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The Best Movie That Came Out the Year You Graduated, According to Critics

Based on Rotten Tomatoes scores, these are the greatest movies from 1950 to 2019.

the lord of the rings the two towers
New Line Cinema
Richard Evans
By Richard EvansAug 28, 2020
Richard Evans
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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.

1950: All About Eve

still from all about eve20th Century Fox

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.

1951: A Streetcar Named Desire

a streetcar named desireWarner Bros.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent

1952: Singin’ in the Rain

singin in the rainWarner Bros.

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.

1953: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

gentlemen prefer blondes20th Century Fox

Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent

1954: Rear Window

rear windowParamount Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 99 percent

And for more classic films that capture the season, these are The 20 Best Summer Movies of All Time.

1955: The Night of the Hunter

the night of the hunterMGM

Rotten Tomatoes score: 99 percent

1956: Seven Samurai

seven samuraiCriterion Collection

Rotten Tomatoes score: 100 percent

1957: 12 Angry Men

12 angry menMGM

Rotten Tomatoes score: 100 percent

And for another walk down memory lane, revisit these 40 Movies Turning 40 This Year.

1958: Touch of Evil

touch of evilUniversal Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 95 percent

1959: North by Northwest

north by northwestWarner Bros.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 99 percent

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1960: Psycho

still from psychoUniversal Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 96 percent

1961: Breathless

still from breathlessCriterion Collection

Rotten Tomatoes score: 97 percent

1962: Lawrence of Arabia

lawrence of arabiaColumbia Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent

1963: 8 1/2

still from eight and a halfCriterion Collection

Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent

1964: A Hard Day’s Night

a hard day's nightCriterion Collection

Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent

1965: Repulsion

still from repulsionColumbia Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 95 percent

1966: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

who's afraid of virginia woolfWarner Bros.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 95 percent

1967: The Battle of Algiers

the battle of algiersCriterion Collection

Rotten Tomatoes score: 99 percent

1968: 2001: A Space Odyssey

2001 a space odysseyWarner Bros.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 92 percent

1969: Midnight Cowboy

midnight cowboyMGM

Rotten Tomatoes score: 89 percent

1970: Patton

still from patton20th Century Fox

Rotten Tomatoes score: 94 percent

1971: The Last Picture Show

the last picture showColumbia Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 100 percent

1972: The Godfather

still from the godfatherParamount Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent

1973: Playtime

still from playtimeCriterion Collection

Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent

1974: Chinatown

still from chinatownParamount Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 99 percent

1975: Jaws

still from jawsUniversal Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent

1976: Taxi Driver

still from taxi driverColumbia Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 96 percent

1977: Annie Hall

still from annie hallMGM

Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent

1978: Halloween

still from halloweenCompass International Pictures / Aquarius Releasing

Rotten Tomatoes score: 96 percent

1979: Alien

still from alien20th Century Fox

Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent

1980: Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back

empire strikes backLucasfilm

Rotten Tomatoes score: 94 percent

1981: Raiders of the Lost Ark

raiders of the lost arkParamount Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 95 percent

1982: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

et the extra terrestrialUniversal Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent

1983: The Right Stuff

the right stuffWarner Bros.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 96 percent

1984: The Terminator

the terminatorMGM

Rotten Tomatoes score: 100 percent

1985: Ran

still from ranLionsgate

Rotten Tomatoes score: 97 percent

1986: Aliens

still from aliens20th Century Fox

Rotten Tomatoes score: 97 percent

1987: The Princess Bride

the princess brideMGM

Rotten Tomatoes score: 97 percent

1988: Big

still from big20th Century Fox

Rotten Tomatoes score: 97 percent

1989: Henry V

still from henry vMGM

Rotten Tomatoes score: 100 percent

1990: Goodfellas

goodfellasWarner Bros.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 96 percent

1991: The Silence of the Lambs

the silence of the lambsMGM

Rotten Tomatoes score: 96 percent

1992: Unforgiven

still from unforgivenWarner Bros.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 96 percent

1993: Schindler’s List

schindler's listUniversal Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 97 percent

1994: Three Colors: Red

three colors redCriterion Collection

Rotten Tomatoes score: 100 percent

1995: Toy Story

toy storyWalt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 100 percent

1996: Fargo

still from fargoMGM

Rotten Tomatoes score: 94 percent

1997: L.A. Confidential

l.a. confidentialWarner Bros.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 99 percent

1998: The Truman Show

the truman showParamount Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 95 percent

1999: Toy Story 2

toy story 2Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Rotten Tomatoes score: 100 percent

2000: Chicken Run

still from chicken runDreamWorks Animation

Rotten Tomatoes score: 97 percent

2001: Monsters, Inc.

monsters inc.Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Rotten Tomatoes score: 96 percent

2002: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

the lord of the rings the two towersNew Line Cinema

Rotten Tomatoes score: 95 percent

2003: Finding Nemo

finding nemoWalt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 99 percent

2004: The Incredibles

the incrediblesWalt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 97 percent

2005: Murderball

still from murderballShout! Factory

Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent

2006: Casino Royale

casino royaleSony Pictures Releasing

Rotten Tomatoes score: 95 percent

2007: Ratatouille

still from ratatouilleWalt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 96 percent

2008: The Dark Knight

still from the dark knightWarner Bros.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 94 percent

2009: Up

still from upWalt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent

2010: Toy Story 3

toy story 3Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent

2011: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2

harry potter and the deathly hallows part 2Warner Bros.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 96 percent

2012: Argo

still from argoWarner Bros.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 96 percent

2013: Gravity

still from gravityWarner Bros.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 96 percent

2014: Boyhood

still from boyhoodIFC Films

Rotten Tomatoes score: 97 percent

2015: Mad Max: Fury Road

mad max fury roadWarner Bros.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 97 percent

2016: Moonlight

still from moonlightA24

Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent

2017: Lady Bird

still from lady birdA24

Rotten Tomatoes score: 99 percent

2018: Black Panther

Michael B. Jordan, Chadwick Boseman, and Sydelle Noel in Black Panther (2018)Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes score: 98 percent

2019: Parasite

still from parasiteNeon

Rotten Tomatoes score: 99 percent

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