Want to know the best James Caan movies? How about the worst James Caan movies? Curious about James Caan’s box office grosses or which James Caan movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which James Caan movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences? Well you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information.
The other day I received a comment on my Al Pacino page talking about James Caan (1940-2022). After reading the comment it occurred to me that although James Caan was one of my favorite actors, I had yet to do a movie page on him. So this page was written to correct that horrible error I have been making for the last 10 months.
I think the first three movie stars I became aware of as a kid were, John Wayne, Michael Caine and James Caan. Four Caan movies from the 1970s really caught my attention as a kid…..Brian’s Song (one of the best television movies ever), The Godfather (I was not allowed to watch it….but all kids knew about the toll booth scene), Rollerball (I never really understood the movie as a kid, but it was a superbcool movie), and Freebie and the Bean (it seems this movie played on ABC’s Sunday night at the movies every 6 months).
As I got older I tried to watch as many of his movies that I could get my hands on….so far I have seen 45 of his movies. My favorite James Caan movies (not already mentioned) are A Bridge Too Far, Kiss Me Goodbye, Bottle Rocket and The Gambler (not the Kenny Rogers TV movie).
His IMDb page shows over 137 acting credits since 1961. This page will rank James Caan movies from Best to Worst in five different sortable columns of information. Television appearances, shorts, cameos and straight to DVD movies were not included in the rankings.
James Caan Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews and awards.
Year
Movie (Year)
Rating
S
Year Movie (Year) Rating S
1972
The Godfather (1972)
AA Best Picture Win
AA Best Supp Actor Nom
1974
The Godfather: Part II (1974)
AA Best Picture Win
2003
Elf (2003)
1990
Misery (1990)
1990
Dick Tracy (1990)
1976
Silent Movie (1976)
2009
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
Voice Only
1977
A Bridge Too Far (1977)
1974
Freebie and the Bean (1974)
1967
El Dorado (1967)
2008
Get Smart (2008)
1996
Eraser (1996)
2013
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013)
Voice Only
1975
Funny Lady (1975)
1975
Rollerball (1975)
1979
Chapter Two (1979)
1981
Thief (1981)
1992
Honeymoon in Vegas (1992)
1973
Cinderella Liberty (1973)
1978
Comes a Horseman (1978)
1971
Brian's Song (1971)
1974
The Gambler (1974)
2013
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013)
Voice Only
1988
Alien Nation (1988)
1973
Slither (1973)
1999
Mickey Blue Eyes (1999)
1996
Bottle Rocket (1996)
1982
Kiss Me Goodbye (1982)
1993
Flesh and Bone (1993)
1969
The Rain People (1969)
2003
Dogville (2003)
1975
The Killer Elite (1975)
1965
The Glory Guys (1965)
1976
Harry and Walter Go to New York (1976)
1998
This Is My Father (1998)
1980
Hide in Plain Sight (1980)
1993
The Program (1993)
1981
Bolero (1981)
1971
T.R. Baskin (1971)
1970
Rabbit, Run (1970)
2011
Detachment (2011)
2000
The Yards (2000)
1991
For the Boys (1991)
2015
Sicilian Vampire (2015)
2021
Queen Bees (2021)
1967
Games (1967)
1977
Another Man, Another Chance (1977)
1964
Lady in a Cage (1964)
1967
Countdown (1967)
2000
The Way of the Gun (2000)
2009
Middle Men (2009)
2014
A Fighting Man (2014)
2023
Fast Charlie (2023)
Limited Release
2012
Small Apartments (2012)
2002
City of Ghosts (2002)
2013
Blood Ties (2013)
1987
Gardens of Stone (1987)
2016
The Red Maple Leaf (2016)
1965
Red Line 7000 (1965)
2008
New York, I Love You (2008)
2016
JL Ranch (2016)
2014
Preggoland (2014)
2010
Henry's Crime (2010)
2016
The Good Neighbor (2016)
2009
Mercy (2009)
Limited Release
1968
Submarine X-1 (1968)
2017
Undercover Grandpa (2017)
1996
Bulletproof (1996)
2012
That's My Boy (2012)
2001
Night at the Golden Eagle (2001)
2018
Out of the Blue (2018)
1968
Journey to Shiloh (1968)
1991
The Dark Backward (1991)
2001
In The Shadows (2001)
Video On Demand
2003
This Thing of Ours (2003)
1974
Gone with the West (1974)
James Caan Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table
The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
- Sort by James Caan’s co-stars of his movies.
- Sort James Caan movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost.
- Sort James Caan movies by yearly box office rank
- Sort James Caan movies how they were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or highis should indicate a good movie.
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each James Caan movie received.
- Sort James Caan movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score. UMR Score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
| R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Actual B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | B.O. Rank by Year | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | S |
| 1 | The Godfather (1972) AA Best Picture Win AA Best Supp Actor Nom |
Marlon Brando & Al Pacino |
134.10 | 850.3 | 1,548.50 | 1 | 97 | 11 / 03 | 100.0 | |
| 2 | The Godfather: Part II (1974) AA Best Picture Win |
Al Pacino & Robert DeNiro |
47.50 | 274.1 | 541.00 | 9 | 94 | 11 / 06 | 100.0 | |
| 3 | Elf (2003) | Will Ferrell | 173.40 | 310.0 | 394.10 | 7 | 75 | 00 / 00 | 96.1 | |
| 5 | Misery (1990) | Kathy Bates & Directed by Rob Reiner |
61.30 | 156.2 | 156.20 | 19 | 84 | 01 / 01 | 95.6 | |
| 4 | Dick Tracy (1990) | Warren Beatty & Dustin Hoffman |
103.70 | 264.4 | 414.70 | 10 | 62 | 07 / 03 | 95.5 | |
| 6 | Silent Movie (1976) | Mel Brooks & Burt Reynolds |
36.10 | 182.9 | 182.90 | 14 | 77 | 00 / 00 | 95.5 | |
| 8 | Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) Voice Only |
Bill Hader | 124.90 | 179.5 | 349.30 | 23 | 77 | 00 / 00 | 95.4 | |
| 7 | A Bridge Too Far (1977) | Sean Connery & Laurence Olivier |
56.80 | 274.4 | 274.40 | 9 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 95.1 | |
| 9 | Freebie and the Bean (1974) | Alan Arkin | 40.90 | 235.8 | 235.80 | 13 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 93.8 | |
| 10 | El Dorado (1967) | John Wayne & Robert Mitchum |
15.00 | 133.6 | 133.60 | 19 | 82 | 00 / 00 | 92.6 | |
| 11 | Get Smart (2008) | Steve Carell & Anne Hathaway |
130.30 | 195.7 | 346.30 | 20 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 91.7 | |
| 12 | Eraser (1996) | Arnold Schwarzenegger & James Coburn |
101.30 | 247.1 | 590.90 | 14 | 52 | 01 / 00 | 89.9 | |
| 13 | Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013) Voice Only |
Bill Hader | 119.80 | 158.8 | 363.70 | 26 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 89.8 | |
| 14 | Funny Lady (1975) | Barbra Streisand | 58.50 | 307.8 | 307.80 | 6 | 45 | 05 / 00 | 88.5 | |
| 15 | Rollerball (1975) | John Houseman | 27.30 | 143.5 | 143.50 | 22 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 88.4 | |
| 16 | Chapter Two (1979) | Marsha Mason | 40.10 | 172.4 | 172.40 | 21 | 49 | 01 / 00 | 85.5 | |
| 17 | Thief (1981) | Tuesday Weld & Willie Nelson |
11.50 | 44.6 | 44.60 | 69 | 85 | 00 / 00 | 83.2 | |
| 18 | Honeymoon in Vegas (1992) | Nicolas Cage | 35.20 | 91.5 | 91.50 | 41 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 78.4 | |
| 19 | Cinderella Liberty (1973) | Marsha Mason & Eli Wallach |
12.10 | 73.9 | 73.90 | 29 | 65 | 03 / 00 | 78.1 | |
| 20 | Comes a Horseman (1978) | Jane Fonda | 9.60 | 44.2 | 44.20 | 60 | 73 | 01 / 00 | 76.0 | |
| 21 | Brian's Song (1971) | Billy Dee Williams | 1.00 | 6.4 | 6.40 | 158 | 84 | 00 / 00 | 74.3 | |
| 22 | The Gambler (1974) | Lauren Hutton | 3.00 | 17.5 | 17.50 | 89 | 78 | 00 / 00 | 71.2 | |
| 23 | The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013) Voice Only |
Frank Marshall | 0.70 | 0.9 | 32.10 | 188 | 81 | 01 / 00 | 69.5 | |
| 24 | Alien Nation (1988) | Mandy Patinkin | 25.20 | 66.1 | 66.10 | 41 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 64.4 | |
| 25 | Slither (1973) | Peter Boyle | 4.10 | 25.0 | 25.00 | 76 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 63.4 | |
| 27 | Mickey Blue Eyes (1999) | Hugh Grant | 33.90 | 72.1 | 115.60 | 61 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 60.8 | |
| 26 | Bottle Rocket (1996) | Owen Wilson & Directed by Wes Anderson |
0.60 | 1.4 | 1.40 | 217 | 75 | 00 / 00 | 60.4 | |
| 29 | Kiss Me Goodbye (1982) | Sally Field & Jeff Bridges |
15.80 | 57.9 | 57.90 | 44 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 59.3 | |
| 28 | Flesh and Bone (1993) | Meg Ryan & Dennis Quaid |
9.70 | 25.3 | 25.30 | 111 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 59.0 | |
| 30 | The Rain People (1969) | Robert Duvall & Directed by Francis Ford Coppola |
1.60 | 12.1 | 12.10 | 116 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 58.2 | |
| 31 | Dogville (2003) | Nicole Kidman & Lauren Bacall |
1.50 | 2.7 | 29.80 | 173 | 72 | 00 / 00 | 56.9 | |
| 32 | The Killer Elite (1975) | Robert Duvall & Directed by Sam Peckinpah |
12.40 | 65.3 | 65.30 | 46 | 52 | 00 / 00 | 56.6 | |
| 33 | The Glory Guys (1965) | Directed by Sam Peckinpah | 2.40 | 25.7 | 25.70 | 94 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 56.0 | |
| 35 | Harry and Walter Go to New York (1976) | Michael Caine & Diane Keaton |
13.90 | 70.5 | 70.50 | 48 | 49 | 00 / 00 | 54.1 | |
| 34 | This Is My Father (1998) | Aidan Quinn | 1.10 | 2.5 | 2.50 | 191 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 54.0 | |
| 36 | Hide in Plain Sight (1980) | Danny Aiello | 3.50 | 14.5 | 14.50 | 119 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 47.7 | |
| 38 | The Program (1993) | Halle Berry | 23.00 | 60.0 | 60.00 | 66 | 48 | 00 / 00 | 46.0 | |
| 37 | Bolero (1981) | Geraldine Chaplin | 1.10 | 4.2 | 4.20 | 138 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 45.9 | |
| 39 | T.R. Baskin (1971) | Candice Bergen | 3.70 | 24.3 | 24.30 | 75 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 45.6 | |
| 40 | Rabbit, Run (1970) | Jack Albertson | 2.60 | 18.0 | 18.00 | 92 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 44.6 | |
| 41 | Detachment (2011) | Adrien Brody | 0.10 | 0.1 | 5.10 | 251 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 44.4 | |
| 42 | The Yards (2000) | Mark Wahlberg & Charlize Theron |
0.90 | 1.8 | 1.80 | 192 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 40.9 | |
| 45 | For the Boys (1991) | Bette Milder | 17.90 | 45.7 | 59.40 | 67 | 48 | 01 / 00 | 35.9 | |
| 43 | Sicilian Vampire (2015) | Daryl Hannah | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 279 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 35.0 | |
| 44 | Queen Bees (2021) | Ellen Burstyn & Ann-Margret |
1.30 | 1.4 | 1.40 | 102 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 34.9 | |
| 46 | Games (1967) | Simone Signoret | 2.10 | 18.9 | 18.90 | 94 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 32.6 | |
| 47 | Another Man, Another Chance (1977) | Genevieve Bujold | 1.40 | 6.5 | 6.50 | 129 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 32.2 | |
| 49 | Lady in a Cage (1964) | Olivia de Havilland m | 4.70 | 54.1 | 54.10 | 62 | 44 | 00 / 00 | 31.4 | |
| 48 | Countdown (1967) | Robert Duvall & Directed by Robert Duvall |
1.90 | 16.6 | 16.60 | 104 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 30.5 | |
| 50 | The Way of the Gun (2000) | Benicio Del Toro | 6.10 | 12.1 | 26.10 | 138 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 30.2 | |
| 51 | Middle Men (2009) | Luke Wilson | 0.80 | 1.1 | 1.10 | 205 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 27.6 | |
| 53 | A Fighting Man (2014) | Louis Gossett Jr. | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 323 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 25.5 | |
| 52 | Fast Charlie (2023) Limited Release |
Pierce Brosnan | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.20 | 257 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 25.5 | |
| 54 | Small Apartments (2012) | Billy Crystal | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 329 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 25.2 | |
| 56 | City of Ghosts (2002) | Matt Dillon | 0.40 | 0.7 | 0.70 | 229 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 23.6 | |
| 55 | Blood Ties (2013) | Zoe Saldana & Mila Kunis |
0.10 | 0.1 | 3.20 | 243 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 23.3 | |
| 57 | Gardens of Stone (1987) | Anjelica Huston & Directed by Francis Ford Coppola |
5.30 | 14.5 | 14.50 | 103 | 51 | 00 / 00 | 21.5 | |
| 58 | The Red Maple Leaf (2016) | Kris Kristofferson | 0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 391 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 20.6 | |
| 59 | Red Line 7000 (1965) | Directed by Howard Hawks | 4.20 | 44.3 | 44.30 | 63 | 41 | 00 / 00 | 20.4 | |
| 60 | New York, I Love You (2008) | Orlando Bloom & Bradley Cooper |
1.60 | 2.4 | 12.20 | 195 | 52 | 00 / 00 | 17.3 | |
| 61 | JL Ranch (2016) | Jon Voight | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 365 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 16.8 | |
| 62 | Preggoland (2014) | Danny Trejo | 0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 425 | 52 | 00 / 00 | 15.8 | |
| 63 | Henry's Crime (2010) | Keanu Reeves | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.30 | 249 | 52 | 00 / 00 | 15.2 | |
| 64 | The Good Neighbor (2016) | Logan Miller | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 240 | 51 | 00 / 00 | 14.1 | |
| 65 | Mercy (2009) Limited Release |
Scott Caan | 0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 383 | 51 | 00 / 00 | 13.9 | |
| 66 | Submarine X-1 (1968) | David Sumner | 2.30 | 18.8 | 18.80 | 111 | 45 | 00 / 00 | 13.3 | |
| 67 | Undercover Grandpa (2017) | Louis Gossett Jr. | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 311 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 12.9 | |
| 68 | Bulletproof (1996) | Adam Sandler | 21.60 | 52.6 | 55.10 | 73 | 32 | 00 / 00 | 12.8 | |
| 69 | That's My Boy (2012) | Adam Sandler | 36.90 | 50.0 | 78.20 | 85 | 33 | 00 / 00 | 11.1 | |
| 70 | Night at the Golden Eagle (2001) | Vinny Argiro & James Caan |
0.00 | 0.0 | 0.00 | 394 | 47 | 00 / 00 | 9.8 | |
| 71 | Out of the Blue (2018) | Patricia Clarkson | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 406 | 47 | 00 / 00 | 9.3 | |
| 72 | Journey to Shiloh (1968) | Harrison Ford | 0.40 | 3.4 | 3.40 | 170 | 45 | 00 / 00 | 8.9 | |
| 73 | The Dark Backward (1991) | Judd Nelson & Bill Paxton |
0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 253 | 46 | 00 / 00 | 8.8 | |
| 74 | In The Shadows (2001) Video On Demand |
Matthew Modine | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 288 | 45 | 00 / 00 | 7.4 | |
| 74 | This Thing of Ours (2003) | Frank Vincent | 0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 325 | 44 | 00 / 00 | 7.1 | |
| 75 | Gone with the West (1974) | Aldo Ray | 0.90 | 5.2 | 5.20 | 134 | 35 | 00 / 00 | 2.4 |
Possibly Interesting Facts About James Caan
1. 1971’s Brian’s Song was originally a made for television movie, but was such a popular hit on television that the producers actually released Brian’s Song to theaters…..it did perform well when people had to pay to watch the movie. James Caan received an Emmy® nomination for his role.
2. James Caan played football at Michigan State University back in 1956 before transferring to Hofstra University. Caan was also a rodeo performer for many years and has a black belt in karate.
3. During his long career, James Caan has only received one Oscar® nomination (The Godfather) but he has helped numerous actresses receive Oscar® nominations…Marsha Mason in 1973’s Cinderella Liberty and 1980’s Chapter Two, Bette Midler in 1991’s For The Boys, and Kathy Bates in her Oscar® winning performance in 1990’s Misery.
4. James Caan has received more love from the Golden Globe® people as he has received 4 Golden Globe® nominations. Those four movies are 1965’s The Glory Guys, 1972’s The Godfather, 1974’s The Gambler, and 1975’s Funny Lady …he has yet to win one.
5. James Caan has directed one movie in his career….1980’s Hide in Plain Sight…a forgotten gem of a movie that is based on a true story. In the movie Caan’s children go into the Witness Protection with their mom and stepfather….leaving the real father with no way to see or contact his children.
6. James Caan has been married four times. Those four marriages have given Caan a daughter named Tara, and four sons named Scott, Alexander, James, and Jacob. Caan is currently not married. His son Scott Caan is also an actor, he can be seen on the CBS show Hawaii Five-O as well as the Oceans Eleven trilogy.
7. During one of his divorces, James Caan moved into one of his good friend’s house….that friend was Hugh Hefner and the house was the Playboy Mansion.
8. James Caan has turned down some very famous roles….some of these roles include….Blade Runner, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Kramer vs Kramer, MASH, Star Wars, Superman, and One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.
9. From 1982 to 1987 James Caan briefly retired from the movie business, during this time frame he coached a Little League baseball team, there was one incident where his team’s weakest player hit a home run that won a game. Caan claims this is one of the greatest moments of his life.
10. Check out James Caan’s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
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If you do a comment….please ignore the email address and website section.
I love Caan and Pacino, don’t see any “rivalry” between the two. I love “Rollerball” as well, and oddly enough I enjoyed “Comes a Horseman.” Perhaps it was because Caan got to say to Jane Fonda what so many people in that era wanted to say to her: “Lady, you’ve got balls the size of grapefruits.” LOL
Great movie page, thanks for writing it!
I love Caan and Pacino, don’t see any “rivalry” between the two. I love “Rollerball” as well, and oddly enough I enjoyed “Comes a Horseman.” Perhaps it was because Caan got to say to Jane Fonda what so many people in that era wanted to say to her: “Lady, you’ve got balls the size of grapefruits.” LOL
Great movie page, thanks for writing it!
We watched ELF tonight in honor of your movie page:))
Very cool.
I have been a big fan of Caan for years. I think the role he played as Sunny in the godfather is a classic.
Great in depth movie page, this must have taken ages to put together well done.
Hey molometer….I am right there with you about being a big fan of Caan for years. Sonny is his pinnacle of his career, but he has lots of other solid roles over the years. Thanks for the compliment and the comment. As for the time it takes to write a movie hub…if the actor is current like Caan it does not take too long….but if it is a classic actor like James Cagney…it can sometimes take weeks to find all the information I need to write a movie page.
James Caan! A pulse movie page! Awesome! WOW I had no idea that Danno from Hawaii Five-0 was James Caan’s son!!! Danno’s hair amazes me, it’s always perfect!!! Dave says thanks for that tidbit of news about one of his fav shows!
Ok back to James…I’ve been a fan since The Godfather and I recently saw him in Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, the movie that wasted so much food! Anyway back to James. He rocked in Elf, Brian’s Song and Dick Tracy!
Hey Sunshine625….I am glad my movie page got you to realize Danno is Jimmy Caan’s son as well as getting you to watch Elf…a fun movie and at the perfect time of the year. Thanks for your contribution to this pulse movie page….he has 4 movies coming out in the near future.
Cool info about a fine actor. My favorite of his roles was the writer in Misery. I am, however, surprised to see how well “Elf” did at the box office, as I find it so annoying. But I enjoyed reading your movie page, good work!
Hey bethperry…thanks for checking out my James Caan hub. I love his part in Misery also…I listened to the Rob Reiner director’s commentary on the DVD and he talked about James Caan and how James Caan loves to use his body when acting…and in Misery, Caan was the perfect fit for the role because Caan was miserable having so many scenes when he was lying in a bed…and Reiner says James Caan discomfort in the role was perfect for Paul Sheldon as Sheldon was also miserable having to have to deal with Annie Wilkes. Hope that makes sense.
As for Elf….the success of Elf has turned Will Ferrell into a movie star and that run has lasted almost 10 years now….thanks for the comments and the compliment they are greatly appreciated.