hader performances list. The first episode alone (a bizarre pseudo-parody of the documentary Grey Gardens) would probably still make it to the #1 spot for me, as I found him simply captivating every second he's on-screen. Also, as much as I love what he's done with Barry, by the time I saw that show I already knew Hader was a terrific actor. This is the show that made him go from "oh, I've seen that guy in some things before" to being an attraction, an actor I would actively seek out. If you haven't watched this show, as many have not, I highly recommend trying at least a couple episodes -- particularly the Grey Gardens one and Eagles two-parter.
I'm still wanting to check out more of what he's done (my watchlist is excessively long), but these are the 5 performances of his that I find enjoying above the rest. Got any recommendations (other than Skeleton Twins)? Let me know. Until then, thanks for reading.
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