By Cynthia W. Gentry, © 2001 by Cynthia W. Gentry, published on Dailygossip.com, January 2001; www.dailygossip.com.
Before I launch into my listing of the best and worst movies of 2000, I need to make a confession. I didnt see most of the flicks released in the Christmas pre-Oscar rush. Thats a list that includes Cast Away, Traffic, and House of Mirth. Instead, I went to visit family in the Deep South (i.e., San Diego) over the holidays.
Yes, kids, instead of sitting in a darkened movie forming opinions for your benefit, I was writing Christmas cards, making forays into Mexico to eat lobster, ducking into Nordstrom to buy Mac lipstick and, most recently, popping Benadryl caplets like they were M&Ms thanks to a nasty little cold I seem to have developed just in time for New Years.
I could hang my highlighted head in shame at letting you down, or I could reserve the right to update this list at a later date. I choose the latter. Thankfully, my editor, the illustrious DavidK, has limited me for now to five Best and three Worst. So here they are, in no particular order:
Best
- You Can Count on Me: This quiet story about two adult siblings, played by Laura Linney and Mark Rufalo, was the best thing to hit the screen this year. Brilliant acting, brilliant script.
- Croupier: Dark, intelligent and full of surprising twists, this British noir about a writer-turned-casino-dealer should have had a much wider release than it did. Worth repeated viewings.
- Quills: Im still agog over Geoffrey Rushs amazing performance as the Marquis de Sade. Joaquin Phoenix, whose performance was the best thing about Gladiator, proves again that hes got star power.
- The Tao of Steve: Donal Logue shined in this smart little indie about an overweight Casanova whose philosophy of romance falls apart in the face of true love.
- State and Main: David Mamets new film skewers the moviemaking industry in this hilarious story of a film crew that descends upon a small New England town. With a cast that includes William H. Macy, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Alec Baldwin, Sarah Jessica Parker and David Paymer, how can you miss?
Honorable Mention
Were DavidK to allow me more than five top movies, these also would make the cut:
- Panic: William H. Macy wants to get out of the family business, which just happens to be killing people for pay. Sadly, this intelligent, surprisingly moving film, which also stars Donald Sutherland, Barbara Bain, Neve Campbell and Tracy Ullman, was in the theaters for about two weeks. If you see it on video, rent it immediately.
- Boiler Room: Giovanni Ribisi is drawn into a shady brokerage firm in this smart, hip film that should be required viewing for anyone thinking of investing in the stock market. I should have paid attention (ask me about my one dot-com investment).
- Erin Brockovich: Its fashionable to dis Julia Roberts, but theres no arguing the fact that she turned in an amazing performance in Steven Soderburghs portrayal of a crusading legal assistant. Albert Finney almost stole the show.
- Best in Show: Although Guests improvisational technique lags occasionally, this send-up of the dog show circuit manages to engage your sympathy for the motley assortment of dog fanciers even as it pokes gentle fun at them.
- Me Myself I: In this Australian (and no doubt much better) precursor to The Family Man, Rachel Griffiths plays a successful-but-lonely career gal who gets a chance to see what her life would been had she married the man of her dreams. With the deft comic timing of a Lucille Ball, Griffiths shows she can carry a movieand then some.
Worst
And now for the fun part: the turkeys of 2000. The competition for these slots was fiercer than finding a parking space at Stanford Shopping Center during the Nordstrom Half-Yearly Sale, but here are my top three:
- The Next Best Thing: Id excerpt from my review of this Madonna-Rupert Everett debacle, but my therapist has forbidden me to relive the two hours of my life I lost to this piece of trash. Madonna, I love you, but could you please stick to singing?
- Up at the Villa: Kirsten Scott Thomas appears to know just how bad things are in this wretched adaptation of the W. Somerset Maugham novel. Sean Penn tries valiantly to generate some chemistry with Thomas.
- Autumn in New York: Although one reader soundly chastised me for my lack of romantic feeling, I stand by my original opinion about this turkey. It did for screen romance what the 2000 Presidential Election did for democracy. Winona Ryder makes you want to throw sharp objects at the screen.
So there you have it. I know its trendy to say that 2000 was a bad year for movies. It could be the Benadryl talking, but I found lots to be happy about.