Every 2020 movie I saw, ranked!

The Year in Movies, 2020

Hey movie lovers! Welcome to my third annual year-end review list. This has certainly been a year unlike any other, and the movie business was arguably one of the most affected industries in the world. Movie theaters are in full-on panic mode, with studios not far behind them, as both production and distribution have proven impossible at various points this year.

There's no getting around the fact that 10, maybe 15 of the movies that would've ranked inside my top 20 for the year ended up not being released. That's disappointing, no doubt, but the unexpected benefit is that practically every movie on this list can be found on one of the major streaming services. For the final three categories, I've listed where you can find the movie to stream in parenthesis.

My usual disclaimer: I wasn't able to watch everything I wanted to in 2020. This was the first year I reached 200 movies for the year (you can see the full list here), and 75 of those were released in 2020. Still, there are a few notable movies missing: Nomadland, which would've likely been in my top 10; Promising Young Woman; One Night in Miami, an Academy Award hopeful; David Byrne's American Utopia; not to mention movies like Wonder Woman: 1984, The Godfather Coda and Michael Bay's Songbird. I think I may put out an updated top 10 when I get around to everything that I think has a chance.

ONE LAST THING! Coming Friday morning will be some bonus content for you. Over on my podcast, I'll be handing out some year-end awards, including conventional categories like Best Actor and funkier categories like Funniest Moment. As always, you can the podcast on Apple or Spotify.

Thank you so much for listening and spreading the word this year!

Without further ado, here are all of the 2020 releases I watched, ranked from worst to best:

Category 8: The Truly Awfuls

75. Spenser Confidential: I'd call this one of the worst movies I've ever seen, if I didn't think that was exactly what Peter Burg and Marky Mark Wahlberg were going for here.

74. Capone: Ok but this one where Tom Hardy plays the bed-pooping Alzheimer's patient I have no problem calling one of the worst movies I've ever seen.

73. Miss Americana: Admittedly this rank has less to do with quality and more to do with content. Never before has a documentary crystalized exactly why I don't like someone (Taylor Swift) while ostensibly telling me all the reasons why I should love them.

72. The Last Thing He Wanted: A true disgrace because it managed to totally ruin promising source material (a Joan Didion novel) and A-list talent (Anne Hathaway, Ben Affleck, Willem Dafoe, Rosie Perez).

71. A Kid from Coney Island: Just your garden variety hagiographic documentary, though in this case it feels particularly unfair to tell an entirely positive story about a figure as polarizing as Stephon Marbury.

70. Wild Card: The Downfall of a Radio Loudmouth: Not sure when it became "art" to give a convicted criminal 90 minutes to plead their side of the case. Next thing you know, that criminal, Craig Carton, is back on the air at his old station in NYC.

Category 7: The Bad-Timers

69. True History of the Kelly Gang: Literally a Wikipedia entry come to life on the big screen. Somehow, for a crazy guy who apparently killed a lot of people, there's a severe lack of action or fun. How do you waste a hammy Russell Crowe and Charlie Hunnam performance?

68. The Wrong Missy: *checks notes* Yep, Adam Sandler is still handing out paid vacations to his friends. Lauren Lapkus deserves so much better.

67. Love Wedding Repeat: One of those movies you throw on Netflix in the background of whatever you're doing and forget about within 15 minutes of it being over. But I can't quit Olivia Munn.

66. Downhill: Seriously, someone draw up criminal charges for whoever thought it was a good idea to put Will Ferrell AND Julia Louis-Dreyfus in a movie and then not allow them to be funny. That person should be shot.

65. Endings, Beginnings: I can't help but feel like this Shailene Woodley-Jamie Dornan-Sebastian Stan love triangle would've been a hit if it were 20% less gloomy and broken into an eight-part streaming series.

64. Seberg: In a year with so many good movies about race relations, I'm not really sure we needed the one about a white French movie star growing a conscience.

63. The Devil All the Time: Truly one of the most joyless movies I've ever seen. Misery begets...more misery. Pretty good performances, pretty compelling, I just can't think of a less fun way to spend two hours.

62. Enola Holmes: Can't think of another movie on the list I viscerally hated more than this one, which seemed reverse-engineered from what outfits would look good on Mille Bobby Brown's Instagram feed.

61. The Sunlit Night: No idea where or how I developed this crush on Jenny Slate, but that plus Zach Galifianakis in a Viking costume was enough for me to give this movie...err I mean feature-length tourism ad for Norway (literally!)...a shot.

60. Hooking Up: Believe me when I tell you that getting this low budget sex comedy to a C+ level is admirable, considering it's a romantic comedy with two uncharismatic leads.

59. Ava: I've noticed in recent days this movie popping up in the Netflix Top 10. So I guess you all fell for this star-studded action dud just like me. Jessica Chastain and John Malkovich...do you really need the money that badly?

Category 6: The Participation Trophies

58. The Lovebirds: A legitimately funny romantic adventure romp as long as you don't expect anything more than the dumbed-down formula.

57. An American Pickle: This movie got the absolute most from its ridiculous concept -- a turn-of-the-century immigrant in modern NYC -- then got carried away by its political statements. An apt metaphor for creator/star Seth Rogen.

56. Antebellum: I'm sorry you simply can't use the loaded imagery of slavery and then pull back the curtain and not have a single thing to add to the racial discussions of the year.

55. The Nest: An acting showcase for Jude Law and Carrie Coon stands on the extremely shaky plot of a failing mid-80s banker. The metaphor is so on-the-nose they literally kick a dead horse at one point.

54. The Social Dilemma: Complete opposite reaction to Miss Americana. The content here was excellent, and quite literally led to me deleting social media apps off my phone. But the filmmaking style made me roll my eyes a million times over.

53. Guns Akimbo: There hasn't been a successful movie capturing the video games style since Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, but this came pretty close. I'm all here for every single one of Daniel Radcliffe's weird career choices.

52. A Rainy Day in New York: This third-rate Woody Allen is most useful as a look at what octogenarians think 20-somethings talk like, but even then the movie makes more sense if it was released 30 years ago.

51. The Hunt: For a movie that was quite literally postponed because of a Trump tweet, it really wasn't all that controversial. Several bonus points were awarded for someone finally being smart enough to let future star Betty Gilpin lead a movie.

50. Extraction: The 13-minute unbroken, continuous action shot was more than enough for this placement. Some of the best action sequences and some of the worst everything else I've ever seen.

49. We Are Freestyle Love Supreme: I'll admit my biases here. If you make a hagiographic documentary about people who I actually think deserve it, in this case Lin Manuel Miranda and Tommy Kail's improv group, you get a pass.

48. How to Build a Girl: Beanie Feldstein is both the reason why this Almost Famous-esque tale works and the thing that stops one from immersing themselves in the story. The accent and the hair were...a choice.

47. Bad Boys for Life: History will always remember that the No. 1 grossing movie at the domestic box office this year was the FOURTH Bad Boys movie? It delivers exactly what we expected, a trait which in retrospect was enormously valuable.

46. Big Time Adolescence: Before Pete Davidson starred in a movie further down this list as a Pete Davidson-esque character, he starred in this movie as...a Pete Davidson-esque character, filmed between stints in SNL skits as Pete Davidson-esque characters. What range!

45. The Midnight Sky: George Clooney realizes that if he agrees to star, he can basically direct any movie he wants. After this incredibly slow-paced space soap opera, I'm not entirely sure that's a good thing.

44. Hillbilly Elegy: Give Glenn Close her long overdue Oscar, then let's all convene and figure out how to make prestige literary adaptations that don't suck.

43. The Old Guard: A slightly better version of the big, dumb, loud action movie the Netflix algorithm spits out every month. It's not often movies like this are led by two woman, especially ones as capable as Charlize Theron and Kiki Layne.

42. The High Note: A shot of that saccharine sweet syrup right into my arm, please. Give me music, a solid cast (Dakota Johnson, Tracee Ellis Ross and Kelvin Harrison Jr.) and some light family drama....and take my money.

41. Greyhound: Tom Hanks' days as a box office superstar are likely over, but he's only just getting started on this new phase of hyper-earnest stories about decent men.

40. The Rental: A solid first directing effort from Dave Franco, though it's impossible not think he just remade Drinking Buddies in a script co-written by the guy who wrote Drinking Buddies! Then tacked on some horror to get it made.

Category 5: The Lot to Likers

39. Belushi: A pretty revelatory documentary about the demons that both powered John Belushi's rise, and ultimately caused his fall resulting in a premature death.

38. The Assistant: The economy of knowledge in this Harvey Weinstein-adjacent story is really impressive, showing us everything we need to know without telling us anything as we follow a day in the life.

37. Emma: Before she was taking the world by storm in "The Queen's Gambit," Anya Taylor-Joy was bringing her very particular energy to this Jane Austin adaptation with Instagram-era sensibilities.

36. The King of Staten Island: If you find yourself watching an enjoyable comedy that runs 20 minutes too long and makes you soft smile a lot more than you laugh, there's a good chance you've found a late period Judd Apatow movie.

35. Tigertail: One of the most honest and vulnerable looks at the multi-generational effects of American immigration, from the whip-smart mind of Alan Yang based on his own Taiwanese family.

34. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom: A movie that is more appreciated than enjoyed, joining the trend of August Wilson adaptations that devolves into accomplished actors taking turns doing dramatic monologues. With that being said, rest in peace to Chadwick Boseman. Give him the Oscar for this one.

33. The Last Dance: Probably twice as long as it should've been and half as long as ESPN needed it to be, this 10-part documentary about Michael Jordan quite literally took the place of every single sport on the planet for about two months.

32. The Night Clerk: Half the people who watched this movie hated it with a passion, and the other half found a lot to like in the autistic love story of a young voyeur who saw something he shouldn't have.

31. Rebecca: I have no idea why anyone would choose to remake an Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece, but throw Lily James and Armie Hammer in period clothing and give me something resembling the original source text and I'm happy.

Category 4: The Recommendations

30. First Cow: On the surface is a patient, low stakes story of 19th century capitalism. Beneath is an entire ocean of deep themes and thought provoking questions. You get out what you put into it.

29. Tenet: Pardon me for actually wanting something resembling a coherent narrative. The action set pieces are incredible, the vibes put James Bond to shame, and the story is total gobildy gook.

28. Let Them All Talk: Steven Soderbergh's little experiments still turn out to be delightfully surprising little stories, this time crackling with authentic energy since so much of the movie was improvised. It helps when you have Meryl Streep, of course.

27. Dick Johnson is Dead: One of the rawest documentaries I've ever come across, this is the most intimate portrait of caring for an aging parent possible, enlivened by a very loose grasp on truth.

26. Just Mercy: Real life superheroes like Bryan Stevenson cannot possibly be captured in a fictionalized movie. His story and his words are so much more powerful coming from the source. Read the book!

25. The Broken Hearts Gallery: It's wonderful news that joyful, cookie-cutter romantic comedies have returned to the studios. This one checks all the boxes, and I can't wait to see what star Geraldine Viswanathan does next.

24. Happiest Season: A hilarious supporting cast elevate this typical holiday fare onto another level, with laughs at opportune times making up for the classic rom-com trope of picking the wrong suitor in the love triangle.

Category 3: The Pretty Darn Gooders

23. I'm Thinking of Ending Things (Netflix): To be fair to Christopher Nolan and TeneT, one could be forgiven for not having a single clue what happens in this movie. It's bizarre in the way only screenwriter Charlie Kaufman can imagine. The difference here is that the deeper you dig for explanation, you find more and more layers of emotional depth, rather than theoretical astrophysics.

22. Arkansas (VOD): It's still wild to me that Clark Duke (the idiot from the Hot Tub Time Machine movies) managed to pull together this southern-set crime story and get the most out of Liam Hemsworth, Vince Vaughn and John Malkovich while managing a wildly variable tone between comedy and action. Impressive.

21. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (Amazon Prime): Its efforts as a narrative story fail, but Sacha Baron Cohen never disappoints when it comes to insane stunts that produce belly laughs and expose the underbelly of our country.

20. Yes, God, Yes (Netflix): The specificity of this coming-of-age story set in a Catholic high school elevates both the humor and the emotional resonance. It literally re-contexualized my own personal experience in Catholic school. Now that's the power of movies!

19. The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix): Aaron Sorkin is one of the best screenwriters of all time, but he literally cannot help himself from dialing up his cheeziness to 11 when he's given the chance to direct his own words. The acting is excellent and the craft is high, so I'm expecting a bunch of nominations for a movie that failed to make the impact it was hoping for.

18. Run (Hulu): Aneesh Chaganty makes the most of this bare bones thriller concept, which consistently delights and surprises with consistently satisfying twists despite very limited resources.

17. Host (Shudder): Perhaps the most creative movie of the year, and one of the first to be produced during the pandemic. It's a horror movie recorded entirely over Zoom, and may have been the most stressful hour and 15 minutes of my entire year. Which is...saying something.

16. On the Rocks (AppleTV+): The father-daughter relationship is put under the microscope by director Sophia Coppola (daughter of Francis Ford Coppola) and lead actress Rashida Jones (daughter of Quincy Jones), set against the incredibly vibey and bygone backdrop of pre-pandemic New York City. Oh, and did I mention the dad here is Bill Murray in one of the best performances of his late-career?

15. The Vast of Night (Amazon Prime): I've seen a lot of people critique Andrew Patterson's directorial debut by saying it's just a modern homage to Steven Spielberg, and they say this as if it's a bad thing? Remarkable chemistry between a small town radio DJ and his young switchboard operator bolster this creative sci-fi mystery.

14. Sh*thouse (VOD): A completely misnamed coming-of-age story in the vein of Richard Linklater, capturing the freshman year of college by a writer/director/actor only a few years removed from the experience. It's authentic, heart-warming, and captures the way young people actually talk and interact in 2020 (take notes, Woody Allen).

13. The Gentleman (Showtime): Guy Ritchie got back to doing what he does best, making ulta-violent, ultra-funny, ultra-profane English gangster movies. This time he's got a rock star cast (Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Collin Farrell, Hugh Grant, Michelle Dockery) and a cheeky meta plot line that balances out the hilarity. Farrell in particular gives one of the funniest performances I've seen in years.

12. Da 5 Bloods (Netflix): If Spike Lee didn't know about Chadwick Boseman's condition, than this role in which he inhabits an angelic G.I. who dies too young is one of the great coincidences of all time. It's his most purely entertaining movie in years, while also packing the political punch we've come to expect from him.

11. The Invisible Man (HBO): The most visceral sensory experience of the year, which I'm so glad was one of the last I got to see in an actual movie theater. Take away that incredibly primal experience of fear and shock and the movie doesn't hold up well, nor does it stand repeat viewings. But that initial buzz is intoxicating.

Category 2: The Great Ones

10. Bad Education (HBO): This project outperformed its raw materials probably more than any other this year. The script is a marvel, heightening all the drama of an otherwise banal white collar crime occurring at a Long Island school system, with excellent performances across the board: Hugh Jackman, Allison Janney, Ray Romano, and wait...is that...Geraldine Viswanathan again? Yep.

9. Save Yourselves! (VOD): Equal parts comedy exposing the ridiculousness of millennial life, relationship drama of young people finding themselves, and sci-fi drama about aliens invading the planet, this quirky story was my favorite hidden gem of the year.

8. Blow the Man Down (Amazon Prime): Sharing a sensibility and wit the Coen Brothers would applaud, this first time writing/directing duo craft a thoroughly engrossing portrait of sisters caught up in a crime feels like an ol' fisherman's tale come to life.

7. Mangrove (Amazon Prime): Part of Steve McQueen's "Small Axe" series, this movie completely one-upped Sorkin's courtroom drama in the minds of everyone who has seen it. On the same topic, it's more poignant, more exciting, and most damningly for the wordsmith Sorkin, more electric.

6. Soul (Disney+): Think about this: Pixar is the only studio-backed production company that is consistently producing high budget original scripts aimed at both commercial and critical appeal. The only reason they can get away with it is because they literally always deliver the highest quality stories that make you laugh, cry, and reflect. I did all three watching this latest entry about a middle-aged Jazz teacher who realizes he's died in a sudden accident (and this is supposed to be a kid's movie!).

5. Mank (Netflix): I understand the reservations one might have about needing to watch this movie twice to understand it, but as I tried to explain a few weeks ago that "aha!" moment is one of the most satisfying feelings I had watching a movie this year. David Fincher's work here is witty, engaging, and a lot deeper than it first appears. Don't forget: the organ grinder's monkey!!

4. Palm Springs (Hulu): The movie that suffered the most from the loss of theaters, because I legitimately think it would've been a breakout smash hit. It's one of the best purely entertaining popcorn movies in years, twisting the Groundhog Day set-up by putting a man and woman together in replaying the same day over and over again, a behavior that was scary accurate in 2020. Andy Sandberg and Cristin Milioti are fantastic, and the movie absolutely nails the balance between funny and charming. Everything about it was executed to perfection.

3. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Hulu): A slight cheat since the movie released in 2019 before dropping on Hulu in February 2020, it's probably the only movie on this list that could qualify as high art. It's admittedly not for everyone -- a French lesbian love story -- but it's beautiful and incredibly moving in a way that reminds you just how powerful cinema can be.

2. Hamilton (Disney+): As you all know by now, "Hamilton" is my favorite piece of storytelling in any media format, and the only reason I didn't give it the top spot here is out of respect for the cinematic form. Still, this filmed version of the original broadway cast performing the masterful, multi-layered epic will always hold a special place in my heart.

1. Boys State (AppleTV+): No movie wow-d me more in 2020 than this documentary, which only grew in my mind the second and third times I watched it. The events of this government simulation amongst high school boys in Texas draws metaphorical lines that are almost too clean in relation to our current political shortcomings, which don't stop it from making extremely profound observations while also building a level of drama that cannot be replicated in fictional storytelling when done correctly.

Category 1: The All-Timers

Unfortunately nothing rose to the level of immortality in movie history this year, an impossibly high standard that has only been reached by a handful of movies since I started doing this (Get Out, Parasite, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood). There were a few movies set to come out in 2020 with serious all-timer potential, so here's to hoping they come out and exceed expectations in 2021!