Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman Revealed Their Favorite Movies to Letterboxd

Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are two of the most talked-about figures in current cinema. Their careers include a good number of blockbusters, and they seem to have participated in every genre. The superhero genre is where their most prominent roles stand, with Reynolds playing the foul-mouthed savior Deadpool and Jackman giving life to Wolverine in the X-Men series. 2024 will see their return in one of the most expected films of the year, Deadpool & Wolverine, where both characters team up and deliver the first R-rated film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

While in promotion of their upcoming movie, Reynolds and Jackman were asked a very important question by Letterboxd reporters. The stars of 2024’s most important MCU film were asked what their favorite movies were. They both didn’t have to give it much thought and instantly replied with the first thing on their minds. These are Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman’s favorite films, according to their latest statement during the red carpet event.

Reynolds’ 1st Pick: Gaslight (1944)

George Cukor’s psychological thriller of 1944, Gaslight, tells the story of Paula Alquist, an opera student who’s forced to fill her aunt’s shoes when the famous opera singer is murdered. Paula travels to Italy and falls in love with the charming Gregory Anton. When they decide to head back to London and live in the house formerly occupied by Paula’s aunt, she begins noticing strange events happening around her.

Weird sounds, missing objects, and lights that dim without explanation, are some of the phenomena that start taking place around Paula. Eventually, she suspects it may be the work of her spouse, who’s trying to make her think she’s going insane.

One of Ingrid Bergman’s Top Performances

Gaslight is one of the earliest examples of the “hysterical woman” trope in Hollywood. An adaptation of the play Gas Light and a 1940 film of the same name, it was the first film to earn Ingrid Bergman an Academy Award for Best Actress.

In the early ’40s, there weren’t many films that featured the dangers of an integral household, but this thriller broke that sacred rule with the depiction of a monstrous partner. “Gaslight,” the term used nowadays to describe a person’s emotional manipulation of another, came from this 1940s classic.

You can rent Gaslight on Prime Video.

Reynolds’ 2nd Pick: Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)

In Grosse Pointe Blank, assassin-for-hire Martin Blank receives a once-in-a-lifetime invitation: his ten-year high school reunion. He finds no reason to go, but then he’s offered a gig close to his hometown, and decides to kill two birds with one stone. Blank decides to return to the place where he grew up, and he instantly rekindles with his school sweetheart, Debi. The problem is that he’s getting hunted by other hitmen and law enforcement agencies, and he finds out his next target is none other than Debi’s father.

“A Huge Influence on Me”

Reynolds calls Grosse Pointe Blank “a huge influence,” and we certainly can’t disagree with him. The film remains as effective as it was in 1997, with its unique execution of the dark comedy genre and a great balance between action tropes, comedic performances, and a near-perfect soundtrack.

Though its ending is a bit predictable, it remains a solid genre film from the 1990s. It was produced by Disney in one of their risky endeavors in live-action films that weren’t exactly family-oriented.

Reynolds’ 3rd Pick: Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)

Planes, Trains and Automobiles follows the very unfortunate Neal Page, an executive trying to return to Chicago from New York City before the Thanksgiving festivities. The problem is that Neal finds every sort of obstacle along the way, and it all centers around a salesman called Del Griffith. It doesn’t matter where he goes, and what medium of transportation he finds, Del always appears by his side and makes Neal’s trip home a living nightmare.

“A True Favorite of Mine”

By 1987, John Hughes was already a comedy icon, but he had stayed within the lines of teen comedies. However, his return to “adult comedy,” Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, was a smashing hit; it was critically acclaimed and very profitable for Paramount Pictures.

Reynolds calls it “a true favorite” of his, and half the country probably agrees with him: since its release, it has become one of those films that you have to see on Thanksgiving. It’s, by far, the best film in the careers of John Candy and Steve Martin.

Reynolds’ 4th Pick: Rebecca (1940)

Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca follows a young woman falling in love with the very wealthy widower, Maxim de Winter. They marry and start living in Manderley, the huge English mansion where Maxim’s previous wife, Rebecca, also lived before her tragic disappearance.

However, when the new bride meets Mrs. Danvers, the housekeeper, she notices how Rebecca remains very much alive in the minds of those who reside in Manderley. When Rebecca’s body is found, the truth arises, and the new Mrs. de Winter will find out what truly happened to the woman who once lived in the mansion.

One of the Best Psychological Dramas of the 20th Century

The psychological drama/thriller by Hitchcock is an adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s book of the same name, and it was a huge success for the director who had dared enter the world of Hollywood with his first American film.

Rebecca was a box office hit, and it definitely enamored critics who recognized Hitchcock’s ability to make a suspenseful film. The Academy Award winner for Best Picture in 1941 goes great in a Gothic double feature with Gaslight, the film that stands on top of this list.

Jackman’s 1st Pick: Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

Singin’ in the Rain tells the story of Don Lockwood and Kathy Selden, two performers coming from different sides of the film industry in Hollywood in the late 1920s. Don is a silent film actor who has been attached to star alongside Lina Lamont for the rest of his career, and the media make up a whole affair between them. But when Don meets a chorus girl named Kathy, he falls in love with her.

At the same time, he discovers he may have a gift for dancing and singing and seeks to transition to talkies when Warner Bros. releases The Jazz Singer, and the whole industry is forced to make a change.

Undoubtedly Influential for Jackman

Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen’s musical comedy is still regarded as the greatest musical ever made. Singin’ in the Rain has been most likely a strong influence for Jackman, who has been in a couple of musicals and has shown his ability in the genre. Even though the film wasn’t exactly a success back then, it received a couple of Academy Award nominations.

Nevertheless, it was in the following decades when Singin’ in the Rain found its status as one of the best American films ever made. To this day, there aren’t many films that arouse the viewer to stand and sing, and Singin’ in the Rain is one of them.

You can stream Singin’ in the Rain on Max

Jackman’s 2nd Pick: The Deer Hunter (1978)

The Deer Hunter follows three friends in the late 1960s who have grown up together in their working-class community in Pennsylvania. Mike, Steven, and Nick enlist in the Army and travel to Vietnam in 1969. When the three of them are captured, and they’re submitted to a horrific game of Russian Roulette, they manage to escape.

However, the wounds, both psychological and physical, prove to be too much for the trio of friends whose lives drastically change for the worse in a terrific display of PTSD.

An Essential War Film

Michael Cimino’s 1978 masterpiece is widely considered to be one of the best American films ever made. Upon release, it was critically acclaimed, and it garnered several nominations at the Academy Awards. It would end up winning five of the nine nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, with Christopher Walken taking home the Best Supporting Actor prize (it is also Meryl Streep’s first Oscar nomination).

The influential war film has also been categorized as historically inaccurate, but the central message of the movie doesn’t point at a realistic depiction of Vietnam but at the effects of that horrendous war.

Jackman’s 3rd Pick: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

In Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, the adventurer/professor Indiana Jones accepts a mission from the government. It’s the mid-1930s, and the Third Reich is set on acquiring a historical object to indulge in experiments. The object of great religious value, the Ark of the Covenant, is hidden somewhere in Egypt, and Jones is forced to rekindle with the former love of his life in order to find a medallion that will help him find the Ark before the Nazis.

When they find the Ark, they’re also captured by Jones’ nemesis, who’s already thinking of an experiment that will potentially change the course of history and give the Germans enough power to win the war. But such an ambition proves to backfire.

The Perfect Adventure Movie

The 1981 action-adventure movie came from the mind of George Lucas, who teamed up with Spielberg after the latter was unable to make a James Bond film. The result was a groundbreaking commercial success that earned almost $400 million at the box office, and it consolidated Spielberg as the perfect designer of blockbuster films, regardless of the genre.

The winner of five Academy Awards (Spielberg’s second nomination as Best Director), it was also the first film of one of the most important franchises in history.

You can stream Raiders of the Lost Ark on Disney+.

Jackman’s 4th Pick: Gallipoli (1981)

Peter Weir’s war dramaGallipoli centers around two teenagers from Western Australia who meet at a sporting event. Each one comes from a different side of life, but still, they enlist together to fight for the Australian Army in World War I. However, they each follow their own direction when the campaign known as the Battle of Gallipoli takes place. Archy and Frank’s descent into the madness of war will make them change their minds about the conflict.

One of the Best Australian Films Ever Made

Jackman, an Australian-born actor, chooses one of the best Australian films ever made, and it’s hard to disagree with him. Gallipoli was the film that shot Mel Gibson into stardom as a serious actor. It was also a big winner at the Australian Film Institute Awards, while in America, it would be recognized at the Golden Globes with a Best Foreign Film nomination.

Today, it remains a very good anti-war film that doesn’t need to be historically accurate to be relevant and effective. Like The Deer Hunter, it is a film about the consequences of war and not about the conflict itself.

You can stream Gallipoli on Kanopy.