Is This Robert Pattinson’s Best Role Ever?
It’s time for a pop quiz. The question is, “What has Robert Pattinson been doing since Twilight?” The potential answers are: (a) Becoming David Cronenberg’s muse, (b) Inspiring an FKA Twigs breakup album, (c) Rebooting Batman, and (d) Not being nominated for an Oscar.
If you answered any of the above, you’re correct! In addition to starring in such tentpole films as Tenet and The Batman, Pattinson has delivered a panoply of arthouse performances since Twilight, establishing himself as a committed and versatile actor. Sadly, though, he has not been nominated for an Oscar. His equally talented and famous ex, Kristen Stewart, beat him to the punch (for Spencer, in 2022).
Meanwhile, Pattinson’s most recent film, Mickey 17, is perfectly on brand for the actor. Droll and inventive, it’s the kind of offbeat movie that Pattinson has made part of his brand. It’s also artfully unpredictable, giving Pattinson a plum opportunity to flex his acting muscles and create an original character. But is his role as Mickey in this sci-fi dramedy his best? Let’s see how it ranks next to six classic Pattinson outings.
7. Edward Cullen in Twilight
The Twilight saga may have launched Pattinson’s career, but these movies were bad. That’s mostly thanks to the literary source material, which combined all the excitement of adjectives with the unpredictability of nouns. There was never any coherent or inventive story to build from in the first place. Some mildly titillating romance, sure, but literally nothing else interesting. That said, Pattinson and Stewart played their roles perfectly, and for that, they deserve credit. They committed and gave Twilight fans exactly what they needed.
6. Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
From the moment he inexplicably leaped down from a tree to greet Harry Potter in Goblet of Fire, Cedric Diggory was a doomed man. And yet, Pattinson made him ever so slightly sympathetic. When Diggory Portkeyed to the graveyard, you actually felt bad for the guy.
5. Bruce Wayne in The Batman
Pattinson didn’t reinvent the wheel with his Batman, but he nevertheless oozed grounded confidence and a tortured bad boy appeal. At the end of the day, he built upon the performances that preceded him while adding his own millennial emo flair. Not a performance for the ages, but a significant one for sure.
4. Neil in Tenet
Dashing, mysterious, and posh, Neil is perhaps Pattinson’s most outright charming character. He flashes smiles with ease just before sailing through confusing fight sequences. The movie around him is as cerebral as they come, so it’s unlikely you’re thinking about his performance as you watch, but Pattinson delivers, adding an extra layer of sophistication to this compelling film.
3. Henry Costin in The Lost City of Z
As the mumbling, bumbling, stumbling Henry Costin, Pattinson is essentially the comedic relief of The Lost City of Z, an otherwise grandiose and ultimately tragic film. He literally disappears behind his character’s wild beard and Dumbledore glasses, lending loveable charm to a character that could have been corny. He even helps humanize the protagonist, Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam), finding inspiration in his quixotic aspirations.
2. Mickey in Mickey 17
Whether or not Mickey 17 goes down as one of the best sci-fi black comedies of all time, Pattinson’s performance in the film is unforgettable. Put-upon and resigned, his glum Mickey is a disposable yet essentially immortal human, sacrificed to science for the good of humankind. At first, he has no agency and rarely demonstrates any passion for life, but Pattinson expertly maps the character’s journey towards self-actualization.
1. Constantine “Connie” Nikas in Good Time
OK, so Mickey 17 didn’t land in the number one spot, even though it’s pretty high up. The only reason it lost out to Good Time for #1 is because the latter movie earned Pattinson the first real Oscar buzz of his career. As the desperate, nervy, violent, and ultimately sympathetic small-time criminal Constantine “Connie” Nikas, Pattinson is commanding and compelling in Good Time, which came out in 2017 and instantly made everyone forget about Twilight. Proving that he excelled as a character actor, Pattinson anchored every scene he was in while making viewers see every wheel turn in his brain. With just a glance or two, he made you care about this petty criminal so much that it hurt.
