Between biopics, uplifting '90s rom-coms, and powerful political dramas, Cuba Gooding Jr. has been giving audiences Oscar-caliber performances for 30 years now. He rarely has leading roles in movies, but as a supporting actor, Gooding often ends up being the MVP of most of the movies he’s in.
Gooding is always entertaining, as his characters are generally outgoing and brash, whether it’s his depiction of OJ Simpson in American Crime Story or the excitable football player Rod in Jerry Maguire. And there are the odd and surprising times when he wows audiences with grounded and powerfully dramatic performances too.
10 Coming To America (1988)
Though Gooding Jr. had small roles in a couple of TV shows, he was all but a complete unknown in 1988. That is until he featured alongside Eddie Murphy in the comedy classic Coming To America.
He didn’t have much to do in the movie, as he was simply getting his haircut and reacting to what the barbers said in all the barbershop scenes. And though the original cast returned for Coming 2 America, Gooding was absent. Nevertheless, the actor was part of the Murphy zeitgeist at its peak.
9 What Dreams May Come (1998)
What Dreams May Come is one of the very few Robin Williams-led movies that flopped, as it had a huge budget due to being a fantasy movie, and it failed to recoup it back at the worldwide box office.
Interestingly enough, it’s one of the movies that critics and audiences disagree on, as critics gave the film scathing reviews upon its release, but the few who saw it really enjoyed it. The movie is heartbreaking, and just as he always does, Williams gives an incredible dramatic performance. Gooding Jr. plays the character of Albert Lewis in the film, friend of Robin Williams' character who he meets in heaven.
8 The Butler (2013)
The Butler is one of Gooding’s biggest successes of the past decade, as the movie made over $175 million at the box office. The film is based on the real-life White House butler Eugene Allen, who worked at the White House for over 30 years.
With a cast that includes not only Cuba Gooding Jr., but also Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, and Robin Williams, The Butler is an absolute powerhouse of acting. And it’s that acting that overpowers the flaws of the movie and the uneven script. Cuba Gooding Jr. plays the lead butler in the film, Carter Wilson.
7 Men Of Honor (2000)
After spending the '90s working with Hollywood heavyweights like Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise, Gooding Jr. still wasn’t done cutting his teeth, as 2000 saw him work with one of the most celebrated actors there is.
Men of Honor saw the actor perform alongside Robert De Niro, and though the Godfather actor is obviously the top-billed, the movie is really about Carl Brashear (Gooding Jr.) The movie follows Brashear after he proclaims that he will overcome racism and become the first black American Navy diver.
6 Jerry Maguire (1996)
Jerry Maguire is a solid movie, and one of the best '90s rom-coms, as it sees the titular sports agent fall in love with a single mother, but it’s the supporting character Rodney Tidwell (Gooding Jr.) that makes the movie stand apart from the rest.
The actor elevates the movie tenfold, as he plays an easily excitable American football player managed by Maguire. Gooding Jr.’s character is responsible for one of the most iconic lines of the '90s, as he yells down the phone at Jerry, “Show me the money!!” and it’s the most bizarre but hilarious sequence in the whole film.
5 A Few Good Men (1992)
A Few Good Men was the first of two collaborations between Cuba Gooding Jr. and Jack Nicholson, and it was his second collaboration with Tom Cruise too. With all this star power in the engine, the movie is powerful and one of the best '90s law movies.
And though the movie is best known for the argument between Daniel (Cruise) and Nathan (Nicholson,) in which Nicholson screams, “You can’t handle the truth!” Gooding brilliantly goes against type as the quietly reserved Corporal Carl Hammaker, and it’s so different compared to the loud and brash characters he usually plays.
4 As Good As It Gets (1997)
After their chemistry was so great in A Few Good Men, Nicholson and Gooding Jr. continued with a second collaboration with As Good As It Gets. The movie is very much what audiences had become accustomed to when it comes to the actor’s movies in the '90s, as it is an uplifting comedy-drama.
Gooding plays Frank Sachs, an entertainment agent, who doesn’t stand for Melvin’s (Nicholson) rage and shenanigans. It’s one of the greatest romcoms of all time, and one of the best things about it is Frank’s look, as he has a shiny bald head and a slug-like mustache.
3 Boyz N The Hood (1991)
Boyz N The Hood is a significant movie for so many reasons, as it’s a crucial coming-of-age drama, and it has some important things to say. The only other director who can reach themes about urban America as rich and dense as the ones in Boyz N The Hood is Spike Lee.
The film features one of Gooding Jr.’s most important lead roles, and it has had such a lasting cultural impact. It’s the film that not just kickstarted Gooding Jr.’s career, but it also certified Ice Cube as a certified Hollywood actor.
2 American Gangster (2007)
American Gangster is one of the most evocative gangster movies of the 2010s, as it follows Harlem mob boss Frank Lucas, who is depraved and isn’t scared to take a man’s life in public. And what makes it worse is that it isn’t about gambling or racketeering, but heroin.
Gooding Jr. Plays real-life gangster Nicky Barnes, who formed the organized crime syndicate The Council and controlled most of the heroin trade in Harlem. The movie is an epic gangster drama, which was what the decade had been lacking, and it’s one of the best gangster movies of all time.
1 American Crime Story
In the 2010s, anthology series became resoundingly more popular than they ever had, whether it was American Horror Story visiting different terrifying themes each season or Fargo’s interlinked crime lords. But there was one that stood out from the rest, as the first season of American Crime Story, which is subtitled The People vs. OJ Simpson, depicted the events of the infamous OJ trial back in the 90s.
Not only was it captivating for those too young to know the history, but it held the attention of those who lived through it, and though everybody already knew the outcome, the events as they unfolded in the show were intense. As most of the show depicts the trial that took place, American Crime Story is well researched and well told, and Gooding Jr.’s portrayal of OJ is uncanny.
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