Yahoo Lifestyle We Somehow Narrowed Down the Best Movies of 2024
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After a few rough years at the movies, 2024 started to look a little more normal. Blockbusters came back in full force (and not even just the Marvel ones), a musical actually made money (s/o Wicked and all the memes that came with it), and there were signs of life from the romantic comedy (more on that later). So when I sat down to make this list of my 10 favorite movies of the year, it was actually pretty hard. I can honestly say that my top picks reflect a need for more joy and comfort in my own world, and, because this is Cosmo, there's a hefty dose of romance here, too. Best, in this case, is a combination of artistic merit and fun, but mostly fun. Yes, we're biased, but so is everyone else on the internet making these lists. Without further ado, here are my favorite movies of the year.
Honorable Mention: Wicked
I'm going to let my colleague Tamara Fuentes sound off on Wicked because musicals are not my jam, but the success of this movie is undeniable. Here's what she had to say: "Wicked truly has us feeling unlimited. The movie adaptation based off the iconic musical by Stephen Schwartz is the ultimate love letter to the genre and the medium. The goosebumps I felt hearing the first few chords of 'No One Mourns the Wicked' is a feeling I will never forget and Cynthia Erivo’s 'Defying Gravity' riff is up there with *that* moment in Avengers: Endgame. And considering the fact that the second, much more emotional half is still yet to come, well, let’s just say that we’re gonna be changed for good."
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Lisa Frankenstein
This movie is one of my favorite underrated gems of the year. Written by Diablo Cody (Juno, Jennifer's Body) it follows a high school girl who falls in love with a reincarnated cemetery statue, (played by Kathryn Newton and Cole Sprouse, respectively, charmingly). He starts to take out her enemies one-by-one, and it's delightfully campy. For all of you complaining about the death of the rom-com, look no further!
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The Idea of You
Anne Hathaway looking drop-dead gorgeous in a movie... we are so back. The star returns to the romance with this adaptation of what some people describe (inaccurately) as Harry Styles fanfic. When I was watching, all I could think was, "God, she is so, so good at this." And Nicholas Galitzine does a pretty good job matching her charisma. Plus, her bangs are amazing. What more could you ask for?
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The Fall Guy
Ryan Gosling, you have done it again! Nothing but respect for my Ken! Ryan and Emily Blunt have wonderful chemistry, the stunts are great, Winston Duke and Stephanie Hsu are here in roles way smaller than they should have but I'm glad to see them nonetheless. (They should get their own spinoff movie.) Honestly, this movie is just a really good time.
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We Live in Time
When I first heard that Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield were starring opposite each other in a film, I was already sat. When I then learned that it was about Florence's character's battle with cancer, I was sat... with tissues. The movie delivers on the charm, and even though it honors the tradition of a good old British weepy, it has one sequence that is so funny I laugh/cried.
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Twisters
Let's just say this is the first, but not the last, Glen Powell entry on this list. The internet's favorite Texan had a banger of a year, and Twisters is exactly the kind of summer blockbuster I was needing. It's fun, suspenseful, and doesn't take itself too seriously. Plus, Daisy-Edgar Jones, a girl from London, somehow pulls off Oklahoma storm chaser. Lee Isaac Chung, if you're reading this, release the kiss cut and I'll move this higher on my list. Kidding, kidding.
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Dune: Part Two
I'll sing Zendaya's praises with another entry on this list, so for now I'll put it this way: Timothée Chalamet, the man that you are. The second installment in this franchise takes a darker turn that is not for the faint of heart, but allows the actor to show his range in a way he doesn't always get to. And the scene where Paul rides a sandworm for the first time made me literally want to stand up and cheer.
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Hitman
I fell in love with Hitman pretty instantly when I saw it at the Sundance Film Festival in January. Glen Powell is really in his bag with this crime thriller, rom-com hybrid, and Adria Arjona turns in a major performance opposite him. The scene where he's talking to her via the Notes app while he's wearing a police wire is the hottest sex scene I saw this year and, spoiler, everyone keeps their clothes on. That's what I call movie magic.
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Anora
This movie has that incredibly perfect combination: front half that makes you feel like you're on a rocket ship, having the time of your life, back half that makes you feel like you are witnessing the most devastating movie... ever. Mikey Madison is incredible as Anora, a dancer who thinks she's found her happily ever after with
Mark Eydelshteyn's Ivan, only for it to be snatched away. It's the darker, more realistic Pretty Woman.
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Challengers
This earns such a high place on my list for many reasons. 1) It's the best Zendaya performance put to screen, in my opinion 2) Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist are perfectly pathetic as Patrick and Art 3) The score is revolutionary 4) The three-way kiss still lives in my mind rent-free. I could keep going, but I'm actually just going to rewatch Challengers instead.
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My Old Ass
What can I say about this sweet, sweet movie? In Megan Parks' second feature film, she tells the coming-of-age story Gen Z needs. Maisy Stella absolutely charmed me as Elliott, a teenager who is equal parts annoyed with the world and optimistic for her future. It would be unfair to call it a breakout performance (Maisy did star on Nashville for many years) but it feels like one we will look back on and say, "Yeah, that's when we knew." Come for the hilarious Justin Bieber sequence (I will not say more), stay for the tears you will inevitably cry during the film's final moments.
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