Is Brendan Fraser back? Rewatch these movies with the iconic actor

In one piece of news that makes us extremely happy, beloved Canadian actor Brendan Fraser has officially been cast in Martin Scorsese’s upcoming Killers of the Flower Moon, set to co-star alongside the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Jesse Plemons. On top of this news, Brendan Fraser has also joined the cast of Brothers, which will be held by Palm Springs director Max Barbakow. 

While we’ve enjoyed the goofy appearances from Brendan Fraser on HBO Max’s Doom Patrol, we absolutely love that this once cherished actor is getting back into more high-profile projects, as proven in Steven Soderbergh’s recent No Sudden Move, in which Fraser, albeit in a small role, delivered one of the best performances we’ve seen from him in years. Naturally, this got us thinking . . . .

What are some of the absolute best movies with Brendan Fraser? The fifty-two-year-old actor had an incredible run in the 90s as well as the early 2000s, and, for noted personal reasons that we won’t disclose here, seemingly stepped away from the spotlight sometime before 2010. While many joke about this once-beloved actor today, for physical appearances as well as a diminished spotlight, we’re here to celebrate him. 

Here are some of our favorite movies with Brendan Fraser! 

The Mummy

Of course, we had to kick off our list of the best movies with Brendan Fraser with this 1999 adventure classic, helmed by Stephen Sommers and starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, Oded Fehr, and Arnold Vosloo. The Mummy was a classic call back to the Indiana Jones-style Adventures genre, featuring large set-pieces as well as impressive action sequences, shouldered by characters that the audience cared about.

In the film, Brendan Fraser plays mercenary Rick O’Connell, whose fist-first style is nearly as impressive as his knowledge of ancient Egyptian treasures, specifically ancient curses. However, O’Connell’s talents will be necessary once he is recruited by Evelyn (Weisz), as the pair find themselves in the middle of an unexpected resurrection that embodies evil itself. Now, it’s up to them to save the world from destruction. 

The Mummy went on to become so popular that it spun two subsequent sequels, The Mummy Returns in 2001 and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor in 2008. While The Mummy Returns has its flaws, it is a fun follow-up that reunites us with some of the characters we loved from the original, including Brendan Fraser’s O’Connell. We won’t speak about the third installment of this once cherished franchise.

School Ties

Directed by Robert Mandell, School Ties is a 1992 drama that tells the story of an all-boys private school through the eyes of new student David Greene (Fraser), a closeted Jew who’s afraid of what his prep school friends will think of him if he’s outed for his beliefs. 

School Ties was the launching pad for many careers, including Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Chris O’Donnell, and Anthony Rapp, and while the film gave us one of the greatest meme blueprints ever with Fraser’s “COWARDS” scene, we simply cannot overlook how amazing Fraser was in this touching film, highlighting the prejudices that still exist even today. 

Bedazzled

This 2000 remake is a guilty pleasure, admittedly. However, Bedazzled cracked our list because of its rewatchability, thanks to a timid yet fulfilled performance by Brendan Fraser as Elliot, a self-conscious San Francisco office worker who’s dead set on not only impressing his colleagues but also capturing the attention of his secret crush, Allison. So, who comes into play to help out Elliott? The devil, of course.

Played by Austin Powers’s Elizabeth Hurley, the devil grants Elliott seven wishes of his choice in return for his soul once all the wishes are fulfilled. However, even by signing a contract, Elliott’s wishes don’t quite turn out how he projects them, setting him up for failure in nearly every situation, from becoming a Colombian drug lord to an NBA All-Star with a small problem. Bedazzled is a fun ride, no matter how stupid it may be. 

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Some honorable mentions for best movies with Brendan Fraser include With Honors, George of the Jungle, Airheads, Encino Man, and Crash. What are your favorite movies with Brendan Fraser? Comment below and let us know!