John C Reilly: 5 Awesome Performances & 5 That Sucked

4. Reed Rothchild - Boogie Nights (1997)

Back before he started making goofball comedies with Will Ferrell (they're good and they have their own audience but they're not this rich), Reilly was taking on interesting supporting roles and generally making a name for himself as an intriguing upcomer.

It was roles like his key supporting role in Boogie Nights that told that specific story: it's a performance of warmth, comedy and charisma. And it also set up his later career trajectory in films alongside Ferrell. His chemistry with Mark Wahlberg is the stuff bromantic dreams are made of, and there's something remarkably likeable in the way Reilly's Rothchild bumbles through calamities. He should be more of an unlikable buffoon, but in the actor's hands he's merely misguided and silly, with his magic career pay-off being one of the most rewarding of the entire film.

It's a mostly unspectacular performance, in conventional terms, but it's all about creating a likeable support that makes the lead character more authentic and more believably likeable in term. That sort of thing should never be overlooked.