Robert Pattinson's best and worst movie roles ranked

By Jessica Wedemeyer 9:04am PDT, Aug 7, 2017

Robert Pattinson stars as a New York City street criminal, a bank robber named Connie, in the indie crime drama "Good Time," which debuts in theaters on Aug. 11, 2017. The former teen heartthrob has earned raves for his work in the film, which Variety called a "career-peak performance" for the 31-year-old actor. As we gear up for what could be R-Patz's best work yet, Wonderwall.com is taking a look back at his résumé and counting down his best and worst movies. Keep reading to see where your favorite ranks…

No. 13: T. E. Lawrence in "Queen of the Desert"

Robert Pattinson portrayed T. E. Lawrence — the legendary British archaeologist, writer and adventurer widely known as Lawrence of Arabia — in the 2015 biopic "Queen of the Desert," which is based on the life of Gertrude Bell (played by Nicole Kidman) — the legendary British archaeologist, writer and adventurer widely known as the female Lawrence of Arabia. A Collider critic called the drama the "biggest blight" on writer-director Werner Herzog's filmography and added that R-Patz "plays Lawrence of Arabia like a beatnik poet playing dress-up in the desert." (It has a 16 percent rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes.)

No. 12: Tyler Hawkins in "Remember Me"

Robert Pattinson and Emilie de Ravin co-starred as a young couple dealing with family drama in 2010's "Remember Me." The coming-of-age love story — which The Hollywood Reporter called "a smart, engaging drama about young love flourishing amid sadness and loss" — is set in New York City and ends on Sept. 11, 2001. The movie is just fine, but we have to admit: We've always resented the way it uses one of the biggest tragedies in American history as an unnecessary plot twist. "Unwisely, some would say inexcusably, it uses the destruction of the World Trade Centre to resolve its issues," agreed a critic with The Guardian. ("Remember Me," which R-Patz also executive produced, has a 27 percent rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes, by the way!)

No. 11: Jacob Jankowski in "Water for Elephants"

If you like your love stories mixed with animal suffering, then "Water for Elephants" is the movie for you! Robert Pattinson starred in the 2011 romantic drama as Jacob, the new veterinarian at a traveling circus, who falls in love with the beautiful wife (Reese Witherspoon) of the brutal ringmaster (Christoph Waltz) as they bond over the task of training a horrifically abused elephant. To be fair, it's a pretty-looking movie — if you can get past the animal violence and the lack of chemistry between the leads, which might have something to do with the fact that Rob actually made his acting debut as the son of Reese's character in 2004's "Vanity Fair," though his scenes were ultimately cut from the film.

No. 10: Salvador Dali in "Little Ashes"

Robert Pattinson starred as Salvador Dali in the 2008 biopic "Little Ashes," which centers around the iconic artist's relationship with Spanish poet Federico García Lorca. There's just one major problem with the movie: We've never been able to stop giggling over Rob's mustache long enough to take in what's actually happening on-screen. "His performance gets crazier as Dalí's mustache does likewise," wrote an A.V. Club critic. "It's an embarrassing example of an actor who has committed himself wholly to a part he was never suited to play, and the film's florid, soap opera conception of biography does him no favors." Womp!

No. 9: Dennis Stock in "Life"

Robert Pattinson starred as Dennis Stock, a Life magazine photographer tasked with shooting pictures of James Dean, in the 2015 biopic "Life," which scored a 61 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. A critic for RogerEbert.com wrote in his review that R-Patz "succeeds beautifully in making his character sympathetic without being particularly likable." Though it earned decent reviews, the indie drama is mostly forgettable. A charmed "Life," it is not.

No. 8: Georges Duroy in "Bel Ami"

Eight years after his scenes were cut from "Vanity Fair," Robert Pattinson starred in a gender-flipped version of a similar story: He portrayed a poor former soldier who climbs the ladder of Parisian high society by seducing three wealthy women (Uma Thurman, Christian Ricci and Kristin Scott Thomas) in the 1880s-set drama "Bel Ami." The 2012 film is fun, sexy melodrama with plenty of beautiful things to look at — but that doesn't necessarily make it good. The critics agreed: The film has a 28 percent rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

No. 7: Jerome Fontana in "Maps to the Stars"

"Maps to the Stars" is cray cray — and that's putting it delicately. Robert Pattinson starred as Jerome Fontana — an aspiring screenwriter, low-level actor and limousine driver to the stars — in the 2015 David Cronenberg-directed ensemble drama, which the Los Angeles Times dubbed "a nightmarish tour of Hollywood narcissism." Whether or not that's a good thing depends on how you feel about incest, animal cruelty and violence against children on the big screen. We give "Maps to the Stars" this, though: It's never boring!

No. 6: Eric Packer in "Cosmopolis"

Robert Pattinson starred as a mostly emotionless young billionaire in the bonkers David Cronenberg-directed drama "Cosmopolis," which is set primarily in a stretch limousine — and is quite the wild ride. The late Roger Ebert called Rob "perfectly cast" in the 2012 film, which scored a 64 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is more fun in its batty bleakness than the other Cronenberg-Pattinson limousine project ("Maps to the Stars").

No. 5: Charles and The Leader in "The Childhood of a Leader"

It's one of his best-reviewed films, and yet almost no one has seen the mysterious 2016 indie drama "The Childhood of a Leader," which centers around three key moments in the childhood of a fictional post-WWI fascist leader. Robert Pattinson has dual roles in the film, which a New York Times critic praised for its "excellent" supporting cast. (Don't expect us to spoil its many secrets here!)

No. 4: Rey in "The Rover"

Though reviews for the 2014 Australian outback-set dystopian drama "The Rover" were mixed, Robert Pattinson impressed with his transformative portrayal of Rey, the dimwitted younger brother of the main antagonist in the gritty (and criminally underrated) indie. "His stubble, dirty yellow teeth and injuries muting his physical beauty, Pattinson delivers a performance that, despite the character's own limitations, becomes more interesting as the film moves along, suggesting that the young actor might indeed be capable of offbeat character work," wrote a critic for The Hollywood Reporter.

No. 3: Henry Costin in "The Lost City of Z"

Audiences might not have turned up in droves to see Robert Pattinson's portrayal of Henry Costin, a quirky British corporal and companion of explorer Percy Fawcett, in the action-packed 2017 biopic "The Lost City of Z," but the film still performed exceptionally well with critics. (It has an 87 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.) A word of warning to fans of the former teen heartthrob, though: Between his major beard and spectacles, R-Patz is practically unrecognizable in the movie.

No. 2: Edward Cullen in the "Twilight" franchise

While the five films in the "Twilight" franchise, which debuted in 2008, have never performed particularly well with critics, their impact on pop culture is undeniable. Robert Pattinson earned six Razzie Award nominations over the years for his portrayal of the moody vampire Edward Cullen in the epic love story. Nonetheless, the role won him fans around the globe, launched him to international superstardom and sealed his fate as one of Hollywood's hottest teen heartthrobs.

No. 1: Cedric Diggory in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"

Apologies to Twi-hards, but when it comes to recognizing Robert Pattinson's best, we have to go with his work in our other favorite youth-skewing movie franchise based on a series of books. The English actor starred as the popular young wizard and Hogwarts student Cedric Diggory in 2005's "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," the fourth installment in the film franchise. Robert won many young hearts with his portrayal of Hufflepuff's Quidditch Seeker in the blockbuster, which has an 88 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes — the highest score of any of his films aside from "Good Time," which currently has a 94 percent fresh rating.

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