Image via Complex Original
In case you'd forgotten, Justin Timberlake has been acting for about as long as he's been singing and dancing. The Mickey Mouse Club, anyone? In spite of years of putting in work, Timberlake is still struggling to be taken seriously as a leading man. Why? Because he chooses starring roles that look awful. And his role on Runner Runner, out this weekend, is no exception.
When will Timberlake finally be considered Oscar worthy? Only time and a more discerning talent agent will tell. It's not like dude doesn't have the chops. This is the evolution of Justin Timberlake, thespian.
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Mickey Mouse Club (1993-1995)
Role: Himself
Timberlake entered the most intensive and aggressive acting training bootcamp in existence: Disney's Mickey Mouse Club.
Touched by an Angel (1999)
Role: Street Performer
JT and the boys of 'N Sync act as street performers who croon and hit on one of God's servants. "God must have spent a little more time on you," they sing, beautifully. The pick-up line on a woman looking for a missing child is about as awkward as you'd imagine.
Model Behavior (2000)
Role: Jason
In his first made for TV movie, the teen hearthrob singer takes on a drastically different role: a teen heartthrob model. Emmys all around.
On the Line (2001)
Role: Make-Up Artist (uncredited)
Timberlake, now a pro at sketch comedy, embarrassingly imitates a gay make-up artist in front of his actually gay bandmate, Lance Bass, who leads the film.
Longshot (2001)
Role: Valet
As if he realizes what a horrible movie Longshot is (the movie was only made to promote Lou Pearlman's bands, i.e. 'N Sync, O-Town, and LFO), Timberlake also gives a horrible performance as an incompetent, yet bad boy valet.
Edison (2005)
Role: Pollack
JT began to learn about acting from Hollywood's three greatest talents: Kevin Spacey, Morgan Freeman and, of course, the incomparable, LL Cool J in this crime thriller. Timberlake plays action painter Jackson Pollock ambitious reporter Josh Pollack. It has a 0% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Alpha Dog (2006)
Role: Frankie Ballenbacher
Timberlake's acting is still green around the collar in his grittiest role yet, as a man caught up in a kidnapping. It's almost convincing, but we still hear "Bye, Bye, Bye..." each time we see him on screen, despite his drawn-on tattoos.
Southland Tales (2006)
Role: Private Pilot Abilene
The PATRIOT Act keeps tabs on citizens, censors the Internet, and uses fingerprints to access computers and bank accounts. Spooky. The "alternative near future" of the 2006 movie, director Richard Kelly's overblown follow-up to Donnie Darko, sounds a lot like 2013. Anyway, Timberlake turned in a bizarre performance and mimed a musical number which was, despite the less-than-stellar flick, pretty entertaining.
Black Snake Moan (2006)
Role: Ronnie
This was the part of his acting reel he highlighted for his Friends With Benefits audition. Awkward, but it paid off.
The Love Guru (2008)
Role: Jacques Grande
According to some fangirls, JT shows off his biggest talent yet in The Love Guru: his bulge.
The Open Road (2009)
Role: Carlton
Despite a lame script about a young man spending a road trip with his absent father (we get it, family relationships are hard) and his ex-girlfriend (we get that less, we'd try to delete her from Facebook as quickly as possible), Timberlake is showing signs of a seasoned rom-com actor.
The Social Network (2010)
Role: Sean Parker
Together, with the rest of Facebook, we posted, "Holy crap, JT can act? LMS if you agree."
Bad Teacher (2011)
Role: Scott Delacorte
Christ, look at that charm! A tell-tale sign that dude's in for a lot of rom-coms.
Friends With Benefits (2011)
Role: Dylan
OK, move the fuck over, Ryan Gosling.
In Time (2011)
Role: Will Salas
Justin Timberlake is Justin Time. God, we wish we got to write the tagline for this movie. Anyway, it was a dumb movie. We just love puns.
Saturday Night Live (2008-2012)
Role: Various
Never, and we mean never, have we been so taken with a modern host of SNL. Like a beautifully young Steve Martin, Timberlake is now our favorite to host the late-night comedy show. It seems his years of sketches on the Mickey Mouse Club has truly paid off.
Trouble With the Curve (2012)
Role: Johnny
We've official entered it: Timberlake's peak. No matter how boring a movie is, and trust us, Trouble With the Curve was pretty boring, JT can do no wrong. We think, we think we get it fangirls.
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
Role: Jim
Timberlake has been taken seriously in music, and now we cannot wait for him to be taken seriously in film. Thank you, Coen brothers.
Runner Runner (2013)
Role: Richie Furst
Justin. What have you done? What have you done, Justin?! You're just beginning to build a rep and then you make a movie about poker?! What the hell year is this? Of course we still love you, but sometimes you make it hard. At least there's Ben Affleck to bear the brunt of this mistake.