In Character: Jeff Goldblum

Jeff Goldblum has a persona all his own. The man is a singular talent, to be confused with no one. But beyond his endlessly amusing and eccentric personality, he’s a true actor who can play any type of role. There are so many classic Golblum performances to choose from, below is a collection of only a few.

Five Essential Roles

The Big Chill (1983)

Michael

Of the seven college friends who assemble for a reunion following their friend’s suicide, Michael is by far the most clever and entertaining. Equal parts charming, intelligent, and arrogant, Michael is a gem of a character, played to perfection by Goldblum.

The Big Chill contains one of my favorite movie screenplays, and how fitting it was for director Lawrence Kasdan to give the film’s best one-liners to Goldblum. If I listed them all here, it’d take up far too much space, but I’ll offer two. “Amazing tradition. They throw a great party for you on the one day they know you can't come.” Michael quietly utters at his best friend’s funeral. And, “Are we the first ones up?” which, when taken in context, is one of the reasons Goldblum is so good in this film.

Jurassic Park (1993)

Ian Malcolm

Jurassic Park came out 25 years ago, and most people who have seen the movie remember how Jeff Goldblum’s character spoke, acted, and even dressed in the film. They remember his nonchalant line deliveries and his water-dripping explanation of chaos theory. I’m not sure if this is a comment on today’s film industry (will performances in modern blockbusters be remembered 25 years from now?), or a note of praise for Goldblum’s acting, but the man is simply perfect as Ian Malcolm.

Independence Day (1996)

David Levinson

Here’s another example of Goldblum standing out in a massive project. Matching satellite tech, David, with the President (Bill Pullman), and later with a cocky Marine captain (Will Smith), proves to be effortless work for Goldblum. The man can roll with any insane scenario the movie throws at him, and still pull it off convincingly. Jeff Goldblum doesn’t typically portray the Everyman (his acting sensibilities are too unique), but in Independence Day, he carries that title aptly.

Igby Goes Down (2002)

D.H. Banes

Now we’re getting to the area of Goldblum’s career that he has stayed in ever since. Well-dressed characters that are eccentric, charming, and who always manage to have the best lines of the film. So encapsulates D.H. Banes, who steals every scene of Igby Goes Down that he’s featured in. As the godfather of problematic teen, Igby (Keiran Culkin), D.H. uses his entitled influence to coach Igby through the “hardships” of New York high society. Whether he’s scampering nervously at a cocktail party, passing out $100 bills like candy, or imparting one of his many life lessons onto Igby, D.H. finds Goldblum at his most cockily sincere.

Adam Resurrected (2008)

Adam Stein

Adam Resurrected is a fine example of a great performance in an otherwise poor film. In the movie, Goldblum plays a man attempting to cope with PTSD, nearly two decades after surviving the horrors of the Holocaust. Paul Schrader’s film attempts something admirable, but the tone of the movie is all over the place. It can’t decide if it wants to be a farce or a ice-cold drama, yet, somehow, Goldblum manages to carve out an incredible performance. Better put, Adam Resurrected contains a specific type of performance that I haven’t seen from Goldblum before. Even if the film fails him, he does the material justice.

Wild Card

Portlandia (2012)

Alan

There are so many fun Goldblum performances that could fit here, but I have to go with his guest part in Portlandia as Alan, a knot store owner who sells Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein’s characters a tangled set of Apple earphones. Goldblum is in the scene for less than three minutes, and he steals every single second he’s on screen. Yelling for “Nancy” (is she even real?), interrupting playfully, purring once he reveals the earphones – this performance is yet another reminder that a great actor does not need hours of screen time to deliver great work.

The Best of the Best

The Fly (1986)

Seth Brundle

There’s a key component to make-up heavy performances that often gets overlooked, and that is the fact that there is an actor under there who is responsible for bringing the performance to life. One of reasons we tend to overlook this is because many actors rely on the heavy make-up to sell their performances. But acting takes nuance. It takes restraint, timing, and listening. And when an actor understands this and weaves those components together seamlessly, we get something as profound as Jeff Goldblum’s performance in The Fly.

Obviously, Goldblum isn’t covered up throughout the whole film. In his early scenes, Goldblum captures the manic, fun energy of an experimental mind. And after his transformation, Seth Brundle grows increasingly disfigured with each passing scene. The make-up may conceal Goldblum’s features, but the heart of the man is intact throughout.

The physicality of the performance is what’s most notable. But in order for a role like this to excel, there has to be emotion behind the special effects make-up. There must be real human conviction. Somehow, perhaps as well as any performance of this kind, Goldblum’s emotive character choices are always perfectly aligned with Seth’s transformation into disfigurement. Grotesque, humorous, enraged – this is a virtuoso performance of impeccable craft.

Other Notable Roles

in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

Death Wish (1974)

Annie Hall (1977)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

The Right Stuff (1983)

Silverado (1985)

The Player (1992)

Deep Cover (1992)

Nine Months (1995)

The Great White Hype (1996)

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

Will & Grace (2005)

Fay Grim (2006)

Raines (2007)

Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2009-1010)

Morning Glory (2010)

Le Week-End (2013)

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Inside Amy Schumer (2015)

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Isle of Dogs (2018)