# NY Times Readers' 100 Top Movies of the 21st Century **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [July 3, 2025, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-times-readers-100-top-movies-of-the-21st-century/1020441 "2025-07-03T12:46:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2025, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-times-readers-100-top-movies-of-the-21st-century/1020441/41 "2025-07-03T23:44:49Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > So, almost all of the people who took the poll probably read the film reviews in the NY Times. I doubt this list strays far from what a handful of NY Times film reviewers think I’m not sure what this means. Like, you think the NYT is out of step with other critics and their readers would pick differently from other segments of the population? Or, differently, if the NYT critics are often like other critics, how would you even tell? ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2025, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-times-readers-100-top-movies-of-the-21st-century/1020441/42 "2025-07-03T23:53:32Z")
Yeah I’m not sure what the objection about The NY Times is supposed to mean. Pretty much every film on this list is well-regarded by both critics and the general public. It’s not some snooty arthouse only-liked-by-critics list. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2025, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-times-readers-100-top-movies-of-the-21st-century/1020441/43 "2025-07-04T00:11:34Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Yeah I’m not sure what the objection about The NY Times is supposed to mean It’s not an objection: it’s an observation. It’s a poll taken of a select audience that isn’t necessarily reflective of the opinions of people who get their reviews elsewhere, let alone the general movie going population. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2025, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-times-readers-100-top-movies-of-the-21st-century/1020441/44 "2025-07-04T01:50:34Z")
Note that this list was published just one day ago. Obviously, as time goes by, the years included in the 21st century so far increases. This means that the films included in the list are different than the ones in a list with the same name published a year ago or a decade ago or whatever. Here’s the list: > **[Readers Choose Their Top Movies of the 21st Century](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/movies/readers-movies-21st-century.html)** > > The people have spoken. Here are the movies they voted for. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2025, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-times-readers-100-top-movies-of-the-21st-century/1020441/45 "2025-07-04T02:10:17Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > It’s not an objection: it’s an observation. It’s a poll taken of a select audience that isn’t necessarily reflective of the opinions of people who get their reviews elsewhere, let alone the general movie going population. Bear in mind, the “general public” attends about 2 movies a year. I’m not sure I’d want to discuss a poll dominated by the general public. (Am i an elitist? Why yes, yes i am) ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2025, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-times-readers-100-top-movies-of-the-21st-century/1020441/46 "2025-07-04T02:11:55Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > the “general public” attends about 2 movies a year I said the general movie going public. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2025, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-times-readers-100-top-movies-of-the-21st-century/1020441/47 "2025-07-04T02:16:19Z")
That’s the number i used. The general Adult moviegoing public. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2025, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-times-readers-100-top-movies-of-the-21st-century/1020441/48 "2025-07-04T02:17:57Z")
Wait, we shouldn’t be talking about ‘moviegoing’ public or attendance, given nearly everything on this list has streamed. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2025, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-times-readers-100-top-movies-of-the-21st-century/1020441/49 "2025-07-04T02:54:33Z")
I think Parasite is obscenely overrated. I haven’t seen Mulholland Drive, but No Country is one of my favorite movies of all time. Dark Knight overrated, Children of men underrated. Memento actually the best Nolan film. Of the ones I’ve seen I think Killers of the Flower Moon is the only one I might say shouldn’t be on there. Top Gun: Maverick isn’t deep or anything, but god damn is it a spectacle. My top 5 would probably be: 1) No Country for Old Men 2) Mad Max Fury Road 3) Children of Men 4) Inglourious Basterds 5) Fellowship of the Ring. Firm on the top 3, could be convinced of the other two. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2025, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-times-readers-100-top-movies-of-the-21st-century/1020441/50 "2025-07-04T02:58:28Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > No **John Wick** (personally, I’d go with 3, but they’re all deserving)? If you don’t include any of them, that’s as good as saying that the entire action genre isn’t worthy of consideration, because there were no better action movies this century. Fury Road is the greatest action movie of all time. I also think the Raid 2 is better than all the John Wick movies, but then all 4 JW movies right after. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2025, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-times-readers-100-top-movies-of-the-21st-century/1020441/51 "2025-07-04T03:21:28Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > It’s not an objection: it’s an observation. It’s a poll taken of a select audience that isn’t necessarily reflective of the opinions of people who get their reviews elsewhere, let alone the general movie going population. But that’s what I’m saying. Most reviews _everywhere_ have most of these films in high regard. The NY Times isn’t special in that. IMO these films _don’t_ seem like the opinion of a select audience. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2025, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-times-readers-100-top-movies-of-the-21st-century/1020441/52 "2025-07-04T09:11:04Z")
There are a lot of movies on there I have never heard of, and of course most of them I have never watched, but of the ones I have watched on there, there are a lot I did not respond to like others seemed to, so I would tend to want them lower on the list, or removed entirely (these include _Bridesmaids_, _Everything Everywhere All At Once_, and _Barbie_). I’d also add some more animated movies that are not Pixar, like _How To Train Your Dragon_, or _Tangled_. But these lists are really just a way to think about your own tastes, and maybe inspire you to check something new out, so in that spirit it’s a fine and unremarkable list. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2025, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-times-readers-100-top-movies-of-the-21st-century/1020441/53 "2025-07-04T09:21:50Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > But these lists are really just a way to think about your own tastes, and maybe inspire you to check something new out, so in that spirit it’s a fine and unremarkable list. Exactly. Categories like “top” or “best” or “greatest” are completely subjective without some specific criteria behind them. I mean, I like **Hardcore Henry** a lot better than **Fury Road** as an action film, but I get why most people wouldn’t agree. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2025, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-times-readers-100-top-movies-of-the-21st-century/1020441/54 "2025-07-04T11:23:39Z")
I ran the 100 films against their IMDb scores to see what outliers there might be (editorial note: yes, IMDb is also subjective), it looks like Under the Skin (6.3) is the biggest one. But also Bridesmaids and Tree of Life (both at 6.8) both come in under 7.0. [![](https://i.imgur.com/bHtXK5I.png) ](https://i.imgur.com/bHtXK5I.png) ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2025, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-times-readers-100-top-movies-of-the-21st-century/1020441/55 "2025-07-04T11:37:46Z")
I have seen 76 of the 100 and, while my list would be quite different, I don’t see anything at first glance to be outraged about. I do think these missing titles belong: - 1917 - A Complete Unknown - Argo - Lincoln - Nebraska - Poor Things - The King’s Speech And I would remove: - Everything Everywhere All At Once - Phantom Thread - The Wolf of Wall Street - The Tree of Life - Mean Girls - Barbie - Top Gun: Maverick - Knives Out Deserve to be much higher: - Midsommar (99) - Memento (61) - Up (85) - Almost Famous (51) - Get Out (17) mmm ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2025, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-times-readers-100-top-movies-of-the-21st-century/1020441/56 "2025-07-04T12:26:02Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > - Lincoln > - Nebraska I see what you did there. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2025, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-times-readers-100-top-movies-of-the-21st-century/1020441/57 "2025-07-04T12:38:09Z")
If we’re talking about the lack of Spielberg on this list - and we should be - then where is _Catch Me if You Can_? It’s one of his best films, and features Leo Dicaprio’s all-time best performance. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2025, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-times-readers-100-top-movies-of-the-21st-century/1020441/58 "2025-07-04T12:46:44Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > **RRR** is such a striking action film it deserves inclusion here Sorry, is RRR an abbreviation? Google just leads me to a seemingly average Indian movie ETA: Upon further review, it seems more notable than that. The IMDb 7.8 confused me. ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2025, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-times-readers-100-top-movies-of-the-21st-century/1020441/59 "2025-07-04T13:08:23Z")
Good call on _1917_, that was superb, even if as pointed out in articles after I’d seen it, the premise is daft because they would have just used pigeons. I also forgot _Master and Commander_. It’s a real shame that they never made any more of those, because Crowe and Bettany are far too old now, and Weir (the director) is 80 now. But the one they did make was so good. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2025, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-times-readers-100-top-movies-of-the-21st-century/1020441/60 "2025-07-04T13:45:52Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > If we’re talking about the lack of Spielberg on this list - and we should be - Wasn’t most of Spielberg’s work 20th century? One notable absence is Avatar. Now, I’m not saying that it necessarily should be on the list, but it was certainly extremely popular when it came out, to the point that its absence is notable. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-times-readers-100-top-movies-of-the-21st-century/1020441.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-times-readers-100-top-movies-of-the-21st-century/1020441.md?page=4)