The Top 10 Jeremy Piven Movie Roles

by: Ari Bayme

Long before Jeremy Piven was a four-time Emmy winner for Entourage, he was of course George Costanza on Seinfeld. What, you don’t remember him as George? That’s probably because his character’s name was Michael Barth, and he stole a single scene auditioning for the role of George in the fictional show-within-a-show. Despite the fact that he appeared on screen for less than a minute, he definitely made an impression. Piven’s big-screen career has been like that, too. Having broken out on TV, first on The Larry Sanders Show and then as a bona fide phenomenon on Entourage, he’s less known for his movie roles. He has yet to find that perfect starring role, instead usually making the most of a meaty bit part with the highly watchable unpredictability that made him a hit as Entourage agent Ari. That could all change with his upcoming comedy The Goods: The Don Ready Story, which is being produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, and has Piven starring as a used-car salesman. Until then, here’s a look at the ten best movie roles that have let Piven do his thing, even if only for a moment.   10. Lucas (1986) Like some kind of hazy childhood memory, many of us can vaguely recollect Piven’s film debut as Spike, one of the bullies who picks on poor little Lucas. Watching it again now, it’s sort of funny, as Piven shows off an early version of his all-attitude approach, without the freaky charm he would cultivate years later. Hey Ari, leave Corey Haim alone!   9. Black Hawk Down (2001) Despite an impressive cast, the real star of this film about a harrowing U.S. military mission in Somalia was director Ridley Scott’s storytelling. Piven barely makes an impression as Wolcott, but it’s worth noting as a relic from the brief period in the late ’90s and early 2000s when producers for some reason tried to peg him as a law enforcement/military type. Thanks to a string of quirky performances, though, Piven managed to avoid the typecasting that would have had him playing a cop ever other film—call it the Tommy Lee Jones Factor.   8. Cars (2006) Just a couple of years into Entourage, Piven provided the voice of Harv, who works for Owen Wilson’s Lightning McQueen as…an agent. Okay, it wasn’t exactly a stretch for him at that point, but it’s funny stuff, and great idea from co-writer-directors John Lasseter and Joe Ranft. This kind of cleverness is why parents can stand to go to Pixar movies with their kids.   7. PCU (1994) His first starring role, in one of those movies it’s now hard to believe ever got made. Basically coming in as a lower-weight-class John Belushi, Piven is Droz, the resident crazy guy who wants to shake the PC out of PCU. Of course, the administration wants him out, and all the campus activists want a piece of him, too. What can save him—career counseling and improved study habits? Of course not, this is a college comedy! Instead he calls on the funk of George Clinton. A bonehead role in a goofy movie like this can sometimes make a career, but Piven didn’t nail the vibe and the material was sub-Road Trip.   6. Old School (2003) Now this is more like it. God knows what convinced Piven to take the role of the anti-Droz, Dean Pritchard, but he turned a small, silly part into what Troy McClure would call “pure comedy gold.” Old School is a better campus flick than PCU in every way, it’s true, but Piven ironically finds a more memorable way to approach the stock uncool role than he did the much bigger class-clown part. Maybe it helped that Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn, as the guys trying to re-live their wacky college glory days, made for better adversaries than PCU’s David Spade and Jessica Walter (who would go on to better things on Arrested Development).   5. Highway (2002) This post-Tarantino drama about Jared Leto and Jake Gyllenhaal on the run from Vegas headcrackers is one of the stranger entries in Piven’s filmography. As Scawldy, he goes truly wacko, all drugged up one minute, then out of nowhere launching into an insane rant. He sings the Nuge without provocation, and in general comes off even crazier than the Motor City Madman. He did what now to the coke machine at the Motel 6? The best part is that when Gyllenthal has to act like Piven is completely freaking him out, he doesn’t look like he’s faking it.   4. Rocknrolla As London clubowner and music impresario Roman, Piven is ju st one cog in director Guy Ritchie’s incredibly complicated machine. But giving him a spot on his roster of tough guys was sheer brilliance on Ritchie’s part. Along with partner Mickey (played by Ludacris), Roman manages drugged-out rock star Johnny Quid. When Johnny goes missing and the mob come knocking on their door, they have to go looking for them, but they’re not prepared for what happens if they find him.    3. Grosse Point Blank (1997) Piven and John Cusack roomed together before they made it big, and they first appeared together in Say Anything. Cusack got the lead and went on to teen-heartthrob stardom, while Piven had a bit part as one of the guys hangin’ outside the convenience store. But this pairing of the two actors worked out much better for Piven, playing Paul Spericki, the childhood friend of Cusack’s hitman, in one of the best comedies of all time.    2. Singles (1992) Director-writer Cameron Crowe gave Piven his first chance to show off how spot-on his comic timing could be. Doug Hughley is perhaps the greatest in Piven’s series of small but unforgettable parts. Not only that, but his vocal blending of “Bring the Noise” and “What’s So Funny ‘Bout Peace Love and Understanding” predated the mash-up genre by 10 years.   1. Smokin’ Aces (2007) As the title character, “Aces,” aka Buddy Israel, in this twisty crime flick, Piven is no holds barred. He owns this movie. “What do you see right now? You see exactly and only what I choose to show you.” A-magician-with-an-edge turns out to be a perfect showcase for Piven’s talents. Oozing confidence and mystique, but demonstrating a range of emotion that he doesn’t often get to show in his big-screen roles, he proves he’s more than ready to be a leading man. The plot? Whatever.