I Watched Three Ray Nicholson Movies In The Past Year. Why I Think He's One Of The Best Up-And-Comers In The Game

I don’t know about you, but I am quite sick of the nepo baby debate. I could not care less about who a celebrity’s parents are as long as they are good at what they do. Yet, there are still many artists working today whose genuine talents are ignorantly dismissed simply because they were born into privilege, and I think one such victim of this is Ray Nicholson.

The actor has experienced a steady rise in notoriety as of late, but based on posts I have seen about him on social media, many cannot seem to look past the fact that he is the son of Jack Nicholson. Now, I cannot say I blame them since the man does boast a striking resemblance to the three-time Oscar winner, but he also seems to have inherited more than that from his father. Allow me to explain by looking back at the three Ray Nicholson movies I have seen recently that convince me his skill exceeds his lineage.

Ray Nicholson Steals The Show With Just His Grin In Smile 2

My introduction to Ray Nicholson was one of the best horror movies of 2024 (let alone one of the best movies of 2024, if you ask me), Smile 2. He appears as Paul Hudson, the late boyfriend of troubled pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), for only a few minutes, but he is still a prominent figure in the film’s marketing.

It is easy to understand why we saw his face on the poster since his toothy grin lends perfectly to the terrifying sequel’s creepy concept of a shapeshifting, parasitic demon that makes its presence known by flashing its chompers. Yet, the actor also makes every minute of his performance count, especially with his commanding presence in a harrowing flashback sequence opposite Scott.

Ray Nicholson Brings The Pain In Novocaine

I expressed in a previous article that I feel the final act of the new action movie, Novocaine, is a slight letdown. My main issue is that Nicholson’s dastardly character, Simon, seems to be as resilient as the hero, Nathan Caine (played by Jack Quaid, who also has famous parents, Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan), who literally cannot feel pain.

However, that is my only major complaint with the flick because, in my book, Simon earns a place among the most wonderfully over-the-top action movie villains of all time with a sniveling performance by Nicholson that never feels out of place. In fact, if I had another flaw to point out, it would be that he was not in the thriller enough.

Ray Nicholson Makes Borderline Somewhat Watchable

Not all of my experiences with Nicholson’s latest films have been pleasant, I must admit. I most recently caught him in a dark comedy called Borderline (now available to rent or buy on Amazon), in which he plays a delusional mental patient who breaks into the home of a pop star (played by beloved Scream Queen Samara Weaving) with the intent to marry her.

I personally believe that director Jimmy Warden’s feature debut suffers from a meandering, one-joke mess of a script that never quite finds the right momentum to be fun. However, I still had flashes of a good time, and 99.9% of the credit goes to Nicholson for the irresistibly manic energy he brings to his deeply troubled role.

So, if you still want to call Ray Nicholson a “nepo baby,” go right ahead. I, for one, believe he brings nothing but honor to the title, and I cannot wait to see what he surprises the world with next.