The 2000s were a formative decade for many of today’s most ardent cinephiles. Pretty much every millennial got their film education from 2000s movies, be it subversive romantic dramas like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, ambitious epics like There Will Be Blood, or game-changing superhero thrillers like The Dark Knight.
Indeed, the decade delivered a multitude of movies that, barely twenty years later, can already be canonized as modern classics. However, the 2000s also produced a slew of movies that have sadly been forgotten despite their overall quality. These movies are now barely remembered by anyone other than those devoted cinephiles who are very into the decade’s oeuvre. From worthy thrillers to powerful dramas, these 2000s movies are worth rediscovering today.
‘You Can Count on Me’ (2000)
Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo star in this family drama about Sammy, a single mother struggling to raise her 8-year-old son, Rudy (Rory Culkin). Their lives change when Sammy’s wayward younger brother, Terry, arrives with a carefree attitude that helps Sammy break free but also risks the controlling dynamic she has developed with Rudy.
Directed by Kenneth Lonergan, You Can Count on Me is a sweet but realistic depiction of the hardships of family dynamics and how some paths inevitably diverge despite the love shared. Ruffalo delivers a great early performance as the aimless but charming Terry, but You Can Count on Me is truly Laura Linney’s movie. The actress is splendid in a challenging role, playing a woman who has been on her own for so long that she has forgotten how to open up, earning a richly deserved Oscar nomination for her efforts. The film has a bit of a made-for-TV quality, but it remains a poignant drama that deserves more attention.
‘These Old Broads’ (2001)
I can already tell many of you are rolling your eyes at the notion of calling These Old Broads “near-perfect” — well, at least those of you who’ve actually seen it. However, the thing is, what this movie does, it does incredibly well. Starring Oscar winners Shirley MacLaine and Elizabeth Taylor, alongside Oscar nominee Debbie Reynolds and Emmy nominee Joan Collins, the film follows a network executive’s attempts to reunite three legendary actresses in a TV special.
Co-written by Carrie Fisher, These Old Broads is a camp cult classic that comes extremely close to matching the timeless entertainment of films like Grey Gardens. Besides the sheer elation of seeing four legendary actresses sharing the screen, the film is also a razor-sharp satire of the entertainment industry, both a love letter and a takedown of the simultaneous admiration and rejection that older actresses endure. Packed with meta references — Fisher, of course, includes an interaction between Reynolds and Taylor regarding a previous affair — and with four delightful performances, These Old Broads should be required viewing for anyone who loves cinema. Besides, I can’t stress just how unhinged Elizabeth Taylor is in this movie.
‘The Station Agent’ (2003)
Long before he became a TV icon and won back-to-back-to-back Emmys for playing Tyrion Lannister, Peter Dinklage delivered a career-best performance in Tom McCarthy‘s drama The Station Agent. The actor stars as Finbar, a shy and introverted man and train aficionado whose life changes when his boss dies and bequeaths him a railroad depot in New Jersey. He travels there, hoping to lead a solitary existence, but food vendor Joe (Bobby Cannavale) and unhappy wife Olivia (Patricia Clarkson) slowly break down his walls.
The Station Agent is mostly a showcase for Dinklage, who shines in what would turn out to be his breakthrough performance. Stoic but with a rich inner life, Finbar is a curious character, wearing his melancholy on his sleeve and actively pushing others away. The magic of Dinklage’s performance and McCarthy’s screenplay lies in how they bring this tale of fulfillment through companionship to life so beautifully. For her part, Clarkson is unforgettable in a heartbreaking and deeply relatable performance. The film also includes a solid supporting turn from Michelle Williams, cementing it as a gem of indie cinema.
‘Tell No One’ (2006)
The French thriller Tell No One stars François Cluzet as Alexandre, a man grieving the murder of his wife eight years earlier. One day, he receives a video showing his wife alive. Shortly after, two bodies are discovered near his home, and a cache of evidence implicating him in the murder. Desperate to prove his innocence and uncover the truth about his wife while evading the police, Alexandre goes on the run.
Based on the eponymous novel by Harlan Coben, Tell No One is a Hitchcockian thriller that ranks among the best entries in the genre in the 2000s. What makes it such an effective film is that it’s as much about uncovering the mystery of the murders as it is about processing grief and loss. Cluzet really sells Alexandre’s desperation, his relentless desire to uncover the truth and the emotional and physical exhaustion that such a task demands. Tell No One won big at the 2007 Cesar Awards, but it has sadly been forgotten by modern audiences, who are constantly overloaded with the type of low-effort thrillers that try to imitate this French gem without success.
‘The Diving Bell and the Butterfly’ (2007)
Julian Schnabel‘s 2007 biopic The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is based on Jean-Dominique Bauby‘s 1997 memoir of the same name. Matthieu Amalric plays Bauby, who suffers a massive stroke that leaves him with a condition known as locked-in syndrome, where he is aware but completely paralyzed everywhere except for his eyes. Developing a system where he can communicate with his eyes, Bauby begins working on his memoirs.
Unlike many other biopics that settle for the simplest form of storytelling, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly opts for a distinct, rewarding, and thought-provoking approach. Through striking visuals and a unique narrative framing, the film captures Bauby’s experience, resulting in a claustrophobic but powerful movie that is as harrowing as it is ultimately life-affirming. The film offers an honest depiction of Bauby’s situation but also showcases how rich his inner world is, even after the stroke that limits his possibilities and ultimately leads to his death.
‘Wendy and Lucy’ (2008)
Few filmmakers are as capable of capturing the struggle of everyday life as Kelly Reichardt. The director and her usual collaborator, Michelle Williams, delivered one of their best efforts with 2008’s Wendy and Lucy, a small-scale and intimate drama about the beautiful relationship between a woman and her dog. As Wendy and her dog, Lucy, head for Alaska to search for a new life, their car breaks down, forcing an unexpected separation.
I won’t lie; few movies are as heartwrenching as Wendy and Lucy. Reichardt always depicts the lives of those forgotten by society, living day to day without any certainty or assurances. Here, she showcases the struggle of merely existing through the powerful but inherently fragile bond between a woman and her dog, the most loyal and dependable companion one could ask for. The ending is devastating but necessary to further strengthen Wendy and Lucy‘s themes of loneliness and hardship. Yet, the beauty here lies in Reichardt’s compassion; she never descends into hopelessness or cheap sentimentality, instead offering an eye-opening depiction of the difficulties faced by millions around the world.
‘Happy-Go-Lucky’ (2008)
Sally Hawkins delivers the performance of her career in Mike Leigh‘s offbeat comedy Happy-Go-Lucky. She plays Pauline “Poppy” Cross, a thirty-year-old primary school teacher whose relentless positivity clashes with the more cynical world around her. The ever-reliable Eddie Marsan co-stars as Scott, a driving instructor who clashes with Poppy, viewing her behavior and worldview as unserious.
Making a character like Poppy seem real and compelling is nothing short of a Herculean task, and Hawkins passes it with flying colors. Embodying the endless, cheerful nature of someone truly enamored with life, Hawkins creates one of the more endearing and inspiring characters of the 2000s. In this partially improvised comedy gem, Hawkins avoids the trappings of the manic pixie dream girl that could’ve easily dominated the role, instead offering a genuinely affecting and charming star turn that rightfully won her a Golden Globe and should’ve 100% earned her an Oscar nomination, too. Happy-Go-Lucky stands as one of the least cynical and most shamelessly enchanting movies of a decade infamous for its bleak outlook, and honestly, thank God for that.
‘Fish Tank’ (2009)
Andrea Arnold‘s Fish Tank is one of the most realistic and bleak dramas of the 2000s. A then-eighteen-year-old Katie Jarvis stars as Mia, a volatile and antisocial fifteen-year-old with a contentious relationship with her abusive mother and reclusive sister. Things further complicate when Mia develops a flirtatious and increasingly daring relationship with Connor (Michael Fassbender), her mother’s new boyfriend.
A more dramatic and intimate example of a “Broken Britain movie,” Fish Tank is a harsh but potent depiction of youth in confusion. The film explores themes of isolation, class struggles, broken families, and misguided teenagers looking for support and encouragement in all the wrong places. Jarvis is spectacular in a very difficult role, never shying away from Mia’s mercurial personality while still making her sympathetic. Rather than offering a takedown of Mia’s environment, Arnold makes Fish Tank a statement on family life and the personal lives of those struggling to function within it.
