Jason Bateman's 10 Best Movies And TV Shows

Jason Bateman has been in the acting business since he was a child, and though he had a lot of projects as a child and teen performer, Bateman’s best movies and tv shows are all from his career as an adult. His career began with television commercials in the 1980s before he gained roles in shows like Little House on the Prairie and Silver Spoons. Though a lot of working child actors might not be able to successfully transition to more adult roles, Bateman did, and he found his niche mostly in comedic roles.

Bateman also made history when he directed episodes of The Hogan Family in the 1980s at just 18 years old. At the time, he was the youngest member of the Directors Guild of America. Bateman directed three episodes of the show, and as an actor today, he often pulls double-duty as a director too. He has even directed on some of his best projects.

10 Carry-On (2024)

As The Traveler

One of Bateman’s most recent movies is a Netflix original opposite Taron Edgerton and Sofia Carson. Though Bateman is a comedy veteran, his modern forays into drama have really allowed the actor to show his range.

Carry-On follows Edgerton as a security employee at an airport. While working during the holiday season, Bateman’s “traveler” calls him with a proposition about allowing his bag to get onto a plane regardless of what is inside it. Much of Bateman’s time in the movie is spent on the other end of a phone, blending into a crowd, and appearing altogether menacing. He makes for the perfect modern villain.

Though the movie did not land on Netflix until the last few weeks of 2024, it became one of the most streamed movies of the year for the platform, earning 42 million views in its first week available.

9 Juno (2007)

As Mark Loring

In 2007, Jason Bateman was primarily known for two things: his work as a child star in the 1980s and his work in the off-beat comedy Arrested Development. Juno was a very different project for him. While the movie had comedic elements, it was largely a drama, and Bateman played a supporting role.

Here, Bateman starred as Mark Loring, the husband of the woman who wants to adopt the titular Juno’s baby. He also, however, plays up secretive and lecherous behavior, even hitting on the teenage Juno when his wife is not around. It allowed him to present a side of his acting others had not seen before, and helped to open a few more dramatic doors for him.

The movie was a film festival and award show darling, earning praise and nominations from critics and industry insiders alike. Though Bateman did not pick up any awards for his supporting role, the movie won Best Screenplay at the Oscars.

8 State Of Play (2009)

As Dominic Foy

State Of Play is a thriller, and in the 2000s, not a genre Jason Bateman had performed within often. The movie is inspired by a British television series, one which combined modern political headlines with a search for the truth from journalists, but, of course, the stories were fictional. State of Play puts a political conspiracy and murder mystery at the center of the story of a group of journalists just trying to uncover the real story.

Bateman does not play one of the journalists. Instead, he appears in a supporting role as a public relations officer for a defense contractor that is part of the conspiracy. Bateman gets to appear alongside, and be interrogated by, Russell Crowe’s journalist. It’s not a huge role for him, but one in which he holds his own against a heavyweight dramatic actor.

7 Horrible Bosses (2011)

As Kurt

...the movie is a great example of how well he works in a comedic ensemble.

This comedy provides a dark premise: three friends conspire to kill the bosses that make their lives difficult. Bateman plays one of the friends alongside Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day. All three actors have done the bulk of their work in comedic roles, and all of that experience means they have impeccable timing and can make just about any joke land. Their chemistry as friends is part of what sells the outlandish premise as well.

Because of the comedic nature of the movie, the friends do not exactly set out to accomplish what they want to do. A series of mistakes leads to a comedy of errors that gets rid of some of the bosses in a very different way than planned. While Bateman might not have been singled out by awards shows or many critics for his work, the movie is a great example of how well he works in a comedic ensemble.

6 Air (2023)

As Rob Strasser

Amazon Studios took the tale of basketball star Michael Jordan signing with Nike to be the face of their new basketball shoe and created a dramatic movie that ended up getting a star-studded cast and a theatrical release. The movie was initially intended as a Prime Video exclusive, but test screenings demonstrated that it would benefit from a wider audience, and it was largely a success with movie-goers and critics alike.

Bateman plays one of the employees with Nike who is instrumental in the development of the Air Jordan and the company’s relationship with Jordan. Here, he plays a supporting role yet again. He is part of an ensemble that includes such big names as Viola Davis, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon. The ensemble was nominated for multiple awards from critics associations and the movie received two Golden Globe nominations.

5 Zootopia (2016)

As Nick Wilde

Though Zootopia happens to be an animated Disney movie, it also happens to be an odd-couple workplace comedy, which is why it is exactly within Bateman’s wheelhouse. He just happens to lend his voice to the role instead of filming in front of a camera himself. Bateman plays a con artist fox who gets roped into helping a police officer uncover a conspiracy surrounding missing predators.

When discussing the movie with USA Today, Bateman recognized that the role of a charming schemer was not all that different from many of the roles he played as a child actor or even in some of his adult comedic roles. He was not initially sure how to approach the role, or whether he should try out a different voice, explaining he even asked about that:

'What kind of voice do you guys want me to do?' And they just looked at me like I was an idiot and said, 'Just do what you do. Just talk.’

Bateman brings his own unique form of charisma and humor to the role, even with simply the use of his own voice. Zootopia became a hit with kids, adults, and movie critics, being nominated for dozens of awards. It won Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards.

Bateman also won Outstanding Achievement For Voice Acting In A Feature at the Annie Awards.

4 The Gift (2015)

As Simon

It’s a conflicting performance and a fantastic one. The Gift is Bateman’s best dramatic movie.

Though he has been in several dramatic roles since, for nearly a decade, The Gift was Jason Bateman’s best-known dramatic role. He earned a lot of praise for his turn in the thriller because his easy charm is still present in the movie, but there’s also a turn that makes it clear not all of that charm is genuine.

Bateman plays a man who moves with his wife to attempt to get a fresh start for them. Following the move, however, they get a visit from an old classmate of his, and their lives are turned upside down. The psychological thriller sees Bateman do some of his best work as the audience grows to understand that he is a bully, but he is also somehow likable because he’s Bateman. It’s a conflicting performance and a fantastic one. The Gift is Bateman’s best dramatic movie.

3 Game Night (2018)

As Max

When it comes to the comedic movies of Bateman’s long Hollywood career, Game Night is the best. It’s also his best movie.

Game Night is a darkly comedic tale. It sees a group of friends who periodically unite for Game Night. When what they think is a role playing mystery game turns out to be a real kidnapping, the friends have to band together to save the life of one of their relatives and recover stolen property.

Bateman plays the character who usually hosts the game nights with his wife. It’s his brother who is initially kidnapped. The movie combines dramatically high (and often ridiculous) stakes with hilarious scenes that feel like they would be at home in an improv troupe. That’s why the movie works. The chemistry between the cast makes even the most outlandish of situations seem natural. That’s especially true for Bateman and Rachel McAdams, who plays his wife.

Bateman, McAdams, and the movie were all nominated for Critics Choice Awards.

2 Arrested Development (2003-2019)

As Michael Bluth

Arrested Development will likely be the project Jason Bateman is best-known for during his career. Though the series might not have garnered the ratings FOX would have wanted when it first aired, the show developed a loyal following who found it on Netflix when the streamer ordered new seasons. It also earned critical praise for its performances, cast chemistry, and outlandish scripts.

Bateman stars as Michael Bluth, one of the siblings at the center of the story. His character is often the “straight man” of the comedy, trying to hold his family together while they all engage in off-the-wall schemes that could get them in trouble. Bateman, however, offers glimpses now and then that demonstrate he might not be as well-adjusted as the series would initially suggest, often giving in to the family’s dysfunction.

Bateman received several award nominations during his time on Arrested Development, winning Best Actor In A Television Series - Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes in 2004. Bateman also directed an episode of the series while starring in the show.

1 Ozark (2017-2022)

As Marty Byrde

Ozark is Bateman’s best project to date. The streaming series was made exclusively for Netflix with four seasons released between 2017 and 2022. Bateman also directed episodes of the series and was an executive producer on Ozark, making it one of the projects he also had the most creative input on.

The series follows a man who uproots his family from their lives in Chicago and moves them to the Lake of the Ozarks in order to launder money for a drug cartel. He makes the move after a big mistake lands him in hot water with the criminals, and he promises to make up for it. The series allows Bateman to have some darkly funny moments, but it is by and large a drama. Critics loved the series and praised the performances of Bateman, Laura Linney, and Julia Garner in particular.

During the show’s run, Ozark was nominated for more than 40 Emmy Awards, including a few nominations for Bateman as an actor and a win for him as a director. Bateman also received two Golden Globe nominations for his acting work on the series as well as three Screen Actors Guild Awards. Ozark is easily Jason Bateman’s most lauded project.

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