Us Weekly's Top 10 Films of 2011
2011 introduced audiences to new movie stars (Felicity Jones, Rooney Mara) and helped established actors (George Clooney, Brad Pitt) reclaim their box office moo. Us Weekly's Mara Reinstein recaps the year's 10 best films:
1. The Descendants
George Clooney dials down the charisma to play a family man in kris in a compassionate drama. No cool effects? No tidy end? No problem.
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2. The Artist
The silent movie about silent movies enchants from the first moments to the exhilarating, toe-tapping finale.
3. Moneyball
It's easy to root for this real-life underdog story, featuring Brad Pitt's stellar turn as an innovative-yet-devoted baseball general manager. He's never been more appealing.
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4. Melancholia
They all can't be heart-warmers! This apocalyptic drama, with Kirsten Dunst as a manic bride, never loses its grip.
5. Bridesmaids
Female friendship, bad Brazilian food and Wilson Phillips! Cheers to this instant Saturday-night cable classic.
6. War Horse
Steven Spielberg's movie epic follows the relationship between a soldier and his horse. Not treacly, just terrific.
7. The Help
The engaging hit drama is bolstered by top-notch performances from Viola Davis (an overworked maid in the racist South) and Emma Stone (the author who tells her story).
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8. 50/50
Joseph Gordon-Levitt gets cancer and tries to laugh about it. Amazingly, this unusual concept succeeds.
9. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
The searing adaptation exceeds the hype. Rooney Mara for best actress, anyone?
10. Like Crazy
Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin go deep playing a devoted-but-conflicted long-distance couple in a poignant -- and criminally underappreciated! -- love story.
For more honorable mentions, including My Week With Marilyn and The Ides of March, pick up the new issue of Us Weekly, on stands now!
Tell Us What You Think
9Ordinary list. The Descendents was great and Melancholia is amazing, the rest, average to terrible. Bridesmaids was funny I could probably give this a pass but the characters fell flat for me. The Help and the Artist are two of the most overrated films of the year that didn't do anything new or interesting, the help being especially obvious and deliberate with its commentary. Moneyball and 50/50 were ok, I liked them but neither were great and not top 10 material. The Girl with the dragon tattoo was fairly good, but fincher's been better. I haven't seen Like Crazy but the war horse is terrible, overly obvious, at times stupid and insulting and was so incredibly manipulative Where are some of the great films this year like Tree of Life, Take Shelter, Drive, Beginners, Hugo, Contagion, A Dangerous Method, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Young Adult, The Guard and We Need to Talk About Kevin, all of which are much better than almost all the films on this list.
i just saw THE HELP yesterday on dvd and i must say it was pretty impressive , a couple of actors there deserve oscar buzz and at least 1 of them deserve a nomination .. you cant compare Harry Potter to the Help that is silly they are completely different genres, however, Breaking Dawn v Harry Potter for me there is only one film HARRY POTTER .. lol
Moneyball was strictly good, it wasn't great. Like crazy, and war horse did not deserve a spot. Rather i would choose Warrior and Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part II. I found Tom Hardy in Warrior better than Brad Pitt in moneyball. Warrior is underrated
I loved the MovieThe Help. It was really good, and down to earth. I hope they make more movies like that one in 2012.
Ya What happened to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two, or Breaking Dawn part one, or I Bought A Zoo, or Dolphin Tale, or Smurfs 2 :) I think Breaking Dawn Part One and Harry Potter is way better than the helper, or the one with George Clooney
Where is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two???
Can't wait to see The Artist, but it's not showing in my area yet.
But I like George Clooney and Brad Pitt too so that's OK!
I think THE HELP should have been #1. That was an excellent film!