Top 10 Steve Carell Movies: Is Anchorman Number One?

Steve Carell has come a long way since he was a correspondent for Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. He has become quite the movie star and is back this week alongside Jim Carrey in the dueling magicians comedy The Incredible Burt Wonderstone.

When he left his comfy confines of The Office, we were quite sad, but given that we simply adore his big screen work, in hindsight we're thrilled he now has the time to focus on film. As teased in The Incredible Burt Wonderstone trailer, Carell is the title character. He is a huge Las Vegas magic star, until Carrey's Criss Angel-type character challenges his supremacy.

From small, scene-stealing parts in Bruce Almighty and Anchorman to headlining his own films -- such as The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Date Night -- Carell is now a bona fide movie star. Movie Fanatic looks at his entire career and proudly presents the Top 10 Steve Carell movies!

10. Bruce Almighty
Carell is no stranger to starring alongside his The Incredible Burt Wonderstone co-star Carrey. In 2003, Carell starred as a local news anchor that stood in the way of Carrey's title character and his dreams of being the evening news' leading man. Carell's arrogance meets cluelessness was pitch perfect.

One of the man's funniest scenes of all time (check it out above!) happens when Carrey "takes over" his vocal cords while on the air and Carell launches into a losing-his-mind rant of biblical proportions. Check out our Bruce Almighty quotes for more!

9. Date Night
Carell proved he could be a leading man that could be a romantic lead as well in Date Night. He was impeccably cast opposite Tina Fey as a husband and wife who went out in New York City seeking a little spice to their marriage and got so much more.

8. Dan in Real Life
The actor toned it down a bit and showed more of his range than ever before in Dan in Real Life. The film also featured one of our favorite actresses, Juliette Binoche (who needs to be working more!), in a story that had equal parts life-affirming message, humor and romance.

7. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
By the time his dramedy that co-starred Keira Knightley hit theaters in 2012, seeing Carell as a man who can balance drama and humor was nothing new. Yet, as we stated in our Seeking a Friend for the End of the World review, there was something truly special about Carell's performance as a man who faces the end of the world with strength, vulnerability and believe it or not... hope.

6. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
Where to even start with Carell's latest? Besides Carell looking utterly the part of a Las Vegas magician in The Incredible Burt Wonderstone poster, he embodies every ounce of the Vegas showman that has become an iconic part of pop culture. He again stars opposite Carrey and the two put on a comedic clinic.

This is also not a one-note movie for Carell as his character experiences the lows of rejection as a young man, success as a grown-up and the universal appeal of someone who can get knocked down, only to get back up again and triumph.

5. Despicable Me
Where on earth did Carell find that accent? In Despicable Me, the funnyman channels some sort of Eastern European madman bent on world domination who has his evil heart warmed with the presence of several young children that enter his care. The film is heartwarming and hilarious and is so beloved... we're getting a sequel. Check out the Despicable Me 2 trailer!

4. Crazy, Stupid, Love
Carell is ever perfecting his lovable schlub and none of his roles in that vein were as spot-on as he is opposite the suave Ryan Gosling emitting those awesome Crazy, Stupid, Love quotes. Over the course of the film, Carell is the picture of perfection and it will be roles like this that one day the Academy will break its stupid no-comedy rule and award Carell an Oscar for work in films such as Crazy, Stupid, Love.

3. Little Miss Sunshine
I believe it was Carell's turn in Little Miss Sunshine that really showed the world he could be more than a simple comedic buffoon on the big screen and small. His somewhat suicidal character had the audience pulling for him from the get-go in this Oscar-nominated charmer. Little Miss Sunshine also showed that Carell can be, and excels at, a part of an acting ensemble. Most comedians crave the spotlight; Carell is content to just be a spoke in the wheel of a solid story.

2. The 40 Year Old Virgin
While still starring on The Office, Carell made his onscreen leading man debut in a film that became a blockbuster: The 40 Year Old Virgin. The comic starred as a man who yes, was still a virgin at the age of 40. The film is pure Judd Apatow and has his usual cast of characters, including Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd. But it is Carell who announces to the world his screen presence in this stellar comedy.

1. Anchorman
Again, not a Carell starring movie as he has a supporting role, but Anchorman is Carell's best film for us to date. To say we're excited for his return with the Channel 4 news crew in Anchorman 2 is one of the great understatements of all-time. Carell took his comedic buffoonery to the ninth power with his turn as the weatherman who might be able to tell San Diegans whether it will be raining, but when the camera's off... he can barely string two sentences together. Of course he does have a great voice singing Afternoon Delight!