Brendan Fraser is back baby. After being the face of blockbusters in the late '90s to early 2000s, Fraser's big-screen career has taken a back seat. However, he is set to be the leading star of Darren Aranofsky's The Whale, which is already generating Oscar buzz. The Whale is a psychological drama set around the life of Charlie (Fraser), a gay, obese English teacher weighing around 272kg. Charlie wishes to reconnect with his daughter played by Stranger Things star Sadie Sink.
The film's premiere at the 79th Venice International Film Festival received a six-minute standing ovation. In honor of Fraser's big return to the silver screen, here is a list of films to stream to get reacquainted with the actor and get ready for Fraser's newest movie.
'Still Breathing' (1998)
Fraser stars in this fun-filled romantic comedy that revolves around his character Fletcher, a street performer, who has a vision of a woman that he believes to be his future wife. Little does he know that this woman, Roz (Joanna Going), is actually a con artist. When the two meet, Fletcher tries everything to get Roz to see herself how he sees her.
In this modern movie about "true love", Fraser brings emotional depth to his character that is explosive yet classic. Top it off with beautiful cinematography and an eclectic yet smart soundtrack, this movie makes viewers feel all the feelings involved with a good romance. Stream it on tubi right now.
'Bedazzled' (2000)
Elliot Richards (Fraser) willingly sells his soul to the Devil (Elizabeth Hurley) in exchange for seven wishes in order to win the love of his co-worker, Alison Gardner (Frances O’Connor). As Elliot's wishes are granted he soon comes to realize that this deal is getting him into serious trouble.
In this remake of the 1967 British film, Fraser comes in with this at the height of his worldwide stardom. Fraser ends up playing eight different characters within this one movie, each of them funnier than the last. It is an amazing chance for viewers to see Fraser at his core, a great guy just having some fun. Stream now on iTunes.
'Crash' (2004)
In a post-9/11 Los Angeles, the lives of several characters are intertwined in a story affected by race, class, family, and gender. Among them are a district attorney (Fraser) and his wife (Sandra Bullock), a racist traffic cop (Matt Dillon), and a rich black couple (Terrence Howard and Thandiwe Newton).
Fraser's won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture for his role as Rick Cabot. The film also won three Oscars in 2006, including Best Motion Picture of the Year, and was nominated in another three categories. Crash is available to stream on HBO Max.
'Gods and Monsters' (1998)
In this biographical film about gay filmmaker James Whale, we see the last days of his life explored. Whale (Ian McKellen), once the toast of Hollywood, now lives alone with only his loyal housekeeper, Hanna (Lynn Redgrave), for company. That is until one day Clayton (Fraser), an ex-marine who has been hired as a gardener, enters his life, and it affects Whale more than anything else in his last days.
With winning over 30 awards and Oscar nominations to boot, Gods and Monsters is indeed a very good film. Fraser proves himself to be an excellent actor, with his portrayal of Clayton and McKeller's performance as James Whale as one very strong masterpiece to be sure. Stream it now on tubi.
'The Passion of Darkly Noon' (1995)
After losing his parents, Darkly Noon (Fraser) a former member of a ultraconservative Christian cult, meets four people; a coffin transporter named Jude (Loren Dean), a kind young woman named Callie (Ashley Judd), her mute boyfriend Clay (Viggo Mortensen) and Clay’s mother Roxy (Grace Zabriskie). Thing spiral out of control as Darkly Noon's increasingly conflicting desires for Callie create trouble.
In this deeply intense and dark film, Fraser took on one of his darkest roles ever, quite early in his career too. However, Fraser is able to bring sensitivity and painstaking vulnerability to the role of Darkly Noon. Stream it now on iTunes.
'George of the Jungle' (1997)
Fraser plays ape-man George who has been raised in an African jungle since he was a baby. Adult George comes across the beautiful American heiress, Ursula Stanhope (Leslie Mann), and is immediately head over heels. The two journey to San Francisco where they have many fun adventures, but they return to Africa when George's gorilla buddy is captured.
This charming movie was an absolutely silly, yet perfect send-up of the cartoon series from the audience's youth. Fraser was born to play the role of "George", with just the right mixture of humor, stupidity, sincerity, and physical comedy that makes the character work. This is definitely one of Fraser's most fun works. Stream it on Disney+.
'School Ties' (1992)
In 1959 Fraser's David Greene gets the opportunity to play American Football for an elite New England preparatory school. However, when his Jewish identity is revealed, Greene's Evangelical classmates, Chris Reece (Chris O’Donnell) and Charlie Dillon (Matt Damon), target Greene.
Fraser’s first major recognition came for his performance in School Ties. He received universal praise for his performance, as did the rest of the cast. School Ties is a great film to watch to go back to the roots of Fraser's acting and see the actor's first major success. School ties can be streamed on HBO Max.
'The Quiet American' (2002)
A love triangle between an old English journalist Thomas Fowler (Michael Caine), a local Vietnamese woman, Phuong (Đỗ Thị Hải Yến), and a young American doctor, Alden Pyle (Fraser) set during the French Indochina War in Vietnam in 1952, leads to consequences that change all three lives forever.
Widely loved by critics, The Quiet American is counted among Fraser’s most acclaimed performances on the big screen. He brings life and lovability to the American doctor he portrays and paired with Caine's impeccable acting, this duo is one to see. You can watch this on fuboTV.
'Journey to the Center of the Earth' (2008)
Based on Jules Verne’s acclaimed 19th-century novel, Journey to the Centre of the Earth presents the story of Professor Trevor Anderson (Fraser) and his nephew Sean (Josh Hutcherson). Trevor, who is a volcanologist, takes Sean on a trip to Iceland to search for his missing brother. Joined by a young girl, Hannah (Anita Briem), the trio discovers a lost world at the Centre of the Earth.
Now, this film is certainly one of Fraser's major blockbusters. Similar to George of the Jungle, this film allows Fraser to just be funny. Pure stupidity mixed with lovability for his character makes Journey to the Centre of the Earth a Fraser classic. Stream it now on Stan.
'The Mummy' (1999)
Rick O’Connell (Fraser), an adventurer in 1923’s Egypt, joins a young Egyptologist Evelyn Carnahan (Rachel Weisz) and her brother, Jonathan (John Hannah), to save the world after they accidentally awaken a mummified Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo) in ancient Hamunaptra.
The Mummy Was a global box office success, turning Fraser into an international action star. Probably his most iconic role, Fraser was launched into the action stars' hall of fame with this movie. If readers are looking for the perfect movie to fall in love with Fraser again before his upcoming debut in The Whale, then look no further than right here. Stream it now on Netflix.