The 25 Best Movies of 2023
Best Movies of 2023
We're nearly done with 2023, and it's turned out to be an incredible year for film. From murderous dolls and tween astronomers to seance goers and ex-Playboy models, the 2023 lineup had it all. Every week new movies arrived in theaters, dropped on streaming platforms and were beamed onto TVs around the world, and while you were going about your life, I was frantically watching as many as possible. Now the year is over, and after watching SO MANY MOVIES (the good, the bad and The Super Mario Bros.) I'm here to deliver you the best of the best.
Which big-budget studio hits are worth a trip to the multiplex? Which indies should you watch to seem hip and in-the-know? Which straight-to-Peacock films are hidden gems? I've got you covered. Here's Parade's comprehensive list of the best of the best when it comes to movies from 2023.
The 25 best movies of 2023:
25. Cocaine Bear
What started as a ridiculous premise (a giant bear eats a ton of cocaine and goes on a murder spree) only gets more ridiculous in the creatively named Cocaine Bear. The blood-soaked horror film subs in a black bear for Ghostface or Michael Myers, and dives head first into some of the goriest (and funniest) kills you've ever witnessed. Nothing about this should have worked, but it's so ludicrous you can't help but have fun watching people get mauled. Character actor Margo Martindale steals the show as a horny park ranger, and honestly I'd nominate her performance for an Oscar if I had the ability.
24. El Conde
While Pablo Larrain's Jackie and Spencer might not be horror films in the traditional sense, they certainly both give us final girls on the brink. The director's latest film, however, about Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, goes full horror. In Larrain's stunning black-and-white gore-fest, he reimagines some of history's most ruthless politicians as eternal vampires, moving from civilization to civilization thirsty for money, power and blood. El Conde is unlike anything you've seen before (both in plotting and spectacular black-and-white cinematography) and pitting these monsters against a troupe of vampire-hunter nuns just takes the whole affair to a new level. Don't watch while eating though.
23. Beau Is Afraid
Ari Aster is hands down one of my favorite filmmakers working atm. And while Beau Is Afraid is certainly a departure from his horror films Midsommar and Hereditary, I'd argue it is his third success in a row. Beau follows a man with crippling anxiety (played by Oscar-winner Joaquin Phoenix) as he journeys through a series of progressively more otherworldly scenarios on a trek to his mother's funeral. The whole thing is wild, bombastic, crass and confusing, yet somehow hilarious and horrifying and poignant. Beau could have easily wandered into the pretentious land of mother! or Men, but it narrowly avoids that space through Aster's general non-a*sholery. Patti LuPone should land an Oscar nomination for this role, and I've learned once and for all: never go in Ari Aster's attic.
22. Kokomo City
The lives of sex workers, especially Black trans sex workers, is often relayed to the wider world through a series of tragic tales and obituaries. This stunning documentary from D. Smith and Magnolia Pictures, however, lets these women tell their own stories, ones that are often funny, romantic and full of life. Whether it be frank discussions of plastic surgery, portraits of their noteworthy clients or quippy asides regarding their day-to-day lives, the subjects of Kokomo City draw you in and keep you transfixed.
21. Are You There God? It's Me Margaret
Judy Blume's beloved novel Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. was controversial when it came out back in 1970, and turns out people are still getting upset about it today. The film, about a tween girl going through puberty, navigating early crushes and desperately praying for her period, tells one of the most mundane stories ever brought to the big screen, and yet its sweetness and relatability know no bounds. Filmmaker Kelly Fremon Craig effortlessly sucks you in, and performances by Abby Ryder Fortson, Rachel McAdams and Kathy Bates overflow the movie with humanity. It's currently sitting at 99% Rotten Tomatoes score and is worth a watch even if you aren't a young woman. Society would be much better off if we'd all read this book growing up.
Related: Kathy Bates Talks Candidly About Why She Almost Quit Acting
20. Of an Age
Of an Age is one of those indie dramas that you've probably never heard of, but be warned, it will leave you bawling and in the fetal position. The Australian coming-of-age story takes place in two parts with a high-school boy finding himself in a romantic moment with his friend's older brother when he's still in the closet, only to bump into the same brother years later at his friend's wedding. It's sort of like Moonlight if everyone had an Aussie accent and there was a cute wedding dance montage. So like I said, bring Kleenex.
19. All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
Rarely do you see a directorial debut as confident and well-executed as Raven Jackson's. All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt takes the mundane moments growing up in rural Mississippi (scaling a fish, going to church, putting on lipstick, standing in the rain) and turns them into precise encounters with profound beauty. The film, which follows the young Mack throughout her early life (played deftly by Kaylee Nicole Johnson, Charleen McClure and Zainab Jah), paints a picture of her upbringing in brief vignettes. While they often seem unrelated in the first half of the movie, Jackson ties them together towards the end in careful, expertly drawn and emotionally powerful conclusion.
18. Saltburn
If there's one movie this year NOT to see with your parents, it's Saltburn. Barry Keoghan stars as Oliver, a poor boy who meets the extremely wealthy Felix (Jacob Elordi) at Oxford. Oliver quickly becomes obsessed with Felix and his extravagant lifestyle and will stop at nothing to get it. Saltburn includes some of the most deranged sexual scenes ever put to (non-adult entertainment industry) film, and one-ups itself time and again in "Oh they went there" shenanigans. If you inspect the plot a little too closely, the seams will fray a bit, but as a concoction of vibes, soundtrack, cinematography and Jacob Elordi's abs, its as potent as they come. Pre-save "Murder On The Dancefloor" by Sophie Ellis-Bextor to your Spotify because you're gonna want to listen as soon as the movie ends.
17. The Blackening
Any horror fan can tell you it's a well-established trope of the genre that the Black character always dies first. So what would happen in a horror movie where the entire cast is Black? Is it the "blackest" character who gets the chop first? And how is that determined? In a razor-sharp black horror comedy (and Black horror comedy), writers Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip) and Dewayne Perkins (who also stars in the film) create the perfect alchemy of laughter, terror and political satire. The Blackening joins the likes of Scream and The Menu in the high echelons of the genre.
16. Killers of the Flower Moon
If you're looking for this year's Oscar contenders, there is hardly any bigger (or longer) addition to the race than Martin Scorsese's latest epic. Based on David Grann's bestselling book, the Western tells the story of the Osage Nation, a Native American tribe systematically murdered after oil on their land brings them extreme wealth. Frequent Scorsese collaborators Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro both turn in tremendous performances but it's Lily Gladstone as DiCaprio's stoic wife who steals the show. Don't let the 3.5-hour runtime scare you. The movie earns every second of it.
15. Priscilla
Sofia Coppola specializes in quiet films about girls going through it, so if she's taking on Elvis Presley, don't expect a lot of bombastic Elvis musical numbers. Rather, in Priscilla, Coppola shifts the focus from the King and puts it on his (very) young wife. Priscilla is a delicate portrait of a young woman plucked out of her life and transported to Graceland. Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi deftly play the leads as they navigate a marriage built on isolation and whimsy. The movie is pastel perfection and despite having no Elvis music, the soundtrack is full of bangers.
14. 1946
The conversion therapy camps, Evangelical rallies and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation backed by religious groups would have you believe that Christians have been staunchly anti-gay for centuries, but as this doc deftly points out, the word "homosexual" was only translated into the Bible in 1946. In what has the potential to be the most life-changing and life-saving documentary of the year, Sharon "Rocky" Roggio went on a mission to figure out how and why the battle between the Church and the LGBTQ+ community began. Combining a Spotlight-esque investigative journalism thriller with her own personal coming out narrative and plenty of fascinating scholarship, 1946 is just as watchable as it is informative. The dozens of festival prizes it's wracked up all around the world (including the coveted Audience Award at Doc NYC) are a testament to that. 1946 is a revelation that I will be thinking about for decades to come.
13. Eileen
Anne Hathaway played a screaming therapist in two movies this year, and while the comedic She Came to Me lets Hathaway shine (in a nun's habit no less), the psychological thriller Eileen is a high point in her filmography. The mousy Thomasin McKenzie works in a juvenile corrections facility in Massachusetts and takes care of her alcoholic dad without much purpose. When Hathaway arrives as the sophisticated new prison psychiatrist, however, McKenzie's Eileen becomes enraptured. The deliciously taut tale of suspense probes the dark recesses of the mind and boasts one of the year's best twists.
12. How to Blow Up a Pipeline
How to Blow Up a Pipeline is basically Ocean's 11 if you subbed out George Clooney, Matt Damon and Brad Pitt for a bunch of Gen-Z kids and swapped the Bellagio, the Mirage and the MGM Grand for an oil pipeline in the Texas desert. A group of misfits from across the U.S., each fed up with the status quo of climate change, embark on an act of eco-vandalism to make a statement. It's an edge-of-your-seat thriller as the posse slowly build a bomb and strap it to a pipe while dodging authorities. The film has caused a lot of controversy for very obvious reasons, but the writing here is TIGHT and this is the best heist film I've seen in years.
11. Fair Play
Fair Play is the most taught, brilliantly scripted erotic thriller to be released in years. Bridgerton's Phoebe Dynevor and Solo: A Star Wars Story's Alden Ehrenreich star as an engaged couple who just so happen to work for the same toxic hedge fund. When a senior position opens up, however, the competition begins to drive a wedge in their seemingly blissful relationship. One thing leads to another in this wildly plotted ride, where each scene is somehow more electric than the last. One of the best movies of 2023 and best thrillers on Netflix.
10. Origin
To adapt Isabel Wilkerson's non-fiction bestseller Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents seemed like a near impossible task. It's a nearly 500-page treatise on racism, segregation and hierarchy as they have appeared around the globe for centuries. Ava DuVernay, however, achieved one of the year's most difficult feats when she masterfully used Wilkerson's personal own life as a vehicle for the lessons taught in the book. Some have claimed the film is too preachy or talky, but DuVernay has almost invented a new mode of storytelling, part narrative, part documentary, part visual audiobook. Aunjanue Ellis is a revelation as Wilkerson, delivering the best performance by any actor this year, while Jon Bernthal and Niecy Nash-Betts employ their charm perfectly in supporting roles. I sobbed for 30 minutes while learning about castes. I defy anyone aside from DuVernay to make that happen.
9. Talk to Me
And the award for the scariest movie of 2023 goes to...
A low budget, independent horror film from Australia, Talk to Me is a slow-growing success story as the Philippou Brothers' movie premiered without distribution at Sundance earlier this year only to be bought by A24. Sophie Wilde stars as Mia, a high-schooler grieving the loss of her mother. When friends find a plaster hand that allows users to commune with the dead, however, Sophie becomes too attached to the device she believes is allowing her to reconnect with her mom. With some of the goriest scenes in recent memory and a towering central performance from Wilde, Talk to Me conjures comparisons to Hereditary and reminds us all not to mess with cursed artifacts of any kind.
8. American Fiction
As someone who worked in book publishing for the better part of a decade, watching American Fiction accurately skewer the industry was cathartic. Cord Jefferson's feature debut, which won the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, sees Jeffrey Wright's Thelonious Ellison struggling to write another novel. When he realizes that the world just wants a stereotypical "Black" book filled with rappers and drugs, he writes one as a joke, only to see it take off against his will. The thoughtful satire, however, also oozes warmth as a family drama with Wright joined by Sterling K. Brown and Tracee Ellis Ross as his siblings. It's not only the funniest movie of 2023, but one of the most tender as well.
7. Pictures of Ghosts
While the Brazilian Oscar submission for 2023 has largely gone unnoticed, this documentary from Kleber Mendonca Filho is a nostalgic tribute to cinema-going that is a must watch for anyone who loves movies. A documentary in three acts, the film focuses on Kleber's hometown of Recife, Brazil. In act one, we see Kleber's childhood apartment through year's of his own filmmaking. Act two is a loving portrait of Recife's movie theaters of the past, the ones he frequented growing up and that are no longer standing. Act three is a more personal rumination on the significance of the passage of time (just ask Kamala) and how Brazil has evolved over the years. I've never seen archival footage wielded so masterfully.
6. Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé
Ten, ten, ten across the board. After Homecoming, I thought it would be impossible for the Queen B to top herself, but this concert film/behind-the-scenes documentary proves that Beyoncé Knowles-Carter can never be counted out. Written, directed, produced and performed by Bey herself, the nearly three-hour rendering of her Renaissance Tour is a showcase of one of the world's greatest living artists. From the live vocals and impressive choreography to the state-of-the-art lighting design and unmatched rotating wardrobe of costumes, Beyoncé reasserts her dominance in the craft of concert-making. What separates Renaissance from Beyoncé's earlier docs, however, is a never-before-seen vulnerability. Entering motherhood and her 40s has softened the star and she's able to welcome audiences into the messier more tender parts of her life now. The behind-the-scenes moments with her daughter Blue Ivy will make you cry. No one is doing it like Beyoncé, even though other artists (and their own concert docs) might say otherwise.
Related: Your Guide to Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s Kids: All About Blue Ivy, Rumi and Sir Carter
5. Past Lives
My favorite film from the first half of the year, Past Lives is a haunting rumination on the romantic connections we miss throughout our life. Expertly written and directed by Celine Song, the film follows Nora (Greta Lee) who moves from Korea to the U.S. as a child. During college, she reconnects with her Korean friend Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) over Facebook/Skype, and the two have a brief cyber romance before Nora decides she needs to cut it off and enjoy the real world. Twelve years later, Hae Sung visits Nora in New York, where she is happily married to Arthur (John Magaro), for a weekend of yearning, longing and wondering what could have been. Past Lives is melancholy of the purest grade, and a week ago I visited the bar where the film was shot just to be consumed by lovesickness and existential desire.
4. The Color Purple
While the Golden Globes may not consider this one of the year's best musicals/comedies, I'm here to inform you that they are wrong. Blitz Bazawule's adaptation of the Broadway musical based on the Alice Walker novel (which was previously adapted by Steven Spielberg into the 1985 film) is everything a movie musical should be. Helmed by SINGERS like Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, Corey Hawkins, Halle Bailey and H.E.R., the vocals are unparalleled, but the movie never compromises singing for acting or vice versa. The cinematography is stunning, the choreography is joyous and compliments the story, and the performances are chef's kiss. While Barrino and Brooks have deservedly received raves, its Henson's unsung performance as Shug Avery that binds the film together. Henson's tender, loving charisma deserves an Oscar nomination at the very least.
3. Perfect Days
Perhaps the quietest film of 2023 is Wim Wenders' portrait of a man who works as a public bathroom cleaner in Tokyo. Much of the film is spent following around Hirayama (Kōji Yakusho) as he drives his van from one restroom to the next, picking up trash, scrubbing toilets and wiping down mirrors, all while listening to his cassette collection. While small, the humane celebration of life is incredibly touching and has earned nearly universal raves out of its festival runs. If you are thinking, "I don't want to watch a man clean toilets for 90 minutes," I'm here to tell you, "Yes. You actually do." Perfect Days also features perhaps the best final shot of the year.
2. Monster
The best way to watch Monster is going in completely blind. The less you know about the film the better. Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, the Japanese drama works in a Vantage Point-style frame, in which the same story is revisited multiple times from different perspectives. It stars Sakura Ando as a single mother who notices that her son (played by Soya Kurokawa) is acting strangely in a way that might have something to do with a fellow student (Hinata Hiiragi) or his teacher (Eita Nagayama). Each time the story resets with tragic fire, the audience learns more about the truth hiding in the shadows. The expertly crafted screenplay by Yuji Sakamoto should be studied in film school.
1. Poor Things
The best movie of 2023 is Yorgos Lanthimos' inventive take on Frankenstein, in which a demented scientist played by Willem Dafoe implants a new brain into the corpse of Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), bringing her back to life. A coming-of-age story (at least for the brain), Poor Things follows Bella and her lascivious companion Duncan (Mark Ruffalo unlike you've ever seen him before) as they travel around the world meeting a cast of characters played by Ramy Youssef, Christopher Abbott, Margaret Qualley and Kathryn Hunter. Refreshing and original, the movie lambasts societal norms and the patriarchy as Bella latches on to a sex-positive, queer, feminist way of life to the sputtering indignation of the men around her. Poor Things, however, never rests on its laurels, bringing best-of-the-year quality work from every department. From Dafoe's prosthetic makeup and Stone's exquisite costumes to the whimsical production design, dreamy visual effects and jaw-dropping cinematography, the film is unrivaled in its total, completed excellence. There's not an eligible category at the Oscars it shouldn't be nominated for, and it will remain a favorite for years to come.
Next, Everything We Know About the 2024 Oscars, Including Important Dates
