We all have our personal favorites when it comes to the movies we grew up with, and we might not always agree with the critics. After all, sometimes a movie with great reviews just isn't for you, and other times you find that a critically reviled movie is close to your heart. Still, review aggregator sites like Rotten Tomatoes offer a general consensus, and with their annual breakdown of top-rated movies, we can discover the best movie every year, at least according to critics.
To compile our list, we narrowed it down to the years 1950 through 2019. It's important to note that the top-rated movie for any given year on Rotten Tomatoes may not be the movie with the highest score overall; these scores are weighted by the number of reviews a film received, and the critics who wrote them. We also limited our list to movies that got a wide release in U.S. theaters that year.
With that in mind, take a look at what critics decided was the best movie of the year when you graduated high school—and every year before and after. See if any of your favorites made the cut. And for a look at how more beloved films stack up, we're Ranking Every Disney Animated Movie, From Worst Reviewed to Best.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 99 percent
And for movies the critics weren't as kind to, These Are the Movies on Rotten Tomatoes With 0 Percent Ratings.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 100 percent
And to see how more modern movies got scored, we're Ranking Every Marvel Movie, From Worst Reviewed to Best.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 99 percent
And for more classic films that capture the season, these are The 20 Best Summer Movies of All Time.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 99 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 100 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 100 percent
And for another walk down memory lane, revisit these 40 Movies Turning 40 This Year.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 99 percent
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Rotten Tomatoes score: 96 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 99 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 89 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 100 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 99 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 100 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 100 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 100 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 100 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 99 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 100 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 99 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 99 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent
Rotten Tomatoes score: 99 percent
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