2016-03-21



Just as major events help mark the passing of time, movies have also defined different eras in American history. From the silent movies of the early 20th century, to movie musicals of the 1950s, to the not-strictly-for-kids animated features of recent decades, films have grown and changed alongside the country.

Using data from a number of sources, PrettyFamous identified the best movie of every year since 1945. They selected the movie with the highest Smart Rating each year, which is a weighted average out of 100 of the following:

– Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer

– Rotten Tomatoes’ Audience Score

– IMDb Rating

– Metacritic’s Metascore

– Gracenote’s Proprietary Rating

– Inflation-adjusted cumulative domestic box office gross

PrettyFamous set a limit of IMDb votes that a movie needs to have to be considered popular enough to be eligible. To account for older movies which have fewer reviews than their modern counterparts, PrettyFamous only included movies from 1945-1949 with more than 25,000 IMDb votes and 50,000 IMDb votes for movies from 1950-2015.

1945: Spellbound

Spellbound (1945) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 91

Genre: Mystery
IMDb votes: 31,666

1946: It’s a Wonderful Life

It's a Wonderful Life (1946) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Holiday, Drama
IMDb votes: 262,665

1947: Miracle on 34th Street

Miracle on 34th Street (1947) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 94

Genre: Holiday, Fantasy
IMDb votes: 29,623

1948: The Bicycle Thief

The Bicycle Thief (1948) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Drama
IMDb votes: 83,409

1949: The Third Man

The Third Man (1949) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Mystery, Thriller
IMDb votes: 108,694

1950: Sunset Blvd.

Sunset Blvd. (1950) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Drama
IMDb votes: 132,884

1951: Strangers on a Train

Strangers on a Train (1951) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Thriller
IMDb votes: 91,342

1952: Singin’ in the Rain

Singin' in the Rain (1952) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Musical, Comedy
IMDb votes: 142,316

1953: Roman Holiday

Roman Holiday (1953) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 94

Genre: Romantic, Comedy
IMDb votes: 95,073

1954: Seven Samurai

Seven Samurai (1954) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 98

Genre: Action
IMDb votes: 218,812

1955: The Night of the Hunter

The Night of the Hunter (1955) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 97

Genre: Thriller
IMDb votes: 62,478

1956: The Killing

The Killing (1956) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 95

Genre: Crime Drama
IMDb votes: 60,229

1957: 12 Angry Men

12 Angry Men (1957) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 98

Genre: Drama
IMDb votes: 421,352

1958: Vertigo

Vertigo (1958) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Thriller
IMDb votes: 235,402

1959: North by Northwest

North by Northwest (1959) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Thriller
IMDb votes: 210,767

1960: Psycho

Psycho (1960) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Horror, Thriller
IMDb votes: 399,574

1961: Yojimbo

Yojimbo (1961) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Adventure, Dark Comedy
IMDb votes: 69,706

1962: Lawrence of Arabia

Lawrence of Arabia (1962) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 98

Genre: Adventure, Drama
IMDb votes: 182,675

1963: The Birds

The Birds (1963) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 93

Genre: Thriller
IMDb votes: 123,373

1964: Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 97

Genre: Comedy
IMDb votes: 327,306

1965: For a Few Dollars More

For a Few Dollars More (1965) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 95

Genre: Western
IMDb votes: 147,540

1966: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 95

Genre: Drama
IMDb votes: 53,467

1967: Cool Hand Luke

Cool Hand Luke (1967) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Drama
IMDb votes: 114,803

1968: 2001: A Space Odyssey

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 95

Genre: Science Fiction
IMDb votes: 403,030

1969: The Wild Bunch

The Wild Bunch (1969) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 95

Genre: Western
IMDb votes: 61,119

1970: Patton

Patton (1970) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Biography, Drama, War
IMDb votes: 73,640

1971: The French Connection

The French Connection (1971) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Crime Drama, Thriller
IMDb votes: 78,466

1972: The Godfather

The Godfather (1972) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 100

Genre: Drama, Crime Drama
IMDb votes: 1,098,061

1973: The Sting

The Sting (1973) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 95

Genre: Comedy, Drama
IMDb votes: 166,890

1974: Chinatown

Chinatown (1974) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Crime Drama
IMDb votes: 206,098

1975: Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Comedy
IMDb votes: 365,119

1976: Taxi Driver

Taxi Driver (1976) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 97

Genre: Drama
IMDb votes: 478,725

1977: Star Wars

Star Wars (1977) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 99

Genre: Science Fiction, Adventure, Action, Fantasy
IMDb votes: 865,651

1978: Dawn of the Dead

Dawn of the Dead (1978) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 94

Genre: Horror
IMDb votes: 86,537

1979: Apocalypse Now

Apocalypse Now (1979) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 97

Genre: War Drama
IMDb votes: 431,242

1980: Raging Bull

Raging Bull (1980) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Biography, Drama
IMDB votes: 225,082

1981: Raiders of the Lost Ark

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 97

Genre: Adventure, Action
IMDb votes: 626,013

1982: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 95

Genre: Science Fiction, Adventure
IMDb votes: 269,839

1983: A Christmas Story

A Christmas Story (1983) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 93

Genre: Holiday, Comedy
IMDb votes: 103,747

1984: Amadeus

Amadeus (1984) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Biography, Historical Drama
IMDb votes: 257,715

1985: Back to the Future

Back to the Future (1985) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Comedy, Science Fiction, Fantasy
IMDb votes: 690,270

1986: Aliens

Aliens (1986) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Science Fiction, Horror, Action
IMDb votes: 465,003

1987: Full Metal Jacket

Full Metal Jacket (1987) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 95

Genre: War Drama
IMDb votes: 457,736

1988: Grave of the Fireflies

Grave of the Fireflies (1988) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Drama, Anime
IMDb votes: 128,142

1989: Do the Right Thing

Do the Right Thing (1989) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 95

Genre: Drama
IMDb votes: 56,854

1990: Goodfellas

GoodFellas (1990) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 97

Genre: Crime Drama
IMDb votes: 690,841

1991: The Silence of the Lambs

The Silence of the Lambs (1991) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Thriller, Crime Drama
IMDb votes: 835,276

1992: Unforgiven

Unforgiven (1992) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 95

Genre: Western
IMDb votes: 264,875

1993: Schindler’s List

Schindler's List (1993) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 98

Genre: Historical Drama
IMDb votes: 818,540

1994: Pulp Fiction

Pulp Fiction (1994) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 97

Genre: Crime Drama
IMDb votes: 1,253,831

1995: Toy Story

Toy Story (1995) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 97

Genre: Children, Comedy, Adventure, Fantasy, Animated
IMDb votes: 583,642

1996: Fargo

Fargo (1996) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 95

Genre: Dark Comedy, Crime Drama, Thriller
IMDb votes: 429,601

1997: L.A. Confidential

L.A. Confidential (1997) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 97

Genre: Crime Drama
IMDb votes: 397,274

1998: Saving Private Ryan

Saving Private Ryan (1998) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: War, Historical Drama
IMDb votes: 827,986

1999: Toy Story 2

Toy Story 2 (1999) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 95

Genre: Children, Comedy, Adventure, Fantasy, Animated
IMDb votes: 365,948

2000: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 95

Genre: Adventure, Action, Martial Arts
IMDb votes: 210,471

2001: Spirited Away

Spirited Away (2001) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 97

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Animated
IMDb votes: 390,230

2002: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 97

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
IMDb votes: 1,037,590

2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 97

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
IMDb votes: 1,147,689

2004: Million Dollar Baby

Million Dollar Baby (2004) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 95

Genre: Drama
IMDb votes: 457,817

2005: Brokeback Mountain

Brokeback Mountain (2005) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 93

Genre: Romance, Drama
IMDb votes: 251,392

2006: Pan’s Labyrinth

Pan's Labyrinth (2006) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 97

Genre: Fantasy, Drama, War
IMDb votes: 444,647

2007: Ratatouille

Ratatouille (2007) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Children, Comedy, Animated
IMDb votes: 448,080

2008: The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight (2008) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller, Fantasy
IMDb votes: 1,584,042

2009: Up

Up (2009) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Children, Comedy, Adventure, Animated
IMDb votes: 620,679

2010: Toy Story 3

Toy Story 3 (2010) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 97

Genre: Children, Comedy, Adventure, Fantasy, Animated
IMDb votes: 508,680

2011: A Separation

A Separation (2011) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 97

Genre: Drama
IMDb votes: 144,013

2012: Argo

Argo (2012) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 95

Genre: Historical Drama, Thriller
IMDb votes: 430,637

2013: 12 Years a Slave

12 Years a Slave (2013) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Historical Drama, Biography
IMDb votes: 401,573

2014: Whiplash

Whiplash (2014) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Drama
IMDb votes: 346,655

2015: Inside Out

Inside Out (2015) | PrettyFamous

Smart Rating: 97

Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Animated
IMDb votes: 267,253

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