Brendan Fraser was once an emerging star, having appeared in hits like George from the jungle and The Mummy where he showed a talent for combining heroic courage with skillful comedy.
Then one day the man just fell off the map. The last time I saw him, he was fighting crazy animals with Brooke Shields Furry vengeance.
Now with the news that Fraser will appear in Martin Scorsese’s Killer of the Flower Moon and his most recent role in Doom Patrol, there is hope that our once-budding superstar will regain importance. After all, the man can do everything and has proven his range in some overlooked appearances.
That said, here are five underrated Brendan Fraser appearances that show why he deserves more roles on the big screen.
Blast from the past
For some reason, Fraser was stuck playing do-gooders struggling to find their place in society. Case in point: the 1999 fish-out-of-water story Blast from the past Fraser plays Adam, a young man who emerges from an air raid shelter after 35 years and struggles to adapt to modern society. Sweet, carefree, but ultimately forgotten Blast from the past once again shows Fraser’s talent for a clever balance between comedy and drama.
Gods and monsters
Those looking for Fraser’s dramatic sensibility just need to check out Bill Condon’s fantastic 1998 drama Gods and monstersthat revolves around the last few days of Frankenstein Director James Whale portrayed by Ian McKellen. While the film mainly serves as a showcase for the future Lord of the rings Star, Fraser can more than assert himself as a whale gardener and friend over and over again.
Blinded
Fraser has great fun playing multiple versions of himself in Harold Ramis’ underrated 2000 comedy, in which the actor competes against Elizabeth Hurley’s sexy devil. No really, she is literally the devil. Your plan? Fraser’s character fulfills seven wishes in order to catch the girl of his dreams in exchange for his soul.
The film never quite lives up to its clever premise, but Fraser’s hilarious go-for-broke performance is definitely worth your time.
School ties
Another underrated film on Fraser’s résumé is drama School ties with a bunch of later movie stars, namely Matt Damon, Chris O’Donnell and Ben Affleck. The film, directed by Robert Mandel, focuses on David Greene (Fraser), a young soccer star who is publicly ridiculed for his Jewish origins. It shows that in a movie, Fraser could compete with other great actors.
The mummy returns
Secure, The mummy returns not quite the quality of Stephen Sommers’ great 1999 original, but Fraser’s perfect performance as the heroic Rick O’Connell keeps the bloated sequel afloat, even if it comes close to insane levels of insanity!
BONUS: Encino Man
Well, maybe it isn’t underestimated, but I couldn’t resist putting it on the list. Plus there could be a sequel!
