The best Andrew Garfield movies that aren’t Spider-Man, ranked

Andrew Garfield, the guy who made us all root for Peter Parker again, is so much more than just a man in spandex swinging around New York, as the actor's filmography is diverse.

Ever since he broke out in the mid-2000s, he has picked these raw, complicated roles that rip your guts out. Critics love him, fans adore him (not just the Marvel crowd), and his trophy shelf probably needs reinforcement by now. He is not afraid to dig into human stuff, play with moral gray areas, or tackle stories that say something.

So, today, we are ranking the top Andrew Garfield flicks that don’t involve Spider-Man. This isn’t just us spitballing. We have combed through reviews, a few brainy academic takes, and plenty of film nerd chatter from social media.

If a film has people quoting it, memeing it, or if another actor is gushing about it, that counts too. Basically, it is the Andrew Garfield canon, ranked by who is talking, who is watching, and who is still obsessed.

Disclaimer: This article contains the writer's opinion. Readers’ discretion is advised.

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Best Andrew Garfield movies to watch

The Social Network (2010)

Director: David Fincher

Role: Eduardo Saverin

If you want to discuss Andrew Garfield shattering you emotionally, you have to start here. The Social Network is, no joke, a masterclass in dialogue, icy stares, and watching friendships dissolve. Garfield’s Eduardo Saverin is the only guy in the room who seems…human. It chronicles the origins of Facebook, with the actor playing co-founder and eventual litigant against Mark Zuckerberg.

Critics and film geeks drool over Garfield’s “heartbreaking vulnerability.” He is the heart of the movie, and without him, it is just a bunch of Harvard people stabbing each other in the back with code. The way he delivers every line is nuanced, raw, and just devastating at times. It even snagged a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

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Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

Director: Mel Gibson

Role: Desmond Doss

Here, Andrew Garfield is a WWII medic who refuses to pick up a gun. He turns Desmond Doss, a real-life pacifist, into a walking, talking moral dilemma who, somehow, manages to survive total hell on earth. The guy runs into battle with nothing but a prayer and a first-aid kit.

People lost their minds over how sincere and open Garfield was in this. Critics and Oscar voters loved it. Garfield got his first Best Actor nomination for this one, and the film itself racked up a pile of nominations. The film gets rewatched when people want to ugly-cry (or just watch insane war scenes).

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Never Let Me Go (2010)

Director: Mark Romanek

Role: Tommy D

If you thought Black Mirror was bleak, buckle up. Andrew Garfield’s Tommy is this open wound of a person (so sensitive, so doomed), and it is tough to watch at times. He is up there with Carey Mulligan and Keira Knightley, both crushing it, and the chemistry is just insane.

People in academia get all philosophical about his “posthuman pathos,” but at the end of the day, it is Garfield’s rawness that makes the whole thing stick with you. The movie is allegedly sci-fi, but it hits you.

Furthermore, Garfield grabbed the BAFTA Rising Star award for Never Let Me Go.

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Tick, Tick ... Boom! (2021)

Director: Lin-Manuel Miranda

Role: Jonathan Larson

Andrew Garfield, the Spider-Man guy, is belting out musical numbers. He portrays Rent composer Jonathan Larson. You could feel him living every high and low; none of that phoning-it-in stuff you sometimes get when actors try musicals for the first time. He just went for it, and it paid off.

The actor won a Golden Globe for this and got another Oscar nomination. Social media was buzzing with “30/90” and “Why” numbers. The film turned Garfield into a musical theater icon overnight.

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99 Homes (2014)

Director: Ramin Bahrani

Role: Dennis Nash

Imagine the chaos after the 2008 housing crash, but more personal. Andrew Garfield is just a regular dad, suddenly pushing morality aside to work for a shark of a real estate broker. The film’s brutal honesty about the American dream going up in flames is why it keeps popping up in social cinema classes.

Garfield doesn’t just play desperate; he owns it, making you feel that gut-punch anxiety. Surely, Michael Shannon chews the scenery as the villain, but it is Garfield holding everything together, the guy you can’t stop watching even while your heart’s breaking for him.

99 Homes is the movie where people stopped seeing Garfield as “that Spider-Man guy.”

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Silence (2016)

Director: Martin Scorsese

Role: Father Sebastião Rodrigues

Andrew Garfield slips into the skin of a Jesuit priest wandering 17th-century Japan, wrestling with faith while everything is falling apart. It is not a popcorn flick; this is Scorsese deep in his let’s ask the big questions phase. Critics and even many theologians couldn't stop digging into the film’s dark, complicated spiritual themes.

Garfield spends half the movie staring into the abyss, and you can’t look away. It didn’t rake in the box office bucks, but if you like movies that leave you lying awake at night, this is your jam. It also earned a BAFTA nomination for Garfield.

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The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)

Director: Michael Showalter

Role: Jim Bakker

Andrew Garfield plays televangelist Jim Bakker. He is bouncing off Jessica Chastain, and together they turn this biopic into pure spectacle. Critics were all over the place on the movie itself, but Garfield nails Bakker’s mix of charm and cluelessness.

Chastain walked away with the Oscar, but Garfield gave the whole thing a pulse. He is vulnerable, has that sketchy smile, and is a total scene-stealer.

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Under the Silver Lake (2018)

Director: David Robert Mitchell

Role: Sam

It has a neo-noir, conspiracy, and a bit of LA all mashed together. Andrew Garfield plays this aimless guy, Sam, who stumbles into a rabbit hole of Hollywood secrets.

Critics were split; some called it pretentious, others thought it was pure genius, but film buffs loved it. Garfield’s performance here is something else. It has a slacker energy mixed with paranoia and a pinch of existential dread.

The film has a massive cult following online, and film schools love dissecting this thing for its postmodern, genre-bending theme.

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We Live in Time (2024)

Director: John Crowley

Role: Almut

Andrew Garfield collaborates with Florence Pugh for a romance that is all about life’s big stuff: Love, loss, aging, and that ticking clock. Critics and fans raved about Garfield’s face, as he could show a whole existential crisis with just one look. Additionally, his chemistry with Pugh was off the charts.

And the film is not just getting buzz for the acting, but also for how real Garfield has been in interviews. Folks can’t get enough of how genuine he comes across, both on screen and off. Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com writes:

"But it’s Garfield who really shines in my eyes, conveying concern, anger, and deep sadness through that remarkably expressive face of his. They’re both truly great, not just in their ability to overcome a script that sometimes feels like it’s fighting against their character development but in how much they can do with such small, nuanced acting choices."

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Boy A (2007)

Director: John Crowley

Role: Jack Burridge

This is the one film that put Andrew Garfield on the map. He plays Jack, a guy trying to rebuild his life after serving time for a crime he committed as a kid. The film is heartbreakingly human. Critics loved Garfield's performance, and he took home the BAFTA for Best Actor.

People in film studies still discuss how real and painful his take on guilt and forgiveness feels; nobody does the haunted, trying-to-be-good thing quite like Garfield. It is a poster child for British realism in 2000s cinema.