2 of the Most Criminally Underrated Movies of The Decade Were Made by The Same Directors

Although there are not very many of them, directing duos have proven to be equally worthy filmmakers compared to solo directors. With the Coen brothers and the Wachowski sisters making some of the best movies of all time, like The Matrix and No Country for Old Men, there is more than enough room for two directors to excel together in Hollywood. One of the stronger duos working currently is John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. Even though they’ve only directed a handful of films, they have shown themselves to be worthy talents that aren’t recognized as much as they should be.

With their excellent work on Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and Game Night, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein are proving to be one of the funniest and strongest duos working in Hollywood. With their experimental filmmaking style, their love of film is felt within every project they touch.

Their Directing Outings Are Two of the Best Of The Decade

Perfecting a genre is a hard task to do, and John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein have perfected multiple. Game Night is easily one of the funniest and most well-made comedies of the past decade, blending smart and sarcastic humor in a Clue-like storyline that made for an extremely unique and visceral experience. Although they didn’t write the film, their direction added a lot to the film. Game Night is shot like it is on a board game, with wide-angle frames of the city as well as car chases appearing like pieces moving across a board game. Not only did they direct comedy to the highest level, but they also created an innovative style that can be appreciated by even the most strict cinefile.

Game Night may have been profitable, and scored well on Rotten Tomatoes, but it deserves to be considered one of the most inventive, entertaining comedy movies of the century so far. It made nothing like the money it deserved to in cinemas, and it should be talked about a lot more. Which is also the case for the directing duo’s other most prominent project.

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves also stands as one of the best fantasy films in recent memory. With a world like Dungeons and Dragons, it is extremely difficult to make something that is satisfying to both the fans of the game as well as the normal moviegoer, and Daley and Goldstein somehow find a way to do so. Their inclusion of comedy within the fantastical world made for a much more digestible moviegoing experience, focusing less on the intricacies of the environment and more on providing an entertaining experience for all audiences. The story may lack depth and emotional nuance, but it’s impossible not to enjoy the adventures of this ragtag group of misfits.

Read Next

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Directors Tease “So Many Places” Sequels Could Go

Daley and Goldstein are Great All-Around Filmmakers

Directing isn’t Daley and Goldstein’s strength, but they have also proved to be compelling writers and actors. Daley got his start on the classic ’90s TV show Freaks and Geeks, which was sadly canceled after one season, in which he played the younger brother of Linda Cardellini. His comedic roots are on display in everything he writes, with films like Horrible Bosses and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs having an excellent sense of humor, as well as a strong and memorable story.

Daley and Goldstein have also written scripts for superhero films, which include Spider-Man: Homecoming and The Flash. Spider-Man: Homecoming was one of the first Spider-Man movies to capture the difficulties of balancing being a high-schooler as well as Spider-Man, and that is because of the excellent script written by Daley and Goldstein. The Flash wasn’t the best-received DC movie, both critically and financially, but the script is easily one of the film’s standouts. Seeing Barry Allen attempt to bring his mother back to life and him reckoning with the present made for one of the most emotional experiences in any movie in the DCEU. With their writing projects, it shows that anything that Daley and Goldstein are attached to will probably have at least something to commend.

They may not have any Oscar nominations under their belt, but John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein are easily two of the best filmmakers working today. From fantasy blockbusters to legacy sequels, they have shown that they can excel in a variety of genres. If they continue to put out projects as good as they have been, they are bound to become all-time filmmakers in the industry. Next up, they’ve teamed with Ryan Reynolds and Sir Kenneth Branagh for an action adventure called Mayday for Apple TV, which should continue to show their range.

What other filmmakers are severely underrated? Let us know in the comments below!