Meat Loaf will always be known for his music career, with chart-topping songs like “Paradise By the Dashboard Light” and “I Would Do Anything For Love” from his Bat Out of Hell Trilogy. While his big voice and awe-inspiring concert performances will live on after his death in 2022, he also left behind a series of great movie roles for fans of the silver screen.

Meat Loaf broke out with the cult favorite The Rocky Horror Picture Show before he ever released his first album. However, for many fans of a certain age, it is his role in the David Fincher cult classic Fight Club that holds a favorite place in their hearts, and fans on IMDb have certainly made their voice known when it comes to what Meat Loaf movie performances fans should seek out.

10 Wishin’ And Hopin’ (2014) – 6.6

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Meat Loaf starred in the 2014 movie Wishin’ and Hopin’, a coming-of-age comedy with Molly Ringwald and Chevy Chase as the biggest names. However, the movie, based on the novel by Wally Lamb, was actually about a young boy in elementary school who finds his life changes when the school starts to cast for its Christmas pageant.

The legendary singer Meat Loaf takes on the role of Monsignor Muldoon in this Lifetime movie. Fans seemed to appreciate it, giving it a 6.6 IMDb rating. They called it “surprisingly good” that was both a touching and funny “holiday throwback” movie.

9 Beautiful Boy (2010) – 6.6

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Meat Loaf took on a small role in the 2010 drama movie Beautiful Boy. The movie starred Maria Bello and Michael Sheen as parents of a young teen who died after executing a school shooting. Meat Loaf is a motel manager who gives them a room, but has disdain for them because of what their son did.

The movie had an above-average 6.6 score from IMDb users. The fans called the movie “grinding misery” and “magnificent depression,” which probably explains how it could polarize fans who appreciated the story but struggled to get through it.

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8 Focus (2001) – 6.7

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Released in 2001, Focus was a movie that took place shortly after World War II and showed the discrimination that had creeped into American society at this point in history. The movie starred William H. Macy as a man who got new prescription glasses and his neighbors decided it made him look like a Jewish man.

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Meat Loaf plays the man who leads the neighbors on in their focused rage against a man based on anti-Semitism. IMDb fans gave the movie a 6.7 rating, with critics calling it meandering and fans calling it a movie full of terrific performances.

7 Tenacious D In The Pick Of Destiny (2006) – 6.8

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Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny was a movie that allowed Jack Black to bring his comedy rock band to the big screen. In the movie, Black and his partner in crime Kyle Gass set out to find the mythical pick of destiny and become the greatest rock band of all time.

The movie started with Jack finding the scorn of his overly religious family and when his father, played by Meat Loaf, sang the rules for living in his home, Jack ran away to find his destiny. IMDb users rated it at a 6.8 with Jack Black fans loving it and critics not always getting the point.

6 Wayne’s World (1992) – 7.0

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In 1992, Mike Myers and Dana Carvey brought their Saturday Night Live skit Wayne’s World to the big screen. In the movie, Wayne and Garth continued to produce their cable access show while meeting Alice Cooper. Meat Loaf played a doorman in Wayne’s World who let them skip the line to get in to see their favorite bands.

Fans on IMDb gave the movie a strong 7.0 score. Fans of the movie praised its comedy and party attitude while critics considered it dated and silly.

5 The Salton Sea (2002) – 7.1

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In 2002, Val Kilmer starred in the movie The Salton Sea. Kilmer plays Danny, an addict who parties almost all the time and also moonlights as a narc for two corrupt police officers. Meat Loaf has a very small role in the movie as Bo in the flashback scenes where Danny’s wife was murdered.

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IMDb users ranked the movie at a 7.1. Critics called it a film that had great character but a weak story while those who praised it commented in its drama and stylish.

4 Polish Bar (2010) – 7.2

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One of Meat Loaf’s lesser-known movies arrived in 2010 and has quite a few fans on IMDb. The movie is called Polish Bar and stars Vincent Piazza as Rueben, a young man who is tired of his family’s jewelry business and decides he wants to become a DJ at a club, working for Polish criminals.

Meat Loaf stars in the movie as Joe, the man who runs the club he goes to work at. The movie has a 7.2 rating on IMDb, with most of the credit going to writer-director Ben Berkowitz.

3 The Mighty (1998) – 7.3

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In 1998, Meat Loaf had a small role in the movie The Mighty. Based on the best-selling, beloved children’s book Freak the Mighty, the stars here are two kids – one with Morquio syndrome and the second a large boy with dyslexia. Together, the kids learn how to make it through school together.

Meat Loaf is a former gang leader who knew Max, the larger boys, dad, who is in prison for murder. Fans on IMDb gave the movie a 7.3, fans calling it a “film for children of all ages” and “heartwarming.”

2 The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) – 7.4

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Before Meat Loaf broke out with his hit album Bat Out of Hell, he made his name as an actor in one of the most successful musical comedy movies of all time. While The Rocky Horror Picture Show was a box-office bomb when it came out, it had legs no one saw coming. Meat Loaf played a man named Eddie who roared into the middle of the film and left a huge impression.

The movie has now run in theaters for more years than any other in history, still shown today at midnight screenings, over four decades later. Fans on IMDb love it, giving the movie a 7.4 score, calling it “the mother of all cult films.”

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1 Fight Club (1999) – 8.8

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The highest ranked Meat Loaf movie when it comes to IMDb users is the 1999 David Fincher movie Fight Club. In the film, Meat Loaf plays a man named Robert, who has dealt with trauma in his  life but finally finds happiness when he joins the underground fight club from the title.

It is his death in the story that almost brings the fight club down, yet bonds them closer together than ever. The movie has a very high 8.8 rating on IMDb, calling it a “tour de force” and a “thought provoking” film.

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About The Author


Shawn S. Lealos
(829 Articles Published)

Shawn S. Lealos is a senior writer on ScreenRant who fell in love with movies in 1989 after going to the theater to see Tim Burton’s Batman as his first big screen experience.

Shawn received his Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma with a minor in Film Studies. He has worked as a journalist for over 25 years, first in the world of print journalism before moving to online media as the world changed. Shawn is a former member of the Society of Professional Journalists and current member of the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle. He has work published in newspapers such as Daily Oklahoman and Oklahoma Gazette and magazines such as Vox Magazine, Loud Magazine, and Inside Sports Magazine. His work on the Internet has been featured on websites like The Huffington Post, Yahoo Movies, Chud, Renegade Cinema, 411mania, and Sporting News.

Shawn is also a published author, with a non-fiction book about the Stephen King Dollar Baby Filmmakers and has begun work on a new fiction series as well. Visit Shawn Lealos’ website to learn more about his novel writing and follow him on Twitter @sslealos.

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