The 2000s were a very interesting time for movies. It was a great decade for blockbuster franchises and the rise of the superhero film, but at the same time it was also a great time for smaller movies and independent films as well. A diverse and innovative decade, the 2000s were packed with a wide array of films that seemed to explore not only every genre but embrace some unique and quirky stories as well. Movies during the 2000s covered just about every topic and every aesthetic, making it one of the most creatively of times.
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But while there were a lot of great films in the 2000s, there are quite a few that have somehow slipped from our collective appreciation. While the bigger movies like the Harry Potter franchise and the Spider-Man movies have stuck with us, we might need a little bit of reminding about some of the other great films of the4 decade. Her are seven such films, including one you probably wouldn’t ever expect to see on this list.
7) The Prestige
Released in 2006, The Prestige is not only a 2000s movie that you probably forgot was awesome, but it is also one of Christopher Nolan’s best films. Based on the novel by Christopher Priest, The Prestige stars Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale as rival stage magicians in Victorian London who are locked in a feud over the perfect teleportation illusion. It is a very grim film at times, with both men completely obsessed with magic to the point that they go to some very dark places as a result, but what makes the film absolutely incredible is how it’s structured.
The Prestige is put together almost as an illusion itself, working as a puzzle for the viewer to solve. It’s a film that rewards multiple viewings as more and more details are revealed. The film is also possibly one of Nolan’s most human and it’s absolutely heartbreaking. It also has an incredible score. Why this one gets overlooked as an “awesome” film escapes me, but you definitely need to check this one out.
6) Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang might be Val Kilmer’s most underrated performance, and the 2005 is easily an overlooked gem. The film stars Robert Downey Jr. as Harry, a two-bit crook who accidentally tumbles into an audition for a mystery film while running from the cops and ends up landing a screen test. He soon ends up caught up in the middle of a murder investigation when he’s sent to Los Angeles and meets up with Perry van Shrike (Kilmer), a private investigator hired to get him ready.
The movie is a fun, wild ride of a film. It helped re-establish Downey as a movie star (something that would fully happen with Iron Man just a few years later) and Kilmer is absolutely hilarious at moments in the film as well. It’s genuinely great.
5) Ghost World
I know there are going to be people who see Ghost World on this list and immediately say to themselves “I didn’t forget it was awesome” but the reality is that the 2001 film is largely a cult favorite, never quite having gotten the widespread appreciation it deserved even when it was first released. Based on Daniel Clowes’ comic book Ghost World, the movie follows teenage outsiders Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) whose friendship starts to change when Enid becomes interested the much older Seymour (Steve Buscemi) and decides to help his love life.
Ghost World is a sad little film, but it’s also really funny and deeply insightful coming of age story. The film was extremely well received by critics with Roger Ebert even saying that he wanted to hug the movie. It’s just a very well-done film and 25 years later is well-worth revisiting.
4) Stranger Than Fiction
The premise of Stranger Than Fiction is an interesting one: Harold Crick, an IRS agent, begins hearing a voice narrating his life as though it’s a novel and finds out that he, the main character, is going to die soon. This naturally leads Harold to frantically try to figure out how to prevent his own death. The idea of a real lire person ending up being controlled as a fictional character is just great and the film does it justice.
Starring Will Ferrell as Harold along with Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Emma Thompson, the movie lets Ferrel shine in a comedy role that is a bit more measured and reserved than what fans are used to seeing him in. The movie is also surprisingly nuanced and thoughtful, offering up some pretty serious moral themes in a way that is pleasurable to watch and somehow feels more personal than you might expect. The movie did well with critics and at the box office, but somehow, we’ve all forgotten about it in the last 20 years.
3) Punch-Drunk Love
While everyone really sat up and took notice of Adam Sandler’s acting talent in a more dramatic role thanks to Uncut Gems, 2002’s Punch-Drunk Love is actually the film that showed off exactly what he can do. The movie follows Barry (Sandler), an entrepreneur who has serious social anxiety and anger issues who falls in love with Lena (Emily Watson), the odd friend and co-worker of Barry’s sister. The film is quirky and funny (there’s a plotline regarding Barry’s plan to exploit a pudding promotion loophole to get a million frequent-flyer miles, but it’s a charming film and completely unique in almost every way.
The film did well with critics and Sanders in particular received praise for his more dramatic role. He was even nominated for a Golden Globe for the performance. If you enjoyed Sandler’s more dramatic turn in Uncut Gems, you should go back and check out Punch-Drunk Love, too.
2) Drag Me to Hell
Released in 2006, Drag Me to Hell is probably one of Sam Raimi’s most underrated films. Written and directed by the filmmaker, Drag Me to Hell stars Alison Lohman as a bank loan officer, Christine, who tries to prove to her boss that she can make difficult decisions at work and, in turn, doesn’t extend and elderly woman’s mortgage. This leads the woman to curse her so that, after three days of torment, she will be sent to Hell to burn for eternity.
The film was a major box office hit and a critical success. Genuinely scary and also genuinely funny (a surprising mix of emotions, really), the film has somehow gotten a little lost when people talk about great horror films, somehow ending up in the shadow of films like Insidious and The Conjuring which came out just a few years later.
1) 12 Rounds
12 Rounds is a movie that gets better only thanks to the passage of time and the ability to look back. It was a box office failure, it did poorly with critics, but it is also the film where we start to get an inkling of the actor John Cena will end up being much later on in projects like Peacemaker. One of his first films (actually his second with The Marine being his first), Cena stars as an FBI agent who has to play a dangerous game of 12 challenges across New Orleans by an arms dealer who has kidnapped his girlfriend to avenge the death of his accomplice a year earlier
No one is going to pretend that this is a great film, but Cena is actually pretty good in this and, once you’ve seen him thrive now in his later career, going back to watch this one makes the movie quite a bit better — and makes you appreciate Cena all the more.
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