Justin Long is good-looking, talented, and fabulous. But he has one major flaw, and that is that he is not Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Both have been acting for most of their lives, both are attractive young men about the same age (Long is a few years older), and both have just made the transition from smaller film roles to big-budget pictures. Now this isn’t to discredit the many films the two have made, but rather explain the difference between them. But for our purposes today, there can be only one winner and it’s going to be a tough call.

No longer just that kid from 3rd Rock from the Sun, the teenage noir film Brick reintroduced Joseph Gordon-Levitt to the filmgoing public and demanded that everyone sit up and take notice. Though there were a fair number of films in between, (500) Days of Summer put the idea of JGL firmly into the head of every indie girl from Los Angeles to New York. Playing the perfect boyfriend, relationship drama was taken to a new level as we walked through an entire relationship from beginning to end. But it was sweet, and it showed us such a different side of a young man who had played it harsh in Mysterious Skin and Brick. Through it all, there was Gordon-Levitt — charming, engaging, and perfect in each role. And then Inception happened. The movie that everyone in the world wanted to see, obsess over, and discuss endlessly. You want to know what Inception was about? Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Tom Hardy wearing suits. Nothing else mattered. To stand out in such an accomplished ensemble cast is quite difficult, but Gordon-Levitt made it happen. Now there’s even talk that JGL will appear as The Riddler in the newest Batman film, and he’s teaming up again with Brick director Rian Johnson for a futuristic thriller, Looper. From the small independent film world to some of the biggest movies being made, Gordon-Levitt has certainly made some excellent choices so far.

Justin Long hasn’t been acting for quite as long as Gordon-Levitt, and looking over his credits, his resume is filled with cameos and plenty of voice acting. Worthy of note is his cameo in Zack and Miri Make a Porno, where he plays flamboyant and outrageous and pretty much the only amusing character in that train wreck of a film. Long also appeared in He’s Just Not That Into You, a film that I found surprisingly hateful toward relationships and women. He’s spent some time firmly in the supporting character position, but takes center stage in Going the Distance, a new rom-com with Drew Barrymore. The film looks pretty funny, especially with the inclusion of the amazing Charlie Day. Still, what he might be best known for is the ever-present image of the hip young dude in the “I’m a Mac” commercials. It feels like he’s been around forever, always on the fringe of what’s happening. Long simply hasn’t given me enough to go on; there aren’t enough film roles that show his abilities one direction or another. At best, we can say that he seems like an extremely affable young man, and we want to see more of him front and center.

Gordon-Levitt seems to have made it a point to appear in good movies, and Justin Long has taken a much less picky approach, lending his voice to such films as Alvin and the Chipmunks. Some people might call that “paying the mortgage.” Both approaches are valid, but Gordon-Levitt has showed us his range, from abject broken misery to the heights of love and desire. Justin Long, while amusing in the film roles he has so far chosen, simply hasn’t impressed the way that Gordon-Levitt has. When I hear that JGL is going to be in another film, I know that it’s going to be good and something worth watching. If only we could trust all actors in the same way. Every once in a while you come across someone who is so different, so remarkable that you can’t help but root for them, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt has our vote of confidence.

Tags: joseph gordon-levitt, justin long