Since 2000, the movie musical has also made a major comeback with films like Chicago and Dreamgirls. Comedy got raunchier (The 40 Year Old Virgin, Anchorman), weirder (Napoleon Dynamite, Wet Hot American Summer), and more female-centric (Mean Girls, Legally Blonde, Ghost World), while Pixar, acquired by Disney in 2006, became the premiere studio for animated family entertainment (Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., Up). Franchises and sequels were not yet crowding all other movies off the marquee, but studios began to see glimpses of the future in hits like Iron Man, The Bourne Identity, The Fast and the Furious and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Hollywood’s digital effects became more impressive with every year, culminating in 2009’s major theatrical event, Avatar. And then there were all those incredible DenzelWashington performances (Training Day, Antwone Fisher, Remember the Titans). Here, in alphabetical order, are the best movies of the 2000s, which helped define the decade.
Best Movies of the 2000s
Almost Famous (2000)
A nostalgic drama that unfolds like a memory, Cameron Crowe’s loosely autobiographical film takes place just as the idealistic rock-and-roll culture of the 1960s is about to fully fade away. Patrick Fugit plays high school student William Miller, a wannabe rock journalist who talks his way into a Rolling Stone assignment: touring with an up-and-coming rock band (and their groupies, including a heartbreaking Kate Hudson) in the summer of 1973.
Amelie (2001)
The very definition of charming, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s visually inventive comedy stars Audrey Tautou as the title character, a shy Parisian waitress whose life changes when she decides to secretly help the people around her realize their dreams.
American Psycho(2000)
Toxic masculinity is the scariest monster of all in director Mary Harron’s satirical horror classic. Christian Bale is unforgettable (and bizarrely hilarious) as chiseled sociopath Patrick Bateman, a 1980s Wall Street investment banker works to achieve perfection in all things – including his business cards, his skincare routine, and his hobby of violently killing women. Does he actually commit and openly boast about these crimes, or are they just his misanthropic fantasy? The film doesn’t offer an easy answer.
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
Are you in a glass case of emotion right now? Do you love lamp? Have you ever named a body part Doctor Kenneth Noisewater? Once you’ve seen director Adam McKay’s spectacularly silly comedy, starring Will Ferrell as a chauvinist news anchor in 1970s San Diego, you never stop quoting it.
Antwone Fisher(2002)
The story behind Denzel Washington’s powerful directorial debut is the stuff of Hollywood legend. The real Antwone Fisher was working as a security guard at Sony Pictures when he decided to write his life story. Producers were so enamored that his screenplay became a hot ticket. Washington plays every emotional beat with perfect pitch in his biopic, which tells the story of how Fisher (Derek Luke in a mighty screen debut) overcame a traumatic upbringing with the help of a U.S. Navy psychiatrist (Washington).
Avatar (2009)
If there was ever an argument for seeing films in a theater rather than streaming them at home, it’s the all-time box office topper Avatar. James Cameron’s sci-fi film, created with then-groundbreaking motion capture and 3D digital technology, welcomes the audience into a fantasy world so lush and detailed, you can practically smell the gorgeous alien flowers. (It’s no surprise Disney immediately snatched up the rights to turn Pandora into a theme park.) The story is a familiar one that hasn’t necessarily aged well (a soldier turns against his own army to protect the way of life of a native people, after a beautiful woman opens his eyes to their culture) but the film’s immersive environment is still a breathtaking achievement in cinema. Hopefully the decade-delayed sequels will measure up.
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)
Wearing a never-washed suit and sporting a fake Kazakhstani accent, British provocateur Sacha Baron Cohen captured an unsuspecting America at its cringiest with this guerilla-style comedy. An instant pop-culture sensation, Borat is as funny as it is shocking, and gave us enough catchphrases (“very nice”, ”my wife”) to last the rest of the decade.
The Bourne Identity (2002)
Based on the character created by novelist Robert Ludlum, the first Jason Bourne movie has a perfect spy thriller premise: a man (Matt Damon) wakes up in a foreign country with no idea who he is. He soon realizes that he possesses some highly unusual skills… and that someone is actively trying to kill him. Director Doug Liman never takes his foot off the gas as Bourne tries to simultaneously catch up with, and outrun, his own past.
Bridget Jones’ Diary (2001)
Thirty-two-year-old Londoner Bridget Jones (Renée Zellweger in her most lovable role) begins writing a diary in hopes of straightening out her life. But Sharon Maguire’s romantic comedy is a classic because it hilariously celebrates life’s messiness: drinking the whole bottle, wearing the wrong thing to a party, and dating the wrong guy in order to find the right one.
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Controversial upon release but beloved by critics and audiences, Ang Lee’s heartbreaking drama follows the forbidden romance of two ostensibly straight cowboys (Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal) across two decades. The film opened the gates a little further for Hollywood films about queer relationships, and Ledger’s taciturn performance (egregiously snubbed at Oscar time) is often considered the best of his too-short career.
Casino Royale (2006)
The James Bond franchise was already in its forties when the producers decided to give it a fresh start, making Casino Royale the origin story of a brand-new 007. Rougher around the edges than previous Bonds, wearing his emotions on his sleeve and those now-famous blue swim trunks on his chiseled hips, Daniel Craig instantly made the part his own. From its thrilling action scenes to Eva Green’s complex Bond girl to a more modern signature cocktail, Casino Royale recalibrated the Bond film to run smoothly for decades to come. Chicago (2002) Often credited with reviving the film musical for a new generation, Rob Marshall’s electric adaptation of the Broadway show brought Jazz Age crime and classic show tunes to the screen, with bold performances from Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renée Zellweger as glamorous, fame-hungry murderers.
Children of Men (2006)
As thrilling to watch as it is devastating,Cuaron’s sci-fi dystopia brings operatic drama and wait-that’s-impossible camera work to the story of a jaded former activist (CliveOwen) who must safely escort the last pregnant woman on Earth (Clare-HopeAshitey) out of a nightmarish future London.
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000)
The gravity-defying fights and breathtaking visuals of this Chinese martial arts fantasy captivated audiences worldwide, making itthe highest-grossing foreign language film in U.S. box office history. Ang Lee’s film, nominated for10ten Oscars, is still notable for putting its female warriors front and center, including force-to-be-reckoned-with Michelle Yeoh as Yu Shu Lien.
The Dark Knight (2008)
Eight years after the big-screen Batman achieved peak goofiness in Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin (played by George Clooney in an infamously nipple-enhanced Batsuit), Christopher Nolan reinvented the iconic character as a stripped-down, emotionally tortured loner in Batman Begins (2005). The second film in Nolan’s trilogy (starring a ripped and soulful-eyed Christian Bale) perfected his concept by introducing Heath Ledger’s merciless, unhinged Joker into this darker, grittier Gotham. In an age of superhero films made for grown-ups, it’s still the one against which all others are judged.
The Departed (2006)
Quintessential New York filmmaker Martin Scorsese got his long-awaited Academy Award for Best Director by heading to Boston for this twisty crime drama. A deeper, more character-driven remake of the (also excellent) Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs, this quadruple Oscar winner tells the story of two men with hidden agendas whose lives collide: a mobster (Matt Damon) working as a mole in the police department, and a cop (Leonardo DiCaprio) working undercover in the Irish Mob.
The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
This stylish comedy, based on Lauren Weisberger’s autobiographical novel about working as a fashion-magazine assistant, cleverly steals familiar rom-com tropes to tell a story of a young woman who falls for the wrong dream job, and ends up with the right one. Anne Hathaway plays the aspiring writer who ends up under the heel of a powerful, vicious editor, played with just the right touch of camp by Meryl Streep.That’s all.
Dreamgirls (2006)
A film adaptation of the 1981 Broadway show, itself inspired by Diana Ross and the Supremes, Dreamgirls is an irresistible pastiche of Motown Records-inspired songs and gorgeous period costumes. Jennifer Hudson’s powerhouse performance as tragic heroine Effie White remains one of the all-time great film debuts, while formidable talents Beyoncé and Eddie Murphy turn in two of their career-best film roles.
Elf (2003)
Many directors have tried and failed to make a new Christmas classic, but Jon Favreau knocked it out of Central Park with his imaginative, delightful holiday tale. Buddy (Will Ferrell), a human raised among elves at the North Pole, sets out to spread Christmas cheer in New York City after learning that his biological dad (James Caan) lives there…and is on Santa’s naughty list.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
The cynical brilliance of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and the whimsical humanism of director Michel Gondry found a perfect match in the sci-fi-tinged story of the heartbroken Joel (an understated Jim Carrey) who undergoes a procedure to erase memories of his ex-girlfriend Clementine (KateWinslet) from his brain. Once he realizes the value of those memories, he leads Clementine on a frantic hunt to get them back, resulting in a rare romantic comedy that treasures endings as well as beginnings.
The Fast and the Furious (2001)
If you’ve seen one of the more recent Fast and Furious movies, it probably involved Dwayne Johnson fighting a cyborg terrorist or Vin Diesel fleeing a heat-seeking missile by jumping his car over a submarine. It’s easy to forget that the franchise began with this low-budget action film about streetcar racing in Los Angeles. Simple though it may be, The Fast and the Furious has all the ingredients that would keep audiences watching for the next two decades: thrilling race scenes, a compelling cat-and-mouse chase between the LAPD (represented by Paul Walker as an undercover cop) and a motley crew of car-obsessed criminals, and a smoldering performance by Diesel as the gang’s enigmatic father figure Dominic Toretto.
Finding Nemo (2003)
One of Pixar’s most enduring films, the simple story of a young clownfish (voiced by AlexanderGould) who gets lost in the vast ocean, the neurotic father (Albert Brooks) who must conquer every fear to find him, and the amnesiac blue tang (Ellen DeGeneres) who proves to be the sea’s most valuable sidekick, taught a generation of kids to just keep swimming.
The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)
Steve Carell threads a tricky needle in his first leading film role. As Andy Stitzer, a friendly tech-store employee who is secretly still a virgin at 40, he has to be awkward enough for his situation to be believable, yet guileless and sweet enough for the audience to love him. Carell’s hilarious, believable performance (opposite a wonderful Catherine Keener) earned him instant leading-man status in Hollywood, in a film that also made stars of director Judd Apatow and the whole supporting cast (including Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Elizabeth Banks and Romany Malco).
Ghost World (2001)
Being on the brink between your teenage and adult years can be scary, exhilarating, confusing, hilarious, and depressing, sometimes all at once. Terry Zwigoff’s witty, empathetic comedy somehow captures all of it, through the story of outsider best friends Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) spending their first post-high school summer together. Steve Buscemi co-stars as a middle-aged, music-obsessed loner whom Enid befriends. Adapted from a cult-classic comic by Daniel Clowes, Ghost World is widely considered one of the most successful comics-to-screen adaptations outside of the superhero genre.
Gladiator (2000)
The return of the sword-and-sandal epic (which saw peak popularity in the 1960s with films like Spartacus) was the 2000s film trend that nobody saw coming. Then along came Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, a box-office juggernaut that combined outsized ancient-world drama and juicy, R-rated action sequences. The film won Oscars for Best Picture and Best Actor (with up-and-comer Russell Crowe beating Castaway’s Tom Hanks), and was followed by other Greco-Roman blockbusters like 300 and Troy.But hey, were we not entertained?
Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
The Harry Potter series peaked with this third installment, which introduces Dementors, the Marauder’s Map, and unreliable narrators to the series’ magic-dense universe. Acclaimed director Alfonso Cuaron brings a comedic edge and a thrilling sense of menace to Harry’s coming-of-age story, setting the elements into place that will drive the young wizard’s story for the next five films.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)
One of the most inventive film musicals ever made, John Cameron Mitchell’s lovable ode to drag, punk rock, and sexual fluidity features the first-time director in an unforgettable performance as the character he created for the stage.
Hotel Rwanda (2004)
After years of playing small roles and outshining bigger stars, Don Cheadle and Sophie Okonedo finally got the juicy dramatic leads (and Oscar nominations) they deserve with this emotional drama, based on the true story of a hotelier couple who sheltered refugees from both warring tribes during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
The Hurt Locker (2008)
The tension is frequently unbearable in Kathryn Bigelow’s Iraq War drama, based on screenwriter and journalist Mark Boal’s real-life experiences covering an American bomb squad. The gripping and relevant thriller (featuring breakout roles for Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie) shook Hollywood, which awarded Bigelow the first Best Director and Best Picture Oscars ever to go to a female director.
Hustle and Flow(2005)
Set to the pulsing beat of Southern hip-hop, Craig Brewer’s gritty, neon-lit drama follows dissatisfied pimp and street hustler DJay (an electric Terrence Howard) as he tries to start a rap career from nothing. Howard’s future Empire co-star Taraji P. Henson has a small but haunting role as a down-on-her-luck prostitute who sings on DJay’s record. Besides Howard’s breakout performance, Hustle and Flow is best remembered for its lead soundtrack single “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp,” the surprise Oscar winner of 2006.
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
The World War II drama that only Quentin Tarantino could have made, this hybrid spy film, exploitation flick and revisionist-history fantasy lets Brad Pitt and a guerilla army of Jewish-American soldiers defeat the Nazis (or “Nat-zis,” as it were) in 1944 Paris. Some masterful dramatic sequences (including the famous bar scene) and a villainous, multilingual performance from Christoph Waltz helped the film attain awards-season prestige, with eight Oscar nominations.
Iron Man (2008)
Marvel had a few embarrassing false starts (2003’s Daredevil, 2007’s Ghost Rider) and some genuine moments of greatness (2000’s X-Men, 2004’s Spider-Man 2) before the studio stumbled on a winning film formula with Iron Man. Funny, action-packed and family-friendly, with a charismatic lead character (Tony Stark, played for the first time on the big screen by Robert Downey Jr.) and a built-in moral lesson (war profiteering is bad!), Jon Favreau’s movie stayed true to the comics while making the lesser-known title character feel accessible to all. We all know what came next.
Legally Blonde(2001)
The beautiful, rich, and privileged Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) is the kind of character most movies would want to take down a peg. Screenwriters Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith went a different direction, making her an effective underdog who approaches her time at Harvard Law School with determination, focus, and lots of heart. Thanks to an effervescent performance by Witherspoon, she’s a comedic heroine for the ages.
Lilo & Stitch (2002)
Unconventional by Disney standards, the gorgeously hand-animated Lilo & Stitch is difficult to place in a genre. It’s a comedy, an emotional family drama, a celebration of Hawaiian culture, and a sci-fi adventure. It’s also one of the most genuinely affecting films Disney has ever made, a fantasy story about a “broken” family (young outcast Lilo, voiced by Daveigh Chase, and her older sister turned guardian Nani, voiced by Tia Carrere) that learns to love again after unknowingly adopting a chaotic, dog-like alien, Stitch.
Little Miss Sunshine(2006)
Little Abigail Breslin joyfullydancing to “Super Freak” at an uptight beauty pageant was one of the defining film images of the late 2000s. The sparkling directorial debut of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris is one of the great road-trip films, exploring what happens when a dysfunctional but loving family is trapped together in a VW Microbus for an 800-mile trip. (Hint: not everyone makes it out alive.)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
With a theatrical run time of over three hours, the third installment of Peter Jackson’s fantasy epic was not for the faint of heart (or bladder). That said, the New Zealand filmmaker stuck the landing, packing his climactic J.R.R. Tolkien adaptation with rousing battles and life-changing character moments, all leading up to an unforgettable climax and a series of emotional goodbyes. The winner of a record-setting eleven Oscars is the most visually dazzling film in Jackson’s series, and arguably jump-started Hollywood’s obsession with joining films into a vast connected universe.
Love and Basketball(2000)
Everyone loves a romantic comedy, but the genre of romantic dramas is too often overlooked. Gina Prince-Bythewood’s directorial debut is one of the best: an unforgettable, stunningly authentic story about neighbors (Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps) who grow up together playing basketball. As they become adults, they must navigate their changing feelings towards each other.
Mean Girls (2004)
Raise your hand if you have ever been personally victimized by Regina George! (Keep your hand up if you’ve secretly never loved a Rachel McAdams performance more!) Screenwriter Tina Fey brought a feminist edge to the high school comedy with this joke-packed classic about an internationally homeschooled student (Lindsay Lohan) who starts her junior year at a Chicago high school with no idea how to navigate “girl world.” Unlike most outsider-teen comedies up to this point, the film doesn’t end in revenge, but in the realization that girls shouldn’t have to destroy each other to succeed.
Memento (2000)
A small film with an enormous cultural footprint, Christopher Nolan’s breakout indie is told simultaneously in reverse order (the black-and-white scenes) and chronological order (the color scenes). Guy Pearce stars as a man on a desperate quest to find his wife’s killer, despite a rare form of short-term memory loss that essentially re-sets his brain every fifteen minutes.
Million Dollar Baby(2004)
HilarySwank will reduce you to tears with her performance as Frankie, a waitress turned amateur boxer who never stops fighting, in Clint Eastwood’s directorial triumph. A sports film that pivots shockingly into melodrama, Million Dollar Baby won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor for Morgan Freeman and Swank’s second Best Actress trophy since her indelible turn in Boys Don’t Cry.
Monster’s Ball(2001)
Marc Forster’s provocative drama is not your run-of-the-mill romance. Halle Berry plays the widow of a convicted murderer; Billy Bob Thornton plays the racist corrections officer who oversaw his execution. Both characters are abusive parents and deeply flawed humans. Their love story is brutal and yet, thanks in large part to the actors’ deeply believable performances (Berry won the Academy Award for Best Actress, the first African-American woman to do so), the audience ends up wishing them a shred of happiness.
Monsters Inc. (2001)
Pixar’s first three feature films (Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2) were pretty solidly grounded in the real world, albeit a world with living dolls and talking bugs. Monsters Inc. was a big departure, using the studio’s hyper-realistic animation technology to create a fantasy world from the ground up. The monsters’ world, in which closets are portals to the human world and energy is collected from the screams of children, proved a rich enough setting to inspire a prequel (2013’s Monsters University) and a streaming series (2021’s Monsters at Work). The original film is a reliable generator of childlike wonder and big laughs, thanks in no small part to the starring voice duo of Billy Crystal and John Goodman.
Moulin Rouge! (2001)
A vivid explosion of pop music, dance, bold colors, and larger-than-life characters, Baz Luhrmann’s frantic film musical envelops the senses as it follows the tragic romance of a poet (Ewan McGregor) and a cabaret star (Nicole Kidman) in 1900 Paris who serenade each other with Elton John and David Bowie songs.
Mulholland Drive (2001)
A tribute to the Golden Age of Hollywood, wrapped in an unsolvable film-noir mystery, and spiked with moments of absolute terror, David Lynch’s surreal masterpiece tells the story of an ingénue (Naomi Watts in her breakout role) trying to make it in Hollywood as her life descends into nightmarish madness.
Munich(2005)
Steven Spielberg’s pulse-pounding political thriller uses a harrowing true event – Operation “Wrath of God,” the Israel government’s top-secret mission to kill the Palestinian militants responsible for theMunich massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics – to weave a gripping, complex tale about the lasting repercussions of violence, vengeance and xenophobia.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)
In adapting her autobiographical stage show, writer and star Nia Vardalos took a classic Hollywood rom-com formula (two people from different worlds fall in love), added a hilarious Greek family, cast dreamboat John Corbett as her WASP-y Prince Charming, and made a monster hit that still ranks as one of the most successful independent films of all time.
The Namesake(2006)
Mira Nair’s beautifully realized adaptation of Jhumpa Lahiri’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel immerses audiences in the two worlds of Gogol Ganguli (Kal Penn), the New York City-born son of Bengali immigrants (played by accomplished Indian actors Irrfan Khan and Tabu) who finds that the harder he tries to escape his heritage (and unusual name), the more it reveals itself to be a part of him.
Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
“Vote for Pedro” T-shirts popped up absolutely everywhere in the wake of this quirky indie hit, a celebration of social misfits starring Jon Heder as a sullen, liger-drawing, tater-to-loving, llama-feeding, hip-hop dancing sixteen-year-old. Efren Ramirez and Tina Majorino play his best friend and crush, respectively, in the ambiguously 1980s-set comedy.
No Country for Old Men(2007)
Joel and Ethan Coen helped redefine the Western for a new century with this lean, menacing crime thriller based on the Cormac McCarthy novel. With pitch black humor and Hitchcockian tension, the Best Picture Oscar winner tells the violent, tragic story of three men whose fates collide over a drug deal gone wrong: a poor welder who stumbles upon the abandoned money (Josh Brolin), a murderous sociopath trying to recover the goods (Javier Bardem in an Oscar-winning, nightmare-inducing role), and a world-weary detective (Tommy Lee Jones) attempting to restore law and order against all odds.
The Notebook (2004)
It’s a good thing The Notebook has all that rain, because the chemistry between RyanGosling and Rachel McAdams is always threatening to burn up the screen. Nick Cassavetes’ tearjerker romance was an instant hit with early-aughts teens (who could forget that MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss?), and has come to be considered a classic of the genre.
Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
Director Steven Soderbergh created one of the all-time great heist films by updating a Rat Pack vehicle from 1960 into a witty, stylish Vegas romp, with an all-star ensemble (featuring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, and Don Cheadle, for starters) that still shines so bright, you’ll want to steal Pitt’s shades.
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
No one who’s seen Guillermo del Toro’s fantasy drama will ever forget the image of the Pale Man (Doug Jones) looking at the young heroine (Ivana Baquero) with eyes set in the palms of his hands. A dark fairy tale set in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, the Spanish-language film put del Toro on the map in Hollywood, a decade before his Best Picture Oscar win for The Shape of Water.
Precious (2009)
There’s nothing subtle about Lee Daniels’ inspiring melodrama, but that’s the point: it’s about a teenage girl (the extraordinary Gabourey Sidibe) who has lived through every conceivable hardship and still dares to dream big. Despite refusing to participate in the awards-season dog and pony show, Mo’Nique won an Oscar for her jaw-dropping and wholly unexpected performance as the title character’s abusive mother.
Ray(2004)
Having achieved his fame as a comedian in the ‘90s, Jamie Foxx floored Hollywood with a tour de force dramatic performance as singer-songwriter Ray Charles in this biopic (released, in a tragic coincidence, a few months before Charles died). Taylor Hackford’s film documents the first four decades of the blind R&B musician’s life, and Foxx captures the icon’s joyful charisma, savvy career navigation, and fierce determination to conquer his own demons.
Real Women Have Curves (2002)
Seventeen-year-old America Ferrera launched her career with a spirited yet vulnerable performance in Patricia Cardoso’s coming-of-age dramedy, a milestone for Latina and female representation on film. Based on the play by Josefina Lopez, the Sundance hit tells the story of a Los Angeles student (Ferrera) who butts up against her loving but manipulative immigrant mother (Lupe Ontiveros) as she struggles to feel comfortable in her own body and pursue a future outside the family textile factory.
Remember the Titans (2000)
The tough coach who inspires a rag-tag team to greatness is a sports-film cliché, but when it’s done right, it will move you to tears – and nobody does it better than Denzel Washington. Loosely based on a true story, Boaz Yakin’s film follows football coach Herman Boone (Washington) as he attempts to win the season and heal racial divisions at a newly-integrated Virginia public school in 1971.
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller and Luke Wilson play child-prodigy siblings who couldn’t quite make the leap into adulthood in this poignant comedy, also starring Gene Hackman and Anjelica Huston as their estranged parents. Based loosely on the stories of J.D. Salinger, The Royal Tenenbaums honed writer-director Wes Anderson’s unique filmmaking style, with its candy-colored visuals, vintage pop soundtracks and deadpan characters.
Sideways(2004)
The film that singlehandedlykilled merlot sales and made pinot noir a generation’s red of choice, Alexander Payne’s witty, acerbic comedy about wine obsessives working through a mid-life crisis features unforgettable comic performances from lead actors Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen and Sandra Oh.
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
It’s no surprise that this exuberant romance, shot in India by English director Danny Boyle, made a huge splash in the U.S.: Hollywood has always loved an inspirational rags-to-riches story, and this Best Picture winner is a great one. Dev Patel made his feature debut as Jamal Malik, a driven 18-year-old born in the slums who gets to compete on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in the hopes that television will reconnect him to his lost love (Freida Pinto, also in her film debut).
Something’s Gotta Give (2003)
The quintessential Nancy Meyers movie, this comedy puts Diane Keaton (playing a successful playwright in her fifties) in a love triangle between Jack Nicholson (a sixty-something mogul who claims to be exclusively attracted to younger woman) and Keanu Reeves (a sexy young doctor). Along with Frances McDormand as a perfect movie bestie, the witty romance features the most coveted kitchen in cinema history.
Spirited Away (2001)
Filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki’s coming-of-age fantasy, about a girl who loses her identity and parents in the land of ghosts and must find her way back to reality, uses motifs from Japanese folklore to craft a dazzling, one-of-a-kind fairytale. Miyazaki is an animation legend who had a profound influence on Disney and Pixar, and Spirited Away is a strong contender for the most beautifully animated feature film of all time.
There Will Be Blood (2007)
It’s no small statement to say that Paul Thomas Anderson’s stark, explosive period drama There Will Be Blood features Daniel Day-Lewis’ greatest performance. His character Daniel Plainview, a turn-of-the-century oilman with a hypnotic voice and an unquenchable thirst for wealth, is one of the greatest tragic villains in cinema history.
Training Day (2001)
No one is better than Denzel Washington at playing a righteous hero fighting against a corrupt system. Those are the roles that made his career, so it’s still astonishing to watch Washington transform over the course of Antoine Fuqua’s Training Day. Starting as an upright mentor to fellow LAPD narcotics officer Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke), Washington’s character Alonzo Harris slowly reveals himself to be a dangerous, corrupt and relentlessly charismatic criminal.
Unbreakable (2000)
M. Night Shyamalan’s cult-favorite thriller was intended to be the first part of a trilogy, which he finally completed over a decade later with Split (2016) and the disappointing Glass (2019). In many ways, the atmospheric film works best on its own, as a unique and moving take on the superhero origin story. Bruce Willis gives a powerful performance as David Dunn, a security guard and father who is the sole survivor of a horrific train crash. Samuel L. Jackson plays the enigmatic Elijah, an art gallery owner who somehow seems to know more about Dunn’s life than he does.
Up(2009)
Pixar’s highly original comedy-drama tells the story of a disgruntled old widower (EdAsner) who dreams of flying his house via helium balloon to South America, and the young Wilderness Explorer (Jordan Nagai) who inadvertently joins the adventure. It’s a moving tale of two generations trying to figure things out, but of course Up is best remembered for its opening montage. If those first ten minutes don’t make you cry, you’re probably not human.
Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
A who’s-who of future stars (Amy Poehler, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks and Bradley Cooper) and alt-comedy icons (Janeane Garofalo, Judah Friedlander, various members of The State) make up the cast of David Wain’s outrageous comedy, a broad but affectionate satire of summer camp films. A critical and commercial flop upon release, the Michael Showalter-penned indie is now considered one of the funniest films of all time.
Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001)
Alfonso Cuaron’s steamy, music-drenched film was released without a rating in the U.S., in order to avoid an inevitable NC-17. Even so, the Spanish-language drama was an indie hit, telling a funny, unexpected and very sexy story about teenage best friends from different backgrounds (Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal) who pick up an alluring stranger in her twenties (Maribel Verdu) and on a drive through the Mexican countryside.
Zoolander (2001)
Even if you’re a “kids who can’t read good,” you’ll pick up on all the jokes in this truly wacky fashion-biz satire about a male model (Ben Stiller) with looks of “Blue Steel” who must join forces with a smart reporter (Christine Taylor, Stiller’s real-life wife) his posing nemesis Hansel (OwenWilson) to stop an evil conspiracy masterminded by fashion mogul Mugatu (Will Ferrell). The film’s kooky visuals are as over-the-top as the comedy, and to top it all off (as Billy Zane would say in his classic scene with David Bowie and Tyson Beckford), there’s a walk-off! Next, check out our ranked picks for the 65 best movies of the 1990s!
