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The Best Jack Lemmon Movies

Updated September 23, 2019 4.6k votes 872 voters 71.8k views64 items

List RulesVote for your favorite movies, regardless of critic reviews or how big the role was.

List of the best Jack Lemmon movies, ranked best to worst with movie trailers when available. Jack Lemmon's highest grossing movies have received a lot of accolades over the years, earning millions upon millions around the world. The order of these top Jack Lemmon movies is decided by how many votes they receive, so only highly rated Jack Lemmon movies will be at the top of the list. Jack Lemmon has been in a lot of films, so people often debate each other over what the greatest Jack Lemmon movie of all time is. If you and a friend are arguing about this then use this list of the most entertaining Jack Lemmon films to end the squabble once and for all.

If you think the best Jack Lemmon role isn't at the top, then upvote it so it has the chance to become number one. The greatest Jack Lemmon performances didn't necessarily come from the best movies, but in most cases they go hand in hand.

Examples include The Great Race and Operation Mad Ball.

"This list answers the questions, "What are the best Jack Lemmon movies?" and "What are the greatest Jack Lemmon roles of all time?"

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Some Like It Hot
Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon
Released: 1959
Directed by: Billy Wilder
Some Like It Hot is a 1959 American comedy film set in 1929, directed by Billy Wilder,... more
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#231 of 356 The Best Musical Movies Of All Time#7 of 15 Comedies That Are Horror Films From the Supporting Character's Perspective
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196
81
The Apartment
Shirley MacLaine, Jack Lemmon
Released: 1960
Directed by: Billy Wilder
The Apartment is a 1960 American comedy-drama film produced and directed by Billy Wilder,... more
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#8 of 46 Movies That Won Best Picture at the Oscars and Golden Globes#37 of 92 The Very Best Oscar-Winning Movies For Best Picture
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112
29
The Great Race
Natalie Wood, Jack Lemmon
Released: 1965
Directed by: Blake Edwards
The Great Race is a 1965 American slapstick comedy Technicolor film starring Jack Lemmon, Tony... more
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#29 of 57 The Best Car Racing Movies That Really Put The Pedal To The Metal#7 of 79 The Best Comedy Movies of the 1960s
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163
69
The Odd Couple
Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau
Released: 1968
Directed by: Gene Saks
The Odd Couple is a 1968 American black comedy film written by Neil Simon, based on his play... more
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#514 of 781 The Greatest Chick Flicks Ever Made#168 of 246 The Best Rainy Day Movies
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126
45
Days of Wine and Roses
Jack Lemmon, Mel Blanc
Released: 1962
Directed by: Blake Edwards
Days of Wine and Roses is a 1962 film directed by Blake Edwards with a screenplay by JP Miller... more
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#417 of 557 The Greatest Film Scores of All Time#309 of 382 The Greatest Movie Themes
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107
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Grumpy Old Men
Ann-Margret, Daryl Hannah
Released: 1993
Directed by: Donald Petrie
Grumpy Old Men is a 1993 American romantic comedy film starring Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau... more
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#28 of 252 The Funniest '90s Movies#3 of 53 The Best Movies About Older People Falling in Love, Ranked
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89
20
How to Murder Your Wife
Jack Lemmon, Virna Lisi
Released: 1965
Directed by: Richard Quine
How to Murder Your Wife is a 1965 American comedy film starring Jack Lemmon and Virna Lisi. It... more
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88
23
Irma la Douce
Shirley MacLaine, James Caan
Released: 1963
Directed by: Billy Wilder
Irma la Douce ([iʁ.ma la dus], "Irma the Sweet") is a 1963 American romantic comedy film... more
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94
30
Glengarry Glen Ross
Al Pacino, Alec Baldwin
Released: 1992
Directed by: James Foley
Glengarry Glen Ross is a 1992 American drama, adapted by David Mamet from his 1984 Pulitzer... more
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#17 of 26 The Best F-Bombs In Movie History#8 of 133 The Best Movies Based on Plays
10
124
56
Mister Roberts
Henry Fonda, Jack Lemmon
Released: 1955
Directed by: Mervyn LeRoy, John Ford, Joshua Logan
Mister Roberts is a 1955 American Warnercolor in CinemaScope comedy-drama film directed by... more
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89
31
The China Syndrome
Jane Fonda, Michael Douglas
Released: 1979
Directed by: James Bridges
The China Syndrome is a 1979 American thriller film that tells the story of a television... more
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#66 of 553 The Best '70s Movies#47 of 317 The Greatest Disaster Movies of All Time
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99
41
The Out-of-Towners
Jack Lemmon, Billy Dee Williams
Released: 1970
Directed by: Arthur Hiller
The Out-of-Towners is a 1970 comedy film written by Neil Simon, directed by Arthur Hiller, and... more
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#1280 of 1,540 The Most Rewatchable Movies#199 of 456 The Most Quotable Movies of All Time
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87
36
The Legend of Bagger Vance
Charlize Theron, Will Smith
Released: 2000
Directed by: Robert Redford
The Legend of Bagger Vance is a 2000 American sports drama directed by Robert Redford and... more
More The Legend of Bagger Vance
#84 of 204 The Best Sports Movies Ever Made#21 of 150 The Most Inspirational Sports Movies

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Avanti!
Jack Lemmon, Juliet Mills
Released: 1972
Directed by: Billy Wilder
Avanti! is a 1972 American/Italian comedy film produced and directed by Billy Wilder. The film... more
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#133 of 175 The Best Comedy Movies Of The 1970s#21 of 30 The Best '70s Romantic Comedies Ranked
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Save the Tiger
Jack Lemmon, Liv Lindeland
Released: 1973
Directed by: John G. Avildsen
Save the Tiger is a 1973 film about moral conflict in contemporary America. It stars Jack... more
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#663 of 1,189 Every Oscar Winning Film Ever#31 of 52 The Best Movies About Having A Midlife Crisis
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The Front Page
Susan Sarandon, Carol Burnett
Released: 1974
Directed by: Billy Wilder
The Front Page is a 1974 American comedy-drama film directed by Billy Wilder and starring Jack... more
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#481 of 541 The Greatest Guilty Pleasure Movies#249 of 922 The All-Time Greatest Comedy Films
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The Fortune Cookie
Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau
Released: 1966
Directed by: Billy Wilder
The Fortune Cookie is a 1966 film starring Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon in their first... more
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51
26
The April Fools
Catherine Deneuve, Jack Lemmon
Released: 1969
Directed by: Stuart Rosenberg
The April Fools is a 1969 romantic comedy film starring Jack Lemmon and Catherine Deneuve. It... more
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74
51
Bell, Book and Candle
James Stewart, Kim Novak
Released: 1958
Directed by: Richard Quine
Bell, Book and Candle is a 1958 American romantic comedy Technicolor film directed by Richard... more
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41
17
It Should Happen to You
Jack Lemmon, Judy Holliday
Released: 1954
Directed by: George Cukor
It Should Happen to You is a romantic comedy film starring Judy Holliday and Peter Lawford,... more
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45
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Short Cuts
Robert Downey Jr., Julianne Moore
Released: 1993
Directed by: Robert Altman
Short Cuts is a 1993 American drama film directed by Robert Altman. Filmed from a screenplay... more
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54
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The Wackiest Ship in the Army
Jack Lemmon, Ricky Nelson
Released: 1960
Directed by: Richard Murphy
The Wackiest Ship in the Army is a 1960 CinemaScope comedy-drama war film starring Jack... more
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69
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Missing
Jack Lemmon, Sissy Spacek
Released: 1982
Directed by: Costa-Gavras
Missing is a 1982 American drama film directed by Costa-Gavras, starring Jack Lemmon, Sissy... more
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22 Celebrities with One or Fewer Testes#245 of 340 The Best Political Films Ever Made

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The Murder of Mary Phagan
Kevin Spacey, William H. Macy
Released: 1988
Directed by: William Hale
The Murder of Mary Phagan, a 1988 two-part American TV miniseries written by Larry McMurtry,... more
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Phffft
Kim Novak, Jack Lemmon
Released: 1954
Directed by: Mark Robson
Phffft is a 1954 black-and-white romantic comedy film starring Judy Holliday, Jack Lemmon, and... more