best biography films of all time

20 Best Biopic Movies of All Time

Hollywood and other film industries have always been fascinated with the lives of famous people. That’s why we have so many biopics made right since the beginning of cinema. Not all of them are great, but we certainly have seen a fair share of really good biopic movies. From Gandhi to Zuckerberg, Hollywood has tried its hand on making biopics on people from all strata of life. Now, let’s look at the list of top biopic movies of all time. You can watch several of these best biopic movies on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime.

20. Nixon (1995)

Hopkins had quite a run after he won the Academy Awards for ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ (1991), but the boldest work of his career was as President Richard Nixon in this outstanding bio from Oliver Stone . As one of the most polarizing figures of the seventies, Nixon was a true statesman, but a flawed and paranoid man, doomed as a world leader. He captures the wounded soul of the disgraced President in every way. Looking nothing like him, he instead captures his essence and speech pattern and becomes Nixon before our very eyes.

Read More: Best Movie Couples of All Time

19. Bugsy (1991)

Warren Beatty was always an interesting actor, but with his work here as murderous gangster Benjamin Siegel, he proved he was a great one. With movie star good looks, Siegel landed in Hollywood and quickly took over all gangland related activities and when visiting the desert, he had a vision of what became Las Vegas. Obsessed with his Flamingo Hotel in the desert, he failed to see his girlfriend was stealing from the mob, which brought Siegel down. Beatty is terrifying in his rages, deluded in his belief he can kill Mussolini, yet gentle and kind with his family and friend Meyer Lansky.

Read More: Best Animated Movies of All Time

18. Chaplin (1992)

A brilliant actor ready for the performance of his lifetime, stuck with a weak script, a cowardly director not willing to show his subject warts and all, Robert Downey Jr. still gave one of the great performances of all time, beautifully capturing Chaplin and his artistry. Sadly neither the director nor script took advantage of Downey being so far into character; the actor was gone, Chaplin remained. With an edgy actor such as Downey, why explore the more controversial aspects of his life? They had an actor ready to cut loose and they failed him.

Read More: Most Difficult Movies to Watch

17. Downfall (2005)

Is it possible to humanize Hitler, possibly the most hated and evil man to ever exist? Bruno Ganz did that very thing in the superb German film ‘Downfall’, which explores the last days Hitler was alive in his bunker, the Soviets not far from the heart of the city. Hands shaking, frail, obviously drugged heavily, he knows the end is near and what is coming; he knows what the reaction will be to his Death Camps. Often gentle and kind with those around him, other time he flies into a rage when his orders are not followed. In the end, the monster was all too human, just a man. An astounding, brave performance.

Read More: Best Twist Ending Movies of All Time

16. Lincoln (2012)

The moment we laid eyes on him in the opening moments of the film, and he spoke in that surprising high reedy voice, audiences felt they were encountering Abraham Lincoln, possibly the greatest American who ever lived. Daniel Day-Lewis poured over books, found descriptions of his voice, his gait, the manner in which he spoke and the deep melancholy he carried with him and brought it with him to his performance. His co-stars claimed they never met Day-Lewis until the film’s premiere; they knew only President Lincoln. This profoundly fine performance won the actor his third Academy Awards for Best Actor.

Read More: Best Women Centric Movies of All Time

15. The Aviator (2004)

As the young Howard Hughes during his Hollywood years, before the madness set in, Leonardo DiCaprio is truly outstanding. Blessed with a brilliant, inquisitive mind, he is always looking to the skies, even in his first film, ‘Hells Angels’ (1930), which he re-shot after the advent of sound. Fascinated with aviation, he built planes, making them bigger and faster, crashing one of them in downtown LA, forever damaging himself. It is a bold, outstanding performance that beautifully explores a troubled mind. The genuine fear in his eyes when he has one of his spells is truly frightening because he is never really sure if he can snap out of it.

14. The Last King of Scotland (2006)

In portraying the purely evil yet charismatic Idi Amin Dada, actor Forest Whitaker gave a performance for the ages, winning every single award available to him that year. As self appointed President, actually dictator of Uganda, he takes a young Scottish doctor under his wing and it is through that man’s eyes we see the monster appear. Whitaker is brilliant, seething with anger and contempt for those who defy him, believing himself to be a God. Terrifying.

13. Patton (1970)

As one of the greatest warriors in the history of the United States military, General George S. Patton did as he pleased often defying his superiors’ orders. George C. Scott is magnificent as Patton, one of the screen’s greatest performances and refused the Oscar he won for Best Actor. That iconic image that opens the film — Scott dwarfed by a massive flag — once seen can never be forgotten.

Read More: Best Horror Movies of All Time

12. My Left Foot (1989)

On the rise as an actor when he made this lovely, gritty film about Irish artist/writer Cristy Brown, afflicted with cerebral palsy since birth, Day-Lewis won the Academy Award and several other awards in announcing himself as a major new acting force. His eyes ablaze with intellect and purpose; his body betraying him with constant shaking, twitching, everything out of control except his left foot. The actor brings us the fierce mind that was trapped in that wretched body. Despite his affliction, he was gifted, horny and a heavy drinker. Day-Lewis is a miracle in the film.

Read More: Best Superhero Movies of All Time

11. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

As stock swindler Jordan Belfort, who became obscenely wealthy before the FBI brought him down, Leonardo DiCaprio gives a brilliant performance – the best of his career. The young actor brings a furious energy to the performance and brash confidence, moving through the film like a young rock star. Whether stoned on drugs , smashed out of his mind, or arguing with his gorgeous wife, the actor is a revelation and force of nature. He is electrifying from beginning to end, always in motion, scheming, descending slowly into his own hell.

Read More: Best Action Movies of All Time

10. The Social Network

Made at a time when Facebook had reached meteoric height’s, ‘The Social Network’ works as a powerful commentary on modern times and feels utterly fresh, even after six years. It deserves a place on every such list because of the treatment by David Fincher . Led by powerful performances from Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield , it is a deeply personal tale which works on so many levels, and is a study on the nature of friendship , ambition and power.

Read More: Best Comedy Movies of All Time

Helmed by Bennett Miller (who also directed ‘Foxcatcher’), ‘Capote’ chronicles the life of Truman Capote during the period when he was writing his non-fiction novel, ‘In Cold Blood’. Superbly constructed, the film feels bleak and sublime at the same time, as it tries to convey the horrors of the killings. But the movie stands out chiefly because of the honest and riveting performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman , which earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor. It is sad that we’ve lost a truly great artist.

Read More: Biggest Hollywood Hits Movies of All Time

8. Malcolm X

At a run time of 200 minutes, ‘Malcolm X’ is a long movie. But it never seems long, thanks to a phenomenal performance by Denzel Washington , and nuanced direction by Spike Lee . The film dramatizes chief events of the life of African American activist Malcolm X. The film received much skepticism and criticism even before it actually hit the screen, mainly because of the sensitive nature of the subject. But it received overwhelming critical acclaim upon release. Denzel Washington was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his standout performance, but lost out to Al Pacino , which many think was unfair on the Academy’s part.

Read More: Best Movie Villains of All Time

7. The Pianist

Roman Polanski is a director known for his technical prowess, edgy direction and excellence in handling the noir genre of cinema. But in ‘The Pianist’ , the visionary director takes his skills and gives us a devastating biographical drama. ‘The Pianist’ is the moving life-story of Władysław Szpilman, a Polish pianist and composer, portrayed by Adrien Brody , who loses his family during the Holocaust. Polanski paints a bleak, harrowing landscape – drawing from his own experiences of the war – and gives us a terrifying, yet human tale of hope and survival .

Read More: Best Time Travel Movies of All Time

Richard Attenborough’s enduring masterpiece ‘Gandhi’ is still fresh in the hearts of the millions of Indians who watched it at the time when it was released. Made on a very large-scale and featuring actors from both Hollywood and Bollywood, this biographical drama feels fiercely authentic. The direction is quite traditional, and is exactly what a biopic of this scale needed; after all, it was about an ordinary man who did extraordinary things. Sir Ben Kingsley’s commanding presence as Mahatma Gandhi is one of the pioneering examples of biopic performances.

5. The Elephant Man

David Lynch is a master of his craft, and is a tough director to watch. His body of work – original and largely cerebral – proves that beyond a shadow of doubt. But in ‘The Elephant Man’, the visionary director outdoes himself and shows us an intensely moving tale about a disfigured man trying to find his place in society. It is based on the life of Joseph Marrick, a man suffering from severe deformity. The film depicts his life in a Victorian freak show and his relation with Dr. Frederick Treves, who tends to him later, and provides him shelter. Technically brilliant, and at times quite bleak – considering the nature of the subject – the film is especially noted for the make-up done on John Hurt for him to look the part. It is historically quite significant because the Academy was criticized for failing to recognize the efforts gone in the make-up process, and only after this film was the category for Best Make-up introduced.

Read More: Best Overrated Movies of All Time

4. Raging Bull

There are boxing movies and then there is ‘Raging Bull’ . This Martin Scorsese gem is the biographical account of the boxer Jake LaMotta, his rise to fame and his personal struggles. Scorcese pours his heart out in this picture, which is so perfectly crafted that it works both as a sports movie , and as a tragic drama. Robert De Niro gave an explosive and riveting performance as Jake LaMotta, rightfully taking home the Best Actor Oscar for this role. Shot entirely in Black and White , the movie came out in the same year as ‘The Elephant Man’, competing for the Best Picture award. Unfortunately, neither of the two won the award, which went to ‘Ordinary People’.

Read More: Biggest Box Office Disasters of All Time

3. Goodfellas

Hailed by many as the second best gangster movie ever, (first being ‘The Godfather’ ) ‘Goodfellas’ is a riveting crime drama based on a non fictional book Wiseguy, chronicling the rise and fall Henry Hill, a crime family associate. Plumbing the obscene depths of crime, ‘Goodfellas’ is an enduring tale about loyalty, betrayal and the corrupting nature of power. Martin Scorsese delivers perfection in this ageless film, which boasts of marvelous performances by Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, and the swashbuckling Joe Pesci (who took home the Best Actor in a Supporting Role Oscar for his performance.)

Read More: Best Heist Movies of All Time

2. Schindler’s List

I won’t say much about ‘Schindler’s List’ here. Widely regarded as one of the best pictures in the history of cinema, ‘Schindler’s List’ is Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece, and is truly a work of art. With the Second World war as the backdrop, with the Nazi terror achieving terrible heights, ‘Schindler’s List’ is a moving tale about one man’s change of heart, and how he becomes a messiah. But, oh, it still doesn’t occupy the top spot on this list. Wonder why? Well, scroll down to find out which film holds that honor.

Read More: Best Visually Stunning Movies of All Time

1. Lawrence of Arabia

A film so grand and epic in scope that it commands multiple viewings. Really, get a Blu-ray and watch it on a big screen TV. Made in 1962, ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ is David Lean’s magnum opus. It is a riveting saga about the life of British archaeologist T.E Lawrence and the role he played during the Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire. Everything about this movie is beautiful in a terrific, haunting way, crafted by a film-maker at the peak of his powers. The melodious score by Maurice Jarre, the authentic, breathtaking cinematography by F.A Young (the desert never looked so mesmerizing ), and a powerful performance by the-then newcomer Peter O’ Toole , make this movie one of the greatest films of all time . Its influence can still be felt in modern biopics.

Read More: Best Screenwriters of All Time

The 25 best biopics of all time – ranked

From 'Malcolm X' to 'Oppenheimer': the greatest movies inspired by great lives

Photograph: Time Out

Hollywood has always loved a biopic – and not just Hollywood. Abel Gance’s legendary silent epic Napoléon and Carl Dreyer’s The Passion of Joan of Arc both created early blueprints for biographical cinema. But let’s not kid ourselves: it’s American cinema that has developed the biggest passion for putting the lives of great men and women – and some not-so-great-ones – up in lights. And the early ’80s are when the biopic really kicked up a gear, with films like Raging Bull (about Jake LaMotta), Coal Miner's Daughter (Loretta Lynn) and The Elephant Man (Joseph Merrick) all vying for Best Picture at 1980’s Oscars. This year, Oppenheimer and Maestro have continued the awards season sideline in teaching us all about Important People. But not all biopics are created equal. The list below singles out the ones that do more than just offer a Wikipedia-like trawl through a life’s events, however eventfully lived. Those flavourless films – J Edgar , Diana etc – often prove far less illuminating than a good hour-long History Channel doc. Instead, we’ve picked films that put fresh spins on famous figures, reframe their lives in insightful ways, and use the language of cinema to lend them grandeur and context in all kinds of memorable ways. Welcome to the cinema of icons.

RECOMMENDED:

✅ The 23 best movies based on true stories 📹 The 65 best documentaries of all-time 😱 The 15 scariest horror movies based on true stories 🔥 The 100 best movies of all-time

Been there, done that? Think again, my friend.

1. Napoléon (1927)

Move over Joaquin and Ridley , because Abel Gance’s iconic silent epic – all six-ish hours of it – is still the definitive depiction of the diminutive Corsican– yes, including Bill & Ted’s . Played by the gaunt Albert Dieudonné and taking in battles, politics and the young Bonaparte’s famous , it’s a tour de force of cinematic craft, with Gance employing an extraordinary array of techniques to bring this action-packed life to audiences in the late ’20s. Thanks to Kevin Brownlow’s loving restoration, it’s in fighting fettle nearly a century later. It doesn’t cover his entire life – Austerlitz, the retreat from Moscow and defeat at Waterloo were all destined to appear in further films Gance never got to make – but there’s enough Revolutionary-era detail for even the most dedicated sans culotte .

2. Andrei Rublev (1966)

A bad biopic will just plod dutifully through history. For Andrei Tarkovsky, the form offered the chance to philosophise about creative and religious freedom, and explore the tension between his subject, the titular 15th century Russian icon painter, the chaotic medieval landscape he inhabited and the filmmaker’s own Communist homeland. In other words, to go full Tarkovsky. The result is one of the most stunning films of the ’60s, a black-and-white masterpiece embroidered with extraordinary visuals: the hot air balloon, the Tartars’ attack, the casting of the bell, and the weathered face of Rublev himself. Fun fact: his co-writer Andrei Konchalovsky went on to direct Tango & Cash . A tenner if you can find thematic overlap.

3. Raging Bull (1980)

Some biopics cast such a long shadow they end up eclipsing their subject in public imagination. Old-school boxing fans know Jake LaMotta was a real fighter – and a real asshole – and not just a creation of Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro. But in the cultural consciousness, De Niro is Jake LaMotta. And really, he might as well be, given how deeply he inhabits the role of a violent man increasingly unable to differentiate between a prize fight and everything else in his life. It’s a brutal but necessary portrait of male ugliness, made beautiful by Scorsese’s equally operatic and hallucinogenic visual style.

4. Malcolm X (1992)

If any figure’s life deserves the cradle-to-grave treatment, it’s Malcolm X – and if any director is qualified to film his story with the breadth it requires, it’s Spike Lee. Lee refuses to sand down the edges of the Civil Rights icon’s biography, and in the process revivifies the three-dimensional image of a complex leader that had been flattened into a militant caricature through decades of purposeful revisionism. But the ace, of course, is Denzel Washington, who so fully embodies the activist at each stage of his life – from hoodlum to revolutionary to martyr – that when younger generations think about Malcolm X, he’s the person they see.

5. Amadeus (1984)

Miloš Forman’s opulent, stormy period piece about maverick musical genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is one of the great biopics. Adapting his own play, writer Peter Shaffer keeps the ingenious framing device of capturing Wolfie’s life in flashback through the eyes of his bitter rival Salieri. It lets us see what he sees, but encourages us to take a lot more pleasure in it all, until the charm wears off and the story sours. It’s as light and effortless as a fairy tale – all grand balls, OTT costumes and gossipy salons – but as immaculately constructed as a Mozart concerto. The brilliant Tom Hulce plays Mozart as a giggly manchild, while the equally formidable F Murray Abraham drips venom as the scheming Salieri.

6. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985)

Paul Schrader tackles the life, career and incredibly violent death of Japanese writer and artist Yukio Mishima in a film that shows a good biopic can make dramatic hay from even the most unlikeable figures. Because, make no mistake, Mishima is a bit of a douche: an avatar for toxic masculinity and regressive nationalism who’d no doubt be a social media superstar these days. Schrader’s cleverly constructed, wildly imaginative epic finds beauty in his art and lurid colour in his life, framing it via stagily avant garde dramatisations with Philip Glass’s legendary score lending it all added grandeur.

7. The Elephant Man (1980)

Action and adventure

David Lynch tamped down his surrealist impulses for his first major studio film, but when the source material is the true story of a 19th century freakshow exhibit turned bon vivant, what dreamy embellishments do you really need? Born with severe physical deformities science still hasn’t fully explained, Joseph Merrick nevertheless became the toast of London in the late 1800s when he was discovered to be far more erudite than his appearance suggested. John Hurt works wonders under an intensely cumbersome amount of make-up, literally straining to bring Merrick’s humanity to the surface. And while it might play more conventionally than just about anything Lynch did after, the director still imbues the film with a signature sense of unease.

8. Patton (1970)

Flawed geniuses make great biopic subjects. Flawed heroes maybe even more so. General George S Patton, a hard-charging tank commander during World War II, is definitely one of the latter and depending on which historian you ask, maybe the former too. Embodied by the hardly mild-mannered George C Scott, a role for which he won, and subsequently declined, an Oscar, his wartime experiences make an electrifying case study of almost deranged drive and purpose. The film also makes a fascinating case study in leadership, with the screenplay, co-written by Francis Ford Coppola, never excusing the man’s brutal excesses – including the shellshocked G.I. he infamously slapped.

9. Lawrence of Arabia (2012)

Condensing a great man’s life into a bum-friendly two-plus-hours is the kind of daunting task that David Lean’s widescreen epic makes no effort to attempt. Instead, over 227 minutes this remarkable film recreates the rise of TE Lawrence (Peter O’Toole) from humble army office to leader of the Arab tribes in World War I on the biggest imaginable canvas. That’s not to say it’s all strictly accurate. Despite being based on Lawrence’s own account of the war, ‘Seven Pillars of Wisdom’, it drew criticism for its depictions of Arabs in the story (Alec Guinness’s Prince Faisal, in particular), and it failure to include a single female character (British orientalist Gertrude Bell was a key figure in the story). But some British bias aside, much of what’s here is close to what happened IRL.

10. Oppenheimer (2023)

Christopher Nolan’s doomy portrait of the father of the atomic age will be forever linked to a movie about a plastic doll come to life . But it’s not really such a harsh juxtaposition – for all its physics talk and Senate hearings and apocalyptic visions, Oppenheimer would still qualify as blockbuster movie-making even if it didn’t wind up half of the #Barbenheimer phenomenon. Cillian Murphy is simply that captivating as J Robert Oppenheimer, the inventor of the weapon that may still annihilate us all, and the movie is simply that big: a three-hour exploration of guilt, war, death and marriage that overwhelms your attention with sheer density.

11. The Last Emperor (1987)

This sweeping epic about Aisin Gioro Puyi, China’s last monarch, is one for all the they-don’t-make-’em-like-they-used-to heads out there. And Bernardo Bertolucci’s sweeping, nine-Oscars-winning movie really does feel like an offering from another era – not least because China is unlikely to be lending 19,000 soldiers to a Hollywood studio anytime soon, or handing over the keys to Beijing’s Forbidden City. That’s the backdrop to the film’s most famous shot: a toddler-aged Puyi standing before a vast crowd of his subjects. Despite being based on Puyi’s autobiography – or maybe because of it – The Last Emperor was called out for soft-soaking his cruelty. But as an depiction of 60 years of chaos and change, it’s still jaw-dropping.

12. Ed Wood (1994)

Ed Wood is often laughed off as the worst director of all-time, but as time has gone on, and we’ve seen filmmakers do far worse with much bigger budgets, it’s easier to appreciate him as one of cinema’s truest believers, driven to serve his vision as best he could. That doesn’t make his movies any better, nor his technical ineptitude any less funny. But Tim Burton’s loving reappraisal manages to laugh with admiration rather than derision, to the point of looking and feeling like one of Wood’s films, at least in terms of vibe and not, like, visible boom mics. Johnny Depp is enthusiastically daft in the lead, and finds true warmth in his friendship with Martin Landau’s ageing, broken-down Bela Lugosi.

13. Spartacus (1960)

‘I’m Spartacus!’ ‘No, I’m Spartacus!’ The stand-up-and-cheer moment in Stanley Kubrick’s CinemaScope epic feels much more Tinseltown than Ancient Rome, but the film around it is all based on real events. Specifically, a slave revolt against the Romans led by a Thracian slave in 71 BC. Famously, Kubrick directed it as a hired gun at the behest of its star Kirk Douglas, and it’s Kubrickian more in spectacle than style or theme – with the big battles and colosseum scenes making it the Gladiator of its day. It came with uncanny historical resonance, too: screenwriter Dalton Trumbo was blacklisted as one of the Hollywood 10 and for a time, was denied credit on the film. His Spartacus moment took a lot longer to happen, but he got a much happier ending ( and a Bryan Cranston film made about him ).

14. Persepolis (2008)

There’s not a load of animated biopics but those there are, are great. Studio Ghibli’s The Wind Rises , about fighter plane pioneer Jiro Horikoshi, is one such. Flee , about Afghan refugee Amin Nawab, is another. But Marjane Satrapi's adaptation of her own graphic novel about her childhood in Iran may be the best of the lot. It follows a young Satrapi as she tries to coexist peacefully with the Iranian Revolution, a feat made much tougher by her, a) being a woman, and b) having a mind of her own. The animation, aping the style of the book’s black-and-white illustrations, gives this touching, but punky coming-of-age story an aesthetic all of its own.

15. A Hidden Life (2020)

It’s noteworthiness rather than just notoriety that drives a good biopic. Franz Jägerstätter, played with rugged stoicism by Inglourious Basterds’ August Diehl, probably wouldn’t have ended up with a film made about his life had fate not reached into his bucolic corner of the Austrian Alps in the early 1940s. But the sheer courage and spiritual principle displayed by this humble family man in the face of the moral depravity of the Nazi state provide Terrence Malick’s stirring film with a chance to elevate him from history’s marginalia. A hidden life no more.

16. Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980)

The tropes of the musical biopic had not yet been fully codified when Michael Apted adapted country icon Loretta Lynn’s rags-to-riches story, but even now that they’ve been trod into dust, Coal Miner’s Daughter remains uniquely moving. You know the major beats: a girl is born into poverty, marries young, survives abuse and myriad other hardships, then succeeds beyond anybody’s wildest expectations. But Apted and stars Sissy Spacek and Tommy Lee Jones string the familiar narrative together with such well-observed humanity that it feels less like standard Hollywood biography and something closer to a folk tale.

17. Walk the Line (2005)

Casting is always crucial in biopics, but if you’re making a movie about Johnny Cash and June Carter, it’s everything : if the chemistry between your leads is less than electric, you’re done for. Thankfully, Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon just about set the screen ablaze, he as country music’s ultimate voice of the voiceless, she as the beacon of light guiding him through his own personal darkness. Their shared authenticity – in both their onstage duets and offstage quarrels – elevates the film above its ‘behind the music’ cliches. That didn’t prevent it from being cut in half pretty bad by the hilarious parody Walk Hard – but if it helped bring the world Dewey Cox, that only makes it better.

18. I'm Not There (2007)

Dylanology has been an unofficial field of academic study since the ’60s, so there’s little anyone could possibly gain from a straightforward Bob Dylan biopic. Wisely, in I’m Not There , Todd Haynes does the exact opposite of ‘straightforward’, taking a more symbolic approach in examining the towering musician’s muses and mythos. Six different actors portray various Dylanesque personae, none of them actually named Bob Dylan. Most memorable is Cate Blanchett as folk singer Jude Quinn, basically an alternate-reality version of Dylan circa his electric conversion. It’s a fascinating experiment that’s sometimes also inscrutable – as anything truthful to this particular subject should be.

19. Lincoln (2013)

Actors have gone to great lengths in prepping to play historical figures before. Daniel Day-Lewis levelled up, however, as Abraham Lincoln, asking to be addressed as ‘Mr President’ on set and not breaking character for three months, even in the car to work. Which may, thinking about it, have been a carriage. But such is the burden of depicting a figure of the magnitude of Lincoln in Steven Spielberg’s serious-minded history, and the results are extraordinary. The film isn’t too shabby either. Tony Kushner’s screenplay, based Doris Kearns Goodwin’s famous Lincoln biography ‘Team of Rivals’, saupercharges Congressional debates and policy-making summits with the urgency of a thriller. Legislation drafting has never been this exciting.

20. I, Tonya (2017)

Not even the trashiest Lifetime screenwriter could script a scandal as perfect as the one that enveloped US figure skating in 1994: all-American ice princess Nancy Kerrigan is clubbed in the knee by an unknown assailant. The suspect? Her chief rival, trailer park roughneck Tonya Harding. It was world-class tabloid fodder – but tabloids, of course, have little use for nuance or empathy. Director Craig Gillespie doesn’t rehabilitate Harding, exactly, but brings the circumstances of her life into better view, while still recognising the dark absurdity of the controversy that made her famous. Margot Robbie proved her range in the lead role, but it was Allison Janney, as her abusive, chain-smoking mother, who rightly won all the awards.

21. Control (2007)

Anton Corbijn is uniquely suited to make a movie about late Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis: he jump started his photography career in the ‘70s by shooting the band for NME, and later directed a posthumous video for their song ‘Atmosphere’. No wonder, then, that the movie looks like how the band sounded: monochrome and austere, yet starkly beautiful. As you’d expect of a film about a musician who hung himself at age 23, the prevailing mood of Control is somber, but Sam Riley gives Curtis a detectable heartbeat, portraying him as a man capable of love (and even humour), but only from a distance.

22. Ray (2005)

Narratively, Taylor Hackford’s look at the life and times of Ray Charles is Music Bio 101, charting the legendary entertainer’s rise from blind prodigy to American icon, with all the attendant battles against sin and vice in between. What earns it a place on this list is Jamie Foxx, who doesn’t so much embody Charles but fuse with his DNA like the alien in The Thing . Foxx doesn’t just burrow under his skin – although the surface-level impression is uncanny – but into his heart, brain and everything else, drawing far more out of the performance than the script seemed to offer him.

23. Man on the Moon (1999)

Self-described ‘song and dance man’ Andy Kaufman dedicated his life and career to inscrutability, to the point that the ‘real Andy’ became unknowable, perhaps even to the comedian himself. In lieu of separating fact from fiction, Milos Forman’s biopic simply reiterates the legend. Is there much to learn from restaging Kaufman’s greatest hits, like the wrestling matches and Mighty Mouse and the milk-and-cookies stunt from Carnegie Hall, even with the fine detail Forman provides them? Not really. But Jim Carrey famously poured himself into portraying Kaufman with such scary accuracy that it goes beyond movie acting and becomes a form of performance art in itself – perhaps the most appropriate tribute you can offer him.

24. Rocketman (2019)

If you only watch one biopic about a flamboyant British musical superstar who loves a party, make it Rocketman rather than Bohemian Rhapsody . Dexter Fletcher ended up working, uncredited, to finish the Freddie Mercury movie just before he tackled Elton John’s life. He saved all the magic for this one, sketching out a vivid fantasia that feels entirely in keeping with the pop star’s bonkers life, and adopting the grammar of movie musicals to swerve the tired clichés that blight so many biopics . Elton’s suicide attempt, flowing from swimming pool to hospital in one shot and accompanied by the title song, is sheer, drug-addled wonderment.

25. Elvis (2022)

It might have been Harry Styles. It might even have been Miles Teller. The fact that it’s Austin Butler, a hitherto barely known actor with only a passing resemblance, who ended up playing Elvis demonstrates that charisma flows in both directions when you’re playing a superstar. Not to say that Butler doesn’t have the goods: he’s magnetic, whether gyrating on stage and rocketing up the hit parade, or being believably damaged during the crash landing of the Vegas years. Tom Hanks’s rubbery Colonel Parker aside, Baz Luhrmann’s rock ‘n’ roll Babylon is the best kind of gaudily OTT real-life spectacle.

[image] [title]

Discover Time Out original video

Press office
Investor relations
Work for Time Out
Editorial guidelines
Privacy notice
Do not sell my information
Cookie policy
Accessibility statement
Terms of use
Modern slavery statement
Manage cookies
Advertising

Time Out Worldwide

All Time Out Locations
North America
South America
South Pacific

Actor Peter O'Toole stars as T. E. Lawrence in the 1962 biopic 'Lawrence of Arabia.'

100 best biopics of all time

The grand sweep of history is perhaps more easily told through a narrower lens, which is one reason why biopics (biographical pictures)—which can tell the story of a movement, era, or idea through one individual's life—have become so popular in recent years. Filmmakers have increasingly preferred to work in the genre over the past several decades, finding that the unique challenges in condensing a life can embolden creativity and experimentation, resulting in extraordinary movies. Take "Persepolis," for example: The 2007 film explores the Iranian revolution through the life of an ordinary teenage girl via cartoons, weaving snapshots of an ordinary lift in the midst of social upheaval to make one of the most impactful and influential films of the decade.

While the genre has turned out some truly excellent films, not all biopics are created equal. The biggest criticism leveled against them is that they often blend fiction with fact in an irresponsible or misleading manner. J.R.R. Tolkien's estate essentially disowned the 2019 film "Tolkien," feeling the author's character and related facts were misrepresented. Another frequent complaint is that the movies trot out only the best-known facts about an individual's life, failing to offer anything new or revelatory, as with the Grace Kelly biopic "Grace of Monaco." So, which movies in this high-risk, high-reward genre are worth a watch?

Stacker compiled data on biopics to come up with a Stacker score—a weighted index split evenly between IMDb and Metacritic scores. To qualify, the film had to be listed as "biography" on IMDb and have a Metascore. Ties were broken by Metascore, and further ties were broken by IMDb user rating. Every film on the list has been considered within the context of the history and development of the genre.

Whether it's a gangster epic like "Goodfellas," a royal family drama like "The Queen," or one of the many chronicles of the lives of artists and musicians like "Endless Poetry" or "Amadeus," biopics offer something for everyone. Click through to discover the best cinematic portraits of extraordinary lives.

#100. Donnie Brasco (1997)

- Director: Mike Newell - Stacker score: 83.6 - Metascore: 76 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 127 minutes

Undercover FBI agent Donnie Brasco (real name Joseph D. Pistone) infiltrates the legendary Bonanno crime family in 1970s New York City in this true crime drama. Starring Al Pacino and Johnny Depp, the film was based on Pistone's book , "Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia." It's believed that Pistone's long career as an undercover agent generated over 200 indictments and 100 convictions of Mafia members.

#99. The Last Emperor (1987)

- Director: Bernardo Bertolucci - Stacker score: 83.6 - Metascore: 76 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 163 minutes

Bernardo Bertolucci's " The Last Emperor " follows the life of Pu Yi, who took the throne when he was 3 years old and abdicated when he was 7. The film, shot entirely on location in China and its ancient Forbidden City palace complex, follows a country's move from feudalism through revolution to a peaceful republic, all through the lens of one man's life.

#98. Philomena (2013)

- Director: Stephen Frears - Stacker score: 83.6 - Metascore: 77 - IMDb user rating: 7.6 - Runtime: 98 minutes

Philomena Lee (Judi Dench) spends 50 years searching for her forcibly adopted son with the help of a journalist, Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan). The film won four Oscar nominations and took home several trophies at the 2013 Venice Film Festival. While the film is certainly a tearjerker , it is balanced both by comedic moments and the real Ms. Lee's inspirational fortitude in the face of so much loss and grief.

#97. Lorenzo's Oil (1992)

- Director: George Miller - Stacker score: 83.6 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 129 minutes

In the 1980s, Augusto and Michaela Odone experience every parent's worst nightmare when their son Lorenzo is diagnosed with an incurable nerve disease that will eventually paralyze and kill him. Failing to receive the help they needed from doctors, the Odones begin a desperate search for a cure themselves, eventually stumbling upon an oil they believe could reverse the most devastating effects of their son's illness. Nick Nolte and Susan Sarandon star in this film about one couple's desperate struggle to save their family.

#96. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)

- Director: Marielle Heller - Stacker score: 83.6 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 109 minutes

Tom Hanks stars as one of TV's most beloved personalities, Fred Rogers, in this 2019 biopic. Based on a 1998 Esquire article, the film doesn't delve into Roger's life story but rather focuses on the friendship between Rogers and the troubled journalist Tom Junod (renamed Lloyd Vogel in the film). The real-life Mrs. Joanne Rogers makes a brief cameo in the film, and it's a quote from her that reminds viewers that her late husband wasn't a saint, just an ordinary man who tried very, very hard to be better and kind.

#95. A Beautiful Mind (2001)

- Director: Ron Howard - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 72 - IMDb user rating: 8.2 - Runtime: 135 minutes

John Nash Jr., a Nobel Prize winner, was one of the greatest mathematicians the world has ever seen. He also struggled with schizophrenia. " A Beautiful Mind ," based on an unauthorized biography of the same name written by acclaimed journalist Sylvia Nasar, tells Nash's incredible, inspirational life story. Directed by Ron Howard and starring Russell Crowe, the movie won four Academy Awards including Best Picture and grossed over $313 million at the box office.

#94. Into the Wild (2007)

- Director: Sean Penn - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 73 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 148 minutes

Written, directed, and produced by Sean Penn, "Into the Wild" tells the story of Christopher McCandless, a loner who cashed in his law school fund and took off for the Alaskan wilderness in the 1990s. At first charmed by the slower pace of life, McCandless eventually found himself disillusioned with nature and attempted to return to society before making a grave mistake that would cost him everything. The story is based on a nonfiction book written by Jon Krakauer, as well as information from McCandless' surviving sister, Carine McCandless.

#93. The Sea Inside (2004)

- Director: Alejandro Amenábar - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 74 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 126 minutes

A Spanish-language drama, " The Sea Inside " tells the story of Ramon Sampedro, a man who became a quadriplegic after a diving accident in the 1960s and fought for 30 years for the legal right to end his own life through euthanasia. Javier Bardem stars as Sampedro in an incredibly moving performance that focuses on one individual's definition of dignity. The film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film in 2004.

#92. American Gangster (2007)

- Director: Ridley Scott - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 76 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 157 minutes

Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe co-star in " American Gangster ," a film that chronicles the life of Fred Lucas, a gangster who smuggles heroin into the United States, essentially instigating the drug epidemic that swept Harlem and all of New York City in the 1970s. Although the film brought in $266 million at the box office, those who were connected with the case in real life, including Lucas himself , have argued that it takes too many liberties and strays pretty far from the truth.

#91. The Killing Fields (1984)

- Director: Roland Joffé - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 76 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 141 minutes

Nominated for seven Oscars at the 57th Academy Awards, " The Killing Fields " tells the story of two journalists, American Sydney Schanberg and Cambodian Dith Pran, who are covering the country's civil war and find themselves trapped when Pol Pot begins his bloody Year Zero cleansing campaign. Critics loved the film, including Adrian Turner from Radio Times , who wrote, "Few feature films have captured a nation's agony more dramatically."

#90. Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)

- Directors: John Frankenheimer, Charles Crichton - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 76 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 147 minutes

One of the looser retellings on our list, "Birdman of Alcatraz" is about a man (Burt Lancaster) serving a life sentence for murder who becomes an expert on birds while behind bars. The movie was based on Thomas E. Gaddis' book about Robert Stroud, the titular "birdman," and was nominated for four Academy Awards. The real Stroud died a year after the film was released, without ever seeing it .

#89. Endless Poetry (2016)

- Director: Alejandro Jodorowsky - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 78 - IMDb user rating: 7.6 - Runtime: 128 minutes

Surrealist filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky tells his own life story in " Endless Poetry ." The second installment of his cinematic memoir, the film is set in 1940s Chile, when Jodorowsky is a young man just breaking into the country's artistic circles. Very experimental in its form, the film doesn't accommodate casual viewing but offers a fascinating story for those willing to pay close attention.

#88. An Angel at My Table (1990)

- Director: Jane Campion - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 79 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 158 minutes

The story of New Zealand author Janet Frame's life, " An Angel at My Table " is based on Frame's three autobiographies and uses three different actresses to portray her at different points in her life, from her impoverished childhood through her time at a mental institution (wrongly diagnosed with schizophrenia) to the beginning of her wildly successful writing career. The film swept awards in New Zealand and won a Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival.

#87. Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)

- Director: Phillip Noyce - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 94 minutes

From 1910 to 1970, Australia had an official child-removal policy that took biracial Aboriginal children from their homes and placed them in state-run schools and indentured servitude. " Rabbit-Proof Fence " tells the true story of three children from the Stolen Generation who escape their school and walk some 1,500 miles home, all while being pursued by police officers and trackers. Peter Gabriel provided the soundtrack for the heart-wrenching film.

#86. Love & Mercy (2014)

- Director: Bill Pohlad - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 121 minutes

For years, Brian Wilson, leader of the Beach Boys, struggled with mental illness , even spending a length of time in a controversial 24-hour therapy program. "Love & Mercy" chronicles Wilson's struggles in a way that Wilson himself called "very factual." Paul Dano and John Cusack both play the musician at different points in his life, and Elizabeth Banks gives an inspired performance as Wilson's second wife, Melinda.

#85. Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)

- Director: George Clooney - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 93 minutes

" Good Night, and Good Luck " demonstrates the immense power for change that journalists are capable of wielding in the United States. Directed by and starring George Clooney, the film is set in the 1950s, when a fear of communism led by Senator Joseph McCarthy was sweeping the nation. It tells the story of heroic reporter Edward R. Murrow and producer Fred W. Friendly, who used their news show to stand up to McCarthy and remove his cancerous lies from the public eye. The film and its message remain incredibly relevant to today's political polarization.

#84. Il Divo (2008)

- Director: Paolo Sorrentino - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 81 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 110 minutes

"Il Divo" translates to "The Divine Performer," a fitting title for this 2008 film that explores the life of seven-time Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti, who had alleged ties to the Mafia. The story begins in 1992 as Andreotti is elected for the seventh time, then covers his failed presidency bid and bribe scandal, ultimately ending with his trial in 1995. The Guardian called the movie " a macabre masterpiece ."

#83. The General (1998)

- Director: John Boorman - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 81 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 124 minutes

Martin Cahill was an Irish criminal who managed to pull off two incredibly daring robberies (totaling about $60 million), a feat that turned him into a bit of a folk hero. " The General " tells the story of his life, including his murder by a member of the Irish Republican Army after he became involved in politics. While Cahill (played by Brendan Gleeson) was far from a good man, the 1998 movie will make you admire the way he stuck to his morals, even when they were questionable.

#82. Steve Jobs (2015)

- Director: Danny Boyle - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 7.2 - Runtime: 122 minutes

Since his death in 2011, there have been several movies and documentaries about Apple co-founder and tech guru Steve Jobs, but this 2015 biopic is among the best . Michael Fassbender brings the turtleneck-loving visionary to life in the film, which covers three different product launches that took place between 1984 and 1998. Unlike many other Jobs films, this movie also focuses on his relationship with his daughter, Lisa, whom he had with ex-girlfriend Chrisann Brennan and refused to support for many years, despite his massive wealth.

#81. Vincere (2009)

- Director: Marco Bellocchio - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 85 - IMDb user rating: 6.9 - Runtime: 128 minutes

Ida Dalser may be, in many ways, one of history's most important women, but her name and memory have largely been forgotten by the general public. Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's first wife and the mother of his son Benito Albino, Dasler financed a newspaper in which Mussolini shared and expounded on his political views, garnering support for his fascist platform. Although the film occasionally steps away from the facts of the story, it's still a wonderful primer for those who wish to know more about the rise of the politician and those who shaped him.

#80. Rush (2013)

- Director: Ron Howard - Stacker score: 84.7 - Metascore: 74 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 123 minutes

The first sports film on our list, " Rush " chronicles the 1970s rivalry between two of Formula One's best-known drivers, James Hunt and Niki Lauda. The real Lauda has publicly stated that the film holds true to the reality of their lives, in spite of the fact that it omits the close friendship the men shared later in life. It also received accolades for the accuracy with which it portrays F1 racing and culture.

#79. Control (2007)

- Director: Anton Corbijn - Stacker score: 84.7 - Metascore: 78 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 122 minutes

Joy Division's late singer Ian Curtis is the focus of this 2007 biopic co-produced by his widow, Deborah. The film chronicles the rise of the band as well as Ian and Deborah's relationship, his epilepsy diagnosis, and the fallout from his affair with journalist Annik Honore. Debuting at the Cannes Film Festival, the movie picked up several awards in the festival circuit and took home a British Academy Film Award.

#78. Missing (1982)

- Director: Costa-Gavras - Stacker score: 84.7 - Metascore: 78 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 122 minutes

In September 1973, American journalist Charles Horman disappeared during the Chilean coup that disposed of then-president Salvador Allende. " Missing " recounts the desperate search Charles' father and wife undertook to learn of his fate and their eventual realization that the United States government had not only aided the coup but had washed their hands of Horman. The Academy Award-winning drama stars Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek.

#77. Selma (2014)

- Director: Ava DuVernay - Stacker score: 84.7 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 128 minutes

Ava DuVernay directed this historical film that chronicles the 1965 voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery that was led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, and Hosea Williams. Covering a three-month period leading up to the march, the film largely focuses on King's role in the events without discrediting the role the other leaders had in shaping this important piece of American history. The film features the Oscar-winning song "Glory" by John Legend and Common.

#76. The End of the Tour (2015)

- Director: James Ponsoldt - Stacker score: 84.7 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 106 minutes

" The End of the Tour " tells the famous story of Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky's five-day interview with novelist David Foster Wallace. Based on Lipsky's 2011 book "Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself," the movie is set just after the release of Wallace's epic novel "Infinite Jest," when the duo set off on a road trip. Wallace's estate and many of his living friends objected to the film , saying that it didn't capture the famous writer as he really was.

#75. The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki (2016)

- Director: Juho Kuosmanen - Stacker score: 84.7 - Metascore: 83 - IMDb user rating: 7.2 - Runtime: 92 minutes

Immensely talented Finnish boxer Olli Maki has a shot at the World Featherweight title in 1962, something he's been training for his entire life. But when the small-town boy falls in love with a local girl named Raija, he begins to question his dedication to the brutal sport. " The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki ," Finland's entry for the 2016 Academy Awards, features a cameo from the retired fighter and won the Un Certain Regard prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

#74. Catch Me If You Can (2002)

- Director: Steven Spielberg - Stacker score: 85.2 - Metascore: 75 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 141 minutes

A runaway commercial success, " Catch Me If You Can " tells the stranger-than-fiction story of con man turned FBI assistant Frank Abagnale. The Steven Spielberg film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and is based on the con artist's 1980 book, grossed more than $352 million at the box office. Abagnale himself makes a cameo as the officer who arrests DiCaprio's character on Christmas Eve, 1969.

#73. Inherit the Wind (1960)

- Director: Stanley Kramer - Stacker score: 85.2 - Metascore: 75 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 128 minutes

While it changes the names of all of the key players, 1960's " Inherit the Wind " is clearly about the Scopes Monkey Trial, which argued the legality of teaching evolution over creationism. Based on the play of the same name, the film starred veteran actors Spencer Tracy, Gene Kelly, and Fredric March. In spite of the fact that the storyline of the film varies substantially from real-life events, it's had an outsized impact on the general public's opinion and beliefs about the case, inspiring debate over a biopic's obligation to stick to the hard facts of its topic.

#72. Glory (1989)

- Director: Edward Zwick - Stacker score: 85.2 - Metascore: 78 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 122 minutes

A stalwart of high school history classes, " Glory " tells the story of the first all-Black regiment in the Civil War, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. Starring big names like Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, and Morgan Freeman, the movie was an instant success with critics despite a middling performance at the box office. Historians agree that the film, which is based on Captain Robert Gould Shaw's personal letters, adheres pretty closely to the historical record.

#71. The Damned United (2009)

- Director: Tom Hooper - Stacker score: 85.2 - Metascore: 81 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 98 minutes

"The Damned United" is another biopic whose adherence to real events is highly questionable . The film is based on a novel loosely inspired by Brian Clough's 44-day tenure as the manager of English football team Leeds United, and the Clough family has alleged that the film bears little resemblance to reality.

#70. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

- Director: Martin Scorsese - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 75 - IMDb user rating: 8.2 - Runtime: 180 minutes

It's no secret that Wall Street is full of would-be fraudsters and schemers, but few hold a candle to 1990s trader Jordan Belfort, whose company, Stratton Oakmont, engaged in corruption and fraud at never-before-seen levels. Martin Scorsese's smash hit " The Wolf of Wall Street " tells the true story of the unparalleled misconduct laid bare in Belfort's memoir of the same name. An awards season darling, the movie was nominated for five Oscars and won a Golden Globe for star Leonardo DiCaprio.

#69. Pride (2014)

- Director: Matthew Warchus - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 79 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 119 minutes

One of history's more unlikely events, the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners campaign is chronicled in the British drama " Pride ." In the 1980s, both the U.K.'s LGBTQ+ community and its coal miners were being threatened by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her Conservative Party, a fact that inspired them to join together and fight for their rights, an unlikely alliance that paid off for both groups. This film would make an excellent watch for those interested in lesser-known corners of history.

#68. The Fighter (2010)

- Director: David O. Russell - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 79 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 116 minutes

Junior welterweight boxer "Irish" Micky Ward fights his way out from under the shadow of his older, more successful, and troubled brother Dicky Eklund in the sports drama " The Fighter ." The intense flick contains some extraordinary acting, as Mark Wahlberg shines as Micky, while Christian Bale and Amy Adams give Oscar-winning turns as brother Dicky and girlfriend Charlene, respectively.

#67. Frost/Nixon (2008)

- Director: Ron Howard - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 122 minutes

In 1977, three years after he left office, former President Richard Nixon agreed to a single, tell-all interview with British television personality David Frost. It is assumed that Nixon thought he'd be able to outfox the Brit, but he eventually found himself backed into a corner by questions about the Watergate scandal. This 2008 film tells the whole story of the legendary Frost-Nixon interviews and was based on a stage play of the same name, which also starred Frank Langella (Nixon) and Michael Sheen (Frost).

#66. 127 Hours (2010)

- Director: Danny Boyle - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 94 minutes

Academy Award winner Danny Boyle directed "127 Hours," an intense film about a hiker named Aron Ralston who found himself trapped by a boulder in a remote canyon in Utah. Over the course of his ordeal, Ralston examines his life and finds that he is willing to do whatever it takes to escape—even if it means cutting off his own arm. The real-life Ralston (played by James Franco) has said that the movie is incredibly true to his harrowing experience, if a little less gruesome .

#65. First Man (2018)

- Director: Damien Chazelle - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 141 minutes

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. This drama chronicles the decade of Armstrong's life leading to that historical moment, including the loss of his daughter and much of his intense training. Ryan Gosling stars in the film, which was nominated for major awards at the Golden Globes, Academy Awards, Critics Choice Awards, and British Academy Film Awards.

#64. Before Night Falls (2000)

- Director: Julian Schnabel - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 85 - IMDb user rating: 7.2 - Runtime: 133 minutes

An episodic look at the life of Cuban poet, novelist, and Castro supporter-turned-critic Reinaldo Arenas, " Before Night Falls " was based on the man's own autobiography. An openly gay man, Arenas spent much of his life under careful watch by the government and did several stints in jail before managing to escape to the United States in 1980, where he'd eventually die of AIDS. Javier Bardem and Johnny Depp both have leading roles in this visually arresting picture.

#63. Il Postino (1994)

- Directors: Michael Radford, Massimo Troisi - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 81 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 108 minutes

A fictional tale peppered with facts, "Il Postino" follows the friendship that develops between a lowly Italian postman and the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, who has been exiled from his home country for political reasons. Massimo Troisi, who played the postman, died of a heart attack the day after the film wrapped and was never able to bask in its critical and commercial success. He was, however, awarded a posthumous Oscar for his work.

#62. Hunger (2008)

- Director: Steve McQueen - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 7.6 - Runtime: 96 minutes

A dramatic retelling of the hunger strike that took place in Northern Ireland's Maze Prison in 1981, " Hunger " follows the final days and death of Bobby Sands, an IRA member and the first prisoner to die in the strike. By turns unflinching and abstract, the film won the Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Steve McQueen directed the intense, harrowing picture, with Michael Fassbender starring as Sands.

#61. Henry V (1989)

- Director: Kenneth Branagh - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 83 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 137 minutes

Shakespeare's classic historical play " Henry V '' was brought to the screen in this 1989 film. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also stars as the king, the movie chronicles the events of the 15th-century Battle of Agincourt, in which the English continued their Hundred Years' War against the French.

#60. BlacKkKlansman (2018)

- Director: Spike Lee - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 83 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 135 minutes

In another stranger-than-fiction tale, African American detective Ron Stallworth infiltrated a Colorado Springs branch of the Ku Klux Klan in the late 1970s. Wowed by Stallworth's story , Spike Lee set out to bring it to life, casting John David Washington as the young detective, Adam Driver as his Jewish colleague assisting in the sting, and Topher Grace as Grand Wizard David Duke. The finished project was widely praised by critics and won several prestigious awards, including Cannes' Grand Prix and the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

#59. Seraphine (2008)

- Director: Martin Provost - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 125 minutes

A self-taught French painter who holds down a day job as a housekeeper and walks the line between genius and mentally ill is the subject of this 2008 French film. Today, Seraphine Louis' works hang in museums around the world, but her life was far from a happy one, and she died in the early 20th century in a mental institution, destitute and alone. This simple, subtle biopic, which stars Yolande Moreau, won seven Cesars (the French equivalent of the Academy Award).

#58. 24 Hour Party People (2002)

- Director: Michael Winterbottom - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 85 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 117 minutes

In the 1970s, Tony Wilson established Factory Records , which signed bands like Joy Division and the Happy Mondays and sparked a musical revolution, eventually leading to the development of the legendary Hacienda dance club in Manchester, England. A blend of real events, newsreel footage, urban legends, and completely fictional tidbits, this movie expertly tells the raucous story of a man, city, and movement that made up the rules as they went along.

#57. Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)

- Director: Marielle Heller - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.1 - Runtime: 106 minutes

Melissa McCarthy stepped away from her typical comedic roles in " Can You Ever Forgive Me? " She plays Lee Israel, a failing writer who tries to revitalize her career by selling forged letters from dead celebrities. While the movie certainly has funny moments, it's a true crime tale that features an unlikable heroine, a gamble that paid off when McCarthy and co-star Richard E. Grant were nominated for their performances at the Academy Awards and Golden Globes.

#56. The Elephant Man (1980)

- Director: David Lynch - Stacker score: 86.9 - Metascore: 78 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 124 minutes

Set in Victorian London, " The Elephant Man " chronicles the relationship that formed between a surgeon named Dr. Frederick Treves and John Merrick, a severely disfigured man who earns his living as a freak-show performer called the Elephant Man. Adapted from two different books, one written by Treves himself, the story garnered praise for the way it handled disability and difference. It also inspired the creation of the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling after industry insiders complained that the film's incredible work wasn't given enough recognition.

#55. Gandhi (1982)

- Director: Richard Attenborough - Stacker score: 86.9 - Metascore: 79 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 191 minutes

The life of civil rights leader Mahatma Gandhi has been portrayed in numerous ways via several media since his death in 1948, but perhaps never as movingly as in this 1982 biopic. The story begins with Gandhi being thrown off a South African train in 1893 and concludes with his assassination some 55 years later. Ben Kingsley played Gandhi and won an Academy Award (one of eight the film took home) for his efforts.

#54. Milk (2008)

- Director: Gus Van Sant - Stacker score: 86.9 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 128 minutes

The life of an openly gay activist who becomes the first LGBTQ+ person elected to public office in California is the subject of " Milk ." Using archival footage of Harvey Milk's life, the movie covers the time period from Milk's 40th birthday until his shocking assassination in 1978. Sean Penn's performance as the title character was awe-inspiring and earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor.

#53. The Long Day Closes (1992)

- Director: Terence Davies - Stacker score: 86.9 - Metascore: 85 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 85 minutes

Terence Davies' autobiographical film follows a boy named Bud as he comes of age in 1950s Liverpool, fearing the ever-present eye of the Catholic Church and realizing both his love for cinema and his homosexuality. The film doesn't follow a straightforward narrative but rather jumps back-and-forth through time, infusing each moment with precisely chosen pieces of popular music and cinema.

#52. Lincoln (2012)

- Director: Steven Spielberg - Stacker score: 86.9 - Metascore: 86 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 150 minutes

The final four months of U.S. president Abraham Lincoln's life are explored in detail in Steven Spielberg's 2012 historical smash "Lincoln." Starring Daniel Day-Lewis as the gentle, gangly leader, it primarily focuses on Lincoln's determination to abolish slavery and pass the 13th Amendment. Sally Field co-stars as Mary Todd Lincoln, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the 16th president's son, Robert. The movie was nominated for 12 Academy Awards, winning two, including Best Actor for Day-Lewis.

#51. Hotel Rwanda (2004)

- Director: Terry George - Stacker score: 87.4 - Metascore: 79 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 121 minutes

Tackling tough topics like genocide, violence, and political corruption, " Hotel Rwanda " is set during the Rwandan genocide of 1994, when members of the Tutsi ethnic group were hunted down and murdered by armed militias. The movie brings to life the true story of a hotel manager named Paul Rusesabagina, a Hutu who offers shelter to over 1,000 Tutsis in the Hotel des Mille Collines. While the Academy Award-winning film finishes on a relatively happy note, real life wasn't so kind: In late 2020, the real Rusesabagina was charged with "terrorism, complicity in murder, and forming an armed rebel group" by a Rwandan court.

#50. Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

- Director: Jean-Marc Vallée - Stacker score: 87.4 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 117 minutes

Ronald Woodroof was a womanizing, drug-using, homophobic electrician from Texas living a carefree life when his doctor announced that he had HIV/AIDS and would likely die in 30 days. After researching his illness, Woodroof uncovered an experimental drug that would potentially prolong his life and established the Dallas Buyers Club, whose mission was to import the drug from Mexico so that it could be easily accessible to everyone who needed it. Along the way, Woodroof (played by Matthew McConaughey in an Oscar-winning performance) became a compassionate friend and advocate for the legal rights of those with the disease.

#49. Captain Phillips (2013)

- Director: Paul Greengrass - Stacker score: 87.4 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 134 minutes

In 2009, for the first time in 200 years, a U.S. container ship was hijacked by a group of Somali pirates some 145 miles off the Somali coast. This thriller, inspired by those events , stars Tom Hanks as the American captain of the ship and chronicles the tense relationship that develops between him and the pirate captain who holds him hostage, played by newcomer Barkhad Abdi. While Hanks' character is hailed as a hero in the film, the real-life crew of the ship argues that this wasn't the case in reality.

#48. Fruitvale Station (2013)

- Director: Ryan Coogler - Stacker score: 87.4 - Metascore: 85 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 85 minutes

" Fruitvale Station " tells the true story of Oscar Grant, a Bay Area resident and young Black man who was killed by Oakland Police officers on New Year's Eve 2008. His murder would inspire protests and unrest in the California town, events that fall outside the scope of this film but testify to the heated controversy of the incident. Michael B. Jordan stars in the movie, which made its debut at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival and collected a number of prizes there and elsewhere.

#47. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985)

- Director: Paul Schrader - Stacker score: 88 - Metascore: 81 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 120 minutes

Inspired by the life of Japanese author Yukio Mishima , this biopic freely weaves fact, fiction, and portions of Mishima's own writing to create a stunning picture of the artist's life and death. Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas worked as executive producers on the film, which earned director Paul Schrader a special prize at Cannes.

#46. The Wind Rises (2013)

- Director: Hayao Miyazaki - Stacker score: 88 - Metascore: 83 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 126 minutes

The first animated movie on this list, " The Wind Rises " follows the life of Jiro Horikoshi, the designer of several of Japan's fighter planes during World War II. The anime film by Studio Ghibli became Japan's highest-grossing film in 2013, bringing in $116.1 million at the domestic box office. It was widely appreciated outside of Japan as well, winning Academy Awards, Golden Globes, and other animation prizes.

#45. Boys Don't Cry (1999)

- Director: Kimberly Peirce - Stacker score: 88 - Metascore: 86 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 118 minutes

Brandon Teena was a trans man from rural Nebraska who was passionately in pursuit of his true self and true love before becoming the victim of a vicious hate crime perpetrated by two male acquaintances. " Boys Don't Cry " is a harrowing depiction of Teena's fate starring Hillary Swank and featuring Chloe Sevigny as Teena's girlfriend, Lana. While the movie was critically acclaimed, several people with links to the case, including the real Lana (who has been alleged to have been a part of the hate crime) have spoken out against it, saying that the on-screen story doesn't match the facts.

#44. Capote (2005)

- Director: Bennett Miller - Stacker score: 88 - Metascore: 88 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 114 minutes

Philip Seymour Hoffman won multiple awards, including an Oscar, for his portrayal of author Truman Capote in this 2005 biopic . The events of the film center around the time period in which Capote was writing "In Cold Blood" and include the friendship he developed with Perry Smith, one of the killers who is on death row. The movie marked Bennet Miller's directorial debut.

#43. The Madness of King George (1994)

- Director: Nicholas Hytner - Stacker score: 88 - Metascore: 89 - IMDb user rating: 7.2 - Runtime: 110 minutes

It is believed that King George III suffered from mental illness, a malady highly misunderstood in 1788 but that drove him to act erratically and rendered him unfit to rule a country. " The Madness of King George " focuses on the monarch's decline as well as the troubled relationship he shared with his son, the Prince of Wales. Rupert Graves and Helen Mirren both lent their talents to the acclaimed British production.

#42. Ford v Ferrari (2019)

- Director: James Mangold - Stacker score: 88.5 - Metascore: 81 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 152 minutes

In "Ford v Ferrari," American car designer Carroll Shelby and fearless British driver Ken Miles come together under the Ford Motor Company banner with hopes of defeating the dominant Ferrari racing team at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France. The movie, which tells the twisty story of the most bitter rivalry in auto racing history, stars Matt Damon and Christian Bale as Shelby and Miles, respectively.

#41. The Insider (1999)

- Director: Michael Mann - Stacker score: 88.5 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 157 minutes

An industry insider appears on a "60-Minutes" expose on Big Tobacco, risking his own safety as well as the safety of his CBS producer in " The Insider ". Accurate in its broad strokes, the film demonstrates the influence of journalism as well as the power of those who choose to stand up for what's right. Director Michael Mann martialed an abundance of star power for this intense drama, casting Al Pacino, Russell Crowe, and Christopher Plummer in leading roles.

#40. Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)

- Director: Michael Apted - Stacker score: 88.5 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 124 minutes

Based on country music star Loretta Lynn's biography, " Coal Miner's Daughter " spans from Lynn's birth into poverty and marriage at 13 to her emergence as one of the genre's leading voices. Sissy Spacek, who plays Lynn, accompanied the singer on tour in order to better embody the country queen's mannerisms and demeanor—a move that paid off when she won the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance.

#39. Richard III (1955)

- Director: Laurence Olivier - Stacker score: 88.5 - Metascore: 88 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 161 minutes

Another adaptation of a Shakespeare play, " Richard III " famously relates how and why Richard, Duke of Gloucester, stole the crown from his brother, King Edward IV. One of three films directed by Laurence Olivier to bring Shakespeare's work to the screen, the Criterion Collection deems it "ravishing" and "visually inspired."

#38. Mr. Turner (2014)

- Director: Mike Leigh - Stacker score: 88.5 - Metascore: 94 - IMDb user rating: 6.8 - Runtime: 150 minutes

The story of the last 25 years in the life of the talented, eccentric Romantic painter J.M.W. Turner (played by Timothy Spall) is explored in this drama. The New York Times described Mike Leigh's portrait as "loving" and "unsentimental," one that "patiently and thoroughly demolishes more than a century's worth of mythology about what art is and how artists work."

#37. Argo (2012)

- Director: Ben Affleck - Stacker score: 89.1 - Metascore: 86 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 120 minutes

No movie emphasizes the power of Hollywood quite like "Argo," which tells the story of a harebrained CIA scheme that sought to rescue six American diplomats from Iran (during the Iran hostage crisis) under the guise of shooting a science fiction movie. Based on the real-life accounts of the CIA operative Tony Mendez in his book "The Master of Disguise," the movie stars Ben Affleck, who also directs.

#36. Moneyball (2011)

- Director: Bennett Miller - Stacker score: 89.1 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.6 - Runtime: 133 minutes

Professional sports are as much games of money as they are of talent, which means that the poorest teams are often the least competitive. One exception is the 2002 Oakland Athletics baseball team. " Moneyball " tells the truly impressive story of A's general manager Billy Beane, who uses statistical data to scout and pick players, creating an aggressively competitive team despite having the lowest salary constraints in Major League Baseball.

#35. Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)

- Director: Steven Zaillian - Stacker score: 89.1 - Metascore: 89 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 109 minutes

" Searching for Bobby Fischer " focuses on Josh Waitzkin, a 7-year-old chess prodigy who loses his love for the game under a ruthless and strict coach, then finds it again with a much more relaxed tutor. Based on a book written by Waitzkin's father, the movie struck Roger Ebert as "a film of remarkable sensitivity and insight" and was nominated for an Academy Award for its Best Cinematography.

#34. Funny Girl (1968)

- Director: William Wyler - Stacker score: 89.1 - Metascore: 89 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 151 minutes

Loosely based on the life and career of Broadway star Fanny Brice and her relationship with Nicky Arnstein, "Funny Girl" was the highest-grossing film of 1968 . Barbra Streisand, in her feature film debut, won an Oscar for her portrayal of Brice.

#33. The Tale (2018)

- Director: Jennifer Fox - Stacker score: 89.1 - Metascore: 90 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 114 minutes

Jennifer Fox's semiautobiographical " The Tale " explores long-buried, darker aspects of her relationships with two of her childhood coaches, which came to light as she worked on a documentary about child rape victims. Laura Dern stars as Fox in the movie, which made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival before receiving a wider release on HBO.

#32. Topsy-Turvy (1999)

- Director: Mike Leigh - Stacker score: 89.1 - Metascore: 90 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 160 minutes

The musical " Topsy-Turvy " depicts the relationship between Victorian-era theatrical partners Sir Arthur Sullivan and W.S. Gilbert. After their show "Princess Ida" flops, the duo consider going their separate ways but agree to complete at least one more production, "The Mikado," which ends up becoming one of their greatest successes. An unexpectedly delightful period piece, the movie explores the difficult reality of the creative professions.

#31. Downfall (2004)

- Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 8.2 - Runtime: 156 minutes

Set during WWII's Battle of Berlin, " Downfall " recounts Adolf Hitler's final days, spent in a bunker miles below the city. Based on a memoir by Traudl Junge, a secretary for Hitler, the movie brings Hitler's mental decline, which Junge observed firsthand, to life in a way few others have ever been able to. The movie sparked a serious conversation about the moral and ethical questions involved in portraying Hitler, one of the most monstrous villains in world history, with even a hint of humanity.

#30. The Miracle Worker (1962)

- Director: Arthur Penn - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 83 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 106 minutes

Annie Sullivan, a "half-blind Yankee schoolgirl," manages to teach the deaf, blind, and mute Helen Keller how to communicate in " The Miracle Worker ." An instant critical success in 1962, both Anne Bancroft, who played Annie Sullivan, and Patty Duke, who played Helen Keller, took home Academy Awards for their performances. The movie was adapted from the Broadway play of the same name, which also starred the same actresses.

#29. All the President's Men (1976)

- Director: Alan J. Pakula - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 138 minutes

The dramatic events surrounding Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's unveiling of the Watergate scandal lie at the center of " All the President's Men ." The award-winning political thriller was based on the 1974 book of the same name written by the two journalists, portrayed by Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman, respectively.

#28. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

- Director: Arthur Penn - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 86 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 111 minutes

Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway bring America's most notorious crime couple to life in this 1967 telling of the Bonnie and Clyde story. A landmark film and one of the first of the New Hollywood era, the movie became famous for the groundbreakingly realistic way it depicted violence and sex, something that wasn't done in cinema at the time. Upon its release, Roger Ebert even predicted that it will come to be seen as the "definitive film of the 1960s."

#27. Shine (1996)

- Director: Scott Hicks - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 105 minutes

Geoffrey Rush's breakout role was as pianist David Helfgott in the Australian drama "Shine." Rush's depiction of the musician, who was afflicted by schizophrenic disorder and spent years living in institutions, won him an Oscar and launched a successful, decades-long career. While the film was a critical success, Helfgott's real-life siblings were more divided in their reception of it, with one actively campaigning against it and the other two happy with its portrayal of their sibling and his tumultuous family life.

#26. Serpico (1973)

- Director: Sidney Lumet - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 130 minutes

In " Serpico ," a New York City cop blows the whistle on the corruption that runs rampant within the NYPD, which prompts an investigation by the Knapp Commission. Al Pacino plays Frank Serpico , who in real life experienced ostracization and hate from those both inside and outside the force, and saw his act as shameful rather than heroic.

#25. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

- Director: Frank Lloyd - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 132 minutes

One of the biggest hits of the 1930s, " Mutiny on the Bounty " may not be historically accurate, but it sure is fun to watch. The movie retraces the classic tale of the HMS Bounty, whose first mate (played by Clark Gable) launches a mutiny against the tyrannical Captain Bligh (Charles Laughton) on an 18th-century voyage from Tahiti. The movie won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1935.

#24. American Splendor (2003)

- Directors: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 90 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 101 minutes

A blend of documentary, animation, and live action, as well as fact and fiction, " American Splendor " relays the complicated story of Harvey Pekar, the creator of the titular comic book series. In spite of its complicated-sounding setup, the film is a mesmerizing, absorbing watch full of delightful details. Paul Giamatti plays Pekar and Hope Davis his wife, Joyce—except when the real-life couple steps in for various scenes.

#23. The Queen (2006)

- Director: Stephen Frears - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 91 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 103 minutes

Beginning with the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, " The Queen " depicts Elizabeth II's struggle to publicly react to the news appropriately, as she realizes just how drastically the culture of her country has shifted, leaving her without a clear role. Helen Mirren won an Oscar and received exorbitant praise for her performance in the leading role, with the Queen herself praising her work and inviting her to dinner .

#22. In the Name of the Father (1993)

- Director: Jim Sheridan - Stacker score: 90.2 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 133 minutes

The Guildford Four were a group of men who were wrongly convicted of the politically motivated 1974 Guildford pub bombings that killed several people. " In the Name of the Father " explores this complicated story and the way it impacted the lives of the four men, as well as those of others connected to them. Daniel Day-Lewis turns in an impressive early performance as one of the accused, Gerry Conlon, whose autobiography " Proved Innocent " provides the basis for the film.

#21. Reversal of Fortune (1990)

- Director: Barbet Schroeder - Stacker score: 90.2 - Metascore: 93 - IMDb user rating: 7.2 - Runtime: 111 minutes

A courtroom drama, " Reversal of Fortune " follows the real-life case of Claus von Bulow, a wealthy husband accused of trying to murder his socialite wife by giving her an overdose of insulin. Told from the perspective of the husband's lawyer, Alan Dershowitz, who struggles with his own questions of the husband's innocence, the film's smart script was derived primarily from Dershowitz's memoir. The film stars Glenn Close, Jeremy Irons, and Ron Silver.

#20. Spartacus (1960)

- Director: Stanley Kubrick - Stacker score: 90.7 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Runtime: 197 minutes

Hailed as an intellectual epic, " Spartacus " features a hero who is denied a typical victory and is instead consoled with the promise that his ideas will survive in his stead. The down-ending movie is about a Thracian slave who leads a violent revolt against the Roman Empire but ends up paying dearly for his actions. Although a huge moneymaker for Universal Studios and a critical success, director Stanley Kubrick hated the film and never included it in his canon.

#19. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

- Director: Michael Curtiz - Stacker score: 90.7 - Metascore: 89 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 126 minutes

George M. Cohan was one of Broadway's biggest stars, a playwright, composer, actor, dancer, and singer who wrote his own shows in the earliest years of the 20th century. "Yankee Doodle Dandy" is a musical that honors the performer's life, though it strays pretty far from the truth despite Cohan himself briefly serving as a consultant.

#18. The Favourite (2018)

- Director: Yorgos Lanthimos - Stacker score: 90.7 - Metascore: 91 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 119 minutes

A multiple award-winner and a box-office smash, "The Favorite" follows the rivalry between two cousins, Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, and Abigail Masham, a lady's maid, who are vying for the position of Queen Anne's court favorite. While some of the film's historical accuracy has been questioned, including the sexual and romantic relationships that exist between the women, the broad strokes of the film are certainly true to life. Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, and Emma Stone star in the period black comedy.

#17. Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)

- Director: John Ford - Stacker score: 91.3 - Metascore: 91 - IMDb user rating: 7.6 - Runtime: 100 minutes

The second film on the list about Abraham Lincoln, "Young Mr. Lincoln" focuses on the early years of the 16th president's life, rather than his final months. The first collaboration between John Ford and lead Henry Fonda, the movie focuses on a definitive court case (the "Almanac Trial") in which the novice lawyer finds himself wrapped up, laying the groundwork for the philosophy and morality which would guide him as one of American history's most important figures.

#16. Quiz Show (1994)

- Director: Robert Redford - Stacker score: 91.3 - Metascore: 92 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 133 minutes

Robert Redford directed the docudrama set in the 1950s about a young lawyer who discovers that quiz shows like "Twenty-One" are being fixed and begins to investigate, focusing on two former contestants, a working-class Jewish man from Queens and a member of one of America's leading literary families. A critical success, the movie was a commercial failure when it was released in 1994.

#15. The King's Speech (2010)

- Director: Tom Hooper - Stacker score: 91.8 - Metascore: 88 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 118 minutes

"The King's Speech" tells the story of the friendship that existed between King George VI and his speech therapist, who helped the king overcome his stutter so that he could face his subjects with confidence. Earning nominations for almost every existing award, the star-studded film was far and away one of the biggest hits of 2010.

#14. In Cold Blood (1967)

- Director: Richard Brooks - Stacker score: 91.8 - Metascore: 89 - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Runtime: 134 minutes

Based on Truman Capote's novel of the same name, "In Cold Blood" follows two drifters who murder an entire family in a robbery gone wrong. Described as a filmmaking masterclass, the movie boasts "clinically precise editing," according to the Criterion Collection, as well as evocative black-and-white cinematography and authentic, unshowy performances.

#13. The Pianist (2002)

- Director: Roman Polanski - Stacker score: 92.9 - Metascore: 85 - IMDb user rating: 8.5 - Runtime: 150 minutes

Holocaust survivor Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish-Jewish pianist and composer, wrote his life story in "The Pianist," which became the basis for this Roman Polanski film. As the lead in this incredibly intense story, lead actor Adrien Brody said in 2017 that he was still recovering from the emotional toll of the story, 15 years after its release. Still, the award-winning movie is an important watch for those who seek to understand just how much the Holocaust and its aftermath shaped the world.

#12. Persepolis (2007)

- Directors: Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi - Stacker score: 92.9 - Metascore: 90 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 96 minutes

"Persepolis" is the story of an outspoken teenage girl named Marji who comes of age during the Iranian Revolution. Simple in an elegant way, the film was based on a series of graphic novels Marjane Satrapi wrote about her life. Making its debut at the Cannes Film Festival, "Persepolis" was a co-winner of the Jury Prize.

#11. Patton (1970)

- Director: Franklin J. Schaffner - Stacker score: 92.9 - Metascore: 91 - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Runtime: 172 minutes

Famous and controversial WWII tank commander Gen. George S. Patton is the subject of this 1970s biopic, which remains among the most iconic movies ever made. George C. Scott took on the role of Patton and won an Academy Award for it (one of seven the picture took home). The film was in the works for several years before production went underway, as the United States Department of Defense was not keen on signing off on the project.

#10. Amadeus (1984)

- Director: Milos Forman - Stacker score: 93.4 - Metascore: 88 - IMDb user rating: 8.3 - Runtime: 160 minutes

The premise of "Amadeus" hinges on a fictional rivalry between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Italian composer Antonio Salieri. Though the beef between the two is contrived, the details of Mozart's life that are woven into the film are, by and large, true. Accuracy aside, the film was quickly regarded as a classic and ended up winning eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

#9. Raging Bull (1980)

- Director: Martin Scorsese - Stacker score: 93.4 - Metascore: 89 - IMDb user rating: 8.2 - Runtime: 129 minutes

Martin Scorsese's "Raging Bull" tells the story of prizefighter Jake LaMotta's rise and fall. The athlete's obsessive rage and animalistic appetite led him to incredible victories within the ring but destroyed almost every aspect of his life outside it. While initially a bit of a critical and commercial flop, the movie has come to be considered Scorsese's magnum opus.

#8. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

- Directors: Julian Schnabel, Laura Obiols - Stacker score: 94 - Metascore: 92 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 112 minutes

In "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby suffers a massive stroke that leaves him with locked-in syndrome, a condition where almost all the muscles in his body are paralyzed except for his left eye. The French film, based on Bauby's memoir, was called "a poignant reflection on what it means to be alive" by Empire's Alan Morrison .

#7. The Social Network (2010)

- Director: David Fincher - Stacker score: 94 - Metascore: 95 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 120 minutes

Before Facebook became a dominant force in our lives and culture, monitoring our every move, it was a way for college students to connect and make new friends. "The Social Network" tells the story of the platform's early years, including the not-so-honorable moves of co-founder Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg). A critical and commercial success, the film was named one of the best films of 2010.

#6. The Irishman (2019)

- Director: Martin Scorsese - Stacker score: 94.5 - Metascore: 94 - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Runtime: 209 minutes

Scorsese strikes again with "The Irishman," a gangster movie based on the book "I Heard You Paint Houses" about former mafia hitman Frank Sheeran. The film brings together some of the gangster genre's biggest heavyweights—Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, and Harvey Keitel—who earned a host of accolades for their collective work. The film was released on Netflix in late 2019.

#5. My Left Foot (1989)

- Director: Jim Sheridan - Stacker score: 96.2 - Metascore: 97 - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Runtime: 103 minutes

Christy Brown was an Irishman born with cerebral palsy and was only able to control a single limb, his left foot. Despite his substantial physical disabilities, Brown learned how to paint and write with his foot, providing an unlikely outlet for his creativity. Daniel Day-Lewis brings the cantankerous artist to life in this Oscar-nominated film based on Brown's memoir.

#4. Goodfellas (1990)

- Director: Martin Scorsese - Stacker score: 96.7 - Metascore: 90 - IMDb user rating: 8.7 - Runtime: 146 minutes

The final Martin Scorsese picture on our list and one of the best-loved gangster films of all time, "Goodfellas" chronicles the true-life story of Henry Hill, a small-time mobster turned informant. Starring frequent Scorsese collaborator Rober De Niro as well as Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci, the movie is based on crime reporter Nicholas Pileggi's book "Wiseguy" and is widely considered one of the highest artistic peaks of Scorsese's career.

#3. 12 Years a Slave (2013)

- Director: Steve McQueen - Stacker score: 96.7 - Metascore: 96 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 134 minutes

Solomon Northup was a New York-born free Black man who was kidnapped into slavery in 1841 and spent 12 years enslaved on plantations in Louisiana before being released. "12 Years a Slave," a realistic and violent depiction of Northup's experience, was based on his memoirs. The award-winning movie did what many before it failed to do: it demolished, once and for all, the idea that slavery was anything but a horrific, unjust, and unfair practice whose sins remain in America to this day.

#2. Schindler's List (1993)

- Director: Steven Spielberg - Stacker score: 100 - Metascore: 94 - IMDb user rating: 8.9 - Runtime: 195 minutes

A success on every level, Steven Spielberg's Holocaust masterpiece "Schindler's List" is, at its heart, two parallel character studies. On the one hand, there's Amon Goeth (played by Ralph Fiennes), a purely evil psychopath, and on the other Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), a greedy businessman turned unlikely humanitarian. Haunting and powerful, the film insists that goodness and truth can prevail, even in some of humanity's darkest moments.

#1. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

- Director: David Lean - Stacker score: 100 - Metascore: 100 - IMDb user rating: 8.3 - Runtime: 228 minutes

The best biopic of all time? This 1962 epic chronicling the life of British Lieutenant T.E. Lawrence, who's tasked with serving as a liaison between Prince Faisal and the British government during their fight against the Turks. Earning 10 Oscar nominations, the movie is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential films in cinematic history . Still, there are always haters: Lawrence's brother A.W. reportedly hated the film so much that he refused to let David Lean use the title of T.E.'s memoir, " Seven Pillars of Wisdom. "

Trending Now

Best black and white films of all time.

Actors Gloria Swanson and William Holden on a couch in the movie 'Sunset Boulevard.'

60 historic photos from American military history

View of American M1A1 Abrams tanks as they cross the desert during the Gulf War, Iraq, 1991.

50 best crime TV shows of all time

Steven Van Zandt as Silvio Dante, James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano and Tony Sirico as Paulie Walnuts in a scene from"The Sopranos"

100 best films of the 21st century, according to critics

Kate Hudson at the premiere of 'Almost Famous' in Sept. 2000.

The 15 Best Biopics of All Time

Meryl Streep, Denzel Washington, and Robert De Niro star in some of the most enduring and enjoyable biopics.

meryl streep smiles while standing in a kitchen with produce and meat on a counter in front of her and cooking supplies elsewhere, she wears a white chef uniform

That’s largely because the genre has gone through some pains to get here. For years, biopics were paint-by-numbers affairs, drawn up to make a quick buck and maybe score an Oscar nomination or two.

Now, most filmmakers have figured out that there are better, more cinematic ways to tell these stories. Some of the best biopics on our list still tell a person’s story from birth to death (or close to it) but do so with a grandness that reflects the way their life was lived. Others focus on a specific period, moment, or event in a person’s life and demonstrate its importance, which encourages reflection on how that particular story still resonates in the present.

This biopic renaissance didn’t happen overnight. Throughout film history, directors have taken risks that paid off in the form of timeless biopics that pushed the genre forward. These are 15 of our favorites.

Related: The Real People Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro Portray in Killers of the Flower Moon • The Tragic True Story of the Ferrari Movie • Why Michael Oher Doesn’t Like The Blind Side

denzel washington dressed as malcolm x stands outside an apoolo theater with several microphones in front of him

Director Spike Lee takes the approach of sharing a large percentage of the life of one of America’s most well-known and impactful civil rights leaders : Malcolm X . It’s an approach that has failed more often than not, but over three hours, Lee and star Denzel Washington are able to give Malcolm’s life the richness and attention to detail it deserves in this 1992 film. The result is a fully three-dimensional portrait that follows the man from childhood to his 1965 assassination and many places in between.

Tick, Tick…Boom!

The layers in the feature film debut of director Lin-Manuel Miranda are truly one of a kind. The 2021 movie introduces us to Jonathan Larson (played by Andrew Garfield), who became best known for writing the broadway musical Rent . But in Tick, Tick…Boom! , he’s both struggling to break into the musical industry and, in a parallel but future-looking story, acting in the musical he wrote before Rent . That musical? Tick, Tick…Boom! about a writer struggling to break into the musical industry. It all makes sense—somehow—on the screen, and it’s both wildly entertaining and tinged with tragedy for people who know Larson’s fate. (He’d never get to see Rent premiere.)

Watch on Netflix

I’m Not There

Most biopics feature one primary actor depicting the portions of an individual’s life that are best known to the general public. Many others might feature a younger or older actor showing the subject at a different phase of their life. I’m Not There , meanwhile, tells the story of Bob Dylan using six very distinct actors to portray the iconic singer-songwriter in various eras of his life. Among the six in this 2007 release are Christian Bale , Richard Gere , the late Heath Ledger , and, improbably, an Oscar-nominated Cate Blanchett .

Watch on Prime Video

jacqueline kennedy holds the hands of her children caroline and john f kennedy jr as they walk down steps, jacqueline wears all black with a veil and the children wear light colored peacoats

Here, the biopic turns into a horror movie (with one of the most uncomfortable but appropriate musical scores of the last decade), as we follow former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (played by a never better Natalie Portman ) in the immediate aftermath of her husband’s assassination in 1963. In this 2017 film, Chilean director Pablo Larraín takes you deep into what was a national tragedy, but he does so in a uniquely personal way. In one of the film’s most devastating scenes, we see Kennedy trying to wash her husband’s blood off her body . From there, it flips, and we see her put in painstaking work to shape the way history will remember the 35th U.S. president .

The Wind Rises

illustration of japanese bombers flying through a yellow and blue sky with clouds

A rare animated biopic, this 2013 stunner from Japanese legend Hayao Miyazaki (of Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke fame) is an interesting companion piece to this summer’s hottest biopic, Oppenheimer . It depicts the life and career of Jiro Horikoshi, an engineer whose aircraft designs were eventually adopted and used by Japan during World War II. While his work advanced his field tremendously, the film shows him wracked with guilt over the way it was used, while he also deals with personal tragedy. It’s a tremendous achievement that takes advantage of its presentation to become arguably the most fanciful biopic ever.

Watch on Max Watch on Prime Video

david oyelowo dressed as martin luther king jr for selma, he wears a white short sleeved collared t shirt with a silver tie and stands for a mugshot with a police board hanging around his neck

Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most well-known figures in American history, but books and speeches can only do so much to show the person behind the ideas. Director Ava DuVernay ’s 2014 film centers around the 1965 civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, explicitly showing it wasn't the act of one man but so many, including people killed in acts of racial violence. Still, where it stands out is in its portrayal of King, who carries the hopes, fears, and memories of all these individuals on his shoulders at all times, whether he’s sitting at home with his family, in an Alabama jail cell, or in the Oval Office. The result is a portrait of an icon who’s flawed, overwhelmed, and occasionally unsure of himself.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Similar to DuVernay’s work on Selma , director Marielle Heller peels back the veil on a person famous for their goodness in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood . Her focus is Fred Rogers , the famous children’s television star, but what’s especially interesting about Tom Hanks ’ portrayal of him in the film is that his on- and off-screen personas aren’t dramatically different. The film is centered on a journalist profiling Rogers who assumes someone presenting as this kind must have another side. But in this 2019 film, we learn that while Rogers might have had feelings of sadness, anger, and anxiousness, he actively chose kindness every day, which in turn made everything else feel insignificant.

philip lenkowsky and f murray abraham in amadeus, they stand inside an ornately decorated room in dress clothes with ornate collars

One of the more fictionalized biopics on the list, this 1984 Oscar-winning epic, adapted from a Tony Award–winning play, takes the unique approach of showing the life, work, and peculiarities (that laugh!) of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart through the eyes of one of his lesser-known contemporaries, Antonio Salieri. As played by F. Murray Abraham, Salieri is consumed by jealousy, revulsion, and deep, deep admiration for his rival composer. As he gets closer to Mozart, he sees a similarly tortured soul, and for viewers, Mozart’s layers of caricature fade away.

muhammad ali and will smith pose for a photo with each holding one fist up on their chest, ali wears a red long sleeved shirt and smith wears a black shirt

Another biopic out of the tumult that was the United States in the 1960s, this 2001 masterpiece from director Michael Mann crosses between sports and politics with a hand as deft as its subject’s left. We see Muhammad Ali , played with remarkable complexity by Will Smith , from his first title fight to his famous knockout of George Foreman in the “Rumble in the Jungle.” All the while, we’re shown the unforgettable details that made him one of the greatest icons of the 20th century—notably, the grace with which he moved around the ring and the acid on his tongue in a pre-fight interview—as well as the almost unbearable heaviness he carried on his shoulders that came with being Muhammad Ali.

Raging Bull

Staying in the boxing ring, this is arguably the quintessential biopic and one of the most admired films by one of cinema’s most admired directors, Martin Scorsese . In it, Robert De Niro plays Jake LaMotta , the world middleweight champion from June 1949 to February 1951. The 1980 film explores the ups and downs of his fighting career, his mob connections (including an infamously thrown fight in 1947), and the always tumultuous, often rage-filled, and violent relationships he had with his wife, Vikie, and his brother and manager, Joey. De Niro won his second Oscar for playing LaMotta—a performance for which he gained 60 pounds to play an older version of the fighter.

Watch on Max

edward herrman, maureen stapleton, warren beatty, and diane keaton in character for reds, they stand outside a beach house smiling

In the 1960s, big, booming historical epics were all the rage. Lawrence of Arabia , Dr. Zhivago —if it had a musical overture and an intermission, people were there and all about it. (It was kind of weird.) But one biographical film that came a little later (in 1981) stands out as an especially successful epic with a number of historical figures criss-crossing at a monumentally important historical event: the start of the Russian Revolution. Among the figures profiled in the underrated Reds are Jack Reed ( Warren Beatty , who also directed the film), a journalist and activist who wrote one of the defining portraits of this period; Louise Bryant ( Diane Keaton ), his counterpart and on/off romantic partner; famous American playwright Eugene O’Neill ( Jack Nicholson ); and feminist and anarchist Emma Goldman (Maureen Stapleton). And throughout, all of the individuals featured and events chronicled are given color through real-life interviews with men and women who were actually there.

Marie Antoinette

This 2006 biopic is straight vibes. Set in pre-Revolutionary France, it features Kirsten Dunst as Marie Antoinette not even pretending to have an accent. Converse sneakers are famously seen in the background of a shot. And the soundtrack, featuring The Strokes and The Cure among others, couldn’t sound less appropriate for the period. But by severing the connection with the time period as harshly as—well, nevermind—director Sofia Coppola crafts something that’s able to gently remind viewers this movie is a relatively simple story about a young girl who embraces the luxury around her because she’s in an otherwise impossible situation.

Julie & Julia

This 2009 Nora Ephron –directed biopic earns inclusion on this list first and foremost thanks to a truly iconic performance from the great Meryl Streep as the beloved chef, author, and television personality Julia Child . She injects tremendous heart into the role without losing some of the quirky gestures that made so many people fall in love with Child, among them blogger Julie Powell ( Amy Adams ), whose journey with Child’s cooking elevates the film further into the pantheon of best biopics. It’s a unique approach that demystifies its subject by both showing us her life and showing someone else wrestling with it.

Watch on Netflix Watch on Prime Video

An Angel at My Table

Janet Frame might not be a household name in America like other biopic subjects on this list, but hers was a life so full that a young New Zealand director named Jane Campion turned it into a true cinematic effort in 1990 in just her second feature film. Frame eventually became a renowned literary figure, and the film is based on three separate autobiographies she wrote covering different periods in her life, from childhood to adulthood. She suffered a number of personal tragedies early in her life and was later diagnosed (inaccurately) with schizophrenia. In the film’s most dramatic and pivotal scene, she learns that her first collection of short stories will be published just days before she’s scheduled to undergo a lobotomy.

michael fassbender dressed as steve jobs crouches on a rug while holding a piece of paper in his hand and looking toward the camera, he has on a black turtleneck and black pants with white sneakers and wire rimmed glasses

Director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin dissect one of the most influential individuals of the past century (you’re quite possibly reading this article on one of his devices) in this 2015 biopic. When you picture Steve Jobs in your head, you probably imagine him in black on a stage introducing a product, and this film takes place on three such days across a roughly 15-year span. But while he looks the part, Michael Fassbender’s Jobs is instead shown as vain, short-tempered, and vindictive. It’s a harsh juxtaposition, but as a biopic, it’s a fascinating experiment that is also very well-acted and relentlessly paced.

John Gilpatrick is a freelance writer and film critic from the Lehigh Valley, PA. He loves movies about space and movies about oil drillers (especially when they go together). He also thinks the Star Wars prequels are mostly OK and that Ivan Reitman's Draft Day is a low-key masterpiece. He is a member of the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS). You can read more of his reviews and columns at JohnLikesMovies.com .

Movies Based on True Stories

Meet the Real Gary Johnson Who Inspired ‘Hit Man’

roy cohn shaking a hand as donald trump stands to his right smiling

Donald Trump Had an Influential Mentor in Roy Cohn

amy winehouse sings into a microphone she holds in one hand, she smiles and stands next to a microphone stand, she wears a white tank top

Inside Amy Winehouse’s Downward Spiral and Death

The Real-Life Hannibal Lecter

fictionalized von erich brothers from the iron claw posing for a photo in front of a white fence

‘The Iron Claw:’ The Von Erich Family’s True Story

stanley simons, zac efron, jeremy allen white, sean durkin, and harris dickinson stand in front of a movie still from the iron claw and pose for a photo, all the men wear business attire

‘The Iron Claw’ Leaves Out a Von Erich Brother

kevin von erich mimics the iron claw grapple for a photo while standing on a red carpet, he wears a gray suit jacket, white collared shirt and black pants, behind him is a large movie poster for the iron claw

Where Is Kevin Von Erich Today?

jerry seinfeld smiling as he stands next to a pop tart mascot at the premiere of his film unfrosted

The True Story of Pop-Tarts and ‘Unfrosted’

gillian anderson and rufus sewell in scoop walking toward the frame in front of a large painting

Prince Andrew’s ‘Scoop’ Interview, Explained

joaquin phoenix as napoleon bonaparte placing a crown on the head of wife josephine played by vanessa kirby

Napoleon and Josephine Had a Stormy Relationship

bob marley holding a microphone with his left hand and looking out toward an audience as he sings

The True Story of Bob Marley’s One Love Concert

Best Biopics Ever Made, Ranked

Your changes have been saved

Email Is sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

The silver screen is a faithful and loyal servant to a good biographical film; the genre is undisputedly the darling of both the Academy Awards and Tinseltown, with over a dozen biographical dramas winning Best Picture and numerous actors winning for their portrayals of real-life historical figures. Biopics are a tried and true style of movie-making that are more often than not slam dunks with both the box office and critics alike. Despite the genre being brought to the big screen more frequently in recent years, its effectiveness and impact remains consistent.

Whether depicting the life of an esteemed physicist, Wild West outlaws, or even United States President Abraham Lincoln himself, biopics are the cream of the crop in Hollywood cinema. Many of these films helped skyrocket the careers of both their director and actor duos , serving as stepping stones in their lucrative and successful careers. These are some of the best biopics ever made.

Updated July 4, 2024: This list has been updated by Rachel Johnson with even more great biopics featuring stellar performances that movie lovers should check out.

*Availability in US

Not available

Reading of the murder of a Kansas family, New York City novelist Truman Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman) decides to cover the story himself, and travels to the small town with his childhood friend, aspiring novelist Harper Lee (Catherine Keener). When Perry Smith (Clifton Collins Jr.) and Dick Hickock (Mark Pellegrino) are arrested and charged, Capote forms an emotional bond with Smith during his jailhouse interviews despite the young criminal's apparent guilt.

The late and great Philip Seymour Hoffman was undeniably one of Hollywood's most illustrious performers, brilliantly transforming himself for every role he took on. Hoffman knocked it out of the park when he appeared as famed American novelist Truman Capote in the engrossing biopic Capote that chronicled the writer's research and creation of his trailblazing true crime hit In Cold Blood. Capote travels to the small Kansas town where the gruesome Clutter family murders occurred in 1959, doing so with fellow writer and friend Harper Lee (Catherine Keener) to investigate the shocking crime.

Hoddman Soared as Truman Capote

Hoffman masterfully commands the screen and completely embodies the peculiar Capote, spending four months preparing and researching for the role in an effort to capture his distinct voice and mannerisms. The gifted star felt it was extremely important to "express the vitality and the nuances" of Capote and stayed in character the entire time during production. Hoffman's dedication to the role ultimately paid off, as he was the recipient of numerous prestigious accolades, like an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA for his performance, and he became deeply regarded as one of the cinema's most talented actors because of it.

Depicting the fascinating life of worldwide film icon Charlie Chaplin, 1992’s Richard Attenborough biopic Chaplin stars Robert Downey Jr. as “The Little Tramp” in a searing performance. The film features an elderly Chaplin as he recollects his incredible life journey for his autobiography , from his poverty-stricken roots to worldwide success. With a talented supporting cast including Dan Aykroyd, Marisa Tomei, and even Chaplin’s real life daughter Geraldine Chaplin, the movie was released on the fifteenth anniversary of the beloved star’s death.

Chaplin Is One of Downey Jr.'s Best Roles

Despite mixed reviews for the biopic itself, Downey Jr.’s performance was lauded and garnered critical acclaim. It is arguably his finest role to date (outside of his Oscar-winning role in Oppenheimer ) and won him the BAFTA Award for Best Actor, along with an Academy Award nomination. The Los Angeles Times wrote, “Downey becomes Chaplin, re-creating his character and his chilly soul so precisely that even the comedian’s daughter Geraldine, a featured player here, was both impressed and unnerved.”

17 12 Years a Slave

12 Years a Slave

The Steve McQueen-directed poignant and deeply powerful drama 12 Years a Slave tells the devastating true story of Solomon Northup, a free African-American who was brutally kidnapped by two white men and sold into slavery in Louisiana in 1841, leaving his beloved wife and two children behind in New York. Chiwetel Ejiofor was fantastic as Northup, who experienced unfathomable violence and cruelty at the hands of one of his owners, Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender), before eventually finding an unexpected savior in Canadian abolitionist Samuel Bass (Brad Pitt) who would help grant him his freedom.

12 Years a Slave Made History

Both McQueen and the producers went to painstaking lengths to ensure that 12 Years a Slave was historically accurate, utilizing the help of African-American culture and history scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. to consult on the film. According to the data and visual blog Information is Beautiful , the drama was 88.1% accurate, with the publication summarizing: "While there are a touch of dramatic license here and there, the most gut-wrenching scenes really happened." 12 Years a Slave garnered universal acclaim and made cinema history when McQueen won Best Picture, becoming the first black filmmaker to win the Academy Award.

16 The Pianist

The Pianist

In this adaptation of the autobiography "The Pianist: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945," Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody), a Polish Jewish radio station pianist, sees Warsaw change gradually as World War II begins. Szpilman is forced into the Warsaw Ghetto, but is later separated from his family during Operation Reinhard. From this time until the concentration camp prisoners are released, Szpilman hides in various locations among the ruins of Warsaw.

Adapted from the autobiographical book of the same name, Roman Polanski's The Pianist stars Adrien Brody as Polish-Jewish composer and pianist Władysław Szpilman, who is forced to live in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II and was heartbreakingly separated from his family, spending two years in hiding after the invasion of Poland. Szpilman evaded capture by the Nazis multiple times during this horrific period, finding an ally in German officer Wilm Hosenfeld (Thomas Kretschmann) as the war raged on around him.

The Director's Personal Connection Made For a Spectacular Movie

Polanski himself had escaped from the Kraków Ghetto as a child after losing his mother during the war and being separated from his father, finding refuge in a Polish farmer's barn. Polanski felt a deep connection with Szpilman and his story and wanted to pay his respects to the Holocaust survivor by directing the film, doing so spectacularly. The Pianist premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and took home the highly-coveted Palme d'Or, and the drama also went on to win three Academy Awards, including Best Director. Polanski's vision, Brody's raw performance, and the screenplay attracted widespread praise from fans and critics alike.

15 The Theory of Everything

The Theory of Everything

2014’s critically acclaimed biopic The Theory of Everything is a poignant portrayal of the relationship between renowned physicist Stephen Hawking and his wife, Jane. The film was adapted from Jane Hawking’s 2007 memoir Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen , and she provided input and insight for the script. The Theory of Everything stars Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones as the famous couple, with the former spending six months researching Hawking’s life and mastering his accent and speech patterns.

A Great Movie About the Hawkings

Though some creative liberties were taken surrounding the early days of Stephen and Jane's relationship and the renowned physicist's temperament, the biopic was a massive hit both commercially and critically, with Redmayne specifically receiving immense praise and winning the Academy Award for Best Leading Actor. Director James Marsh described the essence of the biopic's story as, "a very unusual love story in a very strange environment, a very strange sort of landscape... It is how these two characters, these two real people transcend all the complications and curveballs that life throws at them."

14 The Last King of Scotland

The Last King of Scotland

While in Uganda on a medical mission, Scottish doctor Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy) becomes the personal physician and close confidante of dictator Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker). Although at first Dr. Garrigan feels flattered by his new position of power, he soon comes to realize that Amin's rule is soaked in blood, and that he is complicit in the atrocities. Garrigan faces the fight of his life as he tries to escape Amin's grasp.

Touting a phenomenal ensemble cast led by Forest Whitaker , James McAvoy, and Kerry Washington, the captivating historical drama The Last King of Scotland recounts the life and legacy of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. After overthrowing President Milton Obote, he assumes power and begins a reign of terror that lasts from 1971 to 1979. McAvoy appears as the fictional character Dr. Nicholas Garrigan, who serves as Amin's private physician in the film and witnesses the disturbing atrocities committed by the ruthless leader.

The Last King of Scotland Features Whitaker in a Chilling Role

Garrigan was inspired by two real-life figures: Amin's associate and colonial officer Bob Astles and Scottish doctor Wilson Carswell, both of whom saw firsthand the violence and blood Amin left in his wake. In The Last King of Scotland , Whitaker was a force to be reckoned with, delivering a chilling and downright brutal performance as the notorious dictator. He became the fourth Black actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, and The Daily Mail wrote in their review that he "fully captures the menace of the man who murdered more than 300,000 of his fellow citizens, but also - and this is the difficult part - his humor, charm and charisma."

The Shakespeare Biopic That Led to Boycotts and Protests

Shakespeare's authorship is in question, but not for the reasons that Roland Emmerich nor his fellow conspiracy theorists think.

13 Walk the Line

Walk The Line (2005)

Telling the story of famous American country musician Johnny Cash, James Mangold's 2005 biopic, Walk the Line sees Joaquin Phoenix take on the role of the "Ring of Fire" singer. The film uses two of Cash's autobiographies as the basis for the script, 1975's Man in Black: His Own Story in His Own Words and 1997's Cash: The Autobiography , and details the late singer-songwriter's rise to fame, his two marriages, and his addiction to drugs.

Joaquin Phoenix in One of His Best Roles

Co-starring Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Robert Patrick, the movie was a box office hit and gained rave reviews from critics. It also earned five Academy Award nominations, with Phoenix taking home the award for Best Actor. Though the film is solid, like many biopics, it's the performance of the leading man that makes Walk the Line truly great. Phoenix completely transforms into Cash, even managing to expertly imitate the singer's infamous voice. It is a subtle yet charismatic performance that stands out as among the best of Phoenix's career .

12 The Elephant Man

The Elephant Man

Dr. Frederic Treves (Anthony Hopkins) discovers Joseph (John) Merrick (John Hurt) in a sideshow. Born with a congenital disorder, Merrick uses his disfigurement to earn a living as the "Elephant Man." Treves brings Merrick into his home, discovering that his rough exterior hides a refined soul, and that Merrick can teach the stodgy British upper class of the time a lesson about dignity. Merrick becomes the toast of London and charms a caring actress (Anne Bancroft) before his death at 27.

1980's The Elephant Man tells the real-life story of an English man, Joseph Merrick, who adopted the cruel nickname "The Elephant Man" owing to his severe facial deformities as a result of a rare genetic disease. Set in Victorian London, the film portrays the friendship between Merrick (John Hurt) and Frederick Treves, a surgeon who rescues Merrick from a freak show and who sees the disfigured man for the kindhearted and intelligent person he truly is.

A Haunting Tale From David Lynch

Directed by David Lynch , the film garnered critical acclaim upon its release and went on to receive eight Academy Award nominations at the 53rd annual ceremony. Hurt's performance, in particular, was lauded by critics, with Vincent Canby of The New York Times calling his portrayal "truly remarkable." The Elephant Man is a haunting yet beautifully moving tale of compassion, acceptance, and seeing beyond another's appearance.

11 Straight Outta Compton

Straight Outta Compton

When it was released in cinemas in 2015, F. Gary Gray's Straight Outta Compton almost instantly became a financial success and a modern-day classic. Set in Los Angeles in the mid-1980s, the film revolves around the formation and break-up of the hip-hop group N.W.A, whose members consist of rappers Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, MC Ren, and DJ Yella. Titled after the group's debut album, it depicts their early success in the music industry, their rise to mainstream popularity, and the feuds, disputes, violence, and deaths that surrounded the group.

Straight Outta Compton Is a Provocative Biopic

Straight Outta Compton is different from the average musical biopic . In fact, it's so much better. With N.W.A members Ice Cube and Dr. Dre serving as producers, along with Eazy-E's widow, Tomica Woods-Wright, the film is raw, honest, and provocative, and doesn't shy away from the more unpleasant aspects of hip-hop culture. Ultimately, though, it is a well-acted and superbly directed celebration of the genre.

10 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Starring two of Hollywood’s most talented and revered actors, Paul Newman and Robert Redford, 1969’s American western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was initially met with a mixed response but, over time, has become a distinguished classic. Loosely based on Wild West outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker (Butch Cassidy) and Harry Longabaugh (the “Sundance Kid”), it features the infamous duo on the run from a crack US posse after an extensive string of train robberies.

One of the Greatest Western Films of All Time

Numerous A-list actors were initially tied to the iconic picture, such as Jack Lemmon, Warren Beatty, and Steve McQueen, but it was Newman and Redford who nabbed the roles and dished up iconic performances as the American legends. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is now regarded as being among the greatest Westerns of all time and its screenplay has also been singled out as one of cinema's finest, with screenwriter William Goldman taking home the Oscar for his dazzling contributions.

9 Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer

Acclaimed director, Christopher Nolan, is no stranger to taking on films that deal with real-life figures or events. After all, he previously directed 2017's Dunkirk , which told the story of the Dunkirk evacuation of World War II, as well as 2006's The Prestige that, although largely a fictional story, featured real-life inventor Nikola Tesla, among its main characters. 2023's Oppenheimer , however, can be classed as Nolan's first true biopic.

What Makes It Great

Based on the 2005 biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, the Oscar-winning film depicts the life and career of theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy), the inventor of the nuclear bomb. Told across several different timelines in a non-linear style, it follows the titular character's early life in academia, his recruitment to the Manhattan Project and the development of the nuclear bomb, the bomb's use in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and subsequent hearings that see Oppenheimer accused of communist sympathies.

A three-hour R-rated biopic about the father of the nuclear bomb should've been alienating to a general audience. However, with Nolan's attachment, an all-star cast, rave reviews, and its link to the social media phenomenon known as "Barbenheimer ," Oppenheimer has become one of the highest-grossing biopics ever. Fortunately, it lives up to the hype.

This acclaimed biographical drama presents major events in the life of Mohandas Gandhi (Ben Kingsley), the beloved Indian leader who stood against British rule over his country. Dedicated to the concept of nonviolent resistance, Gandhi is initially dismissed by English officials, including the influential Lord Irwin (John Gielgud), but eventually he and his cause become internationally renowned, and his gatherings of passive protest move India towards independence.

Detailing the life of the lawyer who would go on to become the famed leader of the nonviolent revolts against British rule, 1982’s Gandhi stars Ben Kingsley in the titular role. The biopic focuses on Mahatma Gandhi’s life from a defining moment in 1893, in which he was thrown off a South African train for being in a whites-only compartment. The film concludes with his tragic assassination and subsequent funeral in 1948.

Gandhi Is Historically Accurate

The stunning picture was praised for its historical accuracy upon its release, as was Kingsley's outstanding performance and production values. It received 11 Academy Award nominations and won eight, including Best Actor (for Kingsley), Best Picture, and Best Director. Gandhi is a deeply moving and enlightening epic that features an emotionally driven performance by Ben Kingsley and beautifully depicts the civil rights leader’s riveting life.

7 The Social Network

The Social Network

When David Fincher's The Social Network was released in 2010, the social media platform Facebook had only been around for six years. In that time, the website had amassed an impressive 500 million global users and had become the third-largest web company in the US. A film that documented the company's meteoric rise was, therefore, a no-brainer. With a script by Aaron Sorkin , the movie depicts Harvard University student Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg), who initially develops a website called "Facemash" that allows users to rate the attractiveness of female students on campus. This soon grew in popularity, spreading to other colleges and attracting the attention of wealthy investors.

The Social Network Is Expertly Crafted

The Social Network is a gripping story that is surprisingly small and contained, given the scale of its subject matter. Though a few artistic liberties were clearly taken, Fincher's direction, Sorkin's script, and Eisenberg's lead performance ensure the film is an expertly crafted and entertaining one, even if it's not always historically accurate. And with an Academy Award-winning score by Nine Inch Nails members Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, The Social Network is undoubtedly one of the best biopics of the twenty-first century that still has a lot of relevance today .

The Best Oscar-Nominated Biopics of All Time, Ranked_

10 Best Oscar-Nominated Biopics of All Time, Ranked

These Oscar-nominated biopics capture different personas and different times. They all play significant roles in the cinematic world.

6 Malcolm X

Spike Lee’s epic biography Malcolm X portrays the life of the controversial and highly influential Black Nationalist leader, from his beginnings as a small-time gangster to his ministry as a member of the Nation of Islam. The dynamic Denzel Washington stars as the infamous African-American activist and features the additional talent of Hollywood greats Angela Bassett, Albert Hall, and Al Freeman Jr.

Malcolm X Is an Amazing Biopic

Spike Lee told The New York Times that he never envisioned any other actor in the lead role, saying that Denzel “really captured Malcolm” in his Off-Broadway portrayal of him. Largely based on the 1965 book The Autobiography of Malcolm X, the film earned rave reviews, with famed critic Roger Ebert raving that the biopic was "one of the great screen biographies, celebrating the sweep of an American life that bottomed out in prison before its hero reinvented himself."

Heavily regarded as one of the most diverse and gifted actors of all time, Daniel Day-Lewis added another feather to his impressive cap when he starred as United States President Abraham Lincoln in the 2012 historical biopic Lincoln . Known famously for his method acting approach, Day-Lewis spent a year preparing for the role, reading over 100 books on Lincoln and speaking in his voice throughout the entire shoot.

Lincoln Combines the Best of Spielberg and Day-Lewis

The dynamic star teamed up with renowned director Steven Spielberg for Lincoln , which was lauded upon its release, with Day-Lewis and his co-star Sally Field garnering particular praise for their exceptional work. The actor’s dignified and regal portrayal of the 16th president was impressive and inspiring, and he would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, once again proving to the masses how unparalleled he is as a leading man. Lincoln is heavily cited as one of Spielberg's best films and was a shining moment for both the legendary director and actor.

4 Goodfellas

Martin Scorsese’s masterpiece biographical crime film Goodfellas narrates the rise and fall of mob associate Henry Hill, covering his relationship with wife Karen Hill and his ill-fated ties with mob partners Tommy DeVito and Jimmy Conway. Some of the silver screen’s finest stars headline the film, with Ray Liotta portraying Henry Hill, Joe Pesci as Tommy DeVito, and Robert De Niro as Jimmy Conway.

Goodfellas Is Full of Suspense and Authenticity

Depicting 25 years of the mobster’s life from 1955 to 1980, Goodfellas is jam-packed full of suspense, degradation, and intense violence that is critical to the authenticity of the biopic. The powerful performances of its talented cast and Scorsese’s masterful storytelling and directing were celebrated, and Goodfellas is heavily regarded as one of the greatest films ever made and a trailblazing feat in the gangster genre.

3 Raging Bull

Raging Bull

The biographical sports drama Raging Bull is another Martin Scorsese knockout that is considered the gifted director’s magnum opus. The classic film depicts the life of boxer Jake LaMotta, an Italian-American middleweight whose temper and violence led him to extreme success in the ring but destroyed his life outside it. Robert De Niro iconically leads the drama as LaMotta, and trained extensively with the real-life boxer in preparation for the role.

Raging Bull Put Joe Pesci on the Map

Frequent future Scorsese collaborator Joe Pesci co-stars as Jake’s younger brother and manager, Joey LaMotta. Pesci, at the time, was a struggling actor and was scouted by De Niro himself. Raging Bull debuted to an initial lukewarm response, mostly due to its violent content. Despite such a reception, De Niro’s performance garnered widespread acclaim, and he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. The drama was also ranked as the fourth-greatest American movie of all time by the American Film Institute.

2 Schindler’s List

Schindler’s List (1993)

Steven Spielberg’s heart-wrenching 1993 historical drama Schindler’s List is based on the Thomas Keneally novel Schindler’s Ark and follows German industrialist Oskar Schindler, who helped save more than a thousand Polish-Jewish refugees from the Holocaust. Spielberg approached Schindler’s List as a documentary and shot the film in black and white , despite his reservations on whether he was mature enough to create such a picture.The esteemed director famously forwent a salary for the project, declaring it “blood money."

Schindler's List Received Universal Acclaim

Liam Neeson took on the lead role of Oskar Schindler and was cast in part because he was a relative unknown; Spielberg did not want an actor’s star quality to overpower the character. Schindler’s List received universal critical acclaim with its atmosphere, directing, performances and tone heralded. It was the recipient of seven Academy Awards and is considered one of the best films in cinema history, with The New Yorker calling it a picture that “will take its place in cultural history and remain there.”

1 Lawrence of Arabia

Lawrence of Arabia

The 1962 epic British historical drama Lawrence of Arabia details the life of T.E. Lawrence, an English officer who triumphantly united and led the often tumultuous Arab tribes during World War I . Acting great Peter O’Toole stars as Lawrence, and the film stunningly depicts his emotional struggles with the violence of war and his conflicted allegiance with his home of Britain and his Arabian comrades.

Lawrence of Arabia Is a Groundbreaking Biopic

Lawrence of Arabia was an adored phenomenon among critics and viewers alike, with its screenplay, visuals, and performance by O’Toole all lauded. The groundbreaking biopic is considered a cinematic masterpiece and rightfully won seven Academy Awards. It is regarded as one of the most influential films ever crafted, with O’Toole’s portrayal touted as one of the finest in all cinema history, perfectly tapping into what makes a biographical performance great.

Movie Lists

The Best Biopics About Real People
Interesting Details Fans Noticed In Movies That...
Movies Based on Real Murders
True Movies That Took Liberties
Same Story from Different Angles
Maybe It's Not All True
Movies Based On True Stories That Led To Legal ...
Historically Accurate Movies That Didn't Have T...
Movies Based on Real Politics
Dark Details That Movies Left Out From The True...
Movies You Didn't Know Were Based On Real People
Movies Based On True Stories That Were Eventual...
Great Movies Based on True Events
Crime Movies with Scarier Truths
Movies About Real Serial Killers
Horror Films: What Really Happened
X-Files Eps Based in Reality
12 Well-Known Movie Characters You Didn’t Reali...
Movies Inspired by Grisly Scenes
When Horror Films Exaggerated
Two Movies, Same True Story
The Most Controversial Teen Movies Based On Rea...

The Best Biopics To Watch About Real People

Walk the Line

Twentieth Century Fox

The Best Biopics To Watch About Real People

Cinema has a long-standing love affair with stories of real people, and biopics have found their place in the hearts of moviegoers for generations. The best “real” biopics offer glimpses into the lives of notable individuals, revealing their struggles, accomplishments, and personal journeys. By immersing audiences in these diverse stories, these movies shed light on human nature and celebrate the resilience of the human spirit.

Biopics about real people - from historical figures to renowned entertainers - explore the characters, ideologies, and stories that formed the essence of the subjects' lives. These movies go beyond mere documentaries, instead presenting viewers with intimate portrayals of the protagonists, often lending a deeper understanding of their motivations and the intricate complexities of their lives. By doing so, biographical films offer an invaluable window into the experiences and emotions of these exceptional individuals.

Each biographical film carves its own niche, and they tell about the fascinating lives of extraordinary individuals from all walks of life. For instance, Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List paints a harrowing picture of World War II, highlighting the selfless acts of Oskar Schindler in saving the lives of over a thousand Jewish refugees. Similarly, Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas takes a bold look into the underworld, chronicling the rise and fall of mobster Henry Hill, while James Mangold's Walk the Line provides insights into the tumultuous life of legendary musician Johnny Cash. These powerful biographical movies offer audiences a taste of the vast spectrum of real-life stories that have left lasting impressions on history and culture.

Biographical films serve up genuine human experiences that continue to fascinate and inspire generations of moviegoers. With each new addition to the genre, viewers are offered a chance to visit extraordinary individuals and unravel the complexities that lie beneath the surface. As such, the best biopics about real people not only entertain but also enrich audiences with profound insights into the human condition

Released : 1990
Directed by : Martin Scorsese

Chronicling the life of mobster-turned-informant Henry Hill, Goodfellas remains a quintessential example of crime biopics. The film’s enthralling storyline, combined with mesmerizing performances from Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, and Joe Pesci, perfectly captures the mafia's allure and inevitable downfall through Hill's perspective. The raw, visceral portrayal of the criminal underworld and its dangerous characters sets Goodfellas apart from other biopics, earning its place as a classic in cinematic history.

Dig Deeper... The Best 'Goodfellas' Quotes, Ranked
And Deeper... Who Would Star In 'Goodfellas' If It Were Cast Today?
# 11 of 149 on Movies That Should Never Be Remade

Schindler's List

Released : 1993
Directed by : Steven Spielberg

Captivating audiences worldwide, Schindler's List tells the harrowing true story of Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who saved the lives of thousands of Jews during the Holocaust. The film's exceptional storytelling and performances, notably from Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes, create an unforgettable experience for viewers, exploring one man's heroism amidst unthinkable tragedy. As one of the best biopics about the Holocaust, it manages to convey both despair and hope within its runtime, solidifying its status as an inspirational testament to one man's courage.

Dig Deeper... Movies That Won Best Picture at the Oscars and Golden Globes
# 6 of 262 on The Best War Movies Of All Time
# 2 of 96 on The Very Best Oscar-Winning Movies For Best Picture

Released : 2005
Directed by : James Mangold

Delving into the remarkable life of country music legend Johnny Cash, Walk the Line showcases the musician's tumultuous journey to fame. Joaquin Phoenix's brilliant perfomance as Cash, alongside Reese Witherspoon's enchanting role as June Carter, brings this inspiring story to life, capturing audiences with both romance and drama . The film ultimately stands as a testament to the transformative power of love in the face of adversity and fame.

# 308 of 769 on The Most Rewatchable Movies
# 5 of 143 on The Best Movies of 2005
# 20 of 111 on The Best Movie Soundtracks Of All Time

Catch Me If You Can

Released : 2002

This Steven Spielberg film tells the story of con artist Frank Abagnale Jr. and the cunning and charm that enabled Abagnale to enact his legendary scams. Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks deliver exceptional performances, allowing viewers to experience the exhilarating cat-and-mouse game that unfolded between Abagnale and FBI agent Carl Hanratty. This riveting biopic entertains and intrigues while exploring themes of redemption and the pursuit of the American Dream.

Dig Deeper... Don't Miss These 15 Movies Like 'Catch Me if You Can'
And Deeper... Behind-The-Scenes Stories From 'Catch Me If You Can'
# 4 of 152 on The Best Movies of 2002

Released : 2004
Directed by : Taylor Hackford

Jamie Foxx's unforgettable performance as legendary musician Ray Charles in Ray brings viewers on a poignant journey through Charles' extraordinary life and career. The film explores the musician's struggles and triumphs, including overcoming drug addiction and racism while providing comprehensive insight on his life. Ray 's powerful storytelling and brilliant casting make it a memorable biopic that pays homage to a beloved icon.

# 34 of 101 on The Best Period Movies Set in the '80s
# 7 of 86 on Great Historical Black Movies Based On True Stories
# 2 of 90 on The Greatest African American Biopics Of All Time, Ranked

A Beautiful Mind

Released : 2001
Directed by : Ron Howard

A Beautiful Mind jumps into the gifted yet troubled conscious of Nobel Prize winner and mathematician John Nash. Russell Crowe's gripping depiction of Nash combined with Ron Howard's masterful direction allows audiences to experience the heart-wrenching challenges Nash faced while contending with paranoid schizophrenia. The film's emotionally charged script and compelling narrative make it an must-watch biopic that elevates awareness of mental health issues.

Dig Deeper... 'A Beautiful Mind' Left Out A Lot About The Life And Relationships Of John Nash
And Deeper... Movies That Won Best Picture at the Oscars and Golden Globes
# 25 of 96 on The Very Best Oscar-Winning Movies For Best Picture

We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.

19 of the Best Biopics of All Time

From Margot Robbie's turn in I, Tonya to Richard Attenborough's brilliant Gandhi

What is a biopic, you might ask? First, a note on pronunciation. Some swear blind it's bi-AW-pick , to rhyme with myopic , but this, dear friends, is short-sighted. It’s BIO-pick , emphasis on the 'bio', since a biopic is a contraction, coined in the Forties, of 'biographical' and 'picture'.

As such, they've traditionally stuck close to the facts – when you're dealing with real lives, there's only so much you can get away with making up. That being said, of late, biopics have become less strict in their execution and have included more elements of fantasy or editorialising. Like Rocketman – a movie about Elton John’s life that hewed close to the truth, except for all-out fantasy dance sequences.

Here, we’ve rounded up a few of the best biopics out there, feather boas included.

Control (2007)

Biopics don’t come more stylish than photographer Anton Corbijn’s debut feature about Ian Curtis, the late frontman of Seventies post-punk band Joy Division, although nor does it put a gloss on the grimness, and eventual tragedy, of his circumstances. Curtis, played by a perfectly cast Sam Riley, dealt with both the burgeoning success of the band and his own severe epilepsy, while also doing himself no favours with his treatment of his first wife, Debbie Woodruff (Samantha Morton) in favour of his lover, Annik Honoré (Alexandra Maria Lara). Also features a scene-stealing turn by Toby Kebbell as Joy Division’s gobby manager Rob Gretton.

Lincoln (2012)

Steven Spielberg goes on the full chest-swelling rampage with this portrait of America’s 16 th President, Abraham Lincoln, who achieved a stupendous amount in the four years of his presidency before being assassinated in 1865, including seeing his country out of civil war and passing the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, heralding the end of slavery. Daniel Day-Lewis did more than due diligence (does he ever not?) in his Oscar-winning turn, with Adam Driver, Jared Harris, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones among the strong supporting cast.

Walk The Line (2005)

In case it wasn’t obvious from his film choices ( Joker , You Were Never Really Here ), Joaquin Phoenix is ever-so-slightly committed to his profession, which means his turn in James Mangold’s film about the life of Johnny Cash was never going to be less than seriously intense. Just as well given that Cash’s life was filled with triumph and tragedy from the off – from discovering the blues while in the Air Force and getting signed by Sun Records’ Sam Phillips, to the death of his young brother in a sawmill accident and the drink and drugs that cost him his first marriage. But it’s not all about Johnny: there’s June Cash, as whom Reece Witherspoon won a best supporting actress Oscar, and quite right too.

Mank (2020)

preview for MANK Official Trailer | Netflix

David Fincher's dramatisation of the whisky-soaked life of screenwriter Herman J Mankiewicz, the Hollywood insider-turned-outsider who burnt so many bridges he was forced to sacrifice sole credit for penning Citizen Kane , is a meta-biopic; Orson Welles's masterpiece was a film à clef about media magnate – and Mankiewicz sparring partner – William Randolph Hearst. Fincher adds extra layers of veracity by shooting in period-appropriate black and white, and stuffing his movie with Citizen Kane easter eggs .

.css-1wkrait{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;text-decoration-thickness:.0625rem;text-decoration-color:#FF3A30;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#000000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;word-break:break-word;display:inline-block;background:#FF3A30;-webkit-background-size:100% 200%;background-size:100% 200%;background-color:#FF3A30;width:auto;font-family:Lausanne,Lausanne-upcase-roboto,Lausanne-upcase-local,Arial,sans-serif;text-transform:uppercase;border:0.0625rem solid #FF3A30;font-size:0.875rem;line-height:1.3;white-space:pre-line;border-radius:2rem;letter-spacing:0.045rem;}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-1wkrait{padding:0.5rem 0.7rem 0.3125rem;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-1wkrait{padding:0.6rem 1.125rem 0.3125rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-1wkrait{padding:0.6rem 1.125rem 0.3125rem;}}.css-1wkrait:hover{color:#000000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;-webkit-background-position:100% 100%;background-position:100% 100%;background-color:#ffffff;border:0.0625rem solid #FF3A30;}.css-1wkrait:focus-visible{outline-color:body-cta-btn-link-focus;} WATCH HERE On the Basis of Sex (2018)

Even before Felicity Jones transformed into late US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Notorious RBG had gained a cult status as a champion of equal rights. This movie shows how, against all odds, the young woman came to earn her title. Completists should follow up with the equally excellent documentary RBG , which was released in the same year, and shows how Ginsburg's fight remained undimmed even at the end of her life.

Malcolm X (1992)

Denzel Washington received his third Oscar nomination for his portrayal of civil rights icon Malcolm X. His performance, like the film, is epic in scope, following the Black Nationalist leader from his early life as a small-time gangster to his years in the ministry and his enduring influence on the fight for Black equality as a member of the Nation of Islam.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)

preview for A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood - Official Trailer (Sony Pictures)

This incredibly heart-warming film about the American TV personality Mr. Rogers was inspired by a US Esquire article, “Can You Say ... Hero?” , by Tom Junod. The film weaves Junod’s story into a look at the life of a beloved American icon, played by another beloved American icon: Tom Hanks.

My Left Foot (1989)

As our understanding of identity and representation has evolved, films in which able-bodied actors play disabled roles can feel at best dated, at worst exploitative (last year's The Peanut Butter Falcon , which starred an actor with Down syndrome, Zack Gottsagen, as a character with Down syndrome, proved just how unnecessary this kind of casting is). But Daniel Day-Lewis's Oscar-winning performance as Christy Brown – an Irish novelist and artist with cerebral palsy, who could only write and paint with one foot – has lost none of its impact, in part due to the level of research and respect he brought to the role.

Harriet (2019)

Cynthia Erivo portrays Harriet Tubman, who was born enslaved in the American south and escaped, creating the Underground Railroad as she went back on at least a dozen missions to rescue others. The film of her life was a longtime coming, as women of colour have historically been last in the line for biopics.

Gandhi (1982)

Gandhi was an absolute triumph in all respects and gave lead Ben Kingsley (nee Krishna Bhanji) is first and only Oscar. Directed by Richard Attenborough (David’s late brother), it is an epic drama about Mahatma Gandhi’s life as lawyer-turned-civil rights leader who employed non-violent resistance to achieve India’s independence from Britain. We won’t spoilt the ending, but suffice it to say it’s not a happy one for the icon. Watch Here

Judy (2019)

Legendary songstress, performer and actor Judy Garland—for all the glitz and glamour surrounding her—had a difficult life filled with trauma and addiction. Judy shows Renée Zelwegger in an Oscar-winning performance and is based on a play that focuses on Garland’s last months leading up to her death in 1969, while briefly dipping back and forth into her past.

Chaplin (1992)

Another from the incomparable Mr. Attenborough, this biopic is based on the great Charlie Chaplin’s own 1964 autobiography. The comedic British actor made it big in Hollywood with the silent films as his titular character, “The Tramp,” and continued his celebrity through the talkies until his death in 1977. Robert Downey, Jr. took home a BAFTA for his performance of the legend.

The Founder (2016)

Michael Keaton’s comeback role was in The Founder , a film that chronicles the late-start beginnings and the swift rise to multi-billionaire Ray Kroc, the creator of the McDonald’s fast-food chain. Kroc was as ruthless as he was genius, and you won’t get through this film without wanting to eat a Big Mac.

I, Tonya (2017)

There isn’t an American born before 1985 who doesn’t know who Tonya Harding is, but in the United Kingdom, it was I, Tonya which brought the crazier-than-fiction story to an international level. The film, with a tour-de-force performance by Margot Robbie in the title role, tells the origin story of the incredible American figure skater who was on the brink of worldwide stardom when it all came crashing down in 1994 during the Olympic trials.

Steve Jobs (2015)

There is no digital revolution without the mastermind, Steve Jobs. But the guy was intensely private, and this biopic attempts to shed some light on the man behind the myth. Michael Fassbender stars in this riveting drama that unfolds around three iconic Apple products.

The Theory of Everything (2014)

This film focuses not just on the life of Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne), the brilliant theoretical physicist who contracted ALS in his early 20s and lived on to see his own biopic, but it also bends to romance with a look at the 30-year relationship between he and his first wife, Jane Hawking (Felicity Jones).

A Beautiful Mind (2001)

This is one of those biopics about a lesser-known individual—American mathematician John Nash—which doesn’t diminish its narrative brilliance one iota. Nash made fundamental contributions to game theory among other very complicated maths-based things in everyday life. He was also a paranoid-schizophrenic. The film took home four Oscars, including best picture award, best director for Ron Howard, best actress for Jennifer Connelly, though, interestingly, not one for Russell Crowe, who was nominated for playing Nash.

The Aviator (2004)

Leonardo DiCaprio plays Howard Hughes—the American aviation pioneer, billionaire entrepreneur and filmmaker in this Martin Scorsese epic. The film is based on the biography, Howard Hughes: The Secret Life, and focuses on the 20-year period where is cultural contributions and playboy lifestyle made the most impact.

Milk (2008)

The life of gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk is documented in this heart-wrenching drama starring Sean Penn. He won an Oscar for his portrayal of Milk—the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California—and then-fledgling screenwriter Dustin Lance Black won an Oscar for his original screenplay.

Like this article? Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox

Need some positivity right now? Subscribe to Esquire now for a hit of style, fitness, culture and advice from the experts

Miranda Collinge is the Deputy Editor of Esquire, overseeing editorial commissioning for the brand. With a background in arts and entertainment journalism, she also writes widely herself, on topics ranging from Instagram fish to psychedelic supper clubs, and has written numerous cover profiles for the magazine including Cillian Murphy, Rami Malek and Tom Hardy.

@media(max-width: 73.75rem){.css-1ktbcds:before{margin-right:0.4375rem;color:#FF3A30;content:'_';display:inline-block;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-1ktbcds:before{margin-right:0.5625rem;color:#FF3A30;content:'_';display:inline-block;}} Best Movies

The 49 Best Movies on Amazon Prime UK

The Best Episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Ranked

The 63 Best Thrillers Ever Made

Every Leonardo DiCaprio Movie, Ranked

The Best Action Movies That Go Bang

Some True Stories Make for the Best Movies

The 44 Best Sci-Fi Movies Of All Time

The 38 Greatest Heist Movies Ever Made

The 38 Best Serial Killer Movies Of All Time

31 Epic War Films to Watch Now

The Best Prestige Horror Movies on Netflix

My Quiz Activity
Newsletters
Sports Betting
MY FAVORITES
Add Sports/Teams
Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Ravens
Buffalo Bills
Carolina Panthers
Chicago Bears
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Dallas Cowboys
Denver Broncos
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Kansas City Chiefs
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Rams
Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
New York Jets
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
Washington Commanders
Arizona Diamondbacks
Atlanta Braves
Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
Chicago White Sox
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Cleveland Guardians
Colorado Rockies
Detroit Tigers
Houston Astros
Kansas City Royals
Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Dodgers
Miami Marlins
Milwaukee Brewers
Minnesota Twins
New York Yankees
New York Mets
Oakland Athletics
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates
San Diego Padres
San Francisco Giants
Seattle Mariners
St. Louis Cardinals
Tampa Bay Rays
Texas Rangers
Toronto Blue Jays
Washington Nationals
Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics
Brooklyn Nets
Charlotte Hornets
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
Dallas Mavericks
Denver Nuggets
Detroit Pistons
Golden State Warriors
Houston Rockets
Indiana Pacers
Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Lakers
Memphis Grizzlies
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Pelicans
New York Knicks
Oklahoma City Thunder
Orlando Magic
Philadelphia 76ers
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers
Sacramento Kings
San Antonio Spurs
Toronto Raptors
Washington Wizards
Anaheim Ducks
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
Calgary Flames
Carolina Hurricanes
Chicago Blackhawks
Colorado Avalanche
Columbus Blue Jackets
Dallas Stars
Detroit Red Wings
Edmonton Oilers
Florida Panthers
Los Angeles Kings
Minnesota Wild
Montreal Canadiens
Nashville Predators
New Jersey Devils
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
Ottawa Senators
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
San Jose Sharks
Seattle Kraken
St. Louis Blues
Tampa Bay Lightning
Toronto Maple Leafs
Utah Hockey Club
Vancouver Canucks
Vegas Golden Knights
Washington Capitals
Winnipeg Jets
Entertainment Home
Lifestyle Home
More Sports
YB on Facebook
YB on Twitter
YB on Flipboard
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service
College Basketball
College Football
Entertainment
Formula One
Horse Racing
Motor Sports
Premier League
Sports Business
Track and Field
More Sports ▸

Entertainment News

The 28 best biopics of all time

Hollywood loves churning out biographical films, releasing dozens of major motion picture biopics every year. Some become critically acclaimed classics, while others end up as total flops - even if the star nails their portrayal of the famous figure. Let’s take a look at some successful stories based on box office numbers, critical reception, audience approval, and the awards they won. Here are the 28 best biopics of all time.

12 Years a Slave (2013)

2013’s “12 Years a Slave” is the kind of film that couldn’t possibly fail. From its outstanding cast (Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'o, Sarah Paulson, Paul Dano, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Giamatti, and Brad Pitt) to its director (Steve McQueen) to its screenplay (by John Ridley) to its music (courtesy of Hans Zimmer), “12 Years a Slave” succeeded in every aspect and won three Oscars. Although the film isn't that old, it's based on a memoir of the same name that was written all the way back in 1853 by Solomon Northup.

A Beautiful Mind (2001)

Based on the life of Nobel Laureate John Nash and a 1998 book of the same name by Sylvia Nasar, “A Beautiful Mind” explores the battle that was fought within Nash’s own head, which pitted his brilliance against his paranoid-schizophrenic tendencies. The film starring Russell Crowe won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director (Ron Howard), Best Adapted Screenplay (Akiva Goldsmith), and Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Connelly), and earned four additional nods.

Amadeus (1984)

Although Antonio Salieri’s jealousy and conspiracy against composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is fictionalized and very much exaggerated, 1984’s “Amadeus” still serves as a solid biography for the brilliant musician, and is a fantastic film nonetheless - as evidenced by the 40 accolades it won, including eight Academy Awards.

BlacKkKlansman (2018)

The biggest win for Spike Lee 's "BlacKkKlansman" was an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, but it nabbed five other Academy Award nominations (including Best Picture), four Golden Globe nods (including Best Drama), and the Grand Prix at Cannes. The true story of Ron Stallworth, a black police officer who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan, also owns a 96-percent freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic teamed up with director and fellow Vietnam vet Oliver Stone to pen the screenplay for “Born on the Fourth of July,” an adaptation of Kovic’s memoir of the same name that chronicles how he was injured and paralyzed in battle, and later became an anti-war activist. The film marked Tom Cruise ’s first Oscar nomination, and although he failed to win, “Born on the Fourth of July” still picked up two Academy Awards.

Braveheart (1995)

Sir William Wallace was a Scottish knight who led his country in the First War of Scottish Independence against England (1296–1328) and inspired 1995’s “Braveheart,” which was written and directed by Mel Gibson , who also starred in the film. Nominated for 10 Academy Awards, “Braveheart” won five, including Best Picture and Best Director.

Capote (2005)

In the 2005 biopic “Capote,” Philip Seymour Hoffman blew audiences away with his portrayal of Truman Capote and the writer's work on the 1966 non-fiction novel “In Cold Blood.” Hoffman rightfully won a best actor Oscar, Golden Globe, and SAG Award, among numerous other accolades.

Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

Matthew McConaughey lost 47 pounds and stayed indoors for six months in order to play AIDS patient and activist Ron Woodruff in 2013’s “Dallas Buyers Club.” Woodruff smuggled unapproved pharmaceutical drugs across the Mexican border into his home state of Texas during the 1980s, a time when HIV and AIDS were under-researched, misunderstood, and highly stigmatized. McConaughey and co-star Jared Leto both won Oscars for their roles, making “Dallas Buyers Club” only the fifth film to ever nab both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor honors.

Gandhi (1982)

When it was first announced that a biopic about the life of Mahatma Gandhi would be made, there was a lot of speculation as to who would play the famed leader of the Indian independence movement. English actor Ben Kingsley (who has Indian heritage on his father’s side) was selected and astonished audiences with his performance. “Gandhi” earned a whopping 11 Academy Award nominations and won eight, including Best Picture and Best Director (Richard Attenborough).

Goodfellas (1990)

“Goodfellas” is often considered one of the greatest crime films ever made, mostly thanks to the spectacular direction of Martin Scorsese and the all-star cast that includes Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro , Joe Pesci, and Paul Sorvino. Although the 1990 film is widely beloved, some people don’t realize that Henry Hill was actually a real person, and “Goodfellas” is an adaptation of Nicholas Pileggi’s 1986 non-fiction book “Wiseguy,” which tells Hill’s tale. The movie earned nearly $47 million at the box office, won an Oscar (for Pesci), and has since been selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Hidden Figures (2016)

Everyone knows about the Space Race, but few knew about the critical work of the black female mathematicians that made it happen at NASA before the release of "Hidden Figures" in 2016. Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monáe led the cast of this acclaimed drama, which earned Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay nominations at the Academy Awards.

In the Name of the Father (1993)

If Sir Daniel Day-Lewis appears in a biopic, look out, because it’s sure to be a strong performance that will almost certainly lead to some Oscar attention. (If you didn’t know that already, you’ll be convinced by the end of this slideshow.) In 1993’s “In the Name of the Father,” Day-Lewis plays Gerry Conlon, an Irishman who, along with three others, was wrongly convicted and sentenced to life in prison for an IRA bombing that killed five people and wounded 65 others in 1975. Although the Jim Sheridan-directed film didn’t win any Academy Awards, “In the Name of the Father” had seven nominations.

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Behind the starpower of Peter O’Toole, Anthony Quinn, Omar Sharif, and Sir Alec Guinness, “Lawrence of Arabia” earned seven Oscars while bringing the life and times of British military officer and diplomat T.E. Lawrence to the big screen. Often referred to as one of the greatest films of all time, the David Lean-directed biopic chronicled Lawrence’s fight against the Ottoman Empire in the Arab Revolt, which culminated in the 1918 capture of Damascus.

Lincoln (2012)

Remember all that stuff we said about biopics starring Daniel Day-Lewis? In 2012, DDL starred in “Lincoln” (directed by Steven Spielberg), which focused on the 16th President of the United States and the last four months of his life, including his efforts to pass the Thirteenth Amendment and abolish slavery. Day-Lewis’ performance earned him his third Academy Award for Best Actor, the only person to ever achieve the feat.

Malcolm X (1992)

Director Spike Lee and veteran actor Denzel Washington have teamed together on four films, but the best has to be the 1992 biopic “Malcolm X.” Washington stars as the famous human rights activist in the film, which covers everything from Malcolm’s childhood and early life to his assassination and legacy. Largely based on Alex Haley's 1965 book “The Autobiography of Malcolm X,” the movie’s script was penned by Lee and screenwriter Arnold Perl, but included the assistance of Haley himself. This, on top of a Oscar-nominated performance by Washington, made the film accurate, educational, and engrossing.

Milk (2008)

Coincidentally, “Milk” is the third film in a row in this slideshow that deals with someone who was assassinated while fighting for equality. In this 2008 Gus Van Sant film, Sean Penn stars as Harvey Milk, the former San Francisco Board of Supervisors member who was the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California. He and Mayor George Moscone were assassinated by Dan White, another city supervisor, in 1978. Penn won a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Milk, and screenwriter Dustin Lance Black earned one for Best Original Screenplay.

My Left Foot (1989)

The last Daniel Day-Lewis film in this slideshow, “My Left Foot” was also the actor’s first of three Academy Awards for Best Actor. Although somewhat fictionalized, the 1989 biopic is based on the life of Christy Brown, an Irishman who suffered from cerebral palsy but taught himself how to write, type, and paint using only the toes of his left foot. In fact, “My Left Foot” is based on Brown’s 1954 autobiography of the same name.

Patton (1970)

1970 film “Patton” brought General George S. Patton’s role in World War II to the big screen, and the Franklin J. Schaffner film ended up winning seven Academy Awards, including a Best Actor honor for the biopic’s star, George C. Scott. Scott, however, famously refused to accept the award, citing his disdain for the voting process and the competition among actors in general. He was the first actor ever to do so.

Raging Bull (1980)

Jake LaMotta was a World Middleweight Champion boxer who amassed a 83-19-4 record thanks to a notoriously vicious fighting style. LaMotta had a turbulent life both in and out of the ring, as chronicled in his 1970 memoir, “Raging Bull: My Story.” When it was turned into a movie, Martin Scorsese was at the helm with Robert De Niro playing LaMotta and Joe Pesci playing Joey, Jake’s brother/manager. As you surely already know, the Scorsese/De Niro/Pesci formula almost always leads to Oscar gold, and “Raging Bull” took home two honors (out of eight total nominations) at the 53rd Academy Awards.

Jamie Foxx absolutely shined in his role as legendary musician Ray Charles in the 2004 film “Ray,” winning an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a SAG Award in the best actor categories. However, the victories were bittersweet. Ray Charles personally participated in the production of the film, but sadly passed away from liver disease just months before it was set to premiere, and thus never saw the finished product. We think he would have been overjoyed by the end result, as “Ray” is often considered one of the best biopics ever made.

Rocketman (2019)

Taron Egerton absolutely shined as Elton John in the 2019 biopic "Rocketman," crocodile rocking his way to a Golden Globe win for Best Actor. The Elton John and Bernie Taupin picked up Golden Globes for Best Song, with the film itself earning a best picture nod. Elton & Bernie also won the same award at the Oscars, too!

Schindler’s List (1993)

The Holocaust was filled with an unfathomable amount of pain, death, and heartbreak - but there were some beacons of light that shined through the darkness. One such story was that of Oskar Schindler, who personally saved the lives of more than a thousand Jews in Poland. His story was brought to big screen as the 1993 film “Schindler’s List,” which starred Liam Neeson , Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, and Caroline Goodall, and was directed by Steven Spielberg. The film won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay (the script was based on Thomas Keneally’s 1982 novel “Schindler’s Ark”).

Serpico (1973)

Putting both his career and life on the line, officer Frank Serpico bravely blew the whistle on corruption within the New York Police Department in the 1960s and 1970s. Although he received a bullet to the face mostly thanks to a few fellow officers who controversially refused to back him up during a drug sting, Serpico was eventually seen as a hero, was awarded an NYPD Medal of Honor, and had a movie starring Al Pacino made about his life. Based on a biography written by Peter Maas, 1973’s “Serpico” was directed by Sidney Lumet and earned two Oscar nods, as well as a Best Actor Golden Globe for Pacino.

Spartacus (1960)

Starring veteran actors Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, and Peter Ustinov, Stanley Kubrick’s epic 1960 biopic “Spartacus” was, at one time, the most successful film in Universal Studios history. Written by blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, “Spartacus” won four Academy Awards and was so popular that President John F. Kennedy crossed American Legion picket lines to view the film.

The Aviator (2004)

The 2004 Howard Hughes biopic “The Aviator” has a whole lot going for it. The film features an all-star cast (Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale , Jude Law, Alan Alda, Alec Baldwin , Willem Dafoe, and John C. Reilly) and had Martin Scorsese in the director’s chair, and it earned a startling 11 Academy Award nominations. “The Aviator” won five of these, but Cate Blanchett was the only one to earn a major prize. Still, this epic drama is often referred as a biographical masterpiece.

The King’s Speech (2010)

“The King’s Speech” only deals with a very brief portion of the life of King George VI, but the snappy script, a fantastic performance by Colin Firth (not to mention those of Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, and Guy Pearce), and the direction of Tom Hooper earned the 2010 film a dozen Oscar nominations, including wins for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Original Screenplay.

The Last Emperor (1987)

“The Last Emperor” holds quite an impressive distinction. Not only was the 1987 Bernardo Bertolucci film nominated for nine Oscars at the 60th Academy Awards, but it won every single one. It also holds a 92-percent freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an 88-percent audience score, meaning the film - a biopic about the life of Puyi, the last Emperor of China - is almost universally loved by all.

The Pianist (1992)

Based on an autobiographical book of the same name by Jewish composer Władysław Szpilman, “The Pianist” focuses on Szpilman’s life during World War II, when he was forced to live in the Warsaw Ghetto, narrowly avoided a concentration camp, became separated from his family (who were all later killed), and spent the remainder of the war in the bombed-out city of Warsaw struggling to survive. In addition to being awarded the Palme d’Or at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, “The Pianist” also won three Oscars for Best Director (Roman Polanski), Best Actor ( Adrien Brody ), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Ronald Harwood).

Matt Sulem has been writing and editing professionally for more than a decade. He has worked for BubbleBlabber, The Sportster, and The Daily Meal, among other publications, but has called Yardbarker home since 2006. Matt’s writing combines a love for nostalgia with a passion for promulgating interesting, informative, and lesser-known facts about pop culture. And he’s always down to share a solid slow cooker, air fryer, or dessert recipe. Matt currently lives in Portland, Maine, with his wife and young son.

More must-reads:

These 21 kids' movies turning 30 will make millennials feel ready for retirement
We should leave Skip Bayless in the past
The best and worst Stephen King adaptations

Trending in Entertainment

Customize your newsletter.

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

From 'Elvis' to 'The Pianist': 20 Best Biopic Movies of the 21st Century (So Far)

Your changes have been saved

Email Is sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

Read update

Oppenheimer , Christopher Nolan 's most anticipated biopic will soon hit theaters this summer (July 21), marking not only Nolan's return but also the newest installment in the biopic genre, which is currently popular in Hollywood. In the meantime, there are tons of great biopics of the 21st century that fans can watch.

What is a biopic? A biopic (short for "biographical picture") is a non-fictional film that depicts the tale of a real person's life. Biopic movies are usually about a historical figure or a well-known individual. However, they can be about anyone as long as the subject exists. A biopic film must focus on a single protagonist and portray the narrative of that person's life across many years (rather than simply one event or era in their life).

Biopics are the goldmines of Hollywood movies, regardless of whose life they show. Many of these films served as stepping stones in the careers of their filmmakers and actors, helping to launch them to stardom. Even though many excellent biopics are produced each year, a special few have gone above and beyond after the turn of the millennia.

Updated on March 30, 2023, by Jessie Nguyen:

20 'bohemian rhapsody' (2018).

Bohemian Rhapsody tells the story of the British rock band Queen and their lead singer, Freddie Mercury , played by Rami Malek . The film traces the band’s rise to fame, from their early days playing small gigs to their legendary performance at Live Aid in 1985. It also explores Mercury’s relationships with his bandmates, as well as his romantic ones and his struggle with his sexuality.

Bohemian Rhapsody nevertheless serves as a good reminder of the band's musical brilliance and Freddie's singular stage presence owing to the film's aesthetically stunning musical moments and Malek's dominating leading role. Despite its limitations, the movie is still an exquisite tribute to the band and its dedicated fans.

Watch on Hulu

19 'A Beautiful Mind' (2001)

John Nash leaning against a wall of numbers in A Beautiful Mind

Inspired by the 1998 biography of the same name by Sylvia Nasar , A Beautiful Mind chronicles the life of John Forbes Nash Jr. ( Russell Crowe ), who went through it all – from fame's pinnacles to its darkest abysses. He was a mathematical prodigy who was on the verge of receiving international renown when he made an astounding discovery early in his career. Yet he quickly finds himself embarking on a torturous and terrifying quest of self-discovery.

A Beautiful Mind has become one of the most engaging and well-liked movies of all time, despite issues with tone and structure as well as some significant absences from Nash's real life. Because Nash's life is the focus of the film rather than his mental health , and because of Russell Crowe's stirring portrayal, Nash is given a second chance to relive both his success and his failure.

Watch on Prime Video

18 'Elvis' (2022)

Elvis chronicles the life story of American music legend Elvis Presley , played by Austin Butler , from his youth to his 1950s rise to rock and roll stardom while retaining a complicated bond with Colonel Tom Parker ( Tom Hanks ), his manager.

Butler's spectacular portrayal of Elvis humanized the legend by bringing down the spotlight from his physical gestures to the enormous, gruff voice to reveal the troubled man hiding behind the timeless God of Rock. In addition, the wild singing, set design, reenactment of iconic incidents, and compelling performers give the impression that audiences are viewing a documentary instead.

Watch on Max

17 'Ray' (2004)

Ray tells the story of the legendary musician Ray Charles ( Jamie Foxx ) and his struggles with blindness, poverty, and addiction, as well as his relationships with the women in his life. It also delves into Charles' musical career, including his experimentation with different genres such as R&B, gospel, and country, and his collaborations with other musicians.

Ray is a moving and inspiring film that offers a window into the life of one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, and the struggles and triumphs that shaped his extraordinary career. Also, the acting is strong, the directing is deft, the storyline is insightful, and Foxx gives an outstanding performance.

Watch on Netflix

16 'The Wolf of Wall Street' (2013)

The story of 1990s stock trader Jordan Belfort , whose company, Stratton Oakmont, participated in unprecedented levels of corruption and fraud, is told in Martin Scorsese 's smash biopic The Wolf of Wall Street .

Scorsese's picture is the ultimate of excess, with Leonardo DiCaprio as Belfort giving a truly outrageous performance. As they are in many of Scorsese’s films , the sins are visited upon the sinner, but the "Wolf" warns us at the end that no number of cautionary stories will prevent future generations from engaging in short-sighted, amoral, selfish ambitions.

Watch on Fubo

15 'A Hidden Life' (2019)

Based on the true story of Franz Jägerstätter , an Austrian farmer who refused to fight for the Nazis during World War II, The Hidden Life follows Franz ( August Diehl ) as he lives a quiet life with his family in the small village of St. Radegund. When war breaks out, Franz is called up to serve in the German army, but he refuses to swear allegiance to Hitler and fight for the Nazis.

Through a genuine account of faith, family, and the indomitable human spirit in the face of extreme persecution, director Terrence Malick presents the viewers with a rare image of a special kind of hero. Additionally, it serves as an engaging and oftentimes moving example of how regular people respond to the ills of the world.

14 'Lincoln' (2012)

American President Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis) sits behind his desk.

Lincoln follows the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln ( Daniel Day-Lewis ), as he navigates the political landscape of the Civil War era, trying to garner support for the amendment from both Republicans and Democrats. It also focuses on the final months of his presidency and his efforts to pass the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which would abolish slavery.

Lincoln is one of Steven Spielberg 's most methodical efforts as a director, and it is undeniably a respectable, absorbing film. Additionally, despite having a history lesson at its center, it is deftly concealed by one outstanding performance and a number of steadfast supporting characters.

13 'Capote' (2005)

Truman Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman) sits next to Harper Lee (Catherine Keener) in 'Capote'

Capote tells the story of Truman Capote ( Philip Seymour Hoffman ), a famous American writer, as he travels to Kansas to investigate and write about the brutal murders of the Clutter family in 1959, which later becomes the basis for his novel, In Cold Blood . The film explores Capote’s relationship with the murderers, Richard ‘Dick’ Hickock ( Mark Pellegrino ) and Perry Smith ( Clifton Collins Jr. ), as he spends them with them in jail.

Hoffman offers a captivating portrayal of and perspective on a troubled character who is nonetheless regarded by many as one of America's best authors. Moreover, Bennett Miller was able to convey the complexity of human brains and relationships, as well as the source of artistic inspiration, thanks to a fantastic screenplay.

Watch on Roku

12 'I, Tonya' (2017)

After her husband ordered an assault on her opponent, Nancy Kerrigan , Tonya Harding ( Margot Robbie ) went from one of the most skilled athletes in the country to a worldwide laughingstock. Her troubles as an outcast, her dysfunctional family, and her outspoken nature were all depicted in the film.

Craig Gillespie 's film does more than convey Harding's story, it completely reframes the narrative and rewrites her as the hero of her own story in a complicated but persuasive way. I, Tonya also provides Robbie with her first opportunity to demonstrate her entire range as an actor, and she is radiant.

11 'Dallas Buyers Club' (2013)

A woman and a man sitting on a bench but facing different directions

Dallas Buyers Club follows Ronald Woodroof ( Matthew McConaughey ), a philandering, drug addict, and homophobic electrician from Texas, living a carefree life until his doctor diagnoses him with HIV/AIDS, which will likely kill him in 30 days. Woodroof discovers an experimental medicine that can potentially prolong his life and establishes the titular "Dallas Buyers Club" to import the drug from Mexico to anyone who needs it.

The combination of sharp character study and moving pharmaceutical docudrama is lively and memorable at just under two hours. Moreover, McConaughey and Jared Leto ’s transformative performances are the reason to visit this biopic. Not only do they successfully give voice to the disaffected of the 1980s, but to everyone who is suddenly confronted with unfathomable challenges.

10 'Hidden Figures' (2016)

Loosely based on the 2016 non-fiction book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterly , Hidden Figures chronicles the story of a group of female Black mathematicians (played by Taraji P. Henson , Octavia Spencer , and Janelle Monáe ) who played crucial roles in NASA during the early stages of the US space program.

With its recognizable period-piece perspective on a neglected moment in space history, Hidden Figures maintains optimism for what science and technology may accomplish when the sharpest minds work together. Moreover, the film respectfully honors the unheralded female heroines of history by featuring three exceptional performances from the three leads.

Watch on Disney+

9 'Milk' (2008)

Sean Penn as Harvey Milk smiling on stage in Milk.

Milk is about the life of an openly gay activist and politician, Harvey Milk (played by Sean Penn ), who became the first LGBTQ+ person elected to public office in California. The film chronicles the period from Milk's 40th birthday until his horrific killing in 1978, using archival footage from his life.

The film, directed by Gus Van Sant and written by Dustin Lance Black , immerses us in the political process as Penn's brilliant performance captures Milk's playful intellectual personality. Furthermore, by combining 1970s news footage with newly shot sequences, Van Sant constructed his film around some massive, screen-filling set pieces, making the audience feel as if they had stepped inside the story.

8 'The King's Speech' (2010)

King George VI and Lionel Logue talking with a microphone in The King's Speech

When Albert "Bertie" George 's father, King George V , dies and his brother King Edward VIII chooses love over the kingdom, he is compelled to crown himself king. The King's Speech depicts the narrative of King George VI 's friendship with his speech therapist, who helped the king overcome his stutter to confidently address his subjects.

Instead of being a film about a monarch triumphantly leading his folks to victory, it is about a would-be king battling to find his voice and the strength to lead his people through one of the most challenging periods in their history. Colin Firth as Bertie also imbues his restrained character with complexity, dignity, and wit, making a lasting impression.

Watch on Plex

7 '12 Years a Slave' (2013)

Chiwtele Ejiofor as Solomon Northup alongside a group of slaves in a plantation in 12 Years a Slave.

Solomon Northup (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor ) was a free Black man from New York who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1841. For a dozen terrifying years, he was subjected to various forms of torture and wickedness before being free once more.

Though 12 Years a Slave is full of intriguing characters, Ejiofor steals the show by maintaining the character's dignity throughout. Moreover, director Steve McQueen immerses the spectators in an unforgivably hideous era from which there is no way out. It's about as intense as a biopic can go and many viewers deem this movie to be too heartbreaking for a second screening .

6 'The Pianist' (2002)

Adrien Brody as Wladislaw playing the piano in The Pianist (2002)

Based on the autobiographical book of the same name by a Polish-Jewish pianist, composer, and Holocaust survivor, Władysław Szpilman , The Pianist follows Szpilman ( Adrien Brody ), who after being forced into the Warsaw Ghetto, loses contact with his family as a result of Operation Reinhard. He then hides in various places among the rubble of Warsaw from this point until the captives of the concentration camps are released.

The unflinching anti-war film is a masterpiece about the struggle between good and evil, the tenacity and mercy of art, and the horrific personal toll left by one of history's worst moments. Like many films about the Holocaust, The Pianist can be difficult to see, but it's important to remember what happened and Brody was mesmerizing in it.

5 'The Social Network' (2010)

Four men staring at a computer screen in a dorm room

Though it wasn’t perfectly accurate, The Social Network covers the narrative of Facebook's early years and its founder, Mark Zuckerberg ’s ( Jesse Eisenberg ) initial social decline, starting with the break-up of his romantic relationship with Erica Albright ( Rooney Mara ) and concluding with the tragic end of his friendship with co-founder Eduardo Saverin ( Andrew Garfield ).

The film is one of the best performing and acclaimed films of 2010 , thanks to screenwriter Aaron Sorkin 's typical quick-witted writing and Jesse Eisenberg's riveting portrayal of the renowned social network creator. Moreover, everyone in the film is on the verge of snapping, which adds to the film's authenticity and realism.

4 'Catch Me If You Can' (2002)

Leonardo DiCaprio as Frank Abegnale Jr dressed as a pilot standing in front of stewardesses in Catch Me If You Can

Catch Me If You Can follows Frank Abagnale Jr. (played by Leonardo DiCaprio), a skilled con man who pretended to be a doctor, lawyer, and pilot while only being 21 years old. Meanwhile, Tom Hanks ' FBI agent Carl Hanratty gets obsessed with finding Frank and later succeeds in persuading Frank to become an FBI assistant for atonement.

The story was brought to life by Steven Spielberg's skill as a filmmaker, exquisite cinematography, elegant editing, brilliant script, and a beautiful score by John Williams . Not to mention DiCaprio and Hanks' incredible chemistry and performances resulting in a gentle, charmingly adventurous film that makes you feel wonderful.

3 'BlacKkKlansman' (2018)

Based on Ron Stallworth ’s 2014 memoir Black Klansman , BlacKkKlansman takes place in the 1970s in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and follows the city's first Black detective ( John David Washington ) as he attempts to infiltrate and out the local Ku Klux Klan chapter.

BlacKkKlansman is timely because it engages in a crucial national dialogue that is full of metaphors and juxtapositions. Moreover, the chemistry between Washington and Adam Driver is crucial to keep the film's rhythm enjoyable as the movie alternates between comedy and crime . Also, through their characters, viewers feel like they have just walked through the lane of history in over two hours.

2 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?' (2018)

A woman working surrounded with a cat and lots of typewriters

Melissa McCarthy plays Lee Israel , a struggling writer who seeks to revive her career by selling counterfeit letters from celebrities who have died. Can You Ever Forgive Me? by Marielle Heller is one of the finest contemporary films on economic hardship and ethical compromise.

The biopic is an intellectually interesting drama due to the contradiction between blatant deception, undeniable necessity, and a group of victims who, presumably, can afford to be fooled. Moreover, McCarthy's impressive performance is both fierce and compassionate at the same time, constantly improving the material and stealing every scene she is in.

1 'Selma' (2014)

Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph Abernathy, and Andrew Young leading a march in Selma

Selma was praised for its historical authenticity as it followed Martin Luther King Jr. as he fought for Black voting rights. The film follows King's frenetic three months leading up to the march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. Their efforts directly contributed to President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

The film focuses primarily on King's role in the events without diminishing the importance of the other leaders' contributions to molding this pivotal moment in American history. Moreover, the screenplay by Paul Webb and David Oyelowo ’s performance as King gives us a profound, gratifying depiction of King as a man capable of errors, self-doubt, and pain.

Watch on Showtime

NEXT: Great Biopics That Got Surprisingly Dark

Film Listeleri
Yabancı Diziler
Sinema Filmleri
Dizi Listeleri
Native Advertising

Top 250 Movies

250 Best Biography Movies of All Time

Top Biography Movies

Description

Biographical films, or biopics, are one of the most inspiring and educational genres in cinema. This genre tells real-life stories, offering audiences a path to explore personal achievements, overcoming challenges, and discovering the meaning of life. Biographical films honor significant figures and events from history, arts, science, sports, and various other fields by delving deep into the lives and experiences of individuals.

One of the greatest strengths of biographical films lies in their foundation in real-life inspiration. These films can depict historical events, the life stories of famous figures, or the extraordinary achievements of ordinary individuals. As a result, biographical films provide viewers with the opportunity to closely examine historical events and important personalities.

Another hallmark of this genre is its emphasis on character development and internal journeys. Biographical films narrate the turning points, decisions, and growth processes in the life of the main character (often a real person). This allows the audience to share in the character’s struggles and triumphs, fostering a strong connection with their story.

Biographical films also provide a platform to delve deep into social, cultural, and historical contexts. By recreating the atmosphere of a specific time period and portraying significant events, these films offer viewers a better understanding of the era. Furthermore, they illustrate how personal achievements and societal change are intertwined.

Biographical films are often recognized for outstanding performances by actors. Lead actors frequently deliver remarkable portrayals of real-life figures, further engaging the audience in the narrative.

In conclusion, biographical films celebrate the real-life stories and experiences of individuals. They inspire, educate, and provoke thought. By portraying historical events and significant figures, they allow viewers to connect with the past and gain a better understanding of the meaning and value of life. Biographical films are regarded as one of the most inspiring and educational genres in cinema.

Here are 250 of the best Biography movies

The Irishman (2019) – IMDb: 7.8

Content : “The Irishman” tells the story of Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), a hitman. As Frank rises in the world of the mafia, he encounters powerful figures like Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino). The film explores Frank’s life and the mysterious disappearance of Hoffa.

Main Characters : Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino), Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci)

Straight Outta Compton (2015) – IMDb: 7.8

Content : This film chronicles the rise of the rap group N.W.A. and delves into the social and political impact of their music. It presents the stories of prominent rappers like Ice Cube (O’Shea Jackson Jr.), Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins), and Eazy-E (Jason Mitchell).

Main Characters : Ice Cube (O’Shea Jackson Jr.), Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins), Eazy-E (Jason Mitchell)

Captain Phillips (2013) – IMDb: 7.8

Content : Based on a true story, this film follows the events surrounding the hijacking of a ship by Somali pirates and the experiences of its captain, Captain Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks).

Main Characters : Captain Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks), Muse (Barkhad Abdi)

The Big Short (2015) – IMDb: 7.8

Content : “The Big Short” tells the story of several financiers who predicted the 2008 financial crisis. Characters like Michael Burry (Christian Bale), Mark Baum (Steve Carell), and Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling) attempt to profit from the housing market collapse.

Main Characters : Michael Burry (Christian Bale), Mark Baum (Steve Carell), Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling)

Honor (2014) – IMDb: 7.8

Content : “Honor” focuses on the honor and family bonds within a British-Pakistani family, exploring the conflicts between traditional and modern values.

Main Characters : Mona (Aiysha Hart), Kasim (Faraz Ayub), Mamu (Harvey Virdi)

Loving Vincent (2017) – IMDb: 7.8

Content : This unique animated film delves into the life of the famous painter Vincent van Gogh. It follows the story of Armand Roulin (Douglas Booth), who investigates van Gogh’s death.

Main Characters : Armand Roulin (Douglas Booth), Joseph Roulin (Chris O’Dowd), Dr. Gachet (Jerome Flynn)

Hidden Figures (2016) – IMDb: 7.8

Content : “Hidden Figures” tells the story of three African American female mathematicians (Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson) working at NASA and their crucial roles in space exploration.

Main Characters : Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe)

Spartacus (1960) – IMDb: 7.9

Content : “Spartacus” narrates the slave uprising during the Roman Empire, led by Spartacus (Kirk Douglas). It explores Spartacus’s quest for freedom and justice.

Main Characters : Spartacus (Kirk Douglas), Batiatus (Peter Ustinov), Crassus (Laurence Olivier)

In Cold Blood (1967) – IMDb: 7.9

Content : Adapted from Truman Capote’s novel, this film portrays the murder of a family by two criminals and Capote’s (Philip Seymour Hoffman) investigation, which leads to shocking revelations about the killers.

Main Characters : Perry Smith (Robert Blake), Dick Hickock (Scott Wilson), Truman Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman)

Patton (1970) – IMDb: 7.9

Content : “Patton” is a biographical war film that portrays the life of General George S. Patton (George C. Scott) during World War II. The film explores his leadership, military tactics, and controversial personality.

Main Characters : General George S. Patton (George C. Scott)

My Left Foot (1989) – IMDb: 7.9

Content : This biographical drama tells the life story of Christy Brown (Daniel Day-Lewis), an Irishman with cerebral palsy, who learns to write and paint using only his left foot.

Main Characters : Christy Brown (Daniel Day-Lewis)

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) – IMDb: 7.9

Content : “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” is an adventure-comedy film about a daydreamer named Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller), who embarks on a global journey to find a missing photograph.

Main Characters : Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller)

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) – IMDb: 7.9

Content : This biographical film chronicles the rise of the iconic rock band Queen and the life of its lead singer, Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek).

Main Characters : Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek)

A Man Called Horse (1970) – IMDb: 8.0

Content : “A Man Called Horse” is a Western film that follows an English aristocrat, John Morgan (Richard Harris), who is captured by a Native American tribe and eventually earns their respect and acceptance.

Main Characters : John Morgan (Richard Harris)

Butterflies Are Free (1972) – IMDb: 8.0

Content : This romantic comedy-drama centers on the relationship between a blind man, Don Baker (Edward Albert), and his quirky neighbor Jill Tanner (Goldie Hawn).

Main Characters : Don Baker (Edward Albert), Jill Tanner (Goldie Hawn)

Dog Day Afternoon (1975) – IMDb: 8.0

Content : Based on a true story, this crime drama follows Sonny Wortzik (Al Pacino) and Sal Naturile (John Cazale), who attempt to rob a bank but find themselves in a tense hostage situation.

Main Characters : Sonny Wortzik (Al Pacino), Sal Naturile (John Cazale)

The Straight Story (1999) – IMDb: 8.0

Content : “The Straight Story” is a heartwarming drama about an elderly man named Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth) who embarks on a long journey on a lawnmower to visit his estranged brother.

Main Characters : Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth)

Cinderella Man (2005) – IMDb: 8.0

Content : This sports drama tells the inspiring true story of boxer James J. Braddock (Russell Crowe) during the Great Depression as he makes a remarkable comeback in the boxing world.

Main Characters : James J. Braddock (Russell Crowe)

The Sea Inside (2004) – IMDb: 8.0

Content : “The Sea Inside” is a biographical drama about the life of Ramón Sampedro (Javier Bardem), a quadriplegic who fought for his right to end his own life.

Main Characters : Ramón Sampedro (Javier Bardem)

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) – IMDb: 8.0

Content : This biographical drama tells the true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby (Mathieu Amalric), the editor of French Elle magazine, who becomes paralyzed and communicates by blinking his left eye.

Main Characters : Jean-Dominique Bauby (Mathieu Amalric)

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) – IMDb: 8.0

Content : Based on a true story, this film follows the struggles of Chris Gardner (Will Smith), a homeless salesman who works relentlessly to secure a better life for himself and his son.

Main Characters : Chris Gardner (Will Smith)

Persepolis (2007) – IMDb: 8.0

Content : “Persepolis” is an animated film based on Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel. It offers a glimpse into the life of a young Iranian girl, Marjane, during and after the Islamic Revolution.

Main Characters : Marjane Satrapi (voice: Chiara Mastroianni)

Ip Man (2008) – IMDb: 8.0

Content : This martial arts film is a fictionalized account of the life of Ip Man (Donnie Yen), a martial artist who becomes Bruce Lee’s teacher. It showcases his skills and principles.

Main Characters : Ip Man (Donnie Yen)

The King’s Speech (2010) – IMDb: 8.0

Content : “The King’s Speech” is a historical drama about King George VI (Colin Firth) and his speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), as they work to overcome the king’s speech impediment.

Main Characters : King George VI (Colin Firth), Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush)

The Imitation Game (2014) – IMDb: 8.0

Content : This biographical drama focuses on the life of Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch), a brilliant mathematician who played a vital role in breaking the Enigma code during World War II.

Main Characters : Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch)

Lion (2016) – IMDb: 8.0

Content : “Lion” is based on the true story of Saroo Brierley (Dev Patel), an Indian boy who gets separated from his family and embarks on a remarkable journey to find his home.

Main Characters : Saroo Brierley (Dev Patel)

My Fair Lady (1964) – IMDb: 8.1

Content : This classic musical revolves around the transformation of Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn), a working-class woman, into a refined lady under the tutelage of Professor Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison).

Main Characters : Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn), Professor Henry Higgins (Rex Harrison)

Gandhi (1982) – IMDb: 8.1

Content : “Gandhi” is a biographical film that explores the life of Mahatma Gandhi (Ben Kingsley), the leader of India’s nonviolent independence movement against British colonial rule.

Main Characters : Mahatma Gandhi (Ben Kingsley)

Forrest Gump (1994) – IMDb: 8.1

Content : This heartwarming film follows the life of Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks), a man with a low IQ, as he unintentionally influences various historical events and encounters remarkable people.

Main Characters : Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks)

Raging Bull (1980) – IMDb: 8.2

Content : “Raging Bull” is a biographical sports drama that portrays the turbulent life and career of boxer Jake LaMotta (Robert De Niro), exploring his rise, fall, and personal struggles.

Main Characters : Jake LaMotta (Robert De Niro)

A Beautiful Mind (2001) – IMDb: 8.2

Content : This biographical drama tells the life story of mathematician John Nash (Russell Crowe), who battles schizophrenia while making groundbreaking contributions to mathematics.

Main Characters : John Nash (Russell Crowe)

Downfall (2004) – IMDb: 8.2

Content : “Downfall” is a German war film that offers a portrayal of the final days of Adolf Hitler (Bruno Ganz) and the collapse of Nazi Germany.

Main Characters : Adolf Hitler (Bruno Ganz)

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) – IMDb: 8.2

Content : This black comedy depicts the life of stockbroker Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), who engages in unethical and extravagant activities on Wall Street.

Main Characters : Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio)

Green Book (2018) – IMDb: 8.2

Content : “Green Book” is a biographical comedy-drama about the friendship between African American pianist Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) and his Italian American driver, Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen), during a concert tour in the 1960s.

Main Characters : Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen)

Lawrence of Arabia (1962) – IMDb: 8.3

Content : This epic historical film tells the story of T.E. Lawrence (Peter O’Toole), a British officer who played a key role in the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire during World War I.

Main Characters : T.E. Lawrence (Peter O’Toole)

Amadeus (1984) – IMDb: 8.4

Content : “Amadeus” is a biographical drama that explores the life of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce) as seen through the eyes of his envious rival, Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham).

Main Characters : Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce), Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham)

Hamilton (2020) – IMDb: 8.4

Content : “Hamilton” is a recorded version of the hit Broadway musical created by Lin-Manuel Miranda. It tells the story of Alexander Hamilton’s life and his role in the American Revolution.

Main Characters : Alexander Hamilton (Lin-Manuel Miranda)

The Pianist (2002) – IMDb: 8.5

Content : This biographical drama follows the life of pianist Władysław Szpilman (Adrien Brody), a Polish Jew who survives the Holocaust in Warsaw during World War II.

Main Characters : Władysław Szpilman (Adrien Brody)

Intouchables (2011) – IMDb: 8.5

Content : “Intouchables” is a French comedy-drama based on a true story. It portrays the unlikely friendship between quadriplegic aristocrat Philippe (François Cluzet) and his caregiver Driss (Omar Sy).

Main Characters : Philippe (François Cluzet), Driss (Omar Sy)

Goodfellas (1990) – IMDb: 8.7

Content : This crime drama follows the life of Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), a mobster involved in organized crime, as he navigates the world of the mafia and its criminal activities.

Main Characters : Henry Hill (Ray Liotta)

Schindler’s List (1993) – IMDb: 9.0

Content : “Schindler’s List” is a historical drama that tells the true story of Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), a German businessman who saved the lives of over a thousand Polish-Jewish refugees during the Holocaust.

Main Characters : Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson)

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

an image, when javascript is unavailable

The 100 Greatest Movies of All Time

The movies are now more than 100 years old. That still makes them a young medium, at least in art-form years (how old is the novel? the theater? the painting?). But they’re just old enough to make compiling Variety ’s first-ever list of the 100 Greatest Movies of All Time a more daunting task than it once might have been. Think about it: You get an average of one film per year. A great deal of ardent discussion and debate went into the creation of this list. Our choices were winnowed from hundreds of titles submitted by more than 30 Variety critics, writers and editors. As we learned, coming up with which movies to include was the easy part. The hard part was deciding which movies to leave out.

Variety , which recently celebrated its 117th anniversary, is a publication as old as cinema. (We invented box office reporting, in addition to the words “showbiz” and “horse opera.”) And in making this list, we wanted to reflect the beautiful, head-spinning variety of the moviegoing experience. We don’t just mean different genres; we don’t just mean highbrow and lowbrow (and everything in between). The very spirit of cinema is that it has long been a landscape of spine-tingling eclecticism, and we wanted our list to reflect that — to honor the movies we love most, whatever categories they happen to fall into.

Do we want you to argue with this list? Of course we do. That’s the nature of the beast — the nature of the kind of protective passion that people feel about their favorite movies. We invited prominent filmmakers and actors to contribute essays about the movies that are significant to them, and that passion comes across in all that they wrote. No doubt you’ll say: How could that movie have been left off the list? Or this one? Or that one? Trust us: We often asked that very same question ourselves. But our hope is that in looking at the films we did choose, you’ll see a roster that reflects the impossibly wide-ranging, ever-shifting glory of what movies are.

We invite you to find out how many films from the list you’ve seen on this poll .

These film writers and critics contributed suggestions for movies: Manuel Betancourt, Clayton Davis, Peter Debruge, Matt Donnelly, William Earl, Patrick Frater, Steven Gaydos, Owen Gleiberman, Dennis Harvey, Courtney Howard, Angelique Jackson, Elsa Keslassy, Lisa Kennedy, Jessica Kiang, Richard Kuipers, Tomris Laffly, Brent Lang, Joe Leydon, Guy Lodge, Amy Nicholson, Michael Nordine, Naman Ramachandran, Manori Ravindran, Jenelle Riley, Pat Saperstein, Alissa Simon, Jazz Tangcay, Sylvia Tan, Zack Sharf, Adam B. Vary, Nick Vivarelli, Meredith Woerner.

The Graduate (1967)  

THE GRADUATE, from left: Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, 1967 GRD 007CP(15818)

Mike Nichols’ indelible comedy of alienation is that rare thing, a movie that really does define a generation. That’s because there has never been another movie like it (and no, “Rushmore” doesn’t count). Dustin Hoffman, with the halting prickly-pear neurotic charisma that would make him a star, plays a clueless college graduate who drops out without quite rebelling, and it’s that combination of hostility and passivity that elevated Hoffman into a culture hero. His Ben has an affair with Anne Bancroft’s deliriously blasé Mrs. Robinson, then stalks her daughter (Katharine Ross) to campus and breaks up her wedding by screaming like a banshee. Now that’s an original romantic comedy. One that showcases the new spirit of antisocial passion in a socially acceptable — and divinely infectious — way.

Read Variety ‘s original review of “The Graduate .” Rent or purchase the film on Prime Video.

12 Angry Men (1957)  

12 ANGRY MEN, (aka TWELVE ANGRY MEN), John Fiedler, Lee J. Cobb, Henry Fonda, E.G. Marshall, Jack Klugman, Edward Binns, George Voskovec, 1957

How elemental — and riveting — is this: an entire courtroom drama set inside the jury room, where Henry Fonda, as the only member of the jury who suspects that a teenage defendant might not be guilty of murder, questions, cajoles and gradually convinces his fellow jurors to look more closely at the evidence. Sidney Lumet’s direction makes the back-and-forth dialogue so electrifying that it’s almost like music. The greatness of “12 Angry Men” is that it finds drama in discovering what America really is: a place where one man with an open mind can change the world.   

Read Variety ‘s original review of “12 Angry Men,” and stream “12 Angry Men” on Prime Video.

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)  

WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN, (aka MUJERES AL BORDE DE UN ATAQUE DE NERVIOS) Maria Barranco, Rossy de Palma, Antonio Banderas, 1988. ©Orion Pictures Corp/courtesy Everett Collection

You never forget your first. That may be how many American art-house habituésthink of Pedro Almodóvar’s riotous comedy. It wasn’t his first film to get international distribution, but with its vivid palette and lush score, the movie heralds his genius and obsessions: women; their moods, hysterical and amusing; Hollywood cinema, camp, desire and, yes, spiked gazpacho. Before Penelope Cruz, Carmen Maura was for a spell the director’s muse. Here she plays a voice-over artist whose co-worker and lover is leaving her. The director gathered artists — on camera and on the set — who became his go-to company and underlined his wholly original sensibility.   

Read Variety ‘s original review of “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown “. Stream the film on Prime Video.

Alien (1979)   

A smothering tentacled thingy attaches itself to an astronaut’s face. Several scenes later, an alien fetus erupts right out of his belly, and the cinema would never be the same. Director Ridley Scott, drawing on the imagery of H.R Giger, staged a kind of Skinner box sci-fi nightmare that left audiences in a state of primal shock. Scott envisioned the film’s spaceship not in clean Kubrickian whites but in shades of murk that could speak to the film’s queasy fusion of the organic and the inorganic. And once Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley starts to take on the monster all by herself, a paradigm shift is born: the female action hero, who Weaver invested with such fierce, industrious, yet tossed-off authority that it’s as if she’d always been there.   

Read Variety ‘s original review of “Alien” here , the film is available for streaming on Starz.

A Hard Day’s Night (1964)  

A HARD DAY'S NIGHT, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, 1964.

The most transportive rock ’n’ roll movie ever made. Richard Lester, drawing on cutting-edge film techniques that are still bracing, fulfilled his assignment of directing a Beatles movie at the dawn of Beatlemania by staging it all as a day in the life of the Beatles as they really were. It’s like seeing a documentary, a postmodern backstage burlesque and a joyful early-Beatles musical all wrapped up into one black-and-white vérité rock reverie. The beauty of it is that the band members, with faces as beguiling as that of any movie star, had the instinctive showbiz wit to portray themselves as gods who’d swooped down on earth and were mingling with everyone else, the happy joke being that they suffuse every encounter with magic.   

Read Variety ‘s original review for “A Hard Day’s Night” here , and stream “A Hard Day’s Night” on HBO Max.

Toy Story (1995)  

In the early ’80s, director John Lasseter tried to convince Disney to invest in CGI. Instead, the studio fired him, so he went to work for the Graphics Group at Lucasfilm. When the team (scooped up by Steve Jobs and renamed Pixar) released the first fully computer-animated feature, the engineers still hadn’t perfected human skin — or feathers or fur, for that matter. Practically every surface looked fake, like plastic, which made a buddy comedy starring a bunch of toys ideal for the new medium. Bugs and fish and monsters would follow, but even as the technology evolved — liberating the heretofore hand-rendered form — nothing has surpassed that first toon, thanks to great writing and voice work that, even more than the CGI, brought Woody, Buzz Lightyear and their pals to life.  

Read Variety ‘s original review of “Toy Story” here , the Pixar film is available for streaming on Disney+.

Bridesmaids (2011)  

BRIDESMAIDS, from left: Wendi McLendon-Covey, Rose Byrne, Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Maya Rudolph, Ellie Kemper, 2011. ph: Suzanne Hanover/©Universal Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

A decade has passed since “Bridesmaids” launched a thousand think pieces about the future of female-driven films, but Hollywood has yet to produce a funnier movie from any corner. With most comedies, audiences are lucky to get one hall-of-fame set piece. “Bridesmaids” serves up no fewer than five, from Maya Rudolph’s food-poisoned dress-fitting to Kristen Wiig’s mile-high anti-anxiety high to the scene on an airplane that single-handedly catapulted Melissa McCarthy to superstardom. Wiig said she and Annie Mumolo set out to write “not a female comedy, just a comedy that has a lot of women in it.” That they did, collaborating with producer Judd Apatow to create an uproarious, insightful look at personal insecurity and self-delusion.   

Read Variety’s original review of “Bridesmaids” here . The film is available to stream on Peacock.

Le Samouraï (1967)  

LE SAMOURAI, (aka THE GODSON), Alain Delon, 1967,

Long before Tarantino, Jean-Pierre Melville obsessed about movies, admiring American directors and absorbing their codes. In the early ’50s, when the restrictive French film industry wouldn’t let him direct, Melville opened his own film studio and did it anyway, inspiring the nascent New Wave (and later, John Woo’s “The Killer”). Melville made crime movies mostly, taking the essence of film noir from Hollywood and filtering it through his own streetwise sensibility. “Le Samouraï” is his chef d’œuvre, featuring a stone-faced Alain Delon in one of cinema’s most understated performances: a gun for hire who dedicates his life to protecting the eyewitness pianist who spares him from the slammer. Featuring meticulous attention to procedural detail and long stretches of near silence, it’s the essence of cool, with an existential twist.   

Read Variety’s original review of “Le Samouraï” here . Stream the Melville film on HBO Max.

Pink Flamingos (1972)  

It was panned by  Variety , which called it “one of the most vile, stupid and repulsive films ever made.” And, of course, it became famous for the scene in which Divine, its snarling drag-queen star, eats a handful of dog poop. (Eat your heart out, P.T. Barnum!) But we’re here to tell you that  Variety  was wrong. John Waters’ ultimate midnight movie is, in fact, one of the funniest, most audacious and scandalously compelling films ever made. That’s because every moment in it is touched with a gleeful outlaw rageaholic danger too weirdly joyous to be faked. Divine was a stupendous actor, and in “Pink Flamingos,” he’s the clown demon of the Baltimore underground taking revenge on the world.  

Read Variety ‘s original review of “Pink Flamingos” here.

Scenes From a Marriage (1974) 

SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE, from left: Erland Josephson, Liv Ullmann, 1973

In the ’50s and ’60s, Ingmar Bergman became the poster boy for the mystique of art-house cinema by filling his black-and-white movies with symbols, metaphors, dreams. Yet his great searing drama about the experience and meaning of divorce carries none of that literary burden. It’s a straight-up naturalistic drama about a bourgeois Swedish couple going through the five stages of marriage, and Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson bring these loving, warring characters to life in a way that makes them feel like people in your own orbit. Bergman, tearing into the very meat of middle-class experience, made what now looks like the defining cinematic statement about how modern marriages live and die.  

Stream “Scenes From a Marriage” on HBO Max.

The Shining (1980)  

THE SHINING, Jack Nicholson, Danny Lloyd, 1980, (c) Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection

No offense to Stephen King, who’s vocally dismissive of Kubrick’s adaptation of his work, but “The Shining” is a mind-bending (and wildly entertaining) horror masterwork, encapsulating the filmmaker’s signature labyrinthine fixations. Stalked by a snaky camera alongside an ear-splitting tricycle, the spine-tingling Overlook Hotel on the brink of  redrum  with torrents of crimson blood is its own battlefield here. So is the mind of Jack Nicholson’s superbly maniacal Jack Torrance, host to the creepiest writer’s block in history. It’s the most insidious of nightmares.   

Read the original Variety review of “The Shining” here and it’s available to stream on HBO Max.

Belle de Jour (1967)   

BELLE DE JOUR, from left: Jean Sorel, Catherine Deneuve, 1967

Catherine Deneuve comes across like an alabaster doll in Luis Buñuel’s still-shocking, since-unparalleled exploration of the erotic fantasies of a bourgeois French housewife, who dabbles in prostitution by day (or does she?). Whereas the character’s seemingly impassive face betrays only a fraction of what she is really thinking, the film — from the key pioneer of surrealism on screen — reveals to us alone what’s really going on in her head: The sound of bells heralds sadomasochistic daydreams, in which she is whipped and humiliated. This isn’t just some male director’s fetish, mind you, but an empowering portrayal of forbidden sexuality, depicted almost entirely through suggestion, as with buzzing box and bloody towel, which leave so much up to the imagination.  

Read Variety’s original review of “Belle de Jour” here , and stream the film on HBO Max.

Malcolm X (1992)  

MALCOLM X, Spike Lee, Denzel Washington, 1992, (c) Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection

The studio initially wanted Norman Jewison to direct this monumental biopic of the human rights activist, but Spike Lee lobbied hard for Warner Bros. to hire a Black filmmaker instead. Lee won that fight, with severe restrictions. Then the studio and bond company pulled the plug, so he solicited donations from the likes of Oprah Winfrey, a strategy that allowed Lee to make the film as he saw fit. Malcolm X was an undeniably controversial and widely misunderstood figure, and Lee dedicates no fewer than 201 minutes to capturing the deep introspective complexity of a man who was constantly leveling up in his pursuit of justice, from teenage criminal to Muslim convert to Black nationalist leader and beyond. Denzel Washington is there at every step, working with his director — who fuses prestige-movie gravitas with his own curveball style — through the seismic shifts of a man who had the courage of his fury, but ultimately sought a greater enlightenment. Every bit as impactful as the assassination sequence is the montage that precedes it, which evokes all that could have been as Malcolm drives to the Audubon Ballroom, haunted by the perception that martyrdom would be his final evolution.   

Read the original Variety review for “Malcolm X” here , and stream the film on HBO Max or Paramount+.

The Sound of Music (1965)  

THE SOUND OF MUSIC, Julie Andrews, 1965. TM and Copyright © 20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved. Courtesy: Everett Collection.

Julie Andrews is most famous for two movies, “Mary Poppins” and “The Sound of Music” (made in 1964 and ’65), and her character in the latter film — a nun-turned-governess who looks after the seven Von Trapp children, teaches them to sing and brings them to life, all under the watchful gaze of their stern military father (Christopher Plummer) — is such a goody-two-shoes that her stardom, on occasion, gets mocked and dismissed. Yet if you really watch her in “The Sound of Music,” you’ll see that Julie Andrews has her own sublime and saintly incandescence. The whole movie makes goodness into something larger-than-life. Yes, it turns the true story of the Von Trapp Family Singers into the squarest of romantic fairy tales, yet the songs lift the film into the heavens, and so does Andrews’ beaming belief in every note.   

Read the original Variety review of “the Sound of Music” here . The musical is available for streaming on Disney+.

Close-Up (1990)  

CLOSE-UP, (aka NEMA-YE NAZDIK, aka CLOSE UP), Hossain Sabzian (right), 1990. ©Facets/courtesy Everett Cobgllection

Hailing from a country with some of the strictest limits on cinematic expression, Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami’s rule-bending docufiction hybrid dissolves the line between representation and reality. The hook: In the late ’80s, a nobody was arrested for passing himself off as director Mohsen Makhmalbaf to a wealthy Tehran family. He flattered them into thinking they might appear in his next movie, borrowing money before he was busted. Intrigued by the case, Kiarostami visited the impersonator in jail, filming their conversations and the subsequent trial. He also re-creates the so-called crime, making good on the con man’s promise by casting the parties involved as themselves in a playful meta-examination of how ordinary people can be seduced by the allure of filmmaking.   

Read more about “Close-Up” here . The film is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.

Natural Born Killers (1994) 

NATURAL BORN KILLERS, Juliette Lewis, Woody Harrelson, 1994

 Oliver Stone possesses a hypnotically fierce, at times reckless talent that, for 40 years, has sprawled in all directions. But his greatest period arrived in the ’90s, when he made “JFK” and fastened onto a new kaleidoscopic aesthetic — a born-again burst of filmmaking energy that culminated in his mesmerizing, one-of-a-kind head-trip psychodrama about two homicidal criminals in love. Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis play Mickey and Mallory Knox like Bonnie and Clyde on a psychosis bender, but the black magic of the film’s MTV-on-peyote imagery is that it literally becomes the experience they’re living inside. “Natural Born Killers” is about love and murder and tabloid sensationalism, but more than that it’s the cinema’s great hallucination of media-age madness, rendered haunting by the music of Leonard Cohen.   

Read the original Variety review of “Natural Born Killers” here . The film is available for streaming on Netflix.

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)  

PAN'S LABYRINTH, (aka EL LABERINTO DEL FAUNO), Doug Jones, 2006. ©Picturehouse/courtesy Everett Collection

With “Pinocchio,” Guillermo del Toro has finally made a fairy tale for children. Prior to that, the Mexican fabulist wove fantasies much too dark for impressionable eyes. Although this id-tickling anti-fascist allegory stars an 11-year-old girl, the grimmer-than-Grimm inversion of “Alice in Wonderland,” set in the wake of the Spanish Civil War, would give underage audiences nightmares for life. For adults, it’s like witnessing someone else’s dreams, as young Ofelia escapes into a macabre underworld of now-iconic characters, including the Faun and the Pale Man. Together with compatriots Cuarón (“Roma”) and Iñárritu (“Birdman”), del Toro elevated Mexican cinema to international attention. All three are visionaries, but this film leaves the strongest imprint.   

Read Variety’s original review of “Pan’s Labyrinth” here , and stream Guillermo del Toro’s film on Starz.

Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)  

KRAMER VS. KRAMER, Dustin Hoffman, Justin Henry, Meryl Streep, 1979, (c) Columbia/courtesy Everett Collection

Landing the first of three Oscar wins for Meryl Streep, this dramatic study of a family reshaping itself through divorce — at a time when separations were skyrocketing — pits the chameleonic star against fellow acting titan Dustin Hoffman. Where Streep’s future roles sometimes called for elaborate accents and physical transformations, this one demands vulnerability and a willingness to be unlikable. Meanwhile, Hoffman’s performance caught mainstream American manhood at a key moment of transition, trying to balance old-fashioned “strength” with a new kind of nurturing. “Kramer vs. Kramer” benefits from having been made as popular entertainment, trading straightforwardly in big, relatable feelings and demanding suitably broad, open-hearted reactions from us in turn. It’s piercingly perceptive grown-up filmmaking, all too rare today.   

Read Variety’s original review of “Kramer vs. Kramer” here . The film is available on Showtime.

Parasite (2019)

PARASITE, from left: PARK So-dam, CHOI Woo-sik, 2019. © Neon / courtesy Everett Collection

The wealthy Park family lives high on a hill; the broke Kims wallow below in the slums of Seoul, sometimes in sewer water up to their waists. Social mobility — in this case, ascending from their city’s literal bottom to its top — is impossible unless the poorer clan is willing to lie, betray and even kill, and yet, Bong Joon Ho’s breakthrough best picture winner refuses to make the Kims the villains, when the class system itself is to blame. It’s a thriller both pointed in its intentions and universal in its appeal, which today marks a tipping point both in the global conversation about the one percent, and in the Academy Award’s sense of what kinds of films can seriously contend for the big prize.  

Read Variety’s original “Parasite” review here . The film is available for streaming on Hulu.

The Dark Knight (2008)  

The greatest comic book film ever made, Christopher Nolan’s second Batman movie has the sprawling urban film noir grandiloquence, and the ripe sense of evil, to live up to its operatic ambitions. It’s at once a heady treatise on corruption and one of the most innovative action spectaculars of our time, with Christian Bale’s seething, obsessive Batman poised between two poles of moral decadence: the mangled Gotham City district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) and Heath Ledger’s Joker, a scarred sick puppy who dominates the movie wearing crooked lipstick the actor slicked on himself to create a character of pure disruptive insanity. Co-star Michael Caine lauded Ledger’s as “one of the scariest performances I’ve ever seen.” He was right; it has yet to be topped.

Read the original Variety review of “The Dark Knight” here . The film is available for streaming on Hulu.

Pixote (1980)   

Brazil was still under dictatorial control when Héctor Babenco directed this shocking indictment of how terribly authorities had been treating street kids in São Paulo, testing the limits of what state censorship permitted at the time. With the film’s nonprofessional cast and stripped-down, documentary-style realism, you can draw a line from De Sica’s “Shoeshine” to Buñuel’s “Los Olvidados” to “Pixote” — and on to such eye-openers as Larry Clark’s “Kids” and Fernando Meirelles’ “City of God.” So much of the power of “Pixote” depends on the tough scowl of young Fernando Ramos da Silva, who, in a cruel turn of fate, was killed by Brazilian police at age 19. It’s both a time capsule and cutting edge,   especially in its nonjudgmental depiction of Pixote’s trans friend Lilica.

Read the original Variety “Pixote” review here . The film is available for streaming on the Criterion Channel.

Waiting for Guffman (1996)  

Christopher Guest’s cracked ensemble comedies are as funny as anything by Woody Allen, Monty Python, or the “Airplane!” crew, yet they have a personal quality that sets them apart — an obsessiveness about how human ego and human cheesiness dance together. Guest’s most delectable creation is this mockumentary about a small-town theater troupe struggling to put on a musical; it’s a comedy as touching as it is hilarious. Guest’s performance as the troupe’s director, Corky St. Clair, with his beaming eyes and bowl cut, his flamboyant-but-closeted mannerisms, his flat-out passion equaled only by his lack of talent, is one for the ages. He’s a character at once so retrograde and so affectionately observed that “Guffman” became the ultimate cult film for a newly liberated generation. 

Read the original Variety review of “Waiting for Guffman” here . The film is available for streaming on HBO Max .

Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)  

For three minutes, middle-aged single mother Jeanne Dielman (Delphine Seyrig) sits peeling potatoes. She washes the dishes. She makes the bed. Belgian director Chantal Akerman radically expanded what movies could and should be with this cornerstone entry in the slow-cinema canon — a rigorous style of filmmaking that emphasizes duration over action. Confined largely to the kitchen, dining room and hallways of a nondescript apartment, Akerman’s debut challenges what the experimental auteur called the “hierarchy of images,” concentrating on mundane domestic rituals associated with women, typically overlooked in movies. Over three-plus hours, the film re-creates tasks that Akerman observed her mother practicing for years, though in this case they’re disrupted by Jeanne’s double life as a prostitute — a feminist twist that builds to a shattering climax. Maddening at times yet never less than mesmerizing, it’s the very best film of its kind. But hardly the best film of all time.   

Stream “Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles” on HBO Max.

Goldfinger (1964)  

The DNA of the James Bond series was forged in “North by Northwest,” and the series itself came into being with startling finesse in “Dr. No” (1962), the first Bond film. But it wasn’t until two years later, in “Goldfinger,” that the Bond films hit their quintessential pitch of pop exhilaration — a note-perfect blend of audacity and spectacle, danger and ’60s erotic cool, unforgettable theme song and iconic villain, not to mention Sean Connery at his most royally cutthroat and commanding. The Bond series is in all our DNA now, and there’s a reason: It’s one of the greatest escapes the movies have ever given us. “Goldfinger” marks the moment it becomes a popcorn epiphany.

Read the original Variety review of “Goldfinger” here . The film is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.

The Tree of Life (2011)  

Time will tell how much higher this film can climb. Despite being one of the younger entries on the list, Terrence Malick’s metaphysical wrestling match with grace and grief — and God’s very existence — has already made an indelible imprint on other directors, most notably in its reverence for the natural world and the way DP Emmanuel Lubezki’s gravity-defying camera captures it. Malick takes the loss of his brother as subject, factoring the creation of the universe into his soul-searching exercise. He casts movie stars, but refuses to treat them as such, stripping them of their lines and the chance to “act,” while privileging impressionistic fragments from his own memory (plus empathy among dinosaurs!). It’s like “2001” turned inward, posing impossibly big questions.

Read the original Variety review of “The Tree of Life” here . The film is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.

Boogie Nights (1997)  

Every Paul Thomas Anderson film now seems to be greeted with reviews more awestruck than those that greeted the previous one. But sorry, we’ll stick with his youthful gem about the ’70s and ’80s porn world — a drama of such empathy, virtuosity and Tarantinoid sprawl that every moment in it gives you a buzz. As Dirk Diggler, Mark Wahlberg plays a simpleton of sweetness teetering into the hedonistic outer limits. The film’s drama, more than just a ride, is driven by a visionary perception: that as measured by the ironic yardstick of porn, the rise of technology paralleled the rise of a more detached and doom-struck world.

Read the original Variety review of “Boogie Nights” here. The film is available to stream on Paramount+.

My Neighbor Totoro (1988)  

Walt Disney may have pioneered the field of hand-drawn animated features, but Japanese master Hayao Miyazaki elevated it, bringing down-to-earth storytelling and attention to everyday detail (raindrops falling in puddles, a snail inching its way up a plant) to the realm of the fantastic, where a plush orange Catbus offers lost kids a lift. Later Studio Ghibli achievements, such as “Princess Mononoke” and “Spirited Away,” may have been bigger hits in the U.S., but this bucolic trip down memory lane is by far Miyazaki’s most beloved achievement around the world. Through its title character, “Totoro” introduced a benevolent forest spirit — whose fuzzy, round, owl-eyed design rivals Mickey Mouse in its appeal — that generations have adopted as their imaginary friend of choice.

Read the original Variety review of “My Neighbor Totoro” here . The film is available for streaming on HBO Max.

Intolerance (1916)  

In the silent era, D.W. Griffith did nothing less than build the ground floor of what filmmaking became, inventing the nuts and bolts of visual storytelling and doing it with breathtaking imaginative sweep. Yet the movie in which he first codified this achievement, “The Birth of a Nation” (1915), was a scandalous and morally toxic epic — a celebration of the Ku Klux Klan that helped to construct Hollywood on a foundation of racism. It was “Intolerance,” the film Griffith made in response to the outrage triggered by “The Birth of a Nation,” where he rose to his most visionary heights. A three-and-a-half-hour parable spanning 2,000 years and told in four parts (a modern saga of poverty and crime; the story of Jesus; the St. Bartholomew Day’s Massacre; and the fall of the Babylonian empire, complete with elephants), the movie is one of the most soul-boggling spectacles ever attempted: tender, hyperbolic, spellbinding and half-mad. It seems to contain the glorious seeds of everything that movies could, and would, be.

Read the original Variety review of “Intolerance” here . The film is available to stream on Prime Video or Paramount+.

Breaking the Waves (1996)  

Lars von Trier’s greatest work was shot on film with a hand-held camera and then transferred to video, and it looks and feels like a home movie — yet it’s about a woman, a winsome Scottish newlywed named Bess (Emily Watson), who speaks directly to God, and the film’s herky-jerky naturalism makes you believe that that’s actually happening. Especially when she asks God to bring her husband (Stellan Skarsgård) back from a construction site, and sure enough the husband returns … after sustaining a paralyzing injury. Did God do that? And if so, what’s she going to do in return? Von Trier, striking a tone of solemn enchantment that begs comparison with that of Dreyer or Bergman (even the ’70s-glam-rock chapter interludes are like something out of the world’s most electric church mass), creates a drama of loss, faith and soul-scalding sacrifice that will move you to the core, as Watson’s heroine of destiny becomes the very essence of love.   

Read the original Variety review for “Breaking the Waves” here . The film is available to and rent or purchase on Prime Video.

My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997)  

When you think of Julia Roberts, you think of her 1,000-watt smile — and behind that, her complete and total movie-star radiance. Yet in P.J. Hogan’s splendid romantic comedy, Roberts gives a performance rooted in moodiness and anger and despair, and it’s the most transcendent acting of her career. She plays a food critic who arrives at the wedding of her lifelong friend (Dermot Mulroney) with a plan to sabotage it, all because she realizes she’s really in love with him. You may think you know where this is going, but you don’t, and that’s one reason (along with Rupert Everett’s slashing wit and the all-time perfect use of a Burt Bacharach song) why “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” with apologies to Nora Ephron, remains the most delectable and heartbreaking rom-com of its era.

Read the original Variety review of “My Best Friend’s Wedding” here . The film is available to purchase on Prime Video.

12 Years a Slave (2013)  

How do you make a film that stays true to the brutal obscenity of America’s “peculiar institution” yet is also a compelling and, at moments, even hopeful drama? British director Steve McQueen brings off that staggering balancing act in his grueling and essential adaptation of Solomon Northup’s 1853 memoir. Chiwetel Ejiofor, in an intensely physical yet stunningly internal performance, plays Solomon, a free man living in New York State who, in 1841, was kidnapped and trafficked to a plantation owner. This horrific scenario allows McQueen to dramatize the evils of slavery with more detail, psychological understanding and complex emotional power than we’ve ever seen in a dramatic feature. An extended image of Solomon with a noose around his neck, his tippy toes working the dirt so that he can breathe, is one of many that sear themselves into your memory.

Read Variety’s original review of “12 Years a Slave” here . Stream the film on HBO Max .

Beau Travail (1999)  

Whether in “Beau Geste” or Van Damme’s ludicrous “Legionnaire,” the French Foreign Legion tends to be treated on film with a kind of reverent machismo — one brilliantly unraveled in French auteur Claire Denis’ audacious reworking of Herman Melville’s “Billy Budd.” Foregrounding the homoerotic yearnings in Melville’s moral tale of military power plays, Denis turns it into a sinuous, mesmerizing film ballet of male beauty and physicality, shot by Agnès Godard in stark, orderly formations against the African desert, in which desire becomes as competitive an exercise as everything else in the army. No other filmmaker has better captured the military’s masculine crisis.   

Read Variety’s original review of “Beau Travail” here . Stream the film on HBO Max.

King Kong (1933)  

The 1930s was an astonishing decade for Hollywood monster movies. “Frankenstein,” “Dracula,” “The Mummy,” “The Invisible Man” — these divinely spooky fairy tales of humanized horror colonized our nightmares. Yet the grandest of them all was a creature feature about an island beast who was less monstrous than misunderstood. That was Kong, the giant ape who remains the most innocently awesome and poetic special-effects feat in film history. The Skull Island sequence has a primeval magic, yet the longevity of Merian C. Cooper’s landmark also hinges on scenes where the filmmaking is stripped to its spine, notably an unbroken shot of a fledgling ingenue being guided through her first screen test. Fay Wray raises her eyes toward an imaginary monster, feigns to choke on her own terror and unleashes a scream that has echoed for 90 years.

Read Variety’s original review of “King Kong” here . Stream the film on Peacock .

Bicycle Thieves (1948)  

The timeless humanist gem of Italian Neorealism. With urgent working-class concerns around financial despair at its center, Vittorio De Sica’s soul-crushing classic delicately perceives its unforgiving post-World War II Italy where the poor must own bikes for below-minimum-wage jobs. There’s no holding back tears while De Sica’s dignified yet underprivileged Antonio desperately searches for his stolen pedals and tries to set an upstanding example for his impressionable young son, a luxury heartbreakingly denied to him that De Sica affectionately showers with empathy.

Read Variety’s original review for “Bicycle Thieves” he re . Stream the film on Prime Video .

Paris Is Burning (1990)  

While a list like this could include any number of documentaries, Jennie Livingston’s legendary celebration of the queer haven that Harlem drag balls provided for Black and Latino, gay and trans youth signifies a pre-reality-TV apotheosis of the form: It educates and inspires, while illuminating a vibrant demimonde all but invisible to mainstream society at the time — despite Madonna’s hit “Vogue” appropriating the scene’s strike-a-pose dance style. After immersing herself in that world, Livingston brought the culture of rival “houses” (ersatz families with names like Xtravaganza and LaBeija) into the light, letting the fierce den mothers define such concepts as  reading ,  realness  and  shade . The movie paved the way for RuPaul and “Pose,” while exponentially expanding LGBT visibility at large.   

Stream “Paris is Burning” on HBO Max.

A Man Escaped (1956)  

The economical style developed by French auteur Robert Bresson reached a pinnacle with his fourth film. The dispassionate prison-break procedural, based on a memoir, proved a perfect vehicle for the “pure” filmmaking now known as “Bressonian” in which nonprofessional actors (here François Leterrier plays Fontaine, the aspiring escape artist) are often shot in close-ups of hands and faces, with minimal dialogue but minute attention to offscreen sound, to create an extraordinarily absorbing cinematic experience. To watch Fontaine painstakingly shave wood from his cell door, or quietly assess the other convicts, or tap messages on his wall, is like watching a colossal mechanism being assembled piece by piece from scratch. Once it’s finally set in motion, you may have to remind yourself to breathe.   

Rent or purchase “A Man Escaped” on Prime Video .

Carrie (1976)  

Brian De Palma, with his virtuosic film-freak fetishism, is one of the most celebrated directors of the past half century, and if you ask De Palma stans what his greatest movie is, a lot of them will tell you it’s “Blow Out.” Actually, it’s this delectable and terrifying gothic bloodbath “Cinderella.” Adapted from Stephen King’s first novel and starring the incomparable Sissy Spacek as a telekinetic high-school wallflower who gets invited to the prom as a prank, plus Piper Laurie as her seething fundamentalist mother (a relationship as resonant as anything in Tennessee Williams), “Carrie” is a mesmerizing emotional chiller that remains the most revered movie fairy tale of former teen geeks everywhere.

Read Variety’s original review for “Carrie” here . Stream the film on Pluto TV .

Bambi (1942)

BAMBI, Bambi, Thumper, 1942. © Walt Disney / Courtesy: Everett Collection

Animation may not strictly be a children’s medium, but one reason it’s thought of as such is the splendid way Walt Disney used the hand-drawn form to bring dreams to life. In “Snow White,” the wildlife doesn’t talk, but within five years, Disney was making it seem perfectly normal that wide-eyed forest animals might chatter among themselves (e.g., “He can call me a flower if he wants to”). There’s a purity to “Bambi” — evident in the scene where Thumper encourages the wobbly fawn to walk — unmatched by any cartoon since, though the death of the mother at the hands of man has traumatized countless kids. What makes this Disney’s best is the simple way it invites audiences to empathize with creatures.

Read Variety’s original review for “Bambi” here . Stream the film on Disney+ .

Dazed and Confused (1993)

DAZED AND CONFUSED, Deena Martin, Christine Harnos, Michelle Burke, 1993, (c) Gramercy Pictures/courtesy

Richard Linklater’s free-flowing comedy about the last day of high school in 1976 is the cinema’s most shaggy-dog lyrical and authentic depiction of teenage life … ever. It’s also the greatest Robert Altman film that Altman never made. Every detail (the cars, the clothes, the jocks who look like hippies, the stoners who look like nerds) makes you feel like you’ve entered a time machine, as Linklater lets his characters ramble and roam, turning every setting — a Little League game, a midnight kegger in the woods — into an opportunity to eavesdrop that leaves the audience feeling alright, alright, alright. He also captures that pivotal moment when the idea of “counterculture” first became embedded in the culture it was countering.

Read Variety ‘s original review of “Dazed and Confused” here . Rent and purchase the film on Prime Video .

The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC, (aka LA PASSION DE JEANNE D'ARC), Maria Falconetti as Joan of Arc, 1928

Somehow stringently severe and ecstatic at the same time, Carl Theodor Dreyer’s imposing obelisk of silent cinema is one of the most soulful and emotionally immediate historical portraits ever made. Sticking to the record of the 15th-century French warrior’s trial and execution, Dreyer’s film offers little in the way of dramatic embellishment, relying instead on the extraordinary, transparently expressive face of star Renée Jeanne Falconetti for its steadily escalating, finally devastating power, with no words required.

Read Variety’s original review for “The Passion of Joan of Arc” here . Stream the film on Prime Video .

Moulin Rouge! (2001)

MOULIN ROUGE!, John Leguizamo, Garry McDonald, Matthew Whittet, Jim Broadbent, Nicole Kidman, Jacek Koman, 2001. TM and Copyright © 20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved. Courtesy: Everett Collection.

The movie musical, already not a genre given to restraint, has never been so gloriously maximalist as it is in Baz Luhrmann’s fin de siècle jukebox romance, which throws so many contrivances, naked anachronisms and ornamental formal flourishes at the screen that they somehow balance each other out into the purest kind of old-Hollywood showmanship — one that appears to believe its naive credo (Truth! Beauty! Freedom! Love!) with such sincere intensity that you can’t help but buy into it too. It’s a neon-lit landmark that changed the way musicals could be constructed in the 21st century, did for Elton John’s “Your Song” what “Muriel’s Wedding” did for “Dancing Queen,” and relaunched Nicole Kidman as the gutsiest actress of her generation.

Read Variety’s original review for “Moulin Rouge!” here . Stream the film on Starz .

Vagabond (1985)

In 1955, while still in her mid-20s, a young French photographer named Agnès Varda picked up a camera and made a movie, beating the likes of Godard and Truffaut to the task. For the next six decades, she continued to make films on her own terms, without asking permission or worrying about commercial prospects. Varda was as independent a filmmaker as the medium has ever seen, and that uncompromising but deeply humanist sensibility is best reflected in “Vagabond.” The intricately crafted film opens with the discovery of homeless Mona (Sandrine Bonnaire) dead in a ditch, then works backward as the people whose lives she touched seek to explain this elusive free spirit. Thus, Mona serves as a mirror for them and the audience.

Read Variety’s original review for “Vagabond” here .

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

E.T., (aka E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL), from left: Henry Thomas, E.T., 1982, © Universal/courtesy Everett Collection

Seven films into his career, the child inside of Steven Spielberg finally shot a movie that sees the world as if the towering director were still just 4½-feet tall. This generational touchstone about an alien who befriends a home of free-range kids portrays adults as intimidating shapes shielded behind masks and impenetrable mutterings about contagions. Empathy and awe, curiosity and adventure — these emotions are for the young, and are made literal in E.T.’s beating heart. While it’s no easy task to settle on Spielberg’s masterpiece, “E.T” is his only film to bring Princess Diana to sobs, inspire the United Nations to award him a Peace Medal and, upon its Cannes premiere, move François Truffaut to send Spielberg a telegram that read, “You belong here more than me.”   

Read Variety’s original review for “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial” here . Stream the film on Prime Video .

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, 2005, ©Focus Films/Everett Collection

Taiwan-born Ang Lee had already made a Marvel superhero movie (“Hulk”) and the highest-grossing foreign-language film in American history (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”) when he assumed the relatively intimate task of adapting Annie Proulx’s short story about two cowboys’ decades-spanning secret. Now considered among the most indelible Hollywood love stories, the tragic queer romance might have been a niche release, as opposed to the culture-shifting crossover phenomenon it became, were it not for a pair of peerless movie-star performances from Jake Gyllenhaal and especially Heath Ledger, who conveys so much within the character’s muffled reticence to speak. Lee has often credited his grasp of America’s aching truths to his status as an immigrant, but it’s his poetic capacity for restraint that makes “Brokeback” so powerful.

Read Variety’s original review of “Brokeback Mountain” here . Rent and purchase the film on Prime Video .

Rosemary's Baby (1968)

Some say “The Exorcist” is the scariest movie ever made. But even the explicit way the devil reveals himself in that classic of demonic possession doesn’t get under your skin the way the devil does in Roman Polanski’s majestically creepy everyday nightmare about the Satan cult next door. It’s a thriller worthy of Hitchcock, with Mia Farrow’s Rosemary — a woeful waif, hair shorn like a prison-camp victim — going through a pregnancy from hell, which the film elevates into a feminine trauma of shuddery profundity.

Read Variety’s original review of “Rosemary’s Baby” here . Stream the film on Prime Video .

Pather Panchali (1955)

Long before Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood,” there was Satyajit Ray’s exquisitely paced and structured Apu Trilogy, the holy peak of all chaptered coming-of-age narratives. Restrained but also universally relatable, the Bengali filmmaker’s debut is the first of those three movies, which put Indian cinema on the international art-house map. Like a regional riff on Italian Neorealism, the inherently humanist “Pather Panchali” is both a loving portrait of a mostly matriarchal upbringing and an awe-inspiring vision of rural life, as reflected through the impressionable eyes of its young protagonist. The film’s captivating images include chasing after a passing train and playing in a monsoon, which add up to a pure and soul-nourishing experience.

Read Variety’s original review of “Pather Panchali” here . Stream the film on HBO Max .

The Road Warrior (1981)

THE ROAD WARRIOR, (aka MAD MAX 2: THE ROAD WARRIOR), Kjell Nilsson as 'The Humungus', 1982.

Hollywood has given us some good action films in the past 100 years. But no one, simply put, has made an action film as great — as combustible and thrilling, as surgically shot and edited, as poetic in its close-to-the-ground nihilism — as George Miller’s “Mad Max” films. We adore all of them (well, OK, not “Beyond Thunderdome”), but this is one that lives in our dreams. It’s the movies’ most vivid and threatening dystopian fairy tale, with Mel Gibson’s Max going up against a crew of terrifying punk marauders. The vehicular chases (we’re hesitant to call a number of these contraptions cars) are such extraordinary duels of velocity and aggression that they make speed itself into the film’s main character.

Read Variety’s original review of “The Road Warrior” here . Rent and purchase the film on Prime Video .

In the Mood for Love (2000)

IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, (aka FA YEUNG NIN WA), Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, 2000. ©Miramax/courtesy Everett Collection

Easily one of the most beautiful movies ever made, Hong Kong master Wong Kar Wai’s rapturously repressed romance unfolds between two never-more-gorgeous stars: Maggie Cheung, an elegant sliver of sadness in a high-necked silk cheongsam, and Tony Leung, the model of smoldering, yearning hesitance. Christopher Doyle’s sensuous cinematography glories in jewel tones, frames-in-frames and the smoky layers of separation between the pair, drawn together when they discover their spouses having an affair. But most of the mood flows from Wong’s feel for the tantalizing erotics of the near miss: the door left ajar, the phrase left unspoken, the burning gaze met then reluctantly broken. Wong has made more complex films, but none that lingers quite like this one, like incense and unconsummated desire.

Read Variety’s original review of “In the Mood for Love” here . Stream the film on HBO Max .

The General (1926)

Upon its release, critics considered this tight Civil War epic to be Buster Keaton’s least funny film, missing what has since made it his most respected achievement: The vaudeville-trained silent-film comedian took the true story of the robbery and recovery of a Confederate steam engine as a creative opportunity to stage reckless stunts aboard a moving train. His comic timing and daring combine in the scene where he stands astride the General’s cow-catcher, tossing a railroad tie to dislodge another blocking the tracks ahead. To understand his genius, watch how Keaton pantomimes clumsiness in order to mask the precision required to pull off the gag. Keaton, who co-directed, was meticulous about historical detail, creating images — like the climactic collapsing-bridge crash — of an immortal quality.

Read Variety’s original review of “The General” here . Stream the film on Prime Video .

Apocalypse Now (1979)

APOCALYPSE NOW, Martin Sheen, 1979. © United Artists/ Courtesy: Everett Collection

A war movie that’s never been surpassed for sheer cataclysmic spectacle. In 1976, Francis Ford Coppola journeyed into the jungles of the Philippines, emerging more than a year later after a shoot ravaged by a typhoon, the heart attack of 36-year-old star Martin Sheen and Coppola’s own cultivation of chaos. Yet in the movie that emerged, we see elements of all that disaster and madness onscreen. Coppola’s delirious and druggy Vietnam bad trip features one of the greatest sequences ever filmed — the “Ride of the Valkyries” helicopter attack, which channels the adrenalized rush of war that’s inseparable from its horror — and the rest of the movie works on you with a slow-burn hypnosis. The vigorous excess of Coppola’s visual language and the spiritual force of its antiwar messaging all slap you in the face every time.

Read Variety’s original review of “Apocalypse Now” here . Rent and purchase the film on Prime Video .

Breathless (1960)

Jean-Paul Belmondo glances at a vintage movie still, traces his lips with his thumb and utters the enchanted word “Bogie.” In that simple moment, a cinematic ocean gets crossed. The baton of Old Hollywood has been passed to the French New Wave — but what that means is that it has passed into a new way of seeing. Jean-Luc Godard’s astonishing first feature is the breakneck tale of Belmondo’s small-time car thief and the American cub reporter he fancies, played by a perfectly pert Jean Seberg. Their affair still feels strikingly “modern,” as the two hang out in an apartment, together but separate. Yet the film’s most indelible gestures come from Godard, the director who revolutionized movies. In “Breathless,” he teases sound and silence, layers musical themes and casually invents the jump cut, so that what looked at first like the tale of a petty gangster turns into a tsunami of new perception.

Read Variety’s original review of “Breathless” here . Stream the film on HBO Max .

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, Gunnar Hansen, 1974

A vanful of kids snaking their way down a sunbaked highway. An old farmhouse in the middle of nowhere. The most terrifying psycho since “Psycho” — a human runt, hidden behind a mask of human skin, wielding his buzzing phallic chain saw not just as a weapon of death but as an instrument of sadistically surreal torture and fear. Tobe Hooper’s brilliant grindhouse landmark has been imitated so often that it has become nothing less than the paradigm of contemporary horror. Yet the film’s mastery is that it’s an existential nightmare told with lyrical cunning, right down to the legendary final shot of insanity at dawn.

Read Variety’s original review of “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” here . Stream the film on Prime Video .

The Piano (1993)

THE PIANO, Holly Hunter, Anna Paquin, 1993. ©Miramax/Courtesy Everett Collection

There has never been another character like Holly Hunter’s Ada, a mute Scotswoman who journeys to the bleak colonial bush of 1850s New Zealand to join in an arranged marriage, and who wills herself to silence just because. Jane Campion’s masterful drama is hypnotically torn between inchoate feminist fury and a kind of desolate romantic yearning. Ada is not about to confess her soul to the men who lay claim to her, be it her husband (Sam Neill) or the tattooed lover (Harvey Keitel) who controls her access to a piano, her supreme instrument of self-expression. Yet Hunter’s austerely powerful performance becomes a testament of silent passion, speaking to the audience so directly that it’s as if she were wired to us.

Read Variety’s original review of “The Piano” here . Rent or purchase the film on Apple TV .

Mean Streets (1973)

Martin Scorsese has made many masterpieces (who’d want to live in a movie world without “Taxi Driver” or “Raging Bull”?), yet the film that established him as a major artist — not to mention the cinema’s foremost chronicler of mob life from the ground up — still stands above nearly all of them. It’s that electrifying and memorable an experience. “Mean Streets” is brilliantly staged (to the most ecstatic rock ’n’ roll score in film history), yet every scene in it just seems to happen , as Charlie, a Little Italy numbers runner played with wormy ambition by Harvey Keitel, tries to rein in his firecracker of a cousin, Johnny Boy, played by Robert De Niro as the very id of ’70s Hollywood. Imagine Coppola, Cassavetes and Kenneth Anger mixed into one explosive cocktail, and you have the timeless genius Scorsese showed here.

Read Variety ‘s original review of “Mean Streets” here . Stream the film on Prime Video or Paramount+ .

Notorious (1946)

NOTORIOUS, from left, Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, 1946

Of the 50-odd features Hitchcock made in his career, this is the one where every element fits together perfectly, like a Swiss watch. The director’s technical brilliance shines through at multiple points, as in the crane shot from the balcony to the key hidden in Ingrid Bergman’s hand. But it’s the three lead performances that make this cloak-and-dagger love triangle so engaging … and perverse: A secret agent (Cary Grant) falls for the woman (Bergman) he recruited to dupe a dapper Nazi (Claude Rains), complicating the mission to uncover the MacGuffin — as Hitchcock called the whatsit everybody wants — locked in his wine cellar. The movie is elegant, sexy and the most suspenseful of his oeuvre, because we sense how much is at stake for the couple.

Read Variety’s original review of “Notorious” here . Stream the film on HBO Max .

Titanic (1997)

It’s possible that no movie in history has been as simultaneously beloved and attacked as James Cameron’s jaw-droppingly spectacular love story. It’s arguably the only disaster movie that’s a work of art. Yet the carping began almost immediately (“The script is terrible!” — actually, it’s quite good, though with a few lines that clink), to the point that the movie became one of the foundation stones of hater culture. Yet listen to the heart of the ocean and forget that noise! “Titanic” has a primal sweep that evokes the majesty of D.W. Griffith, and there’s a regal irony built into the romance that the haters all missed. Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet have an enchanting chemistry, yet the film knows all too well that these two characters are just having a starry-eyed youthful fling. It’s only the close encounter with an iceberg that renders their love timeless.

Read Variety’s original review of “Titanic” here . Rent or purchase the film on Prime Video .

L'Avventura (1960)

L'AVVENTURA, Monica Vitti, Lelio Luttazzi, 1960

A young woman goes missing during a pleasure-boat vacation. Her best friend (Monica Vitti, in a star-making role) and her lover search for her, but gradually fall in love. Michelangelo Antonioni’s first masterpiece — there are several more, notably “La Notte” and “L’Eclisse,” also starring Vitti, which form a thematic trilogy with “L’Avventura” — has the bones of a Hitchcock thriller. But this solution-less mystery is essentially an inversion of that model, which is what made it, and Antonioni, so revolutionary: He renders the eerie areas of story and character psychology, which would ordinarily be the negative space between plot beats, not only visible but achingly, inexpressibly beautiful.

Read Variety’s original review of “L’Avventura” here . Stream the film on HBO Max .

Shoah (1985)

SHOAH, center: Simon Srebnik, 1985. ©New Yorker Films / Courtesy Everett Collection

Many a cinephile has put off watching Claude Lanzmann’s expansive, illuminating and cumulatively shattering Holocaust documentary in the course of their film education: Nine and a half hours of confrontation with the victims and perpetrators alike of systematic genocide is no easy watch, after all, and nor should it be. Yet there’s an essentially human pull to the film’s witnessing of lives and communities broken and sometimes rebuilt in the 40 years following the Holocaust that makes it riveting — an urgent historical chronicle recorded at the precise time it needed to be done, distant enough from the events to take in their multigenerational impact, and close enough to hear its voices firsthand.

Rent or purchase “Shoah” on Prime Video .

Moonlight (2016)

The dramatic Oscar-night twist — which saw Barry Jenkins’ queer Black indie drama upset old-school front-runner “La La Land” — revealed a major shift in sensibility from the Academy, which had snubbed “Brokeback Mountain” and “Do the Right Thing” (the unacknowledged best pictures of their respective years). At a moment when the industry was coming to terms with a lack of diversity in its stories and storytellers, “Moonlight” sublimely illustrated what had been missing: an opportunity to discover someone like Chiron, deemed “soft” by his peers, taken under the wing of a compromised father figure (Mahershala Ali), who gives in to love and aggression alike. Told in three distinct chapters, this hopeful portrayal of what the character’s future might bring paved the way for so many other voices.

Read Variety’s original review of “Moonlight” here . Stream the film on Hulu .

The Wild Bunch (1969)

THE WILD BUNCH, Ben Johnson, Warren Oates, William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, 1969.

For the first half-century of cinema’s existence, the Western was the medium’s defining genre, in America at least. But hundreds of movies — plus primetime television series like “Bonanza” and “Gunsmoke” — wore it out, until Sam Peckinpah gave things a New Hollywood kick. The director learned at the feet of action maestro Don Siegel (master of the montage) but brought his own macho sensibility to “The Wild Bunch,” subverting the idealism of “Shane” and other iconic Westerns. Even the kids are violent by nature here. The film focuses on an aging gang of outlaws who go down in a blaze of glory. It’s bloody as hell, culminating in an epic shootout that rivals the “Psycho” shower scene or the “Saving Private Ryan” beach landing in sheer bravura.

Read Variety’s original review of “The Wild Bunch” here . Rent or purchase the film on Prime Video .

Fargo (1996)

Over the course of their eccentric, uncompromising careers, the Coen brothers have contributed some of cinema’s most colorful characters: human meltdown Barton Fink, baby-snatching H.I. and evil-incarnate Anton Chigurh. But their greatest invention is pregnant police chief Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand), the Midwestern-accented voice of reason in this sly, subzero crime drama, which is just deranged enough to sell its cheeky “true story” claim. Look past the carnage and the Coens’ more-serious-than-it-seems colloquial satire serves as a contrast in marriages. On one hand, you have a spineless used-car salesman (William H. Macy) so desperate for cash that he kidnaps his own wife. On the other, there’s good-natured Marge — as diligent a detective as any Dude — who takes time away from the stressful investigation to pep-talk her husband.

Read Variety ‘s original review of “Fargo” here . Stream the film on Hulu .

Some Like It Hot (1959)

Editorial use only. No book cover usage.Mandatory Credit: Photo by United Artists/Kobal/Shutterstock (5886271dy)Tony Curtis, Marilyn MonroeSome Like It Hot - 1959Director: Billy WilderUnited ArtistsUSAScene StillCertains l'aiment chaud

Men dressing as women has been fuel for comedy for longer than cinema has been around, but never so cleverly or chaotically as in Billy Wilder’s note-perfect bauble, which races through one genre template after another — gangster thriller, backstage musical, bedroom farce — without missing a comic beat. Playing Jack Lemmon’s nebbishy charm against Tony Curtis’ alpha suaveness is a recipe for laughs, while their fumbling attempts to pass as two classy dames subversively critique the duo’s own sexism. Wilder, who had directed Marilyn Monroe’s iconic subway-grate scene in “The Seven Year Itch,” recognized better than anyone the hyper-feminine star’s potential, using her luminous, so-dazed-it’s-almost-Zen comic timing to upstage her cross-dressing co-stars. It’s a treat with teeth.

Read Variety’s original review of “Some Like It Hot” here . Rent or purchase the film on Prime Video .

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Six decades of changing attitudes toward colonialism, feminism and militarism should have dated this men-only story of an arrogant British Army lieutenant’s exploits in the Middle Eastern theater of World War I. But David Lean’s epic, shot by Freddie Young with unparalleled panoramic majesty, is both a spectacular celebration and a lacerating critique of such endeavors. From his sand-gold hair to his sky-blue eyes, Peter O’Toole plays T.E. Lawrence as a man possessed by the Arabian Desert, a towering hero and a hubristic narcissist, a manipulator and a pawn, a genius tactician and a monster of repressed sadomasochistic impulse. Such fertile contradictions mean that aside from its eternally jaw-dropping technical virtues, exemplified by Omar Sharif materializing on camelback out of the heat-hazed desert horizon, “Lawrence of Arabia” still feels thrillingly current.

Read Variety’s original review of “Lawrence of Arabia” here . Rent or purchase the film on Prime Video .

Annie Hall (1977)

For most of the first decade of his movie career, Woody Allen made what we now call his “early, funny films,” and some were as inspired in their lunacy as the movies of the Marx Brothers. So it was a pleasurable shock when he embedded his hilarious sense of surrealist vaudeville in a romantic comedy that turned out to be as sophisticated and transporting as it was funny. Diane Keaton’s Annie Hall, all adorable thrift-shop charm and enchanting ditherer, became an immortal screen heroine of the ’70s, and Allen pushed the neurotic narcissism of “the Woody Allen character” to such a pesky, honest extreme that he seemed, at least for that cultural moment, to stand in for a generation of men who had never learned to commit.

Read Variety’s original review of “Annie Hall” here . Rent or purchase the film on Prime Video .

On the Waterfront (1954)

Marlon Brando redefined American acting, first onstage and then on-screen with “A Streetcar Named Desire.” But it was this reunion with The Actors Studio founder Elia Kazan that repped the pair’s greatest collaboration: a street-level redemption story about an ex-boxer (Brando) who decides he’s tired of being pushed around by the corrupt union bosses — the same guys who forced him to take a dive in the ring. In his pursuit of realism, Kazan insisted on shooting on the New Jersey docks, while trusting Brando’s instincts to bring the character to life. The “I coulda been a contender” scene with Rod Steiger is classic, but study how Brando picks up and plays with Eva Marie Saint’s glove to appreciate the unpredictable, improv-ready brilliance of his Method.

Read Variety’s original review of “On the Waterfront” here . Stream the film on HBO Max .

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

The serial killer has become a talismanic figure in pop culture, maybe because one can’t rationalize away his drive to murder. And no drama of serial killers — their dread, fascination and mystery — has cast a greater spell than Jonathan Demme’s exquisitely crafted landmark of a thriller. It’s a plunge into evil made with so much humanity — as well as a perverse spirit of play — that it leaves you both unnerved and exhilarated. Anthony Hopkins’ performance as Hannibal Lecter, the genius serial-killer cannibal, didn’t take long to become a meme, and that’s because Hopkins makes Lecter as witty as he is mad, dispatching his victims as a cathartic form of superiority. And Jodie Foster, as the FBI agent who bonds with Lecter to catch a killer of twisted terror, gives her most valiant performance, playing a solo woman warrior poised against a patriarchy of fear.

Read Variety’s original review of “The Silence of the Lambs” here . Stream the film on Prime Video .

Stagecoach (1939)

STAGECOACH, Claire Trevor, John Wayne, 1939. TM and Copyright (c) 20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved. Courtesy: Everett Collection.

It took John Ford, one of the greatest American filmmakers, to elevate the image of the Western and earn the genre the respect it deserved. For more than half a century, Ford found poetry in frontier stories, and though his thorny rescue saga “The Searchers” (which came much later) is his most modern, this groundbreaking love and revenge picture set the high-water mark. Starring an iconic John Wayne as a reckless outlaw, in a collaboration that would span 12 movies, and navigating the tale of a band of outsiders against the majestic backdrop of Monument Valley, Ford’s influential epic is sweepingly rich with artistic shots and exacting framing, as well as surprisingly intimate in its exploration of a much fabled land.

Read Variety’s original review of “Stagecoach” here . Stream the film on Prime Video .

8-1/2, from left, Anouk Aimee, Marcello Mastroianni, 1963

After achieving international acclaim with increasingly expressionistic portraits of the world as he saw it — from the simple circus performers of “La Strada” to the decadent Roman nightlife of “La Dolce Vita” — Italian maestro Federico Fellini lost confidence in his capacity to create. Instead of giving up, he channeled that artistic despair into his most uninhibited triumph: a freewheeling and shamelessly autobiographical movie about a philandering filmmaker’s crippling case of directile dysfunction, full to bursting with past mistresses, childhood memories and psychoanalytic symbology. From the opening anxiety dream, in which Marcello Mastroianni (as Fellini’s self-flattering/flagellating stand-in) claws his way out of a traffic jam, to the climactic rondelet around the rocket set, the blocked director found surrealistic inspiration in his subconscious.

Read Variety’s original review of “8½” here . Stream the film on HBO Max .

Vertigo (1958)

No, it’s not Hitchcock’s greatest film. But it is his most rapturous and formally head-spinning dream-poem of romantic fatalism. The entire movie seems to take place in a hypnotic trance, as James Stewart’s wayward San Francisco detective follows, and falls in love with, Kim Novak’s walking specter of a temptress, only to learn that she’s not who she seems. But can he turn her back into who she seemed? “Vertigo,” a mystery tucked inside an enigma, is really the cinema’s most solemnly fantastic vision of fetishism, and the gliding-camera visuals turn the Bay Area into a deliriously sculptured game board of fate.

Read Variety’s original review of “Vertigo” here . Rent or purchase the film on Prime Video.

Network (1976)

In the sharpest, most scathing screenplay in American cinema, Paddy Chayefsky gave us the line, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not gonna take this anymore!” blurted from the lips of a mad prophet, burned-out UBS anchorman Howard Beale (Peter Finch). Since the introduction of television, the movies saw their existence threatened by the boob tube’s lowest-common-denominator approach. In “Network,” the big screen bites back, taking to task the culture of distraction — what Neil Postman called “amusing ourselves to death” — and fearmongering practiced by ratings-thirsty execs, like Faye Dunaway’s ethically challenged programming chief. Without the cynical spitfire genius of Chayefsky’s script (in Sidney Lumet’s hands), there would be no Aaron Sorkin, no “The Morning Show,” no film by which the industry could keep itself honest.

Read Variety’s original review of “Network” here . Rent or purchase the film on Prime Video .

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

The “long, long ago” preamble at the top of “Star Wars” established George Lucas’ interstellar adventure saga as a kind of space-age fairy tale. But it wasn’t until the sequel — when Luke Skywalker discovered Darth Vader was his dad, Leia was his sister and he could bench-press X-wings by using the Force — that the series showed its full potential. Handled differently, the Irvin Kershner-directed follow-up could’ve killed the franchise. But instead of merely repeating the thrills of the blockbuster original, “Empire” introduces new information — and characters, like Yoda — that lend an emotional dimension to what had come before. Plus, the heroes really take a beating, all of which made audiences profoundly invested in seeing the revenge of the Jedi (as the next movie was tentatively called).

Read Variety’s original review of “The Empire Strikes Back” here . Stream the film on Disney+ .

Double Indemnity (1944)

DOUBLE INDEMNITY, Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, 1944

The moody seductive apex of film noir, Billy Wilder’s lustrous drama sizzles with the most elegant offerings of a filmmaking style defined by the era’s World War II-infused paranoia: a gleaming cinematography of dark shadows, deceit, homicide and plenty of cigarette smoke. Emerging out of the picture’s Los Angeles enclave of Spanish-style houses is Barbara Stanwyck’s definitive femme fatale and Fred MacMurray’s defenseless insurance salesman, who can’t help but get caught in the conniving double-crosser’s scheming web. With this gripping tale of the dark side of romance, the genre-defying director set the bar for the famously hard-boiled genre.

Read Variety’s original review of “Double Indemnity” here . Rent or purchase the film on Prime Video .

City Lights (1931)

CITY LIGHTS, Charlie Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill, 1931

Four years after the invention of talkies, Charlie Chaplin stuck to what made him the world’s biggest star: keeping his mouth shut. The silent comedian had spent years finding the right mix of silliness and sentimentality, and the combination was never more sublime than in this romantic pearl of a film. Chaplin reprises his signature “Little Tramp” character, who falls for a blind flower girl (Virginia Cherrill). Unable to see his tattered suit, the young woman falls for what she thinks is a millionaire. To get the poetic moment where these two meet just right, Chaplin shot and reshot the scene a total of 342 times. Better still is the moment after her sight is restored where she touches his hand and recognizes the truth.

Read Variety’s original review of “City Lights” here . Stream the film on HBO Max.

Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

BONNIE AND CLYDE, from left: Faye Dunaway, Warren Beatty, 1967

A gangster movie so fresh and bold, so brazen in its eroticism, so shocking in its bullet-in-the-eye violence that it effectively became the stake through the heart of the Hollywood studio system. Yet the aesthetic secret of “Bonnie and Clyde” is that it’s actually poised, with a one-of-a-kind perfection, between the cinematic world that came before it and the one that came after. Telling the story of the infamous 1930s bank robbers Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, who are played with breathtaking glamour and heartbreaking vulnerability by Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, the film kicked open the door to the flowing freedom of the New Hollywood, yet Arthur Penn directed it with a visual rigor and an iron-clad design that can only be called classical.

Read Variety’s original review of “Bonnie and Clyde” here . Rent or purchase the film on Prime Video .

The 400 Blows (1959)

THE 400 BLOWS, (aka LES QUATRE CENTS COUPS), Claire Maurier, Jean-Pierre Leaud, Albert Remy, 1959.

Many a canonized classic has had its edges softened by intervening years of admiration. But the debut from foundational French New Waver François Truffaut, a film critic of notoriously brutal insight, resists this certain tendency, just as Truffaut, although mining his own childhood, resists nostalgia. Instead, this portrait of parentally neglected adolescent Parisian truant Antoine (Jean-Pierre Léaud, in one of the greatest-ever juvenile performances) remains beautifully raw, playing not as memories meticulously re-created but as incidents being lived for the first time. After this, Léaud would be an actor, and Truffaut not just a director but an auteur (a theory he’d passionately advocated). But here, nothing is yet written and “The 400 Blows,” from its classroom opening to its stunningly evocative final freeze frame, stays eternally new.

Read Variety’s original review of “The 400 Blows” here . Stream the film on HBO Max.

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

BRINGING UP BABY, from left: Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, 1938

The funniest, and most zany-sublime, of the four Cary Grant-Katharine Hepburn collaborations, Howard Hawks’ uproarious farce is fast, wild and awash with feisty chemistry in all the ways the screwball genre of speedy wisecracks and chaotic couplings demands. But what’s perhaps most special about “Bringing Up Baby” is its commitment to high levels of absurdity in a disorderly and unusual playpen, one that embraces both an on-the-loose leopard and a misplaced dinosaur bone. From ahead-of-its-time observations on gender norms to blistering zingers exchanged between a nerdy paleontologist and a frantic socialite, Hawks’ dizzying romantic comedy is an ageless classic.

Read Variety’s original review of “Bringing Up Baby” here . Rent or purchase the film on Prime Video .

Tokyo Story (1953)

TOKYO STORY, (aka TOKYO MONOGATARI), Chieko Higashiyama, Setsuko Hara, 1953

Over and over in his astonishing career, Japanese legend Yasujirō Ozu proved his miraculous facility for a piercingly precise, intimate humanism that unfurls in every direction into an epic thematic landscape. The last film in Ozu’s “Noriko trilogy,” after “Late Spring” and “Early Summer,” “Tokyo Story” takes the director’s deceptively quiet domestic focus to its most transcendent height. Out of the minutely observed story of an aging couple visiting Tokyo and treated with different flavors of neglect and disrespect by their grown-up children, Ozu, abetted by a superlative cast led by Chishū Ryū and Chieko Higashiyama as the elderly parents, fashions simply the greatest and most devastating film about the generation gap ever made.

Stream “Tokyo Story” on HBO Max or Prime Video .

The Apartment (1960)

THE APARTMENT, Shirley MacLaine, Jack Lemmon, 1960

In 1960, Billy Wilder was convinced that corporations were ruining Hollywood. He spun that cynicism into this mordant comedy that casts a cold eye on the effect of big business on human decency, where Jack Lemmon’s cubicle worker Bud Baxter might sell out the woman he loves (Shirley MacLaine) for a key to the junior executives’ washroom. As MacLaine’s depressive elevator operator sighs, “Some people take and some people get took.” Many critics took offense at the film itself, discomfited that Wilder refused to lecture audiences that Baxter was acting like a louse. That ambiguity gives Wilder’s film its lasting depth — its satire feels more relevant every year — and, in a stroke of irony, proved that great art could be made under corporate Hollywood after all.

Read Variety’s original review of “The Apartment” here . Stream the film on Sling TV .

Chinatown (1974)

A stray bullet, a car horn, a thin scream, and Roman Polanski’s “Chinatown” pulls off perhaps the greatest dumb-luck downer ending in American cinema. But the ironic finale derives its tragic heft from a cast (Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway and John Huston especially) working, alongside every crew department, to career-best form, on a Robert Towne screenplay dripping with malice and bristling with hidden agendas. Drought, incest, orange groves, murder and money, this is the L.A. neo-noir to end all L.A. neo-noirs, so controlled you could clone the entire gloriously grimy affair out of any single detail, from the bandage across Jake Gittes’ nose to the flaw in Evelyn Mulwray’s eye.

Read Variety’s original review of “Chinatown” here . Stream the film on HBO Max or Hulu .

Gone With the Wind (1939)

GONE WITH THE WIND, from left: Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, 1939

For a long time, it was simply the quintessential Hollywood movie: the spellbinding definition of how star power and spectacle, soap opera and history, could merge into an experience that swept audiences away. There are two ways that we now see it differently. Embedded in the film’s romantic vision of the South during and after the Civil War is a shameful insensitivity to the lives of Black Americans who were enslaved on plantations. Time has not been kind to “Gone With the Wind’s” blinkered vision of race. Yet it’s been very kind indeed to the thorny majesty of the film’s drama. Once viewed as the province of “women’s pictures,” the saga of Scarlett O’Hara now stands more clearly than ever as an American narrative of transcendent power, with Vivien Leigh delivering the most wrenching performance by a female actor of the studio-system era.

Read Variety’s original review of “Gone With the Wind” here . Stream the film on HBO Max.

Blue Velvet (1986)

BLUE VELVET, Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, 1986. (c) De Laurentis Group/ Courtesy: Everett Collection.

In the 1980s, the roots of the independent-film revolution sprouted overnight when David Lynch released his most sensational and talked-about movie. It was a mesmerizing freak-show dream that was equal parts shock theater and film noir, with a performance by Dennis Hopper that seemed to redefine evil, a scene with Dean Stockwell that’s as strange and hypnotic as any scene in history, and an ominous wide-eyed storytelling eagerness that looked back at old movies and forward into how they could be reconfigured as surely as Quentin Tarantino would do in the next decade. Some think Lynch’s “Mulholland Drive” upped the ante on “Blue Velvet.” In more ways than not, we think it — brilliantly — rehashed it, and that “Blue Velvet” remains the essential thriller symphony of Lynch’s career.

Read Variety’s original review of “Blue Velvet” here . Stream the film on Prime Video.

The Godfather Part II (1974)

The most masterful sequel ever made, which is one reason that some think it’s superior to “The Godfather.” Yet with the rigid cold stare of Pacino’s Michael Corleone at its center, his soul already in its death throes, this Shakespearean gangster epic shot in shades of pitch-black expands “The Godfather’s” heart of darkness in a way that’s more tragic but not, perhaps, as emotionally devouring. Its most operatically stunning achievement — destroyed by Coppola in his assorted alternate versions — is the cross-cutting between Michael’s descent and the rise to power of the young Vito Corleone, played by Robert De Niro as a family man and close-to-the-vest killer who chooses crime because it’s the only way to join America that has chosen him.

Read Variety’s original review of “The Godfather Part II” here . Rent or purchase the film on HBO Max .

Persona (1966)

As revered as he is, Ingmar Bergman also gets something of a bad rap as a dour intellectual, isolated from humanity on his windswept island. “Persona” may be his most daunting achievement, an avant-garde two-hander that has confounded and fascinated audiences for more than half a century. (At the time of its release, it was a massive art-house phenomenon.) The formal and philosophical playfulness of this prismatic psychodrama is exhilarating — not to mention bracingly modern — as Bibi Andersson’s obsessive nurse melds with the recovering stage star, played by Liv Ullmann, in her care. Where most directors seek clarity, Bergman embraces a certain blurring of the lines uniquely suited to cinema, deviating from the formal and narrative rulebook in intimate sympathy with his characters’ mental breaks, ruptures and reversals.

Read Variety’s original review of “Persona” here . Stream the film on HBO Max.

Nashville (1975)

NASHVILLE, from left: Henry Gibson, Karen Black, 1975

In the 1970s, Robert Altman devised a way of making movies that was so intoxicatingly lifelike — the overlapping dialogue, the slow-zoom documentary look, the characters who seemed to drop in and out of the narrative until their dropping in became the narrative — that it’s as if he’d reinvented cinema as an entrancing new form of social vérité mirror. In “Nashville,” his densely packed and ebullient tour de force, Altman follows the seemingly random actions of 24 characters over five days in the country-music capital, and what it all adds up to is an astonishingly moving and forward-looking vision of an America that’s falling apart and coming together at the same time.

Read Variety’s original review of “Nashville” here . Purchase the film on Prime Video.

Casablanca (1942)

CASABLANCA, from left: Ingrid Bergman, Humphrey Bogart, 1942

Studio director Michael Curtiz wasn’t exactly what the French would call an “auteur.” Turns out, that doesn’t amount to a hill of beans. “Casablanca” illustrates how well the Hollywood system could work, no matter who was behind the camera — especially when those in front included Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman (and their respective accents). In just 102 minutes, the movie telegraphs a deep personal history between these two ex-lovers, reunited at Rick’s Café Américain in Morocco; a terrific romantic dilemma in the picture’s World War II present (to pick up where they left off or send her packing with her Resistance fighter husband?); and a bittersweet sense of the future without regrets … or each other.

Read Variety’s original review of “Casablanca” here . Stream the film on HBO Max.

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)

SUNRISE, (aka SUNRISE: A SONG OF TWO HUMANS), from left, George O'Brien, Janet Gaynor, 1927. TM and Copyright ©20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved/courtesy Everett Collection

Released just two weeks before “The Jazz Singer,” F.W. Murnau’s turbulent love-triangle drama marked the pinnacle of silent expressionism, including dramatic lighting (a signature of German directors at the time, imported here to Hollywood), elaborate tracking shots and impressive in-camera effects. While the acting clearly belongs to an earlier time — one that made intertitles nearly unnecessary — “Sunrise” still looks downright avant-garde compared with the relatively conservative direction film language took once sound recording forced production back indoors, making it impossible for talkies to replicate the way Murnau moved the camera through outdoor scenes and custom-built sets (like the busy street scenes). There’s no telling what movies might look like today had cinema continued in this direction.

Read Variety’s original review of “Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans” here . Stream the film on Prime Video .

Do the Right Thing (1989)

DO THE RIGHT THING, Spike Lee, 1989, © Universal/courtesy Everett Collection

When Spike Lee’s outspoken portrait of interracial, inner-city tensions was first reviewed, several critics voiced concerns that it might spark riots. The film was plenty provocative at the time (Barack and Michelle Obama famously made this conversation starter their first date), but Lee’s prescience explains how it achieved the status of American cinema’s most potent protest statement. The film’s fight-the-power finale — in which the director’s livid alter ego, Mookie, chucks a trash can through the window of Sal’s Bed-Stuy pizzeria — anticipated the contemporary wave of demonstrations against police brutality. From Rosie Perez’s defiantly hyperkinetic opening-credits dance, Lee plunges audiences into a heat-wave-heightened version of his own Brooklyn neighborhood, where the locals loom larger than life. He shows members of the Black, Latino and white communities trying to coexist. But the divisions become impossible to ignore after what happens to Radio Raheem, still one of the most upsetting fates in screen history. It wasn’t until Spike Lee came along and rocked the status quo that Hollywood seriously started making room for the consciousness of Black voices.

Read Variety ‘s original review of “Do the Right Thing” here . Rent or purchase the film on Prime Video.

The Rules of the Game (1939)

THE RULES OF THE GAME, (aka LA REGLE DU JEU), from left: Julien Carette, Marcel Dalio, 1939

A searing sociopolitical satire of France’s ruling class on the brink of World War II, Jean Renoir’s immersive and studiously choreographed ensemble drama — once destroyed after the furious response it received, later reconstructed — still stuns through graceful camera movements in deep-focus long takes. “‘The Rules of the Game’ taught me the rules of the game,” Robert Altman once said. With an operatic ensemble portraying the two ends of an upstairs-downstairs class divide during a countryside hunting party, Renoir’s cumulatively dizzying comedy of manners indeed came to influence countless filmmakers all the way into the 21st century, if a gleaming New Year’s Eve sequence in Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma” is any indication.

Read Variety’s original review of “The Rules of the Game” here . Rent or purchase the film on Prime Video.

Goodfellas (1990)

GOODFELLAS, Joe Pesci, Ray Liotta, 1990. ©Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection.

“The Godfather” may be the great mob-saga-as-Greek-tragedy, but it was also a work of fiction, adapted from a novel, whereas Martin Scorsese’s slick, no-apologies treatment of Nicholas Pileggi’s “Wiseguy” was rooted in reality. That’s at once the film’s appeal and the thing that makes it so unsettling: These brutal suburban gangsters really existed and seemed relatable enough to be our next-door neighbors … or ourselves. Scorsese overtly encourages such identification, seducing us with the roller-coaster run-up of the first act, while breezing past the moral compromises made by charismatic antihero Henry Hill (Ray Liotta). It looks sexy at first from the perspective of his wife, Karen (Lorraine Bracco): DP Michael Ballhaus’ famous Steadicam shot through the side door of the Copacabana puts us in her position, swept up in Henry’s swanky new world. Then the whackings start and the mood changes, unpredictable as Joe Pesci’s trigger-happy Tommy DeVito, and we realize what an astonishing balancing act this elaborate network of allegiances has been, not just between characters, but also with our sympathies.

Read Variety ‘s original review of “Goodfellas” here . Stream the film on HBO Max.

Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

A quarter-century after movies found their voice, Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen teamed up to honor that transition, using song and dance to show what’s so splendid about the medium. In a 2007 interview with Variety, Ray Bradbury described MGM’s glorious homage as a “great science-fiction musical.” In his words, “It is science fiction because it is about the invention of sound and how that invention changed the history of Hollywood.” The rest of the world sees this as a romantic comedy in which Debbie Reynolds’ ingénue gets swept off her feet — and onto the big screen — while Kelly taps his way into her heart. The swoony, seemingly spontaneous lamppost sequence is pure bliss, topping even Fred Astaire’s dancin’-on-the-ceiling number from “Royal Wedding” the year before.

Read Variety’s original review of “Singin’ in the Rain” here . Stream the film on HBO Max.

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, Tom Hanks, 1998, (c)Dreamworks/courtesy Everett Collection

No American director has demonstrated a more instinctive sense of how to engage and immerse an audience in someone else’s experience than Steven Spielberg, who (as big-screen memoir “The Fabelmans” reminds) started out making amateur combat films with neighborhood friends. By the time the born entertainer got around to orchestrating this epic World War II rescue, he’d convincingly brought sharks, aliens and dinosaurs to life — all fantasies compared with the brutal Omaha beach landing in this film. The D-Day invasion builds on the achievement of “Schindler’s List,” vividly re-creating history so we feel as if we’re experiencing it firsthand. Nothing in cinema can touch the virtuosity of that opening, but Spielberg keeps us riveted — amid sniper attacks and trial-by-fire bonding — as all-American Tom Hanks and his three-dimensional co-stars carry out their nail-biting suicide mission. The pinnacle of a spectacular but often cynical genre, this sobering call-of-duty drama brings us to the brink of hell while preserving the characters’ humanity in the process, thereby honoring the sacrifice of all who’ve served.

Read Variety ‘s original review of “Saving Private Ryan” here . Stream the film on Paramount+ .

All About Eve (1950)

ALL ABOUT EVE, Bette Davis, Gary Merrill, 1950 TM and Copyright 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. All Rights Reserved

Bette Davis is the Godzilla of showbiz monsters in this fire-breathing satire of the fragility of stardom. In an industry that didn’t take long to figure out the easy-come-easy-go nature of success, Joseph L. Mankiewicz brilliantly transformed a short story from Cosmopolitan magazine in such a way as to amplify the shrewd insight of the woman who wrote it. The too-true fable sees aging Broadway legend Margo Channing (Davis) seduced by conniving up-and-comer Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter), who flatters her with praise, only to insinuate herself into the older woman’s life. Eve and Margo are such strong, universal characters that they’ve since become a kind of shorthand — gender-agnostic archetypes for the vain but vulnerable diva and the viper who serves as that person’s undoing.

Read Variety’s original review of “All About Eve” here . Rent or purchase the film on Prime Video or Apple TV .

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, James Stewart, Stanley Andrews, 1946

Frank Capra’s heart-wrenching classic failed at the box office in its original release, only to become Hollywood’s ultimate populist Christmas fable. It’s one of the most touching movies ever made — and if you look closely, one of the darkest. (That may be why it didn’t connect in 1946.) Yet it’s also one of the most profound movies ever made. The tale of a small-town family man, George Bailey (James Stewart in his quintessential performance), who can’t seem to realize his big dreams until he realizes that the life around him is the dream he was seeking, it’s the movie that instructs all of us to wake up to the miracle we’re living.

Read Variety ‘s original review of “It’s a Wonderful Life” here . Stream the film on Prime Video.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, Keir Dullea, 1968

The most exquisite line in the history of movie advertising got it just right. Stanley Kubrick directed what is still the ultimate trip — the only sci-fi spectacle that feels, at every moment, like it’s taking you to another world. From the awesome glory of the “Also sprach Zarathustra” planetary-alignment prelude to the ape using a bone to discover human intelligence (and violence), from the “Blue Danube” ballet of orbiting satellites to the mission to Jupiter that becomes an outlandishly suspenseful astronaut-versus-computer showdown, from the still-eyeball-blowing psychedelic wormhole climax to the Star Child who is all of us reborn, Kubrick’s trancelike thriller meditation on the place of man in the universe stands as one of cinema’s monolithic achievements.

Read Variety ‘s original review of “2001: A Space Odyssey” here . Stream the film on HBO Max.

Seven Samurai (1954)

THE SEVEN SAMURAI, (aka SHICHININ NO SAMURAI) Takashi Shimura, Minoru Chiaki, Seiji Miyaguchi, Daisuke Kato, Toshiro Mifune, Isao Kimura (aka Ko Kimura), 1954

Whereas Western action movies typically pit a lone hero against whatever evil might be threatening his family (“Die Hard”), town (“High Noon”) or planet (every Bond movie ever), Akira Kurosawa’s expansive ensemble drama is all about teamwork. The Japanese virtuoso, who had introduced the notion of competing perspectives with art-house breakthrough “Rashomon,” here worked to unify his cast toward a common goal: protecting a village of defenseless farmers from bandits. Despite its 207-minute running time, the resulting epic is ruthlessly economical in its storytelling. Kurosawa takes care to give each of his characters a distinct personality, some serious (e.g., “Ikiru” star Takashi Shimura as the group’s leader), others comical (like legendary scene-stealer Toshiro Mifune). Practically every rally-the-heroes movie since owes a debt to this OG testament to collective bravery.

Read Variety’ s original review of “Seven Samurai” here . Stream the film on HBO Max.

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Pulp Fiction Variety 100 Greatest Movies

We all know what a fertile time the 1970s were for Hollywood, but it’s a truth less commonly acknowledged that the ’90s brought every bit as great a cinematic revolution — this one from the margins — with Quentin Tarantino as its motormouth mascot. Where fellow indie directors Soderbergh, Jarmusch, Haynes, et al. dug into the grittier corners of reality, Tarantino took his louche film-geek obsessions and remixed them into this monumental homage to the junk food that had nourished him as a video store clerk and B-movie addict. Unapologetically profane and infinitely quotable, “Pulp Fiction” transformed movies overnight. It inspired countless knockoffs, liberated movies to come from chronological storytelling and restarted the careers of Bruce Willis and John Travolta, while bringing a kind of hipster credibility to genre cinema that forever changed audience tastes.

Read Variety ‘s original review of “Pulp Fiction” here . Stream the film on HBO Max.

Citizen Kane (1941)

For decades it was commonly thought of as the greatest movie ever made, and there are a lot of reasons why: the visionary excitement of it, the through-a-snow-globe-darkly Gothic majesty of it, the joyous acting, the hypnotic structure, the playfulness, the doomy haunting symbolism of Rosebud, and on and on. Then-25-year-old Orson Welles charged into Hollywood as if it were the world’s greatest toy store, directing his debut feature with such an ebullient, rule-breaking force of virtuosity that it’s as if he’d made the first American independent film. That Welles took on the media tycoon William Randolph Hearst (whom he plays a barely veiled version of), only to see his movie — and, in a way, his career — stomped by Hearst’s power, shows you that there were limits to what even a genius megalomaniac like Welles could bring off. But not many.

Read Variety ‘s original review of “Citizen Kane” here . Stream the film on HBO Max .

The Godfather (1972)

THE GODFATHER, Salvatore Corsitto, Marlon Brando, 1972

Riding the crest of the New Hollywood, Francis Ford Coppola made what is still the greatest film since the fadeout of the studio system: a classical epic of indelibly dark sweeping grandeur, and a movie that embedded itself so richly in the popular imagination that for 50 years it has spoken to audiences on every level of experience. Watching the saga of the Corleones, we’re plunged, vicariously, into a life of organized crime, in all its power and blood and influence and fear. At the same time, we’re immersed in the drama of an Italian American family who, in their dance of loyalty and rivalry and devotion, connect with us in a way that’s at once personal and primal. Marlon Brando, Al Pacino and the rest of the singular cast embody their roles as if they’d been born to play them. The eternal shattering paradox of “The Godfather” is that the Corleones are at once a cozy clan of Old World romantic role models, ruthless paragons of the American dream and profoundly relatable monsters. Maybe that’s why their story became our story.

Read Variety’s original review of “The Godfather” here . Rent or purchase the film on Prime Video or Apple TV.

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

THE WIZARD OF OZ, from left: Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, 1939

Wholesome Hollywood entertainment at its most upbeat and pure, Victor Fleming’s joyous Technicolor classic has stood the test of time, gifting pleasure to multiple generations, while representing the gold standard against which all other cinematic enchantments are judged. That simple device of shifting from black and white to color when Judy Garland’s Dorothy enters the Land of Oz sets up audiences for the magical experience ahead, minting the template for the “Avatar,” “Star Wars” and “Lord of the Rings” franchises. We marvel alongside our wide-eyed heroine as she sets off with her three new friends — and her little dog too — to prove their smarts, hearts and courage. At their most successful, movies feel like waking reveries, which is also how one might describe Dorothy’s fantastical quest. As it happens, this is how we as audiences engage with cinema, bringing every aspect of our life experience to the allegories presented on-screen, thereby making them our own. Meanwhile, in the character of the Wizard, young viewers get an essential warning about how the medium can be used to manipulate us into believing in an alternate reality.

Read Variety’s original review of “The Wizard of Oz” here . Stream the film on HBO Max or Hulu .

Psycho (1960)

There’s hardly a frame of Alfred Hitchcock’s cataclysmic slasher masterpiece that isn’t iconic. If you don’t believe us, consider the following: Eyes. Holes. Birds. Drains. Windshield wipers. A shower. A torso. A knife. “Blood, blood!” A Victorian stairway. Mother in her rocking chair. For decades, “Psycho” enjoyed such a cosmic pop-cultural infamy that, in a funny way, its status as a work of art got overshadowed. Hailing it as Hitchcock’s greatest movie — let alone the greatest movie ever made — wouldn’t have seemed quite respectable. Yet there’s a reason that every moment in “Psycho” is iconic, and that Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh, as Norman Bates and Marion Crane, became fixed in our imaginations like figures out of a dream. The entire movie, while shot on late-’50s TV sets and conceived by Hitchcock as a prank-the-audience Gothic trapdoor thriller, came to exist (and, really, it always had) on the level of riveting mythology. In 45 seconds, the shower scene rips the 20th century in half; what Hitchcock was expressing was profound — that in the modern world, the center would no longer hold. And once the movie kills off its heroine (killing off, in the process, the very idea that God will protect us), it turns into the cinema’s most hypnotic, seductive and prophetic meditation on fear, lust, innocence, violence and identity. More than perhaps any movie ever made, “Psycho” is a film you can watch again and again and again. It’s a movie that speaks to us now more than ever, because it shows us, in every teasingly sinister moment, how life itself came to feel like a fun house poised over an abyss.

Read Variety’s original review of “Psycho” here . Rent or purchase the film on Apple TV or Prime Video .

More from Variety

Daisy edgar-jones storms hollywood: the ‘twisters’ star on chasing a real tornado, working with glen powell and why she exited the carole king biopic, what neon’s ‘longlegs,’ a24’s ‘civil war’ demonstrate about indie distribution power, ‘twister’ director jan de bont never heard of sequel ‘twisters’ until its trailer came out and pines for ‘godzilla’ movie he never got to make, how bill paxton’s son james ended up in a ‘twisters’ cameo: ‘i wanted to be a conduit for dad’s spirit’, gen alpha prefers social video over paid streaming: 2024 kids survey, more from our brands, kyle gass deletes donald trump apology post following tenacious d fallout, is rolex shorting the market of new watches to drive its certified pre-owned program, nfl eyes ratings slide as election threatens to upend fall tv, the best loofahs and body scrubbers, according to dermatologists, donald trump details assassination attempt, for one time only, at republican national convention: ‘i had god on my side’.

The 50 Best Biography Movies of All Time

Confirm Delete Score

Join Discovery, the new community for book lovers

Trust book recommendations from real people, not robots 🤓

Blog – Posted on Monday, Jan 21

The 30 best biographies of all time.

Biographer Richard Holmes once wrote that his work was “a kind of pursuit… writing about the pursuit of that fleeting figure, in such a way as to bring them alive in the present.”

At the risk of sounding cliché, the best biographies do exactly this: bring their subjects to life. A great biography isn’t just a laundry list of events that happened to someone. Rather, it should weave a narrative and tell a story in almost the same way a novel does. In this way, biography differs from the rest of nonfiction .

All the biographies on this list are just as captivating as excellent novels , if not more so. With that, please enjoy the 30 best biographies of all time — some historical, some recent, but all remarkable, life-giving tributes to their subjects.

If you're feeling overwhelmed by the number of great biographies out there, you can also take our 30-second quiz below to narrow it down quickly and get a personalized biography recommendation 😉

Which biography should you read next?

Discover the perfect biography for you. Takes 30 seconds!

1. A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar

This biography of esteemed mathematician John Nash was both a finalist for the 1998 Pulitzer Prize and the basis for the award-winning film of the same name. Nasar thoroughly explores Nash’s prestigious career, from his beginnings at MIT to his work at the RAND Corporation — as well the internal battle he waged against schizophrenia, a disorder that nearly derailed his life.

2. Alan Turing: The Enigma: The Book That Inspired the Film The Imitation Game - Updated Edition by Andrew Hodges

Hodges’ 1983 biography of Alan Turing sheds light on the inner workings of this brilliant mathematician, cryptologist, and computer pioneer. Indeed, despite the title ( a nod to his work during WWII ), a great deal of the “enigmatic” Turing is laid out in this book. It covers his heroic code-breaking efforts during the war, his computer designs and contributions to mathematical biology in the years following, and of course, the vicious persecution that befell him in the 1950s — when homosexual acts were still a crime punishable by English law.

3. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow

Ron Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton is not only the inspiration for a hit Broadway musical, but also a work of creative genius itself. This massive undertaking of over 800 pages details every knowable moment of the youngest Founding Father’s life: from his role in the Revolutionary War and early American government to his sordid (and ultimately career-destroying) affair with Maria Reynolds. He may never have been president, but he was a fascinating and unique figure in American history — plus it’s fun to get the truth behind the songs.

Prefer to read about fascinating First Ladies rather than almost-presidents? Check out this awesome list of books about First Ladies over on The Archive.

4. Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" by Zora Neale Hurston

A prolific essayist, short story writer, and novelist, Hurston turned her hand to biographical writing in 1927 with this incredible work, kept under lock and key until it was published 2018. It’s based on Hurston’s interviews with the last remaining survivor of the Middle Passage slave trade, a man named Cudjo Lewis. Rendered in searing detail and Lewis’ highly affecting African-American vernacular, this biography of the “last black cargo” will transport you back in time to an era that, chillingly, is not nearly as far away from us as it feels.

5. Churchill: A Life by Martin Gilbert

Though many a biography of him has been attempted, Gilbert’s is the final authority on Winston Churchill — considered by many to be Britain’s greatest prime minister ever. A dexterous balance of in-depth research and intimately drawn details makes this biography a perfect tribute to the mercurial man who led Britain through World War II.

Just what those circumstances are occupies much of Bodanis's book, which pays homage to Einstein and, just as important, to predecessors such as Maxwell, Faraday, and Lavoisier, who are not as well known as Einstein today. Balancing writerly energy and scholarly weight, Bodanis offers a primer in modern physics and cosmology, explaining that the universe today is an expression of mass that will, in some vastly distant future, one day slide back to the energy side of the equation, replacing the \'dominion of matter\' with \'a great stillness\'--a vision that is at once lovely and profoundly frightening.

Without sliding into easy psychobiography, Bodanis explores other circumstances as well; namely, Einstein's background and character, which combined with a sterling intelligence to afford him an idiosyncratic view of the way things work--a view that would change the world. --Gregory McNamee

6. E=mc²: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation by David Bodanis

This “biography of the world’s most famous equation” is a one-of-a-kind take on the genre: rather than being the story of Einstein, it really does follow the history of the equation itself. From the origins and development of its individual elements (energy, mass, and light) to their ramifications in the twentieth century, Bodanis turns what could be an extremely dry subject into engaging fare for readers of all stripes.

7. Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario

When Enrique was only five years old, his mother left Honduras for the United States, promising a quick return. Eleven years later, Enrique finally decided to take matters into his own hands in order to see her again: he would traverse Central and South America via railway, risking his life atop the “train of death” and at the hands of the immigration authorities, to reunite with his mother. This tale of Enrique’s perilous journey is not for the faint of heart, but it is an account of incredible devotion and sharp commentary on the pain of separation among immigrant families.

8. Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo by Hayden Herrera

Herrera’s 1983 biography of renowned painter Frida Kahlo, one of the most recognizable names in modern art, has since become the definitive account on her life. And while Kahlo no doubt endured a great deal of suffering (a horrific accident when she was eighteen, a husband who had constant affairs), the focal point of the book is not her pain. Instead, it’s her artistic brilliance and immense resolve to leave her mark on the world — a mark that will not soon be forgotten, in part thanks to Herrera’s dedicated work.

9. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Perhaps the most impressive biographical feat of the twenty-first century, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is about a woman whose cells completely changed the trajectory of modern medicine. Rebecca Skloot skillfully commemorates the previously unknown life of a poor black woman whose cancer cells were taken, without her knowledge, for medical testing — and without whom we wouldn’t have many of the critical cures we depend upon today.

10. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Christopher McCandless, aka Alexander Supertramp, hitchhiked to Alaska and disappeared into the Denali wilderness in April 1992. Five months later, McCandless was found emaciated and deceased in his shelter — but of what cause? Krakauer’s biography of McCandless retraces his steps back to the beginning of the trek, attempting to suss out what the young man was looking for on his journey, and whether he fully understood what dangers lay before him.

11. Let Us Now Praise Famous Men: Three Tenant Families by James Agee

"Let us now praise famous men, and our fathers that begat us.” From this line derives the central issue of Agee and Evans’ work: who truly deserves our praise and recognition? According to this 1941 biography, it’s the barely-surviving sharecropper families who were severely impacted by the American “Dust Bowl” — hundreds of people entrenched in poverty, whose humanity Evans and Agee desperately implore their audience to see in their book.

12. The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann

Another mysterious explorer takes center stage in this gripping 2009 biography. Grann tells the story of Percy Fawcett, the archaeologist who vanished in the Amazon along with his son in 1925, supposedly in search of an ancient lost city. Parallel to this narrative, Grann describes his own travels in the Amazon 80 years later: discovering firsthand what threats Fawcett may have encountered, and coming to realize what the “Lost City of Z” really was.

13. Mao: The Unknown Story by Jung Chang

Though many of us will be familiar with the name Mao Zedong, this prodigious biography sheds unprecedented light upon the power-hungry “Red Emperor.” Chang and Halliday begin with the shocking statistic that Mao was responsible for 70 million deaths during peacetime — more than any other twentieth-century world leader. From there, they unravel Mao’s complex ideologies, motivations, and missions, breaking down his long-propagated “hero” persona and thrusting forth a new, grislier image of one of China’s biggest revolutionaries.

14. Mad Girl's Love Song: Sylvia Plath and Life Before Ted by Andrew Wilson by Andrew Wilson

Titled after one of her most evocative poems, this shimmering bio of Sylvia Plath takes an unusual approach. Instead of focusing on her years of depression and tempestuous marriage to poet Ted Hughes, it chronicles her life before she ever came to Cambridge. Wilson closely examines her early family and relationships, feelings and experiences, with information taken from her meticulous diaries — setting a strong precedent for other Plath biographers to follow.

15. The Minds of Billy Milligan by Daniel Keyes

What if you had twenty-four different people living inside you, and you never knew which one was going to come out? Such was the life of Billy Milligan, the subject of this haunting biography by the author of Flowers for Algernon . Keyes recounts, in a refreshingly straightforward style, the events of Billy’s life and how his psyche came to be “split”... as well as how, with Keyes’ help, he attempted to put the fragments of himself back together.

16. Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder

This gorgeously constructed biography follows Paul Farmer, a doctor who’s worked for decades to eradicate infectious diseases around the globe, particularly in underprivileged areas. Though Farmer’s humanitarian accomplishments are extraordinary in and of themselves, the true charm of this book comes from Kidder’s personal relationship with him — and the sense of fulfillment the reader sustains from reading about someone genuinely heroic, written by someone else who truly understands and admires what they do.

17. Napoleon: A Life by Andrew Roberts

Here’s another bio that will reshape your views of a famed historical tyrant, though this time in a surprisingly favorable light. Decorated scholar Andrew Roberts delves into the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, from his near-flawless military instincts to his complex and confusing relationship with his wife. But Roberts’ attitude toward his subject is what really makes this work shine: rather than ridiculing him ( as it would undoubtedly be easy to do ), he approaches the “petty tyrant” with a healthy amount of deference.

18. The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson IV by Robert A. Caro

Lyndon Johnson might not seem as intriguing or scandalous as figures like Kennedy, Nixon, or W. Bush. But in this expertly woven biography, Robert Caro lays out the long, winding road of his political career, and it’s full of twists you wouldn’t expect. Johnson himself was a surprisingly cunning figure, gradually maneuvering his way closer and closer to power. Finally, in 1963, he got his greatest wish — but at what cost? Fans of Adam McKay’s Vice , this is the book for you.

19. Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser

Anyone who grew up reading Little House on the Prairie will surely be fascinated by this tell-all biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Caroline Fraser draws upon never-before-published historical resources to create a lush study of the author’s life — not in the gently narrated manner of the Little House series, but in raw and startling truths about her upbringing, marriage, and volatile relationship with her daughter (and alleged ghostwriter) Rose Wilder Lane.

20. Prince: A Private View by Afshin Shahidi

Compiled just after the superstar’s untimely death in 2016, this intimate snapshot of Prince’s life is actually a largely visual work — Shahidi served as his private photographer from the early 2000s until his passing. And whatever they say about pictures being worth a thousand words, Shahidi’s are worth more still: Prince’s incredible vibrance, contagious excitement, and altogether singular personality come through in every shot.

21. Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout by Lauren Redniss

Could there be a more fitting title for a book about the husband-wife team who discovered radioactivity? What you may not know is that these nuclear pioneers also had a fascinating personal history. Marie Sklodowska met Pierre Curie when she came to work in his lab in 1891, and just a few years later they were married. Their passion for each other bled into their passion for their work, and vice-versa — and in almost no time at all, they were on their way to their first of their Nobel Prizes.

22. Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson

She may not have been assassinated or killed in a mysterious plane crash, but Rosemary Kennedy’s fate is in many ways the worst of “the Kennedy Curse.” As if a botched lobotomy that left her almost completely incapacitated weren’t enough, her parents then hid her away from society, almost never to be seen again. Yet in this new biography, penned by devoted Kennedy scholar Kate Larson, the full truth of Rosemary’s post-lobotomy life is at last revealed.

23. Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay by Nancy Milford

This appropriately lyrical biography of brilliant Jazz Age poet and renowned feminist, Edna St. Vincent Millay, is indeed a perfect balance of savage and beautiful. While Millay’s poetic work was delicate and subtle, the woman herself was feisty and unpredictable, harboring unusual and occasionally destructive habits that Milford fervently explores.

24. Shelley: The Pursuit by Richard Holmes

Holmes’ famous philosophy of “biography as pursuit” is thoroughly proven here in his first full-length biographical work. Shelley: The Pursuit details an almost feverish tracking of Percy Shelley as a dark and cutting figure in the Romantic period — reforming many previous historical conceptions about him through Holmes’ compelling and resolute writing.

25. Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life by Ruth Franklin

Another Gothic figure has been made newly known through this work, detailing the life of prolific horror and mystery writer Shirley Jackson. Author Ruth Franklin digs deep into the existence of the reclusive and mysterious Jackson, drawing penetrating comparisons between the true events of her life and the dark nature of her fiction.

26. The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel

Fans of Into the Wild and The Lost City of Z will find their next adventure fix in this 2017 book about Christopher Knight, a man who lived by himself in the Maine woods for almost thirty years. The tale of this so-called “last true hermit” will captivate readers who have always fantasized about escaping society, with vivid descriptions of Knight’s rural setup, his carefully calculated moves and how he managed to survive the deadly cold of the Maine winters.

27. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

The man, the myth, the legend: Steve Jobs, co-founder and CEO of Apple, is properly immortalized in Isaacson’s masterful biography. It divulges the details of Jobs’ little-known childhood and tracks his fateful path from garage engineer to leader of one of the largest tech companies in the world — not to mention his formative role in other legendary companies like Pixar, and indeed within the Silicon Valley ecosystem as a whole.

28. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

Olympic runner Louis Zamperini was just twenty-six when his US Army bomber crashed and burned in the Pacific, leaving him and two other men afloat on a raft for forty-seven days — only to be captured by the Japanese Navy and tortured as a POW for the next two and a half years. In this gripping biography, Laura Hillenbrand tracks Zamperini’s story from beginning to end… including how he embraced Christian evangelism as a means of recovery, and even came to forgive his tormentors in his later years.

29. Vera (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov) by Stacy Schiff

Everyone knows of Vladimir Nabokov — but what about his wife, Vera, whom he called “the best-humored woman I have ever known”? According to Schiff, she was a genius in her own right, supporting Vladimir not only as his partner, but also as his all-around editor and translator. And she kept up that trademark humor throughout it all, inspiring her husband’s work and injecting some of her own creative flair into it along the way.

30. Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare by Stephen Greenblatt

William Shakespeare is a notoriously slippery historical figure — no one really knows when he was born, what he looked like, or how many plays he wrote. But that didn’t stop Stephen Greenblatt, who in 2004 turned out this magnificently detailed biography of the Bard: a series of imaginative reenactments of his writing process, and insights on how the social and political ideals of the time would have influenced him. Indeed, no one exists in a vacuum, not even Shakespeare — hence the conscious depiction of him in this book as a “will in the world,” rather than an isolated writer shut up in his own musty study.

If you're looking for more inspiring nonfiction, check out this list of 30 engaging self-help books , or this list of the last century's best memoirs !

Continue reading

The 10 Best Post-Apocalyptic Books to Read Before the World Ends

We’ve all got books on the bedside table we’ve been meaning to read for months — but what if the apocalypse were tomorrow? Luckily for those who’d need some quick survival tips, we at Reedsy have compiled a list of the...

40+ Stupendous Sea Monsters (in Stories You’ll Want to Dive Into)

Spine-chilling, stupendous, and sometimes even seductive, sea monsters have haunted literature’s depths since the days of Homer’s wine-dark sea. This post will introduce them — and show you the books you'll want to dive into for their stories.

30 Best Reading Chairs Money Can Buy in 2024

A good chair is hard to find, a good reading chair even more so. Enter this post, which will separate the wheat from the chaff (or should we say the seat from the chaff?) and give you the best reading chairs money can buy!

Heard about Reedsy Discovery?

Trust real people, not robots, to give you book recommendations.

Or sign up with an

Or sign up with your social account

Submit your book
Reviewer directory

We made a writing app for you

Yes, you! Write. Format. Export for ebook and print. 100% free, always.

The 25 Best Biography Movies of the 21st Century

Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill in The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

1. The Wolf of Wall Street

2. The Pianist

Rooney Mara and Dev Patel in Lion (2016)

4. BlacKkKlansman

Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)

5. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

6. The Aviator

7. Downfall

Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind (2001)

8. A Beautiful Mind

9. Into the Wild

10. The King's Speech

11. Persepolis

Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali in Green Book (2018)

12. Green Book

Will Smith, Brian Howe, Thandiwe Newton, and Jaden Smith in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

13. The Pursuit of Happyness

15. Fruitvale Station

17. The Revenant

François Cluzet and Omar Sy in The Intouchables (2011)

18. The Intouchables

Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Steve Carell, and Ryan Gosling in The Big Short (2015)

19. The Big Short

Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network (2010)

20. The Social Network

21. 127 Hours

Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave (2013)

22. 12 Years a Slave

Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything (2014)

23. The Theory of Everything

Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

24. Dallas Buyers Club

More to explore

Was J.D. Vance's Hillbilly Elegy Really a True Story? All About the VP Candidate's Controversial Memoir

"It’s full of untruths, intentionally manipulative stories," said an Appalachian scholar. Here's why the book was so controversial

Stephanie Keith/Getty, Amazon

With the news that the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has tapped Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as his vice-presidential running mate, the senator’s 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis is back in the news.

The memoir is billed as “the true story of what a social, regional and class decline feels like when you were born with it hung around your neck.” While it hit No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list and was later adapted into a Ron Howard-directed Netflix film starring Amy Adams and Glenn Close , many critics — particularly those who live in or hail from Appalachia — questioned the accuracy of some of its claims.

“ Elegy is little more than a list of myths about welfare queens repackaged as a primer on the White working class,” said a New Republic story , at the time. “Vance’s central argument is that hillbillies themselves are to blame for their troubles.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer , from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Andrew Harnik/Getty

“We spend our way to the poorhouse,” Vance writes in the book. “We buy giant TVs and iPads. Our children wear nice clothes thanks to high-interest credit cards and payday loans. We purchase homes we don’t need, refinance them for more spending money and declare bankruptcy, often leaving them full of garbage in our wake. Thrift is inimical to our being.”

In his review of the film for the Associated Press , Jake Coyle noted that explanation was attractive to many readers, especially coming as it did during Trump's first presidential campaign. “The 2016 book came at the moment many were searching for explanations for the political shift taking place across Appalachia and the Rust Belt," he wrote.

In another review of the film adaptation , Vulture writer Sarah Jones wrote, "The book is poverty porn wrapped in a right-wing message about the cultural pathologies of the region. In Vance’s Appalachia, poverty and immorality intertwine. Success happens to hardworking people, and structural explanations for poverty receive glancing attention when he chooses to mention them at all.”

“This region is huge, and there’s all kinds of people here; people of different classes, races, ethnicities, genders, etc.,” Dr. Anna Rachel Terman, professor of sociology of Appalachia, diversity in Appalachia and women in Appalachia at Ohio University told Southeast Ohio magazine in 2020 . “Distilling our understanding of the region down to one person’s story is problematic because that larger diversity is not reflected.”

But there’s more to the issue than its factual merit, according to Silas House , who talked to Politico about the book in 2020. House, an Appalachian author himself and the Appalachian Studies chair at Berea College in Kentucky, said he looks at Hillbilly Elegy as “not a memoir but a treatise that traffics in ugly stereotypes and tropes, less a way to explain the political rise of Trump than the actual start of the political rise of Vance.”

“I think that if it had just been a memoir, it would be a powerful piece of writing, and it would be his own proof," he explained. "But the problem is, it is woven through with dog whistles about class and race, gender. And if your ears are attuned to those dog whistles, you know exactly what he’s saying. If you’re not, then it can read like a heartwarming rags-to-riches story.”

House also pointed out that the “intentionally manipulative stories” in the book are so damaging because they offer generalizations that play into harmful stereotypes.

One scene in the book describes Vance’s uncles as “drunks who fight everybody and they beat their wives.” He also calls them “the embodiment of the Appalachian man.” But in House's view, that characterization was “deeply troubling" and more representative of the stereotypes perpetuated by the media than of actual Appalachian men.

Critics have also noted that Vance’s packaging of the memoir as “an Appalachian narrative” is a bit of a misnomer, because his family moved away from the Appalachian region two generations before Vance was born. “Lots of times in the book when he’s talking about Appalachia, it’s almost like he’s never been to Appalachia,” House pointed out. “This is a Rust Belt story, but Appalachian stories, Appalachian literature, is its own genre.”

“If you read the book, you realize that hardly any of it is set in Appalachia,” he added. “He’s saying, I guess, that generationally you can’t escape Appalachia, because here he is, his grandparents left there when they were very young, his mother never lived there, he never lived there, and suddenly, after the book came out, he’s on every news show as the representative of a region that he barely knows.”

According to Vulture's Sarah Jones, the book’s very title gave away its author's agenda: “Vance… is a hero by virtue of his escape. The deceased do not give elegies for themselves. Survivors do that. And so Vance can speak for the hillbilly because he no longer is one; because he went to Yale, the stereotype of the uncouth White reprobate no longer applies.”

Not necessarily the ‘best.’ Not all his ‘favorite.’ These are the Globe film critic’s top 10 most-watched movies of all time.

Readers asked our film critic which movies he’s seen again and again. what’s on your list tell us in the comments..

John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson in "Pulp Fiction."

I n my recent “Blazing Saddles” critic’s notebook , I mentioned I’d seen the Mel Brooks film so many times “that it ranks in the top 3 on my most-seen movies list.” A few readers wrote in asking about the other two movies in the top 3. I had no idea anyone would be interested in something I thought was merely trivial.

Turnabout is fair play; since I received answers about Bismarck’s duty as a herring, I should supply an answer to your question. I’ll even go one better: Not only will I give you the top 3, I’ll give you seven more movies from the most-seen list. And it will only cost you a dime. What a bargain, n’est-ce pas?

This isn’t a list of the best movies ever made, nor is it a list of favorites, though several of my most-seen films would qualify for that status. I believe “best” and “favorite” are two distinctly different categories and should be treated as such. “Best” movies may be masterpieces, but I don’t necessarily want to watch them at 2 a.m. when I can’t sleep.

Keep in mind I’m not working in an exact science here. I’ll be going on a far more inexact science — my memory.

If you want to find out where “Blazing Saddles” placed, read on.

10. ‘The Beastmaster’ (1982)

I’ve got to start here. If you’re a Gen Xer who had HBO, you know why. The cable network used to have a “no R-rated movies before 8 p.m.” rule. So they had to come up with something to fill the day. That something was “The Beastmaster,” the 1982 sword-and-sorcery film directed by “Phantasm”’s Don Coscarelli.

It ran so many times that we joked that HBO stood for “Honey, Beastmaster’s On!”

“The Beastmaster” isn’t even a good movie! But I was home a lot, and I was bored. Marc Singer cavorting with his jacked-up looking animals and Tanya Roberts — Sheena, Queen of the Jungle herself — kept me company. (Available on Prime Video)

9. ‘Pulp Fiction’ (1994)

I was obsessed with Quentin Tarantino’s trendsetter, a movie that did more harm than good by inspiring an endless array of inferior attempts by numerous directors. If it were shorter, it might be higher on this list. I know almost every line in this movie, which I verified when I saw it at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria last Sunday. It was on 35mm, so I couldn’t resist. (“Jackie Brown” is QT’s one true masterpiece, though.) (Available on Apple TV)

A shot from "Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi."

8. ‘Return of the Jedi’ (1983)

“The Empire Strikes Back” is the best “Star Wars” movie, but “Jedi” was the one that was on television the most. And I loved it — before I professed my undying love for the Minions, I was a proud Ewok devotee. I mean, they brought down the Empire with twigs and rocks and other cheap stuff. Like me, the Ewoks were ratchet . (Available on Disney+)

Sidney Poitier and Judy Geeson dancing in front of a crowd in "To Sir, With Love."

7. ‘To Sir, With Love’ (1967)

I love the “inspiring teacher” genre more than it loves me — there are some terrible movies in there! But this one’s not only my favorite teacher movie, it’s my favorite Sidney Poitier movie, too. It was a fixture on NYC TV, and one of the three films that made the actor 1967′s top box-office draw. And yes, I love Lulu’s infernal title song. Hell, when she sings it to Sidney’s Sir at the end , I cry every time. (Available on MAX)

6. ‘The Quiet Man’ (1952)

Another staple of the independent NYC channels. John Ford’s paean to Ireland ran on St. Paddy’s Day every year, but it also played at other times. Maureen O’Hara’s fiery lass always made me glad I tuned in. It’s too bad she shared the screen with John Wayne. I hate John Wayne , yet another trait I inherited from my mother. This is one of the few movies of his I can stand. (Available on Fandango at Home)

Marisa Tomei and Joe Pesci in "My Cousin Vinny."

5. ‘My Cousin Vinny’ (1992)

If I come across Joe Pesci’s superb law comedy on TV, I will drop everything and watch it. And it’s on TV a lot. Funny story: I did a seminar on this film at the Coolidge last year. The screening afterward was sold out. I was confused as to why, but several people told me they simply wanted to see it on the big screen instead of on TBS. Oscar winner Marisa Tomei’s car mechanic testimony brought down the house, as always.

After the movie, I went back to my hotel and guess what was on TV? You’re damn right I watched it. (Available on AMC+, Hoopla)

In a scene from "Meatballs," Camp North's "in" group poses for the annual summer camp portrait. Top row: Jack Blum, Margot Pinvidic, Bill Murray, Sarah Torgov. Middle Row: Keith Knight, Cindy Girling, Kristine DeBell, Russ Banham, Matt Craven. Bottom Row: Norma Dell'Agnese and Todd Hoffman.

4. ‘Meatballs’ (1979)

OK, so HBO had another PG-rated movie they ran 57 million times. For many years, I thought this goofy Bill Murray summer-camp movie was the film I’d seen more than any other. But, as I was putting this list together, I realized I hadn’t seen it in about 20 years. So it got demoted. As Murray chants in the movie, “It just doesn’t matter.” But trust me, I saw it enough to cement its place in the top 5. (Available on Tubi)

Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi in "The Blues Brothers."

3. ‘The Blues Brothers’ (1980)

This “SNL” big screen spinoff — the first and best one — has everything I’ve always wanted in a movie: spectacular car crashes, cool protagonists, mean nuns, musical numbers, Ray Charles shooting a gun, slapstick humor, director cameos (Spielberg!), a pure disregard for authority, and James Brown sliding from one end of the screen to the other. In February, I appeared on the Polish podcast “SpoilerMaster ” to discuss “The Blues Brothers,” and host Michal Oleszczyk and I not only recorded it in Chicago, we went to “Blues Brothers” filming locations afterward. That’s how much I love the first R-rated movie I ever snuck into; since then, I’ve seen it hundreds of times. (Available on Fandango at Home)

2. ‘Coming to America’ (1988)

“Trading Places” may be Eddie Murphy’s best movie quality-wise, but for my money, this is his funniest. The first time I saw it, I laughed so hard at its Soul Glo activator couch scene that I fell on the theater floor. This was the go-to video to pop into the VHS when I was hanging out with my ‘boys, and it’s my top choice for comfort movie. I never tire of the antics of Prince Akeem and the guys in the My-T-Fine Barbershop. My doppelganger Cuba Gooding Jr.’s in it, too. (Available on Apple TV)

Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder in "Blazing Saddles."

1. ‘Blazing Saddles’ (1974)

Now that you know where it placed in my most-watched movie list, you all owe me a dime. To quote Slim Pickens’s character, Taggart, “Somebody’s gotta go back and get a BLEEPload of dimes!” (Available on Paramount+)

Odie Henderson is the Boston Globe's film critic.

Trump chooses Sen. J.D. Vance, a former critic, as his vice-presidential pick

Vance is a rising star in the party who has closely aligned himself with Trump in recent years, after criticizing him forcefully in 2016.

MILWAUKEE — Donald Trump has chosen Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio as his running mate, selecting a rising star in the Republican Party and previously outspoken Trump critic who in recent years has closely aligned himself with the former president.

Trump announced his pick Monday afternoon on Truth Social. “After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the Great State of Ohio,” Trump wrote. He praised Vance’s education credentials and business experience.

The GOP ticket was official later in the day when Republicans officially nominated Trump and Vance at the start of their four-day national convention here. Vance walked onto the convention floor with his wife, Usha Vance, by his side. The crowd chanted “J.D.!”

If elected in November, Vance, 39, would be one of the youngest vice presidents in history. He is a relative political newcomer, winning his Senate seat in 2022 after rising to prominence as an author who wrote a best-selling memoir. His selection adds a staunch defender of Trump’s movement to the ticket and, some Republican observers said, it could help Trump solidify his base of White working-class voters, particularly in the Upper Midwest.

Trump’s choice for a running mate was among the most closely watched decisions of his campaign and has taken on new significance in the wake of an attempted assassination against Trump at a campaign rally on Saturday in Butler, Pa.

2024 presidential election

Even before the shooting, the decision was expected to arrive at a moment of upheaval in the presidential race. Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts in a New York hush money case in May, becoming the first former president ever convicted of a crime. On the Democratic side, President Biden’s future has been thrown into uncertainty after a disastrous debate performance where he appeared to repeatedly lose his train of thought, leading to calls from some in his party for him to step aside and let another Democrat challenge Trump. The Washington Post’s polling average has Trump leading in six of the seven battleground states that are most likely to determine the outcome of the election.

Trump broke with his first-term vice president, Mike Pence , over Pence’s unwillingness to try to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory. The ex-president, who would be limited to one term if he wins in November, weighed a variety of candidates for his running mate this cycle, requesting documents from at least eight hopefuls and holding unofficial auditions for many of them at campaign events.

Trump kept the suspense going about who he would pick as his running mate on Monday, with news breaking shortly before his announcement that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and North Dakota Gov. Burgum would not be his vice-presidential nominee.

Vance on Monday shook hands with delegates on the convention floor for so long that his introductory track — “America First” by Merle Haggard — was played twice before he got to his position to be introduced onstage. Some convention delegates updated their Trump signs, adding Vance’s name to them.

As many Republicans celebrated the pick, Democrats swiftly attacked Vance. Biden’s campaign immediately drew attention to Vance’s embrace of Trump’s false claims he won the 2020 election and said he would do what Pence refused to do for Trump: reject legitimate election results. “A clone of Trump on the issues,” Biden said of Vance on Monday. “I don’t see any difference.”

Vice President Harris reached out to Vance and left a message to congratulate him, according to a Biden-Harris campaign official. She welcomed him to the race and expressed her hope that the two can meet in the debate proposed by CBS News, added the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a confidential call.

Vance has been one of the former president’s most vocal champions, showing his support outside the New York City courthouse during Trump’s criminal trial this year, as well as boosting him in frequent appearances on cable TV. His allies highlighted Vance’s television interviews in conservative media, as well as on CNN and on “Meet the Press,” and noted that Vance would be the first former Marine to be vice president. Vance also has grown close with Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr.

Vance sought to emphasize his upbringing in a fundraising email he released Monday, ahead of an official announcement of his pick.

“I think so many politicians are lost in the establishment,” he wrote. “They fail their constituents, their country, and ultimately — they fail themselves. It’s an industry of broken promises and corrupt practices. But I will never stoop to that level. My roots — my family — my hometown — are what got me here. The good and the bad.”

Vance grew up in a steel mill community in Ohio in a family beset by drug addiction and poverty, which he chronicled in his book, “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis.”

He served in the Marine Corps for four years, including a six-month deployment to Iraq, before studying political science and philosophy at Ohio State University and attending Yale Law School. He went on to work at a large corporate law firm and then as a principal at billionaire Peter Thiel’s investment firm in San Francisco.

The Ohio Republican has embraced a more populist direction for the GOP under Trump, embracing his “America First” policies and offshoots the former president and his followers have championed. Vance has vehemently criticized U.S. aid to Ukraine. He has taken on culture war issues, introducing a ban on gender-affirming care for minors. He has also praised authoritarian Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for “some smart decisions,” echoing Trump’s appreciation for strongmen.

On abortion, another focal point of this year’s election, Vance had previously argued against exceptions to abortion restrictions for rape and incest . But he has since moderated his pitch after losing an Ohio abortion ballot measure , acknowledging that Republicans are mistrusted on the issue and need to find middle ground, putting him in alignment with Trump.

Vance has echoed Trump’s false claims about widespread fraud in the 2020 election, and he has indicated that he would have taken a different path on Jan. 6 , 2021, than Pence.

“If I had been vice president, I would have told the states, like Pennsylvania, Georgia and so many others, that we needed to have multiple slates of electors, and I think the U.S. Congress should have fought over it from there,” Vance said in a February interview with ABC News. “That is the legitimate way to deal with an election that a lot of folks, including me, think had a lot of problems in 2020.”

Like Trump , he has stopped short of saying he would definitely accept the results of this year’s election, saying he would do so if it is “free and fair.”

Shortly after the attempted assassination Saturday, Vance blamed the Biden campaign, writing on X: “Today is not just some isolated incident. The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”

While Vance is now one of Trump’s most steadfast allies, he was previously critical. He wrote in an Atlantic opinion piece in July 2016 that Trump was “cultural heroin” for the masses.

“He makes some feel better for a bit,” he wrote. “But he cannot fix what ails them, and one day they’ll realize it.”

He declared Trump “unfit for our nation’s highest office” in an August 2016 New York Times op-ed headlined “Why Trump’s Antiwar Message Resonates with White America.” Vance also sent a message that year to his law school roommate, Josh McLaurin, saying that he went “back and forth between thinking Trump is a cynical asshole like Nixon who wouldn’t be that bad (and might even prove useful) or that he’s America’s Hitler.” McLaurin had reached out to Vance about writing an opinion piece together at the time.

“I never could have dreamed during those exchanges in 2016 that he would end up being one of the principal reinforcers of Trumpism only a few years later,” said McLaurin, who is now a Democratic state senator in Georgia.

Vance wrote in a now-deleted tweet that he had voted for a third-party candidate in 2016. But when he ran for Senate in 2020, Vance said he regretted criticizing Trump, and Trump eventually endorsed him, putting him on the path to victory in his primary. Vance said he voted for Trump in 2020.

Vance’s former attacks on Trump could be a liability as Democrats aim to portray Trump’s vice-presidential pick as a loyal lackey to the top of the ticket who will bend over backward to meet Trump’s commands. Some also saw Vance’s campaign for his Senate seat to be lethargic and frustrating to donors .

Now, his vehement defenses of Trump have earned praise from the former president and others who have seen Vance as an intellectual force for Trump. In May, Donald Trump Jr. shared and celebrated a CNN appearance when Vance argued that Trump’s conviction in the hush money case was politically motivated.

“You cannot say that this trial was anything more than politics masquerading as justice,” Vance told Wolf Blitzer in a clip the younger Trump posted. “I will help Donald Trump however I think that I can because if we allow this to happen it’s so much bigger and more troubling than Donald Trump.”

Vance also contributes deep-pocketed connections in Silicon Valley, where he worked after his book’s success. He worked with David Sacks to organize a San Francisco fundraiser for Trump in June, and Thiel has financially supported his campaign.

Dylan Wells in Milwaukee and Tyler Pager and Toluse Olorunnipa contributed to this report.

Election 2024

Catch up on key takeaways from the final day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where Donald Trump dramatically recounted the assassination attempt at his rally.

Biden pressure: President Biden is facing the most concerted effort yet by leading Democrats seeking to force him out of the presidential race amid concerns over his advanced age and sluggish poll numbers. Here’s what would happen next if Biden dropped out .

Trump VP pick: Trump has chosen Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio as his running mate , selecting a rising star in the party and previously outspoken Trump critic who in recent years has closely aligned himself with the former president.

Presidential election polls: Check out The Post’s presidential polling averages of the seven battleground states most likely to determine the outcome of the election.

Key dates and events: Voters in all states and U.S. territories have been choosing their party’s nominee for president ahead of the summer conventions. Here are key dates and events on the 2024 election calendar .

COMMENTS

The 50 Best Biography Movies of All Time
My 50 personal favorite biography movies of all time. Honourable Mentions: Elvis (2022) Mank (2020) Dolemite Is My Name (2019) First Man (2018) The Disaster Artist (2017) The Danish Girl (2015) Trumbo (2015) 127 Hours (2010) Hachi (2009) Hunger (2008) The Diving Bell & The Butterfly (2007) The Basketball Diaries (1995) Quiz Show (1994) Glory (1989) My Left Foot (1989) Escape From Alcatraz ...
20 Best Biopic Movies of All Time
Read More: Best Time Travel Movies of All Time. 6. Gandhi. Richard Attenborough's enduring masterpiece 'Gandhi' is still fresh in the hearts of the millions of Indians who watched it at the time when it was released. Made on a very large-scale and featuring actors from both Hollywood and Bollywood, this biographical drama feels fiercely ...
10 Best Biographical Movies of All Time, According to IMDb
Master filmmaker Martin Scorsese's GoodFellas has stood the test of time and earned the reputation of being one of the best gangster films ever made. 'Braveheart' (1995) — 8.4/10
The 140+ Best Biography Movies
Frank Abagnale, Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) worked as a doctor, a lawyer, and as a co-pilot for a major airline -- all before his 18th birthday. A master of deception, he was also a brilliant forger, whose skill gave him his first real claim to fame: At the age of 17, Frank Abagnale, Jr. became the most successful bank robber in the history of the U.S. FBI Agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks) makes it ...
Top 50 Greatest Biopics of All Time (The Ultimate List)
The story of T.E. Lawrence, the English officer who successfully united and led the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes during World War I in order to fight the Turks. Director David Lean Stars Peter O'Toole Alec Guinness Anthony Quinn. 4. Malcolm X.
25 Best Biopics of All Time: From 'Oppenheimer' To 'Malcolm X'
But the ace, of course, is Denzel Washington, who so fully embodies the activist at each stage of his life - from hoodlum to revolutionary to martyr - that when younger generations think about ...
100 Best Biopics of All Time
The Last Emperor (1987) - Director: Bernardo Bertolucci. - Stacker score: 83.6. - Metascore: 76. - IMDb user rating: 7.7. - Runtime: 163 minutes. Bernardo Bertolucci's "The Last Emperor" follows the life of Pu Yi, who took the throne when he was 3 years old and abdicated when he was 7.
Top 100 Biography Movies
75Metascore. Based on a real-life case in 1925; two great lawyers argue the case for, and against, a Tennessee science teacher accused of the crime of teaching Darwin's theory of evolution. DirectorStanley KramerStarsSpencer TracyFredric MarchGene Kelly. 10/10. 6. Secretariat. 20102h 3mPG. 7.2 (31K)Rate. 61Metascore.
The 15 Best Biopics of All Time
The layers in the feature film debut of director Lin-Manuel Miranda are truly one of a kind. The 2021 movie introduces us to Jonathan Larson (played by Andrew Garfield), who became best known for ...
Best Biopics Ever Made, Ranked
Eddie Redmayne , Felicity Jones , Tom Prior , Sophie Perry , Harry Lloyd , Alice Orr-Ewing. Runtime. 123. 2014's critically acclaimed biopic The Theory of Everything is a poignant portrayal of ...
The 100+ Best Biopics Of All Time, Ranked By Fans
Over 1K filmgoers have voted on the 100+ films on Best Biopics To Watch About Real People. Current Top 3: Schindler's List, Goodfellas, Walk the Line ... #6 of 262 on The Best War Movies Of All Time #2 of 96 on The Very Best Oscar-Winning Movies For Best Picture; Available On: subscription. $14.99. $3.99. 3.
20 Best Biopics of All Time, Ranked
3 'Napoleon' (1927) While Ridley Scott has directed a 2023 Napoleon movie, one could argue he's about 100 years late to the Napoleon Bonaparte party, because in 1927, one of the greatest silent ...
The 20 Best Biopics of All Time
Wyndham Wyeth. In honor of today's release of Jobs, the Steve Jobs biopic, we've put together our list of the 20 best biopics of all time. 10. The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) It's the ...
16 of the Best Biopics of All Time
The film is based on the biography, Howard Hughes: The Secret Life, and focuses on the 20-year period where is cultural contributions and playboy lifestyle made the most impact. Watch Here Milk (2008)
The 28 best biopics of all time
Capote (2005) bilbo / MovieStillsDB. In the 2005 biopic "Capote," Philip Seymour Hoffman blew audiences away with his portrayal of Truman Capote and the writer's work on the 1966 non-fiction ...
Best Biography Movies
95. Metascore. 6. Schindler's List. Dec 15, 1993 • Rated R. Steven Spielberg's epic drama tells the compelling true story of German businessman Oskar Schindler (Neeson) who comes to Nazi-occupied Poland looking for economic prosperity and leaves as a savior. (History in Film) 95. Metascore.
20 Best Biopic Movies of the 21st Century (So Far)
Inspired by the 1998 biography of the same name by Sylvia Nasar, A Beautiful Mind chronicles the life of John Forbes Nash Jr. (Russell Crowe), who went through it all - from fame's pinnacles to ...
best biography movies of all time
best biography movies of all time. 1. Donnie Brasco (1997) R | 127 min | Biography, Crime, Drama. An FBI undercover agent infiltrates the mob and finds himself identifying more with the Mafia life--at the expense of his regular one. Director: Mike Newell | Stars: Al Pacino, Johnny Depp, Michael Madsen, Bruno Kirby.
250 Best Biography Movies of All Time
250 Best Biography Movies of All Time. Biographical films, or biopics, are one of the most inspiring and educational genres in cinema. This genre tells real-life stories, offering audiences a path to explore personal achievements, overcoming challenges, and discovering the meaning of life. Biographical films honor significant figures and events ...
The 100 Best Movies of All Time: Critics' Picks
King Kong (1933) The 1930s was an astonishing decade for Hollywood monster movies. "Frankenstein," "Dracula," "The Mummy," "The Invisible Man" — these divinely spooky fairy tales ...
The 50 Best Biography Movies of All Time
3. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) Rotten Tomatoes® 94%. 4. Raging Bull (1980) Rotten Tomatoes® 94%. 5. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) Rotten Tomatoes® 76%.
15 Of The Best Written Movies Of All Time
Today we honor those movies, from epic crime films of the 1970s to mind-bending absurdist comedies of the 2000s. Meet some of the best-written movies ever made. Image Credit Paramount Pictures.
The 30 Best Biographies of All Time
12. The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann. Another mysterious explorer takes center stage in this gripping 2009 biography. Grann tells the story of Percy Fawcett, the archaeologist who vanished in the Amazon along with his son in 1925, supposedly in search of an ancient lost city.
The 25 Best Biography Movies of the 21st Century
My 25 personal favorite biography movies from 2000-2024 Honorable Mentions: Mank (2020) Rocketman (2019) Beautiful Boy (2018) Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) The Disaster Artist (2017) Hacksaw Ridge (2016) The Founder (2016) Snowden (2016) Spotlight (2015) Trumbo (2015) The Danish Girl (2015) Straight Outta Compton (2015) The Imitation Game (2014) American Sniper (2014) Captain Phillips (2013) The ...
Was J.D. Vance's 'Hillbilly Elegy' Really a True Story? All About the
While it hit No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list and was later adapted into a Ron Howard-directed Netflix film starring Amy Adams and Glenn Close, many critics — particularly those who ...
My 10 most watched movies of all time: Boston Globe film critic
I n my recent "Blazing Saddles" critic's notebook, I mentioned I'd seen the Mel Brooks film so many times "that it ranks in the top 3 on my most-seen movies list."A few readers wrote ...
Trump chooses Sen. J.D. Vance, a former critic, as his vice
If elected in November, Vance, 39, would be one of the youngest vice presidents in history. He is a relative political newcomer, winning his Senate seat in 2022 after rising to prominence as an ...

20 Best Biopic Movies of All Time

20. Nixon (1995)

19. Bugsy (1991)

18. Chaplin (1992)

17. Downfall (2005)

16. Lincoln (2012)

15. The Aviator (2004)

14. The Last King of Scotland (2006)

13. Patton (1970)

12. My Left Foot (1989)

11. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

10. The Social Network

8. Malcolm X

7. The Pianist

5. The Elephant Man

4. Raging Bull

3. Goodfellas

2. Schindler’s List

1. Lawrence of Arabia

SPONSORED LINKS

The 25 best biopics of all time – ranked

1. Napoléon (1927)

2. Andrei Rublev (1966)

3. Raging Bull (1980)

4. Malcolm X (1992)

5. Amadeus (1984)

6. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985)

7. The Elephant Man (1980)

8. Patton (1970)

9. Lawrence of Arabia (2012)

10. Oppenheimer (2023)

11. The Last Emperor (1987)

12. Ed Wood (1994)

13. Spartacus (1960)

14. Persepolis (2008)

15. A Hidden Life (2020)

16. Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980)

17. Walk the Line (2005)

18. I'm Not There (2007)

19. Lincoln (2013)

20. I, Tonya (2017)

21. Control (2007)

22. Ray (2005)

23. Man on the Moon (1999)

24. Rocketman (2019)

25. Elvis (2022)

100 best biopics of all time

#100. Donnie Brasco (1997)

#99. The Last Emperor (1987)

#98. Philomena (2013)

#97. Lorenzo's Oil (1992)

#96. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)

#95. A Beautiful Mind (2001)

#94. Into the Wild (2007)

#93. The Sea Inside (2004)

#92. American Gangster (2007)

#91. The Killing Fields (1984)

#90. Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)

#89. Endless Poetry (2016)

#88. An Angel at My Table (1990)

#87. Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)

#86. Love & Mercy (2014)

#85. Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)

#84. Il Divo (2008)

#83. The General (1998)

#82. Steve Jobs (2015)

#81. Vincere (2009)

#80. Rush (2013)

#79. Control (2007)

#78. Missing (1982)

#77. Selma (2014)

#76. The End of the Tour (2015)

#75. The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki (2016)

#74. Catch Me If You Can (2002)

#73. Inherit the Wind (1960)

#72. Glory (1989)

#71. The Damned United (2009)

#70. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

#69. Pride (2014)

#68. The Fighter (2010)