7 Best Movies to Watch by William Jackson Harper

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1. Dark Waters, 2019

Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, and Tim Robbins star in this well-executed and eye-opening drama based on a true story. Robert Bilott (Ruffalo) is a successful corporate lawyer in New York. He is visited by a distressed farmer from his hometown in Cincinnati whose cows have been developing strange behaviors and diseases. Robert decides to take on this case in what will become one of the biggest class-action lawsuits in the country: the use of cancerous chemicals by the company that commercializes Teflon (the stuff in pans). Excellent acting in an incredibly frustrating but necessary story that will trouble you more than any other legal thriller you have watched in the past: prepare to be outraged (and throw away your pans).

Genre: Drama, History, Thriller

Actor: Abi Van Andel, Aidan Brogan, Amy Morse, Amy Warner, Angel Kerns, Anita Farmer Bergman, Anne Hathaway, Barry G. Bernson, Barry Mulholland, Bill Camp, Bill Pullman, Bret Aaron Knower, Brian Gallagher, Buz Davis, Caleb Dwayne Tucker, Carly Tamborski, Chaney Morrow, Clara Harris, Courtney DeCosky, Daniel R. Hill, David Fultz, David Myers Gregory, Denise Dal Vera, Elizabeth Marvel, Geoff Falk, Glen Yrigoyen, Greg Violand, Jason M. Griggs, Jeffrey Grover, Jim Laprelle, Joanne Popolin, John Newberg, John W. Harden, Jon Osbeck, Karen Koester, Kathleen Ellerman, Keating P. Sharp, Kelly Mengelkoch, Kevin Crowley, Lea Hutton Beasmore, Louisa Krause, Lyman Chen, Marcia Dangerfield, Mare Winningham, Mark Ruffalo, Matt Hudson, Michael Joseph Thomas Ward, Michael King, Mike Seely, Ming Wang, Ramona Schwalbach, Richard Hagerman, Robert Gerding, Scarlett Hicks, Sheryl Annette Colley, Steven Schraub, Teri Clark, Tim Robbins, Victor Garber, William "Bucky" Bailey, William Jackson Harper, Wynn Reichert

Director: Todd Haynes

Rating: PG-13

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2. The Resort, 2022

The Resort may start off as a familiar murder mystery, but it quickly unfolds into a multi-genre feat re-filled with new characters and questions each episode. Set in the Yucatan forest and embarking on some mind-bending, time-hopping journeys, The Resort is lush and trippy at the onset, unafraid to take its viewers deep into its version of a rabbit hole.

You wouldn’t expect less from the creators of Mr. Robot and Palm Springs, the latter of which also stars Cristin Milioti in a twisty vacation adventure. Milioti of course steals the show as a woman who would rather drown herself in a police-level investigation than deal with her own existential problems, but the show’s strong cast, which includes The Good Place’s William Jackson Harper and Parks and Recreation’s Nick Offerman solidifies The Resort as one of the most intriguing and exciting shows today.

Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Mystery

Actor: Cristin Milioti, Gabriela Cartol, Luis Gerardo Méndez, Nick Offerman, Skyler Gisondo, William Jackson Harper

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3. Paterson, 2016

An instant essential film in the Jim Jarmusch catalog. In his traditional directing fashion, Paterson disregards plot and instead finds inspiration in deconstructing the seemingly mundane aspects of life. Adam Driver stars as a bus driver and amateur poet who leads a content life staying away from change as much as possible. His girlfriend, Laura (played by Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani), is the complete opposite: eager to be creative, to explore new paths, and to decorate and design every object in her life. Jarmusch takes these two characters, adds only a few others, and makes a movie that celebrates similar so-called simple lives, reaching surprising levels of beauty. Again, not much happens in terms of plot, and the pace is slow. But if you are interested in the kind of movie that will let you into people's lives, you will love Paterson.

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Actor: Adam Driver, Barry Shabaka Henley, Brian McCarthy, Chasten Harmon, Frank Harts, Golshifteh Farahani, Helen-Jean Arthur, Jaden Michael, James Van Treuren, Jared Gilman, Johnnie Mae, Jorge Vega, Kara Hayward, Luis Da Silva Jr., Martin Van Treuren, Masatoshi Nagase, Method Man, Nellie, Owen Asztalos, Rizwan Manji, Sophia Muller, Sterling Jerins, William Jackson Harper

Director: Jim Jarmusch

Rating: R

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4. Midsommar, 2019

You may have heard about this 2019 critic-favorite from clips like this one of a kid running to flee the movie theater during a screening. “little billy ran the f**k out the door”, the caption reads.

You will want to do the same. Recovering from losing her sister and her parents in a single incident, a young girl goes on a trip to Sweden to observe a ritual within a bizarre commune that occurs every 90 years. This cult’s idea of death and their traditions intersect with the girl’s grief to create unthinkable monstrosities.

Note: while some readers praise the movie for its depiction of anxiety, I highly recommend against watching Midsommar if you suffer from panic attacks.

Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery

Actor: Agnes Westerlund Rase, Anders Back, Anders Beckman, Anki Larsson, Anna Åström, Anna Berentzen, Archie Madekwe, Ari Aster, Austin R. Grant, Björn Andrésen, Ellora Torchia, Florence Pugh, Frans Cavallin Rosengarten, Gunnel Fred, Hampus Hallberg, Henrik Norlen, Isabelle Grill, Jack Reynor, Julia Ragnarsson, Katarina Weidhagen, Klaudia Csányi, Lars Väringer, Lennart R. Svensson, Levente Puczkó-Smith, Liv Mjönes, Louise Peterhoff, Mats Blomgren, Mihály Kaszás, Rebecka Johnston, Tove Skeidsvoll, Vilhelm Blomgren, Vilmos Kolba, Will Poulter, William Jackson Harper, Zsolt Bojári

Director: Ari Aster

Rating: R

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5. The Good Place, 2017

	
The Good Place is about a girl who dies and finds herself in the better side of the afterlife: The Good Place (as opposed to The Bad Place). Only problem? Someone made a mistake and she really doesn't belong there. While The Good Place is filled with people who went on humanitarian missions and saved the world - her last days were spent scamming old sick people as a drug sales rep. Starring Kristen Bell in a truly hilarious role, The Good Place is about her character's attempt to become a better person and stay away from The Bad Place. It's a very entertaining, weird, and clever show. Just watch the first episode and you will be hooked forever.Genre: Comedy
Actor: D'Arcy Carden, Jameela Jamil, Kristen Bell, Manny Jacinto, Ted Danson, William Jackson Harper
Rating: TV-PG

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6. Love Life, 2021

	
Love Life, like the Prime Video show Modern Love, is an anthology series featuring all sorts of romances and relationships. But unlike the latter,
which gives us wildly different characters and plotlines in each episode, Love Life dedicates an entire season to one person. It follows them from the moment they meet their first love up until they meet their forever person. We’re shown the many relationships, career opportunities, friendships, and fallouts that happen in between so that by the finale, we get a bigger picture of their growth as people. It’s breezy enough to follow, offers many nuggets of wisdom, and features some of the most charming leads to boot. My only gripe is that the length could be shorter than 10 episodes--in fact, I’m sure each season would work better as a movie--but it’s refreshing to see this deep a dive into modern romantic love. It’s a shame Max canceled the show after the second season and relegated it to streaming purgatory by erasing it from their catalog, but thankfully, the almighty Tubi has since picked it up and made it available to stream free.Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Chris Powell, Jessica Williams, Keith David, Punkie Johnson, William Jackson Harper
Rating: TV-MA

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7. A Man in Full, 2024

On paper, A Man in Full looks like it could be the next Succession or, at the very least, Yellowstone. It gives us a look into Atlanta’s ultra-wealthy, primarily through the eyes of the tycoon Charlie Croker (Jeff Daniels). The show is headlined by stars like Diane Lane and Lucy Liu, helmed by acclaimed director Regina King (One Night in Miami), and based on a novel by bestselling author Tom Wolfe. So, by all accounts, A Man in Full should work. But it doesn’t. The show is hard to watch, not because it forces us to confront relevant truths, but simply because it’s badly made. Apart from the mentioned actors, everyone else is weirdly stiff and wooden, as if cast in a network show they know is doomed to fail. The writing is heavy-handed and lacks the humor and intelligence to match the show’s ambitious story. And the editing doesn’t do the show any favors—in a vital scene involving snakes and sex, the two separate shots were so clumsily intercut that instead of feeling thrilled, you just end up laughing at what just happened. Perhaps it gets better by the end, but you’ll need a lot of patience to get past just the first episode.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Aml Ameen, Chanté Adams, Diane Lane, Jeff Daniels, Jon Michael Hill, Lucy Liu, Sarah Jones, Tom Pelphrey, William Jackson Harper

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