Five fabulous Brendan Fraser movies

Like Keanu Reeves, Brendan Fraser became a regular sight on movie screens in the 1990s despite perceived acting limitations.

Early lunkhead roles in the likes of California Man, Airheads and George of the Jungle cemented a somewhat unfair reputation for the Indiana-born actor, before a string of more meaningful and soulful characters made audiences reassess in the late ’90s and early noughties.

Having gradually faded out of the spotlight since then, he’s now back in the limelight thanks to his critically acclaimed turn in The Whale.

To celebrate his career renaissance, Stuff to Watch has gone through the now 54-yearold’s back catalogue and come up with our five favourite Fraser turns – and where you can watch them right now.

School Ties (1992, TVNZ+)

One of Fraser’s first leading roles was as the American footballloving David Greene in this 1950s-set prep school drama. Having received a scholarship because of his sporting skills, Greene feels pressure to hide his Jewish heritage from the classmates and teachers he fears could be anti-Semitic.

The impressive ensemble also includes Chris O’Donnell, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

Gods and Monsters (1998, iTunes)

Sir Ian McKellen was nominated for all the awards, but Fraser received plenty of plaudits for his turn as gardener Clayton Boone in Bill Condon’s critically acclaimed look at the last days of film director James Whale.

‘‘An engrossing, unusual, imaginatively executed bit of psychological gamesmanship,’’ wrote Variety magazine’s Dennis Harvey.

Blast From the Past (1999, GooglePlay, iTunes, YouTube)

Like 1992’s California Man, this highlights Fraser’s comedic abilities when it comes to fish-outof-water scenarios. He plays Adam Webber, a 35-year-old who emerges from a life spent in a Cold War-era fallout shelter only to find that the world is not what his father had led him to expect.

Alicia Silverstone, Christopher Walken and Sissy Spacek co-star.

‘‘Director and co-writer Hugh Wilson does rely on a rare quality that Fraser has in spades: charm,’’ wrote Rolling Stone magazine’s Peter Travers.

The Mummy (1999, Netflix)

Fraser’s first of three outings as adventurer Rick O’Connell, Stephen Sommers’ blockbuster proved that the actor could hold his own as a kind of modern-day matine´e idol. Rachel Weisz and John Hannah provide terrific support in this Indiana Jones-style tale.

‘‘Plenty of action set pieces, some decidedly creepy thrills, and a hearty slice of cheesy humour that often hits the mark, due to the energy and timing of the cast,’’ wrote BBC.com’s Almar Haflidason.

The Quiet American (2002, on DVD from Alice’s and Aro Video)

Currently quite difficult to view in New Zealand, Phillip Noyce’s adaptation of Graham Greene’s best-selling 1955 novel brilliantly recreates 1950s Vietnam for a murder mystery featuring great performances from Fraser, Do Thi Hai Yen and an Oscar-nominated Michael Caine.

‘‘The narrative is lean, the supporting performances are solid, and, perhaps most crucially, the emotional tone of the piece is spoton,’’ wrote The Washington Post’s Ann Hornaday.