Miles Teller is an actor with credits on both the big and small screens. His movie credits include everything from Academy Award-winning masterpieces to laughable critical flops.
He’s incredibly talented, though, and his career is worth celebrating – and there’s undoubtedly a lot more to come from the Pennsylvania-born star.
In this piece, we’ll take you through his 12 finest movies, ranked up to the best – and rest assured that neither 2015’s terrible Fantastic Four nor any of the awful Divergent sequels make it onto the list.
1. Two Night Stand (2014, directed by Max Nichols)
Two Night Stand is a rom-com about two people who make a connection on a dating website having a one-night stand forcibly extended to two nights thanks to a severe snowstorm.
Teller plays Alec, who met Megan, played by Lio Tipton, online. The pair have great chemistry and give charming performances, and there is a smattering of legitimately funny moments in this movie. Still, even those facts added to the fun premise don’t make it great. The whole thing is too derivative, and the ending, in particular, is far too predictable.
2. Spiderhead (2022, directed by Joseph Kosinski)
Spiderhead is a psychological sci-fi thriller based on George Saunders’ 2010 dystopian short story “Escape from Spiderhead.” It’s about inmates in the eponymous luxurious state-of-the-art prison participating in mind-altering drug experiments.
Chris Hemsworth plays the man overseeing the experiment program, which will result in reduced sentences for the volunteers, and Teller plays Jeff, an inmate who killed his friend while drunk driving and who agrees to take part. Spiderhead is well-written, and its cast performs excellently, with Teller and Hemsworth bouncing off each other nicely. Still, it doesn’t manage to live up to its concept’s enormous potential, and it’s a mess tonally.
3. Divergent (2014, directed by Neil Burger)
Divergent is a dystopian sci-fi action movie based on Veronica Roth’s 2011 novel, and it’s the first film in the Divergent trilogy. It occurs in post-apocalyptic Chicago, Illinois, where humans get divided into factions based on human virtues, but divergent people don’t fit the criteria for any.
It’s got a great ensemble cast that includes Shailene Woodley, Ashley Judd, Jai Courtney, Ray Stevenson, Zoë Kravitz, Tony Goldwyn, and Kate Winslet. Teller plays Peter Hayes, a Dauntless (or brave) faction member. Nobody excels in this one, but its intriguing concept and excellent visual effects make it watchable, and young adults should enjoy it as they do The Hunger Games or Harry Potter.
4. War Dogs (2016, directed by Todd Phillips)
War Dogs is a black comedy crime movie based on a 2011 Rolling Stone article by Guy Lawson and, as outlined in an ongoing lawsuit, Efraim Diveroli’s 2016 memoir Once a Gun Runner. It’s about a pair of arms dealers who receive a U.S. Army contract worth around $300 million to supply ammunition for the Afghan National Army.
Teller portrays David Packouz, a real-life former arms dealer, alongside Jonah Hill as Diveroli, and they’re great together – Hill’s performance is particularly outstanding. The impressive supporting cast includes Ana de Armas and Bradley Cooper. War Dogs takes a serious subject and intelligently makes light of it, making for a wholly entertaining affair.
5. Footloose (2011, directed by Craig Brewer)
Footloose is a musical drama movie and a remake of the 1984 film of the same name. It’s about a young man who moves from Boston, Massachusetts, to a small Georgia town called Bomont and protests the town’s ban on dancing.
Kenny Wormald plays Ren McCormack, the role made famous by Kevin Bacon, and Teller portrays Willard Hewitt, a young Bomont man who Ren teaches to dance. He does a decent job among a cast, including Dennis Quaid and Andi MacDowell. This remake of Footloose will never get the recognition of the original, and it has a less emotional impact. Still, it has plenty of energy for a new generation and may even be a better movie.
6. Bleed for This (2016, directed by Ben Younger)
Bleed for This is a biographical sports drama movie based on the life of former world lightweight and light middleweight champion boxer Vinny Pazienza. Pazienza suffered injuries in a car crash that meant he might never walk again, but this inspirational story depicts his fighting comeback.
Teller plays the lead role of Pazienza, and he gives the best performance of his career. Bleed for This has an outstanding supporting cast of Aaron Eckhart, Katey Sagal, Ciarán Hinds, and Ted Levine. It’s a powerful movie and one of the better recent boxing flicks, but it falls well short of Rocky, Raging Bull, Million Dollar Baby, and The Fighter.
7. Thank You for Your Service (2017, directed by Jason Hall)
Thank You for Your Service is a biographical Iraq War drama movie based on David Finkel’s 2013 non-fiction book. It focuses on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depicts how U.S. soldiers attempt to adjust to civilian life after returning home from combat tours.
The main character, Staff Sergeant Adam Schumann, a soldier who leaves Iraq as a broken man, is brilliantly played by Teller, who encapsulates the effects of war on men. With a supporting cast of Haley Bennett, Joe Cole, and Amy Schumer, Thank You for Your Service is generally well performed. It’s an intimate, harrowing, and sobering insight into PTSD.
8. Rabbit Hole (2010, directed by John Cameron Mitchell)
Rabbit Hole is a drama movie based on David Lindsay-Abaire’s 2006 play that centers on a grieving couple and their attempts to cope with the tragic death of their four-year-old son, who was struck by a car when he ran into the street after his pet dog.
It stars Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart as the grief-stricken parents and is sometimes a painful watch, thanks to their superb acting. In his first film appearance (after being handpicked by Kidman), Teller plays Jason, the teenage driver of the car that hit their child, and he’s terrific. Rabbit Hole is well-written and made with much warmth and positivity, tackling a complex subject sensitively and impressively.
9. Only the Brave (2017, directed by Joseph Kosinski)
Only the Brave is a biographical drama based on Sean Flynn’s 2013 GQ article “No Exit.” It tells the story of an elite crew of firefighters from Prescott, Arizona, the Granite Mountain Hotshots, of whom 19 of 20 perished fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire in June 2013. The film is a dedication to their memory.
Teller plays Brendan McDonough, a young firefighter and the only survivor of the incident. He’s excellent among a far more experienced cast, including Josh Brolin, Jeff Bridges, Jennifer Connelly, and Andie MacDowell. His portrayal of survivor’s guilt is heartwrenching. Only the Brave is an affecting and visually stunning movie that’s an appropriate tribute to the fallen heroes it depicts.
10. The Spectacular Now (2013, directed by James Ponsoldt)
The Spectacular Now is a coming-of-age romantic drama movie based on Tim Tharp’s 2008 novel. It’s about two high school students whose chance encounter when one finds the other passed out on a lawn after a night of drinking results in a blossoming romantic relationship.
Shailene Woodley plays Aimee Finecky, the girl who finds Sutter Keely, played by Teller, out cold on some grass. The two young stars are fantastic, and their chemistry is incredible. Brie Larson, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Bob Odenkirk, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Kyle Chandler are among those ably supporting the pair. The Spectacular Now is a warm, sensitive, and contemplative film that’s so surprisingly good it will disarm you.
11. Whiplash (2014, directed by Damien Chazelle)
Whiplash is an independent psychological drama movie about a highly ambitious music student and jazz drummer being pushed to his limits by his abusive instructor at New York City’s prestigious (but fictitious) Shaffer Conservatory.
Teller plays Andrew Neiman, the student, opposite J. K. Simmons as Terence Fletcher, the instructor. Both actors gave impeccable performances, but Simmons won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his. Whiplash was nominated for five Academy Awards in total, including Best Picture, winning three: Best Film Editing and Best Sound Mixing being the others. It’s inspiring, intense, gripping, and wonderfully directed and written.
12. Top Gun: Maverick (2022, directed by Joseph Kosinski)
Top Gun: Maverick is an action drama movie and the sequel to 1986’s Top Gun. In this one, the eponymous Pete “Maverick” Mitchell gets forced to confront his past while preparing a group of younger Top Gun graduates, including his deceased best friend’s son, for a life-or-death mission.
It’s a far superior film to the original, and Tom Cruise performs as well as he ever has in the eponymous role. Teller coolly plays Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, a pilot in the Top Gun program and the late Nick “Goose” Bradshaw’s son. Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, and Ed Harris also appear.
Top Gun: Maverick earned six Academy Award nominations, including one for Best Picture, winning one for Best Sound. It’s action-packed, wildly entertaining, brilliantly written, performed, and directed, with some of cinema history’s most incredible aerial scenes.
This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.
