It’s Chris Evans’s birthday! So to celebrate, I’ve chosen five non-Marvel films starring Chris that I adore. Check some of these out if you haven’t already!
Knives Out (2019)
I couldn’t make this list without including Knives Out. While Chris’s cream-colored sweater got more attention than his performance in this whodunit, it was really a delight to see Chris play a spoiled, ruthless douchebag after becoming so used to seeing him as heroically wholesome Captain America. Ransom Drysdale was the perfect role for Evans to take in order to break free of Steve Rogers and I hope to see him in more villainous roles in the future.
What’s Your Number? (2011)
This wouldn’t be a Romona Comet list without a rom-com now would it? Chris stars alongside Anna Faris in this movie about a young woman who decides to track down the men she’s slept with to find out if one of them might have been The One. Chris is delightfully snarky and charming in this movie and he and Faris have some fun chemistry. It’s not a rom-com that brings anything new to the genre but it’s still entertaining fluff and, hey, it’s got a scene where Chris is completely naked but for a well-placed (ill-placed?) dish towel.
Push (2009)
This movie didn’t get a lot of love from critics but I thought Push was really entertaining. Chris stars as a telekinetic on the run from a shadowy government organization called The Division. He and Dakota Fanning come together to try and find Chris’s former flame before The Division does. Chris carries this movie and shows his potential to be a bigger star. It’s a darker take on the superhero genre and while it can be a little silly at times and it had the potential to be really good. Unfortunately, it ended up just being mindless fun, but mindless fun is still fun.
Snowpiercer (2013)
After an attempt to stop global warming results in a new ice age, humanity’s survivors find themselves on a segregated train called Snowpiercer. Evans plays Curtis, a young man who leads the “second class” citizens in a revolt against the squalid living situations they’re forced to endure, while the wealthier survivors are treated to comfort and extravagance. Yes, you could classify this as a natural disaster movie, but it’s one that focuses more on the characters and their motivation, rather than just special effects and blowing things up. It’s tense and visually stunning and Evans like the rest of the cast, gives a fantastic performance.
Before We Go (2014)
Chris’s directorial debut. This is a film I am constantly putting on underrated lists because it really didn’t get the love that it deserved when it was released. Chris and Alice Eve play two people who happen to meet at the train station in NYC when Eve’s character misses her train. They come together to try and get her home in time to reconcile with her husband. One thing I enjoyed about this movie is that it’s believably romantic and engaging with two really great performances from Evans and Eve. It isn’t a perfect film but shows Evans’s promise as a director.
What are some of your favorite films to feature birthday boy Chris Evans?
