42 Best Movies of the 2000s You Can Watch Right Now
The 2000s in some ways feel neither here nor there culturally: they don’t have the strong neon vibe we associate with the 1980s, and they lack the grunge appeal of the ’90s. However, there is a lot to appreciate in the films of a decade filled with blockbusters: The Lord of the Rings in the early years, Iron Man , The Dark Knight and Avatar in the end. None of them feel particularly formulaic, as their successors often would, and there were many successful films in the middle years that they no longer make: mid-budget films with personal rather than personal involvement. “Galaxy” bets, which still managed to do brisk business at the box office. It was a decade on the cusp of the mega-blockbuster era, and that tension between the indie-loving ’90s and the present kept things interesting.
What are your favorites?
Ghost World (2001)
Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) graduate from high school and fall in love with Steve Buscemi in Terry Zwigoff’s indie black comedy.
Where to watch: Tubi, The Roku Channel, Pluto, Kanopy.
Dream Girls (2006)
The cast here is incredible: Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx and Beyoncé, for starters. Even more incredible are the absolutely electric musical numbers, including and especially “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.”
Where to watch: TNT, TBS, TruTV.
Almost Famous (2000)
Cameron Crowe’s 1970s comedy-drama about a young music journalist going on tour with a major band is a funny, touching watch that isn’t afraid to veer in some unexpected and idiosyncratic directions. Hold me close, tiny dancer.
Where to watch: Paramount+, Showtime, Fubo.
The Incredibles (2004)
This Pixar triumph came before the wave of superhero films had peaked, and that’s all the better for it. If only everything was so good for them.
Where to watch: Disney+.
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Ang Lee’s cowboy drama has a big heart and minimal understanding of the mechanics of male homosexual sex, but it deserves much better than its fate, since the Oscar also went to the worst Crash.
Where to watch: Starz
Love and Basketball (2000)
Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps play next-door neighbors who battle their growing attraction to each other over the course of several years, even as their basketball ambitions keep them apart. The chemistry here is incredible.
Where to watch: Pluto.
Jennifer’s Body (2009)
Only the real ones knew what to do with Jennifer’s Body in 2009, and it took the film a long time to become the cult classic it was probably always destined to be. Here, popular teen Jennifer (Megan Fox) is turned into a succubus by cruel men who gleefully murder boys at school, to the universal horror of her friend Needy (Amanda Seyfried).
Mean Girls (2004)
Given the film’s impressive running time, it’s tempting to call Mean Girls a cult classic, except that it also made a ton of money in its time. When Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) falls in with the cool crowd at her public school, she quickly realizes there’s more to it than she’s cracked up to be.
Where to watch: Paramount+
Barbershop (2002)
Everything from sex to relationships to OJ to civil rights is on the agenda in this comedy-drama, and the cast of colorful and interesting characters makes it a fun place to hang out.
Where to stream: Max
American Splendor (2003)
Starring the great Paul Giamatti and Hope Davis as underground comic creators Harvey Pekar and Joyce Brabner. “Splendor” is a stylish portrait of a pair of ordinary people who are also great American artists.
Where to stream: Max
The Departed (2006)
In Martin Scorsese’s remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, Leonardo DiCaprio goes undercover for a criminal organization while Matt Damon infiltrates the police. It’s all very meandering and represents Jack Nicholson’s last great performance (barring his unexpected retirement).
Where to watch: digital rental.
Infernal Affairs (2002)
Or you can watch the Hong Kong original from directors Andrew Lau and Alan Mak – a smart, emotional crime thriller in its own right.
Where to watch: Criterion Channel.
Casino Royale (2006)
Daniel Craig’s first appearance as Bond is one of the series’ best, introducing a leaner, meaner 007 in the first official adaptation of Ian Fleming’s very first book.
Where to watch: Prime Video
Secretary (2002)
There’s real passion between Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader, but also a sense of humor that makes the passionate intensity of their relationship all the more exciting.
Where to watch: Tubi, Freevee, Plex
The Princess and the Frog (2009)
The stunning animated film, set in 1920s New Orleans, proves there is still a place for traditional animation at Disney and introduced Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) to the pantheon of Disney princesses.
Where to watch: Disney+.
And that mother too (2001)
Two teenage boys go on an impromptu trip with a slightly older (and married) woman with whom they both have a crush. Alfonso Cuaron’s film is a sweet, funny and sad coming of age film.
Where to stream: AMC+
Brown Sugar (2002)
Brown Sugar considers Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan to be friends and sometimes rivals in the music industry who are very slowly becoming aware of their mutual attraction.
Where to watch: Starz
How High (2001)
The Buddy Method Meng and Redman get help from their dead friend after smoking his ashes, passing their college entrance exams, and getting into Harvard. A silly stoner classic.
Where to watch: digital rental.
Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)
In many other stoner comedies, Indian- and Korean-Americans are likely to be featured as supporting characters and broad stereotypes—here they take the lead. It’s okay, the movie is damn funny.
Where to watch: digital rental.
Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)
Bruce Campbell plays an aged Elvis Presley opposite Ossie Davis’ John F. Kennedy in a nursing home plagued by an ancient Egyptian mummy. Given this unusual idea, the film can be surprisingly moving.
Where to watch: Prime Video, Tubi, Redbox, Pluto
Eating Out (2004)
Kicking off the series, it’s a twisted Three’s Company style episode featuring gay guys pretending to be straight and straight guys pretending to be gay, with just the right amount of wacky charm and nudity that comes with that type. the film needs success.
Where to watch: Tubi
Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
A fascinating cultural artifact, Napoleon Dynamite was a bona fide pop sensation for a year or two, and there wasn’t a soul on the planet who didn’t embrace Jon Heder’s memorable performance style. All that aside, it’s a sweet, funny, and sometimes surprisingly insightful look at high school awkwardness.
Where to stream: Max
Spider-Man (2002)
In an era when superhero movies were mercifully few and far between, Sam Raimi’s first Spidey film felt like a revelation: a fast-paced, enjoyable, quirky story about a nerd who becomes a hero. The 2004 sequel was even better.
Where to watch: Netflix, Disney+, Fubo.
American Psycho (2000)
In her hyper-satirical style, director and co-writer Mary Harron came to ridicule and bury misogyny rather than celebrate it. Still, some viewers came away thinking Christian Bale’s Patrick Bateman was a tough guy.
Where to stream: Peacock
Super Soldiers (2001)
A scrappy movie that somehow spawned not only a ton of jokes, but also sequels and side quests that spawned for a couple of decades ( Super Troopers 2 , Beerfest , Club Dread , The Slammin’ Salmon , etc.).
Where to watch: Starz
Cinderella Man (2005)
Director Ron Howard, along with Russell Crowe, is at his best in this film inspired by the real-life Cinderella Man, James J. Braddock.
Where to watch: Netflix
Mulholland Drive (2001)
This love/hate letter to Hollywood is (rightly) considered one of director David Lynch’s best and oddly crowd-pleasing works: an L.A. noir about murder and obsession and a blue box that’s very important to… this or that.
Where to watch: Paramount+, Showtime, Fubo.
Lost in Translation (2003)
A fading American movie star experiencing a midlife crisis and a young graduate student facing an equally uncertain future meet while staying at an upscale hotel in Tokyo. The film that cemented Sofia Coppola’s place in the pantheon of directors.
Where to watch: Netflix
Drumline (2002)
A classic comedy-drama set in the high-stakes world of college marching bands, starring Nick Cannon as a guy with more talent than social skills.
Where to watch: Starz
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)
A film-musical about a gender-queer punk rocker, the title of which refers to the results of a failed gender confirmation procedure. The film has a lot of heart and really amazing music.
Where to watch: digital rental.
The Great Debaters (2007)
Set in 1930 and starring Denzel Washington, this truly gripping drama brings the inspirational imagery of sports films to the more unlikely subject of college debating societies.
Where to watch: Tubi, The Roku Channel, Pluto, Freevee.
Artificial Intelligence Artificial Intelligence (2001)
It’s not necessarily Spielberg’s favorite film, but this sweet and poignant story of a robot boy (Haley Joel Osment) searching for family at the end of the world is as heartbreaking as it is humane.
Where to watch: Paramount+, MGM+.
Whale Rider (2002)
Pai is a 12-year-old Maori girl and a direct descendant of their tribe’s traditional known ancestor, the Whale Driver, except that traditionally women cannot lead. Star Keisha Castle-Hughes became the youngest Best Actress Oscar nominee for her open, heartfelt performance.
Where to watch: Starz, The Roku Channel, Kanopy.
Josie and the Pussycats (2001)
Josie eventually won over audiences because of her goofy charm, but also because she began to feel increasingly relevant in her satire of the crass commercialism of mass entertainment.
Where to watch: Starz
Superbad (2007)
High school is awkward as hell, and Superbad is another classic of the genre: a film about two nerds (Michael Cera and Jonah Hill) who each want to have sex before graduation, but with surprising courage.
Where to watch: Netflix
Star Trek (2009)
JJ Abrams’ reboot of sorts brought Trek a blockbuster budget, giving the then-dormant franchise the kick in the pants it needed to rocket into the 21st century.
Where to watch: Paramount+, Hulu.
Children of Men (2006)
Alfonso Cuarón’s dystopian thriller is a truly brilliant high-concept sci-fi film that offers an equally depressingly prescient vision of the near future that we’ve seen. Still: it’s beautiful, exciting and often moving.
Where to watch: Prime Video
High Voltage (2003)
The slasher film that gave rise to the New French Extremity genre doesn’t feel cliché. It’s brutal, intense and uncompromising, even if it doesn’t always make sense.
Where to watch: Prime Video, Freevee, Kanopy.
9th District (2009)
Drawing parallels to South African apartheid, writer-director Neill Blomkamp has created a witty, witty sci-fi film that the studios say fails to resonate with audiences, except that District 9 became a box office blockbuster more than your budget. .
Where to watch: Prime Video, Freevee, Kanopy.
Spirited Away (2001)
After the witch Yubaba turns her parents into pigs, ten-year-old Chihiro takes a job at her bathhouse in hopes of finding a way to free them. This may be my favorite Hayao Miyazaki film, but I say that often.
Where to stream: Max
Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005)
Tyler Perry (who wrote and starred in the film but did not direct it) introduced a street-level Madea taken from his stage plays featuring the character. The box office success launched a franchise that is still going strong today.
Where to watch: digital rental.
Avatar (2009)
People like to ignore a James Cameron movie (right before they buy tickets), but he’s the only director working with that kind of budget that can make the exact movie he wants. There’s something really cool about it, whether you like the finished product or not.
Where to watch: Max, Disney+.