With 2023 coming to a close, it's time to celebrate the year in film. Since April 22, 2023, the day I first saw Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, I was blown away. It has remained on my mind since.
But that wasn't the only film that had an impact on me in 2023. There have been some real highlights like Past Lives and some surprises like Ray Romano's directorial debut, Somewhere in Queens.
Yes, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret tops the list, but there are quite a few other films that needed to be highlighted.
Without further ado, here are the 10 best movies of 2023 according to yours truly.
Just missed the cut
There were several films that just missed the cut for me. David Fincher's The Killer is one of them. It's a slow, methodical tale that chronicles perhaps the world's worst assassin. The action, when it goes down, is brutal, and it's a great satire.
Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One was the best blockbuster of the year. Maybe a bit prolonged, the runtime doesn't take away from the mind-bending spectacle that the film is. If Tom Cruise continues making these films for 30 more years, I think we'd all be better for it.
And lastly, Scream VI, which I greatly enjoyed, and You Hurt My Feelings both just miss the cut. In the case of the former, I greatly enjoyed Ghostface being in a new city (the Big Apple) and thought Melissa Barrera really stepped up her game. Jenna Ortega continued proving her star power in the film as well with her great performance.
Nicole Holocener's You Hurt My Feelings is a stellar observation of a crucial part of relationships. How do you balance supporting your partner's ventures without being overly critical? The film digs way deeper than the surface level and is anchored by a stellar performance from Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
10-5
In this section of the list, some hidden gems from 2023 are found. This includes Ray Romano's directorial debut, Eve Hewson's coming out party, and Taika Waititi's latest (under-appreciated) masterpiece.
Other films like May December, one of the year's smartest films, and Ben Affleck's latest also made the cut.
Somewhere in Queens (Dir. Ray Romano)
Ray Romano's directorial debut was a surprisingly heartfelt film. It follows a young high schooler, “Sticks” (Jacob Ward), who is the standout basketball player on his team. Meanwhile, his father, played by Romano, goes out of his way to up his son's social game, crossing every line imaginable along the way.
Laurie Metcalf, Sebastian Maniscalco, and Sadie Stanley also star in the film.
Read our interview with stars Jacob Ward and Sadie Stanley.
Flora and Son (Dir. John Carney)
This was Apple TV+'s hidden gem of 2023. While Killers of the Flower Moon and Napoleon received most of Apple TV+'s attention, Flora and Son is a great character piece. It's truly Eve Hewson's coming-out party, and like her father, Bono, she can sing.
Flora and Son is a simple but effective story about a mother desperately trying to connect with her teenage son (who's about the same age as the lead character in Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret). Meanwhile, she becomes entangled in a digital relationship with a musician played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Read our review of Flora and Son.
May December (Dir. Todd Haynes)
There's something intrinsically interesting about bombshell tabloid romances. It's something that Todd Haynes doesn't refrain from in May December. Since its Cannes Film Festival premiere in May, I was eagerly anticipating the Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore-led film.
A film about identity and mental abuse, May December isn't afraid to paint multiple bad guys. It follows an actress, Elizabeth (Portman), who is researching her upcoming role. She is playing Gracie (Moore), a former school teacher who had an inappropriate and intimate relationship with one of her students, Joe (Charles Melton).
Years later, a film is being made on the subject. Slowly but surely, Elizabeth begins immersing herself in the family. Like Gracie did to Joe many years ago, Elizabeth is overstepping the boundaries and becoming entrenched into them like a parasite.
The film is just a bare-knuckled watch that's also funny in parts. It's a satire that many on social media seem to be misunderstanding. With the right lens, May December is a masterpiece.
Read our review of May December.
Next Goal Wins (Dir. Taika Waititi)
The hate Taika Waititi has received after Jojo Rabbit is astonishing to me. Thor: Love and Thunder is a fun MCU film and Next Goal Wins is a really heartwarming film.
It follows Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender), a soccer coach who is tasked with coaching the American Samoa team, a notoriously bad club.
Who doesn't love a film that is in the same vein as Cool Runnings, The Bad News Bears, and The Mighty Ducks? It does feature Waititi's zany humor, but given its subject matter, a fun recount of this real-life story is fine by me.
At its core, the film tells Jaiyah Saelua‘s story. She's played by Kaimana in the film and is its emotional anchor.
Read our review of Next Goal Wins.
Air (Dir. Ben Affleck)
Similarly to other films on this list, I saw Air many months ago. And yet, it remained fresh on the mind.
Yes, I am partial to Ben Affleck, who has seen such a beautiful career resurgence with films like The Tender Bar and The Way Back, but Air is his masterpiece. Argo and The Town are good, but Affleck comes into his own as a director with Air. It's a breezy, fun, and heartfelt film about betting on yourself; a winning formula.
It tells the story of the creation of Nike's Air Jordan line. Matt Damon plays Sonny Vaccaro, the Nike scout who bets the house (and then some) on a young Michael Jordan. Jason Bateman, Viola Davis, Chris Messina, and Affleck also star in the film.
Read our review of Air.
Are You There God? and the best of the bunch
The Boy and the Heron (Dir. Hayao Miyazaki)
Very little ages as well as Hayao Miyazaki and his films. What was initially thought of as his swan song, The Boy and the Heron may serve as a rejuvenation for the Studio Ghibli icon more than anything.
It follows a young boy, Mahito, who loses his mother in a hospital fire. He has a tough time adjusting to his new life, as his father marries his late mother's sister. It's at her estate that Mahito discovers a tunnel that leads to a fantastical world.
You expect stunning visuals from any Miyazaki joint, but there is beauty in the story told here. In some ways, it feels like Miyazaki is struggling to hand the keys off to a new generation, hence his repeated retirement attempts.
Read our review of The Boy and the Heron.
The Holdovers (Dir. Alexander Payne)
A film I had very little expectations for going into it, The Holdovers was a pleasant surprise. It chronicles a Christmas break at a boarding school as students without a place to go are held on the campus. Angus Tully (newcomer Dominic Sessa) is our main kid left with the teacher that nobody likes, Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti).
There's a warmth that comes from The Holdovers, and not just because of its film-like aesthetic that harkens back to the '70s. Despite how cold the students and even Hunham himself can be, warmth ultimately prevails.
Joy Ride (Dir. Adele Lim)
Joy Ride is Return to Seoul with the R-rated raunchy humor of Superbad. It explains a lot that Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's Point Grey Pictures financed the film.
The film follows a young adoptee, Audrey (Ashley Park), who is embarking on a quest to find her birth parents while on a business trip. She brings along her best friend, Lolo (Sherry Cola), who often brings more baggage to every situation than she thinks. Her cousin, Deadeye (Sabrina Wu), also joins them on this quest.
Along the way, they meet Audrey's college friend, Kat Huang (Stephanie Hsu), a famous actress. And as a group, they travel across China.
Beneath the drug high scenes and NSFW tattoos, Joy Ride has a lot of heart. For some characters, they are learning to grow up. For others, they are learning who they truly are. Don't let the trailers fool you: there's a lot more than what meets the eye in Joy Ride.
Read our review of Joy Ride and our interview with writers Teresa Hsiao and Cherry Chevapravatdumrong.
Past Lives (Dir. Celine Song)
Celine Song's directorial debut, Past Lives, has earned every bit of recognition it has gotten. The film chronicles the paths of two childhood loves who reconnect years later. It's central concept is in-yun, which believes that interactions between people are owed from past lives. Even chance encounters like the brush of shoulders can count as in-yun.
For those expecting a romantic film like When Harry Met Sally will be disappointed. They may share the same city as a backdrop and some similar plot elements, but Past Lives is a different beast. It's such a tender film with no easy answers.
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (Dir. Kelly Fremon Craig)
Despite never reading the book, Kelly Fremon Craig's adaptation of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret landed. As the titular Margaret (played by the MCU's former Cassie Lang actress Abby Ryder Fortson) moves to the suburbs, she has to deal with puberty, boys, and a budding social life.
The film is intentionally cringy, capturing the pre-teen angst everyone, boy or girl, encountered. There's also something profound about the lessons Margaret learns along the way that are applicable to anyone.
It's admirable that Fremon Craig, who previously directed high school coming-of-age film The Edge of Seventeen, was able to go one age group lower in Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. She gets these types of stories, and her understanding and care for the source material shows.
This adaptation of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret also fleshes out the story of Margaret's mom, played by Rachel McAdams, from what I understand from my chat with the director. McAdams steps up to the plate and delivers her best career performance (even topping her performance leading the Plastics).
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret has remained fresh on my mind since April. Not many films have that type of lasting impact. And this film shows Fremon Craig's technical prowess and makes me excited for whatever is next for the director.
Read our review of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
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