Travolta: His top five performances

Today is John Travolta’s birthday. The once-and-always Vinnie Barbarino is 56. In his honor, and since I don’t think I can find 10 of his films that I like, I’ve decided to make a list of his top 5 and bottom 5 movies. And here they are:

Let’s start with the the best:

5. Jan Schlichtman, “A Civil Action” (1998) : Travolta stars as a cocky lawyer who takes on the case of his life. In searching for justice, he ends up losing his practice … even as he finds his soul.

4. Gov. Jack Stanton, “Primary Colors” (1998) : Travolta is spot on as a Bill Clinton-like presidential candidate whose likeable personality masks his essential human weaknesses.

3. Chili Palmer, “Get Shorty” (1995) : Bringing Elmore Leonard’s leg-breaking protagonist to life, Travolta grabs the screen and holds it. His Chili Palmer is a much smarter version of Rocky Balboa, without the melodrama and soaring musical score.

2. Tony Manero, “Saturday Night Fever” (1977) : Still raw and known to millions as Vinnie Barbarino, from TV’s “Welcome Back Kotter,” Travolta blazed across the screen as a Brooklyn kid hungry to find the kind of success he sees across the Hudson in … Manhattan.

1. Vincent Vega, “Pulp Fiction” (1994) : Cool and in control, as only a Quentin Tarantino killer can be, Travolta’s Vega is a heroic addict who can be tough, can banter with the wife of his murderous boss and still handle himself in a medical situation that would cause most of the rest of us to sit on our thumbs. And he could do the twist.

Runners-up: “Blow Out,” “Carrie,” “Grease,” “Hairspray,” “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3.”

I’ll save the bottom five for a second post. After all, that list comprises most of the rest of his career.

Below : The twist sequence from “Pulp Fiction.”