As always, I start my top 10 movies of the year list with a disclaimer: Since I live in a small town, I haven’t seen well-reviewed films such as “The Descendants,” “Like Crazy” or “Young Adult” yet. When I do, I might have to rejigger my list a bit.
For now, though, here are my top 10 movies of 2011:
1. “Crazy, Stupid, Love” — Unlike a lot of summer comedies which made punchlines out of their characters, “Crazy, Stupid, Love” actually likes its characters, all of whom are bad at the love game, but for different reasons. And who says a smart movie can’t have a great-looking cast? In a much-cited scene, Emma Stone says of a shirtless Ryan Gosling, “What are you — Photoshopped?” Male viewers were thinking the same about Stone. (Full review.)
2. “Cedar Rapids” — A comedy dream cast doesn’t disappoint, with Ed Helms playing, well, Ed Helms, and John C. Reilly playing, well, John C. Reilly. Isiah Whitlock Jr. is also a masterfully dry line-reader, while Anne Heche provides a female perspective at a wild insurance salesman convention in the Midwest. Be careful when you take a drink of water while watching “Cedar Rapids”: You might end up doing a spit-take. (Full review.)
3. “50/50” — Look, I could rave about Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the cancer patient and Seth Rogen as his best friend, but I’d really just be avoiding the real reason I loved this movie: Anna Kendrick is adorable as Adam’s appointed shrink who tries not to show that she likes him as more than a patient. The film nicely balances the cuteness of that forbidden relationship with the darkness of things like Adam’s new cancer-ward friends dropping dead. (Full review.)
4. “Bad Teacher” — Cameron Diaz is hilariously against-type as a fifth-grade teacher who just wants to survive until the next summer break — and possibly bed Justin Timberlake. This movie is so deliciously wrong, yet so precisely on-point as if the filmmakers took notes on teachers’ lounge behavior. “Bad Teacher” made me laugh more than any other movie this year. (Full review.)
5. “The Adjustment Bureau” — Philip K. Dick’s sci-fi novels are so deliciously outlandish that some fans worry every time an adaptation is announced: How badly will the filmmakers screw it up? But they get this one right: It’s bizarre yet suspenseful when Matt Damon attempts to dodge officials who try to keep him apart from a potential love interest. Damon and Emily Blunt have a natural chemistry as the couple that isn’t-supposed-to-be. (Full review.)
6. “Horrible Bosses” — Of the three title characters, Kevin Spacey the closest to a real-world bad boss in the subtle ways he makes Jason Bateman miserable. Colin Farrell, meanwhile, is frightening as Jason Sudekis’ boss. But it’s Jennifer Aniston who steals the show by going hilariously over-the-top as a dentist who won’t stop sexually harassing her assistant, Charlie Day. The fantasy of being sexually harassed by Jennifer Aniston only slightly undercuts the film’s serious exploration of what it’s like to have a bad job when your only alternative is the unemployment line. (Full review.)
7. “Paranormal Activity 3” — The star of this movie is the Fan Cam. In “PA3,” which actually takes place before the other two movies, Dennis is the rare haunted-house resident who gets proactive. He duct-tapes a camera to an oscillating fan to try to catch the ghost on video. This leads to giddily scary scenes where viewers have to ask “What’s going to be in the frame on the next pan?” (Full review.)
8. “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” — I’m not sure if this is supposed to be a prequel to one of the previous “Planet of the Apes” films or if it’s a relaunch of the franchise. At any rate, we get the fascinating, albeit compressed, evolutionary tale of the chimpanzee Caesar, arguably the most realistic CGI character we’ve ever seen — both in look and performance, thanks in part to motion-control actor Andy Serkis. (Full review.)
9. “Hobo with a Shotgun” — I don’t like realistic violence, but I find over-the-top grindhouse-movie violence to be one of the funniest things cinema can serve up. My No. 1 movie of last year was “Machete,” and now we have the latest fake “Grindhouse” trailer to be turned into a movie. If you’re up for “Hobo’s” brazen, manipulative and (purposely) stupid ride, you’ll root for Rutger Hauer as the title character looking to clean up the (extremely) mean streets. (Full review.)
10. “Moneyball” — Based on a book about probabilities and market strategies, “Moneyball” could’ve been an awful slog, but the filmmakers find ways to squeeze some suspense out of the Oakland A’s attempt to make the playoffs with a tiny payroll in 2002. Brad Pitt, as team owner Billy Beane, and Jonah Hill, as his wunderkind assistant, make the movie compelling and personal where it could’ve been slow and dull in other hands. (Full review.)
What were your top 10 movies of 2011? Share your thoughts below.
Comments
I could blame the elementary (searching for better word) nature of my list on a number of things: Living in a small town with limited selections, inconsistent hours that leave only the weekend free to visit the local cinema, having a girlfriend who’s not a fan of genres that include horror, action and dumb guy humor, etc. But really, I just didn’t make time to see enough quality, oscar-worthy movies. That being said, exluding the movies that haven’t made it to DVD yet, I’ve priortized time to see the bulk of movies on my must-see list.
WIthour further ado, here’s my selections:
1. Thor — It garners top honors for a few reasons. First, it blew away my expectations. Second, it has Natalie Portman. Third, it’s just a fantastic movie, and it shows that, despite all the previous duds, superhero flicks can be just as good, or better than, the comic books they were based on.
2. Crazy Stupid Love — Like his characters in Dan in Real Life, The Office and The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Steve Carell just hits a home run. He’s just a guys guy that’s relateable. Also, all this talk about Emma Stone and her acting chops and beauty just underscores the beauty of the ageless wonder, Julianne Moore. Just like in The Kids are All RIght, The Hours, Magnolia, Nine Months and (insert great movie she’s been in), she’s a scene-stealer. And damn is Gosling is just really likeable. Great movie.
3. The Lincoln Lawyer — I got a soft spot for Matthew McConaughey and Marisa Tomei, along with murder mystery dramas. This one’s light-hearted enough but also packs the punch of suspense.
4. Rango — From start to finish, probably the most enjoyable movie that I watched all year. Just an enrgrossing animated flick packed with adult-themed humor.
5. Hall Pass — This gets my nod for Generating-the-most-belly-laughs-movie-of-2011. Just guy humor at its best, replete with tons of sex jokes. When I get married, I hope I have friends like the characters played by Sudeikis and Wilson.
6. Bridesmaids — Critics like to talk about how Melissa McCarthy stole the show, and she did at certain times, but Kristen Wiig wrote and acted her ass off and Maya Rudoplh was hilarious. I recently went to a couples party where the guys went to the kitchen to tell war strories while the girls played with babies and kept it boring and PG in the living room. Naturally, Jenelle was in the kitchen with us, and the cast in Bridesmaids would have been there right with her, probably making us all cry with laughter.
7 .Paul — Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are comedic gold. And Seth Rogen’s performance as Paul was other-worldly (pun intended).
8. X-Men: First Class — Easily the best of the franchise. Unlike the ones that preceded it, an enthralling watch where I wasn’t waiting for it end.
9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 — Knew it wasn’t your favorite book, but shocked it didn’t make your cut. Thought it absolutley destroyed Part 1, providing the action, romance, and comedy, not to mention the best sequence of the whole franchise in explainging Snapes’s backstory. The more that I think of it, this could of easily made my top 4.
10. Limitless — Really underrated movie with a great premise that provided a lot of heart-stopping moments and kept me on the edge of my seat.# Posted By Seth Stringer | 12/25/11 3:03 PM
I don’t understand the Bridesmaids hype at all. I saw it and thought it was inoffensively mediocre. The bridal shop poop scene was outstanding, but outside of that … meh. I don’t get the sudden McCarthy hype either. Did these people miss all seven seasons of Gilmore Girls? Paul and X-Men were almost on my list. Harry Potter — eh, not bad, but a bit too rushed and light on character stuff to be top-10 worthy. It was a very strong year for movies — Paul, X-Men, Harry Potter and Hall Pass would’ve made my list in most recent years. Gotta see Thor after all of your hype about it. You make an excellent point when you say Natalie Portman is in it. Also gotta see Lincoln Lawyer. Rango not my thing. Never heard of Limitless.# Posted By John Hansen | 12/25/11 6:36 PM
Aside from Bad Teacher (which was decent but not great), I did like the list.
I think if I had seen Horrible Bosses, 50/50, Moneyball or Cedar Rapids, along with a number of recent flicks in the theater, my list could have been much different. Midnight in Paris, The Tree of Life, The new Planet of the Apes, 30 Minutes or Less, Our Idiot Brother, Contagion, Real Steel, Paranormal Activity 3, Tower Heist, A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas, Young Adult, the new Sherlock Holmes and Mission Impossible, and the flicks mentioned above are all movies I want to, and will eventually, see.# Posted By Seth Stringer | 12/26/11 12:50 AM
It seems like every now and then The Critics (capital letters) get some films dead-wrong. This year, to me they are wrong about Bad Teacher (way underrated) and Bridesmaids (way overrated). And it’s a shame because it snowballs: Casual moviegoers will choose Bridesmaids over Bad Teacher when looking at the B’s in the video store. I guess I’m stuck being a Bad Teacher apologist from now on. Oh well, we like what we like I guess.# Posted By John Hansen | 12/27/11 12:09 AM
My big gripe with Bad Teacher is the performances of Timberlake, Diaz and Segel. Timberlake, who I like in nearly every other setting, should not have been casted for this role. Also, Diaz wasn’t particularly funny to me and Segel was way underutilized; You cast a star in his prime, you have to use him.
As for The Critics, I take their opinions with a grain of salt. Most are blowhards that come off as arrogant and pretentious, and they write as though their opinions are the truth (I do however still go to rottentomatoes to read their opinions). Then again, for the most part I really like the EW reviewers, who I’ve I’ve really developed a good comfort level with. That being said, I’d rather read your reviews. So many critics undervalue romcoms and quirky comedies and action flicks, whereas you’re open to enjoying any genre of movie.# Posted By Seth Stringer | 12/30/11 12:06 PM
I know Segel was underused and his relationship with Diaz didn’t ring true, but the movie was so funny. For example, the bathroom scene was arguably better than Bridesmaids’ because it was so unexpected. In a way, it’s insider humor for teachers, but I’m not a teacher, and I still felt like I was getting a window into an exaggerated version of teacher’s lounges.
Actually, I have a weird bias against animated movies, although I like animated TV shows. It’s just weird how some movies have almost every professional critic on the bandwagon. This year that movie was Bridesmaids for some reason.# Posted By John Hansen | 12/30/11 9:36 PM
True, if you were a paid critic your bias would’ve ruined the 100 percent ratings of “Toy Story” and “Toy Story 2” on rottentomatoes.com. At least you like well-done CGI flicks like Avatar. I do think you would like animated films like “Up.”# Posted By Seth | 12/31/11 1:12 PM
Just saw Lincoln Lawyer. Good, solid lawyer film to watch with my family. Entertaining, although it relied on a few plot contrivances. Not quite top 10 for me. Made me miss Law & Order and kind of want to check out The Firm TV series now.# Posted By John Hansen | 1/1/12 12:46 AM
Checked out Thor. Sorry, found it mediocre. I can see how it would be better in 3D, but the story and characters were pretty thinly drawn. Natalie made it watchable at least.# Posted By John Hansen | 1/1/12 9:14 PM