Long’s acting career took off after he became a two-year member of Vassar’s comedy troupe, Laughing Stock. He also performed in a number of school plays. After breaking out in frightfully gross road movies like Jeepers Creepers and starring in aughts comedies such as Dodgeball and Accepted, the Connecticut native landed a series that blends fright with friendship.
Galaxy Quest (1999)
Galaxy Quest is a riotous and heartfelt parody of sci-fi shows and conventions with an admirable respect for the genre. Fans of Star Trek and other old scifi shows will find plenty to laugh at, including the swaggering captain Taggart (played by Tim Allen) and his crew on the NESA Protector.
The cast is perfect, and it’s obvious that all the actors seemed to be enjoying themselves during filming. The special effects are also great without being gratuitous. The script is clever and smartly explores cliches without falling into traps of cheap humor or lazy writing.
Ed (2001–2004)
After gaining experience in local theater productions, Long got his first taste of acting stardom with the NBC comedy series Ed. He played Warren Cheswick, a nervous high school student who tries to win over the girl of his dreams.
Dan Lauria as Carol Vessey’s Father
Justin Long’s offbeat performance in Jeepers Creepers blurred the lines between horror and dark comedy. His likability and comic timing led to more film roles, including Dodgeball and Accepted. He’s also a voice actor in the Alvin and the Chipmunks movie franchise and is a spokesman for Apple Mac computers.
Jeepers Creepers (2001)
Victor Salva’s auteur turn in B-horrorland does more than just passably entertain, thanks to decently developed characters and above-average acting. It also builds up a creepy atmosphere and creates some genuinely frightening expectations before its bat-winged supernatural thingamajig appears.
The horror movie isn’t afraid to stray into camp territory, however, with Darry’s Freudian slips and performative homophobia, and with the Creeper’s preference for young male victims who it can lustfully sniff and rip apart like so many meat pies. That’s what makes it so much fun to watch.
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)
Long’s likable personality and comedic timing made him perfect for the role of the average Joe on a ragtag dodgeball team. His performance was a key factor in making the film a success.
While the sport was already played in schools across America, it was the 2004 film that brought it to the world’s attention. The American-popularized rules became the norm for all matches. Despite an early setback, Peter and his teammates make it to the final round against Globo Gym. However, a falling sign kills Patches and the team is short of players.
Herbie Fully Loaded (2005)
Maggie Peyton (Lindsay Lohan) graduates from college and accepts a job with ESPN which pleases her hard-working NASCAR driver father, Ray (Michael Keaton). However, she yearns to return to racing. As a graduation gift, her father gives her Herbie — a rusty ’63 Beetle that seems to have a mind of its own.
Despite a weak script, Herbie Fully Loaded is zippy and brightly colored romance movies. Long and Breckin Meyer as Maggie’s brother add much-needed chemistry and Dillon’s crooked racer Trip Murphy is hilariously over the top.
Sasquatch Gang (2006)
From the director of Napoleon Dynamite comes this loser-nerd comedy about a small town’s bogus BigFoot sighting. Long, as Zerk, provides a hilarious performance. He is supported by Jeremy Sumpter as Gavin, Hubbel Palmer as Hobie and Rob Pinkston as Maynard. Joey Kern as Shirts is also great and Carl Weathers adds to the mix as a snobby Sasquatch expert.
Michael Mitchell’s bully Gary and Jon Gries as Zerk’s clueless dad also add a layer of realism to this funny film. It’s worth a look for its unique humor and eccentric characters.
Live Free or Die Hard (2007)
In a summer overflowing with CGI fantasy, this throwback to old-fashioned lunkhead violence is the summer’s best blockbuster. Long’s witty and intelligent performance as a computer hacker was the perfect counterpoint to Bruce Willis’s action hero persona.
The fourth Die Hard movie embraces John McClane’s cowboy machismo, delivering a non-stop barrage of insane stunts and over-exaggerated villains. Long’s performance is a welcome addition to the franchise. He had already proven his versatility with roles in Galaxy Quest and Jeepers Creepers and his offbeat independent films Raising Genius and Waiting…. as well as his personification of a Mac in Apple’s Get a Mac commercials.
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip (2015)
Through a series of misunderstandings, Alvin, Simon and Theodore fear that their father-figure Dave is taking his new heart surgeon girlfriend Samantha (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) to Miami where he may propose. The Chipmunks believe that if he does, she will dump them and they will gain a stepbrother named Miles who is a bully.
Despite some groan pop-culture gags and sporadic musical performances, the characters still manage to charm in this fifth installment of the live-action/CGI franchise. There is moderate violence where the Chipmunks hit Miles with instruments and in a bar fight.
Yoga Hosers (2016)
In this Netflix original series, Justin Long brought a funny and relatable dynamic to the story of a young couple struggling with a long-distance relationship. His character Paul added a much-needed balance to the show’s more serious elements.
Yoga Hosers feels like a weed-assisted podcast script stretched to the big screen. It’s a mess of ideas that never gel and is best watched with a group of friends—ideally a bunch who are also hammered. The jokes wear thin very quickly. Also, a lot of the movie is just gross.
Barbarian (2017)
When Tess (Georgina Campbell) arrives at her Airbnb rental in Detroit, she’s unsettled to discover that Bill Skarsgard (who played Pennywise in the 2017 reboot of It) is already there. He insists that the misunderstanding is simply a case of double booking, but their encounter soon raises red flags.
Director Zach Cregger is good at evoking the creepiness of characters like AJ, whose sleaze and dishonesty make you hate him almost on sight. But the story’s preposterous climax isn’t quite as strong as its more grounded horrors.
