This acting legend has produced a slew of iconic performances! For this list, we’ll be looking at some of the best performances in film from this multi-talented actor, be they comedic, dramatic, or otherwise.
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00:00 "Listen to him, man!"
00:01 "I said baby!"
00:03 "Party day!"
00:04 "Baby!"
00:06 "Party day!"
00:07 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 10 Jamie Foxx Performances.
00:13 "Like a butterfly, sting like a bee.
00:16 Gone with young man, gone."
00:19 For this list, we're looking at some of the best performances in film from this multi-talented actor,
00:24 be they comedic, dramatic, or otherwise.
00:27 What's your favorite Jamie Foxx performance? Let us know in the comments.
00:31 Number 10. Dean Jones - Horrible Bosses 2
00:36 When Nick, Dale, and Kurt are seeking revenge for being screwed on a business deal,
00:40 they decide to kidnap the son of an investor for ransom.
00:43 "So y'all plan to use the ransom to save your business?"
00:47 "Exactly, yeah."
00:48 "That's what we're hoping."
00:50 They meet with Dean Jones to get advice on how best to accomplish their goal.
00:54 Nick hopes that Jones will think the idea is stupid, but he loves it.
00:58 He also reveals that he dreams of opening his own Pinkberry business.
01:02 "You ain't seen how many crackers lined up outside to get that Captain Crunch
01:05 cupboard-freezing-ass shit?"
01:06 "I thought you ate three times a week."
01:07 "Hey man, I'm a sir, I didn't know it had that."
01:08 "Hey, you like Pinkberry?"
01:09 "I don't eat it 'cause I'm lactose intolerant."
01:11 The three bickering throughout the scene is contrasted by Foxx's steely delivery.
01:16 In other movies, this would come off as being a hard-ass,
01:19 but here, he's able to use it to great comedic effect.
01:22 "Can I pose a question to you, colonizers?"
01:24 "Happened a long time ago."
01:27 Number 9. Curtis Taylor Jr. - Dream Girls
01:31 This film, inspired by the founding of Motown Records,
01:34 sees Foxx play a record producer who will stop at nothing to sell black music to white audiences.
01:39 "I'm talking change, can't you see? The time is now.
01:43 Jimmy needs a new act, something classier with a catchier sound."
01:46 "How'd that go down better with white folks?"
01:48 "That'll put him where he should be, making the type of money he should be making."
01:51 As Curtis Taylor, Foxx is confident and knows just what to say to get what he wants.
01:56 Of course, he's not above cutting people loose if it serves his goals.
02:00 "Y'all gonna do what I tell you to do. This is a new sound with a new look."
02:03 "New look? Nobody can see her on a record."
02:06 "The way we're gonna be able to change things is by appealing to kids,
02:09 and kids today watch television."
02:11 "So, Deena's gonna sing the lead 'cause you like the way she looks."
02:14 Since the movie is also a musical, we also get Foxx singing, which is always welcome.
02:20 Cold and calculating, Curtis is ruthless in his pursuit of record sales,
02:25 and Foxx has just the right amount of charm to convince you to buy what he's selling.
02:29 "I'm not building this group to have you tear it apart.
02:32 Go ahead and rant and scream and shout.
02:36 Don't worry, baby, I'll buy you out."
02:39 "There's no money dirty enough to buy me out."
02:41 The big draw for this movie is Will Smith,
02:48 as the larger-than-life heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali.
02:51 But do not think Foxx is down for the count as Ali's assistant trainer, Drew Bundini Brown.
02:56 "I'm Carl Bundini. Rhymes with 'rooney.'"
02:59 At this time, he was still predominantly known for his comedic talents,
03:04 and even though his appearance is limited given the supporting nature of the role,
03:07 he still shines. It's especially evident when Brown succumbs to substance dependence
03:12 and ends up selling Ali's belt for $500.
03:16 "I sold your belt. I sold your belt to a barber for $500 on Lenox Avenue.
03:21 That's how low I did it. I can't help it."
03:23 He begs Ali to take him back, but he's coldly rejected.
03:27 Foxx's ability to take a flawed character and humanize him
03:30 in such an effortless manner is remarkable.
03:33 "The profit is going home. Take me with you, boss. I'd do anything."
03:42 Number 7. Leon "Bats" Jefferson III - Baby Driver
03:46 Not that we would ever condone a life of crime,
03:48 but if we did have a crew for committing robberies,
03:51 we're not sure we'd want Bats on board.
03:53 "And over there is the one and the only Bats."
03:56 "No need for intros, doc. Everybody from the jungle to the trap, no Bats."
03:59 Foxx brings an uneasiness and intensity to the character such that you're bracing
04:03 for the worst to happen. He's immediately suspicious of Baby,
04:07 and will not hesitate to pull a gun on you.
04:10 "You're a good driver. You're a bad liar, though.
04:13 In this business, the moment you catch feelings
04:19 is the moment you catch a bullet."
04:23 Even worse, he won't hesitate to pull the trigger.
04:26 What's freaky is that Foxx plays the role so well.
04:29 He knows how to keep just enough tension in a given scene that you can't quite relax.
04:34 "When he sees red, you will see nothing but black."
04:39 "You hear that, Steve? That's some Oscar shit right there.
04:47 That was nice. You rehearsed that?"
04:49 Number 6. Walter McMillan - Just Mercy
04:52 This is perhaps not the most well-known film in Foxx's catalog,
04:55 but in it, he plays a wrongfully convicted death row inmate seeking justice in a corrupt system.
05:01 "You wanna make a break for it?
05:02 No sir, I don't wanna do nothing."
05:05 "Cause after what you've done, I'm looking for any excuse to get this over with right here,
05:10 right now."
05:11 "Sir, I ain't did nothing, and I think y'all got the wrong person here."
05:15 Based on a true story, Foxx skillfully portrays Walter McMillan as a man who has given up on
05:20 being freed from prison. The story focuses on lawyer Brian Stevenson, played by Michael B.
05:26 Jordan, who attempts to have the case re-examined despite fear, intimidation,
05:30 and stalling tactics by law enforcement.
05:32 "You don't have to have the gun pointed at me. I'm not a threat."
05:36 "Shut your damn mouth, boy!"
05:38 "Hey brother, you ought to be careful with your words when you got a gun at your head."
05:44 Unfortunately, that means Foxx's presence takes a backseat,
05:48 but all it really shows is that his performance is all the more memorable.
05:52 "Can't believe you met my family.
05:54 Drove down that dirt road, crammed up in that little house,
05:59 talked to all my people, said you gonna try to fight for me.
06:02 That mean a lot."
06:09 Number 5. Willie "Steamin'" Beaman - Any Given Sunday
06:12 In one of his early dramatic roles, Foxx stands out as third-string quarterback Willie Beaman
06:18 in Any Given Sunday. Initially, when he's called up to lead the team, he's unsure of his abilities.
06:23 "Coach, I'm playing like shit. I ain't playing like myself."
06:26 "Come on, you not play this game. You play this game your whole life."
06:30 After a few successes on the field for Beaman, he begins to develop an ego,
06:34 and his attitude becomes problematic to the team's success.
06:37 "You say what you care about anyway. You playing for yourself.
06:40 You talking about everybody else on the team."
06:42 "You gotta earn the right to diss somebody on this team."
06:44 "Close to 10. All I see is a whole bunch of super fly brothers running around here,
06:50 living in a white man's world."
06:52 Foxx excels at the larger-than-life aspects of a rising star without going over the top.
06:57 He's also able to balance the role with some more intense moments.
07:01 The nuance and depth he brings certainly makes this a performance worth watching.
07:06 "I guess I was somebody else out there winning them last two games, huh? I put the points on
07:09 the board. He lost four in a row. I lead by doing."
07:12 "You're a kicked-ass player."
07:13 "Yeah, I did."
07:14 "But I'll tell you something, Cap Rooney's been doing it for years."
07:16 "And his time is over. And yours is too, unless you start taking some risk."
07:21 Number 4. Joe Gardner - Soul
07:23 After accidentally falling into a sewer,
07:26 Joe Gardner finds himself as a soul about to enter the great beyond.
07:30 "The great beyond?"
07:31 "As in, as in beyond life?"
07:33 "Yeah."
07:35 "That's death right there?"
07:36 Not wanting to die, he manages to find himself in the great before,
07:40 where he meets another soul named 22.
07:42 The two team up to get Joe's soul back to his body.
07:45 The film deals with finding your spark, and examining what makes life worth living.
07:50 Fox voices Joe with such an earnest touch that you cannot help but shed a
07:54 tear when he finally sends 22 off to live her life on Earth.
07:58 "You ready?"
07:58 "Huh?"
07:59 "To come live."
08:01 "I'm scared, Joe. I'm not good enough. Anyway, I never got my spark."
08:12 "Yes you did."
08:13 Fox voices Joe with such an earnest touch that you can't help but shed a
08:17 tear when he finally sends 22 off to live her life on Earth.
08:21 "I'll go with you."
08:22 "You know you can't do that."
08:24 "I know. But I'll go as far as I can."
08:41 Number 3. Django Freeman - Django Unchained
08:44 To free his wife Brumhilda from the shackles of slavery,
08:48 Django embarks on a journey with bounty hunter and mentor Dr. King Schultz.
08:52 "What's your plan after that?"
08:53 "Buy my wife. Buy freedom."
08:59 "Django, I had no idea you were a married man."
09:06 Since it's a Quentin Tarantino film, you know the dialogue is gonna be snappy.
09:10 The music will be on point and the action will be intense.
09:14 Fox is up to the task as the newly freed Django.
09:17 "And your character is that of the valet."
09:20 "What that is?"
09:22 "That's a fancy word for servant. Valet."
09:27 He does a wonderful job of taking the character as someone unfamiliar with the
09:32 world outside of slavery to become a confident man on a mission to take down the owner of his wife
09:37 and completely destroy the master's house on the plantation where she was held.
09:42 The way Fox navigates Django's transformation is just cool, plain and simple.
09:46 Number 2. Max DeRocher - Collateral
09:59 2004 was a busy year for Mr. Fox. He had four films come out and received two Academy Award
10:05 nominations, with one being for a Best Supporting Actor role in Collateral.
10:10 In it, Fox plays the cab driver Max DeRocher, who happens to be in the wrong place at the
10:19 wrong time when he picks up Tom Cruise's Vincent, a hitman who employs Max's driving
10:24 services for the night.
10:25 "You drive a cab, I make my round."
10:27 "You might make it through the night, come out 700 bucks ahead."
10:32 "I'm not trying to piss you off or nothing like that, but I can't do this. I can't drive you
10:35 around while you're around killing people, man. That ain't my job."
10:38 "Tonight it is."
10:38 Fox is magnificent as the hapless Max who gets dragged into the underworld,
10:43 and is a perfect complement to Cruise's cold and calculating Vincent.
10:47 "Have you ever heard of Rwanda?"
10:48 "Yes, I know Rwanda."
10:50 "Well, tens of thousands killed before sundown. Nobody's killed people that fast
10:54 since Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Did you bat an IMAX?"
10:56 "What?"
10:57 "Did you join Amnesty International, Oxfam, Save the Whale Greenpeace or something?"
11:02 "No."
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11:19 Number 1. Ray Charles - Ray
11:21 Arguably his greatest performance, Fox's portrayal of the music legend was truly transformative.
11:28 "Okay, Bama, why don't you get on up there and show me what you got."
11:30 "Well, I'm not prepared to do my thing right now."
11:34 Critics noted he's almost indistinguishable from Charles himself.
11:38 Fox managed to not only resemble Charles, but also to nail down his mannerisms
11:43 and truly capture his spirit in a way that's rarely seen in biopics.
11:47 "She give me money when I'm in need. Yeah, she's a kind of friend indeed."
11:56 Unsurprisingly, this helped the film to perform well at the box office.
12:01 It also received a slew of awards, with most of them being for Fox's acting.
12:06 Most notably, he received the Oscar for Best Actor.
12:09 Fox has played many different roles over his career, but this is him at his peak.
12:14 "Yeah, you know what? I love it. We're gonna put it out just like that."
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12:26 [Music]