The Most Rewatchable Movie of Every Year of the 2000s

Clem and Joel (Kate Winslet & Jim Carrey) eating on a staircase in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.Image via Focus Features

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There’s just something about films from the 2000s that makes them feel special even today. Whether it’s romantic comedies or mystery thrillers, the decade sat right in the middle of old-school techniques and new-age storytelling. Studios were willing to take risks and directors were experimenting with genres in unexpected ways. However, at the same time, all these films still felt as intimate as ever, which is why they continue to resonate with audiences years down the line.

The 2000s saw the rise of character-driven films that remain quotable and emotionally layered enough to feel relevant in every era. What’s interesting is that the decade wasn’t defined by one type of movie, instead, it was defined by variety. To reflect that, here are the most rewatchable movies of every year of the 2000s that will take you right back to the time of low-rise jeans and flip-phones.

10 ‘American Psycho’ (2000)

Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman wielding an axe in a fancy apartment in American PsychoImage via Lionsgate

American Psycho is one of the most brilliant satires of the 2000s. The story comes across as just another serial killer thriller at first, but you soon see that the murders are actually the least important parts of the film. The story follows Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman, a Wall Street investment banker who seems cold, detached, and devoid of all human emotions. The real horror is the fact that every time he tries to turn into a monster, no one has the time to pay attention to him. Bale strikes the perfect balance between a deadpan employee and an unhinged ax murderer in a way that explores the male ego better than any other film ever has.

Of course, American Psycho deserves its flowers for always keeping the audience guessing between what’s real and what’s only happening inside Bateman’s head. The supporting cast featuring Willem Dafoe, Chloë Sevigny, and Jared Leto only adds to the film’s gripping narrative and perfectly complements Bale’s performance. After a point, the ambiguity stops being a twist and becomes the entire point of the film. Mary Harron's directorial holds up well even in the 2020s because of how it addresses themes of identity, image, and the race we’re constantly in as we try to impress others. It’s a story that makes you laugh at its absurdity before you’re hit with the realization of watching a man unravel in a broken society.

9 ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ (2001)

Luke Wilson as Richie with his falcon in 'The Royal Tenenbaums'Image via Buena Vista Pictures

Every Wes Anderson film is a masterpiece, but The Royal Tenenbaums is in a league of its own. It’s one of those movies that gets better the more you watch it, with every scene revealing layer upon layer of hidden meaning. The story features Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman), who forces himself back into the lives of his brilliant but burnt-out children by falsely claiming that he is dying. The setup of the film feels comic, and it is, but you soon realize that it’s so much more than just that. Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Luke Wilson play the Tenenbaum children, who are all adults dealing with their own failures and setbacks.

The Royal Tenenbaums is brilliant in the amount of detail it packs into its world. The Tenenbaum house itself practically becomes a character, designed to look like something straight out of a storybook. All of that aside, though, the film resonates with all kinds of viewers because of its emotional core. Hackman delivers one of the best performances of his career and manages to make you appreciate his character despite how terrible a father he is. Anderson really takes his time to build up the Tenenbaums, their lives, and their messy world. This slow-burning pacing leads to the ending feeling like a gut-punch of emotions. By the time the family finally comes together, you make peace with the fact that life is bittersweet, and though healing is imperfect, it’s still worth striving for.

8 ‘Catch Me If You Can’ (2002)

Tom Hanks in Catch Me If You CanImage via DreamWorks

Steven Spielberg's crime comedy-drama, Catch Me If You Can, remains one of the director’s most effortlessly hilarious films. It plays out like a cat-and-mouse game that follows Frank Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio), a teenager who runs away from home after his parents’ marriage falls apart. Soon enough, Frank finds himself turning into a con artist on the run from the FBI. Frank’s scams and his impersonations of pilots, doctors, and lawyers are exciting to watch, especially with DiCaprio’s charm. Tom Hanks’s portrayal of the FBI agent Carl Hanratty and his dynamic with Frank is the highlight of the film, as it develops into a strange, almost reluctant friendship.

The story taps into the central character’s broken home and unstable childhood, which leads him to keep reinventing himself as an escape. Underneath all the drama, you have the story of a kid trying to figure out who he truly is. Catch Me If You Can is a masterclass in cinematography with how Janusz Kamiński makes everything feel like a dream straight out of the 1960s, which makes it the perfect film to watch over and over again. Catch Me If You Can’s scale isn’t as epic as Spielberg’s other works, but it is easily one of his most enjoyable works, grounded in realism.

7 ‘Kill Bill: Volume 1’ (2003)

Uma Thurman as the bride, holding her katana defensively across her face in Kill Bill.Image via Miramax Films

Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Volume 1 is one of the most timeless films ever made. The fact that it is still just as enjoyable over two decades later is a testament to its brilliant storytelling and stellar performances by the cast. The story follows the Bride (Uma Thurman), a former assassin who wakes up from a four-year coma and immediately sets out to seek revenge. The movie is pulpy, hyper-violent and over-the-top, but that’s exactly what makes it so entertaining. The great thing about Kill Bill: Volume 1 is that it embraces its exaggerated premise and everything that entails. Tarantino wants the viewers to feel like they have been transported into a fever dream where logic takes a backseat.

You have to appreciate how the director and cast really lean into the absurdity of it all, with every frame paying homage to ‘70s samurai cinema and martial arts films. The House of Blue Leaves sequence remains one of the most memorable set pieces of the 2000s and the Bride’s snow-covered showdown with O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu) has to be the best on-screen fight you will ever see. Beneath all these stylistic elements, though, you have Thurman and Liu delivering career-defining performances grounded in complex emotions and compelling backstories. Kill Bill: Volume 1 is one of those films that just never loss its punch, and the fact that it is self-aware of how loud and bloody it is is just the cherry on top.

6 ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ (2004)

kate Winslet reading at a diner in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Clementine (Kate Winslet), a young woman in a bright orange jacket with blue hair, sits in a diner reading a book with a cup of coffee in 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' (2004).Image via Focus Features

Calling Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind a rewatchable film feels ironic when you consider the entire plot revolves around people choosing to forget. The film could have been yet another sci-fi premise about a service that wipes people’s memories clean, but Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman turn that narrative into a meditation on the very idea of being human. The story features Jim Carrey as Joel Barish, a quiet man who discovers that his ex-girlfriend Clementine (Kate Winslet) has chosen to erase him from his mind. Joel is unable to deal with the heartbreak and signs up for the same procedure, only to realize that he actually doesn’t want to forget their time together. The film’s mix of a very personal story combined with the idea of this futuristic technology hits you harder than you might expect.

The director’s decision to play Joel and Clementine’s story play out in reverse exposes the fragility of human connection and makes you question why we sometimes choose to let go of connections so easily. Every time you watch Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the narrative is bound to reveal a new tiny detail or gesture that adds another level of meaning to the whole thing. Even scenes that seem chaotic at first make emotional sense whenever you revisit the film. The ending feels all the more impactful because you have been on this wild, intense ride with the two characters who ultimately find their way back to each other. Despite everything they have erased and lost, Joel and Clementine choose to try again anyway, and that is the beauty of it all.

5 ‘Batman Begins’ (2005)

Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne and Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth in Batman BeginsImage via Warner Bros.

Christopher Nolan is the real superhero for giving the fans a Batman reboot they had desperately been waiting for. Batman Begins revived a franchise that had been dragged so far into camp that many believed the masked superhero was done for good. However, Nolan’s masterpiece takes Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) back to his roots in a way that no live-action film had before. The actor’s portrayal is angry, grieving and completely lost, which makes his transformation into Batman all the more impactful. The film is a slow-burn and doesn’t rush to put Bruce in the suit. Instead, Nolan spends a lot of time exploring the character’s time in a Bhutanese prison and his mentorship under Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson).

This sense of realism plays a huge role in giving the film its rewatch value. Nolan’s Batman isn’t a caricaturish superhero who saves the day and goes back home to a perfect life. Bruce’s internal struggle is what makes Batman Begins a rewarding watch. The small choices he makes that contribute to the person he eventually becomes are the heart of the story. His dynamic with Alfred (Michael Caine) and Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) only gives the viewers a lot more insight into how he operates as a person and then a superhero. Not to mention that all of this happens against the director’s carefully-constructed Gotham that is the perfect picture of a city on the edge of total collapse. The ending where Gordon hands Batman the Joker card is still one of the most iconic sequel setups and the perfect way to show that Bruce’s story has just started. This is a film that doesn’t waste a single second and is worth every rewatch.

4 ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ (2006)

Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly looking at something off-camera in her office in The Devil Wears Prada. Image via 20th Century Studios

Whoever mistakes The Devil Wears Prada for a typical chick flick is completely mistaken and missing out on one of the most fascinating fims of the 2000s. At first, you think that everything Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestly puts Anne Hathaway’s Andy Sachs through is a bit much. However, soon enough, the corporate grind starts feeling a lot less like an exaggeration and more reflective of how things work in the real world. Streep’s performance as the ice-cold editor-in-chief of the fashion magazine Runway is nothing short of terrifying. Watching her practically torture her new junior assistant Andy is both hilarious and infuriating at the same time.

However, you slowly learn that how Miranda chooses to be this ruthless, hardened woman because she believes that is where her power comes from. Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt shine in their supporting roles and add a lot of depth to the power dynamics at Runway. Of course, the film is still remembered for its iconic fashion, which is essentially a character of its own. Every outfit Andy wears tells a story and signals a shift in her identity. She is a complex, layered character who has to decide how much of herself she is willing to sacrifice to survive in the high-stakes world of fashion. This nuance makes the film relevant and rewatchable for every era. You might start watching The Devil Wears Prada for the Chanel coats and Louis Vuitton bags, but you stay for the psychology.

3 ‘Superbad’ (2007)

Evan and Seth looking shocked at a mall in Superbad.

superbad-michael-cera-jonah-hillImage via Sony Pictures Releasing

Superbad is one of the defining teen comedies of the 2000s. The film begins with a typical buddy comedy premise but quickly spirals into something far more chaotic than that. The story follows best friends Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera), who just want to buy alcohol for a party to impress their crushes. The simple task turns into an all-night saga that involves fake IDs and a chain of disasters that somehow keep escalating. By the time the boys actually get to the party, they have been hit by a car, chased by a pair of weird cops played by Seth Rogen and Bill Hader, and their friendship has been tested in ways they could not have imagined.

The absurdity of it all is an important part of the film, but the way it captures the reality of being stuck between adolescence and adulthood is surprisingly raw. Hill and Cera share an amazing chemistry and truly feel like friends who have been in each others’ lives for years. At its heart, Superbad is a film about the two realizing that sometimes, growing up means growing apart. Sure, the story will make anyone laugh endlessly, and that does make it worth watching over and over again. However, its brilliance lies in its sincerity. For a film that spends most of its time on vulgar jokes and over-the-top situations, the ending lands on a surprisingly emotional note, which brings everything to a perfect close.

2 ‘Mamma Mia!’ (2008)

Christine Baranski, Meryl Streep and Julie Walters singing and dancing in Mamma Mia!

Christine Baranski, Meryl Streep and Julie Walters in Mamma Mia!Image via Universal

Mamma Mia! is a must-watch even if you don’t enjoy musicals because of how immersive it is. The minute you start watching, you feel like you have been transported to a Greek island with no responsibilities. The story follows Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), who is about to get married. The only thing she wants before that is to meet her father. However, the problem is that her mother Donna (Meryl Streep) had quite an eventful night 20 years ago, which means that Sophie has three potential dads. Chaos erupts when she decides to invite all three of them to her wedding without telling Donna.

What makes the film special beyond that hilarious premise is the fact that its narrative is based entirely on ABBA songs that punctuate every important moment. If that sounds cheesy, you’re not wrong, but Mamma Mia! is a film that leans completely into it. The musical, with its bright cinematography, fun dance sequences and unmatched energy, plays out brilliantly on screen. Streep and Seyfried bring the kind of depth and honesty that makes you root for them throughout. The plot is charming and there’s something so relentlessly human about the way all these characters interact with each other. The film combines comedy, drama and romance in one gleeful package that will leave you smiling ear to ear every time you watch it.

1 ‘Avatar’ (2009)

Neytiri and Jake in a Pandora forest in Avatar 2009Image via 20th Century Studios

Avatar is James Cameron’s sci-fi epic that completely changed the game when it premiered back in 2009. The director created a world that only he could have dared to imagine, with the scale of Pandora still feeling unreal even after all these years. The story follows Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a former Marine who arrives on the habitable moon to replace his brother in the Avatar Program. Jake hopes to spy on the humanoid species, Na’vi and follow orders, but things take a turn when he finds himself falling in love with the planet, its people and the culture he is meant to help destroy. The setup sounds relatively simple where a wheelchair-bound soldier gets a shot at a normal life through genetic engineering. However, when Jake meets Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), his perspective begins to shift, and that makes Avatar so much more than a standard sci-fi adventure.

The fascinating part is that Cameron didn’t just want to give his audience cool-looking aliens. Instead, he spends a painstaking amount of time on building Pandora’s entire ecosystem with its own biology, history, and language. You feel like this world has existed for centuries because of how real everything feels. Of course, Avatar is one of the most visually stunning films of all time with its immersive 3D and flawless blending of live-action and CGI. However, the emotional core of the story is what truly makes the film feel so special to this day. No matter how many times you watch Avatar, Pandora is as mesmerizing as ever and you feel as invested in the characters as you did the first time. This sincerity is why the film’s message of environment preservation and anti-war themes resonate so well without ever feeling preachy. This kind of sci-fi spectacle only comes around once in a while, and if you haven’t watched it, you’re missing out on what ambition truly looks like in filmmaking.

Like Follow Followed Avatar PG-13 Action Adventure Fantasy Science Fiction Release Date December 15, 2009 Runtime 162 minutes Director James Cameron Writers James Cameron

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Sam Worthington Jake Sully
Zoe Saldana Neytiri
Sigourney Weaver Dr. Grace Augustine
Stephen Lang Colonel Miles Quaritch

Genres Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction Powered by

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