Tobey Maguire is a name loved by an entire generation of moviegoers for a very simple reason: he was responsible for opening the doors of superhero movies with his Spider-Man. His portrayal of Peter Parker became so iconic that his appearance in Spider-Man: Never Go Home20 years after wearing the kit for the first time, was celebrated by fans as if it were a goal in a grand final.
However, the hero is far from the only highlight in his career. Although he has been absent from the big productions over the last few years, Maguire has returned to the spotlight thanks to his participation in the recent Babylonwhich tells the story of early Hollywood.
And his return to the big screen is also a great opportunity to revisit some of the classics of his career. Thinking about it, the canaltech listed the top 7 movies featuring Tobey Maguire.
7. Spider-Man 2
There’s no escaping it: talking about Tobey Maguire is bumping into Spider man at any moment. So, let’s get this arachnid elephant out of the room by highlighting his best passage through the iconic character: spiderman 2.
Although the younger crowd will say that No Return Home is a far superior film, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) feature is not exactly a Maguire film, nor is it the best interpretation of his Peter Parker. In fact, this movie wouldn’t exist without spiderman 2 was a success back then.
Especially because the whole plot starts from the events presented there in 2004. Peter’s confrontation with Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) starts from there and we see Maguire giving life to this Parker as the classic nerd who seeks approval from everyone both in the scientific environment and in your personal life. And the naive way in which the actor delivers all of this is passionate.
spiderman 2 is available at Netflix, disney+, HBO Max and Globoplay.
6. A Man’s Awakening
A Man’s Awakening it’s not exactly a Tobey Maguire film, although he plays an important role within the plot. The long starring Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio centers the story on the abusive relationship of an adoptive father and his stepson and Maguire plays one of the protagonist’s friends.
And the most interesting thing about this film based on true events is precisely seeing the future Spider-Man as a boy. At the time, he was only 18 years old and this is one of the first big projects he was involved in.
A Man’s Awakening is available on Star+.
5. The Great Gatsby
Tobey Maguire’s reunion with Leonardo DiCaprio took place two decades later in The big Gatsby. The adaptation of the classic book by F. Scott Fitzgerald features an incredible cast that also includes Joel Edgerton (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Elizabeth Debicki (tenet) and Carey Mulligan (drive).
The film takes place in 1922, when Maguire’s character moves to New York and ends up attracted by the glamorous life of billionaires, represented in the figure of Gatsby himself (DiCaprio).
The big Gatsby is available at HBO Max.
4. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Another film before the success of Spider manTobey Maguire also participates in the classic Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The 1998 feature film directed by Terry Gilliam also features Johnny Depp, Benicio del Toro and Christina Ricci in the cast.
Maguire’s participation in the plot is not very deep, since he plays a backpacker who crosses paths with the characters of Depp and del Toro and travels with them on this literal and lysergic journey. Still, it’s funny to see how different he is: in addition to still being very young, he has a voluminous blonde hair and quite different from the look we are used to seeing.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is available at Netflix.
3. Between Siblings
A family drama is always very potent and Between brothers it does this very well by adding all the weight of the military issue in the United States. In the 2009 film, Tobey Maguire lives Sam, a family man who pursues a military career and who needs to take care of, in addition to his wife and two daughters, his irresponsible brother Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal).
And it’s when Sam is presumed dead on a mission in Afghanistan that Tommy starts to help his sister-in-law and nieces move on and deal with everyday issues. That is, of course, until the soldier suddenly returns home with the marks of war on his psyche and having to deal with a new reality in his family.
Between brothers is available on PlutoTV and not Lionsgate+.
2. The Details
Another family drama starring Tobey Maguire, The details brings a picturesque and even bizarre element to make everyday life more fantastic. That’s because what begins as the story of a man losing control of his life and seeing his marriage in crisis become a love triangle soon escalates into a story involving a curious infestation of raccoons.
And it is with the arrival of the animals in this family’s home that truths come to light, grievances are exposed and there is even room for murder in the middle of it all.
The details is available on Prime Video.
1. Pleasantville: Life in Black and White
If you liked the proposal of WandaVision from using the language of classic TV shows to discussing the main characters’ relationships, you need to watch Pleasantville: Life in Black and White. In the film, Tobey Maguire plays a lonely, unhappy young man who finds escape from reality in the comfort and safety of a 1950s sitcom.
Only, on a given day, he and his sister Jennifer (Reese Witherspoon) fight over control of the TV and are taken into the fictional town of Pleasantville, where the series takes place. Thus, the two become characters in this sitcom and need not only to reevaluate their relationship but also to better understand who they really are.
Pleasantville: Life in Black and White is available for purchase and lease at amazon and itunes.
