The Best John Cassavetes Movies

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Updated August 11, 2023 388 votes 81 voters
Over 80 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best John Cassavetes Movies
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List of the best John Cassavetes movies, ranked best to worst with movie trailers when available. John Cassavetes'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 John Cassavetes movies is decided by how many votes they receive, so only highly rated John Cassavetes movies will be at the top of the list. John Cassavetes has been in a lot of films, so people often debate each other over what the greatest John Cassavetes movie of all time is. If you and a friend are arguing about this then use this list of the most entertaining John Cassavetes films to end the squabble once and for all.

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

The list you're viewing is made up of different films like Fourteen Hours and Capone.

"This list answers the questions, "What are the best John Cassavetes movies?" and "What are the greatest John Cassavetes roles of all time?"
Most divisive: Heroes
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  • Opening Night
    1

    Opening Night

    Gena Rowlands, Ben Gazzara, Joan Blondell
    22 votes
    • Released: 1977
    • Directed by: John Cassavetes
    Actress Myrtle Gordon (Gena Rowlands) is a functioning alcoholic actress who is a few days from the opening night of her latest play, concerning a woman distraught about aging. One night a car kills one of Myrtle's fans who is chasing her limousine in an attempt to get the star's attention. Myrtle internalizes the accident and goes on a spiritual quest, but fails to finds the answers she is after. As opening night inches closer and closer, fragile Myrtle must find a way to make the show go on.

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  • Love Streams
    2

    Love Streams

    John Cassavetes, Gena Rowlands, Seymour Cassel
    16 votes
    • Released: 1984
    • Directed by: John Cassavetes
    Love Streams is a 1984 American film directed by John Cassavetes that tells the story of a middle-aged brother and sister who find themselves caring for one another after the other loves in their lives abandon them. The film was John Cassavetes' 11th and penultimate film. He later made the more mainstream Big Trouble.
  • Rosemary's Baby
    3

    Rosemary's Baby

    Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon
    24 votes
    • Released: 1968
    • Directed by: Roman Polanski
    In Rosemary's Baby, Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow) and her struggling actor husband, Guy (John Cassavetes), move into an old New York City apartment. Their eccentric neighbors, Roman and Minnie Castevet (Sidney Blackmer and Ruth Gordon), soon become overly involved in their lives. After Rosemary becomes mysteriously pregnant, she grows increasingly paranoid about the safety of her unborn child. This film, a chilling blend of psychological thriller and horror, directed by Roman Polanski, won Ruth Gordon an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. It continues to unsettle audiences with its haunting narrative and suspenseful build-up.

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  • Mikey and Nicky
    4

    Mikey and Nicky

    Peter Falk, John Cassavetes, Ned Beatty
    18 votes
    • Released: 1975
    • Directed by: Elaine May
    Mikey and Nicky is a 1976 film written and directed by Elaine May. Originally intended as a summer 1976 release, then moved to Christmas 1976 due to editing problems, Mikey and Nicky was released in New York City on December 21, 1976. May had missed the film's delivery date because of her perfectionism in the editing process. Litigation followed between her and Paramount, with the studio gaining possession of the film with final cut privilege. May didn't direct again for nearly 12 years. The film's original $1.8 million budget had grown to nearly $4.3 million by the time May turned the film over to Paramount. She shot 1.4 million feet of film, almost three times as much as was shot for Gone with the Wind. By using three cameras that she sometimes left running for hours, May captured spontaneous interaction between Peter Falk and John Cassavetes. At one point, Cassavetes and Falk had both left the set and the cameras remained rolling for several minutes. A new camera operator said "Cut!" only to be immediately rebuked by May for usurping what is traditionally a director's command. He protested that the two actors had left the set. "Yes", replied May, "but they might come back".
  • Minnie and Moskowitz
    5

    Minnie and Moskowitz

    Gena Rowlands, Seymour Cassel, Val Avery
    14 votes
    • Released: 1971
    • Directed by: John Cassavetes
    Depressed and jaded after being dumped by her married boyfriend, aging beauty Minnie Moore (Gena Rowlands) wonders if she'll ever find love. After shaggy-haired parking lot attendant Seymour Moskowitz (Seymour Cassel) comes to her defense from an angry and rebuffed blind date, he falls hopelessly in love with her despite their myriad differences. Minnie reluctantly agrees to a date with Moskowitz, and, slowly but surely, an unlikely romance blossoms between the two.
  • Husbands
    6

    Husbands

    Ben Gazzara, John Cassavetes, Peter Falk
    14 votes
    • Released: 1970
    • Directed by: John Cassavetes
    The quiet, simple family lives of Gus, Harry and Archie (John Cassavetes, Ben Gazzara, Peter Falk) are shattered when their best friend, Stuart, has a heart attack and dies suddenly. Now facing their mortality, the three men fall into their own midlife crises. First by spending their days playing basketball and nights drinking, and eventually by ditching their families altogether for a sudden getaway to London, where they face the temptation to cheat on their wives for the first time.

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