What was the best movie of 2023? From 'Barbie' to 'Poor Things,' these are our top 10

Brian Truitt, USA TODAY
Updated ·5 min read
5

Y'all, this was a great year in film.

There have been pretty stellar ones in the past (1984 boasted "Ghostbusters," "Beverly Hills Cop," "Amadeus," "The Terminator" and "Footloose") but 2023's film fare brought welcome nuance to theaters and blockbusters that mattered. "Barbenheimer," anyone?

So what are the greatest hits, the works that have been artistically excellent and emotionally resonant? It was a hard job winnowing it down to the highlights but they're there. The refreshing origin tale of, yes, a sneaker. A feminist take on a "Frankenstein" fable. Sure, a Martin Scorsese crime saga always has a good chance to make a best-of list – his newest definitely earns a fire emoji. Yet you'll also find here a joyous period musical, a bit of 1970s holiday nostalgia and a ghost story.

Here are 2023’s best movies, definitively ranked:

10. 'Cassandro'

Gael García Bernal plays a gay grappler from El Paso who takes off his mask, reinvents himself as a flamboyant character and rises to stardom in a macho Mexican sporting world in the wrestling biopic "Cassandro."
Gael García Bernal plays a gay grappler from El Paso who takes off his mask, reinvents himself as a flamboyant character and rises to stardom in a macho Mexican sporting world in the wrestling biopic "Cassandro."

Wrestling fans sadly don’t have a large canon of great films (“No Holds Barred,” anyone?). But we're in a mini-golden age between "The Iron Claw" and this underdog biopic that passionately puts a headlock on viewers’ hearts and minds. Gael García Bernal's Saúl hangs up his mask – a signature aspect of the Mexican luchador set – and embraces his queer identity inside and outside the ring by being a flamboyant “exótico,” making a character type historically jeered and mocked into a runaway success.

Where to watch: Prime Video

9. 'The Holdovers'

Angus (Dominic Sessa, far left), Paul (Paul Giamatti) and Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) form a mini-family when alone at a school over the holidays in director Alexander Payne’s "The Holdovers."
Angus (Dominic Sessa, far left), Paul (Paul Giamatti) and Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) form a mini-family when alone at a school over the holidays in director Alexander Payne’s "The Holdovers."

Alexander Payne's latest will have you revisiting your list of all-time Christmas movies because this throwback is a heartfelt and humorous instant holiday classic. Dripping in a 1970s aesthetic and boasting a crackling script, the film stars Paul Giamatti as an uptight teacher who befriends a rebellious student (newcomer Dominic Sessa) and a grieving cook (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) while stuck at a boarding school over winter break.

Where to watch: Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon

'The Holdovers' movie review: Paul Giamatti stars in an instant holiday classic

8. 'American Fiction'

Jeffrey Wright stars as Thelonious "Monk" Ellison, a struggling novelist who finds accidental success in the satire "American Fiction."
Jeffrey Wright stars as Thelonious "Monk" Ellison, a struggling novelist who finds accidental success in the satire "American Fiction."

It's past time for Jeffrey Wright to get his flowers. In Cord Jefferson's sharp satire, the Golden Globe nominee is a curmudgeonly academic tired of getting his books rejected while books with stereotypically Black tropes get all the love. He writes a "bad" novel as a joke and, much to his chagrin, becomes a runaway hit in a thoughtful film that has something to say about race and culture but also family and aging.

Where to watch: In select theaters now (nationwide Jan. 12)

7. 'Air'

Matthew Maher (from left), Matt Damon and Jason Bateman play Nike co-workers crafting the perfect shoe to sign Michael Jordan in the 1980s-set sports drama "Air."
Matthew Maher (from left), Matt Damon and Jason Bateman play Nike co-workers crafting the perfect shoe to sign Michael Jordan in the 1980s-set sports drama "Air."

While it’s hard to imagine anything as cool as a pair of original Air Jordans, director Ben Affleck’s retro basketball business drama comes pretty close. Matt Damon plays the embattled but optimistic talent scout obsessed with signing NBA rookie Michael Jordan to a Nike shoe deal in 1984 – the only problem is he has to get His Airness’ protective mother (Viola Davis) totally on board too.

Where to watch: Prime Video

6. 'The Color Purple'

Taraji P. Henson, far left, Fantasia Barrino and Danielle Brooks play three women who look out for each other in the movie musical "The Color Purple."
Taraji P. Henson, far left, Fantasia Barrino and Danielle Brooks play three women who look out for each other in the movie musical "The Color Purple."

Blitz Bazawule's vibrant and joyous adaptation of the Broadway musical (based on Alice Walker's seminal book) is a different experience than Steven Spielberg's 1985 best picture nominee but no less effective. "American Idol" favorite Fantasia Barrino is terrific as a Southern woman shackled to a no-good man (Colman Domingo) who fosters a strong sisterhood with a loyal friend (Danielle Brooks) and a blues singer (Taraji P. Henson).

Where to watch: In theaters now

5. 'Barbie'

Ken (Ryan Gosling) and Barbie (Margot Robbie) go on a life-altering journey in Greta Gerwig's "Barbie."
Ken (Ryan Gosling) and Barbie (Margot Robbie) go on a life-altering journey in Greta Gerwig's "Barbie."

Only in director Greta Gerwig's hands could the famous doll become the feminist meta pop-culture moment that everyone can get behind. When things go awry in Barbie Land, Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) head to the Real World and deal with existential crises in enjoyably madcap fashion in a goofy and heartfelt comedy that explores humanity, patriarchy and the meaning of life. May we all be a little less Ken and a lot more Weird Barbie.

Where to watch: Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon, Google Play

4. 'Rye Lane'

David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah star as 20-something Londoners spending a memorable day together in the comedy "Rye Lane."
David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah star as 20-something Londoners spending a memorable day together in the comedy "Rye Lane."

An awkward, tearful meeting in a unisex bathroom brings together recently dumped Dom (David Jonsson) and carefree Yas (Vivian Oparah) and kickstarts Raine Allen-Miller's wonderfully endearing, must-see reimagining of the rom-com. The adorably quirky twosome bond during a revelatory stroll through London that involves a cathartic run-in with an ex, spicy vittles, revealing chats and some light breaking-and-entering.

Where to watch: Hulu

3. 'Poor Things'

Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) quickly becomes tired of boorish love interest Duncan (Mark Ruffalo) in the dark comedy "Poor Things."
Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) quickly becomes tired of boorish love interest Duncan (Mark Ruffalo) in the dark comedy "Poor Things."

Is it too early to give Emma Stone's best actress Oscar for "La La Land" a new golden friend? She's never been better as the reanimated Bella Baxter in Yorgos Lanthimos' fantastical dark comedy. Bella matures from infantile woman-child to liberated Victorian-era prostitute with a heart of gold in a sex-filled, eccentric narrative that co-stars Mark Ruffalo as a punchable toxic love interest and Willem Dafoe as Bella's mad-scientist "dad."

Where to watch: In theaters now

'Poor Things': How sex (and sweets) helped bring Emma Stone's curious character to life

2. 'Killers of the Flower Moon'

Ernest (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Mollie (Lily Gladstone) meet when he drives her to and from town in Martin Scorsese's crime drama "Killers of the Flower Moon."
Ernest (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Mollie (Lily Gladstone) meet when he drives her to and from town in Martin Scorsese's crime drama "Killers of the Flower Moon."

That this true-life Western epic is one of the best in Martin Scorsese's iconic career is saying something. The Oscar-winning director's newest is a love story between a World War I veteran (Leonardo DiCaprio) and a young woman (a fantastic Lily Gladstone) from Oklahoma's wealthy Osage Nation. At the same time, it's also a murder mystery about the deaths that plagued the Native American tribe in the 1920s, and a well-acted, thought-provoking look at white greed, corruptive power and America's complicated history with its indigenous people.

Where to watch: Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon

1. 'All of Us Strangers'

A screenwriter (Andrew Scott, left) fosters a new relationship with a neighbor (Paul Mescal) in the romantic fantasy "All of Us Strangers."
A screenwriter (Andrew Scott, left) fosters a new relationship with a neighbor (Paul Mescal) in the romantic fantasy "All of Us Strangers."

In director Andrew Haigh's moving fantasy, Andrew Scott delivers an astounding performance as a lonely London screenwriter who fosters a relationship with a flirty neighbor (Paul Mescal) while at the same time regularly visiting his childhood home to talk with the parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell) he lost 30 years prior. For those looking for a metaphysical masterpiece, it's a brilliant and haunting narrative about grief, love and letting go of the past to find one's self in the present.

Where to watch: In select theaters now, expanding through Jan. 19

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Best movies of 2023: Our picks for the 10 must-see films of the year

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