These are my ten favorite films of 2025. Before we begin the list, I have a few things to address. First, this is not a list of the best films of 2025, but rather my personal favorites of the year. Playing by Academy Rules, I’ve included a couple of films that had a limited release in December before expanding to a wider release in January. Additionally, I am not claiming to have seen every movie released this year, but these are the favorites that I have had the opportunity to watch.
Before we begin the countdown, I would like to start with three honorable mentions and a special shout-out.
Honorable Mention 1: Frankenstein
Comments: Three months after watching Guillermo Del Toro’s take on Mary Shelley’s classic, the only thing I remember was how moving Jacob Elordi’s portrayal of the monster was.
Honorable Mention 2: Eternity
Comments: A clever love triangle set in the afterlife, Miles Teller, Elizabeth Olsen, and Callum Turner have an abundance of chemistry in a film that is sometimes reminiscent of Albert Brooks’ classic, Defending Your Life.
Honorable Mention 3: Jay Kelly
Comments: An overstuffed and overly contemplative character study of a middle-aged actor, Adam Sandler somehow steals the film from George Clooney and the seemingly endless parade of celebrity cameos.
Special Shout Out: Black Bag
Comments: It’s funny. For a film written by action and adventure writer David Koepp (he was also a writer on the original Mission: Impossible film), this spy thriller is much more Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy than Jason Bourne. The film follows married MI-5 agents played by Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett. Despite making a living in espionage, the couple appears to live an everyday life. When discussing their work, anything confidential is referred to as a “black bag.” I didn’t choose this film as a special shout-out because of its quality (although it was solid); however, I did appreciate it. I chose this film because it was the last one I saw in the theater with my dad before he passed away. My dad, brother, and I saw it together. I liked the film; my brother was bored, but I think my dad liked it better than both of us. There are far worse films out there, but looking back, I really wish the final movie I saw with my dad was a better one.
Alright. On with the countdown. Plot summaries are courtesy of Google, and please note that there may be potential spoiler alerts.
10. Good Fortune
Cast: Seth Rogen, Aziz Ansari, Keanu Reeves, Keke Palmer
Plot: A well-meaning but inept angel named Gabriel meddles in the lives of a struggling gig worker and a wealthy venture capitalist.
Thoughts: The idea behind the film was a humorous one – a disillusioned angel whose only job is to save people from distracted driving longs for more. He thinks he can show Arj (Aziz Ansari) that life isn’t all about wealth by switching his life with Jeff’s (Seth Rogen). When it appears that wealth seems to be solving Arj’s problems, Gabriel loses his wings and has to slum it with Jeff. The idea of Keanu Reeves playing a nugget-obsessed, smoking, former angel washing dishes at a dive is already a funny image. Still, the film wasn’t quite as amusing as I would have hoped, considering it is led by Rogen and Azari (who also wrote and directed the movie). However, I did find it quite poignant. I thought it was eye opening how in a major city, someone living in the top one percent and another living in poverty, their lives could intertwine. The film read to me as a lesson in how we treat people and how class doesn’t define who we are. I left the theater feeling hopeful, which is not something that happens all that often anymore.
9. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Cast: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames
Plot: The film follows Ethan Hunt and the IMF as they race to stop a rogue, world-controlling AI called “The Entity,” which manipulates global systems and fosters cult-like followers, threatening nuclear war and digital chaos
Thoughts: Where do I begin? Tom Cruise is the last superstar. At the end of 2024, I wrote a four-part retrospective of his career, which necessitated a review of his entire filmography. Being the supposed last movie star, he knows what audiences need. His gamble to hold onto Top Gun: Maverick until cinemas opened was a gamble that paid off in more ways than one. Not only was it a box office success that helped the industry rebound after the COVID pandemic, but it was also a great movie. Cruise knew that spectacle wasn’t enough. People had to care about the characters just as much as the spectacle entertained them. No films, to me, illustrated this better than the Mission: Impossible franchise. The first three films were mediocre spy thrillers. However, starting with the fourth installment, 2011’s Ghost Protocol, the quality significantly improved. Until 2023’s Dead Reckoning, each film subsequently got better by building on the story while upping the spectacle. My personal favorite is 2018’s Fallout. Admittedly, I was disappointed by this entry. I have no idea if this actually is Cruise’s final outing as Ethan Hunt. As of this writing, he has no plans to make a sequel, but given Cruise’s reputation and the fact that Ethan didn’t get a proper send-off, I have doubts this truly is the end. Maybe just a hiatus. Regardless, the marketing sure sold it as one.
I think the film suffered as a result of indulging the idea that this could be Cruise’s final outing. The filmmakers simply tried stuffing in too much, which resulted in the film’s bloated 170-minute runtime. They attempted to retcon the franchise by tying in each of the previous films to The Entity, this film’s big bad computer. Additionally, some of the threads pulled in Dead Reckoning were abandoned together, especially with Ethan’s mystery woman. I think some of the characters were given a disservice. Shea Whigham (always great), although new to the franchise, had his character retconned. Most notably, Luther, the only other character to appear alongside Cruise in each installment, is killed off unceremoniously in the first act. Now, it’s number nine on my list for a reason. There were more pros than cons. I’ve used this word several times in describing this film, but spectacle is the best word I can think of. The size and scope of the film’s stunts are breathtaking. They transport you from an old school plane fighting in the skies, to diffusing a bomb in the most profound depths of the ocean. I admit, I haven’t seen the film since it was in theaters. Eight months later, this is what I remember. I will have a blog post on the franchise coming out this year, so expect more in-depth coverage on that.
8. Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere
Cast: Jeremy Allen White, Jeremy Strong, Paul Walter Hauser, Stephen Graham
Plot: On the cusp of global superstardom, New Jersey rocker Bruce Springsteen struggles to reconcile the pressures of success with the ghosts of his past as he records the album “Nebraska” in the early 1980s.
Thoughts: Despite living in Nebraska all my life, I realized how much I didn’t know about Bruce Springsteen or the making of his “Nebraska” album. I obviously knew about Starkweather, the state’s most infamous spree-killer, and Terence Malick’s Badlands, a film not so loosely based on the real-life duo of Starkweather and his girlfriend/accomplice (depending on who you ask), Caril Fugate. I just had no idea how that all came to influence the creation of one of music’s greatest albums. I like Bruce Springsteen’s music. “Born in the USA” and “Born to Run” get me revved up. “Dancing in the Dark” and “Glory Days” make me want to dance. However, I know some people LOVE Bruce Springsteen. Maybe it’s the deep, throaty vocals and the blue-collar look? I don’t know. Like last year’s A Complete Unknown, which focused on Bob Dylan’s move to electric, writer/director Scott Cooper makes the wise decision to focus only on one aspect of Springsteen’s life.
Music biopics are nothing new. Over the last decade, several artists have received treatment with varying degrees of success. Bohemian Rhapsody and A Complete Unknown were Oscar darlings. Films like Rocketman and Bob Marley: One Love were mixed. Then biopics about Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse, and possibly others emerged and were released with little fanfare. This one falls squarely in the “mixed” category. I enjoyed this film because I didn’t know much about Springsteen or the “Nebraska” album, as I mentioned earlier. As with all biopics, I almost always find the portrayal of the musician and the concert reenactments to be more engaging than the actual story. This film is no exception. Jeremy Allen White, off the success of The Bear (one of my two favorite shows still in production), transforms himself into Springsteen. In a different year, this could have brought him all the awards glory Timothee Chalamet got last year as Bob Dylan. I’m holding out hope that one day, the proper role will come his way for an Oscar nomination. On a side note: I hadn’t heard the song “Atlantic City” until it was played over the end credits, and it might now be my favorite of his songs. That’s a plus.
7. Is This Thing On?
Cast: Will Arnett, Laura Dern, Andra Day, Bradley Cooper
Plot: Facing middle age and an impending divorce, Alex finds new purpose in the New York comedy scene, while his wife, Tess, confronts the sacrifices she made for their family.
Thoughts: The evolution of Bradley Cooper as a director is interesting to me. He makes his debut with A Star is Born, the third remake of a classic Hollywood film. Against all odds, he improved upon the film, and it earned eight Academy Award nominations, including three for Cooper himself. His chemistry with Lady Gaga was off the charts. He follows up the film five years later with Maestro, a love story between composer Leonard Bernstein (Cooper) and his wife, Felicia (Carey Mulligan). While not as successful as A Star is Born, the film earned seven Academy Award nominations, with three for Cooper (again). Here we are, two years later, with his third effort, Is This Thing On? Based on a true story, Cooper transitioned from a musical epic to an interpersonal drama about a failing marriage. Unfortunately for Cooper, it seems unlikely that the film will land any Academy Award nominations. There is a slight chance of a screenplay nomination, but we’ll have to wait and see what the WGA Awards decide (as of this writing, neither show has announced its nominees). It’s also, by far, the most minor role Cooper has directed himself in. The film’s two leads are Will Arnett, who gives a career-best performance, and Laura Dern, who is always reliable. Overall, it’s just a fun, yet moving portrayal of grief and how we cope. Again, I want to stress how impressed I was with Will Arnett. He wasn’t Oscar caliber, but this was hands down the best film role of his career (he also co-wrote the screenplay). It’s a little glimmer. I saw Adam Sandler for the first time in Punch-Drunk Love. While he might always be Gob Bluth to some (me included), I think Arnett could be a solid dramatic actor if he puts his mind to it.
6. Wake Up Dead Man
Cast: Daniel Craig, Josh O’ Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin
Plot: A baffling death inside a quiet church draws Benoit Blanc into a tense investigation where faith, secrets, and suspicion blur as a close community turns against itself.
Thoughts: Not many films in their third entry are as fresh and clever as the first. I have to give credit where credit is due to Rian Johnson. He crafted a mystery so tight that I couldn’t crack it. I’d like to think my dad wouldn’t have been able to either. He loved mystery movies, but he could always guess the ending. Not with the Knives Out movies. That’s why it was bittersweet for him not to be at the theater with me (yes, I saw this Netflix release in a theater). Like all the previous installments, they are intricately written, making it a joy to watch the mystery and eventual resolution unfold before your eyes. And like its predecessors, Daniel Craig returns as Benoit Blanc, joined by newcomers played by Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Kerry Washington, and Jeremy Renner (just to name a few).
I want to be clear, this is not a knock on the film’s quality when I say that this is my least favorite installment. Knives Out was situated in the middle of the road, neither too dark nor too light, and breezy, with a mystery element. Glass Onion, due to its tropical island setting, was light and fun, while still unraveling a murder mystery. Wake Up Dead Man, however, is much darker. Rian Johnson intended it to be the antithesis of Glass Onion. The cinematography is darker, giving the impression that the church is isolated from the rest of the world, and the themes of faith and mystery are also presented in a darker tone. In Glass Onion, Benoit Blanc wore an ascot and flip-flops while sporting a short haircut. In this one, Blanc is old. He’s got long, unkempt hair and sports a thin, gray beard. It’s night and day. I think the reason I like this entry the least is because of the supporting characters. Craig is always delightful as Blanc, as is his sidekick, in this case, Josh O’Connor. I know that the supporting characters in these films aren’t meant to be likable. In the first film, the supporting characters were a dysfunctional family of greedy assholes. They may not have been friendly people, but they were still fun to watch and observe that family dynamic. In Glass Onion, the supporting characters were a group of morally questionable friends. They were bigger assholes than the family in the first film, borderline bad people, but it was still fun to watch. I feel like by Wake Up Dead Man, the supporting characters are both unlikable and not fun to watch. Again, I think that was all by design. I believe that if the film were a little more lighthearted, I would rank it higher.
5. F1
Cast: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Plot: In the 1990s, Sonny Hayes was Formula 1’s most promising driver until an accident on the track nearly ended his career. Thirty years later, the owner of a struggling Formula 1 team convinces Sonny to return to racing and become the best in the world. Driving alongside the team’s hotshot rookie, Sonny soon learns that the road to redemption is not something you can travel alone.
Thoughts: This film has one of the best trailers I have ever seen. I know nothing about F1 racing, but I was excited for this movie as soon as the trailer ended. It had racing, crashes, romance, humor, and thrills all in the right places. The trailer even used Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” as background music, which added to the intensity. When a trailer is that good, it feels inevitable that the film will turn out that well. I have a few issues with it, but ultimately, I was happy with the film. My biggest concern was that at 155 minutes, it was a little long. Despite that, I enjoyed the story and the performances. Brad Pitt had great chemistry with newcomer Damson Idris as his rival, Joshua Pearce. He also had great chemistry with Kate, F1’s first female pit chief, and with Javier Bardem, his former teammate turned owner.
Again, I don’t know much about F1, but the races were exhilarating. This isn’t a shock when you realize that the film was directed by Joseph Kosinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, two of the men behind the thrilling Top Gun: Maverick. On Maverick, Kosinski challenged the crew to make cameras small enough to fit into a jet. In this film, he encouraged the crew to design cameras small enough to fit in one of the cars. I watched a behind-the-scenes featurette. Not only did they have to create cameras small enough to fit in the cars, but they also spent a whole year coordinating production with the actual Formula One league and shooting scenes during the downtime of actual races. It may not eclipse Maverick, but it’s certainly a thrill ride from start to finish. Now, if Tom Cruise decides to pursue a sequel to Days of Thunder, at least the technology is there.
4. Sentimental Value
Cast: Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgard, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleeas, Elle Fanning
Plot: Sisters Nora and Agnes reunite with their estranged father, Gustav, a once-renowned director who offers Nora a role in what he hopes will be his comeback film. Nora turns it down, but soon discovers he’s given the part to an eager young Hollywood star. The two siblings must now navigate a complicated relationship with Gustav while dealing with an American actress who has been dropped right into the middle of their complex family dynamics.
Thoughts: I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this film when I went into the theater. It had great reviews, and the trailers looked great, especially paired with Faces’ “Ooh La La” as the background music. My biggest concern was the subtitles. I have a short attention span, so I often lose focus trying to follow along. I think it helped a little bit that although the film was mostly in Norwegian, there was some English. However, I think seeing it in a theater was the best way to immerse myself in the experience fully. In the theater, I can’t go on my phone or multitask. All I can do is focus on the screen. Having no distractions made it easier to follow. Once I could follow the film, the more engrossed I became. This film, about a broken family rooted in the arts, is exceptionally well-written by Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier.
The four leads (Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgard, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleeas, Elle Fanning) are perfectly cast. Each earned Golden Globe nominations, with Skarsgard winning Best Supporting Actor. I’m just talking out loud here, but I imagine that Skarsgard, Renate, and Lilleeas are locks for Oscar nominations. Skarsgaard seems likely to win, although it’s not a guarantee. Although I liked Teyana Taylor in One Battle After Another and think she is expected to win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, I found myself deeply moved by Lilleeas’ performance. I would love to see her earn a nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Ultimately, the film speaks so clearly about the cost of pursuing art and how it can impact not only an individual’s life but a family. In some cases, even generations of a family.
3. Sinners
Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jack O’Connell
Plot: Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their Mississippi hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.
Thoughts: When I was coming up with my list, I wondered where Sinners would fall on my list. Would it be eight or nine? Would it be an honorable mention? I remember leaving the theater impressed, but thinking the film wasn’t my cup of tea. Before finalizing my list, I decided to re-watch a movie. After all, I hadn’t seen it since its March release. I tell you, I am so glad I did. I felt reinvigorated watching the film for the second time. For me, what made the film was its rich world-building. Ryan Coogler invites you into this world of Mississippi in 1932. The vast landscapes and the miles upon miles of plantation draw you in with their beauty and their horror. I’m at a loss for words to describe the atmosphere. It’s a dark time and place in American history, but there is also a sense of promise. The casting is incredible. Michael B. Jordan delivers his best performance as twin gangsters, Smoke and Stack, who return home after working for Capone in Chicago. The entire film takes place over the course of one day as they prepare to open their own juke joint. The supporting cast is also incredible. It’s led by Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, the always reliable Delroy Lindo, and newcomer Miles Caton.
I’m generally not a horror film kind of guy, but I was so engrossed in the world and characters that I didn’t mind the vampire aspect. I think overall, what I admire, aside from the world-building and characters, is Coogler’s vision. Not many directors, especially young ones, have the ability or drive to make an original film on such an enormous scope. The majority of films that receive the large-format, IMAX, long theatrical release treatment are usually Marvel, DC, or other IP-driven films. To see an original, self-contained cinema on this level is a treat and hopefully a promise of what’s to come for cinema. I expect the film to be a major Oscar contender. Michael B. Jordan is almost certain to earn a Best Actor nomination, and Coogler will likely receive nominations in Best Picture, Best Director, and Original Screenplay. I also wouldn’t rule out Caton and Mosaku in the supporting categories. Although they didn’t make it to the Golden Globes, both got in at the Actor’s Awards (formerly the SAG Awards).
2. Marty Supreme
Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’Zion, Kevin O’Leary
Plot: Marty Mauser, a young man with a dream no one respects, goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness.
Thoughts: This is probably the only film on this list that I left the theater thinking that this could be my favorite film of the year. To describe the plot would be futile, as there are too many twists and turns to keep track of. I know it’s a script I couldn’t write. I can tell you that. It’s easier to say that Timothee Chalamet plays Marty Mauser, a young man passionate about becoming the next table tennis star, no matter how many bridges he burns. Chalamet is magnetic in the role. He’s a total asshole, but he’s both brilliant and determined. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. I couldn’t help but think a little bit of Howard Ratner from Uncut Gems. The two men are hustlers through and through. They won’t stop until they’ve reached their goals, despite the massive odds against them. It makes sense, given that Gems is created by Benny and Josh Safdie, who wrote the script with Ronald Bronstein. Josh directed this film and co-wrote it with Bronstein (Benny chose to make The Smashing Machine instead).
Odessa A’Zion as Marty’s girlfriend, Rachel, was also a treat to watch. Gwyneth Paltrow did a good job, as did Tyler, the Creator, and Kevin O’Leary. In all my time watching Shark Tank, did I think Mr. Wonderful would be in an Oscar contender film? This film is expected to be a major Oscar contender. So far, Chalamet has won the Critics’ Choice Award and Golden Globe for Best Actor (Musical or Comedy), and he seems to be on a path to Oscar glory. While missing out on a Golden Globe nomination, A’Zion did get in at the Actor’s Awards, so I wouldn’t be surprised if she scores a nomination. I don’t know what else to say. This was a bizarre and wonderful film.
1. One Battle After Another
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Chase Infiniti
Plot: Bob is a washed-up revolutionary who lives in a state of stoned paranoia, surviving off the grid with his spirited and self-reliant daughter, Willa. When his evil nemesis resurfaces, and Willa goes missing, the former radical scrambles to find her as both father and daughter battle the consequences of their pasts.
Thoughts: Where do I start? When I first watched this movie, I knew it was something special; I just didn’t know where I would rank it. I also learned the critical acclaim was warranted. To me, Paul Thomas Anderson has always been a divisive filmmaker. Boogie Nights is one of my top ten favorite films of all time, and Daniel Day-Lewis delivers the most outstanding Best Actor-winning performance of all time, in my opinion. He directed the best performance, I believe, that Tom Cruise has given on screen in Magnolia (not the best Tom Cruise film, but the best performance), and showed us that Adam Sandler could actually act when given a chance.
On the other hand, he gave us films like The Master and Phantom Thread, which, despite three stellar performances in each, I thought were dull. Then came films like Licorice Pizza, Inherent Vice, and, to an extent, Magnolia, which felt like overstuffed slogs. Is One Battle After Another Anderson’s best film? That’s in the eye of the beholder, but I think it’s certainly up there.
My local arthouse cinema did a PTA retrospective leading up to this film; I even posted a series on PTA, so I had the benefit of seeing his evolution as a filmmaker. His early films, such as Boogie Nights and Magnolia, were ensemble pieces with well-defined characters, and there were enough stories to tell with each character that the audience never got bored. Let’s use The Master as an example. The film features two career-best performances from Joaquin Phoenix and the late great Philip Seymour Hoffman. When these characters are on screen together, the chemistry radiates. However, in my opinion, the story surrounding these characters is somewhat dull. Even There Will Be Blood, the film most considered one of his greatest, is a slow burn, despite Day-Lewis’ towering performance. I had to watch this film again before making my list, and once I was done, I had no doubt it would take the number one slot.
One Battle After Another is the perfect combination of character and action. Each character is three-dimensional, and the actors who play them are perfectly cast. Leonardo DiCaprio gives his best performance since The Wolf of Wall Street as Bob, a former revolutionary who now has more in common with The Dude from The Big Lebowski, on a mission to save his daughter. Sean Penn is downright despicable as a wannabe white supremacist, Col. Steven Lockjaw, and as the trusting sensei harboring hundreds of immigrants in his community. Benicio del Toro gives one of the best and funniest performances of his career. Teyana Taylor, though relatively new to the scene, makes such a strong impression that her presence remains with the audience, despite the character leaving the story halfway through. Finally, Chase Infiniti. In her debut film, she holds her own against Leonardo DiCaprio. I have no doubts that she will be a major star. Interestingly enough, we both went to Columbia College Chicago. From what I understand, she graduated with a degree in musical theater in 2022, whereas I graduated with a degree in filmmaking in 2021. It’s amusing to think that we could have been in the same room together at one point, although with COVID-19 happening during my second semester, I didn’t interact with many people. The chemistry is there, too, between every actor. Taylor and Penn have pseudosexual, almost masochistic chemistry. DiCaprio and Infiniti have an incredible father-daughter chemistry, and DiCaprio has a “best pals” energy with Del Toro. Plus, the action is there. I think the first thirty minutes are a bit slow, but once that fuse is lit, it doesn’t let up. The film is two hours and forty-two minutes, but it didn’t feel that long to me.
This film (along with Sinners) will be a juggernaut at the Academy Awards. Nominations for DiCaprio, Taylor, Del Toro, and Penn appear to be locked. Infiniti did get in at the Golden Globes and the Actors Awards, but I’m not sure if I would consider her a lock for a nomination. Anderson is a lock for nominations in Best Picture, Director, and Adapted Screenplay. It’s too early to tell, but I do think this is his year. It took Christopher Nolan twenty-five years of making great films before he won for Oppenheimer. It may have taken Anderson a little longer, but I think this is his year. I encourage you to watch this film if you haven’t already.
