I’m short on time for this week’s thursday post so I’m going to run through my top 50 favorite movies of all time, see if I can somehow describe them as best as possible with only a single sentence, and recall a favorite quote from them.
And yes, if you go look at my movie rating chart you’ll see this top 50 isn’t exactly the same as that top 50 and that’s because there can be movies I think are really good movies but they aren’t necessarily one of my favorites that’s I’ve repeat watched over and over. Shawshank Redemption and Requiem for a Dream are outstanding movies, but I just can’t put myself through the emotional rollercoaster they are more than once.
“If you’re in such a rush, why do 50?” Well I already had 50 queued up for a top 50 post and narrowing down to just 10 or 20 and leaving really great movies off list is really hard. Have you tried it? Well I did, and it’s tough. But 50 is a good number to stop at I guess.
50. Wayne’s World
One Sentence Summary: Two basement rock nerds accidentally invent influencer culture before it was annoying.
Quote: “Party on, Wayne. Party on, Garth.”
49. PCU
One Sentence Summary: College politics spiral into chaos when everyone is offended and no one knows why.
Quote: “Can you blow me where the Pampers is?”
48. Grumpy Old Men
One Sentence Summary: Proof that lifelong pettiness is a sustainable lifestyle.
Quote: “You can wish in one hand and crap in the other, see which gets filled first.”
46. Labyrinth
One Sentence Summary: David Bowie kidnaps a baby and somehow becomes the hero of puberty.
Quote: “Dance, magic dance (dance, magic dance). Put that baby’s spell on me.”
45. American Psycho
One Sentence Summary: Wall Street bro takes “self-care routine” to deeply unsettling levels.
Quote: “I have to return some videotapes.”
44. 12 Angry Men
One Sentence Summary: Twelve guys argue in a room and somehow make it more intense than most action movies.
Quote: “It’s not easy to raise my hand and send a boy off to die without talking about it first.”
43. With Honors
One Sentence Summary: A homeless philosopher hijacks Harvard egos with better life advice than tuition can buy.
Quote: “I think you’ve got a problem with your education.”
42. Fight Club
One Sentence Summary: Men cope with IKEA catalogs and capitalism by punching each other and starting a cult.
Quote: “The first rule of Fight Club is: You do not talk about Fight Club.”
41. Goodfellas
One Sentence Summary: Career growth is great until HR is replaced by the FBI.
Quote: “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.”
40. Glengarry Glen Ross
One Sentence Summary: Real estate salesmen scream their way through capitalism’s most aggressive group project.
Quote: “Always be closing.”
39. Eurotrip
One Sentence Summary: Kid gets dumped and chases after an online girlfriend in Europe.
Quote: “Miami Vice, hit new show!”
38. Boyz n the Hood
One Sentence Summary: Growing up fast in a world that doesn’t give you time to be a kid.
Quote: “Either they don’t know, don’t show, or don’t care about what’s going on in the hood.”
37. Young Guns II
One Sentence Summary: Outlaws, but make it 90s cool with extra swagger and questionable accuracy.
Quote: “I’ll make ya famous.”
36. Raising Arizona
One Sentence Summary: Kidnapping a baby somehow becomes the least weird thing in this movie.
Quote: “That’s what we call a diaper rash, son.”
35. The Matrix
One Sentence Summary: A bored office worker discovers reality is fake and immediately downloads kung fu instead of, you know, filing a complaint.
Quote: “There is no spoon.”
34. Dumb & Dumber
One Sentence Summary: Two human golden retrievers cross the country powered entirely by bad decisions.
Quote: “So you’re telling me there’s a chance!”
33. Ghostbusters
One Sentence Summary: Small business owners pivot into paranormal extermination with questionable safety standards.
Quote: “Who you gonna call?”
32. Batman (1989)
One Sentence Summary: A billionaire processes trauma by dressing like a bat and buying better toys.
Quote: “I’m Batman.”
31. Toy Story
One Sentence Summary: Existential crisis, but for toys who just want job security.
Quote: “To infinity… and beyond!”
30. The Sword in the Stone
One Sentence Summary: Child education system: turn into animals and hope for the best.
Quote: “Who so pulleth out this sword…”
29. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
One Sentence Summary: Arthur traverses a ridiculous medieval landscape, recruiting knights and seeking the Grail on divine command.
Quote: “Tis but a scratch.”
28. My Cousin Vinny
One Sentence Summary: An inexperienced lawyer accidentally becomes a legal legend by arguing loudly, dressing questionably, and actually paying attention.
Quote: “You were serious about that?”
27. The Mighty Ducks
A lawyer learns morality by coaching the worst hockey team ever assembled.
Quote: “Quack! Quack! Quack!”
26. Ratatouille
One Sentence Summary: A rat proves he’s a better chef than most humans, which honestly tracks.
Quote: “Anyone can cook.”
25. The Prisoner of Azkaban
One Sentence Summary: Puberty hits, time travel happens, and suddenly Hogwarts needs better security.
Quote: “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.”
24. Fellowship of the Ring
One Sentence Summary: Nine people go on a hike and absolutely nothing goes according to plan.
Quote: “You shall not pass!” and “Run, you fools!”
23. Planes, Trains and Automobiles
One Sentence Summary: Holiday travel, but with maximum suffering and a surprising amount of heart.
Quote: “Those aren’t pillows!”
22. Bullitt
One Sentence Summary: A cop says very little but lets his car do all the talking.
Quote: “You work your side of the street, and I’ll work mine.”
21. Tommy Boy
One Sentence Summary: Chris Farley was a national treasure.
Quote: “Fat guy in a little coat.”
20. The Fast and the Furious
One Sentence Summary: Family, but mostly illegal street racing and questionable physics.
Quote: “I live my life a quarter mile at a time.”
19. Groundhog Day
One Sentence Summary: The worst Monday ever, on an infinite loop. But makes a jaded man appreciate the world around him, so funny and so touching as well.
Quote: “Well, what if there is no tomorrow?”
18. Home Alone
One Sentence Summary: Child neglect accidentally creates a home security genius.
Quote: “Look what you did, you little jerk.”
17. Super Troopers
One Sentence Summary: State troopers prove boredom is the real crime.
Quote: “I don’t want a large, Farva! I want a god damn liter of cola.”
16. Christmas Vacation
One Sentence Summary: Family bonding through lights, chaos, and mild psychological breakdowns.
Quote: “Hey Griswold, where do you think you’re gonna put a tree that big? G: Bend over and I’ll show you! N: You’ve got a lot of nerve talking to me that way! G: I wasn’t talking to you!”
15. Willow
One Sentence Summary: A farmer gets dragged into a quest because destiny clearly skipped HR.
Quote: “There is a baby!”
14. Airplane!
One Sentence Summary: A disaster movie where the real emergency is the nonstop jokes.
Quote: “Surely you can’t be serious.” / “I am serious… and don’t call me Shirley.”
13. Hot Fuzz
One Sentence Summary: An overachieving supercop moves to a “perfect” village and discovers the HOA takes community standards way too seriously.
Quote: “Oy! When’s your birthday?”, 22nd of February.”, “What year?”, “Every year!”
12. Falling Down
One Sentence Summary: One man’s bad day becomes everyone else’s worse day.
Quote: “I’m the bad guy?”
11. The Blues Brothers
Saving an orphanage through music, chaos, and a lot of property damage.
Quote: “We’re on a mission from God.”
10. Office Space
One Sentence Summary: Corporate life distilled into rage, apathy, and a printer murder fantasy.
Quote: “I’m gonna go ahead and need you to come in on Saturday.”
9. Clerks
One Sentence Summary: Retail workers discover the true villain is the general public.
Quote: “In a row?”
8. Fargo
One Sentence Summary: Minnesota nice meets extremely not nice crime.
Quote: The heck do ya mean?
7. The Empire Strikes Back
One Sentence Summary: Everything goes wrong and somehow it’s still the best one.
Quote: “Luke, I am your father.”
6. Jurassic Park
One Sentence Summary: Scientists ask “can we?” instead of “should we?” and get eaten for it.
Quote: “Mr. Hammond, after careful consideration, I’ve decided not to endorse your park.”
5. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
One Sentence Summary: A man solves crimes using vibes, hair, and absolute chaos.
Quote: “Like a glove!”
4. Forrest Gump
One Sentence Summary: History happens, and Forrest just politely runs through all of it.
Quote: “I didn’t know I was supposed to be looking for him.”
3. The Big Lebowski
One Sentence Summary: A rug ties the room together and somehow starts a philosophical journey.
Quote: “I’m the dude, so that’s what you call me.”
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark
One Sentence Summary: The perfect overall action movie. Love the whole Indy series, but this one is my favorite. Archaeology, but with more punching and fewer permits.
Quote: “It belongs in a museum!”
1. Back to the Future
One Sentence Summary: A crazy wild eyed scientist’s invention keeps epically disrupting the space time continuum, hilariously.
Quote: “This is heavy!”
