Eight great Ryan Reynolds movies (and where you can watch them right now)

He’s been one of the most reliable box-office stars of the past few years.

The Canadian-born actor who excels in both action- and romance-driven comedies, consistently delivering a devastating combination of irresistible charm and perfect comedic timing.

As Disney+ viewers get a chance to see behind-the-scenes of Ryan Reynolds’ world in the new reality series Welcome to Wrexham, Stuff to Watch has come up with a list of eight of his greatest movie performances – and where you can stream them right now.

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Buried (2010, iTunes, GooglePlay, YouTube)

Reynolds’ Iraq-based American truck driver Paul Conroy finds himself in a sticky situation in this tightly plotted, tension-filled thriller which is best described as a cross between The Descent, Saw and Phone Booth.

Depending on your sensibilities, the result of Reynolds’ teaming with Spanish director Rodrigo Cortes is either a stunning, bravura piece of cinema, a touch lacking in visual stimuli, or deeply unsettling.

What isn’t up for debate though is that the Canadian delivers a thoroughly compelling turn that slowly reveals more about his “flawed” character, as he experiences a rollercoaster of emotions while his fate ebbs and flows.

Deadpool (2016, Disney+)

Played with gusto by a lithe and smarmy Reynolds, Marvel’s “Merc with a Mouth” cracks wise, heads and errm … stiffies, as he bashes his way towards finding the man that destroyed his last chance at happiness.

Pitched somewhere between Kick-Ass, The Mask and Ant-Man, Tim Miller’s debut feature is not for the sensitive – or easily offended. This is a film that not only doesn’t take itself seriously, it wants the audience to party along with it.

Zombieland writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wenick keep the gags and innuendo coming thick and fast, with the highlights including an Ikea furniture discussion, a celebration of Wham! and nods to everything from Terminator to 127 Hours – and Reynolds’ own somewhat chequered film career.

Definitely, Maybe (2008, iTunes, GooglePlay, YouTube)

Fluffy, but engaging romantic-comedy about a 30-something dad in the midst of a divorce and the bedtime story he tells his 10-year-old daughter about his life before marriage.

A truly charming Reynolds keeps Abigail Breslin – and the audience – guessing whether Isla Fisher, Elizabeth Banks or Rachel Weisz is her mother.

“A romantic comedy with brains as well as heart, Definitely, Maybe is that rare studio release that feels like it was written by a human being, not by committee,” wrote Philadelphia Inquirer’s Steven Rea.

Free Guy (2021, Neon, Disney+)

Sure the premise of this somewhat surprisingly romantic comedy isn’t exactly original – it’s essentially a mash-up of The Truman Show, Wreck-It Ralph, The Matrix, TV’s Westworld and Groundhog Day – but it more than gets by, and indeed thoroughly entertains, thanks to charismatic turns by Reynolds and the ever-increasingly versatile and impressive Jodie Comer (Killing Eve).

He comes across as having an absolute ball here, playing Guy, a non-player character in the mega-popular online gameworld of Free City. With his hilarious inner-monologues, indefatigable upbeatness and wide-eyed naivety, he’s kind of like the family-friendly “white mirror” of his beloved “Merc with a Mouth” Deadpool – and boy are his observations and narrations hilarious.

Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019, iTunes, Neon Rentals, GooglePlay, YouTube)

When news first broke that Reynolds was “vocalising” the eponymous star of this live-action take on the popular multimedia mega-franchise, alarm bells went off in many households, worrying that this would be a Deadpool-like skewering of the beloved “pocket monsters”.

Thankfully, despite positing a similar humans-living-in-harmony with other creatures scenario to 2018’s X-rated “Muppet” movie – The Happytime Murders this is not. Instead, it’s a family-friendly mystery that should entertain Pokémon fans of all ages.

The Proposal (2009, Disney+)

Sandra Bullock’s Margaret Tate keeps a fresh-faced Reynolds on his toes in this rom-com about a young man forced to marry his boss in order to prevent her being deported back to Canada.

A sort of a strange spin on The Devil Wears Prada or Working Girl, it only works because of the chemistry between the central pair (which manifests itself in terms of both physical and verbal comedic moments) and a terrific turn from the marvellous Betty White.

The Voices (2014, iTunes)

Reynolds is effectively creepy as Jerry, a bathtub factory worker who pursues his office crush (Gemma Arterton), with the help of his court-appointed psychiatrist.

However, things go a little pear-shaped when she stands him up on a date – and he then finds his subsequent actions guided by his talking pets. Jacki Weaver and Anna Kendrick also star.

“Think of this stylish, quirky and quite grisly feature from Marjane Satrapi as a meeting of Psycho, Dexter and Dr. Doolittle,” wrote The Globe and Mail’s Brad Wheeler.

Woman in Gold (2015, Academy OnDemand, Roxy OnDemand)

“This is like a James Bond film – and you’re Sean Connery,” Helen Mirren’s Maria Altmann says of Reynolds’ nebbish lawyer Randy Schoenberg in this based-on-fact drama. In truth, his performance is very much from the Jimmy Stewart school of acting, as he attempts to get back some of Altmann’s family artworks from an Austrian Gallery who “acquired it” from the Nazis.

While Simon Curtis’ (My Weekend With Marilyn) movie itself perhaps lacks a polished script and a certain lustre to the drama, Mirren and Reynolds make for a fine double-act.