The Best Movies of 2011...So Far!

By Moviefone Editors Posted Jul 2nd 2011 12:44PM

The best movies of 2011? Already? How can we possibly know?

This weekend, our friends at Moviefone are looking back at this year's most entertaining films -- so far. After all, we've reached the exact halfway point of 2011. We know plenty of critics predicted 'The Beaver' would be a turkey, so you might be surprised to see it kick off the Top Ten. Did your faves make our countdown?

10. 'The Beaver' Sure, we giggled like children at the title. We also scoffed at the notion that scandal-plagued Mel Gibson was the star (with a brown furry puppet on his hand, no less) of Jodie Foster's latest directorial effort. But we were pleasantly surprised to see this film was unlike anything either Oscar winner had done before. With an intense performance by Gibson and strong supporting acting from Anton Yelchin ('Star Trek'), the movie is both dark and humorous, and left us near tears by the end.

9. 'Rango' Johnny Depp -- by way of Hunter S. Thompson -- provides the titular voice of an animated chameleon in an identity crisis, who stumbles into a wry Wild West adventure filled with all the gnarly cowboy quirks you'd see in a classic Sergio Leone film.

8. 'Beginners' Christopher Plummer and Ewan McGregor play father and son in this movie about accepting who you really are. Plummer's character drops two late-in-life bombshells: He comes out of the closet and announces he has terminal cancer, revealing both facts to his shell-shocked son at once. Heartfelt and genuine, this is the year's sleeper hit, so far.

7. 'Cedar Rapids' This indie, starring Ed Helms and Anne Heche, came and went in theaters, overshadowed by the disappointing likes of 'The Hangover Part II.' But few films this year made us laugh as hard, or charmed us more, than this flick. A great premise delivered by a stellar cast, the Midwest-set comedy also gave John C. Reilly his due as one of the flat-out funniest people alive.

6. 'Win Win' This movie, about real people with real problems, celebrates the great things that come from helping others. From star Paul Giamatti, to Alex Shaffer's knockout debut performance as a troubled teen, to a script both poignant and hilarious, 'Win Win' is a simple film done extraordinarily well. And that's about as much as we can ask for when going to the movies.

5. 'X-Men: First Class' After the disaster that was 'Wolverine,' we were praying 'First Class' would turn out okay. Thankfully, it exceeded our expectations. 'First Class' traces the origins of some of our favorite mutants, including Charles Xavier, Mystique, Magneto, Havok and Beast. As for the villain, you knew Sebastian Shaw (played brilliantly by Kevin Bacon) was a perfect pick after the awful things he did during the opening sequence.

4. 'Tree of Life' Terrence Malick's ambitious meditation on childhood, spirituality and evolution isn't for everybody -- the Brad Pitt drama earned both boos and the Palme d'Or at Cannes. But for those who believe that film is also an art form, 'Tree of Life' is a welcome respite from summer's onslaught of angry robots and juiced-up superheroes (though, be warned, there are dinosaurs).

3. 'Bridesmaids' Featuring a bevy of talented actresses, 'Bridesmaids' married raunchy humor with real relationship dilemmas. As a result, every new comedy released between now and Dec. 31 will compete with 'Bridesmaids' to be pronounced "Funniest Film of 2011." Applying a classic Judd Apatow slacker-who-must-grow-up formula to 'SNL' star Kristen Wiig (who co-wrote the screenplay), 'Bridesmaids' is a nonstop escalation of bickering, reconciliations and breakdowns. While everyone else debated what the hit meant for women in comedy, 'Bridesmaids' simply did one thing: deliver great comedy.

2. 'Midnight in Paris' It's not easy to convey how much we loved this Woody Allen movie, because if we gave away details, we'd spoil the magic for everyone who hasn't seen it yet. That said, 'Midnight' is the one movie we've seen this year that had us grinning ear-to-ear from beginning to end. Owen Wilson has never been better, and of the 40-some-odd films in Allen's repertoire, it's pretty amazing that he's still makin' 'em this full of surprises.

1. 'Super 8' Director J.J. Abrams lays out a tale so clearly inspired by '70s/'80s Steven Spielberg, the legend himself agreed to produce it. A mysterious monster attacks a sleepy Ohio town, and against all odds, some middle-school movie geeks uncover the truth and save their neighbors, and their planet. But the heart of 'Super 8' isn't its spectacular effects. It's the kids in the cast (including exceptional newcomer Joel Courtney as Joe Lamb) who truly bring the film to life. We haven't seen an ensemble of child actors this good since 'Stand by Me,' and that's some serious praise.

For the full list of the Top 20 films of 2011 (so far!), check out Moviefone >>>

Tags: brad pitt, bridesmaids, kristen wiig, mel gibson, Owen Wilson, steven spielberg

Comments

(31)

Saturday 02 July

By Kayla

Lowest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Where the heck is The Hangover II at?!?!? Granted its not Oscar worthy or anything but it gave most people a hell of a laugh and was freaking hilarious!

Sunday 03 July

By Al Schrader

Vote down Vote up Report this

Didn't even mention Green Lantern (Warner Bros) which has
1,500 people or so in the credits....Al-

By Steve R Jacob

No "Hanna"?

By mike

Hanna is in the top 20 on the list. If go to moviefone you can find the whole list.

By KR

...or "Hanna Montana: The Experimental Years"??

By richardkenosha

Highest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

You just had Beaver as one of the years biggest flops!!! Make up your mind. It must be a time warner film!

By OfAlaska

The Beaver was a flop because nobody would show it! I tried to see it but it came to Anchorage for one week, played at an out-of-the-way theater across town, and was gone. The industry boycott that crushed it can't touch DVD though, and I'll rent it!

By Avi

High Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Rango, Hanna and Bridesmaids are the best!

By millsjenet

By Dave

Clearly, an idiot came up with this list.

By Mike

Low Ranked Vote down Vote up Report this

I guess I am a idiot. Just saw Super 8 and thought it was good. Better served on a large screen. Will lose something on a smaller screen. But the kids did a great job.

By Comrade X

Super 8 the best movie of the year? You gotta be kidding, right? Never even heard of half these titles. Hollywood is dead!

By mkscorpion3283

Wolverine was a good movie. Did a great job of telling his backstory.

By madeline

These are the best movies of the year? With the exception of Super 8{awful} and Rango {forgettable}, I don`t remember any one of them playing at my local multiplex. Maybe Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard was right when she said "the movies are getting smaller".

By MonicaB

Super 8 is a well deserved #!, just saw it yesterday and Loved it!

By Linda

Just saw Super 8 today - it sucked.

By hello kitty

The best movies to fall asleep in,...

By John Wages

There's a wild little renegade maverick movie movie movie called Monte Hellman's ROAD TO NOWHERE that is burrowing its way into the hearts of many critics and film lovers.

By Lori

If these movies are so good, why have I only ever heard of one of them?

By Liz

Because you're living under a rock?

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