Todd Phillips Movies Ranked
6. The Hangover Part II (2011)
After the huge success of The Hangover two years prior, Warner Bros sanctioned a sequel almost immediately, and sniffing the opportunity to solidify his name amongst the best of comedy filmmakers in his era, Todd Phillips doubled-down on his ‘better than soundstage comedies’ approach for The Hangover Part II.
Part II may not have been set in Las Vegas, but its narrative played out even more like a heist film than the original. Borrowing almost exactly the same narrative as was used in the first film, right down to specific beats, but evolving them in the typical sequel fashion – bigger, brighter, more exotic – The Hangover Part II felt more Inspired by the works of Steven Soderbergh on his Ocean’s Trilogy, and more confident in some filmmaking respects, not least in terms of pacing (which is some of the best on offer in all of Todd Phillips’ filmography).
A standout feature of The Hangover Part II are Phillips’ references to not only his first Hangover film, but to the films of his earlier career, a neat call-back to the memorable river jump in Road Trip (which was evolved for Starsky & Hutch) being the most obvious.
The Hangover Part II places where it does in this list because it was a project that demanded more of the same from a director who until this point had made attempts to be original, and despite this film effectively showing off some of Phillips’ most prominent filmmaking talents, simply didn’t shine as brightly as the films to come in terms of standout filmmaking attributes and importance to Phillips’ filmography (and cinema as a whole).
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5. Starsky & Hutch (2004)
After working under the Dreamworks banner for the first two theatrically released features of his career, Todd Phillips moved on to Warner Bros for his third film, Starsky & Hutch, beginning a long-running association with the studio that would go on to produce 7 of his next 8 films.
Capitalising on the beloved screen partnership of Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson – one that had reached its apex with Zoolander in 2001 – to get his film made, and proving his worth as a fan of the original series through references to the original material both within his screenwriting and within his direction, Todd Phillips offered an honourable if unspectacular adaptation, a fun and witty if forgettable entry into early 2000s comedy.
By Starsky & Hutch, Phillips had already formed a long list of star names he could be associated with (and vice-versa), Old School actors Vince Vaughn and Will Ferrell returning here in prominent roles, with Juliette Lewis also following over from that film and Amy Smart returning after collaboration on Road Trip, each in smaller roles. On paper – from the subject to the star power and right through to the creative team – Starsky & Hutch seemed like a breakaway comedy hit, but it came just on the cusp of the Will Ferrell revolution of improvised comedies, and a decade too early for the hefty adaptation cycle we’re still in. Todd Phillips would have to wait a further five years for his true breakout moment…
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4. Due Date (2010)
Quickly following the first mega-hit and cultural landmark of his directorial career, Due Date was all of Todd Phillips’ most obvious qualities put to screen all over again, this 2010 road movie sharing the same visual prowess and big screen presence as The Hangover.
Loosely adapting the odd couple road movie dynamic that has existed for almost as long as cinema itself and was perfected in the eyes of many by John Hughes on Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Todd Phillips was able to not only capitalise on the added intrigue in his filmography post-Hangover by signing Robert Downey Jr in the prime of his career (only one year removed from Iron Man and his Oscar-nominated turn in fellow comedy Tropic Thunder), but he was also able to use the sub-genre to make reference to the films of his early career: the road movie narrative borrowed from Road Trip; the odd couple dynamic present in Starsky & Hutch; and of course Zach Galifianakis playing a relatively similar character archetype to that of Alan in The Hangover.
There is no doubt that sometimes Due Date creeps into Hangover Part III territory in terms of cheap laughs and poorly constructed comic bits, but the ever-present arrogance and angst of Robert Downey Jr does wonders to hold it together and Zach Galifianakis remains as watchable as ever, their relationship dynamic ensuring there’s a truth to the at-times ludicrous narrative they exist within.
As a lesser The Hangover, Due Date succeeds, and were it not for comparisons to Phillips’ prior film, Due Date may have proven more memorable. As it stands there are more important films in Todd Phillips’ filmography, and better ones too.
Todd Phillips Cameo: Plays Heidi’s (Juliette Lewis’) protective and invasive boyfriend, making fun of Ethan (Zach Galifianakis) for his perm.
