It goes without saying that 2020 was a crazy year for all sorts of things, and this includes movies – due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the closing of theatres and rise of streaming meant there were limited options for people to make and watch new movies if they didn’t have the apt resources. The last time I made a top 10 list, last year, was much easier than it was this year. While part of it is because there weren’t many releases at all, part of it was because a lot of the movies I watched that came out this year were really good. Of the 2020 releases I’ve seen, I would say that my top 20 are all great films that I will be ready to defend in a heartbeat. It was really hard to put only ten films on my list this year, so before we get into those, I think it would be best to quickly talk about those 10 that just barely made the cut.
While not for everyone, I wholeheartedly believe that the Sonic the Hedgehog movie is great, and in fact shows that producers are finally getting the genre of the video game movie right. Miss Juneteenth is another film I wouldn’t recommend to everyone, but still features a wholesome story and works as a great love letter to the movies that inspired it, and as an aspiring teacher, I really enjoyed the sense of camaraderie that the Danish teacher dramedy Another Round portrays. Spree and Tone-Deaf are both great trope-heavy horror-comedies that evoke the best things about horror films and makes them more fun, with great commentary to be found in both of them. And I can’t even use one sentence to describe my love for The King of Staten Island, Birds of Prey, Bad Education, I Used to Go Here, and Shirley without making this introduction longer than it needs to be – in short, all of these are great, and I highly recommend all of them.
Edit: If I wrote this list 1-2 weeks later, Promising Young Woman would have certainly been on this list. You can read my review of it here, most likely it would have replaced American Utopia, which I only picked because I was out of ideas for the middle of the list.
I look at what remains, this top 10 list, and can’t believe I brought my list down to 10 movies, but as it stands, this is my top 10, and to me, these are some of the best films 2020 has to offer.
10. Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (David Dobkin, 2020)
David Dobkin’s follow-up to 2014’s The Judge is a very, very different movie than what you’d expect from his filmography. It may be a flat-out comedy compared to the more challenging nature of his other recent films, but is still a delight regardless of that thanks to Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams giving it their all to play naively hopeful Icelandic singers. Rather than making fun of the legendarily insane musical competition in its title, the film is a loving homage. A fondness for the real-life song contest is tangible throughout, not in the least through its incredible costume designs and catchy songs. The film wholly embodies what the campy enjoyment of Eurovision has been in recent years, and goes on this year’s best-of list without any further quantifications. Just don’t ask them to play “Ja Ja Ding Dong” again.
You can read my review of Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga here.
9. Emma (Autumn de Wilde, 2020)
With my English majoring and my love for new takes on classic literature, it would have been expected of me to have this on my list after I raved about it for too long at a Film Club meeting last spring. I was nervous about a big-studio Jane Austen adaptation because of the inconsistency that often comes up in these adaptations’ tones, making it needlessly dramatic compared to the silly and bawdy nature of Austen’s prose. However, Autumn de Wilde’s adaptation is an absolute joy for the way it uses comedy and drama to capture Austen’s work in the best way to do so since Clueless. Anya Taylor-Joy is incredible as the titular 19th century matchmaker, which alongside very appealing costumes and sets and a great ensemble cast of British actors and comedians brings a fresh and youthful feel to the period piece that has never really been explored before. That, combined with the way it embraces the original tone of Jane Austen’s work, makes it a hit in my book.
You can read Stefan De Villier’s review of Emma here.
8. Palm Springs (Max Barbakow, 2020)
I was debating which one to put up between this and The King of Staten Island, because both are similar in that they’re comedies that blend with other genres, do it well, and star an SNL alum who also wrote and produced it. I gave Barbakow’s time-loop film the slight edge because of its originality – it weaves a fresh spin on the subject of the time-loop, something almost never shown in any media anymore, and creates an emotionally charged and beautifully made piece that made me fall in love with the theory of and behind being in love. For a film with as absurd a premise Palm Springs, it is still deeply human, and its amazing performances from Andy Samberg and Christin Miloti, who have fantastic chemistry together, makes it one of my top movies of the year.
You can read Rohan Patel’s review of Palm Springs here.
7. I’m Thinking of Ending Things (Charlie Kaufman, 2020)
Charlie Kaufman’s latest film, an adaptation of Iain Reed’s novel, is just as strange as we’ve come to expect Charlie Kaufman movies to be. Beginning with great chemistry from Jessie Buckley and Jesse Plemons, it gradually ascends to a dreamlike state that is almost like Kaufman imitating David Lynch as the audience, just like Buckley’s character, attempt to make sense of the things going on. It’s a surreal, intriguing thinkpiece on love, loss, life, and everything in between, embracing its wonderfully bizarre nature throughout. As with some of Kaufman’s previous films, it’s not enjoyable for all, but it’s definitely worth a watch.
You can read Piper Coyner’s review of I’m Thinking of Ending Things here.
6. The Half of It (Alice Wu, 2020)
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Set in my native Washington state, I honestly loved The Half of It for what it means rather than for what it is. It’s a pretty conventional teen comedy-drama until its big twist, when it proceeds to touch upon current issues in American culture that aren’t really seen in modern film, especially not teen films. Some problems include the debates on queerness and the representation of how immigrants, nonwhite people, and those with “unique names” are treated. It’s a very heartwarming and creative film that leaves you beyond satisfied with its ending, and the setting of Washington only makes it better.
You can read Sarah Snyder’s review of The Half of It here.
5. David Byrne’s American Utopia (Spike Lee, 2020)
Recorded musicals are truly a mixed bag. American Utopia, however, is a clear showcase of the Talking Head’s frontman’s genius, as David Byrne is shown yet again to break the boundaries of conventional musicals, concerts, and movies, while connecting even more deeply to his audience. There’s just so much happening, so much to take in, so many magical camera techniques, and so many good songs that I lost all sense of time due to its beauty. This is one of those concert movies where there will be more to discover with each new viewing or listening. Byrne’s greatest feat in this magical performance is to use minimalism to deliver maximum richness and intensity, and a deeply satisfying emotional connection.
4. The Lovebirds (Michael Showalter, 2020)
If I had to pick a genre that I believe to be truly underrated, it would easily be the game-night comedy. This genre has been underutilized since its inception, but has always produced fantastic films, and The Lovebirds is a perfect ode to the genre rules – it’s fun, it’s witty, and it’s just a good time. Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae have fantastic chemistry, and the people around them all raise the stakes perfectly to make each turn of their game-night shenanigans the best – or worst – that they can be. Of all the movies I watched in this list, this is the one that I will definitely give a rewatch in a few years – if not a few months.
You can read my review of The Lovebirds here.
3. Sound of Metal (Darius Marder, 2020)
This Amazon Prime release is a great showcase for the great Darius Mader and Riz Ahmed. Ahmed’s Ruben Stone is one of the most likable and relatable protagonists in a film I’ve seen recently, even if I haven’t personally gone through what he did, and Mader does some incredible work on his end to put the audience in his headscape throughout. The sound design, or the lack thereof, is extremely trippy, and added to my desire to reach through the screen and hug Ruben, telling him that everything will be okay in the end. I had no clue what experience awaited me – I just randomly picked it one day because I liked the title and concept, and I won’t be surprised at all if Hollywood comes knocking at the doors everyone involved.
2. Minari (Lee Isaac Chung, 2020)
Definitely the most dramatic film on my list, Lee Isaac Chung’s Minari is slow-paced and semi-autobiographical, but it’s still a thoughtful and inspiring film that promotes family understanding and the importance of individual identities. The thing I found the most unique to this film was how it shows positive, incredibly human examples of parents who want what’s best for their kids and themselves despite the mistakes they make along the way, showing perseverance, ingenuity, and practicality despite their big dreams and bigger failures. It promotes so many character strengths that are rare in a lot of movies today, and it does so beautifully, in a way that makes me want to check out the rest of Chung’s filmography.
1. Shithouse (Cooper Raiff, 2020)
I am probably the only person in this entire world who thinks this, but Shithouse is undeniably one of the best movies of 2020. I had the viewing experience of meticulously wanting to find something to hate about this during the first half but conceding that it’s fantastic and letting myself enjoy it. I’m extremely grateful that Cooper Raiff, a triple-threat in his writing, directing, and acting here, was able to dodge a lot of tropes that are over-utilized in college comedies, and the result is something that is more relatable, grounded, and honestly more uplifting than its contemporaries. Dylan Gelula, better known for playing Jacqueline White’s bratty stepdaughter in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, really shows her range here by playing an extremely believable “first college crush” for the protagonist that never falls into Manic Pixie Dream Girl territory and echoes Kristen Stewart’s early acting roles. The titular “shithouse,” a privileged college fraternity house known for its larger-than-life parties and extreme cases of hazing, bullying, and harassment, is also a very realistic plot point to include, and the party scenes are an absolute blast to watch despite their hypocrisy. Aside from that, Raiff and Gelula have flawless chemistry together, the camera work is fantastic, and the film manages to be more than the sum of its parts thanks to all the charm it has. You can tell it’s made by a young person, as it wholly captures what being young makes up, and it humanizes the many aspects of college life that “boomers” don’t seem to get. The energy it has is particularly unique, and I can’t think of any other movie that manages to be as quirky, as speculative, or as cynical as this film is all at once.