Movies Everybody Should Watch At Least Once

The popcorn's been popped, the sweatpants are on, and the evening is your oyster. Your next challenge: Figuring out exactly which of the great movies available to you is the one you're going to commit to tonight. No matter what you're looking for—romance, drama, comedy—there are plenty of classics that, if you haven't seen them yet, now's the perfect time. After all, if the past couple of months cooped up in our homes has taught us anything, it's that there's nothing better than a movie to take us to a place that's far, far away from our current one. These are modern classics, the best of the best, the movies that millions of people are probably jealous that you're getting to see for the first time. There are a few that might be outside your comfort zone, and a couple that'll introduce you to cultures and environments you know nothing about. This list may be long, but FOMO is eternal. Now's the perfect time to catch up on the films that your friends can't believe you haven't seen yet. Here are the 100 essential films absolutely everyone should see (and if you've seen them, ones to watch again and again).

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An unemployed family of four slips into the lives of the crazy wealthy Park family. Then, there's an incident that can’t entirely be cleaned up in a cleaning shift. Long after the credits roll, you’ll be questioning the ending and mulling over the tough, important themes.

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Star-crossed lovers Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose (Kate Winslet) develop feelings for each other while on board an ill-fated ship, the R.M.S. Titanic. The winner of 11 Academy Awards is a little over three hours long, but with a story as compelling as this one, it'll seem like no time at all.

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Set in the early years of World War II in Casablanca, Rick Blaine's (Humphrey Bogart) nightclub is an oasis for refugees despite the warnings he gets from local authorities. But things get rocky when an ex-lover and her boyfriend show up, bringing with them a challenge that Rick has to face. One of the most famous old Hollywood films of all time, Casablanca is a love story you won't forget.

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If you've never seen a film from Studio Ghibli, then have Spirited Away be your first. Having your parents turned into pigs after entering a mysteriously abandoned theme park is a borderline horror story for kids. Still, adults will admire the strength 10-year-old Chihiro Ogino does to get them back. The animated picture is the highest-grossing film in Japanese history, and rightfully so.

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There's a reason you can find this movie playing on some channel at any point in the day. It's just that good. Based on the best-selling novel of the same name, Midwest girl Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), by God's grace, winds up working as the assistant to the editor-in-chief, Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) of a high fashion magazine. Thrown into the glamorous world, she has to make decisions that may boost her career but could leave other parts of her life severely lacking.

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The longest-running Hindi film of all time (going on 25 years now!) is an absolute delight. The Bollywood rom-com about two young star-crossed lovers who fall in love despite their parents' critiques ended up winning 10 Filmfare Awards—India’s Academy Award equivalent —and changed the game forever.

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In her Golden Globe-winning role, Awkwafina plays Billi, a woman on a trip to China for a "family wedding" that's actually a final goodbye to her grandmother. While there, Billi struggles to find a deeper connection to the country and tries to understand her family's decision to keep her grandmother's sickness a secret from her.

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All right, scary movies aren't for everyone, but if you're going to watch one, it should be Scream. Stacked with '90s stars from Drew Barrymore to Courteney Cox, the slasher flick brought new light to the slasher genre by mixing comedy and horror. And the fact that the characters, who were being stalked by the masked murderer, were aware of real-world horror films and frequently discussed the clichés that came with them is legendary.

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During one magical summer, Australian Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) falls in love with the Californian bad boy Danny (John Travolta). But Sandy has to head back home and leave Danny behind—or so they both think—until they cross paths at Rydell High School in the fall. The film was the highest-grossing musical-movie for 39 years.

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A baby-faced Dev Patel plays 18-year-old Jamal Malik, who finds himself hitting all the right marks on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Question after question, he finds himself getting closer to the grand prize of 20 million rupees, but the greatest reward of all might be who he gets to reconnect with after the cameras stop rolling.

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Legendary director John Singleton's first film is unforgettable. Based on his own life growing up in South Central Los Angeles, the movie introduced us to an array of Hollywood A-listers like Ice Cube, Cuba Gooding Jr., Regina King, and Angela Bassett. The film would be nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay at the 1992 Academy Awards, making Singleton the first African-American nominated for Best Director.

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It turns out it doesn't matter if you're a fading Hollywood star or a recent married college graduate—not everyone has their life figured out. The Oscar-winning movie from Sofia Coppola is a slow burn at times, but the friendship shared between the two characters during their week-long stays in Tokyo makes you wish the flame will never burn out.

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Two words for you: James! Dean! The old Hollywood icon's second to last film, as teenager Jim Stark, before his untimely death in 1955 ended up being one of his most celebrated. The unlikely bond shared on-screen between him, John "Plato" Crawford (Sal Mineo), and Judy (Natalie Wood) gave American youths at the time a movie where they could finally see themselves on the screen.

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What's so devastating is that this movie didn't just change the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the better, earn the first Oscar Best Picture nom for a superhero film (it won two other Oscars!), represent an enormous shift in the film industry, and become an inspiration to Black kids and adults alike. It's also one of Chadwick Boseman's final works before he passed away, having quietly battled colon cancer for years, including during production on this film. Watched in that new light, it makes his steely, beautiful, mesmerizing performance all the more heartbreaking. If you haven't watched, watch. If you have, watch it again.

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On the heels of their high school graduation, best friends Julio (Gael García Bernal) and Tenoch (Diego Luna) meet Ana (Maribel Verdú), a beguiling older woman. Stricken with raging hormones and the desire for adventure, the boys manage to convince Ana to accompany them on a freewheeling cross-country road trip. The result is a journey through the Mexican countryside that tests their friendship and unravels their understanding of the world.

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Martin Scorsese’s epic tells the story of an undercover cop tasked with infiltrating a ruthless mob group in Boston. Watch this thriller for its all-star cast, featuring solid performances by Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Mark Walhberg. Stay for an oft-debated appearance by a rat at the tail end of the film.

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The king of aesthetics, Mr. Wes Anderson, strikes gold with this fun mystery movie set at a hotel at a famous European ski resort in the 1930s. Known for pleasing their guests in exciting ways (read: sleeping with them), things start to go out of control when a guest winds up dead, and the ever so charming Monsieur Gustave H. (Ralph Fiennes) is framed.

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The film that proved Jennifer Hudson was so much more than an American Idol star (though we can't forget that Beyoncé absolutely crushed her role, too). Three close friends get the chance of a lifetime to be the backup singers for national star James Early (Eddie Murphy), but with fast fame, some things come at a price.

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Starring Vivica A. Fox, Jada Pinckett Smith, and Queen Latifah, this heist movie doubles as a social thriller that highlights the economic realities that Black women face. After Frankie (Fox) loses her job as a bank teller, she and her friends give a big F-U to the system (as they should) and decide to moonlight as robbers. Once they catch the attention of an ambitious detective, the women have no choice but to go all the way.

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This very dark comedy juxtaposes one woman's insatiable quest to avenge her best friend's tragic assault in front of a backdrop of all things frilly, pink, and sweet. That stark contrast only makes the movie's incredibly intense climax that much more shocking. Promising Young Woman was nominated for five Oscars in 2021, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Carey Mulligan, and a history-making Best Director nod for Emerald Fennell.

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This underrated musical set at an all-Black army camp follows Carmen (Dorothy Dandridge), who, despite being sought after by every man at the base, has her sights set on the super married Joe (Harry Belafonte). Dandridge's performance as Carmen Jones got her nominated for an Oscar, making history as the first African American actress in a leading role to be nominated.

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Nancy Meyers hasn't just given us beautiful kitchens to ogle (although her sets are gorgeous and I want it all). She's also given us iconic films we've watched over and over, like The Parent Trap and The Holiday. But her crowning achievement might be this little gem, which actually dares to be a rom-com that doesn't just involve hot New Yorkers in their 30s. Instead, we get a hot 50- and 60-year-old flirting and falling in love just as well as their younger counterparts. Hollywood, take note.

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Quick history lesson: Daughters of the Dust was the first feature film directed by a Black woman distributed in theaters in the U.S. It tells the story of three generations of Gullah women in pre-Civil War times living on Saint Helena Island who are stuck on deciding whether to stay or migrate north for a better life. The film's scenery is stunning, but the real beauty of the film is its complex characters.

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Whitney Houston's debut as an actress is precisely what you'd expect: amazing. The film about a famous singer and her ex-secret-service-agent-turned-professional-bodyguard (Kevin Costner) is equal parts swoon-worthy and edge of your seat thrilling. And the soundtrack? It's still the bestselling soundtrack album of all time, with more than 42 million copies certified worldwide.

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Robert Redford! Paul Newman! Really strong facial hair game! What could go wrong? Well, actually, a train robbery does go wrong, leaving outlaws Butch Cassidy (Newman) and The Sundance Kid (Redford) on the run from a seriously dangerous posse as they try to leave rural Wyoming for Bolivia. It's a Western film you can't miss.

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James Bond is known in the movieverse for its action-packed, women-objectifying spy films, but all that changed when Daniel Craig took over the role. His first movie as Britain's most notorious secret agent is filled with deception, love, unreal stunts, strong female leads, and a twist ending you won't see coming. If you've never seen a 007 film before, let this one be your first.

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Since there's a sequel in the works, take some time to watch the original—quintessential Black '80s humor at its finest. Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) is wary of the arranged marriage set up for him and sets out to Queens to find a woman he can love. Ignore some of the dated tropes, come for the sweetness in Murphy's performance: He's very much playing against his own "funny jackass" type with a vulnerable, hopeful, sweet yet profoundly stubborn monarch-to-be. But don't worry—keep an eye out for the trademark "Eddie Murphy playing another character" cameos for some of that characteristic wittiness.

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Before Christopher Nolan was known as the popular director with brain-bending plots, he made this small film. It's about a man who has no short-term memory, who's after vengeance for his murdered wife—oh, and it's shot almost entirely in reverse chronology. It's the thing that put Nolan on the map, and it holds up incredibly well. This isn't just a gimmicky premise; it also happens to be a great movie with an impressive twist ending.

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It's like an anti-Sex and the City. Women who've lived through planning or being in a wedding will recognize A LOT in this hilarious film: Passive aggressive infighting. Disagreements about the insane costs of a shower and bachelorette party. The special awkwardness that comes from several strangers who only have one thing (the bride) in common. Judd Apatow's made sweeter movies, including the classic 40 Year Old Virgin, but this one dares to be brutally honest.

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The '00s weren’t the '00s without Amanda Bynes, and She’s the Man proves it. When Viola (Bynes) finds out that her school is cutting the women’s soccer team, she decides to take a chance and disguises herself as her twin brother to play for his school. When she gets there, she starts to fall for her roommate and teammate, Duke (Channing Tatum). Things get messy.

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It’s the classic underdog story that made Sylvester Stallone a household name. The movie follows boxer Rocky Balboa on the road to fight heavyweight champion Apollo Creed in a match deemed “a somebody vs. nobody.” The film, written by Stallone, would go on to win Best Picture at the Oscars in 1977.

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Jurnee Smollett-Bell got her acting break playing 10-year-old Eve Batiste, a little girl who discovers the dark truth of her family’s affluence in their community. Written and directed by Kasi Lemmons, this masterpiece dabbles in supernatural mysticism that adds a poetic layer to the family drama set in the hot Louisiana summer. You simply can't miss this beautiful and haunting movie.

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When Steven Spielberg made this movie, I’m unsure if he knew it would become the face of anti-shark propaganda, and make a whole generation scared to get in the water. Regardless, this movie about a sheriff, marine biologist, and fisherman hunting down a shark that’s terrorizing their beach town is a must-see.

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A movie about the Holocaust is almost guaranteed to be poignant, but under Stephen Spielberg's expert direction, this one surprises with its restraint. That's deliberate—the sadness and symbolism build throughout the film so that you have a full sense of what happened, who did it, and why it matters so, so much. The movie's in black and white, with the smallest pop of color to offer a moment of hope and then (devastatingly) all possible heartbreak in one unforgettable image.

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Jack Nicholson is on this list a few times, but this is probably his most well-known role. The Torrance family—husband Jack, wife Wendy, and son Danny—are staying in the Overlook Hotel during the winter. Then, the hotel begins to come alive with a terrible, terrifying evil. Stephen King famously hated this adaptation, because Stanley Kubrick takes out all the empathy from the patriarch (Nicholson, playing crazy like he was born to do it). But it makes the story even more powerful. Viewed through today's lens, it's also a haunting look at the effects of domestic violence.

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Many films have been made about Martin Luther King, Jr., and the subject might feel overdone at this point. But not in the hands of masterful director Ava DuVernay. The film wisely chooses to stick to a short time period: the Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches, culminating in King's famous speech at Capitol Hill (unfortunately, the setting of unrest and protect will feel very, very modern). It also wisely represents each character, including King himself, as human beings with depth and flaws. It's a biopic that feels like anything but.

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Shot entirely on an iPhone 5S, this film is groundbreaking for another reason: It actually cast (unbelievably talented) transgender actors to play transgender characters. And with all that, this movie is most known for being utterly hysterical and beautifully poignant. Sex workers traverse L.A. in search of friends, clients, and spurned lovers—with some of the snappiest banter I've heard in years. The film's not perfect, but it's hopefully the start of more films like it.

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Based very, very loosely on the book of the same name, Natalie Portman is a scientist who goes in search of her husband. She enters Area X, a mutated, trippy landscape that's been expanding ever since it was hit by a meteorite. And shit just keeps getting weirder and scarier. This is directed by Alex Garland, the same guy who did Ex Machina (another fascinating, freaky watch). Honestly, he's becoming the next big sci-fi director, and this proves it.

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You'll never think of coconuts the same way after watching this silly British slapstick comedy set in the time of King Arthur and the fabled Round Table. God sends a group of knights on a quest to find the Holy Grail, where they encounter several nonsensical obstacles along the way.

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The only acceptable film adaptation of the beloved Jane Austen novel is the 2005 movie from Joe Wright (fight me). In this film, we find Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy fighting their feelings for each other over the course of two "please, someone, kiss!"-filled hours. The final scene of this film is so beautiful, it makes me cry every time.

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Believe the hype on this one—this film set the stage for smart horror movies to come. It was unbelievably innovative for the time by integrating modern research about sociopaths from the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit. It really shows: Hannibal Lector is smart and charismatic as well as being, you know, the scariest ever. He's widely known as one of the best book/film villains of all time.

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Set at a New England private school in 1959, this movie follows an English teacher, played by Robin Williams, and his relationship with his students as he teaches them to live a little more through poetry. The movie gave Williams his second Oscar nominee, and Ethan Hawke said that working on this movie inspired him to continue to be an actor.

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A semi-autobiographical take on director Lee Isaac Chung's own upbringing, Minari tells the story of a family of South Korean immigrants who move to rural Arkansas in pursuit of the "American dream" in the 1980s. It's a must-see depiction of the immigrant experience in America, and was (rightfully) nominated for six awards at the 2021 Oscars, including Best Picture.

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This is the best Rob Reiner movie, without a doubt. The Princess Bride is a fairytale story of a princess and her one true love's journey back together after many years apart. It's very fun, very wholesome, and just all-around a feel-good movie for the ages.

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Somewhat based on the life of writer and director, Cameron Crowe, Almost Famous is a coming-of-age story about a 15-year-old boy who is offered the chance to write for Rolling Stone about a new rock band that’s on the come up. It's a love letter to '70s culture in the best way.

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Uma Thurman kills (literally) as a former assassin who wakes up from a coma post-assassination attempt seeking revenge. She then sets off on a mission to get back at an ex-lover and friends who killed her husband-to-be and her unborn child on her wedding day four years ago. It's a kind of girl power you would only see in a Quentin Tarantino film. Volume 2 is also great, FYI, it's just a very different kind of film.

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It's a little hard to believe that the Schindler's List director also came up with this dino adventure movie, but what's even more impressive is that the two films came out mere months apart. This could not be more different, but if you're looking for a film about these prehistoric creatures, stick to the classic. There's so much loving attention paid to the dinosaurs' look—there isn't a ton of CGI, with a greater reliance on practical effects—but more importantly, the human characters are just as interesting. Samuel L. Jackson, in the best cameo of all time.

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Watch Timothée Chalamet's breakout role starring alongside Armie Hammer in this heart-wrenching romance film. It's set in Lombardy, Italy, in 1983 and follows Hammer and Chalamet's life-affirming summer of love. Fair warning: Bring lots of tissues.

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Winner of Best Original Screenplay at the 2008 Oscars, Juno follows the story of teenage girl's unexpected pregnancy and her journey. It's a coming-of-age story that reminds you why this genre of films reigns superior, and it also sports a 2007 Michael Cera as a truly unforgettable love interest.

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This second movie in the Batman trilogy is arguably the best of the bunch. Heath Ledger sets the standard what it takes to play the Joker, as he won an Oscar for his performance. Some say it's the best superhero film ever made and we have to agree.

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Breakfast at Tiffany's is terrific, of course, butAudrey Hepburn won the Academy Award for her turn as a princess who ditches her schedule (and her entourage) in favor of exploring Rome, only to fall asleep on a bench and get rescued by a hunky American reporter played by Gregory Peck. A classic romance film.

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In this swooningly romantic movie from Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke play a pair of travelers—she French, he American—who have a chance meeting in Vienna and decide to spend the evening before his departing flight walking around the city and talking to one another. In 2005, the sequel Before Sunset continues the story, and then in 2015 the trilogy is wrapped up with Before Midnight. All of them are worth watching over and over.

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Carey Grant and Rosalind Russell play a formerly married couple—he an editor, she an investigative reporter—who have to team up for one last assignment. Of course, the fact that he hired her only after finding out she was engaged to someone new might have something to do with it, but Russell is hilarious and their chemistry is bananas in this romance.

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The filmmaking in this sequel to the Australian dystopian road movie for the 1980s simply has no right being as good as it is. Not only that, but this tale of a wasteland populated by bloodthristy (literally) driving gangs ends up being a pretty feminist tale when all is said and done (thanks, Charlize Theron!).

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Sissy Spacek is the one true Carrie—a bullied young woman who develops telekinetic abilities just in time for a prank prom invite to turn into a full-fledged bloodbath. I know we shouldn't condone violence, but it's hard not to root for poor Carrie after her classmates dump pigs' blood on her in her prom dress, right?

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Scout Finch tells the story of how her father, Atticus, a small town lawyer in the rural South, defended a wrongfully accused black man in this adaptation of Harper Lee's beloved novel. Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch is how most people who've seen this movie think of the character, and you will too when you see it.

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Heard of the bend and snap? If you can believe this movie came into our lives 17 years ago, it's time to give it a watch if you haven't already—simply to witness the evolution of Reese Witherspoon and her incredible acting. What, like it's hard?

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One of the first slasher films (that launched many copycats to come) is Alfred Hitchcock's creepy story of Norman Bates and his hotel on the hill.

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Greta Gerwig's film landed multiple Oscar nominations, and for good reason. Any teen growing up in suburbia can relate to this coming-of-age film (especially those who went to Catholic school). Viewers often find it similar to the 2002 comedy/drama Real Women Have Curves—which is also awesome.

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The Marie Claire team is *very* passionate about this movie, and for good reason. Starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, the 1998 drama/romance tells the story of two neighborhood bookstore rivals who absolutely hate each other in real life, then fall in love online, and well...we won't spoil the rest for you. (The good ol' AOL days.)

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Julie Andrews plays an Austrian nun during World War II in the Academy Award-winning film. When she comes to the villa of retired naval officer Captain Georg von Trapp to be governess to his seven children, she begins to realize how much the family means to her. The latter part of the movie has an unexpected twist and displays the unfathomable truth of what it was like living through Nazi Germany.

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It's not often that a movie so perfectly taps into the spirit of the times, but in a year where Trump's presidency has sparked tense discussions about police brutality, race, and false liberalism, this was the breakout movie that did the job—in the horror genre, no less. Director Jordan Peele turns the typical horror script on its head with this blend of cultural criticism and horror tropes.

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Yes, you've heard all the buzz about this movie. But if you haven't seen it yet, make room in your schedule. Moonlight is a beautifully filmed coming-of-age story of a gay black boy growing up in a housing project in Miami. The many-layered film sheds light on aspects of black identity that are rarely spotlighted on film and was a truly watershed moment at the Oscars.

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Save this for a day when you're not feeling a case of the sads, because it may make you a little blue. Spike Jonze's Her imagines a not-so-distant future where high waisted pants are still a happening trend and where one lonely man falls in love with his Siri-esque operating system.

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Yes, there are three parts to this trilogy that might require a night of bingeing. But there's really nothing like Francis Ford Coppola's depiction of the mob family of Don Vito Corleone. It's a chilling to the bone, action-packed story that's not one to miss.

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J.Laaaaaw. What looks from the outset like a typical rom-com delves deeper into the motions of mental illness, as a bipolar man tries to reconnect with his estranged wife following his release from a psychiatric ward. He meets a recently widowed woman (Jennifer Lawrence) with her own problems, who convinces him to join a dance competition with her to help him win his wife back.

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This classic film is ostensibly about 12 white men on a jury arguing over whether a young Puerto Rican man actually killed his father (the class and race dynamics feel unfortunately familiar, 60+ years later). But it's really about prejudice and stereotype and the assumptions we carry with us every day without realizing it. If you didn't get to watch this one in school, watch it now.

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No movie has ever spoofed high school culture as brilliantly as Mean Girls, whose hilarious script by Tina Fey has become iconic, bringing the phrases "so fetch," "I know, right?" and "cool mom" into our modern language. It lives on in countless memes and GIFs, even though the movie's more than 10 years old at this point.

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The classic book has been made into countless remakes. But this one offers up the most modern and nuanced take of four sisters growing up in a male-dominated world, looking for love and financial security. Greta Gerwig's latest also does something I thought was impossible: She makes Amy, who sometimes comes off as the villain of the book, smart, sensible, and relatable.

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One of the smartest love stories ever written (it won best screenplay at the Oscars that year) captures a couple who both undergo a treatment to erase each other from their memories following a breakup. The dream, right? Not so, as they revisit their life together in woozy flashbacks and realize that they're not ready to let go just yet.

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This famous modern French flick is a quirky story about a do-gooder woman who wants to set the world around her right with a series of good deeds. The inventive use of color and the creative dialogue made it a super accessible watch for international audiences, who all rooted for Amélie Poulain to find love and happiness for herself, too.

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Spike Lee acts and directs in a film that marries comedy and drama perfectly. Roger Ebert's review is pretty spot-on, but to summarize: Lee builds a community in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, teeming with life and tension on the hottest day of the year. And then he rips it all apart. But it's so much more compelling than even that description. Lee handles all his characters with love, and there's no one who's truly evil, despite spot-on and heart-wrenching commentary about racism, classism, and poverty.

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The elaborate costumes, the stunning visuals, and the beautiful art direction are all key features of this art house movie by Chinese director Wong Kar-Wai. And though there's sparse dialogue, sit back and prepare to be enchanted by the slow but captivating scenes of two married neighbors falling in love.

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Volumes could be written about the sheer brilliance of this movie, but if you've never seen it, know that it's one of the best teen movies ever made, from the script to the acting (two words: Heath Ledger *swoons*) to the speech-making and wooing that make this feel like a modern Shakespearean comedy.

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Sure, you could watch the other three versions of A Star Is Born (from 1937, 1954, and 1976), but as someone who once watched all four in one day, I can assure you that the most recent, starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, is the best by far. It follows the tragically short but no less powerful relationship between Jackson Maine (Cooper), a rock star on his way out of popularity, and Ally (Gaga), an up-and-coming pop star navigating the fine line between selling out and staying true to her craft. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll never get "Shallow" out of your head again.

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Even if you don't realize it, many action and virtual reality flicks owe their effects (see the slow motion action scenes) to this iconic '90s film that blurs the lines between dreams and reality. The film is set in dystopian future in which most people's "reality" is really just a simulated world called "The Matrix." One computer hacker named Neo learns the truth of his existence and tries to fight back against the machines who run this alternate universe.

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Still one of the most quotable of all the Coen Brothers' movies, this film is notable for its hilarious script, continually madcap sequence of events, and stoner dialogue from lead actor Jeff Bridges AKA "The Dude."

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This early Hitchcock movie is one of the few films to score a coveted 100 percent Rotten Tomatoes score, and it's still considered one of the best of its time. Starring Princess Grace Kelly and James Stewart, the film revolves around a man confined to his wheelchair whose pastime involves spying on his neighbors. Things take a turn for the worst when he believes he's witnessed a murder.

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If you've ever wondered whether your life is just one big sitcom, The Truman Show illustrates what happens when one man, played by Jim Carrey, realizes that his entire life is scripted for television.

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Paul Thomas Anderson's wild and colorful flick Boogie Nights is a classic for its portrayal of sex and excess in the swinging '70s starring Mark "Marky Mark" Wahlberg, AKA porn star "Dirk Diggler." Schedule it for a viewing if you're looking for a hot and sexy time.

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Jack Nicholson's at his best in this film about a habitual criminal who's sentenced to time in a mental hospital. There, he threatens the natural order under the watch of cruel Nurse Ratched and attempts to flee with his fellow patients. The film swept up five Academy Awards in its day, from Best Picture to Best Actor and Best Actress.

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Stellan Skarsgård plays a professor who discovers that his school janitor (Matt Damon) is actually a math whiz. And Robin Williams plays the therapist who draws out the troubled young man, breaking through his walls and helping him heal. Between the Elliott Smith soundtrack and the brooding performance from Matt Damon, it's the sad girl '90s movie that dreams are made of.

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This hilarious black comedy directed by the Coen brothers launched the TV show of the same name in 2014. And for good reason—the original film was full of darkly ironic twists and turns, anchored by a stellar performance by Frances McDormand (she won the Oscar for Best Actress that year), who plays a pregnant (!) police chief investigating a kidnapping and ransom deal gone off the rails. Oh, and the subsequent TV series is great too.

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Between the Simon & Garfunkel soundtrack and the easy-on-the-eyes love triangle—Dustin Hoffman as a wandering college graduate, his married neighbor Mrs. Robinson, and her daughter—this film is hard to not immediately fall in love with.

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Cher Horowitz stole everyone's heart in the '90s as the well-intentioned Valley Girl with an enviable revolving closet who set out to prove she wasn't "just a ditz with a credit card." Inspired by Jane Austen's Emma, the film sees her trying to play matchmaker at school, until she gets caught up in her own love triangle.

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Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder in the '90s were at the prime of their quirky weirdness in this Edward Burton flick that captures Depp as a human weapon with literal scissors for hands (but with lots of feelings, mind you). It's also the film that brought together the "Winona Forever" power couple of the '90s.

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We could probably put any and all of the Toy Story movies on this list. But the original is so fabulous that if you haven't watched it, now's the perfect moment. It's not the first time this concept's been covered: Your toys come alive just as soon as you leave the room. But it's the execution (and voice acting) that really makes this a classic. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are just two of the pros lending their iconic voices to the roles, and Pixar was really starting to perfect its formula. Introduce characters you love, put them in peril, teach us something, make us all cry. And boy, does this one do all four.

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Quentin Tarantino is at his most quotable in this dark crime comedy starring John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson who play hitmen trying to reclaim a stolen suitcase for their mob boss. The chemistry of the outstanding cast members (including Tarantino favorite Uma Thurman) and the bizarre script routinely land this at the top of critics' lists for the best film of the century.

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When people discuss prison movies, probably the first one that comes to mind is The Shawshank Redemption. Expect excellent acting plus a suspenseful ending (that inspired Mexican drug lord El Chapo's rendezvous with the police last year) that you'll be talking about for years to come.

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If you haven't seen When Harry Met Sally, you probably know it from this famous "I'll have what she's having" scene. But it's worth seeing in full to relive Nora Ephron's groundbreaking screenwriting plus the easy banter between America's sweetheart Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal (it kind of set the stage for modern rom-coms as we know them).

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Winona Ryder's always in her element in off-beat dark comedies, and this one sets her in the middle of a high school where her character Veronica gets invited to a join a popular clique of "Heathers" (literally three girls whose names are Heather) until they betray her. Veronica and her partner-in-crime J.D. Dean (Christian Slater) set out to right all the wrongs made against her, in cruel and unusual ways.

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Blue Velvet is a quintessential David Lynch movie that sees the director exploring his knack for dark visual effects and psychological horror. Twin Peaks' Kyle Machlachlan gets wrapped up in a mysterious plot after he discovers a severed ear in a parking lot.

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John Hughes' catalogue of '80s films (with Molly Ringwald often playing the starring role) are all classics, though this story about unexpected friendship that blossoms in the middle of detention hall takes the cake for its iconic scenes, from coordinated dances to beauty makeovers.

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This sci-fi film sees Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, a time traveler who drives his flying Delorean back into the '50s after an experiment gone wrong. Fun fact: the sequel is set in the far-away future, a.k.a. 2015.

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Before Pose, there was Paris is Burning. Set in New York’s underground house scene, Jennie Livingston’s documentary shines a light on the ballroom community and examines issues of race, gender, and poverty. It's just as powerful as it is entertaining.

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Considered one of the most ahead of its time sci-fi movies, Blade Runner stars a brooding Harrison Ford as a "blade runner" in a futuristic world of replicants, or robots designed to look like humans. His job is to hunt down some replicants that have escaped, until he falls for one named Rachael.

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Inspired by Joseph Conrad's novella Heart of Darkness, Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now updates the film setting to the Vietnam War Era. In Vietnam, an American group aboard a Navy patrol boat travel up the Viet Cong-held river, where they're horrified by the destruction and corruption they see.

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See for yourself where all the live versions of the cult favorite Rocky Horror Picture Show began with this over-the-top, perfectly cast musical (see: young Susan Sarandon).

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This movie is trippy and a bit hard to follow, but it's absolutely required viewing. Stanley Kubrick takes us from the dawn of the human species to the dawn of a totally new species in just a few hours, and his view of space and space travel set the standard for a thousand sci-fi films to come. More importantly, it's compelling and totally, totally terrifying. It's aged really well, despite being made over 50 years ago.

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If you don't know why Miss Marilyn Monroe was and is such a big deal, take a look at this one. The film shows off her vocal chops as the lead singer of an all-girl band who dreams of wooing a millionaire. As her band travels to sunny Florida, she makes friends with two new musicians in the group, who she doesn't realize are men in disguise and on the run.