It’s Chris Evans’ 39th Birthday! Here’s Some of His Best Cinematic Moments to Celebrate

Kaity
Kaity - Co-Director
10 Min Read

It is Chris Evans’ 39th birthday! He’s Captain America, the best dog dad, and a man who trends on Twitter for simply just existing. We’ve compiled a (short) list of some of his best cinematic moments throughout his esteemed career.

Image courtesy of ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’

While these may be his best on-screen performances, his talents and just all around decency in his off-screen actions speak louder than any of these ever could. So happiest of birthdays to one of the good ones. We appreciate you for sharing your talents, your wisdom, your heart, and Dodger with us. We hope your day is everything you deserve and more.

Without further ado, here are seven of Chris Evans’ best movie scenes.

Knives Out (2019)

Image courtesy of Lionsgate

We’re starting hot and heavy … literally, with Ransom Drysdale. The cable knit thirst heard ’round the world originated in this 2019 Rian Johnson whodunnit. It rightfully earned many Hollywood award nominations, including an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay, but humankind as we know it all reigned victorious as Chris Evans sneered “eat sh*t” to the barrage of A-List actors before him, Biscoff cookie in hand. Seriously, Rian … if you’re reading this, thank you.

Knives Out is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Oh Captain, my Captain. Evans’ tenure as Steve Rogers a.k.a Captain America came to a climactic end in 2019 with Avengers: Endgame, and while the world may not completely agree on the manner of Steve’s exit from his role as leader of the Avengers, one thing that is unanimous is that there was no greater scene than Captain Rogers picking up Mjolnir and proving what we all honestly knew already — that he is worthy of the power of Thor — and nailing some major purple chin. Theaters erupted into cheers, some of us cried (maybe that was just me), and it was the perfect ending to Steve Rogers’ arc. This definitely makes the list of Evans’ best movie moments, but a really strong case could be made for it being one of the most iconic moments in cinematic history as a whole (that’s right, I said it and I meant it).

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Image courtesy of Marvel

I know, I know, Steve Rogers again, but he did seven movies as the Captain, so more than one moment was bound to be worthy of highlighting. The elevator scene … come on, it’s just amazing. It also earns a nod because the man himself is proud of this particular scene, naming it as one of his favorites during his time playing the role. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is renowned as one of the best MCU films to date, and Steve Rogers fans won’t argue. This film proved what Steve was really capable of, morally and physically, and this scene was an important element to showcasing Captain America, his skills, and how he’d adapted to fighting in current times.

You can find Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Endgame, streaming on Disney+, along with most other Marvel Cinematic Universe films.

Gifted (2017)

Image courtesy of FilmNation Entertainment

Cue the waterworks. Gifted, along with every other film that you’ll see on this list, are really “hidden treasures” in the Evans filmography. He stars as Frank Adler, the uncle and guardian to an incredibly gifted little girl after her mother, Frank’s sister, passes away. This is a heavy hitter emotions wise, and it’s got Evans in dad-mode, albeit reluctant, but still … Oh and a brief appearance of an aloha shirt, if you needed more convincing. This scene in particular is incredibly done by not only Chris Evans, but also his amazing co-star McKenna Grace. They really nailed the art of plucking at heartstrings. Gifted is an incredibly important film, and I could effectively ramble on for a long while. It focuses intently on family and exactly what it means — the sacrifices, trials, tribulations, and ultimately the power of love. If you haven’t watched it, please do.

Snowpiercer (2013)

Image courtesy of TWC

This is still my favorite film in the Evans filmography; it has yet to be dethroned. Directed by Oscar winner Bong Joon-ho, Snowpiercer is a dystopian sci-fi pic taking place solely aboard a train that houses the last of the human race. Evans stars as the leader of the revolt, Curtis Everett, as the march to the front of the train to get justice for the “lower class” in the tail section. This moment launched the entire film, and it’s such a power move. Curtis is an incredibly multi-faceted, deeply layered character and Evans has the incredible ability to bring all of Curtis’ swirling, and at times uncontrollable, emotions to life with just his expressions. This was one of the roles that showcased the real range of his talent, along with the film I highlight next.

Snowpiercer is currently streaming on Netflix in the US.

Puncture (2011)

Image courtesy of Millennium Entertainment

No one’s seen this film (besides dedicated fans. I see you). It’s based on a true story about lawyer Mike Weiss and his partner taking on Big Pharma. Fun fact: Evans was offered the role of Steve Rogers while filming this (for the details on that check out his episode on the Awards Chatter podcast from The Hollywood Reporter)As I said above, this was another one that really proved who Evans is as an actor, the only tragedy being well, Mike, but also that this film didn’t get a wide release. Evans is really proud of this film, and so are we, along with the morals that Mike Weiss upheld in this scene as his partner tried to convince him to drop the case.

Puncture is available on Amazon Prime Video in the US.

The Losers (2010)

Image courtesy of Warner Bros.

We’re topping off this list with Jake Jensen and his elevator scene. Two elevator scenes on one list … maybe it’s cheap, maybe it’s a coincidence. The Losers follows an eclectic group of special operatives who are betrayed in the middle of a mission and set out to get some good old fashioned revenge. Jensen is the hacker of the group and, on his way up to perform his very important task, he does a little bonus show to shake people off his tail. I won’t tell you if it worked or not, but I do recommend checking out this film. But I will say … “Don’t Stop Believin’.” Plus, Evans’ mom, Lisa, has said this character is closest to how Chris is in real life.

Image courtesy of ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’

Please note: I’ve left out Defending Jacob on purpose to save any stragglers who haven’t watched from spoilers, but those who have watched, the balcony scene from episode 8, “After,” would have made this list.

So there you have it! Maybe you’ve seen all of these, or maybe to celebrate Evans’ big day you’ll sit down and check out one or two that you may need to watch still.

Happy Birthday, Chris! We can’t wait to see the launch of the new civic engagement website, A Starting Point (launch TBD), and all the future projects we know you’re going to knock out of Fenway Park.

Post-Credits Scene

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By Kaity Co-Director
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Kaity started with Harry Potter in second grade and it’s been a losing battle ever since, or maybe a winning one ... She lives in New England with a small herd of cats, two dogs, three chinchillas, and one daughter. You can definitely find her either watching anime, reading manga, or playing the same five video games over and over again. Contact: kaity@nerdsandbeyond.com
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