Entertainment
From ‘Wicked’ and ‘Dune: Part Two’ to ‘Anora,’ Boston.com readers and our entertainment writer share their picks for the best movies of 2024.
When considering the best movies of 2024, it’s fair to take a moment and consider how the year in film stacks up to others in recent history.
The box office numbers have been good, but not great. Two Disney movies — “Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool & Wolverine” — crossed the billion-dollar benchmark at the worldwide box office, and another Disney sequel (“Moana 2”) may eventually join them.
In pure financial terms, the top three movies of 2024 outgrossed the top three movies from 2023, which included “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer.” But when considering their cultural impact, those films can’t hold a candle to “Barbenheimer.”
The closest equivalent in 2024, “Glicked,” simply didn’t generate the same buzz. And unlike my best movies of 2023 list — which featured both “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” — you won’t find either “Gladiator 2” or “Wicked” in this year’s top ten.
Watch: Kevin talks the best movies of 2024 on ‘Boston Globe Today’
Make no mistake: There were a ton of great movies released in 2024. But due to a mix of shrinking studio budgets and a production backlog stemming from 2023’s dual strikes, there were fewer truly excellent ones that will stand the test of time.
Doom and gloom aside, I still struggled with making cuts to this final list of the 10 best movies of 2024 — a mix of traditional theatrical releases, streaming exclusives, and one midnight movie special.
If you ask me next week, my picks might look drastically different. That’s partly because there was a deep roster of films to choose from, and partly because I limited this list to movies that have already been released to Boston audiences, saving me the trouble of finding spots for upcoming releases like “Nickel Boys” (Jan. 3) and “The Brutalist” (Jan. 10). Other Christmastime releases like “Babygirl,” “A Complete Unknown,” and “Nosferatu” are all somewhere in my top 40 as well.
Boston.com readers seemed to struggle a bit less with their Best Of list than I did, to be honest. When we polled readers to find out what they believed to be the best movies of 2024, two films were the overwhelmingly popular favorites. Both of those films finished just outside of my top 10, in part because I wanted to highlight a few under-watched gems to check out while you have a few days off with the family during the holidays.
Without further ado, here are the best movies of 2024, as chosen by me and Boston.com readers.
Kevin Slane’s Best Movies of 2024
10. “Juror #2”
There is no better summation of the state of Hollywood in 2024 than the movie “Juror #2” and the way Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has treated its director, Clint Eastwood. On a leaked conference call, Zaslav lit into staffers for green-lighting another recent Eastwood film, and quoted the villain from “Jerry Maguire” to justify marginalizing a screen legend who has provided Warner Bros. with 50 years of hit films.
“Juror #2” is the kind of mid-budget drama that used to play in theaters every single weekend 20 years ago, but the film was dumped in fewer than 50 theaters nationwide for a single weekend before making its streaming debut on Max. A twist on “12 Angry Men,” Nicholas Hoult plays a juror who slowly begins to realize he may be connected to the case he is tasked with judging, and grapples with the moral dilemma that follows. Unlike the Sidney Lumet classic, there is no Henry Fonda in a white suit speaking up to be the voice of conscience. There is only Hoult asking the same question on many Americans’ minds: Are truth and justice objective, or is power the ultimate arbiter?
How to watch: “Juror #2” begins streaming on Max December 20.
9. “His Three Daughters”
“His Three Daughters” is a movie that will likely hit close to home for many of a certain age. Natasha Lyonne (“Poker Face”), Elizabeth Olsen (“WandaVision”), and Carrie Coon (“The Leftovers”) play three sisters whose lives followed different paths but are now forced to make nice in a cramped Manhattan apartment while caring for their ailing father.
Lyonne (the stoned slacker), Coon (the uptight, judgmental mom), and Olsen (the conflict-averse yogi) speak to each other in a way that is both strangely stilted but also rooted in elemental truth about familial bonds. Watching them spar is heartbreaking, and watching them bond is hugely affirming.
How to watch: “His Three Daughters” is streaming on Netflix.
8. “Hundreds of Beavers”
In the winter of 2019, independent filmmaker Mike Cheslik gathered a small team in Wisconsin to make a microbudget film called “Hundreds of Beavers.” Set in the rugged frontier of the 1800s Midwest, the comedy chronicles the misadventures of Jean Kayak, a drunken applejack salesman who must figure out how to trap and kill hundreds of beavers (played by humans in mascot costumes) — initially just to survive, but eventually to win his love’s hand in marriage from her gruff father.
The film is a wild slapstick adventure, paying homage to the pratfalls and eye-pokes of Charlie Chaplin and the Three Stooges, the death-defying stunts of Buster Keaton, and the cartoon logic of Tom and Jerry or Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner. It’s the most I’ve laughed at a movie in 2024. “Hundreds of Beavers” is free to watch on YouTube, but do yourself a favor and catch the midnight showing at Coolidge Corner Theatre on Friday for an optimal viewing experience.
How to watch: “Hundreds of Beavers” is streaming free with ads on YouTube.
7. “Conclave”
Imagine your boss announces they’re leaving, and suddenly there’s a mad scramble among you and your colleagues as you gossip, backstab, and maneuver yourself into pole position for the job. Now imagine that job is the Pope. That’s the story of “Conclave,” in which Ralph Fiennes’ Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with choosing the worldwide leader of the Catholic Church.
Amidst a personal crisis of faith, Cardinal Lawrence mulls candidates for the gig that include his reform-minded pal (Stanley Tucci), a staunch traditionalist (Sergio Castellitto), and a Cardinal who is clearly playing backroom politics (John Lithgow). Even when “Conclave” strains credulity, it is anchored by an Oscar-worthy turn from Fiennes, who greets every new challenge and revelation with a pragmatism that borders on delusional.
How to watch: “Conclave” is streaming on Peacock.
6. “I Saw the TV Glow”
Director Jane Schoenbrun, who captured how social media acts as an accelerant for the lonely and isolated in “We’re All Going to The World’s Fair,” goes broader in scope with their A24 debut, “I Saw the TV Glow.” The life of quiet, depressed ’90s teenager Owen (Ian Foreman) is irrevocably changed by the introduction of two simultaneous obsessions: A new, older friend named Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine) and the TV show she shares with him, “The Pink Opaque.”
Shoenbrun perfectly captures the lived truth of many a millennial latchkey kid whose identity was defined by the media they consumed. (A flash-forward to Owen’s adult life suggests this may not be the healthiest of choices.) And while “I Saw the TV Glow” certainly addresses the pernicious power of nostalgia, it’s not a scolding indictment of pop culture obsession. Indeed, for many adolescents who struggle with self-image and finding meaning in a chaotic world, a ridiculous TV show can provide a life raft to someone desperately seeking one.
How to watch: “I Saw the TV Glow” is streaming on Max.
5. “Good One”
IFFBoston’s Fall Focus festival is typically the best way for Bostonians to see movies that will end up on Best Of lists, and this year was no exception, with movies like “A Real Pain,” “Nickel Boys,” and “The Brutalist” making their New England premieres. But it was a small indie at IFFBoston’s spring festival, India Donaldson’s “Good One,” that really stood out to me.
The film follows 17-year-old Sam (Lily Collias) who is taking a backpacking trip in the Catskills with her father and his childhood best friend before she heads to college. At a pivotal moment you won’t see coming, what is initially a comfy coming-of-age film becomes a harrowing reality check for Sam, as she is forced to confront the fact that the adult role models in her life are human beings with flaws — some more glaring than others.
How to watch: “Good One” is available to rent.
4. “The Substance”
In “The Substance,” a shrimp-chewing, whiskey-swilling studio honcho (Dennis Quaid) plainly states what Hollywood does to women like Elizabeth (Demi Moore): “At 50, it stops.” A former Oscar winner and current fitness guru in the mold of Jane Fonda, Elizabeth turns to a mysterious substance that promises to keep her fading figure and fleeting fame alive for decades. Without spoiling too many particulars, the substance allows Elizabeth to “unlock” her younger self, played with dead-eyed brilliance by Margaret Qualley.
“The Substance” is equal parts dark comedy and body horror, and the results of Elizabeth’s quest to vanquish Father Time are both ludicrous and frequently grotesque. But in a world where people die from Brazilian butt lifts and a reality show about botched plastic surgery has aired for eight seasons and counting, “The Substance” is closer to reality than some would like to admit.
How to watch: “The Substance” is streaming on Mubi.
3. “Challengers”
Director Luca Guadagnino pulls off a neat little trick in the intensely erotic, over-the-top sports drama “Challengers.” Instead of releasing the film’s pent-up carnal tension in the bedroom, the lustful energy explodes on the tennis court, where Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor grunt, groan, and scream their way through one of the most deliriously entertaining movies of the year.
Tashi (Zendaya) is the former tennis phenom turned manager for her star client and husband, Art (Faist). Art is in a slump, so Tashi puts him in a low-level “Challengers” tournament. There, Art comes face to face with Patrick, a washed-up pro who we learn via lengthy flashbacks was once Art’s best friend and involved in a love triangle between him and Tashi. Every interaction in “Challengers” — be it an argument or a romantic tryst — plays out like a game of tennis, with the camera bouncing back and forth like it’s watching a particularly vigorous rally. Every game of tennis, meanwhile, plays out like a no-holds-barred one-night stand. It’s ridiculous — and ridiculously fun.
How to watch: “Challengers” is streaming on Prime Video.
2. “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”
This spot could have easily gone to “Dune: Part Two,” another desert-set sequel to a huge blockbuster helmed by a director who innately understands how to operate at scale. But I stand by my review from earlier this year: “Furiosa” is one of the greatest sequels ever made. Unlike “Fury Road,” which rarely let its foot off the gas, “Furiosa” is told at a much more deliberate pace. We see a young Furiosa captured and then raised by a horde of desert marauders, led by the self-absorbed Dements (Chris Hemsworth). As an adult, Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) has blended into the background, but she still harbors thoughts of escape — and revenge.
Upon rewatching “Fury Road” the day after “Furiosa,” the scene in which Charlize Theron’s Furiosa collapses to the ground and screams at the heavens carries so much more weight now that we’ve seen the origin story of a woman who was snatched from her mother, has been through hell, and emerges intact — albeit with a War Rig-sized chip on her shoulder. Enhancing one of the best films of the 2010s would be reason enough to see “Furiosa.” But even on its own, the film is a masterstroke from one of the greatest living auteurs.
How to watch: “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” is streaming on Max.
1. “Anora”
Director Sean Baker (“Red Rocket,” “The Florida Project”) has always spotlighted people living on the margins in his films – in particular sex workers. But he’s never had a cast and a budget quite like “Anora.” Mikey Madison’s stripper, Ani, thinks she’s landed her ticket to a better life when a young Russian oligarch named Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn) catches feelings at the club, eventually paying an outlandish sum to make her “his girl.” Their whirlwind romance is intoxicating to watch, but a looming visit from Ivan’s parents threatens their fairy tale and triggers a madcap game of hide-and-seek in the underbelly of Brooklyn.
An unholy mix between “Pretty Woman” and “Uncut Gems,” “Anora” is a romcom from the red light district, a slapstick comedy in stilettos, and a white-knuckle road movie that never leaves the confines of the Five Boroughs. Most of all, it’s a movie about an indefatigable spirit scrapping and hustling for money, power, and respect in a world designed to withhold all three.
How to watch: “Anora” is in theaters and available to rent. It will begin streaming on Hulu sometime in 2025.
The best movies of 2024, according to Boston.com readers
5. “The Substance”
Despite (or perhaps because of?) horrific body modulation that can only be described as Cronenbergian, Boston.com readers were also big fans of “The Substance,” which features a fearless, career-best performance from Demi Moore.
How to watch: “The Substance” is streaming on Mubi.
4. “A Real Pain”
One that just missed the cut for my top 10 but was rescued by Boston.com readers, “A Real Pain” chronicles a European trip taken by two previously estranged cousins (Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin) to learn more about the Holocaust and their family history.
Eisenberg’s David is sensible and reserved, while Culkin’s Benji — mirroring the energy he brought to “Succession” — is bold, extroverted, boorish, eccentric, and free-spirited in any given moment, leading to personality clashes.
“‘A Real Pain’ works on many levels; Holocaust information, and study of mental illness and how it affects families,” wrote Boston.com reader Alan R. of Northbrige.
How to watch: “A Real Pain” is currently in theaters, and will be available to rent starting December 31. It will begin streaming on Hulu sometime in 2025.
3. “Conclave”
Whether they caught it in theaters or waited for its recent streaming debut on Peacock, Boston.com readers gave “Conclave” the bronze medal among the best movies of 2024.
How to watch: “Conclave” is streaming on Peacock.
2. “Wicked”
Another movie that was in contention for my list until the very end, “Wicked” was a popular choice for the best movie of 2024 among Boston.com readers, finishing with a little over 20% of the vote.
How to watch: “Wicked” is currently in theaters. It will begin streaming Peacock sometime in 2025.
1. “Dune: Part Two”
Probably the only reason “Dune: Part Two” missed my top 10 was that it occupied a very similar lane to “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.” That wasn’t a problem for Boston.com readers, 38 percent of whom voted the Denis Villeneuve sequel as the best movie of 2024.
How to watch: “Dune: Part Two” is streaming on Max.
Boston.com Today
Sign up to receive the latest headlines in your inbox each morning.