David Gordon Green is an Arkansas native who studied filmmaking at the North Carolina School of the Arts, where he met future collaborators Danny McBride and Paul Schneider. He made his feature film debut in 2000 with George Washington, establishing his character-driven approach to filmmaking. In the 20 years since then, he’s put out many additional films and television shows, serving as writer, producer, and/or director for some highly acclaimed works.
These works include comedies like Pineapple Express and Eastbound & Down, as well as dramas like All The Real Girls and Manglehorn, the latter of which stars Al Pacino. Green’s latest venture is the revival of the Halloween franchise. This list rounds up his best films, ranked according to their Rotten Tomatoes freshness.
Undertow (2004) - 55%
Green’s films tend to take place in small, rural towns, and Undertow is no exception. This Terrence Malick produced film stars Jamie Bell, Dermot Mulroney, and Josh Lucas as members of a troubled Georgia family. Mulroney and Lucas play estranged brothers John and Deel. Deel is released from prison and unexpectedly pays his brother a visit.
Bell plays John’s son, Chris. Tensions escalate between the brothers, culminating in violence. Undertow was received with mixed reviews. While critics like Roger Ebert loved it, many viewers weren’t enthralled by its slow-pacing or psychological underpinnings.
Snow Angels (2008) - 68%
Based on Stewart O’Nan’s novel of the same name, Snow Angels stars Sam Rockwell and Kate Beckinsale as a separated couple named Glenn and Annie. These high school sweethearts have been through some tough times thanks to Glenn’s poor choices, and Annie is attempting to move on with her life without him.
The film employs a parallel narrative about a teenage busboy named Arthur. Arthur works at a Chinese restaurant with Annie, who was once his babysitter. Arthur is dealing with his own familial issues while also falling in love for the first time. This tense character study received generally positive reviews, and critics hailed the penetrating performances from the cast.
Pineapple Express (2008) - 68%
Green transitioned into dark comedy with this slapstick feature about a pair of potheads who are implicated in a large-scale case of police corruption after accidentally witnessing an assassination. The ultimate buddy comedy, Pineapple Express stars Seth Rogen and James Franco, with a supporting performance from Danny McBride.
While a departure from Green’s melodramatic ways, this comedy is steeped in the somber and foreboding narrative that is present in any movie from the director. Pineapple Express managed to entertain the masses while maintaining a compelling, and at times scary, narrative.
All The Real Girls (2003) - 71%
Considered Green’s break-through film, All The Real Girls stars a young Paul Schneider and Zooey Deschanel. Set in a small Southern town, the pair play two locals who fall in love with each other. The catch is that Paul, Schneider’s character, is a known womanizer, while Noel, Deschanel’s character, is inexperienced when it comes to romance. The other catch is that Noel happens to be the younger sister of Paul’s best friend, Tip.
All The Real Girls also includes performances from Shea Whigham, Danny McBride, and Patricia Clarkson. Although a financial failure, it received positive critical reviews.
Halloween (2018) - 79%
Green, in collaboration with Danny McBride, adapted his style to the horror genre with 2018’s Halloween remake. Green’s film leaves off where John Carpender’s 1978 original leaves off, ignoring the rest of the films in the franchise. The crew was able to get Jamie Lee Curtis on board to reprise her role as Laurie Strode, as well as the original Michael Myers, Nick Castle.
The film did well both critically and financially, giving Green and McBride the confidence to keep making movies featuring America’s favorite slasher. They are slated to release Halloween Kills in 2020 and Halloween Ends in 2021.
Goat (2016) - 79%
Green wrote the screenplay for this film, which was directed by Andrew Neel. The movie digs into toxic masculinity by presenting a fictionalized account of a fraternity’s hazing rituals. Nick Jonas and Ben Schnetzer play two brothers, the younger of who decides to pledge to the older’s fraternity. This 19-year-old, Brad, is in a vulnerable state after surviving a violent assault. He thinks joining his brother’s fraternity will give him the camaraderie and community he needs.
Instead, Brad finds himself in a violent world of aggression, forced to prove his loyalty with increasingly disgusting and brutal acts.
Prince Avalanche (2013) - 82%
Despite being a box office bomb, Prince Avalanche is considered a good example of Green’s quirky, character-focused approach to comedy. Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsh play two men who decide to spend the summer of 1988 repairing roads in a fire-ravaged part of California.
Rudd’s character, Alvin, dates the sister of Hirsh’s character, Lance. The two are very different, an odd couple of sorts, but their bond grows as the summer progresses.
George Washington (2000) - 84%
Green’s first film follows a group of young children in an improvised North Carolina town. The film is told from the perspective of a 12-year-old girl named Nasia. Full of youthful intrigue, things take a turn for Nasia after her new love interest, a boy named George, accidentally kills her ex-boyfriend, a bully named Buddy.
Nasia and her friends decide to cover up the murder, and George becomes a bit of a hero in the process. New to town, George wears a helmet because his skull never completed growing, leaving with him a large soft spot on his head.
Joe (2014) - 85%
Nicolas Cage stars in this Green film based on a book of the same name by Southern writer Larry Brown. In the movie, Cage plays the eponymous character Joe, a tortured man who hires a local 15-year-old to help him with odd jobs. The movie’s events take place in a small Texas town.
The teenager, Gary, has troubles of his own, namely his incredibly abusive father. Gary has a deaf younger sister he tries to protect from his alcoholic father, Wade, who beats him and steals his profits. As Gary and Joe build a strong bond, Joe decides to save Gary from his dangerous living situation.
Stronger (2017) - 90%
This biopic is based on the true experiences of a man who lost his legs during the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013. Jake Gyllenhaal plays the man, Jeff Bauman, whose life was forever changed after deciding to run the marathon at the behest of his ex-girlfriend.
Bauman’s life before the bombing is portrayed as goalless and sad. He works at Costco and lives with his mother. After losing his legs, Bauman’s entire outlook on life changes. The movie was praised by critics, but it didn’t fare well in the box office.
