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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