The 25+ Best Danny McBride Movies, Ranked By Fans

If you hear Danny McBride’s name and immediately picture a mullet, a bad attitude, and a totally unnecessary explosion in the background… congratulations, you’re in the right place. McBride has built a career playing overconfident, loud-mouthed disasters of menand somehow making them weirdly lovable. Fans have been arguing for years about which Danny McBride movie is the best, and fan-voted lists consistently bring the same chaotic favorites to the top: This Is the End, Pineapple Express, and Tropic Thunder usually battle it out for the crown.

This guide pulls from fan rankings, box office data, and critical reception collected across sites like Ranker, IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Screen Rant, Collider, and other U.S. entertainment outlets to break down the 25+ best Danny McBride movies. We’ll look at how each film uses McBride’s signature energy, why fans love it, and where it fits in his overall career. Think of this as your loud, slightly inappropriate roadmap through Danny McBride’s movie universe.

How These Danny McBride Movies Were Ranked

Before we dive into the list, here’s how the rankings were shaped:

• Fan votes and popularity: Lists like Ranker’s fan-voted “Best Danny McBride Movies” heavily influence the order.
• Critical reception: Rotten Tomatoes scores and critic write-ups help separate cult favorites from true duds.
• McBride’s role size and impact: Some films give him a quick cameo; others let him completely hijack the story.
• Rewatch value: Quote-ability, meme potential, and how often fans revisit the movie all matter.

With that out of the way, let’s step into the smoke-filled, profanity-laced world of the best Danny McBride movies, ranked by fans.

The 25+ Best Danny McBride Movies, Ranked

1. This Is the End (2013)

Fan lists almost always put This Is the End at number one, and honestly, fair. In this apocalyptic meta-comedy, McBride plays a version of himself who is somehow even more unhinged than his usual characters. From hoarding the food to that unbelievably awkward scene with James Franco’s house, McBride becomes the movie’s chaotic engine.

Fans love how the movie lets him lean into his darkest, pettiest impulses while still landing big laughs. It’s also one of the most quoted movies in his filmography, a key reason it ranks so high among viewers.

2. Pineapple Express (2008)

Pineapple Express is the film that first made many people say, “Who is that guy?” McBride plays Red, a low-level dealer who may or may not be indestructible. Between the neck brace, the double-crosses, and his extremely unearned confidence in every fight, Red became an instant fan favorite.

The movie itself is a hybrid of stoner comedy and action, and McBride’s performance ties it all together with a kind of feral, sleep-deprived energy. On fan lists, it almost always lands in the top three.

3. Tropic Thunder (2008)

While Tropic Thunder is packed with massive performances, Danny McBride still manages to stand out as pyrotechnics expert Cody. He’s basically the patron saint of unnecessary explosions. His deadpan delivery and constant overkill give the movie some of its best background gags.

Fans rank this one highly not just because it’s a great film overall, but because McBride steals scenes even in a stacked ensemble that includes Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., and Jack Black.

4. Hot Rod (2007)

In Hot Rod, McBride plays Rico, the kind of friend who will definitely help you with your dreamand also definitely start a fight at the convenience store on the way there. This oddball stuntman comedy has grown into a cult classic over the years, and McBride is part of why it’s so endlessly rewatchable.

His specific brand of small-town chaos meshes perfectly with the Lonely Island’s absurdist humor, making this a core title for any Danny McBride fan.

5. The Foot Fist Way (2006)

This low-budget indie is where the Danny McBride persona really crystallized. Playing delusionally self-important taekwondo instructor Fred Simmons, he gives a performance that’s cringey, abrasive, and somehow very human.

Critics and fans often point to The Foot Fist Way as the blueprint for later characters like Kenny Powers in Eastbound & Down. If you want to understand how McBride’s comic style evolved, start here.

6. Alien: Covenant (2017)

Yes, Danny McBride in a serious sci-fi horror movieand he nails it. As Tennessee, a pilot on a doomed colonization mission, he brings grounded warmth and just enough humor to make the tension even more painful when things go south.

While fans usually associate McBride with comedy, Alien: Covenant proves he can handle dramatic stakes without losing his natural charisma.

7. Your Highness (2011)

Your Highness is a filthy medieval fantasy quest movie that critics mostly shrugged atbut fans of McBride’s humor have embraced it as a guilty-pleasure gem. Starring alongside James Franco and Natalie Portman, McBride plays Thadeous, a lazy prince more interested in substances than heroism.

Even where the movie stumbles, fans enjoy the commitment to over-the-top vulgarity and McBride’s total lack of vanity in the role.

8. 30 Minutes or Less (2011)

While Jesse Eisenberg and Aziz Ansari drive most of the story, McBride shows up as low-life would-be criminal Dwayne, whose half-baked kidnapping scheme somehow gets worse every time he opens his mouth. The dark humor and escalating chaos have helped this film maintain steady fan appreciation over time.

9. Land of the Lost (2009)

In this sci-fi comedy adventure, McBride plays survivalist Will Stanton opposite Will Ferrell. The movie didn’t exactly charm critics, but fans of silly, effects-heavy comedies keep it on their McBride watchlists for his sarcastic line delivery and fearless embrace of bizarre set pieces.

10. The Disaster Artist (2017)

McBride’s role in The Disaster Artist is brief, but the film’s status as a modern cult classic boosts it on fan rankings. His involvement connects him to another iconic piece of outsider cinemathis time through the lens of Tommy Wiseau’s famously awful but beloved movie, The Room.

11. Superbad (2007)

Another small but memorable role: McBride is part of the wild, chaotic party tapestry in Superbad. Fans who obsess over every cameo and bit character in that movie tend to give McBride credit for helping define the 2000s R-rated comedy era.

12. Up in the Air (2009)

Surprised to see this one on the list? You’re not alone. McBride appears in a more grounded, dramatic context here, alongside George Clooney. Sites that track his full filmography consistently include it among his better-received movies, thanks to its critical acclaim and awards attention.

13. Due Date (2010)

Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis carry the main story, but McBride once again pops up in a supporting role that leaves a mark. His aggressive, unpredictable energy fits neatly into the movie’s road-trip-from-hell formula.

14. Despicable Me (2010) & Animated Projects

While not always in the spotlight, McBride’s voice work in animated films like Despicable Me, The Angry Birds Movie, and Kung Fu Panda 2 adds to his appeal across age groups. He brings the same swagger to animationjust with fewer F-bombs.

15. Don Verdean (2015)

In this quirky religious satire, McBride plays a pastor wrapped up in a scheme to “discover” biblical artifacts. It’s a smaller film, but fans of his HBO work appreciate how it mirrors the evangelical themes he’d later explore more fully in The Righteous Gemstones.

16–25. Other Fan-Favorite Danny McBride Movies

Beyond the heavy hitters, fan-voted lists and filmography rundowns usually highlight a rotating group of supporting favorites, including:

• All the Real Girls (2003) – Early drama showcasing McBride’s roots in indie film.
• Drillbit Taylor (2008) – A teen comedy where his supporting role adds extra bite.
• Observe and Report (2009) – Dark humor that pairs well with his risk-taking style.
• Angry Birds franchise entries – Popular with families and streaming audiences.
• Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot (2018) – A smaller prestige project in his lineup.
• Land of the Lost and Your Highness rewatch crowd – Cult status, even when critics disagree.
• The Foot Fist Way on repeat – The go-to pick for hardcore McBride fans.

Depending on the platform, you’ll see the order of these shuffle, but they consistently appear anytime fans debate the best Danny McBride movies.

Why Fans Love Danny McBride’s Movie Roles

Across these films, a few themes explain why Danny McBride ranks so highly with comedy fans:

• Gloriously flawed characters: Whether he’s playing a failed martial arts instructor, a foul-mouthed prince, or a pyrotechnics “expert,” his characters are almost never heroesbut they’re unforgettable.
• Fearless commitment: McBride goes all-in on cringe, ego, and bad decisions. That commitment makes even weaker movies feel watchable when he’s on screen.
• Blend of heart and chaos: In movies like This Is the End and Pineapple Express, he sneaks in moments of surprising vulnerability, which keeps his characters from becoming pure caricatures.
• Range beyond comedy: Projects like Alien: Covenant, Up in the Air, and some prestige indies prove he’s not limited to jokes and shoutinghe can ground a scene when it counts.

Put simply, Danny McBride has become a kind of cinematic spice: add a little to your movie, and suddenly everything tastes more chaotic, more human, and a lot more fun.

How to Watch the Best Danny McBride Movies

Because McBride’s filmography spans big studio comedies, horror tentpoles, and streaming favorites, his movies are scattered across platforms. At any given time, many of his top titleslike This Is the End, Pineapple Express, and Superbadrotate through U.S. streaming services such as Netflix, Prime Video, and Hulu, while Alien: Covenant and related titles often show up wherever the Alien franchise is licensed.

If you’re building a watchlist, start with the top five, then mix in a cult favorite (The Foot Fist Way or Your Highness) and one dramatic title like Alien: Covenant or Up in the Air. That combination gives you a full picture of why fans rank him so highly.

of Fan-Style Experience: Binge-Watching Danny McBride

So what is it actually like to binge the best Danny McBride movies, back-to-back, as fans often do? Imagine a weekend where your living room slowly transforms into a shrine to bad decisions. You start with Pineapple Express, telling yourself it’s “just one movie,” and suddenly it’s 2 a.m., you’re quoting Red’s lines about rug burns, and someone in the room has declared themselves the official keeper of the snacks.

By the time you hit This Is the End, you realize that Danny McBride works best when his character is the human embodiment of a grenade with the pin already pulled. Fans often talk about how he pushes scenes into pure chaos, but what you really feel in a marathon is the rhythm of his comedy. He lets a line breathe, throws in a half-mumbled insult, and then lands a punchline so hard you miss the next two jokes because everyone is laughing too loudly.

Switching to something like The Foot Fist Way or Land of the Lost gives you a different angle on that same persona. Watching Fred Simmons try to hold his life together with nothing but delusion and a black belt is both hilarious and uncomfortably relatable. Fans who binge these movies notice that McBride’s characters almost always sit at the crossroads of bravado and insecurityhe’s all chest-puffing on the outside, but there’s a tiny person inside screaming, “Please don’t find out I have no idea what I’m doing.” That mix makes the humor hit harder, because under all the yelling, there’s something deeply human.

Throwing Alien: Covenant into the marathon is where things get interesting. You’re suddenly not in a weed-smoke-filled apartment or a medieval inn with bad plumbingyou’re on a spaceship, and aliens are absolutely not joking around. But there’s McBride, playing Tennessee with a warmth that fans really responded to. He still cracks jokes, but they feel like real coping mechanisms instead of punchlines. For a lot of viewers, this movie is where you realize he isn’t just “that loud guy from the comedies”; he’s a straight-up actor with range.

By the time you close out the binge with something like Hot Rod or Your Highness, you’ve basically traveled through the entire Danny McBride spectrum: indie beginnings, cult comedies, studio hits, ensemble blockbusters, and tense sci-fi horror. Fans who rank his movies often mention how fun it is to trace his evolutionfrom a scene-stealer to a creative force who also writes and produces some of TV’s edgiest comedies.

In the end, the “best” Danny McBride movie might depend on what kind of chaos you’re looking for. If you love apocalyptic absurdity, This Is the End probably sits at the top. If you’re nostalgic for late-2000s R-rated comedies, Pineapple Express or Hot Rod may be your number one. And if you want proof he can do more than swear creatively, Alien: Covenant and Up in the Air are waiting. What fans agree on, though, is simple: when Danny McBride shows up, the movie instantly gets more interesting.

So cue up your streaming service of choice, grab some snacks (maybe don’t let McBride’s characters be in charge of them), and start working your way down the list. Just be warned: after a full weekend with these movies, you might find yourself trash-talking your friends with a little more swagger than usual.

Conclusion

Danny McBride’s best movies show how a single, very specific comic energy can shape an entire era of comedyand still slip comfortably into serious genre films. From cult classics like The Foot Fist Way to mainstream hits like This Is the End and Pineapple Express, fans have built a clear consensus about which films represent the peak of his powers.

Whether you’re a longtime fan or just getting to know his work, this ranked list gives you a roadmap through his funniest, wildest, and most surprisingly heartfelt performances. And if you don’t agree with the order? In true Danny McBride fashion, feel free to loudly argue about it with your friendsthat’s half the fun.