10. MANK

147 LISTS | 11 TOP SPOTS
David Fincher | 131 mins | Biography/Comedy/Drama
Gary Oldman | Amanda Seyfried | Lily Collins | Tom Pelphrey

“David Fincher’s glittering and immersive drama about the drunken, pensée-spewing, brilliant-but-washed-up screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman), and how he wrote the screenplay for “Citizen Kane,” is a movie I’ve seen twice and would gladly see again. That’s because there’s an intoxicating mystery at its heart. It’s about how creativity works — in particular, the way it worked in Old Hollywood, where the intricate allure of power was the hidden engine of the Dream Factory. Much of the time, we see Mankiewicz gallivanting through Hollywood in the ’30s, rubbing shoulders with Louis B. Mayer and Irving Thalberg, stooping to do a bit of work between drinking and gambling jags, cultivating a relationship with the media tycoon William Randolph Hearst and his silver-screen inamorata Marion Davies — played by Amanda Seyfried in a performance of soft-bitten perfection. What we know, and Mank doesn’t, is that everything he’s doing is the research he would pour into “Citizen Kane,” the movie that broke the mold of Hollywood because it was powered by more reality than Hollywood could contain. I wish “Mank” didn’t swallow Pauline Kael’s line about “Kane’s” authorship (that Mank was the movie’s mind and Orson Welles its grand showman). Yet it’s a film that revels splendidly in the gamesmanship of the imagination, and Oldman creates the most layered (and charming) portrayal of a lush I’ve ever seen.” – Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

9. PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN

155 LISTS | 24 TOP SPOTS
Emerald Fennell | 113 mins | Crime/Drama/Thriller
Carey Mulligan | Bo Burnham | Alison Brie | Clancy Brown

“Don’t let that candy coating fool you: Underneath its ultra-feminine aesthetic and bubbly pop soundtrack, Promising Young Woman is pure, burning acid. It begins as a growl of barely suppressed rage, following a mysterious young woman, Cassie (Carey Mulligan), on a one-woman reign of terror against the would-be rapists of her town. As her actions become more extreme, however, and as the true motivations beneath them begin to reveal themselves, her story transforms into something altogether more troubling and tragic. In refusing the relief of catharsis or easy answers, writer-director Emerald Fennell serves up a portrait of rape culture as searing as it is — unfortunately — familiar. ” – Angie Han, Mashable

8. I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS

166 LISTS | 14 TOP SPOTS
Charlie Kaufman | 134 mins | Drama/Thriller
Jessie Plemons | Jessie Buckley | Toni Collette | David Thewlis

“You know what you’re going to get from a Charlie Kaufman film. Existential dread. Themes of identity. Mind-bending plot twists and sad, lonely men. And even though his latest, I’m Thinking of Ending Things, trades in all those expected motifs, there’s something disturbingly fascinating about this movie – animated decaying pigs, perpetually wet dogs, and all. Most of that has to do with the performances. Jessie Buckley, who’s having a hell of a year, is mesmerizing as a young woman meeting her boyfriend’s parents for the first time. Jesse Plemons, who’s quickly becoming cinema’s go-to villain, is equally captivating as said beau – a depressed, unfulfilled man dreaming up an alternate reality that comes crashing down over the course of the film. And then there’s Toni Collette and David Thewlis who play his parents (and the most hellish dinner mates we’ve seen on screen in a long while). But Kaufman’s love of twisting the truth and making us question the very nature of his storytelling also elevates the viewing experience here. You never truly know what the hell is going on, and that’s half the fun.” – Jessica Toomer, UPROXX

7. MINARI

194 LISTS | 15 TOP SPOTS
Lee Isaac Chung | 115 mins | Drama
Steven Yeun | Yeri Han | Yuh-jung Youn | Alan S. Kim

“A sweet family drama that never cloys, Lee Isaac Chung’s semi-autobiographical film brought a much-needed grace and kindness to this often unkind, graceless year. The film concerns the Yi family, Korean-Americans who move from California (mom and dad are natives of Korea) to way-rural Arkansas in the early 1980s. Jacob (Steven Yeun) grew up in the country, and hopes to impart to his American-born kids the value of working the earth, of growing and making things from the soil of their adopted home. His wife, Monica (Yeri Han), is more skeptical, but she is tentatively willing to support her husband on his quest for this most traditional of American dreams. Hardship ensues, as do moments of warmth, triumph, and connection. Chung crafts his film with a delicate ache; Minari passes by in a lilting hush, haloed faintly in the glow of memory. The film really belongs to adorable young Alan Kim as David (perhaps Chung’s stand-in) and the terrific Yuh-Jung Youn as Soon-ja, Monica’s mother. She moves to the family’s trailer all the way from Korea, bringing with her the attitudes of the old country, but also a refreshing levity, a good humor about this family’s struggle that gently reframes their perspective. This is not a sassy granny movie, though. Chung resists that kind of cinematic indulgence, keeping his picture modest but deeply felt. Though there is plenty of sadness and strife in Minari, it remains resolute in its optimism, not so much about what America as an idea can provide for immigrants, but what decency can provide for people who need it—what love can, too. From that goodness, a life can grow, even in a place as inhospitable as this. ” – Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair

6. SOUND OF METAL

201 LISTS | 16 TOP SPOTS
Darius Marder | 120 mins | Drama
Riz Ahmed | Olivia Cooke | Paul Raci | Lauren Ridloff

“Riz Ahmed can play anything – from con man to heavy metal drummer. As we learned in Darius Marder’s drama, he could convey so much with his eyes and a rare smile. Fearing his career is over, Ahmed’s Ruben investigated what life would be without sound, then made decisions that could affect everything he does. To give audiences a sense of the isolation, Marder played with sound, muffling it to approximate what Ruben hears. The film worked on so many levels (and introduced us to a Paul Raci we never knew) it could stand as a metaphor for the year.” – Bruce R. Miller, Tulsa World

5. DA 5 BLOODS

209 LISTS | 18 TOP SPOTS
Spike Lee | 154 mins | Adventure/Drama/War
Delroy Lindo | Jonathan Majors | Clarke Peters | Norm Lewis

“Spike Lee did what Spike Lee does in Da 5 Bloods: He delivered a work of cinema that’s both timely and timeless, marked by stellar performances and a camera lens that tells a story even if you ignore the script. The plot follows four Black Vietnam vets as they return to the former war zone in search of their dead squad leader’s remains…and the millions in CIA gold they plundered and buried before their tour ended. Political differences between the men foster mistrust and complicate their journey, leading to a powerful finale that’s not-so-strangely resonant — this is Spike Lee — for our current moment in history.” – Adam Rosenberg, Mashable

4. NEVER, RARELY, SOMETIMES, ALWAYS

252 LISTS | 19 TOP SPOTS
Elza Hittman | 101 mins | Drama
Sidney Flanigan | Talia Ryder | Theodore Pellerin

“One of the year’s quietest but most devastating films looks at the decidedly unempowering experience of existing in a female teenage body, especially for a teenage girl living in rural Pennsylvania who needs an abortion. From director Eliza Hittman, “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” is a tremendous exercise in mood and a beautiful showcase for some up and coming talents.” – Lindsey Bahr, Associated Press

3. LOVER’S ROCK

257 LISTS | 29 TOP SPOTS
Steve McQueen | 70 mins | Drama
Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn | Micheal Ward | Shaniqua Okkwok | Kedar Williams-Stirling

“… And here’s what was responsible for our single most joyous moviegoing moment in 2020. Steve McQueen’s ambitious, five-part whatsit Small Axe — is this an anthology series, a suite of feature-length films, a dessert topping, a floor wax? Discuss. No, please, by all means, endlessly discuss — takes a look back at black life and West Indian diaspora culture in Britain from the late Sixties to the early Eighties. Each of the chapters focuses on a different story, from the police harassment of a restaurant owner and his clientele (Mangrove) to a scathing indictment of the Thatcher-era public-school system (Education). But it’s the second of the five movies, which revolves around a “blues” house party, that stands head and dressed-to-the-nines shoulders above the rest. We see the DJs setting up their sound system and women cooking Jamaican food in a West London flat. We see Martha (Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn) sneaking out her window so she can meet up with her girlfriend and get ready, a young man named Franklyn (Michael Ward) make flirtatious small talk with her once she gets to the soirée, and roughnecks and would-be Casanovas strut their stuff as the reggae music kicks into gear. And then, when Janet Kay’s “Silly Games” comes on, we see Martha and Franklyn — along with a dozen other couples — slow dance and sing along. (Cue the endorphin rush.) McQueen’s masterpiece of a joyous, moving memory piece is peerless when it comes to evoking a mood, channeling a bygone moment, and using sound and vision in a way that’s simply transcendental. He makes you feel like you are right there on that cramped dance floor, sweating alongside these folks, swaying and jumping, forgetting everything else around you and getting right into a communal groove.” – David Fear, Rolling Stone

2. NOMADLAND

326 LISTS | 70 TOP SPOTS
Chloe Zhao | 108 mins | Drama
Frances McDormand | Gay DeForest | Patricia Grier | Linda May

“Tone poem, nouveau Western, elegy for the American dream: Nomadland can feel like all those things, and more. Much of the drama in Chloé Zhao’s starkly unadorned portrait of a widowed Nevadan named Fern (Frances McDormand) who learns to fit her entire world into a van happens in small, almost imperceptible moments. There are long days laboring in Amazon warehouses or potato fields; endless stretches of tarmac and rest stops; even a bittersweet hint of romance with a fellow vagabond (David Strathairn). That the movie manages to serve as both a grim reckoning of our nation’s frayed safety net and a celebration of a sort of middle-aged manifest destiny is certainly a testament to Zhao’s deceptively spare script. But it’s the dreamlike, richly textured soul of her story that stays; a new kind of cinematic classic, painfully made for these times.” – Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly

1. FIRST COW

328 LISTS | 54 TOP SPOTS
Kelly Reichardt | 122 mins | Drama
John Magaro | Orion Lee | Rene Auberjonois

“If American cinema had a poet laureate, Kelly Reichardt would hold the crown. In the 15 years since “Old Joy,” Reichardt has churned out a series of patient explorations of national identity that only get deeper with time. Reichardt’s movies work wonders out of ineffable desire, fixating with profound curiosity on ostracized loners on the margins of society eager to settle in. “First Cow” consolidates that skill into her most satisfying movie to date, a minimalist period drama about companionship, the birth of the American dream, and yes, the titular bovine. The joke of “First Cow” is that, well, who wants to watch a movie called “First Cow”? And the irony is that everyone should.

Released (barely, before shutdowns mandated that it migrate to VOD) in a year defined by the shock of a society forced to pull itself apart, “First Cow” magnifies that exact feeling. Set in the Oregon Territory circa 1820, Reichardt’s adaptation of John Raymond’s novel “The Half-Life” uses the peculiar bond of wandering chef Cookie (a tender John Magaro) and Chinese immigrant King-Lu (an overconfident Orion Lee) to explore the loneliness of an empty world and the excitement of finding some measure of companionship to chart a path forward. That’s what the pair do, by stealing milk from the only cow in the region to make cakes for settlers passing through.

It’s the subtlest heist movie in film history, but even as the men put their lives in danger for a fairly reckless plan, “First Cow” stays with the sincerity of their intentions to keep going, and the touching way that it defines their bond. The movie’s conclusive exchange lands on three encouraging words — “I’ve got you” — and they arrive like the climax of a ballad that only Reichardt could write. As with all of her work, the director communes with the notion that even reckless people simply want to find meaning in their small corners of existence. The whole world should hear her out.” – Eric Kohn, Indiewire

Full List:

R	TITLE	L	#1	AR	L%	#1%	TCL	TCL1	TCL%	TCL1%
1	First Cow	328	54	3.93	41%	8%	109	20	48%	10%
2	Nomadland	326	70	3.48	41%	11%	105	22	46%	11%
3	Lovers Rock	257	29	4.59	32%	4%	94	15	41%	7%
4	Never Rarely Sometimes Always	252	19	5.12	32%	3%	87	8	38%	4%
5	Da 5 Bloods	209	18	5.18	26%	3%	55	7	24%	3%
6	Sound of Metal	201	16	4.84	25%	2%	37	2	16%	1%
7	Minari	194	15	4.97	24%	2%	50	1	22%	0%
8	I'm Thinking of Ending Things	166	14	5.23	21%	2%	51	6	22%	3%
9	Promising Young Woman	155	24	4.35	20%	4%	38	5	17%	2%
10	Mank	147	11	5.42	19%	2%	40	3	18%	1%
11	Palm Springs	143	7	5.65	18%	1%	24	1	11%	0%
12	The Assistant	142	5	6.01	18%	1%	54	3	24%	1%
13	Time	141	10	5.49	18%	2%	52	6	23%	3%
14	Bacurau	135	5	5.86	17%	1%	43	1	19%	0%
15	Soul	132	15	4.37	17%	2%	31	2	14%	1%
16	The Trial of the Chicago 7	126	7	5.04	16%	1%	27	1	12%	0%
17	The Invisible Man	125	3	5.85	16%	0%	22	1	10%	0%
18	Dick Johnson is Dead	115	13	5.62	15%	2%	48	4	21%	2%
19	David Byrne's American Utopia	104	13	5.03	13%	2%	39	7	17%	3%
20	Ma Rainey's Black Bottom	102	4	6.61	13%	1%	30	0	13%	0%
21	Mangrove	99	13	4.74	12%	2%	32	5	14%	2%
22	Possessor	92	10	4.88	12%	2%	16	3	7%	1%
23	Wolfwalkers	89	7	5.41	11%	1%	27	1	12%	0%
24	The Vast of Night	88	3	6.14	11%	0%	22	0	10%	0%
25	Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets	87	14	4.87	11%	2%	31	7	14%	3%
26	Vitalina Varela	87	19	4.27	11%	3%	27	6	12%	3%
27	Tenet	85	6	5.36	11%	1%	16	0	7%	0%
28	Collective	84	8	4.67	11%	1%	37	3	16%	1%
29	Martin Eden	85	10	4.80	11%	2%	29	4	13%	2%
30	Another Round	77	5	6.00	10%	1%	20	2	9%	1%
31	Beanpole	76	6	5.47	9%	1%	36	4	16%	2%
32	Borat Subsequent Moviefilm	74	4	7.16	9%	1%	14	2	6%	1%
33	The Nest	73	5	5.58	9%	1%	21	2	9%	1%
34	One Night in Miami	70	3	5.90	9%	0%	18	1	8%	0%
35	City Hall	66	6	5.34	8%	1%	28	2	12%	1%
36	Emma.	60	1	6.11	8%	0%	16	1	7%	0%
37	Shirley	59	1	5.95	7%	0%	13	0	6%	0%
38	Kajillionaire	57	8	5.18	7%	1%	15	3	7%	1%
39	The Forty-Year-Old Version	55	3	6.31	7%	0%	21	0	9%	0%
40	Hamilton	52	2	5.56	7%	0%	11	0	5%	0%
41	Birds of Prey	49	3	6.29	6%	0%	5	0	2%	0%
42	Bad Education (2020)	49	0	5.69	6%	0%	10	0	4%	0%
43	His House	48	2	6.42	6%	0%	9	0	4%	0%
44	She Dies Tomorrow	46	4	5.89	6%	1%	12	0	5%	0%
45	Fourteen	46	2	5.34	6%	0%	9	0	4%	0%
46	On the Rocks	45	1	6.76	6%	0%	16	1	7%	0%
47	Red, White and Blue	41	6	4.29	5%	1%	16	4	7%	2%
48	News of the World	41	1	5.15	5%	0%	15	0	7%	0%
49	Boys State	41	0	5.83	5%	0%	8	0	4%	0%
50	Sorry We Missed You	37	2	5.71	5%	0%	14	0	6%	0%
51	Driveways	36	4	5.97	5%	1%	15	2	7%	1%
52	Relic	36	0	5.88	5%	0%	12	0	5%	0%
53	The Painter and the Thief	35	1	6.19	4%	0%	8	1	4%	0%
54	Education	33	7	4.13	4%	1%	11	4	5%	2%
55	The King of Staten Island	33	1	7.41	4%	0%	5	0	2%	0%
56	I Was at Home, But…	34	5	4.00	4%	1%	6	2	3%	1%
57	To the Ends of the Earth	33	4	4.48	4%	1%	6	0	3%	0%
58	Babyteeth	31	1	4.95	4%	0%	6	0	3%	0%
59	Host	31	0	7.18	4%	0%	6	0	3%	0%
60	Gunda	31	0	5.13	4%	0%	15	0	7%	0%
61	Swallow	31	2	6.41	4%	0%	11	1	5%	0%
62	The Disciple	31	6	5.21	4%	1%	18	4	8%	2%
63	Alex Wheatle	29	6	3.40	4%	1%	11	4	5%	2%
64	Tommaso	29	3	4.74	4%	0%	6	0	3%	0%
65	Bad Trip	27	0	6.50	3%	0%	8	0	4%	0%
66	The Personal History of David Copperfield	26	0	6.20	3%	0%	8	0	4%	0%
66	Bill & Ted Face the Music	26	0	6.00	3%	0%	1	0	0%	0%
68	This is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection	25	2	5.18	3%	0%	13	1	6%	0%
69	Let Them All Talk	24	0	6.61	3%	0%	11	0	5%	0%
70	The Climb	24	1	6.56	3%	0%	12	0	5%	0%
71	The Killing of Two Lovers	24	0	6.67	3%	0%	10	0	4%	0%
72	The Wild Goose Lake	24	0	6.80	3%	0%	7	0	3%	0%
73	Crip Camp	23	0	6.41	3%	0%	6	0	3%	0%
74	White Noise	29	1	6.35	3%	0%	7	0	3%	0%
75	Malmkrog	22	3	5.74	3%	0%	3	1	1%	0%
76	Black Bear	21	2	5.22	3%	0%	5	0	2%	0%
77	Tesla	21	0	7.06	3%	0%	5	0	2%	0%
77	Miss Juneteenth	21	0	6.13	3%	0%	8	0	4%	0%
79	Beginning	21	2	4.82	3%	0%	7	0	3%	0%
80	Onward	20	2	5.00	3%	0%	4	1	2%	0%
81	Feels Good Man	19	0	6.00	2%	0%	0	0	0%	0%
82	Siberia	19	0	7.15	2%	0%	4	0	2%	0%
83	The Old Guard	18	0	7.55	2%	0%	7	0	3%	0%
83	Pieces of a Woman	18	0	5.86	2%	0%	6	0	3%	0%
85	Spontaneous	17	1	5.50	2%	0%	5	0	2%	0%
85	Shithouse	17	1	6.15	2%	0%	3	0	1%	0%
87	Rocks	17	0	6.55	2%	0%	4	0	2%	0%
88	The Works and Days	17	3	5.27	2%	0%	7	1	3%	0%
89	A White, White Day	16	1	4.08	2%	0%	6	0	3%	0%
90	The Year of Discovery	16	1	4.79	2%	0%	6	1	3%	0%
91	Ammonite	16	0	5.44	2%	0%	6	0	3%	0%
92	Her Socialist Smile	16	0	6.42	2%	0%	8	0	4%	0%
93	Residue	14	1	5.70	2%	0%	6	0	3%	0%
93	The Devil All the Time	14	1	5.38	2%	0%	1	0	0%	0%
93	The Half of It	14	1	6.00	2%	0%	4	0	2%	0%
96	The Outpost	14	0	7.70	2%	0%	5	0	2%	0%
97	New Order	14	0	5.33	2%	0%	9	0	4%	0%
98	Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time	14	1	5.20	2%	0%	5	1	2%	0%
99	My Octopus Teacher	13	2	5.57	2%	0%	2	0	1%	0%
100	The Prom	13	1	4.80	2%	0%	4	0	2%	0%
100	Welcome to Chechnya	13	1	5.50	2%	0%	6	0	3%	0%
100	I'm Your Woman	13	1	5.50	2%	0%	5	0	2%	0%

Lists Included 793 | Top Critics’ Lists Included 279

R Rank
L Total number of lists where the film was selected as one of the top 10 films of the year
AR Average position on ranked top 10 lists
#1 Total number of lists where the film was selected as the best film of the year
L% Percentage of total lists where the film was selected as one of the top 10 films of the year
#1% Percentage of mentions where the film was selected as the best film of the year
TCL Number of times that the film was selected as one of the top 10 films of the year on top critics’ lists
TCL1 Number of times that the film was selected as the best film of the year on top critics’ lists
TCL% Percentage of times that the film was selected as one of the top 10 films of the year on top critics’ lists
TCL1% Percentage of lists where the film was selected as the best film of the year on top critics’ lists