All 5 Wes Anderson Movies That Adrien Brody Starred In, Ranked

Over the course of his career, Adrien Brody has had starring roles in five of Wes Anderson’s movies. Anderson’s recent Oscar win for The Brutalist which comes after a period defined by his collaborations with the renowned director. Brody broke a record with his acceptance speech at the Oscars in the wake of defeating four other major stars, including A Complete Unknown’s lead star, Timothée Chalamet. Without doubt, Brody is one of the most versatile actors in Hollywood, with an extensive range of performances across his career. Most notable are Brody’s particularly strong performances in his five movies with Wes Anderson.

A hallmark of the director’s style is the frequent cast of actors in Anderson’s movies, and Brody’s continued collaboration with him dates back to his lead performance in The Darjeeling Limited. Brody’s number of appearances in Anderson films is only surpᴀssed by three other actors — two of whom starred alongside him in The Darjeeling Limited. Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray feature in seven and nine of Anderson’s films, respectively. While all Brody’s performances in the director’s repertoire are engaging, The Darjeeling Limited is his most noteworthy performance, and is ᴀssuredly his most high-profile Anderson role to date.

5

The French Dispatch (2021)

RT Critic 75%, RT Audience 76%, IMDb 7.1/10

By no means is The French Dispatch the lowest-rated film in Anderson’s extensive collection, but it is generally the most poorly received entry in comparison to Brody’s opposing Anderson movies. The reception to The French Dispatch was somewhat tepid, which is perhaps because it fell on the heels of Anderson’s back-to-back success with The Grand Budapest H๏τel and Isle of Dogs. The most intriguing aspect of The French Dispatch is the inspiration it drew from The New Yorker magazine, but this was unfortunately not enough to create any meaningful connections in its collection of short stories across the one-hour and 48-minute runtime.

Unfortunately, this means that The French Dispatch is often regarded as one of Anderson’s worst projects — though in no way does this make the 2021 motion picture a ‘bad’ film. It is important to note that The French Dispatch did win some awards in minor ceremonies, which were mostly presented for Anderson’s original screenplay. It’s an impressive feat in Anderson’s filmmaking, and is certainly one of his more experimental projects, but The French Dispatch simply falls short of expectations in its narrative structure. The film was originally set to premiere at Cannes, but faced significant delays because of the pandemic.

The French Dispatch may have attained a higher critical rating than Asteroid City on Rotten Tomatoes, as well as a higher IMDb score; it ranks lower than its counterpart as it did not perform as well at the box office. On an equal budget of $25 million, The French Dispatch grossed $46 million worldwide — coming in at $8 million less than Asteroid City.

4

Asteroid City (2023)

RT Critic 76%, Audience 62%, IMDb 6.5/10

Asteroid City is Wes Anderson’s most recent movie, but it remains to be a somewhat inconspicuous entry in the director’s ᴀssortment of projects. The science-fiction comedy drama was co-written by Roman Coppola, who has previous credits on other Anderson films, such as The Darjeeling Limited, Moonrise Kingdom, and Isle of Dogs. Regrettably, Asteroid City has been tremendously overlooked since its limited theatrical release in 2023. In fact, it was ranked as one of the “worst movies of 2023” by Variety — a profoundly polarizing decision that caused significant backlash. In actuality, Asteroid City’s ratings do not match the criticisms it fell victim of.

Asteroid City has arguably the most star-studded cast of any Anderson movie. Asteroid City features regular appearances from the likes of Edward Norton and Tilda Swinton, but it also introduces a new roster of A-list talent to Anderson’s universe. Tom Hanks and Scarlett Johansson were excellent additions to the cast, and Asteroid City provides some of the most breathtaking visuals in Anderson’s entire career. The narrative moves marginally away from the conventional themes of Anderson’s work, to provide an enticing narrative set in the 1950s retro-futuristic America — where groups gather in the desert for a Junior Stargazer convention.

3

The Darjeeling Limited (2007)

RT Critic 69%, RT Audience 78%, IMDb 7.2/10

To his credit, The Darjeeling Limited is Anderson’s most underrated movie. That being said, the project has become something of a cult classic in recent years. The Darjeeling Limited has mostly been rediscovered in the lst decade, and audience appeal has drastically increased since the movie’s debut. Similar to The French Dispatch, Anderson’s 2007 release won some awards, which included Best Film and the Little Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. The Darjeeling Limited centers on three brothers’ journey through India after their late father’s death, and the film decisively focuses more on their internal struggles than any outward conflict.

Peter (Brody), Jack (Schwartzman), and Francis (Wilson) are all lying about their motivations on the trip, with Brody’s character being increasingly insecure in his marriage. What makes The Darjeeling Limited one of Anderson’s most courageous projects is its great performances and how accurately it depicts the different stages of grief. The film is anchored by the communication between the brothers, which feels authentic and raw. There is one particular moment during the mid-point of the film that is one of the saddest deaths in Anderson’s movies, where Peter fails to save a young boy from drowning. This has a profound impact on their character’s spiritual journey.

The story flawlessly encapsulates all of Anderson’s signature themes.

Although The Darjeeling Limited is the lowest-rated movie among Brody’s collaborations with Anderson, it is by no account reflected by the audience score and reception. Admittedly, The Darjeeling Limited does have a significant advantage in that it benefits from repeated viewings, but the story flawlessly encapsulates all of Anderson’s signature themes.

2

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

RT Critic 93%, RT Audience 85%, IMDb 7.9/10

Wes Anderson’s first animated film has become one of the most celebrated movies in stop-motion. In addition to this, Fantastic Mr. Fox was extremely experimental for the time and marked the first of only two animated films in Anderson’s expansive repertoire. Based on the Roald Dahl book, the movie tells the story of Mr. Fox and his struggle to balance his duties as a husband and father with his personal desires. Fantastic Mr. Fox is the director’s highest-rated feature-length film, alongside Moonrise Kingdom, with 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s the film’s undeniable charm that elevates it to the ranks of Anderson’s finest.

Despite the fact that Fantastic Mr. Fox caters to a more mature audience, it is not unsuitable for children. There is plenty going on within the film’s quirky style and Dahl’s foundations to entertain a younger audience. Anderson’s animated feature was nominated for two Academy Awards in 2010, inclusive of Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score. Fantastic Mr. Fox has since become one of the best Oscar-nominated animated movies according to IMDb, despite losing in its primary category to Pixar’s Up. This defeat was mirrored once again in equal categories during the BAFTAs ceremony in 2010.

1

The Grand Budapest H๏τel (2014)

RT Critic 92%, RT Audience 87%, IMDb 8.1/10

Needless to say, The Grand Budapest H๏τel is Wes Anderson’s most famous film. Adrien Brody’s fellow 2025 nominee, Ralph Fiennes, leads the cast in The Grand Budapest H๏τel and delivers a truly captivating performance. This marks Fiennes’ first collaboration with the director, and his role quickly became one of the most memorable in his career because he is cast remarkably off-type. Typically, Fiennes is known for the villainous roles in projects such as Schindler’s List or In Bruges, but M. Gustave is an eccentric individual who is a stark contrast to these sinister portrayals.

To a similar degree, Brody plays against type in The Grand Budapest H๏τel, as well. Although his role is minimal, it unquestionably remains one of Brody’s best performances. He portrays the character whose death is the catalyst for the events of the film, Dmitri Desgoffe-und-Taxis. Adrien Brody finds himself appearing only briefly in a number of scenes, but regardless of limited screen time, his presence is impactful — and The Grand Budapest H๏τel‘s overall entertainment value is enough to compensate for his brief appearances. In fact, Brody has named The Grand Budapest H๏τel his favorite Anderson film of all time.

Not to mention, The Grand Budapest H๏τel is definitely Wes Anderson’s most decorated film. With accolades across a number of ceremonies for different categories, The Grand Budapest H๏τel won a Critics’ Choice, a Golden Globe, three BAFTAs, and an outstanding four Academy Awards at the 87th ceremony in 2015 for Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, and Best Hair and Makeup.

Source: Variety