Actor Jim Parsons has proven time and again that he is a chameleon. From his hilarious performance as the lead Dr. Sheldon Cooper in the beloved sitcom The Big Bang Theory and the voice of the delightful Oh in Home to his extensive work in theater, he is truly talented and versatile. He has received many accolades, amongst them Primetime Emmys and a Golden Globe.
However, not every film/show he has participated in was a critical success, even though he always does his best to hold together even the less good productions.
Best: The Big Bang Theory (2007-2019) - 82%
This hysterical sitcom has been an audience favorite for more than a decade, as people followed the everyday adventures of Sheldon, Leonard, Howard, and Raj, four geeks and three doctors with one person who is constantly reminded he is not a doctor.
Parsons played Sheldon Cooper, a character that starts as quite closed off and apparently inconsiderate, but develops into a much more open person, as well as a loving friend and boyfriend. Interestingly, on Rotten Tomatoes the first season has a “Rotten” consensus, but the show really took off afterward with every subsequent season garnering acclaim.
Worst: Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile (2019) - 55%
This movie tells the story of notorious serial killer Ted Bundy, from his law-school years, to the initial suspicions, to his ultimate fate of execution via electrocution. The movie is founded on Bundy's past lover Elizabeth/Liz Kendall's chronicle, The Phantom Prince: My Life With Ted Bundy.
Zac Efron was repeatedly praised for his faithful and dexterous performance as Bundy in a film that was otherwise seen as narratively weak and lukewarm by film critics. Parsons portrayed Larry Simpson, the principal prosecuting attorney in the 1979 Miami trial that at last condemned Bundy.
Best: Garden State (2004) - 86%
Jim Parsons has had a lot of supporting roles in various movies while he was testing the industry’s waters before the hit that was The Big Bang Theory; this was one of them. This film, written, directed by, and starring Zach Braff (mostly known as the protagonist, J.D. Dorian, in the show Scrubs), follows Andrew Largeman, a struggling young actor who revisits his birthplace in New Jersey for his mother’s funeral.
During the film it is revealed that he struggled with depression from an early age, as well as guilt for causing an accident that left his mother paraplegic. Parsons plays Tim, an old friend of his who works as a “knight” at Medieval Times restaurant.
Worst: A Kid Like Jake (2018) - 52%
This is the most recent feature film with Parsons in a leading role. This movie attempted to deal with sensitive issues and the way they affect those involved; it can be seen as either failed or successful according to which review one reads, since they were quite divided.
It has to be said that it was a heartfelt and honest film that posed relevant and important questions. Jim Parsons plays Greg Wheeler, the father of four-year-old Jake, who his parents believe may be transgender (“he/him/his” are the pronouns used in the film). Jake’s parents are very open about letting him play with designated “girls’ toys” and dress however he likes, but they become concerned thinking of how his gender identity might affect his life.
Best: Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas (2014) - 89%
This stop-motion Christmas TV special was based on Jon Favreau’s Elf with Will Ferrell and the Broadway show Elf: The Musical. Jim Parsons is the voice of the lead character William "Buddy" Hobbs, the titular Elf. Upon learning that he is actually a human, Buddy travels from the North Pole to New York to meet his dad.
Santa Claus is the narrator, recounting the tale of Buddy's journey to New York City. On his way there his unyielding joyfulness changes the lives of everybody he encounters and opens his father's heart to the holiday’s beauty.
Worst: Home (2015) - 50%
This film was very poorly received in spite of the brilliant voice acting by both Jim Parsons, who had the lead as the alien Oh, and Rihanna, who played the brave human girl Tip. Critics considered it mediocre and just passable, in critiques that seemed to have a problem with it simply because it was "not ground-breaking".
Still, it was colorful, entertaining, with good jokes and a layered message. Oh and the other Boov take over earth, but when Oh finds himself persecuted by his own people he meets Tip, who has her own plans. Together they form an unlikely friendship and Oh realizes that he was wrong about not believing in hope.
Best: Hidden Figures (2017) - 93%
This incredible feminist biographical film was about the true story behind the African-American female computers working at NASA’s space program during the USA vs USSR space race. The film mostly focuses on Katherine Goble (later Johnson) played by Taraji P. Henson. Ensuing the triumphant Soviet Union's launch of Yuri Gagarin, Americans are anxious to send their own into space.
Katherine is assigned to the Space Task Group and becomes the first black woman there. Katherine's new associates are at first condescending, particularly supervising engineer Paul Stafford (Jim Parsons), but over time she asserts herself as the most competent among them and changes their minds.
Worst: The Big Year (2011) - 41%
Jack Black and Owen Wilson have starred in a plethora of comedies, some great and some forgettable, but this is probably leaning on the forgettable side. The picture follows three experienced birders (semi-professional bird watchers) who want to accomplish a Big Year (refers to breaking some bird-watching record).
One of them is Brad Harris (Jack Black), a computer programmer and capable birder who can recognize almost all species merely by sound. Being a birder is the only thing that brings him joy; Parsons plays Ichabod Crane (no, seriously), a bird-watching blogger, who encourages Brad to attempt a Big Year.
Best: The Normal Heart (2014) - 94%
This TV drama film written by Larry Kramer was based on his homonymous 1985 play. It portrays the escalation of the HIV-AIDS crisis in New York City from 1981 to 1984, as understood via the eyes of author/activist Ned Weeks (Mark Ruffalo), the creator of a renowned HIV activism organization.
Parsons plays Tommy Boatwright, one of Ned’s friends with whom he founds a community group named Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC). The film was applauded as a brilliant example of LGBTQ+ cinema, an important cultural document of the HIV crisis, and an overall great artistic accomplishment. Jim Parsons was praised for his performance.
Worst: Visions (2015) - 19%
As peculiar as it seems to find Jim Parsons in a horror movie, well, he was in this one. The problem is that an admittedly bad film could not be saved by his short-timed performance. Isla Fisher stars as Eveleigh, a woman plagued by guilt for being involved in a car accident where a child died.
When she gets pregnant and also opens a vineyard with her husband on land they acquired, haunting and nightmarish visions start to creep up on her and she realizes that things connect in ways she had not anticipated. Parsons played her doctor and appeared in 2-3 scenes which at least absolves him of responsibility for the overall badness.