Movie critics are a tough crowd to please. Some critics have seen so many movies that it's seemingly impossible to show them something that will impress them. It seems like some critics are always looking for the next Citizen Kane, a movie so epic that it knocks their socks off in the first viewing. When a movie earns critical acclaim, it should be celebrated. Unfortunately, that's not always the case.
Hollywood pumps out so many movies every year that it's nearly impossible to hear about all of them. Sure, big-budget films like 2023's Barbie are all over the news (and for good reason), but there are plenty of other critically acclaimed movies that deserve attention too. These films earned critical acclaim upon their initial release, but time has not been good for them. Here are some of the best critically acclaimed movies that nobody seems to talk about or remember.
13 Frenzy
There's no denying that Alfred Hitchcock is one of the best directors that's ever walked the face of the Earth. He was an epic horror, suspense, and mystery filmmaker with memorable hits that most film buffs know, like Psycho, The Birds, and Vertigo. In 1972, he directed Frenzy, a British thriller about a man who is framed for his wife's murder. The movie was one of the last movies that Hitchcock filmed in England.
Frenzy was released to critical success, with glowing reviews coming from the New York Times and Variety, among others. Roger Ebert gave the movie four out of four stars and called it "a return to old forms by the master of suspense." Hitchcock made a ton of great films during his lifetime, and Frenzy is one of his most underrated.
Actor Daniel Day-Lewis may be retired, but his legacy lives on. As one of the most intense method actors of his generation, Day-Lewis starred in several memorable films like Gangs of New York, There Will Be Blood, and Phantom Thread. He also turned down plenty of roles that weren't right for him. Before all of those, he started in My Left Foot, a drama about a boy named Christy born with cerebral palsy who learns that he can move his left foot. He then preservers and ends up becoming a successful painter, poet, and author.
My Left Foot is an insanely critically acclaimed movie, but it's been buried under all of Day-Lewis' other great roles over the years. He won his first Oscar for his portrayal of Christy and his acting career took off. The film currently has an incredible 98% score on Rotten Tomatoes. My Left Foot was the rocket fuel that Day-Lewis' trajectory to becoming a major movie star.
11 The Player
The Player is a 1992 movie directed by the late great Robert Altman. The film is written by Michael Tolkin, who earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for his efforts. Tim Robbins plays Griffin Mill, a Hollywood studio executive who kills a disgruntled screenwriter he mistakenly believes is sending him death threats. When Mill continues to get messages from his stalker, he realizes that he's in trouble and that he has to escape the police.
The Player was released to critical acclaim and was nominated for 3 Oscars in total. Unfortunately for the filmmakers, the movie was lost among all the other classic films that came out in 1992, like Unforgiven, A Few Good Men, and Batman Returns. It's still worth checking out as it contains one of Tim Robbins' best performances. He's a little indifferent about reviving some of his lesser-known characters, though.
10 Man Bites Dog
Man Bites Dog is another highly underrated movie from 1992. It's a French-Beligian black comedy mockumentary about a film crew who follows a serial killer named Ben (Benoit Poelvoorde). Ben is witty and charming, but also psychopathic and egotistical. He shows the crew his family and brags about murdering people and dumping his victims in bodies of water.
The film is shot in black and white, which gives it a raw, realistic feel. It premiered at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival and went on to play at film festivals in Toronto and New York before getting a wider release. Man Bites Dog didn't get a ton of marketing when it came out, but it's worth checking out if you like neo-noir thrillers. It might not be one of the best mockumentaries of all time, though.
9 The Wedding Banquet
Ang Lee's 1993 movie The Wedding Banquet was ahead of its time. It follows Gay Wai-Tung, a gay Taiwanese man living happily with his partner in New York City. To appease his parents, Wai-Tung tries to start dating but has no luck. He carries on the rouse by agreeing to marry Wei-Wei (May Chin), a woman who lives in his building and needs a green card to stay in the United States.
Many fans know Ang Lee's best movies, like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Brokeback Mountain. But The Wedding Banquet is also deserving of praise for its well-rounded characters and charming East-meets-West storyline. The film was praised upon its release, with Roger Ebert commenting that he was surprised by how much he cared about the characters by the end.
8 A Serious Man
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The 2009 Coen Brothers movie A Serious Man is a film that says a lot without relying on a fast-paced plot to drive the message home. The movie takes place in the 1960s and centers around Larry Gopnik (Micheal Stuhlberg), a professor who's having a midlife existential crisis. He's confused as to why everything around him seems to be falling apart and seeks advice from the local Rabbi to no avail.
A Serious Man digs deep and attempts to answer some of life's great questions, like why we exist, what are we meant to do, and how fate affects our daily lives. The movie was met with critical and commercial acclaim but has been lost to time. Most people tend to remember the bigger Coen Brothers movies instead, like No Country For Old Men and Fargo.
7 La Haine
La Haine is a 1995 French crime film. The title translates to "Hatred" in English and the movie follows a group of delinquent juveniles who live on the outskirts of Paris. The three boys roam the streets at night and one of them finds a police officer's gun that was thought to be lost in a riot. With a deep hatred of the police, the kids decide to keep the gun rather than try to return it.
Later, the boys hunt down a drug user that owes one of them money. Then, they cause trouble in an art gallery and try to steal a car. The movie ends with a tense scene involving the gun, and it leaves the viewer unnerved as to who was the recipient of the final bullet. La Haine was hailed as one of the best foreign language films of the year when it was released, but it never took off in the mainstream media. Many critics believe it's one of the best foreign films of the 1990s.
6 Hunger
Steve McQueen's 2008 film Hunger is a raw and devastating film. It focuses on the Irish Republican Army hunger strike that occurred at Maze Prison in the 1970s. Michael Fassbender plays Bobby Sands, an inmate who is part of the IRA. When the IRA prisoners refuse to eat or wash themselves, it leads to tension among the guards and more political unrest across the country.
Hunger is one of the best Michael Fassbender movies. Peter Travers from Rolling Stone called the movie "shockingly immediate and philosophically reflective" and gave the movie 3.5 out of 4 stars. Hunger received critical acclaim, but its difficult political subject matter makes it a hard film to watch or revisit more than once. Hunger didn't get a huge marketing budget either as it's not exactly a feel-good summer popcorn movie.
5 Winter's Bone
In 2010's Winter's Bone, Jennifer Lawrence is Ree Dolly, a teenager who lives in poverty with her family in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. When her family faces eviction, she must find her estranged father to help. Her mother is mentally ill and Ree takes care of her, as well as her little brother and sister. Along the way, Ree runs into several difficult townsfolk who warn her not to keep looking as her father has been known to run with some dangerous people.
Winter's Bone was a critical and commercial hit for Lawrence. The movie was shot on a measly $2 million budget, but it turned out to be her breakout role for the actor. She's been staring at bigger, more expensive pictures ever since. The film was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards but didn't win as it was overshadowed by bigger movies like Inception, The King's Speech, and The Social Network. Winter's Bone is worth seeking out for those who enjoy mystery movies.
4 Secrets & Lies
Secrets & Lies is a 1996 comedy/drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh. A woman named Hortense (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) who was adopted as a baby tracks down her birth mother. But Hortense is surprised to find out her mother Cynthia (Brenda Blethyn) is white a from a fragmented working-class family. Cynthia works a modest job at a box factory while trying to keep up relationships with her other biological daughter, brother, and sister-in-law. Cynthia refuses to tell Hortense who her real father is and all the characters in the movie have their strange quirks.
The movie was nominated for 5 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Highlighted by excellent acting, intriguing twists, and funny dialogue, Secrets & Lies was met with critical acclaim. The film never got its proper due, however, probably because it doesn't include any big-name Hollywood stars. It made over ten times its production budget at the box office, but nobody seems to remember Secrets & Lies in 2023.
3 Enemy
Jake Gyllenhaal is a talented actor who is known for many great roles. He's had leading roles in Spider-Man: Far From Home, Brokeback Mountain, and Nightcrawler, to name a few. In 2013's Enemy, he plays both Adam Bell and Anthony Claire, two men who look the same but have different personalities. One night Adam is watching a movie recommended by a colleague when he notices an actor in the film that looks exactly like him. This sets off a chain of events that leads Adam to question his identity and whether he is who he thinks he is on the inside.
Enemy is a thriller directed by Dennis Villeneuve, so you know it's going to have some great moments of suspense, action, and surprise. Even if the ending of Enemy needs a bit of explanation, it's a great movie that shows just how great Gyllenhaal can be when he's out of his comfort zone. The film was released to critical acclaim but little money for a proper marketing campaign. Fans of Villeneuve know it's a hidden gem but mainstream audiences likely missed it.
2 In the Bedroom
In the Bedroom is a critically acclaimed 2001 movie directed by Todd Field, who recently found more success with the 2022 film Tar. It's an indie drama that stars Tom Wilkinson as Matt Fowler, a doctor who lives peacefully with his wife Ruth (Sissy Spacek) in Maine. Everything is thrown off balance when their son Frank (Nick Stahl) begins having an affair with an older woman. The woman's husband is abusive and starts causing problems for everybody involved.
In the Bedroom is a great example of how an independent movie can gain traction and find a wider audience. After being released by Miramax Films, the movie made $44.8 million ($71.4 million today) at the box office against a paltry $1.7 million ($2.7 million today) budget. In the Bedroom was nominated for several Oscars, including Best Picture, but it was completely overshadowed by Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
1 Good Time
2017's Good Time is directed by the Safdie brothers and stars Jennifer Jason Leigh, Robert Pattinson, and Barkhad Abdi. Pattinson plays Constantine "Connie" Nikas who decides to rob a bank with his developmentally disabled brother Nick (Benny Safdie). When the heist goes awry, Connie escapes while Nick tries to flee on foot. He's caught and sent to prison, leaving Connie to figure out how to get him out. He tries to sell drugs to raise $10,000 for Nick's bond, as he has no money and few prospects.
While movie fans probably know the Safdie brothers' hit Netflix film Uncut Gems (starring Adam Sandler), some might not know Good Time. It screened at the Cannes Film Festival and ended up getting a wide theatrical release, but it didn't get a very big promotional budget. The movie was met with great reviews and currently holds a score of 80 out of 100 on Metacritic.
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