Though a controversial performer,TJ Miller’s best movies and TV shows showcase his impressive career over the years. The American performer has worked as a writer and stand-up comedian, but most people likely recognize him from his various on-screen roles, appearing in many high-profile projects in which his talents allow him to often steal scenes from big stars, such as Ryan Reynolds, Jennifer Aniston, and Paul Rudd. While he has stayed busy over the years, there are a number of movies and shows from Miller’s career that stand out.
Miller has been hilarious on a number of projects, fitting into the comedic vibes of movies and shows with his fast wit and improvisational skills. However, he has also taken on supporting roles in more serious projects, ranging from sci-fi horror movies to action adventures to blockbusters from legendary directors. No matter the size of the role, Miller is always a performer whom audiences will notice.
Underwater
Cast
After a massive earthquake damages an oceanic research company’s station, the crew must travel across the ocean floor to the safety of another base. The only catch is that the unknown waters are home to dangerous aquatic monsters. Underwater stars Kristen Stewart in the lead role alongside Vincent Cassel, Mamoudou Athie, and TJ Miller.
TJ Miller has appeared in a number of intense sci-fi movies in which he plays the snarky, wise-cracking member of the ensemble amid the chaos. WhileCloverfieldandTransformers: Age of Extinctionare perhaps the more famous examples of this,Underwateris one of his best and is a vastly underrated monster movie.Kristen Stewart starsas a member of the crew in an underground research facility that is rocked by a sudden earthquake. As the survivors attempt to reach safety by traversing the ocean floor, they realize that something is lurking in the water.
Stewart has an exceptional supporting cast backing her up for this intense and inventive ride, with the likes of Vincent Cassel and John Gallagher Jr. Miller is a standout as Paul Abel, one of the few survivors. WhileMiller delivers comedic relief as danger lurks all around, he avoids making the character an overt cliché and elevates the role with some intelligence. The movie itself is a solid monster movie with elements ofAlienandThe Abyssthrown in.
Office Christmas Party
Directed by Will Speck and Josh Gordon, Office Christmas Party is a Comedy and Holiday film released in 2016. The film stars Jason Bateman as a recently divorced chief technology officer that attempts to secure a contract for a client to keep his company from suffering heavy layoffs.
TJ Miller has proven many times that he is able to hold his own against some big comedic talents. One of the most star-studded comedy ensembles he was part of was the holiday comedyOffice Christmas Party. The movie stars Jason Bateman as Josh Parker, an employee at a corporation overseen by strict CEO Carol Vanstone (Jennifer Aniston). When Carol refuses to allow a Christmas party ahead of the branch closing, her reckless brother Clay (played by Miller) decides that an epic holiday bash could be what saves the branch.
Along with Bateman and Aniston, Miller shares the screen with Kate McKinnon, Olivia Munn, Sam Richardson, and Randall Park among other funny people. The movie embraces the fun of staging the wildest office party in history, withthe antics growing increasingly out of control, mostly thanks to Miller’s kind but wild Clay.
Unstoppable
Unstoppable is an action thriller directed by Tony Scott, starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. The film follows a veteran engineer and a young conductor as they race against time to stop an unmanned, runaway train carrying hazardous materials. Set against a backdrop of high-stakes tension, the film explores themes of bravery and quick thinking under pressure.
Whiledirector Tony Scottmade many iconic movies in his impressive career,Unstoppableserves as a solid final film before his tragic death. Denzel Washington stars as Frank, a veteran train conductor who is in the midst of training his smart yet impatient new recruit, Will (Chris Pine). As the duo go about their day with tensions rising between them, a runaway train becomes a threat to a nearby community and it is up to Frank and Will to stop it.
Miller has a pivotal supporting role in the action movie as Gilleece, the lazy and inept railway employee whose poor decision-making sets the disaster in motion.Unstoppableis a prime example of the fun that can be had with a simple premise in the hands of a master filmmaker. Scott delivers an exciting, fast-paced, and fun ride from beginning to end.
TJ Miller has proven to have great comedic chemistry with A-list actors, even in smaller supporting roles.Our Idiot Brothermay not put Miller front and center, but he’s easily one of the movie’s most charming characters. Paul Rudd stars as Ned, a middle-aged stoner who is somewhat directionless despite having a constantly upbeat and friendly outlook on life. Trying to get back on his feet, he starts spending time with his three sisters (Elizabeth Banks, Emily Mortimer, and Zooey Deschanel), only to inadvertently mess up their lives.
Miller plays Billy, the new boyfriend of Ned’s ex-girlfriend, Janet (Kathryn Hahn). Despite Janet being aggressive and meanspirited towards Ned, Billy shares Ned’s positivity. It is hilarious and heartwarming how, over the course of the movie, the two men continue to vibe with each other until they are best friends and living together by the end. The movie itself is a sweet and funny comedy and one of Rudd’s most underrated roles.
Big Hero 6
In Walt Disney Animation Studios' Big Hero 6, the child genius Hiro Hamada works with his brother Tadashi’s inflatable robot, Baymax, to assemble a superhero team in the fictional city of San Fransokyo. The titular group of geeky heroes, composed of Honey Lemon, Go Go Tomago, Wasabi, and Fred, help Hiro and Baymax take down a masked villain powered by nanobots.
TJ Miller has also lent his voice to a number of noteworthy animated projects. In fact, animation ended up being Miller’s avenue into the superhero genre for the first time.Big Hero 6is a collaboration between Marvel and Disney, loosely based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. The movie centers around a young tech genius and a self-help robot left by his late brother, who form their own superhero team to take on a new threat in their city.
Miller plays Fred, the scene-stealing character of the movie. He is a goofy and rich friend of the group who helps to fund the super team.Big Hero 7mixes the fun superhero adventures that Marvel is known for with the kind of vivid animated story with the heart that Disney does so well.
Ready Player One
Adapted from Ernest Cline’s novel of the same name, Ready Player One follows Wade Watts, an orphan who desperately wants to win a seemingly-impossible video game competition that would see him win ownership of the OASIS, a sophisticated virtual reality game that had revolutionized modern life. Helped by his friends and racing against time to find the hidden clues before the OASIS is claimed by an evil conglomerate, Wade’s love of the game is put to the test.
TJ Miller had the chance to work with one of the greatest directors of all time in one of his biggest blockbusters.Ready Player OneisSteven Spielberg’s epic and inventive sci-fi adventure, based on the novel of the same name by Ernest Cline. The movie is set in a future in which society spends most of its time inside a virtual world. When the inventor of the world dies, he leaves an Easter egg inside the game and promises the keys to his empire to whoever finds it first.
Miller plays one of the many motion-capture characters, i-R0k, a skilled player in the game who operates as a mercenary for the corporate villains, hired to stop the heroes from finding the Easter egg. WhileReady Player Oneis missing some of the typical Spielberg magic with its story, the action, and set pieces are a reminder that he is one of the best directors of spectacle movies of all time.
How to Train Your Dragon
How to Train Your Dragon is a 2010 animated film set in the Viking world of Berk, where Hiccup, the son of Stoick the Vast, befriends a dragon and defies the village’s traditional dragon-slaying ways, leading to a reevaluation of the Viking-dragon conflict.
TJ Miller stepped into another animated role, which happened to be in one of the best animated movies of the 21st century.How to Train Your Dragonis a family-friendly adventure set in a Viking world in which the humans are constantly at war with the dragons in their area. However, one timid Viking boy discovers a long and injured dragon. As the two bond, the boy comes to learn that dragons are not as fierce as they initially seem.
Miller is part of the star-studded voice cast as Tuffnut, a young and reckless Viking who is taught how to take a gentler approach to taming dragons. The movie is a beautifully animated achievement with some breathtaking sequences and a story that is filled with adventure and heart.TheHow to Train Your Dragonmoviescontinue to be beloved by fans and there is a live-action remake on the way, but the original film remains the best.
Cloverfield
Directed by Matt Reeves, Cloverfield is a found-footage disaster movie that follows a group of people seeking safety during a state of emergency. When New York City is attacked by an unknown monstrous entity, chaos ensues. A group of friends document their attempts to flee the city and find sanctuary from an onslaught of monsters on a handheld camcorder - footage which is designated as an account of the “Cloverfield” incident.
TJ Miller’s first movie role is one of his most famous, despite the fact that he barely appears on screen.Cloverfieldis an inventive and wild found-footage movie from director Matt Reeves that uses the format to explore the monster movie genre. The movie follows a group of friends who, duringg a going-away party, find the city thrown into chaos by the arrival of a massive and destructive monster.Miller takes the central role of Hud, the socially awkward and funny cameraman who is filming the entire ordeal.
While found-footage movies were still big at the time,Cloverfieldfelt like something new and exciting for the format. Miller is essential to the story with Hub and his commentary being the heart of the movie. WhiletheCloverfieldfranchisehas intrigued audiences ever since, there are still many fans hoping for a directCloverfieldsequel after all of these years.
Deadpool
The Merc With The Mouth gets his very own film in Deadpool, an action-adventure comedy movie starring Ryan Reynolds as the titular hero. When mercenary Wade Wilson discovers he has an aggressive type of cancer that threatens to cut his life short, he decides to take a shady offer from a businessman who promises to cure him. Tortured and left for dead, the treatment makes Wade immortal - and a little bit twisted - as he seeks out his tormentors for revenge.
The movie role that TJ Miller is likely most recognized for is also the biggest hit of his career.Deadpoolis the game-changing superhero movie that finally allowed Ryan Reynolds to run wild with the character who was always eager to play. Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool, is a mutant assassin with healing abilities who, after getting a terminal disease, is tricked into a tortuous treatment and goes on a bloody quest of vengeance.
Despite the premise,Deadpoolis one of the most comedic superhero movies of all time and Miller fits right into that tone.He plays Weasel, Wade’s best friend who shares his dark sense of humor and ability to throw out rapid-fire one-liners.Deadpoolis a hilarious and referential superhero ride that fully embraces the R-rating and pokes loving fun at its own genre. It launched one of the biggest superhero franchises of all time, as seen with thebox-office success ofDeadpool & Wolverine.
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley follows engineer Richard Hendricks, played by Thomas Middleditch, in his struggle to build a tech company called Pied Piper in Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley also featured several comedy stars, including TJ Miller, Josh Brener, Martin Starr, Kumail Nanjiani, and Zach Woods. The HBO series concluded in 2019 after six seasons and two Primetime Emmy awards.
While TJ Miller’s movie career is impressive, his best project to date was on the small screen.Silicon Valleyis the sitcom by television legend Mike Judge that takes a hilarious satirical look at the modern tech world. The show follows a start-up tech company called Pied Piper as they navigate the bizarre world of Silicon Valley and all of its strange characters. Miller plays one of the strangest of them all.
Miller’s role as Erlich Bachman, the head of the incubator in which Pied Piper has grown out of, is one of the highlights of the show.Miller was constantly hilarious as the verbose and unhinged man who thinks far more of himself than others do. Miller left the show in season 4, and while the incredible ensemble was able to keep the series funny, Bachman was a sorely missed presence in the final season.
