You may not have heard a whole lot from Jason Lee lately, but he’s actually doing some of the most interesting work of his career right now. Lee is currently doing projects as a photographer and cataloguer of historical sites in the Texas area. It may be a strange new direction for the My Name Is Earl star, but then again, Lee has always had a somewhat strange career. His filmography is truly a baffling one; he’s popped up in everything from the period drama The Ballad of Jack and Rose to disastrous comedies like Kissing a Fool and Stealing Harvard. That’s what you call range!
Lee is best known for his performances in Kevin Smith’s string of films in the 1990s. He has played multiple characters within the “View Askewniverse,” so it's possible that he’ll pop up in this year’s Clerks III. Unfortunately, a lot of younger viewers probably know him best from his recurring role in the Alvin and the Chipmunks live-action films. Unlike his co-star, David Cross, Lee has yet to publicly decry his hatred of the obnoxious family film franchise.
Lee will occasionally pop up as a vocal performer in animated projects like We Bare Bears or last year’s The Harper House, but hopefully, we’ll see him do some more live-action work soon. Here are some of Jason Lee’s best performances.
Brodie Bruce in Mallrats (1995)
Mallrats was one of Lee’s first films after he started off doing skating videos, and he’s a major reason why the film is still a cult classic today. Smith’s reliance on popular culture references can be criticized, but he’s generally fairly spot-on in his depiction of friendship. Brodie Bruce is the signature “irresponsible slacker” of a Smith film; thankfully, Lee isn’t just doing an impression of Clerks’ Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson). Brodie is a little obnoxious and very foul-mouthed, but he still gets to have his revenge on Ben Affleck’s repulsive Shannon Hamilton. His brief scene with Stan Lee is the best of the film.
Banky Edwards in Chasing Amy (1997)
Chasing Amy was a much more dramatic swing for Smith, and Lee rose to the material. Although the film’s depiction of sexuality has been hotly debated, Chasing Amy perfectly captures the feeling of struggling to admit a crush. Banky Edwards has to hear about his best friend Holden’s (Ben Affleck) romantic woas for the entire film before Holden finally realizes that Banky has been in love with him the whole time. Lee received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. It remains his most emotional performance.
Daniel Leon Zavitz in Enemy of the State (1999)
It’s wild to look at the various stars that had early roles in Tony Scott’s espionage thriller Enemy of the State; Jack Black, Regina King, Seth Green, Jamie Kennedy, and Scott Caan all pop up in supporting roles. Lee certainly gets one of the most memorable sections of the film. Will Smith’s adventure begins when he receives a critical computer disc containing evidence of a murder from his college friend, Daniel Leon Zavitz (Lee). Zavitz is on the run from the conspirators that are attempting to cover up the crime. Even though it's only a brief section of the film, Lee is a convincing action star.
Azrael in Dogma (1999)
Dogma is one of Smith’s most overlooked projects due to a discrepancy involving the rights to the film; Dogma is still technically owned by The Weinstein Company, which has refused to reissue it for a streaming release. It’s unfortunate, as Dogma is a savvy deconstruction of religious fundamentalism that isn’t afraid to make jokes at the expense of just about everyone. Lee got to show his villainous side with his performance as the angel of death, Azrael. The “View Askewniverse” version of Azrael is more of a caustic jerk than he is a force of terror, but Lee does add a little bit of menace to what is otherwise a fairly goofy film.
Jeff Bebe in Almost Famous (2000)
Similar to Enemy of the State, Almost Famous has an ensemble that’s so packed with great actors that it's even more impressive that Lee is one of the standouts. While William (Patrick Fugit) mostly bonds with Stillwater’s lead guitarist, Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup), he does get to share a few great scenes with the band’s lead singer, Jeff Bebe (Lee). Almost Famous was based on Cameron Crowe’s real experiences growing up and writing about music for Rolling Stone; Lee has to embody one of the writer/director’s childhood heroes.
Brian Shelby in Vanilla Sky (2001)
Vanilla Sky is truly one of the most baffling films ever made. According to Cameron Crowe himself, there are five different ways to interpret the ending. Any film with a narrative structure that is this complex (and purposefully disorienting) at least needs to find a way to make the expositional dumps somewhat interesting. This is where Lee’s sense-of-humor comes in handy. With his role as David Aames’ (Tom Cruise) best friend, Brian Shelby, Lee adds a touch of levity to the surrealist tone.
Buddy Pine/Syndrome in The Incredibles (2004)
Syndrome remains Pixar’s greatest villain. In 2004, Brad Bird probably didn’t know how precinct the concept of a demented fan whose passion turns into obsession would become. Syndrome may claim that he’s doing everything in order to “equalize” the world, but he’s driven by his personal feelings of entitlement. Lee’s terrific vocal work shows that deep down, Syndrome is still the same person that he’s always been: a neglected child.
Earl Hickey in My Name is Earl (2005-2009)
Lee made a major comeback with his awards-nominated performance as Earl Hickey in the NBC sitcom My Name Is Earl. Earl is a former thief who wins the lottery, but has a change of heart that inspires him to start giving back to everyone that he’s wronged. The show had the potential to either be too schmaltzy or too crude, but thankfully, Lee managed to find the right balance between the two. Any network show with a simple premise like My Name Is Earl has to coast on the talents of a charismatic lead character, and Lee helped justify keeping the show on air for subsequent seasons.
Lance Dowds in Clerks II (2006)
Lee returned to the “View Askewniverse” to play yet another obnoxious jerk. Hopefully Smith will let him play a nice guy again sometime soon! Lance Dowd is a multi-millionaire who survived a traumatizing high school experience to become the founder of a highly profitable search engine. There are many aspects of Clerks II that haven’t aged well, but a self-obsessed tech developer whose only real goal is proving that he’s “one of the cool kids?” You can draw parallels to a lot of current public figures.