Every movie I’ve rated five stars on Letterboxd
TW: Bette Midler
Letterboxd! I use it to log and rate the movies I watch even though I kind of hate assigning ratings to something so subjective. It’s a five-star scale. What if a movie is unequivocally a masterpiece but it’s just not for me. Or I was in a bad mood when I watched it. How do I rate that fairly? I get hung up on the right and wrong and all my dumb opinions.
Some of my favorite movies and our greatest works of art are stuck at a 4.5. I can’t give The Deer Hunter five stars, it’s too gut-wrenching. The Talented Mr. Ripley lags for like ten minutes so I dock it half a star. Of the 1,346 movies I’ve logged on Letterboxd so far, I’ve given only 30 of them a five-star rating. That’s like 2% — I’m stingy.
What makes something a five-star movie for me? I’m insanely impacted by nostalgia so if I loved it during childhood or adolescence and still do, five stars. A movie doesn’t have to be a flawless masterpiece, but I have to be rocked by it. Sometimes it’s instinctual.
Rewatchability is a big factor, though there’s a movie on this list I would not consider a rewatchable. I need to feel in awe of some aspect of it. The acting, the script, the directing, the way it makes me feel. Emotional connection and overall enjoyment, I guess.
Looking at my list, clearly I’m a woman. I like coming-of-age, romance, stories about identity, a tragic element. Feel free to make recommendations, argue with me, or share your five-star films. Here are mine.
The Parent Trap (1998)
Streaming on: Disney+
There’s no reason the structure of this movie should work. You think it’s about to end, but then they hit you with another full act.
Who had a better film debut than Lindsay? She’s technically playing four roles.
Tough day for women when we wake up at 27 and realize we’re older than Meredith Blake
Crazy moment when Elizabeth asks “Annie” to pick between the black and white top hat at the bridal shoot. Who would pick black??
I had no idea what the Concorde was growing up
"Yo, tie-dye girl!"
Martin and Annie’s handshake is an iconic moment in cinema history
Drew bought me a Parker Knoll Vineyard t-shirt
Natasha Richardson 💔. I love that her son watches this to remember her.
Y Tu Mamá También (2001)
Streaming on: Netflix
Sexy, funny, a travelogue!
Full-frontal nudity aplenty
My ideal vacation isn’t anything fancy. It’s the beach bar at the end of this movie.
Unpopular opinion but I like movies with a narrator
I don't understand how Alfonso Cuarón went from this to directing Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban next but go off, king?
Oh, to be on a beautiful empty beach and a boat appears to offer you fried fish and ceviche
An ending that sticks with you. Sad yet life-affirming.
Lady Bird (2017)
Streaming on: Max
Being a high school girl is the most profound experience one can have
Where does Trump get off putting 20% tariffs on Irish imports after Saoirse Ronan gave us THIS?
The mother-daughter stuff is so real
Tracy Letts breaks.my.heart.
"WELL I HOPE NOT CUZ I'D FUCKING KILL YOUR FAMILY"
“Who the fuck is on top their first time”
I too love a greatest hits CD
Why is Greta Gerwig making Narnia movies for Netflix?
How do you not cry at the end?
TÁR (2022)
Streaming on: Nowhere currently :/
A movie about a woman’s ego for once!
Putting the end credits at the beginning of the movie. I love when directors make choices!
Easily Cate Blanchett’s best performance, and I’m talking about a woman who’s played Queen Elizabeth I, Katherine Hepburn, and Sheba in Notes on a Scandal
Cate conducting!
Cate speaking German!
Cate wearing perfectly tailored clothes!
Cate living in a brutalist apartment in Berlin!
You feel the slow burn of dread the entire film, yet the ending delights me every time
Legally Blonde (2001)
Streaming on: Omg nowhere right now
I never liked Pam from The Office’s attitude toward Meredith and Amy Adams’ Katy for including Legally Blonde in their desert island movies. This is a perfect movie!
It’s on TV literally every time you’re at a hotel
Passes the Bechdel Test
Best-ever courtroom scene, next to My Cousin Vinny
The role of Elle Woods has a sneakily high degree of difficulty but Reese makes it look easy
I still want that orange Mac
Ammonium thioglycolate
Dazed and Confused (1993)
Streaming on: Prime
Best opening song
I was going to write “How can I be so nostalgic for something I didn’t experience?” but noticed that’s the top Letterboxd review for Dazed, almost word for word
The best beginning of summer movie
Love how Randy "Pink" Floyd is friends with every clique
Youth is wasted on the young!!! There used to be so much time to hang out. My social battery never ran out. Now, every hang gets cut off by having to wake up for work or take care of a kid.
Call Me by Your Name (2017)
Streaming on: Max
Only the second movie I’ve seen in theaters three times, an honor it shares with High School Musical 3
Emotionally intelligent fathers <3
Everything is sensual. Apricot juice is sensual.
Romanticizes having only one child
Did innovative things with fruit 🍑
Gave us Timmy
End credits wreck me every time
Force Majeure (2014)
Streaming on: It isn’t atm
I’d never seen a movie like this before
Makes me never want to ski
Fragile masculinity!
Unbearably nerve-wracking and awkward at times
Don’t watch the remake. Foreign films are better than ours.
The ending is burned into my brain. I can relate to her.
Before Sunset (2004)
Streaming on: My Blu-ray player usually
The greatest sequel and trilogy
The most naturalistic acting I’ve ever seen
In the limo when he reaches out to comfort her but pulls back 😭
A most delightful moment in life was when I finished watching Before Sunrise in my dorm at 2 am, discovered the existence of Before Sunset, and dove right in
I keep saying “that ending” so I guess what these movies have in common is they stick the landing
Goodfellas (1990)
Streaming on: Netflix
People who try to be cool and say Casino is better, get real
Never boring, not for one second
Don’t we all want to be Italian and angry??
So many top-notch actors in this movie but it goes to another level when Lorraine Bracco shows up
You know a movie’s good when De Niro is like, number four on the list of people you associate with it
One man’s descent into paranoia has never been so fun
You’ve Got Mail (1998)
Streaming on: Suddenly it isn’t
I already said all this, but You’ve Got Mail is the most charming. Besides losing her job and being completely manipulated by Joe Fox (F-O-X).
Erin Brockovich (2000)
Streaming on: Netflix, baby
I guess she’s supposed to be trashy but this is the most beautiful a woman has ever looked to me
A single mom who works one job 🎶
Hexavalent chromium 💀
Speaking of outfits I still think about
"And with all the numbers I gave you, I'm guessing zero is the number of times you're gonna call it."
“That's all you got, lady. Two wrong feet and fucking ugly shoes.” I would evaporate if she said this to me.
Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Streaming on: Paramount+
I know people hate on this movie for beating Saving Private Ryan for Best Picture and I get it but that doesn’t mean I don’t love it
If you’ve never watched this because you think it’s a stuffy Oscar movie, it’s not. It’s fun!
Makes you feel smart even though it isn’t especially highbrow
Joseph Fiennes is hot, remember when he played Michael Jackson
Ben Affleck’s entrance is ridiculous, so fun
Judi Dench 👑 Oscar for six minutes of screen time
"You will never age for me, nor fade, nor die." So romantic!!
The Departed (2006)
Streaming on: It ain’t
Microprocessahs
The only time I’ll put up with Jack Nicholson
How mad is Ben Affleck that he wasn’t in this
“YOURE NO FUCKIN COHP.” Mark Wahlberg has more iconic quotes in a few scenes than most actors over an entire career
I looove when the opening credits appear 20 minutes into the movie. Stylish.
Changed cranberry juice forever
Oops, I’ve never seen the original. I’m the dumb American.
OKAY BUT THAT ENDING
Frances Ha (2012)
Streaming on: AMC+ but who has that
I recently wrote about Frances Ha so I’ll direct you there, but Frances is older than Meredith Blake!
Jaws (1975)
Streaming on: Currently isn’t but I bet it will be before summer
The GOAT summer movie and first real summer blockbuster
Roy Scheider so sexy
“You want to get drunk and fool around?” Cute marriage moment. And how adorable is their little son.
Low-key the reason I crave a New England summer every year
My passion for this movie is the most Americana thing about me. Caught it at a drive-in once, magical.
Drew and I watch it on the Fourth of July every year
Poor Things (2023)
Streaming on: Prime
Instant classic
Emma Stone’s giving a ~brave~ aka nude performance. But incredibly brave!
Mark Ruffalo playing a scoundrel is a good time
Set design goes crazy
We’ll see if it holds up upon rewatch!
Minding the Gap (2018)
Streaming on: Hulu
If you’re into Richard Linklater movies and Hoop Dreams, you'll love Minding the Gap
I went in blind, I don’t regret it
It’s part of the Criterion Collection, has 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and was one of Obama’s favorites that year. Free Solo is cool but this should’ve won the Oscar!
Best of all, it’s 90 minutes
I’m now lucky enough to be friends with the director, Bing, but I didn’t know him the first, second, or third time I watched it. Now that I do, it’s not surprising he made something so incredible.
The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
Streaming on: Criminally it is not
Once again I find myself rooting for adultery
Meryl playing Italian, she collects accents like Pokémon
Clint Eastwood as a love interest, it works
The annoying adult children almost ruin it. Ignore them.
Her hand… on the truck door handle…
25th Hour (2002)
Streaming on: Isn’t, sorry
You already know I love it
Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé (2019)
Streaming on: Netflix
The greatest concert doc? I like Stop Making Sense as much as the next person but it pales in comparison.
The seamless editing when they cut between the two weekends and everyone is in different outfits
This lost the Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special to Carpool Karaoke!!
I know we shouldn’t comment on people’s bodies but hers is the best I’ve ever seen a body look
Anyone else find it hard to hear “Freedom” now?
When Kelly and Michelle join her!
When Solange joins her!
Love that she’s honest about the extreme lengths she went to to physically prepare for this show
Dances full out, doesn’t lip sync, gives you spectacle, gives you cultural significance
American Honey (2016)
Streaming on: Max
You either love it or hate it
I won’t say too much about Shia LaBeouf since we found out he’s an evil demon, but his performance works very well for me
The perfect companion to Sean Baker movies
When Mazzy Star plays ✨✨✨
Steel Magnolias (1989)
Streaming on: Max
The best thing my mom ever gave me besides life was a love of this movie
If this were a movie about men, it would’ve been nominated for ten Oscars
Sally Field’s monologue makes me cry every time
It’s okay to gossip if you do it with love!
My favorite screenplay ever
Southern women do it better
Atonement (2007)
Streaming on: It isn’t 😔
Emotionally manipulative in the best way
Talk about a fuck-ass bob
The reason I can never be at peace with Benedict Cumberbatch
The library scene 🥵
When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
Streaming on: Omg it isn’t
Dìdi (2024)
Streaming on: Prime
Painfully accurate
Best use of 2008: SmarterChild, the sound of the AIM door opening and closing, MySpace top 8, “Touchdown Turnaround,” praise for Hayley Williams
The director’s actual grandma playing the grandma <3
Double-feature it with Minding the Gap
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
Streaming on: Max
Partly responsible for my candy obsession
“Pure Imagination” is one of my top 10 favorite songs
Wonka had the best character intro of all time
Veruca Salt knew what she wanted and I respect that
Nothing scarier than the boat tunnel scene!!
The Johnny Depp and Timothée Chalamet versions simply don’t exist
For Sama (2019)
Streaming on: Isn’t??
It's a documentary about a couple raising their daughter in Aleppo amidst violent conflict, obviously not an easy watch but beautiful and worthwhile
Beaches (1988)
Streaming on: It isn’t, it should be
Don’t be a snob. This is my list!!
What’s wrong with melodrama anyway? It’s good enough for Lorde.
The best thing my mom ever gave me besides life and a love of Steel Magnolias was a love of this movie
If you have a lifelong best friendship, this will hit you HARD
Bette Midler was 33 when she filmed this. I'm 33!!
“Wind Beneath My Wings.” That’s all you have to say.
Titanic (1997)
Streaming on: Prime
My favorite movie, full stop
People gave Harry Styles a hard time for describing Don’t Worry, Darling as a “movie that feels like a movie” but I know what he means. Titanic is the moviest movie of all time while still being a film. Amazing how that works.
A five-star baby
This weekend I’m in Grand Rapids meeting my precious little nephew, Cal. I love him so much and I can’t wait to introduce him to Atonement when he turns four. Seems like the right age. He’ll love the Dunkirk scene. My new bestie!
yes to Ladybird “did you feel emotional the first time you drove in Sacramento…all those bends I’ve known my whole life, and stores, and the whole thing.” SO GOOD
Man, you love movies that make you cry!