Golden Globes Best Picture Winners by Tomatometer
Since 1943, the Golden Globes have been celebrating the biggest, brightest, and starriest movies of the year. Now, we’re taking every Golden Globe Best Motion Picture winner — including the categories for Drama, Comedy/Musical, and that brief period of unadulterated hedonism during the 1950s/1960s when Musical and Comedy were separated — and ranking them using our weighted formula, which factors each movie’s number of collected critics reviews and its original year of release. We’ve caught up with 1917 and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood taking home the big two in 2020, and making space for 2021’s eventual winners. For now, see all Golden Globes Best Picture winners by Tomatometer!
#151
Adjusted Score: 33.997%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Historically important as the first CinemaScope feature film, 20th Century-Fox’s The Robe is fine dramatic entertainment in its own right…. [More]
#150
Adjusted Score: 37.064%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: This standard love story adapted by Leonard Spigelgass from his stage play was acclaimed when it was released for probing… [More]
#149
Adjusted Score: 38.855%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: This film adaptation of Maxwell Anderson’s stage play concentrates on the romance between Britain’s King Henry VIII and his ill-fated… [More]
#148
Adjusted Score: 39.767%
Critics Consensus: A lack of memorable music, chemistry between its leads, and an overlong runtime prompts this modish iteration of A Star is Born to fizzle out quickly.
Synopsis: The third remake of the 1932 drama What Price Hollywood?, this adaptation of A Star Is Born moved the story… [More]
#147
Adjusted Score: 46.971%
Critics Consensus: The Greatest Show on Earth is melodramatic, short on plot, excessively lengthy and bogged down with clichés, but not without a certain innocent charm.
Synopsis: Cecil B. DeMille’s The Greatest Show on Earth is a lavish tribute to circuses, featuring three intertwining plotlines concerning romance… [More]
#146
Adjusted Score: 50.859%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Tom Tryon plays the title role in this Otto Preminger version of the Henry Morton Robinson novel. In his matriculation… [More]
#145
Adjusted Score: 57.372%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In this comedy, based on Robert Crichton’s novel, the members of an Italian village endeavor to hide their only source… [More]
#144
Adjusted Score: 61.499%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: An American woman and a French man agree to a marriage of convenience, but get more than they bargained for… [More]
#143
Adjusted Score: 64.561%
Critics Consensus: Evita sometimes strains to convince on a narrative level, but the soundtrack helps this fact-based musical achieve a measure of the epic grandeur to which it aspires.
Synopsis: As told by the story-teller Che, Eva Peron was born Eva Duarte, the illegitimate daughter of a penniless farmer. Still… [More]
#142
Adjusted Score: 65.753%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: For her directorial debut, Barbra Streisand adapted Isaac Bashevis Singer’s short story Yentl. Set in the early 1900s in Eastern… [More]
#141
Adjusted Score: 66.93%
Critics Consensus: The Turning Point is a handsomely-made resuscitation of Old Hollywood melodramas with a compelling duo at its center, but the formulaic script keeps this story from realizing its symphonic potential.
Synopsis: One of a cycle of ’70s post-Women’s Liberation «women’s pictures,» Herbert Ross’s drama uses the ballet world to examine the… [More]
#140
Adjusted Score: 66.993%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: This film version of George Gershwin’s classic American operetta tells the story of Porgy, a crippled young man who falls… [More]
#139
Adjusted Score: 67.156%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: With a Song in My Heart is the story of popular 1930s songstress Jane Froman, here portrayed by Susan Hayward…. [More]
#138
Adjusted Score: 68.396%
Critics Consensus: Though lensed with stunning cinematography and featuring a pair of winning performances from Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, Out of Africa suffers from excessive length and glacial pacing.
Synopsis: Out of Africa is drawn from the life and writings of Danish author Isak Dinesen, who during the time that… [More]
#137
Adjusted Score: 70.551%
Critics Consensus: Earnest and determined to make audiences swoon, Love Story is an unabashed tearjerker that will capture hearts when it isn’t inducing eye rolls.
Synopsis: This distaff romantic tear jerker concerns a young couple who fall in love despite the objections of their families. Taken… [More]
#136
Adjusted Score: 70.856%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: This is the film biography of the gifted classical composer Franz Liszt. He loves a bevy of women as his… [More]
#135
Adjusted Score: 73.412%
Critics Consensus: Thanks to the sparkling chemistry between its stars and Herbert Ross’ gentle direction, this sweetly ambling comedy ranks among Neil Simon’s finest screen adaptations.
Synopsis: In this 1975 adaptation of Neil Simon’s stage play, director Herbert Ross presents the story of two old-time Vaudvillians played… [More]
#134
Adjusted Score: 74.346%
Critics Consensus: It’s undeniably shallow, but its cheerful lack of pretense — as well as its grand scale and star-stuffed cast — help make Around the World in 80 Days charmingly light-hearted entertainment.
Synopsis: Razzle-dazzle showman Michael Todd hocked everything he had to make this spectacular presentation of Jules Verne’s 1872 novel Around the… [More]
#133
Adjusted Score: 74.732%
Critics Consensus: On paper, Mrs. Doubtfire might seem excessively broad or sentimental, but Robin Williams shines so brightly in the title role that the end result is difficult to resist.
Synopsis: After out-of-work actor Daniel Hilliard (Robin Williams) loses custody of his three children to his ex-wife Miranda (Sally Field), he… [More]
#132
Adjusted Score: 75.8%
Critics Consensus: In Babel, there are no villains, only victims of fate and circumstance. Director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu weaves four of their woeful stories into this mature and multidimensional film.
Synopsis: The tragic aftermath of human carelessness travels around the world in this multi-narrative drama from filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu. Richard… [More]
#131
Adjusted Score: 77.795%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A historical costume drama of the grandest order, «Becket» is the true story of the friendship between King Henry II… [More]
#130
Adjusted Score: 77.859%
Critics Consensus: Forrest Gump may be an overly sentimental film with a somewhat problematic message, but its sweetness and charm are usually enough to approximate true depth and grace.
Synopsis: «Stupid is as stupid does,» says Forrest Gump (played by Tom Hanks in an Oscar-winning performance) as he discusses his… [More]
#129
Adjusted Score: 78.063%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: When people refer to Doris Day as «the world’s oldest professional virgin,» they generally have the 1962 comedy That Touch… [More]
#128
Adjusted Score: 78.796%
Critics Consensus: Bohemian Rhapsody hits a handful of high notes, but as an in-depth look at a beloved band, it offers more of a medley than a true greatest hits collection.
Synopsis: Bohemian Rhapsody is a foot-stomping celebration of Queen, their music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury, who defied stereotypes… [More]
#127
Adjusted Score: 78.867%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In 1943, Oscar Hammerstein Jr. took Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen, rewrote the lyrics, changed the characters from 19th century Spaniards… [More]
#126
Adjusted Score: 79.691%
Critics Consensus: Impeccably mounted but occasionally bombastic, Les Misérables largely succeeds thanks to bravura performances from its distinguished cast.
Synopsis: Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, Les Misérables tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion,… [More]
#125
Adjusted Score: 81.209%
Critics Consensus: The well-acted A Beautiful Mind is both a moving love story and a revealing look at mental illness.
Synopsis: From the heights of notoriety to the depths of depravity, John Forbes Nash, Jr. experiences it all. A mathematical genius,… [More]
#124
Adjusted Score: 82.328%
Critics Consensus: Equal parts tough and funny, and led by a perfectly cast Burt Reynolds, The Longest Yard has an interesting political subtext and an excellent climax — even if it takes too long to get there.
Synopsis: Ex-football star Paul Crewe (Burt Reynolds) ends up in a prison run by sadistic sports-nut Warden Hazen (Eddie Albert). Strong-armed… [More]
#123
Adjusted Score: 82.568%
Critics Consensus: A classic tearjerker, Terms of Endearment isn’t shy about reaching for the heartstrings — but is so well-acted and smartly scripted that it’s almost impossible to resist.
Synopsis: Terms of Endearment covers three decades in the lives of widow Aurora Greenaway (Shirley MacLaine) and her daughter Emma (Debra… [More]
#122
Adjusted Score: 82.571%
Critics Consensus: Director George Stevens’ stately treatment of A Place in the Sun buffs out some of the novel’s nuance with blunt moralizing, but riveting performances by Montgomery Clift and company give the drama a bruising punch.
Synopsis: In this film, handsome young George Eastman goes to work in a relative’s factory. He has a brief rendezvous with… [More]
#121
Adjusted Score: 82.67%
Critics Consensus: A love-it-or-hate-it experience, Moulin Rouge is all style, all giddy, over-the-top spectacle. But it’s also daring in its vision and wildly original.
Synopsis: The third film from pop-music-obsessed director Baz Luhrmann tweaks the conventions of the musical genre by mixing a period romance… [More]
#120
Adjusted Score: 83.644%
Critics Consensus: It occasionally fails to live up to its subject matter — and is perhaps an ‘important’ film more than a ‘great’ one — but the performances from Gregory Peck and Dorothy McGuire are superb.
Synopsis: Adapted by Moss Hart from the novel by Laura Z. Hobson, this film stars Gregory Peck as recently widowed journalist… [More]
#119
Adjusted Score: 84.291%
Critics Consensus: Ridley Scott and an excellent cast successfully convey the intensity of Roman gladitorial combat as well as the political intrigue brewing beneath.
Synopsis: A man robbed of his name and his dignity strives to win them back, and gain the freedom of his… [More]
#118
Adjusted Score: 85.019%
Critics Consensus: It has aged somewhat awkwardly, but the performances are inspired, the songs are memorable, and the film is undeniably influential.
Synopsis: Inspired by Charles Dickens’ novel Oliver Twist, this film version of the musical hit does a masterful job of telling… [More]
#117
Adjusted Score: 85.071%
Critics Consensus: Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald are eminently likable, and film is pleasantly sentimental, but Going My Way suffers from a surplus of sweetness.
Synopsis: It took some doing to persuade the staunchly Catholic Bing Crosby to play a happy-go-lucky priest in Going My Way;… [More]
#116
Adjusted Score: 85.112%
Critics Consensus: Dreamgirls’ simple characters and plot hardly detract from the movie’s real feats: the electrifying performances and the dazzling musical numbers.
Synopsis: Director Bill Condon brings Tom Eyen’s Tony award-winning Broadway musical to the big screen in a tale of dreams, stardom,… [More]
#115
Adjusted Score: 85.141%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Marsha Mason is known as «The Goodbye Girl» because of all the live-in boyfriends who have said ta-ta to her… [More]
#114
Adjusted Score: 85.449%
Critics Consensus: The movie may be a downer, but it packs an emotional wallop. Some fine acting on display here.
Synopsis: Spanning across various time periods in the 20th Century, a drama which revolves around three very different women: two of… [More]
#113
Adjusted Score: 85.824%
Critics Consensus: With a clever script and hilarious interplay among the cast, The Hangover nails just the right tone of raunchy humor, and the non-stop laughs overshadow any flaw.
Synopsis: A blowout Las Vegas bachelor party turns into a race against time when three hung-over groomsmen awaken after a night… [More]
#112
Adjusted Score: 85.959%
Critics Consensus: It may not be one of Vincente Minnelli’s best, but the charming and flawlessly acted Gigi still offers enough visual and musical treats to satisfy.
Synopsis: Leslie Caron plays Gigi, a young girl raised by two veteran Parisian courtesans (Hermione Gingold and Isabel Jeans) to be… [More]
#111
Adjusted Score: 86.177%
Critics Consensus: A frantic, irreverent adaptation of the novel, bolstered by Albert Finney’s courageous performance and arresting visuals.
Synopsis: This bawdy, funny adaptation of Henry Fielding’s classic novel follows Tom Jones, a country boy who becomes one of the… [More]
#110
Adjusted Score: 86.837%
Critics Consensus: A buoyant corporate Cinderella story, Working Girl has the right cast, right story, and right director to make it all come together.
Synopsis: Unhappy with her job and her loser boyfriend, Melanie Griffith takes a secretarial post at a major Wall Street firm…. [More]
#109
Adjusted Score: 86.892%
Critics Consensus: While it’s fueled in part by outdated stereotypes, Driving Miss Daisy takes audiences on a heartwarming journey with a pair of outstanding actors.
Synopsis: Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Alfred Uhry, Driving Miss Daisy affectionately covers the 25-year relationship between a wealthy,… [More]
#108
Adjusted Score: 87.038%
Critics Consensus: A bird may love a fish — and musical fans will love this adaptation of Fiddler on the Roof, even if it isn’t quite as transcendent as the long-running stage version.
Synopsis: Norman Jewison’s adaptation of the long-running Broadway musical is set in the Ukranian ghetto village of Anatevka (the film was… [More]
#107
Adjusted Score: 87.29%
Critics Consensus: Like a classic traditional country song, Coal Miner’s Daughter draws on time-tested formula — and undeniable talent — to tell a solidly affecting story.
Synopsis: Loretta Lynn was one of the first female superstars in country music and remains a defining presence within the genre;… [More]
#106
Adjusted Score: 87.914%
Critics Consensus: Solid cinematography and enjoyable performances from Paul Scofield and Robert Shaw add a spark to this deliberately paced adaptation of the Robert Bolt play.
Synopsis: Adapted by Robert Bolt and Constance Willis from Bolt’s hit stage play, A Man for All Seasons stars Paul Scofield,… [More]
#105
Adjusted Score: 87.957%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: The Cold War goes from bad to mirth in this political comedy about a New England town sent into a… [More]
#104
Adjusted Score: 88.132%
Critics Consensus: Disturbing and sardonic, Prizzi’s Honor excels at black comedy because director John Huston and his game ensemble take the farce deadly seriously.
Synopsis: Richard Condon’s delicious black comedy was lovingly translated to the screen by legendary director John Huston in one of his… [More]
#103
Adjusted Score: 88.33%
Critics Consensus: Dances with Wolves suffers from a simplistic view of the culture it attempts to honor, but the end result remains a stirring western whose noble intentions are often matched by its epic grandeur.
Synopsis: A historical drama about the relationship between a Civil War soldier and a band of Sioux Indians, Kevin Costner’s directorial… [More]
#102
Adjusted Score: 88.351%
Critics Consensus: Led by an unforgettable performance from Tom Cruise, Born on the Fourth of July finds director Oliver Stone tackling thought-provoking subject matter with ambitious élan.
Synopsis: The second of three films by co-writer/director Oliver Stone to explore the effects of the Vietnam War (Platoon and Heaven… [More]
#101
Adjusted Score: 88.806%
Critics Consensus: Romancing the Stone reaches back to the classic Saturday morning serials of old with an action-filled adventure enlivened by the sparkling chemistry between its well-matched leads.
Synopsis: In this film, adventure writer Kathleen Turner learns that her sister is being held prisoner by evil art dealers in… [More]
#100
Adjusted Score: 88.99%
Critics Consensus: A beguiling tragicomedy, Vicky Cristina Barcelona charms with beautiful views of the Spanish city and a marvelously well-matched cast.
Synopsis: Vicky and Cristina, these two young Americans spend a summer in Spain and meet a flamboyant artist and his beautiful… [More]
#99
Adjusted Score: 89.092%
Critics Consensus: Superior acting and authentic crooning capture the emotional subtleties of the legend of Johnny Cash with a freshness that is a pleasure to watch.
Synopsis: «Walk the Line» follows the early years in the career of American music legend Johnny Cash. The young Cash sets… [More]
#98
Adjusted Score: 89.241%
Critics Consensus: Stylishly scattered, Bugsy offers cinematic homage to the infamous underworld legend, chiefly through a magnetic performance from Warren Beatty in the title role.
Synopsis: Bugsy is a character study of mobster Benjamin «Bugsy» Siegel wrapped up in a gangster movie. Siegel (Warren Beatty in… [More]
#97
Adjusted Score: 89.664%
Critics Consensus: James L. Brooks and Jack Nicholson, doing what they do best, combine smart dialogue and flawless acting to squeeze fresh entertainment value out of the romantic-comedy genre.
Synopsis: Jack Nicholson is hilariously funny as a compulsive-obsessive, homophobic romance novelist who is compelled by circumstances to get to know… [More]
#96
Adjusted Score: 89.698%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: This truncated screen version of John Steinbeck’s best-seller was the first starring vehicle for explosive 1950s screen personality James Dean,… [More]
#95
Adjusted Score: 89.93%
Critics Consensus: Though it suffers from excessive length and ambition, director Minghella’s adaptation of the Michael Ondaatje novel is complex, powerful, and moving.
Synopsis: Anthony Minghella wrote and directed this award-winning adaptation of Michael Ondaatje’s novel about a doomed and tragic romance set against… [More]
#94
Adjusted Score: 90.064%
Critics Consensus: Dudley Moore brings a boozy charm to Arthur, a coming of age tale for a wayward millionaire that deploys energetic cast chemistry and spiffy humor to jovial effect.
Synopsis: The ads for Arthur suggested that this was an obnoxious film about an obnoxious man, an eternally drunken millionaire indulging… [More]
#93
Adjusted Score: 90.135%
Critics Consensus: It may not be the best of David Lean’s epics, but Dr. Zhivago is still brilliantly photographed and sweepingly romantic.
Synopsis: Based on the Nobel Prize-winning novel by Boris Pasternak, Doctor Zhivago covers the years prior to, during, and after the… [More]
#92
Adjusted Score: 90.331%
Critics Consensus: Atonement features strong performances, brilliant cinematography, and a unique score. Featuring deft performances from James MacAvoy and Keira Knightley, it’s a successful adaptation of Ian McEwan’s novel.
Synopsis: In 1935, 13-year-old fledgling writer Briony Tallis and her family live a life of wealth and privilege in their enormous… [More]
#91
Adjusted Score: 90.577%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: The Song of Bernadette is a reverent recounting of the life of St. Bernadette of Lourdes. As a teen-aged peasant… [More]
#90
Adjusted Score: 90.66%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Jane Wyman stars as the deaf-mute farm girl Belinda McDonald, whose aging father Black (Charles Bickford) still resents his daughter… [More]
#89
Adjusted Score: 91.491%
Critics Consensus: The Exorcist rides its supernatural theme to magical effect, with remarkable special effects and an eerie atmosphere, resulting in one of the scariest films of all time.
Synopsis: Novelist William Peter Blatty based his best-seller on the last known Catholic-sanctioned exorcism in the United States. Blatty transformed the… [More]
#88
Adjusted Score: 91.671%
Critics Consensus: Bold, timely, subversive, and above all funny, M*A*S*H remains a high point in Robert Altman’s distinguished filmography.
Synopsis: Although he was not the first choice to direct it, the hit black comedy MASH established Robert Altman as one… [More]
#87
Adjusted Score: 91.726%
Critics Consensus: Uneven, but in terms of epic scope and grand spectacle, Ben-Hur still ranks among Hollywood’s finest examples of pure entertainment.
Synopsis: Record-breaking winner of 11 Oscars, including Best Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, and Score, this epic masterpiece stars Charlton Heston… [More]
#86
Adjusted Score: 91.884%
Critics Consensus: It might soar on Al Pacino’s performance more than the drama itself, but what a performance it is — big, bold, occasionally over-the-top, and finally giving the Academy pause to award the star his first Oscar.
Synopsis: Driven by an extravagant, tour-de-force performance by Al Pacino, Scent of a Woman is the story of Frank Slade (Pacino),… [More]
#85
Adjusted Score: 91.923%
Critics Consensus: A throwback to the high-gloss screwball comedies of the 1940s, Heaven Can Wait beguiles with seamless production values and great comic relief from Charles Grodin and Dianne Cannon.
Synopsis: In this film, Warren Beatty plays pro-football-player Joe Pendleton, who is whisked to Heaven before his due date by over-eager… [More]
#84
Adjusted Score: 92.279%
Critics Consensus: The divorce subject isn’t as shocking, but the film is still a thoughtful, well-acted drama that resists the urge to take sides or give easy answers.
Synopsis: Joanna Kramer (Meryl Streep) walks out on her advertising-art-director husband Michael (Dustin Hoffman). Though he is obviously insensitive to everyone’s… [More]
#83
Adjusted Score: 92.338%
Critics Consensus: Unapologetically sweet and maybe even a little corny, The Sound of Music will win over all but the most cynical filmgoers with its classic songs and irresistible warmth.
Synopsis: One of the most popular movie musicals of all time, The Sound of Music is based on the true story… [More]
#82
Adjusted Score: 92.425%
Critics Consensus: With a rich sense of period detail, The Aviator succeeds thanks to typically assured direction from Martin Scorsese and a strong performance from Leonardo DiCaprio, who charts Howard Hughes’ descent from eccentric billionaire to reclusive madman.
Synopsis: Martin Scorsese directed this fast-moving, epic-scale biopic documenting the life and loves one of the most colorful Americans of the… [More]
#81
Adjusted Score: 92.435%
Critics Consensus: Green Book takes audiences on an excessively smooth ride through bumpy subject matter, although Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen’s performances add necessary depth.
Synopsis: When Tony Lip (Mortensen), a bouncer from an Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx, is hired to drive Dr. Don Shirley… [More]
#80
Adjusted Score: 92.692%
Critics Consensus: It might be more impressive on a technical level than as a piece of storytelling, but Avatar reaffirms James Cameron’s singular gift for imaginative, absorbing filmmaking.
Synopsis: «Avatar» is the story of an ex-Marine who finds himself thrust into hostilities on an alien planet filled with exotic… [More]
#79
Adjusted Score: 93.543%
Critics Consensus: A rousing and energetic adaptation of the Broadway musical, Chicago succeeds on the level pure spectacle, but provides a surprising level of depth and humor as well.
Synopsis: A starry-eyed would-be star discovers just how far the notion that «there’s no such thing as bad publicity» can go… [More]
#78
Adjusted Score: 93.622%
Critics Consensus: Though shot through with bitterness and sorrow, Robert Redford’s directorial debut is absorbing and well-acted.
Synopsis: In this film, teenager Timothy Hutton lives under a cloud of guilt after his brother drowns while trying to rescue… [More]
#77
Adjusted Score: 93.728%
Critics Consensus: Sharper and wittier than your average period piece, The Lion in Winter is a tale of palace intrigue bolstered by fantastic performances from Peter O’Toole, Katharine Hepburn, and Anthony Hopkins in his big-screen debut.
Synopsis: The most royal of the cycle of ’60s films dealing with the history and castle intrigues of medieval England, Anthony… [More]
#76
Adjusted Score: 93.828%
Critics Consensus: Full of pith and Grand Guignol grossness, this macabre musical is perfectly helmed and highly entertaining. Tim Burton masterfully stages the musical in a way that will make you think he has done this many times before.
Synopsis: Unjustly sent to prison, a man vows revenge, not only for that cruel punishment, but for the devastating consequences of… [More]
#75
Adjusted Score: 93.876%
Critics Consensus: As starkly beautiful as it is harshly uncompromising, The Revenant uses Leonardo DiCaprio’s committed performance as fuel for an absorbing drama that offers punishing challenges — and rich rewards.
Synopsis: Inspired by true events, THE REVENANT is an immersive and visceral cinematic experience capturing one man’s epic adventure of survival… [More]
#74
Adjusted Score: 93.965%
Critics Consensus: Bolstered by a cast of memorable stars and an impressive sense of scale, The Guns of the Navarone fires with vivid characterization and entertaining spectacle.
Synopsis: This spectacular World War II epic finds 2,000 trapped soldiers on a Greek island by Nazi invaders. Their only hope… [More]
#73
Adjusted Score: 94.19%
Critics Consensus: Informed by director Oliver Stone’s personal experiences in Vietnam, Platoon forgoes easy sermonizing in favor of a harrowing, ground-level view of war, bolstered by no-holds-barred performances from Charlie Sheen and Willem Dafoe.
Synopsis: Oliver Stone’s autobiographical Vietnam War film stars Charlie Sheen as Chris Taylor, a neophyte soldier who finds himself caught in… [More]
#72
Adjusted Score: 94.36%
Critics Consensus: Tootsie doesn’t squander its high-concept comedy premise with fine dialogue and sympathetic treatment of the characters.
Synopsis: Michael Dorsey is a talented actor, but his demanding nature and stubborn temperament have antagonized every producer in New York…. [More]
#71
Adjusted Score: 94.416%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Auntie Mame began as a novel by Patrick Dennis (aka Ed Fitzgerald), then was adapted into a long-running Broadway play… [More]
#70
Adjusted Score: 94.675%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: When Sky Masterson is challenged to take a missionary to Havana, he finds himself falling in love. But will she… [More]
#69
Adjusted Score: 94.762%
Critics Consensus: While decidedly imperfect, Bernardo Bertolucci’s epic is still a feast for the eyes.
Synopsis: The Last Emperor is the true story of Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi, the last ruler of the Chinese Ching Dynasty. Told… [More]
#68
Adjusted Score: 94.786%
Critics Consensus: Henry Fonda and Katherine Hepburn are a wondrous duo in On Golden Pond, a wistful drama that movingly explores the twilight years of a loving marriage.
Synopsis: There’s little that happens in On Golden Pond that isn’t thoroughly predictable from the start, but the film is blessed… [More]
#67
Adjusted Score: 94.976%
Critics Consensus: This road-trip movie about an autistic savant and his callow brother is far from seamless, but Barry Levinson’s direction is impressive, and strong performances from Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman add to its appeal.
Synopsis: Self-centered, avaricious Californian Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) is informed that his long-estranged father has died. Expecting at least a portion… [More]
#66
Adjusted Score: 95.008%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: After nearly 900 performances on stage, the hit Broadway musical and play The Music Man comes to the big screen…. [More]
#65
Adjusted Score: 95.041%
Critics Consensus: Almost Famous, with its great ensemble performances and story, is a well-crafted, warm-hearted movie that successfully draws you into its era.
Synopsis: Writer and director Cameron Crowe’s experiences as a teenage rock journalist — he was a regular contributor to Rolling Stone… [More]
#64
Adjusted Score: 95.479%
Critics Consensus: A beautiful, epic Western, Brokeback Mountain’s love story is imbued with heartbreaking universality thanks to moving performances by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal.
Synopsis: Set against the sweeping landscapes of Wyoming and Texas, this epic love story tells of two young men — a… [More]
#63
Adjusted Score: 95.72%
Critics Consensus: Flawlessly cast and brimming with dark, acid wit, American Beauty is a smart, provocative high point of late ’90s mainstream Hollywood film.
Synopsis: A biting, penetrating and often humorous take on contemporary life in suburban America, Lester Burnham becomes intrigued by a young… [More]
#62
Adjusted Score: 95.972%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Director John Boorman pulled a few stylistic pages from Chabrol and Fellini for the intensely autobiographical Hope and Glory. The… [More]
#61
Adjusted Score: 96.027%
Critics Consensus: Smart, tender, and funny in equal measure, Hannah and Her Sisters is one of Woody Allen’s finest films.
Synopsis: A Woody Allen Manhattan mosaic, Hannah and Her Sisters concerns the lives, loves, and infidelities among a tightly-knit artistic clan…. [More]
#60
Adjusted Score: 96.223%
Critics Consensus: The music, the performances, the precision in capturing the post-college malaise — The Graduate’s coming-of-age story is indeed one for the ages.
Synopsis: «One word: plastics.» «Are you here for an affair?» These lines and others became cultural touchstones, as 1960s youth rebellion… [More]
#59
Adjusted Score: 96.516%
Critics Consensus: Funny, moving, and beautifully acted, The Descendants captures the unpredictable messiness of life with eloquence and uncommon grace.
Synopsis: From Alexander Payne, the creator of the Oscar-winning Sideways, set in Hawaii, The Descendants is a sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic… [More]
#58
Adjusted Score: 97.756%
Critics Consensus: At once a touching, funny coming-of-age story and a compelling sports film, Breaking Away is a delightful treat.
Synopsis: This charming, Academy Award winner (1979, Screenplay) cycles high on comedy as four friends come to terms with life after… [More]
#57
Adjusted Score: 98.122%
Critics Consensus: Raw and unrelenting, Midnight Express is riveting in its realistic depiction of incarceration — mining pathos from the simple act of enduring hardship.
Synopsis: Midnight Express is a harrowing tale of a naïve American caught in a nightmare of his own making thousands of… [More]
#56
Adjusted Score: 98.241%
Critics Consensus: Great performances and evocative musical numbers help Cabaret secure its status as a stylish, socially conscious classic.
Synopsis: Adapted from the Broadway show, this hard-hitting musical drama is set in decadent 1930s Berlin during Hitler’s rise to power…. [More]
#55
Adjusted Score: 98.73%
Critics Consensus: Worthwhile as both a well-acted ensemble piece and as a smart, warm statement on family values, The Kids Are All Right is remarkable.
Synopsis: Two teenaged children get the notion to seek out their biological father and introduce him into the family life that… [More]
#54
Adjusted Score: 98.928%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: The King and I, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s 1951 Broadway musical hit, was based on Margaret Landon’s book Anna… [More]
#53
Adjusted Score: 99.375%
Critics Consensus: An advocacy drama that makes its points without belaboring them, The Defiant Ones relies on its clever concept and brilliant performances to repudiate racial prejudice.
Synopsis: Convicts Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier escape from a chain gang. Curtis’ character, John «Joker» Jackson, hates blacks, while Poitier’s… [More]
#52
Adjusted Score: 100.071%
Critics Consensus: Endlessly witty, visually rapturous, and sweetly romantic, Shakespeare in Love is a delightful romantic comedy that succeeds on nearly every level.
Synopsis: William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) is on a cold streak. Not only is he writing for Philip Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush), owner… [More]
#51
Adjusted Score: 100.256%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Les Girls is the Rashomon of MGM musicals. The film is told in flashback, as Mitzi Gaynor and Taina Elg,… [More]
#50
Adjusted Score: 100.485%
Critics Consensus: George Cukor’s elegant, colorful adaptation of the beloved stage play is elevated to new heights thanks to winning performances by Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison.
Synopsis: My Fair Lady is now more «lovelier» than ever with a breathtaking new restoration playing in cinemas nationwide for a… [More]
#49
Adjusted Score: 100.637%
Critics Consensus: Buoyed by Robert Wise’s dazzling direction, Leonard Bernstein’s score, and Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics, West Side Story remains perhaps the most iconic of all the Shakespeare adaptations to visit the big screen.
Synopsis: This romantic musical update of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ won ten Oscars. The tale of a turf war between rival teenage… [More]
#48
Adjusted Score: 100.679%
Critics Consensus: Featuring terrific performances and epic action, Kubrick’s restored swords-and-sandals epic is a true classic.
Synopsis: Spartacus (Kirk Douglas) is a rebellious slave purchased by Lentulus Batiatus (Peter Ustinov), owner of a school for gladiators. For… [More]
#47
Adjusted Score: 100.812%
Critics Consensus: Sense and Sensibility is an uncommonly deft, very funny Jane Austen adaptation, marked by Emma Thompson’s finely tuned performance.
Synopsis: In this costume drama, based on the novel by Jane Austen, Mrs. Dashwood and her daughters are left with almost… [More]
#46
Adjusted Score: 100.857%
Critics Consensus: Tense, funny, and thought-provoking all at once, and lifted by strong performances from Sydney Poitier and Rod Steiger, director Norman Jewison’s look at murder and racism in small-town America continues to resonate today.
Synopsis: While traveling in the Deep South, Virgil Tibbs, a black Philadelphia homicide detective, becomes unwittingly embroiled in the murder investigation… [More]
#45
Adjusted Score: 100.898%
Critics Consensus: Broderick Crawford is spellbinding as politician Willie Stark in director Robert Rossen’s adaptation of the Robert Penn Warren novel about the corrosive effects of power on the human soul.
Synopsis: Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Robert Penn Warren, All the King’s Men is a roman à clef inspired… [More]
#44
Adjusted Score: 100.944%
Critics Consensus: This story of a down-on-his-luck boxer is thoroughly predictable, but Sylvester Stallone’s script and stunning performance in the title role brush aside complaints.
Synopsis: A slightly dimwitted amateur boxer from Philadelphia’s tough neighborhood gets a surprise shot at fighting for the heavyweight championship, while… [More]
#43
Adjusted Score: 101.018%
Critics Consensus: One of the most influential of all teen films, American Graffiti is a funny, nostalgic, and bittersweet look at a group of recent high school grads’ last days of innocence.
Synopsis: This Academy Award-nominated classic, voted one of the American Film Institute’s top 100 Films Of All Time, features the coming… [More]
#42
Adjusted Score: 101.135%
Critics Consensus: Anchored by another winning performance from Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg’s unflinchingly realistic war film virtually redefines the genre.
Synopsis: Steven Spielberg directed this powerful, realistic re-creation of WWII’s D-day invasion and the immediate aftermath. The story opens with a… [More]
#41
Adjusted Score: 101.216%
Critics Consensus: Visually breathtaking and emotionally powerful, The Lord of the Rings – The Return of the King is a moving and satisfying conclusion to a great trilogy.
Synopsis: The final battle for Middle-earth begins. Frodo and Sam, led by Gollum, continue their dangerous mission toward the fires of… [More]
#40
Adjusted Score: 101.242%
Critics Consensus: A lavish, entertaining, powerful film about the life and influence, both positive and negative, of one of Western culture’s great artists.
Synopsis: For this film adaptation of Peter Shaffer’s Broadway hit, director Milos Forman returned to the city of Prague that he’d… [More]
#39
Adjusted Score: 101.347%
Critics Consensus: The rare family-friendly feature with a heart as big as its special effects budget, Babe offers timeless entertainment for viewers of all ages.
Synopsis: A young pig fights convention to become a sheep dog — or, rather, sheep pig — in this charming Australian… [More]
#38
Adjusted Score: 101.765%
Critics Consensus: A mostly unqualified triumph for James Cameron, who offers a dizzying blend of spectacular visuals and old-fashioned melodrama.
Synopsis: This spectacular epic re-creates the ill-fated maiden voyage of the White Star Line’s $7.5 million R.M.S Titanic and the tragic… [More]
#37
Adjusted Score: 101.809%
Critics Consensus: Effectively balancing humor and subtle pathos, Sofia Coppola crafts a moving, melancholy story that serves as a showcase for both Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson.
Synopsis: After making a striking directorial debut with her screen adaptation of The Virgin Suicides, Sofia Coppola offers a story of… [More]
#36
Adjusted Score: 101.919%
Critics Consensus: Emotionally stirring, richly drawn, and beautifully animated, The Lion King is a pride within Disney’s pantheon of classic family films.
Synopsis: One of the most popular Disney animated musicals, The Lion King presents the story of a lion cub’s journey to… [More]
#35
Adjusted Score: 102.244%
Critics Consensus: Director Billy Wilder’s customary cynicism is leavened here by tender humor, romance, and genuine pathos.
Synopsis: Widely regarded as a comedy in 1960, The Apartment seems more melancholy with each passing year. Jack Lemmon plays C.C…. [More]
#34
Adjusted Score: 102.314%
Critics Consensus: Visually dazzling and emotionally resonant, Slumdog Millionaire is a film that’s both entertaining and powerful.
Synopsis: Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, is about to experience the biggest day of his… [More]
#33
Adjusted Score: 102.475%
Critics Consensus: Some Like It Hot: A spry, quick-witted farce that never drags.
Synopsis: Two Struggling musicians witness the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre and are now on the run from the Mob. Jerry and… [More]
#32
Adjusted Score: 102.524%
Critics Consensus: Bitingly cynical without succumbing to bitterness, The Player is one of the all-time great Hollywood satires — and an ensemble-driven highlight of the Altman oeuvre.
Synopsis: Robert Altman’s provocative satire of the movie industry stars Tim Robbins as Griffin Mill, an unscrupulous Hollywood studio executive who… [More]
#31
Adjusted Score: 102.871%
Critics Consensus: The onscreen battle between Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher serves as a personal microcosm of the culture wars of the 1970s — and testament to the director’s vision that the film retains its power more than three decades later.
Synopsis: With an insane asylum standing in for everyday society, Milos Forman’s 1975 film adaptation of Ken Kesey’s novel is a… [More]
#30
Adjusted Score: 103.22%
Critics Consensus: Enchanting, sweepingly romantic, and featuring plenty of wonderful musical numbers, Beauty and the Beast is one of Disney’s most elegant animated offerings.
Synopsis: Walt Disney Animation Studios’ magical classic Beauty and the Beast returns to the big screen in Disney Digital 3D(TM), introducing… [More]
#29
Adjusted Score: 103.261%
Critics Consensus: This complex war epic asks hard questions, resists easy answers, and boasts career-defining work from star Alec Guinness and director David Lean.
Synopsis: The Bridge on the River Kwai opens in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in Burma in 1943, where a battle of… [More]
#28
Adjusted Score: 103.62%
Critics Consensus: Riotously funny and impeccably cast, American Hustle compensates for its flaws with unbridled energy and some of David O. Russell’s most irrepressibly vibrant direction.
Synopsis: A fictional film set in the alluring world of one of the most stunning scandals to rock our nation, American… [More]
#27
Adjusted Score: 103.689%
Critics Consensus: Charming, thoughtful, and often funny, Sideways is a decidedly mature road trip comedy full of excellent performances.
Synopsis: A wine tasting road trip to salute Jack’s final days as a bachelor careens woefully sideways as he and Miles… [More]
#26
Adjusted Score: 104.112%
Critics Consensus: Director Billy Wilder’s unflinchingly honest look at the effects of alcoholism may have had some of its impact blunted by time, but it remains a powerful and remarkably prescient film.
Synopsis: This grim, realistic treatment of alcoholism stars Ray Milland as Don Birnam, a troubled novelist with a drinking problem. Escaping… [More]
#25
Adjusted Score: 104.496%
Critics Consensus: Realistic, fast-paced and uncommonly smart, The French Connection is bolstered by stellar performances by Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider, not to mention William Friedkin’s thrilling production.
Synopsis: This gritty, fast-paced, and innovative police drama earned five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay (written by Ernest… [More]
#24
Adjusted Score: 104.556%
Critics Consensus: Typically stylish but deceptively thoughtful, The Grand Budapest Hotel finds Wes Anderson once again using ornate visual environments to explore deeply emotional ideas.
Synopsis: THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL recounts the adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the… [More]
#23
Adjusted Score: 105.101%
Critics Consensus: Schindler’s List blends the abject horror of the Holocaust with Steven Spielberg’s signature tender humanism to create the director’s dramatic masterpiece.
Synopsis: Based on a true story, Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List stars Liam Neeson as Oskar Schindler, a German businessman in Poland… [More]
#22
Adjusted Score: 105.34%
Critics Consensus: An engrossing look at the triumphs and travails of war veterans, The Best Years of Our Lives is concerned specifically with the aftermath of World War II, but its messages speak to the overall American experience.
Synopsis: A memorable film about the aftermath of World War II in the United States., this film opens with the homecoming… [More]
#21
Adjusted Score: 105.376%
Critics Consensus: A crowd-pleasing tribute to the magic of silent cinema, The Artist is a clever, joyous film with delightful performances and visual style to spare.
Synopsis: Hollywood 1927. George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is a silent movie superstar. The advent of the talkies will sound the death… [More]
#20
Adjusted Score: 106.03%
Critics Consensus: Smart, thrilling, and surprisingly funny, The Martian offers a faithful adaptation of the bestselling book that brings out the best in leading man Matt Damon and director Ridley Scott.
Synopsis: During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left… [More]
#19
Adjusted Score: 106.181%
Critics Consensus: Impeccably scripted, beautifully directed, and filled with fine performances, The Social Network is a riveting, ambitious example of modern filmmaking at its finest.
Synopsis: «The Social Network» explores the moment at which Facebook, the most revolutionary social phenomena of the new century, was invented… [More]
#18
Adjusted Score: 106.51%
Critics Consensus: The epic of all epics, Lawrence of Arabia cements director David Lean’s status in the filmmaking pantheon with nearly four hours of grand scope, brilliant performances, and beautiful cinematography.
Synopsis: This sweeping, highly literate historical epic covers the Allies’ mideastern campaign during World War I as seen through the eyes… [More]
#17
Adjusted Score: 106.837%
Critics Consensus: The plot may be problematic, but such concerns are rendered superfluous by Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron’s star power, the Gershwins’ classic songs, and Vincente Minnelli’s colorful, sympathetic direction.
Synopsis: Gene Kelly does his patented Pal Joey bit as Jerry Mulligan, an opportunistic American painter living in Paris’ «starving artists»… [More]
#16
Adjusted Score: 107.302%
Critics Consensus: Remade but never duplicated, this darkly humorous morality tale represents John Huston at his finest.
Synopsis: John Huston’s 1948 treasure-hunt classic begins as drifter Fred C. Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart), down and out in Tampico, Mexico, impulsively… [More]
#15
Adjusted Score: 107.382%
Critics Consensus: With his electrifying performance in Elia Kazan’s thought-provoking, expertly constructed melodrama, Marlon Brando redefined the possibilities of acting for film and helped permanently alter the cinematic landscape.
Synopsis: This classic story of Mob informers was based on a number of true stories and filmed on location in and… [More]
#14
Adjusted Score: 107.548%
Critics Consensus: As bruised and cynical as the decade that produced it, this noir classic benefits from Robert Towne’s brilliant screenplay, director Roman Polanski’s steady hand, and wonderful performances from Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway.
Synopsis: «You may think you know what you’re dealing with, but believe me, you don’t,» warns water baron Noah Cross (John… [More]
#13
Adjusted Score: 107.607%
Critics Consensus: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri deftly balances black comedy against searing drama — and draws unforgettable performances from its veteran cast along the way.
Synopsis: THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI is a darkly comic drama from Academy Award winner Martin McDonagh (IN BRUGES). After months… [More]
#12
Adjusted Score: 107.646%
Critics Consensus: The rare sequel that arguably improves on its predecessor, Toy Story 2 uses inventive storytelling, gorgeous animation, and a talented cast to deliver another rich moviegoing experience for all ages.
Synopsis: «Toy Story 2» is the exciting, all-new sequel to the landmark 1995 computer-animated blockbuster from Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar… [More]
#11
Adjusted Score: 109.38%
Critics Consensus: Arguably the greatest movie about Hollywood, Billy Wilder’s masterpiece Sunset Boulevard is a tremendously entertaining combination of noir, black comedy, and character study.
Synopsis: Aging silent-film star Norma Desmond ensnares a young screenwriter in this poison-pen valentine to Hollywood…. [More]
#10
Adjusted Score: 109.685%
Critics Consensus: La La Land breathes new life into a bygone genre with thrillingly assured direction, powerful performances, and an irresistible excess of heart.
Synopsis: Written and directed by Academy Award (R) nominee Damien Chazelle, LA LA LAND tells the story of Mia [Emma Stone],… [More]
#9
Adjusted Score: 109.904%
Critics Consensus: It’s far from comfortable viewing, but 12 Years a Slave’s unflinchingly brutal look at American slavery is also brilliant — and quite possibly essential — cinema.
Synopsis: Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as Solomon Northup, the New York State citizen who was kidnapped and made to work on a… [More]
#8
Adjusted Score: 109.95%
Critics Consensus: Tense, exciting, and often darkly comic, Argo recreates a historical event with vivid attention to detail and finely wrought characters.
Synopsis: Based on true events, Argo chronicles the life-or-death covert operation to rescue six Americans, which unfolded behind the scenes of… [More]
#7
Adjusted Score: 110.111%
Critics Consensus: Thrillingly unrestrained yet solidly crafted, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood tempers Tarantino’s provocative impulses with the clarity of a mature filmmaker’s vision.
Synopsis: Quentin Tarantino’s ninth feature film is a story that takes place in Los Angeles in 1969, at the height of… [More]
#6
Adjusted Score: 110.214%
Critics Consensus: Epic in technical scale but breathlessly intimate in narrative scope, Boyhood is a sprawling investigation of the human condition.
Synopsis: Filmed over 12 years with the same cast, Richard Linklater’s BOYHOOD is a groundbreaking story of growing up as seen… [More]
#5
Adjusted Score: 110.252%
Critics Consensus: Hard-hitting, immersive, and an impressive technical achievement, 1917 captures the trench warfare of World War I with raw, startling immediacy.
Synopsis: At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers, Schofield (Captain Fantastic’s George MacKay) and Blake (Game… [More]
#4
Adjusted Score: 110.872%
Critics Consensus: Playing as both an exciting sci-fi adventure and a remarkable portrait of childhood, Steven Spielberg’s touching tale of a homesick alien remains a piece of movie magic for young and old.
Synopsis: Both a classic movie for kids and a remarkable portrait of childhood, E.T. is a sci-fi adventure that captures that… [More]
#3
Adjusted Score: 111.66%
Critics Consensus: One of Hollywood’s greatest critical and commercial successes, The Godfather gets everything right; not only did the movie transcend expectations, it established new benchmarks for American cinema.
Synopsis: Popularly viewed as one of the best American films ever made, the multi-generational crime saga The Godfather is a touchstone… [More]
#2
Adjusted Score: 113.561%
Critics Consensus: Moonlight uses one man’s story to offer a remarkable and brilliantly crafted look at lives too rarely seen in cinema.
Synopsis: The tender, heartbreaking story of a young man’s struggle to find himself, told across three defining chapters in his life… [More]
#1
Adjusted Score: 116.057%
Critics Consensus: Lady Bird delivers fresh insights about the turmoil of adolescence — and reveals writer-director Greta Gerwig as a fully formed filmmaking talent.
Synopsis: In Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig reveals herself to be a bold new cinematic voice with her directorial debut, excavating both… [More]
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Rotten Tomatoes
