When thinking of the biggest stars in Hollywood, it's hard not to think of Matt Damon. After getting his start in small projects and impressive supporting roles, Damon became a leading man known for picking exciting and crowd-pleasing projects. He has proven his dramatic skills, his action hero skills, and his comedic skills in a variety of projects. But even he has some blemishes in his filmography.
Taking a look at Damon's IMDb page, there are several films that rank among the most popular films of all time. There are also a few less than successful projects audience may have forgotten existed, and one of two Damon likely wishes didn't exist.
Best: Ford V Ferrari (2019) - 8.1
Damon teamed up with Christian Bale in one of his most recent crowd-pleasing films. Ford v Ferrari is the true story of Ford Motor Company's mission to beat Ferrari at the 24-Hours of Le Mans race in 1968. Damon and Bale play Carol Shelby and Ken Miles, the two men assigned to fulfill this impossible task.
James Mangold directs the film with an exciting energy. Damon and Bale make a great duo in this thrilling, funny, and inspiring ride. It is the kind of crowd-pleasing sports movie even people who have no interest in cars will enjoy.
Worst: All The Pretty Horses (2000) - 5.8
While Cormac McCarthy is likely best known for his darker work like No Country for Old Men, one of his lighter novels, All the Pretty Horse, was also adapted with less compelling results. Damon plays a horse trainer who falls for a wealthy rancher's daughter which puts him in danger.
Though people behind the scenes have praised director Billy Bob Thorton's original cut, he was forced to edit out nearly half the film by producer Harvey Weinstein. As a result, this Western romance is a fairly dull ride.
Best: Good Will Hunting (1997) - 8.3
Though he was an up-and-coming actor at the time, Damon got his big break in Good Will Hunting, which he wrote with good friend Ben Affleck. Damon plays the title role of Will Hunting, a young man working as a janitor in Boston who hides the fact that he is a genius.
Damon earned his first Oscar nomination for his lead performance while he and Affleck won the Oscar for their smart and moving script. The film won another Oscar for Robin Williams in one of his best performances as Damon's psychiatrist.
Worst: Stuck On You (2003) - 5.7
Damon has shown off his comedic skills in several roles but has rarely done a fun-blown silly comedy. With Stuck on You, he and Greg Kinnear play conjoined twins who move to Hollywood so one of them can pursue his dream of becoming an actor.
Many fans view this as being one of the Farrelly brothers' weakest films to date. Though Damon and Kinnear were fine comedic partners, the laughs were not big enough and some found the subject matter to be in poor taste.
Best: The Departed (2006) - 8.5
Most actors would love a chance to work with legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese. Damon got the chance in the Best Picture-winning The Departed. The film follows a cop (Leonardo DiCaprio) who goes undercover in the mob, while the mob puts their own informant (Damon) in the police force.
The gangster film is a violent and exciting thriller with an all-star cast including Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg. It is a great cat-and-mouse crime story with plenty of shocking moments as well as some great humor.
Worst: Suburbicon (2017) - 5.7
Damon took on the leading role for his frequent co-star George Clooney's dark crime comedy Suburbicon. Set in an idyllic 1950s suburban neighborhood, the seeding underbelly of the community is exposed following a home invasion.
Though based on a script from the Coen Brothers, Suburbicon proves not just anyone can handle their particular material. This is a messy, awkward dark comedy that feels like someone doing their best Coen Brothers impression and falling sort.
Best: Interstellar (2014) - 8.6
Before leading his own acclaimed sci-fi epic in The Martian, Damon joined Christopher Nolan's Interstellar in a small but pivotal role. Matthew McConaughey stars as an engineer recruited for a space mission to seek out a habitable planet for the rest of humanity. Damon plays the leader of the first failed mission.
Though it was regarded by some as one of Nolan's lesser films, his fans at IMDb certainly found a lot to like. As can be expected with Nolan, the film is a grand, ambitious adventure with plenty of trippy twists as the puzzle pieces come together.
Worst: Downsizing (2017) - 5.7
Damon took on another high-concept comedy with Alexander Payne's Downsizing. The film is set in the not-too-distant future where shrinking technology has been perfected. People undergo this procedure to live a simpler, more affordable life.
Despite the clever idea, many found that it was wasted on a fairly disappointing film from talented people. Downsizing was criticized for attempting to pack too much into its story as it sought out some grander message that never fully works.
Best: Saving Private Ryan (1998) - 8.6
Damon worked with yet another iconic director in Steven Spielberg's WWII epic, Saving Private Ryan. Tom Hanks plays the captain of a small company of men who are tasked with traveling across the war-torn country to find a single soldier (Damon) who is being sent home.
Spielberg was praised for making one of the most harrowing war movies ever created. The battle sequences make the audience feel like they are right in the middle of the mayhem. Hanks leads a stellar cast in a thrilling war adventure.
Worst: Jay And Silent Bob Reboot (2019) - 5.7
Damon is known for his many cameos in films, but this is one that might not be as memorable as the others. Kevin Smith once again brings back his cult characters Jay and Silent Bob as they attempt to shut down a rebooted movie based on the comic book characters that they inspired.
While some fans of Smith found it to be an entertaining homage to his other work, many saw it as a self-indulgent mess with tired jokes and lazy pop culture references. At times the film feels like an excuse to stick in some cameos, including Damon's nonsensical reprisal of his character Loki from Dogma.