"Timothée Chalamet is a young actor who has recently gained lots of popularity. I’ve watched a total of eight movies featuring Timothée Chalamet, so I’d say I’m an expert on the topic. I gathered my top four favorite movies and explained why I recommend them."
--Leah Upton 8th grade
Timothée Chalamet is a young actor who has recently gained lots of popularity. He is not only known for his amazing acting, but also for his looks, with his bright green eyes, curly brown hair, and jawline sharp enough to cut someone. During this time we have off due to Covid-19, I’ve been watching many, many movies, and so far I’ve watched a total of eight movies featuring Timothée Chalamet, so I’d say I’m an expert on the topic. I gathered my top four favorite movies and explained why I recommend them. I personally prefer coming-of-age movies that focus on the struggles and beauty of real life, so you won’t be seeing any fantasy or action movies on this list.
Call Me By Your Name
Call Me By Your Name is an indie romantic coming-of-age film directed by Luca Guadagnino. It’s based on the novel written by André Aciman. The film takes place in a small town of northern Italy in the early ‘80s, and follows Elio, a 17 year old boy played by Timothée Chalamet. Elio’s father, Samuel Perlman (Michael Stuhlbarg) invites students to work for him as his interns over the summer. Elio meets Oliver, (Armie Hammer) a 24 year-old man who is studying to become a doctor. Oliver works as Samuel’s intern and stays with the family for the summer. Elio and Oliver find themselves attracted to each other, and they grow closer and closer, changing their lives forever.
My first reaction to this film was, wow. Just wow. I was struck by the utter beauty of it. If I could describe the movie in one word, it would be “beautiful.” Each scene is just so pleasing, with gorgeous views of Northern Italy along with the incredible music, not to mention the outstanding acting. Everything fits together and flows perfectly. The movie focuses on two men falling in love, yet it finds a way to be relatable to each and every viewer. The chemistry between Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer is so realistic that it feels as if the viewer is peeking into the lives of two real people. I cried more than I’ve ever cried over any other film, and I can’t seem to get it out of my mind. This movie followed me even weeks after watching it, and the more I watched it, the more I could take in every beautiful detail. The movie does in fact have a few sex scenes, but these scenes are unlike any sex scenes that I’ve seen in any other movie. I would describe these scenes as sensual rather than sexual. The movie is filled with lust and pure emotion and it leaves the viewer wanting more.
Call Me By Your Name is an indie romantic coming-of-age film directed by Luca Guadagnino. It’s based on the novel written by André Aciman. The film takes place in a small town of northern Italy in the early ‘80s, and follows Elio, a 17 year old boy played by Timothée Chalamet. Elio’s father, Samuel Perlman (Michael Stuhlbarg) invites students to work for him as his interns over the summer. Elio meets Oliver, (Armie Hammer) a 24 year-old man who is studying to become a doctor. Oliver works as Samuel’s intern and stays with the family for the summer. Elio and Oliver find themselves attracted to each other, and they grow closer and closer, changing their lives forever.
My first reaction to this film was, wow. Just wow. I was struck by the utter beauty of it. If I could describe the movie in one word, it would be “beautiful.” Each scene is just so pleasing, with gorgeous views of Northern Italy along with the incredible music, not to mention the outstanding acting. Everything fits together and flows perfectly. The movie focuses on two men falling in love, yet it finds a way to be relatable to each and every viewer. The chemistry between Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer is so realistic that it feels as if the viewer is peeking into the lives of two real people. I cried more than I’ve ever cried over any other film, and I can’t seem to get it out of my mind. This movie followed me even weeks after watching it, and the more I watched it, the more I could take in every beautiful detail. The movie does in fact have a few sex scenes, but these scenes are unlike any sex scenes that I’ve seen in any other movie. I would describe these scenes as sensual rather than sexual. The movie is filled with lust and pure emotion and it leaves the viewer wanting more.
Beautiful Boy
Beautiful Boy is a heart wrenching film based on a true story and directed by Felix Van Groeningen. It stars a teenage boy named Nic Sheff (Timothée Chalamet) and his father, David Sheff (Steve Carell). Nic is addicted to drugs, and it tears his life apart. Nic’s dad struggles to keep him alive while still trying to support their family. This movie brings a new perspective to how drugs can affect a person and everyone around them.
At first it was kind of strange for me to see Steve Carell playing such a serious and intense role, due to the fact that he is most famously known for playing Micheal Scott in the very goofy show, The Office. But both him and Chalamet do a wonderful job of truly diving into their characters and embracing their roles. The movie is incredibly sad, but it's also incredibly real, and it's a great representation of what many people go through on a daily basis. The relationship between Nic and his father is so powerful and authentic that even people who haven’t struggled with drugs can see themselves in these characters. Addiction is something that everyone struggles with at least once in their lives, whether it's an addiction to drugs or an addiction to your cell phone. Beautiful Boy is a very sad and influential movie but it also has hints of hopefulness. The movie changed me for the better and gave me a new perspective on every person that I see.
Beautiful Boy is a heart wrenching film based on a true story and directed by Felix Van Groeningen. It stars a teenage boy named Nic Sheff (Timothée Chalamet) and his father, David Sheff (Steve Carell). Nic is addicted to drugs, and it tears his life apart. Nic’s dad struggles to keep him alive while still trying to support their family. This movie brings a new perspective to how drugs can affect a person and everyone around them.
At first it was kind of strange for me to see Steve Carell playing such a serious and intense role, due to the fact that he is most famously known for playing Micheal Scott in the very goofy show, The Office. But both him and Chalamet do a wonderful job of truly diving into their characters and embracing their roles. The movie is incredibly sad, but it's also incredibly real, and it's a great representation of what many people go through on a daily basis. The relationship between Nic and his father is so powerful and authentic that even people who haven’t struggled with drugs can see themselves in these characters. Addiction is something that everyone struggles with at least once in their lives, whether it's an addiction to drugs or an addiction to your cell phone. Beautiful Boy is a very sad and influential movie but it also has hints of hopefulness. The movie changed me for the better and gave me a new perspective on every person that I see.
Lady Bird
Lady Bird is a coming-of-age movie directed by Greta Gerwig, who is one of my favorite directors. It stars Christine, or “Lady Bird,” (Saoirse Ronan) and her mother, Marion (Laurie Metcalf). The movie mainly focuses on the relationship between Lady Bird and her mother, but it also features the struggles of high school, friends, boyfriends, and financial issues.
I’m a sucker for this style of indie coming-of-age movies, so I had to include this on my list, even though Timothée Chalamet isn’t a big part of it. It’s the classic tale of a quirky teenage girl rebelling against her family and navigating high school. We see this sort of plot in countless other movies, but this film just does it so well. I believe that it's better than the run-of-the-mill version of the trope due to how realistically everything flows. Everything about the movie is just so so real. Anyone would be able to find themselves in at least one of the characters. Chalamet plays Kyle, Lady Bird’s jerk of a boyfriend. Ronan and Chalamet are both in Gerwig’s adaptation of Little Women, released last year, and Ronan explains how she was glad she had a chance to break his heart just like he broke hers in Lady Bird. Lady Bird is such a great movie, and after watching it I just felt pure satisfaction because of how real and true it was.
Lady Bird is a coming-of-age movie directed by Greta Gerwig, who is one of my favorite directors. It stars Christine, or “Lady Bird,” (Saoirse Ronan) and her mother, Marion (Laurie Metcalf). The movie mainly focuses on the relationship between Lady Bird and her mother, but it also features the struggles of high school, friends, boyfriends, and financial issues.
I’m a sucker for this style of indie coming-of-age movies, so I had to include this on my list, even though Timothée Chalamet isn’t a big part of it. It’s the classic tale of a quirky teenage girl rebelling against her family and navigating high school. We see this sort of plot in countless other movies, but this film just does it so well. I believe that it's better than the run-of-the-mill version of the trope due to how realistically everything flows. Everything about the movie is just so so real. Anyone would be able to find themselves in at least one of the characters. Chalamet plays Kyle, Lady Bird’s jerk of a boyfriend. Ronan and Chalamet are both in Gerwig’s adaptation of Little Women, released last year, and Ronan explains how she was glad she had a chance to break his heart just like he broke hers in Lady Bird. Lady Bird is such a great movie, and after watching it I just felt pure satisfaction because of how real and true it was.
Miss Stevens
Miss Stevens is a movie directed by Julia Hart. The movie is about an English teacher (Lily Rabe), whose job is to chaperone three students for the weekend at a drama competition. One of the students, Billy, played by Timothée Chalamet, starts to build a close bond with the teacher during the trip.
This movie is probably my least favorite out of the others, but in no way is it bad. It just didn’t have as big of an impact on me. For the most part, it’s pretty light hearted, but it does delve into many serious and emotional topics. As a person who has been in many performances and theatre activities in the past, I related to many of the theatre references. In the film, Chalamet has a beautiful monologue filled with pure, raw emotion. This movie made me laugh and cry and I think it's a great pick if you don’t want to watch something as emotionally scarring as Call Me by Your Name or Beautiful Boy.
Miss Stevens is a movie directed by Julia Hart. The movie is about an English teacher (Lily Rabe), whose job is to chaperone three students for the weekend at a drama competition. One of the students, Billy, played by Timothée Chalamet, starts to build a close bond with the teacher during the trip.
This movie is probably my least favorite out of the others, but in no way is it bad. It just didn’t have as big of an impact on me. For the most part, it’s pretty light hearted, but it does delve into many serious and emotional topics. As a person who has been in many performances and theatre activities in the past, I related to many of the theatre references. In the film, Chalamet has a beautiful monologue filled with pure, raw emotion. This movie made me laugh and cry and I think it's a great pick if you don’t want to watch something as emotionally scarring as Call Me by Your Name or Beautiful Boy.
Chalamet will be featured in two new movies that I look forward to. Dune is coming out December 18th of this year, it's based on the novel written by Frank Herbert and it stars Chalamet and Zendaya. I’m much more excited, however, for The French Dispatch, which is directed by Wes Anderson, one of my favorite directors, and features many talented and notable actors such as Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Saoirse Ronan, Timothée Chalamet (of course), and many more.
Chalamet is a great actor. He can wonderfully play many very different characters, and he most definitely deserves the attention that he is gaining. I encourage you to watch one of these great movies.
