When I like an actor, I have a tendency to make my way through their entire filmography. This hobby has resulted in me watching some truly terrible films, but has also led me to uncovering some hidden gems that I wouldn’t have otherwise found. I’ve been a fan of Alex Wolff since I was seven, and after 13 years I have finally caught up with his work and watched his complete filmography. So that you don’t have to do the same, here’s what to watch, and what to avoid, out of his 21 feature films.

 

Top Three:

 

Hereditary (Ari Aster, 2018)

Hereditary is the only horror film I’ve seen that, over a week after watching it, still had me up at two in the morning praying that the pile of clothes on the other side of my bedroom wasn’t actually a demonic presence planning to kill me in my sleep. The film doesn’t rely on jump scares, rather using a mix of disturbing gore, psychological mind-games and supernatural horror to keep me from sleeping. But at its core, Hereditary is a family drama: it just so happens that the family is extremely messed up.

Wolff and Toni Collette deliver two of my favourite performances in recent cinema as their characters become increasingly traumatised throughout the film. The true horror of the film doesn’t come from the supernatural scares, but rather the painfully real human responses to them from the characters. Guaranteed to make an impact, Hereditary is a smart horror film strengthened by powerful performances.

 

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (Jake Kasdan, 2017)

Remaking childhood classics is almost always a bad idea, but the 2017 Jumanji remake managed to keep the spirit of the original Jumanji (Joe Johnston, 1995) which made it such a lovable family film, while still updating it enough that it didn’t feel like a rip-off and could appeal to the next generation.

The film follows a group of teens who come across the Jumanji game – now a video game – and find themselves trapped in the bodies of player avatars as they attempt to complete a quest to win the game and return home.

Although Wolff has a limited amount of screen time as his character, Spencer, is mostly shown through Dwayne Johnson as his player avatar. Wolff’s work on the film transcends his screen time, however, as he worked closely with Johnson to help influence the character. This connection between the teens and their video game counterparts is one of the main reasons the new Jumanji films are so enjoyable.

 

Castle in the Ground (Joey Klein, 2019)

After the death of his terminally ill mother, Henry (Wolff) turns to his troubled neighbour, Ana (Imogen Poots), for company, leading him into the violent world of addiction.

While Darren Aronofsky famously used rapid cuts and tight close ups to explore the minds of drug addicts in Requiem for a Dream (2000), Castle in the Ground director Joey Klein uses shadows, soft focus, and claustrophobic settings to capture the dark nature of North America’s opioid crisis. I found Castle in the Ground to be intimate and innocent in its portrayal, staying focused on Henry and his relationships rather than a sensational take on drug use. Powerful performances from Wolff and Poots elevate the film and make you feel for the tragic characters. While Castle in the Ground doesn’t have quite the same impact as Requiem, the film is similarly hard to watch at times yet remains visually beautiful.

 

Bottom Three:

 

Hairbrained (Billy Kent, 2013)

Hairbrained could have been a cute and quirky comedy about an unlikely friendship between a boy genius and a late bloomer attending the same college. Instead, the film feels like a sex comedy, the major problem with that being that the main character is only thirteen. The few touching moments between Eli (Wolff) and Leo (Brendan Fraser) are overshadowed by ‘plot twists’ that only serve to remove any stakes set up in the film. They go against any and all character development, as you watch literal adults either hit on or bully a thirteen-year-old boy. While the film seems like it was meant to be a feel-good comedy, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the kid throughout.

 

Dude (Olivia Milch, 2018)

This film can’t decide if it’s a Seth Rogen stoner comedy or a John Green adaptation, and the combination is about as good as you would expect. Dude follows four girls through their last few weeks of high school as they deal with the fact that they might not be best friends forever. The film deals with serious topics such as death and rape extremely awkwardly, completely discarding these topics as it switches between undeveloped subplots. There are some nice moments between the girls and a cute ‘promposal’ scene, but Dude is ultimately unable to find a balance between stoner comedy and melodrama.

Available to avoid on Netflix.

 

The Standoff (Ilyssa Goodman, 2016)

The Standoff is just… boring. Two teens who hate each other must stand next to each other and six other teens for three days for the chance to win a car. I couldn’t force myself to stand next to any of the characters for three minutes, let alone three days. They’re all unlikeable and one-dimensional, and the plot is dull and predictable.

The Standoff has all the clichés you’d expect: Enemies-to-lovers, a smart girl makeover, multiple montages, and a goofy best friend who wears crocs for some reason. Overall, the film feels like a rejected Disney Channel movie.

 

 

Underrated:

 

The Naked Brothers Band: The Movie (Polly Draper, 2005)

As a childhood favourite of mine, I was disappointed to find out that it only had a rating of 3.8 on IMDb. A precursor to the Nickelodeon show of the same name, The Naked Brothers Band is a music mockumentary starring six-year-old Wolff in his first acting role, along with his nine-year-old brother Nat Wolff and their real-life friends. Reminiscent of This Is Spinal Tap (Rob Reiner, 1984), the film follows the preteens as they deal with the ups and downs of stardom as members of a world-famous band. While I loved the film as a child, the satirical jokes work better with a more developed understanding of celebrity culture, such as Alex’s rehab stint following a debilitating addiction to lemon-lime soda. With a soundtrack written and performed by the young Wolff brothers and cameos from people such as Uma Thurman, Julianne Moore, and Cyndi Lauper, the film is entertaining for children and adults alike.

 

Standout role:

 

Patriots Day (Peter Berg, 2016)

Patriots Day focuses on the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombings and the following manhunt for the terrorists responsible for the attack, with Wolff having the difficult job of portraying the younger of the two real-life terrorists, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

While Mark Wahlberg plays the exact Boston cop you would expect him to play, Wolff brings dimension and emotional depth to his portrayal of the younger Tsarnaev brother. Instead of playing a generic terrorist against Wahlberg’s generic cop, Wolff plays the character as a scared teenager eager to impress his older brother, which makes the reality of the film all the more terrifying.

 

Honourable mentions:

 

The Cat and the Moon (Alex Wolff, 2019)

Written by, directed by, and starring Wolff, The Cat and the Moon follows a troubled, grieving teenager who is sent to live in New York with a family friend while his mom goes to rehab. The film is not quite a coming-of-age story, as the protagonist Nick (Wolff) seems to only be at the beginning of his journey by the end of the film, which makes sense as Wolff was only 15 when he began writing the script. The Cat and the Moon does a wonderful job of representing the emotional honesty of being a teenager.

 

Bad Education (Cory Finley, 2019)

Based on a true story, Bad Education follows a beloved superintendent (Hugh Jackman) as his school district comes under criminal investigation for embezzlement. As much as I enjoyed this film, I couldn’t put it in my top three Alex Wolff films, as he’s only in a few scenes. But the lack of Wolff is made up for by excellent performances from the rest of the cast, including Hugh Jackman, Allison Janney, Geraldine Viswanathan, and Rafael Casal.

 

The House of Tomorrow (Peter Livolsi, 2017)

Sebastian (Asa Butterfield) has been raised by his grandmother (Ellen Burstyn) in a futurist tourist spot, isolated from the rest of the world. When he meets Jared (Wolff), a teenager with a heart condition and a love for punk rock, he is inspired to rebel against his upbringing and form a punk band. The film is an endearing coming-of-age story with a rebellious spirit, but at only 85 minutes, I was left wishing for more time to explore the two main characters and their friendship.

 

Available to stream on NOW TV/Sky Cinema.