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30 Adam Driver Movies Everyone Should See

Mar 10 2023 - 3:10pm

Though he already had one big film credit under his belt (a minor role in Clint Eastwood [1]'s "J. Edgar"), Adam Driver [2] really broke into the entertainment scene when he landed the reoccurring role of Adam Sackler on HBO's "Girls." Driver was part of the ensemble cast for all six seasons. Since then, he's starred in dramas including "Frances Ha" and "What If" and has even carved his name into the comedy space thanks to his performance in "This Is Where I Leave You." Fans may also recognize him as Flip Zimmerman from "BlacKkKlansman" and Charlie from "Marriage Story," both of which earned him Academy Award nominations.

More recently, Driver nabbed the main role of Maurizio Gucci [3] opposite Lady Gaga [4] in "House of Gucci" and the lead role in the dinosaur action flick "65." And all that's not to mention his major role as Kylo Ren in the newest Star Wars trilogy. Additionally, Deadline [5] announced that Driver will headline Francis Ford Coppola's upcoming contemporary drama "Megalopolis." Fans will have to wait and see if this will be the movie that gets Driver his Oscar. Until then, catch up on Driver's other amazing movies ahead.

"65" (2023)

In "65," Driver plays a space pilot named Mills, whose ship carrying 35 passengers crashes. He wakes up to discover that he's crashed down to Earth — only it's 65 million years ago when dinosaurs roamed it. Now, Mills and the only other survivor — a young girl named Koa — must fight for their survival long enough to be rescued and taken back to the future.

"J. Edgar" (2011)

Clint Eastwood [6]'s biopic "J. Edgar" marked Driver's first major film credit. The movie follows J. Edgar Hoover's 50-year run as head of the FBI and the powerful men and constituents he meets along the way. Driver had a very minor role as a gas-station manager named Walter Lyle.

"Girls" (2012-2017)

Driver portrayed Adam Sackler in all six seasons of HBO's "Girls." The role is largely considered Driver's big break into acting. His character is a 20-something-year-old artist living in NYC, which is where he meets the show's protagonist, Hannah (Lena Dunham). While at first their relationship is strictly sexual, they adopt a friendship and Adam becomes involved in Hannah and her friends' crazy adventures.

​"Gayby" (2012)

Jenn (Jenn Harris) wants nothing more than to be a mother. Single and determined to do it the old-fashioned way, she enlists the help of her gay best friend to help make her wish come true — because if she could pick anyone to be her child's father, it would be Matt (Matthew Wilkas), her favorite person on the planet. Driver has a small part as Neil, Matt's coworker.

"Not Waving but Drowning" (2012)

Aspiring journalist Adele (Vanessa Ray) uproots her life in Florida in hopes of greater adventure and success in NYC. But starting over means leaving her longtime friend Sara (Megan Guinan) behind, and soon the separation is too much for Adele to handle. Then she meets Adam (Driver). The two work as custodians for a swanky sky-rise building and quickly develop a close friendship.

"Frances Ha" (2012)

Driver stars alongside Greta Gerwig and Grace Gummer in "Frances Ha," a black-and-white comedy drama about a woman apartment hopping while she apprentices for a Manhattan dance company. Driver's character, Lev, shares an apartment with Frances (Gerwig) and their friend Benji (Michael Zegen) in Chinatown. Their roommate relationship abruptly ends when the dance company doesn't hire Frances for their Christmas recital, and consequently, Frances can't afford rent.

"Lincoln" (2012)

Set in the midst of the Civil War, this 2012 war drama follows President Abraham Lincoln's journey to establish the 13th Amendment. The film features an A-list cast including Daniel Day-Lewis, James Spader, and Sally Field [7], as well as Driver, who portrays Samuel Beckwith. His character identifies with the Union Army and works as Lincoln's telegraph operator.

"Bluebird"​ (2013)

A small town in Maine is rocked when a bus driver's innocent mistake results in a near-death tragedy for one of her young passengers. When Paula (Emily Meade) gets word of her son's condition, she pursues legal action against the driver. However, people in town think Paula is as equally to blame because she wasn't on time to pick up her child. Instead, she was getting high and cozy with her restaurant coworker, Walter (Driver).

"Inside Llewyn Davis" (2013)

"Inside Llewyn Davis" tells the story of New York folk singer Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac) as he plays his way from the streets of Greenwich Village to the Chicago club scene. One of the many strangers and talented musicians he meets on his travels is western folk singer Al Cody (Driver). Together they record a space-travel-inspired track titled "Please Mr. Kennedy" with a songwriter named Jim (Justin Timberlake [8]).

"Tracks" (2013)

Based on Robyn Davidson's memoir of the same name, "Tracks" follows Davidson's nine-month solo voyage across the Australian desert from Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean. Keeping Davidson (Mia Wasikowska [9]) company is her trusty dog and four camels. During her journey, she meets National Geographic photographer Rick Smolan (Driver), and he tags along.

"What If" (2013)

Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe [10]) is on the brink of swearing off relationships forever when he meets Chantry (Zoe Kazan) at his friend Allan's (Driver) party. His bad luck continues when Chantry tells him that she has a boyfriend. Meanwhile, Allan spends the whole party talking to a woman named Nicole (Mackenzie Davis). When the night ends, he's as convinced Nicole is the one as Wallace is about Chantry . . . if only he can get rid of the boyfriend. The movie unfolds from there as Wallace and Allan set out to pursue both Chantry and Nicole, respectively, and find themselves in a complicated yet romantic whirlwind.

"Hungry Hearts" (2014)

Jude (Driver) and Mina (Alba Rohrwacher) have a beautiful life in NYC, but the birth of their son sends Mina into a spiral as she seeks out ways to transform their livelihood into a pure and vegan lifestyle — so much so that it begins to affect their son's childhood development and motor skills. And that's not to mention their marriage, too. When Jude goes looking for an outside opinion, it hinders their relationship even more.

"While We're Young" (2014)

Though happily married and very much in love, Josh (Ben Stiller [11]) and Cornelia (Naomi Watts [12]) are bored with their mundane lives. Enter: hipsters Jamie (Driver) and Darby (Amanda Seyfried [13]). Immediately, Josh and Cornelia find themselves taken aback and enthralled by the carefree and lax couple. They want to do everything with Jamie and Darby even if it means ghosting their other friend group a bit. But with such different lifestyles (and a 20-year age gap), will this new friendship be able to stand the test of time?

"This Is Where I Leave You" (2014)

Hillary Altman (Jane Fonda) calls on her four adult children for a full week of mourning and family time following their father's passing. They're expected to stay in their childhood bedrooms, only this time they'll be sharing the space with their spouses, soon-to-be exes, and, in Driver's character's case, their funeral plus one. As the Altman siblings encounter an unwanted trip down memory lane, they're forced to dig up family issues they've long buried and old hometown flames they previously left behind. Driver plays Phillip, the youngest of the Altman clan, who pronounces himself the "family screw-up."

"Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens" (2015)

There's a dangerous new threat to the galaxy in "Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens." Desert scavenger Rey (Daisy Ridley) and former stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega) team up with Han Solo (Harrison Ford [14]) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) to take down the evil warrior clan and bring peace back home. Driver stars as Kylo Ren, a dark warrior and leader of the First Order.

"Midnight Special" (2016)

NSA communications analyst Paul Sevier (Driver) has no idea what he's gotten himself into when he shows up to the Ranch, a religious cult led by Pastor Calvin Meyer (Sam Shepard). His mission? Track down Alton (Jaeden Martell), an abducted 8-year-old boy from Texas. It turns out Alton is Meyer's adoptive son, thus making him a member of the congregation. Paul initially works with Meyer to track down Alton, but soon learns Alton's abductor is his biological father.

"Paterson" (2016)

"Paterson" is a wholesome, feel-good story about a bus driver named Paterson (Driver) living in Paterson, NJ. He lives by the same schedule every day: drive the bus, say hello to his regular passengers, journal, walk the dog, and enjoy one post-work beer before returning home to his sweet wife. Laura (Golshifteh Farahani) knows Paterson is content with his life, but she continues to push his dreams of writing.

"Silence" (2016)

Driver stars opposite Andrew Garfield in this compelling period piece in which two 17th-century Portuguese missionaries set out to rescue their missing mentor, Father Ferreira (Liam Neeson), in Japan, where it's forbidden to practice Christianity. If caught, Christians must renounce their faith or face death. During their time in Japan, they secretly lead the Christian villagers in worship while also trying to uncover Father Ferreira's exact whereabouts.

"The Meyerowitz Stories" (2017)

In "The Meyerowitz Stories," three estranged siblings reunite back home to support and honor their father's celebrated artwork. The three fall into a bickering pattern, though their father doesn't seem to care as long as his reputation stays in tact. The cast is led by Dustin Hoffman [15], Adam Sandler [16], and Ben Stiller [17]. Driver makes a cameo as Randy, a client of one of the siblings.

"Logan Lucky" (2017)

Logan siblings Jimmy (Channing Tatum [18]), Clyde (Driver), and Mellie (Riley Keough) plan a money heist against Charlotte Motor Speedway. As they make their way from West Virginia to North Carolina, Jimmy taps a demolition expert to help them pull off the robbery. But when plans go awry, they're forced to proceed while the speedway is hosting the Coca-Cola 600 race, which attracts thousands of fans. To make matters worse, the FBI is also on their tail.

"Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi" (2017)

Determined to become a Jedi, Rey makes it her mission to prove to Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) that she has what it takes. The raw strength and skill Rey possesses scares Luke, but he also knows it's something that doesn't come around very often. In the other dimension, Kylo Ren oversees the First Order in a battle against the Resistance for full control of the galaxy.

"BlacKkKlansman" (2018)

If anyone knows the ins and outs of good investigative work, it's longtime detective Flip Zimmerman (Driver). So when Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) becomes the first Black detective at the Colorado Springs Police Department, he enlists Zimmerman's help to invade and take down the Ku Klux Klan. Zimmerman goes undercover as Stallworth, who leads the investigation from his desk phone and gets Zimmerman an in with a Ku Klux Klan leader. The movie unfolds from there.

"The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" (2018)

"The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" revolves around Driver's character, a cynical film executive named Toby. One night on the set of his film, he crosses paths with a Spanish cobbler who believes himself to be Don Quixote and Toby to be Sancho Panza. It's not long before Toby is unable to separate fiction from reality and his movie's plot from his adventures with this man called Don Quixote.

"The Report" (2019)

Inspired by true events, "The Report" tells the story of staff member Daniel Jones (Driver), who under the supervision and order of Senator Dianne Feinstein (Annette Bening) uncovers the undisclosed findings and acts of the CIA's Detention and Interrogation Program. This particular program was created in the wake of 9/11, but the hidden reports allude that the CIA adopted torturous and violent tactics in order to gain information from detainees. As more is revealed, news outlets as well as the president get a whiff of their findings and Daniel and Senator Feinstein have an important decision to make.

"The Dead Don't Die" (2019)

Driver stars as Officer Ronnie Peterson in the 2019 eerie-comedy "The Dead Don't Die." As hinted in the title, the movie follows the residents of Centerville and the terror that ensues when the dead begin to rise from their graves and create havoc in the small town. Ronnie teams up with other local police officers to hunt the zombies down and put an end to the madness.

"Marriage Story" (2019)

Driver stars opposite Scarlett Johansson [19] in director Noah Baumbach's incredibly raw and emotional story about divorce and coparenting. Though they may be each other's number one fans, Charlie and Nicole are also each other's biggest weaknesses. Their lives will be forever tangled because of their young son, but they'll have to learn how to peacefully coparent while maintaining space.

"Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker" (2019)

Fans finally get to see Rey and Kylo Ren face off in "Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker." Kylo is knee-deep in his plans to form a new Empire, but his luck may run dry if Finn and Poe (Oscar Isaac) can get the Resistance there in time to intercept the First Order. Meanwhile, the rebels embark on a mission to find the previously believed to be deceased Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid).

"Annette" (2021)

"Annette" is a musical romance about a celebrity couple's passionate relationship that's put under the limelight due to Ann's (Marion Cotillard) rising success as an opera singer. Henry (Driver) loves Ann with every fiber in his being, but his career as a comedian is nowhere near the same level of fame and fortune as Ann's. The birth of their daughter brings them closer yet also forces them to reconsider the trajectory of their careers and the publicity that comes with them.

"The Last Duel" (2021)

When it's made known that a squire named Jacques Le Gris (Driver) assaulted Knight Jean de Carrouge's (Matt Damon [20]) wife (Harriet Walter), King Charles VI (Alex Lawther) orders Knight Jean de Carrouges to battle his squire in a duel. Both Jacques and Jean are admirable men of their people, thus resulting in a lot of confusion and mixed emotions among the townspeople. It's a fight to the death, which could very well leave Jean's wife a widow or bring peace to their marriage should her abuser lose the duel.

"House of Gucci" (2021)

At the heart of "House of Gucci" is the tumultuous love story of Patrizia (Lady Gaga [21]) and Maurizio (Driver) Gucci. The crime drama depicts the aftermath of their marriage and what happens when an outsider maneuvers her way into one of the most powerful and successful families in Italy and fashion. With Maurizio's help, Patrizia wants to bring Gucci's style into the next century, and she doesn't mind airing out the family's scandalous dirty laundry in the process.


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