The Best John Leguizamo Movies

John Leguizamo’s Super Mario Bros movie has a terrible reputation, and yet the actor still manages to shine. He plays Luigi to Bob Hoskins’ Mario and effortlessly charmed a legion of teenage girls with his adorable portrayal of the character. A far braver Luigi than has been seen in the games, Leguizamo does his best with a terrible script, and the fact that he managed to maintain a career after this turkey demonstrates just how strong an actor he really is. 

One of the first video game movie adaptations, Super Mario Bros. bears little resemblance to the games, shoe-horning plumbing brothers Mario and Luigi into a stereotypical zany ‘90s action fantasy. A film for fans of Masters of the Universe and the second half of Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey, for sure.

An actor whose voice is as recognisable as their face, it is no surprise that John Leguizamo has a long list of credits for voice work. One such credit is animated juggernaut Encanto where he plays the character that no one is meant to talk about: Bruno. In addition to voicing Bruno, Leguizamo also gets to show off his singing skills, and what a voice he has. 

Encanto tells the story of a Colombian family, the Madrigals, who live in a magical house, and follows teenager Mirabel as she desperately tries to save her family when she learns that their collective magic is fading. An animation that almost stole Frozen’s crown thanks to the catchy songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda, Encanto is one of Disney’s better, more recent offerings.

For most people their introduction to John Leguizamo came in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet. An adaptation of William Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, Romeo + Juliet was unlike any interpretation of the star-crossed lovers’ story seen before. Rather than stick to its period setting, Luhrmann updated the time period to something more modern, whilst retaining the Shakespearean language. The result is a super slick and stylish adaptation that made studying the play for school a whole lot more interesting. 

Although Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes play the titular characters, it is John Leguizamo who steals the show as Juliet’s cousin and Romeo’s enemy, Tybalt. Every scene featuring Leguizamo as Tybalt is gold and his performance in Romeo + Juliet might be the best of his career. Leguizamo would go on to have further success with Luhrmann when he appeared in Moulin Rouge!

The John Wick films might be all about their eponymous protagonist, but they also feature some exceptional world building. As the film series progresses, the lore expands greatly, but the first John Wick film is more intimate and features a brief but memorable appearance from John Leguizamo. 

He stars as chop-shop owner Aurelio, a former acquaintance of John Wick, and the man presented with Wick’s stolen car. Knowing the wrath of John Wick, Aurelio refuses to take the car in, which rouses the anger of his boss. That is until a phone call is made and one of the funniest moments in John Wick unfolds with Aurelio explaining the car belonged to John Wick and his boss Viggo replying with a meek, “oh.”

Summer of Sam is based around the 1977 Son of Sam serial murders committed by David Berkowitz. Rather than dissect the true-crime aspect of the story, director Spike Lee instead hones in on a group of fictitious residents of The Bronx, dialing into their hysteria and infatuation with the crimewave. 

Leguizamo stars as Vinny alongside Adrien Brody as Ricthie, two characters who are childhood friends but who begin eyeing one another with suspicion as Vinny starts to believe that his old pal might be the killer. A thoroughly entertaining crime thriller, Leguizamo is electric in Summer of Sam, with Oscar winner Adrien Brody making the perfect scene partner. 

2022’s The Menu might have one of the most stacked casts in recent memory. Featuring Anya Taylor-Joy in the lead role, the cast also includes Nicholas Hoult, Ralph Fiennes, Hong Chau and John Leguizamo, among others. In The Menu, a night at a high-profile restaurant on a private island turns sour when the chef decides to take the patrons hostage. 

While The Menu might belong to Anya Taylor-Joy, Leguizamo plays a fascinating character. He is the archetypal former movie star, one doing anything to remain relevant, and his bruised ego places himself and his assistant into harm’s way. A solid entry into the recent ‘eat the rich’ trend, The Menu pairs well with a side order of Parasite, Triangle of Sadness, and Ready of Not. 

Despite having worked with some of the greats in the industry, and having been part of some historic movies, there is one franchise to which John Leguizamo will forever be tethered to: Ice Age. The animated series began in 2002 and has since produced five sequels with a sixth due out in 2027. 

In the series, Leguizamo plays Sid the Sloth, the loveable fool who is forever complicating the lives of mammoth Manny and saber-toothed tiger Diego. The first Ice Age film saw the trio accidentally in charge of a human baby, and their journey to reunite the child with its parents led to many moments of equal parts peril and hilarity. To prepare for the role of Sid, Leguizamo actually studied sloths, and upon discovering that the animals store food in their cheeks, opted to give Sid his now signature lisp.