It's wild to think of 2001, the year that arguably changed everything in this country for mostly worse was 20 years ago. Although the attacks of 9/11 came late in the year, they cast a shadow on everything that can before and after.
It was too early for the movies to fully reflect the bleakness of this period (that would come later in the decade) and so many of my favorites from this year are surprisingly light-hearted. This was my sophomore year in college and so I have a lot of fond memories specifically tied to the viewing experience of several of these, which remain burned in my brain.
It definitely feels like a more innocent time in many ways -- pre-War on Terror, pre-Katrina, pre-Trump. It wasn't the best year bur far from the worst for movies. And, as per usual, there's a few stone-cold classics...
10) Zoolander - One of the most delightfully silly and quotable comedies of its time was like a ear-worm. It did just ok at the box office but it had real staying power. Sure, it's a little overstuffed with celebrity cameos and it's plot is laughably incoherent, but who cares -- Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson are perfection as vapid supermodels who start at as rivals and then become pals, Will Ferrell is deliriously funny as the villain and it'll always remain a favorite dumb comedy of mine although I haven't revisited it in years.
9) Sexy Beast - Ben Kingsley completely upended his on-screen image (he'd played mostly gentle characters after becoming a star with 1982's Gandhi) as a foul-mouthed and ferocious gangster in this cool and kinetic British gangster film. The joke of the film is that everyone, including the imposing Ray Winstone, is terrified of him, and his performance is so intense you believe them. A real who's who of hangdog Brit actors with a killer soundtrack to boot.
8) The Pledge - 2001 was a great year for old man action films (there was also The Score which I am embarrassed to admit I like). Here, Jack Nicholson plays one of his most subdued roles as a retired cop who can't get over a serial killer who slipped through his fingers. To date, the Sean Penn-directed film I've enjoyed the most, keeps throwing curveballs at you, including a murderer's row of supporting performances from the likes of Helen Mirren and a devastating Mickey Rourke. A haunting little thriller that's worth rediscovery and reappraisal.
7) Heist - Like I said, a great year for old man action. Here you have Gene Hackman at his most badass as a professional thief trying to get out of the business clean. A David Mamet script and directorial effort that works because his hyper stylized dialogue is a great fit for the genre. And again, you have an excellent cast surrounding Hackman including Delroy Lindo, Danny DeVito and a young Sam Rockwell -- all of whom are having a ball. Not reinventing the genre or anything, but old fashioned in the best way.
6) Ghost World - A moving and vivid interpretation of a popular underground comic with a scene stealing lead performance from Thora Birch (who should have had a bigger career). An episodic look at a hipster high school graduate trying to figure out her place in the universe who gets into an unlikely romantic relationship with a socially awkward blues aficionado played to perfection by Steve Buscemi, who was robbed of an Oscar nomination for his work in this film.
5) Wet Hot American Summer - Easily one of the funniest, most on target parodies of all time. This cult classic with a stacked cast of up-and-coming stars (including Paul Rudd, Bradley Cooper and Elizabeth Banks) hits out of the park with its bizarro and remarkably committed recreation of the 80s camp movie aesthetic. Deliriously weird and crude, this is always a fun rewatch and I even enjoyed the recent reboots for Netflix. I'm so glad this film (and now franchise) has the fanbase it richly deserves.
4) Training Day - Denzel Washington finally won a Best Actor Oscar for one of his greatest performances (at the time it was viewed as a career consolation prize, but that was a very wrong assessment) and his first full blown villain role. He is electric (and an underrated Ethan Hawke is a great sparring partner) as a deeply corrupt but undeniably charismatic Los Angeles narcotics detective who is indebted to the Russian mob and doing all sorts of dirty deeds to dig himself out. Exciting, funny and evocative, director Antoine Fuqua has yet to top his work here and Denzel gives a master class in genre movie acting.
3) Mulholland Drive - For many, this was a comeback of sorts for director David Lynch. It was originally intended to become a television show but it totally works as a standalone film. It beautifully explores many of his fascinations with artifice, Hollywood, glamour, sex and of course, death. An incredible breakthrough movie for Naomi Watts, Justin Theroux and the stunning Laura Harring (who never got her due). For me, it was the movie that started a lifelong love for Lynch's work and it remains a rewarding revisit all these years later.
2) Ocean's Eleven - Just a unadulterated blast of star-driven fun. I still remember how plesantly surprised and delighted I was by my first (and then second, third and fourth -- I mean who hasn't seen this movie a million times by now on cable?) viewing of this franchise launcher. George Clooney and Brad Pitt proved to be the most charming male leading duo since Paul Newman and Robert Redford, and the whole supporting team all get their moments to shine. Most importantly though, director Steven Soderbergh (who was on an all-time hot streak) didn't sacrifice his directorial flair to make it.
1) The Royal Tenenbaums - For me, it remains Wes Anderson's warmest most glorious picture. All of his specificity works wonders with this sweet and hilarious tale about a wayward patriarch (Gene Hackman again, in one of his greatest, if not his greatest performance) trying to win back the love of his eccentric family. It looks like it could be taking place in the 1970s, even though its in this fantasy version of NYC that has sort of never existed. It's got one of the best soundtracks, some of the biggest laughs, and it pulls on your heartstrings when you least expect it. In other words, it's a perfect movie.
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