Brendan Fraserhas had an inspirational journey through Hollywood. Before winning Best Actor at the Oscars for his performance inThe Whale, he had fallen into obscurity, no longer the adored face that charmed audiences in the ‘90s withThe Mummy. Thankfully, he kept pushing and hit it big again in his role as a 600-pound recluse searching for meaning in life. The world has learned to appreciate Fraser again, and he has appreciated us all back. His performance inBrothersis proof of that.
Fraser’s movies, even obscure ones, are all fun, but what does the actor like? He shared his picks withA.frame, the digital magazine of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The actor didn’t just select the movies he thinks are expertly made, but also those that have inspired him in a way. And he definitely would have been a perfect casting choice in some of them if he had been born in a different era.
10Bambi (1942)
Loosely based on Felix Salten’s 1923 novelBambi,a Life in the Woods,Bambifollows the titular deer inhis forest adventures as well as his interactions with his mother, his father, The Great Prince of the Forest, and a beautiful young doe named Faline. The film is notable for having been put together by seven sequence directors.
A Fun Yet Frightening Film
In the film, Bambi has a lot of fun, but he also bears solemn witness to the mortifications and horrors of forest life, including the brutality of hunters. Fraser remembers that this was the first film he ever saw as a kid and admits that it made him“always want to be kind to animals.”Horror legend David Cronenberg named it one ofthe most frightening movies for kids, and Fraser agrees. He admits:“Of course, there are traumas and the hunter and Bambi’s mom stayed with me,”referring to the brutal fates of those characters.
Stream it on Disney+
9Platoon (1986)
Oliver Stone’s archetypalanti-war movie,Platoon,traces the traumatic transition of raw American military recruit Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen), from an innocent idealist to a shell-shocked combatant on the harsh blood-soaked battlefields of Vietnam. Worse,there is discord in his camp, stemming from Staff Sergeant Barnes’ orders to slaughter villagers. Some soldiers agree with him, others don’t.
Fraser Could Relate
Most people enjoyedPlatoon,including the good people at the Academy of Motion Arts, who awarded it Best Picture. Military experts? Not so much. Brendan Fraser is one of the many people who enjoyed the film, stating that“it struck a chord with me at the time, because I was very similar in age to a lot of the guys depicted on that screen, and realized it could have been me.”He is right. Had he been born earlier, he would have been conscripted.
Stream it on Fubo, MGM+ or Apple TV+
8Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hopefinds the Imperial Forces — under directives from the ruthless Darth Vader (David Prowse) —holding Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) hostage, to crash a rebellion against the Empire. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) thus work together to rescue the princess and restore freedom to the Galaxy.
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A Treat for the Eyes and Ears
Fraser creditsStar Warsas yet another film that helped him fall in love with blockbusters, stating that he remembers“getting vertigo when Luke’s X-wing goes down into the chasm before they blow up the Death Star.”Sure, the first installment is a spectacle, and George Lucas takes what seems like a simple story and gives it a heady cinematic treatment. With its attention to space dynamics as well as the brilliant use of color and sound, the film is a bewilderingspace opera filmlike no other.
7Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
Jason And The Argonauts
Jason and the Argonautsdetails the adventures of Pelias (Douglas Wilmer). Hesaves a man, failing to realize it is his royal father’s usurper, Pelias (Douglas Wilmer). The murderer then manipulates him into going on a dangerous journey in search of the Golden Fleece, hoping that Jason will die and that the prophecy of him reclaiming the throne will never come to pass.
An Inspiration for The Mummy
The film hits no false notes, functioning as both anincredibly tender adventure storyand an equally moving meditation on the price of betrayal. Fraser remembers he“loved the janky, herky-jerky quality of it, and labeled it“boy stuff.”He is also glad that this old piece of gold inspired his future film,The Mummy, confirming that the scene where the protagonist “picks up a sword and goeswhack,smash, and gets up on all these mummies” was borrowed from skeleton battles inJason and the Argonauts.
Stream it on Tubi or buy it on Amazon
6Barry Lyndon (1975)
Barry Lyndon
Based on the 1844 bookThe Luck of Barry Lyndonby William Makepeace Thackeray, and set during the Seven Years War,Barry Lyndonchronicles the adventures of a con artist. Here, Barry, an Irish rogue, courts a rich widow and wins his way. He thenmanipulates his way into the top echelons of the 18th-century British aristocracy, by pretending to be her husband.
Another Masterclass in Filmmaking
Undoubtedly one ofStanley Kubrick’s best films,Barry Lyndonremains a pleasurable and affecting story of love and how it was dictated by the rigid class structures of the day, while also serving as a cautionary piece about the perils of trusting others too quickly. Like every other Kubrick film, this adaptation was also filmed with meticulousness and Fraser enjoyed that more, stating that he“lovedBarry Lyndonbecause I heard that Kubrick created lenses so that they could leave the aperture open wide enough to capture candlelight, which I thought was very cool.”
Buy it on Apple TV+ or Amazon
5The Breakfast Club (1985)
The Breakfast Club
InThe Breakfast Club, five high school students with different personalities and backgroundsendure a Saturday detention ordered by the principal (Paul Gleason). The punishment gives them time to each tell their story, and when the day ends, they realize they have more in common.
A Joyous Ensemble Outing
The undeniable strength of this indie comedy-drama, whose script was written as early as 1982, is driven as much by the witty, gaudy dialogue and ensemble acting. Fraser admits to watching it over 10 times, noting that he loved all the actors and that the film“depicted teenagers in a sincere dialogue, the way that teenagers can get into it in a sort of touchy-feely, self-revealing way that later becomes what we call therapy.”
Stream it on Prime Video
4Braveheart (1995)
Braveheart
Braveheartstars Mel Gibson as the famed Scottish warrior William Wallace in the First War of Scottish Independence. When the love of his life gets murdered,he organizes a revolt against King Edward I of England who has been haughty and indifferent to the concerns of the citizens.He eventually gets captured and executed, but becomes a symbol of a liberated Scotland.
Tapping Into War and Family
Most people loveBraveheartfor the fights. Fraser loved it for a different reason, explaining that“It’s about fathers and sons, ultimately, so that spoke to me.”Indeed, the film is a heart-wrenching and empathetic affair dealing with atrocity, fatherhood, love, political neglect and persecution. All these areas are so well-handled that you’d be forgiven for only picking one of them and leaning on it like Fraser. The visuals also pay homage to oldsword and sandal movies, and Gibson anchors the proceedings with a memorably spirited performance.
Stream it on Paramount+
3Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Arkfinds archeology professor Indiana Jonesin a race against time to find a biblical artifact called the Ark of the Covenant.He has to get his hands on it beforea band of Nazis, who intend to use it to achieve their plans for world domination.
The True Definition of Blockbuster
Raiders of the Lost Arkis the ultimate Spielberg-Ford collaboration, a whimsical delight for adventurer lovers of any age. About it, Fraser says:
“I mean, come on! If that isn’t an influence in my oeuvre, I would be a liar. I loved those movies. It made me a lifelong Harrison Ford fan.”
We can truly see Indiana Jones in some of Brendan Fraser’s roles, especially in Rick fromThe Mummy. And we hope to get more of that from the actor in the future. After all, Ford is 82 and still pushing himself to the limits.
Stream it on Prime Video or Paramount+
2Ratatouille (2007)
Ratatouille
Remy fromRatatouilleis a rat whodreams of becoming a Gordon Ramsay type of chef.Initially, this seems like a misguided dream, because people hate rodents and never want to see them anywhere near the kitchen. Still, Remy pushes on, cooking in secret to avoid the ire of humans. Soon, he gets the chance to prove himself to a food critic.
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Ideal for Children and Food Lovers
With its plot and its throng of ebullient characters,Ratatouilleis the perfect dinner date forchildren and wistful adults. Fraser traces his love forRatatouilleto his kids’ watching habits. He recalls that the movie,“was playing all the time, and I would cook them food and watch this story about this little unlikely friendship that the young man and the rat have.”The conflict that we see in this picture between society’s treatment of specific animals and a rodent’s need for fulfillment is even easier to appreciate today.
1Good Will Hunting (1997)
Good Will Huntingfollows Will Hunting (Matt Damon),an MIT janitor with a genius-level IQ. When a professor learns that he solved a difficult graduate-level math problem, he offers to help him reach his potential. Their relationship is initially shaky, but it soon thaws.
An Essential ‘90s Film
With its perfect plot, this Oscar-nominated film puts an intellectual, absorbing spin on self-betterment. Fraser remembersGood Will Huntingfondly for the performances, and because his peers were doing big things. “I was so proud of those guys (Matt Damon and Ben Affleck),”he says,“My heart was bursting.”Most of us probably felt proud of those guys too. Here, both leads display potent on-screen chemistry. The film as a whole is also flawless. No wonder it wasnominated for nine Oscars, winning two.
