The Best Movies of the 2010s

The Solzy Awards

With December 31, 2019 bringing the 2010s to a close, it’s time to present the best movies of the 2010s as we head into the 2020s.

It’s never easy putting together these lists.  Hell, some films improve with time while other films are long forgotten.  Take a look at this year, for instance.  What films will we be talking about in a decade from now.  Will the best movies of the 2010s still be the best movies of the 2010s in ten years?  No offense but it is impossible to define a decade by any ten films.  Even 25 films are just as tough!

There are easily more than ten films from the last ten years that I’m still talking about today!  What I will do is include my fifteen favorite films from every year.  Whether they’re the best 150 films of the last ten years is hard to say.  In some instances, a film could really be 1 and A1.  Take 2011, for example,  since I loved both The Descendants and Bridesmaids!  In any event, I did decide to do my top 25 with regards to the best movies of the 2010s but it’s fluid and ever-evolving.

2010

  1. The Social Network
  2. Inception
  3. Black Swan
  4. The Fighter
  5. 127 Hours
  6. The Town
  7. True Grit
  8. Winter’s Bone
  9. The Kids Are Alright
  10. Easy A
  11. The Other Guys
  12. Toy Story 3
  13. Greenberg
  14. Hot Tub Time Machine
  15. Iron Man 2

2011

  1. Bridesmaids
  2. The Descendants
  3. Captain America: The First Avenger
  4. Moneyball
  5. The Muppets
  6. Drive
  7. Hugo
  8. Young Adult
  9. Crazy, Stupid, Love
  10. The Ides of March
  11. War Horse
  12. Cedar Rapids
  13. The Help
  14. 50/50
  15. Midnight in Paris

2012

  1. The Avengers
  2. Lincoln
  3. Silver Linings Playbook
  4. The Dark Knight Rises
  5. Safety Not Guaranteed
  6. Moonrise Kindom
  7. Ruby Sparks
  8. Pitch Perfect
  9. Argo
  10. Django Unchained
  11. Skyfall
  12. The Sessions
  13. Flight
  14. Friends with Kids
  15. The Hunger Games

2013

  1. 12 Years A Slave
  2. Gravity
  3. The Way Way Back
  4. Frozen
  5. Captain Phillips
  6. Saving Mr. Banks
  7. The Wolf of Wall Street
  8. Philomena
  9. American Hustle
  10. Enough Said
  11. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
  12. 42
  13. The Kings of Summer
  14. The Spectacular Now
  15. We’re The Millers

2014

  1. Birdman
  2. Begin Again
  3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
  4. Boyhood
  5. Nightcrawler
  6. Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 1
  7. The Lego Movie
  8. Gone Girl
  9. Whiplash
  10. The Grand Budapest Hotel
  11. Life Itself
  12. Unbroken
  13. The Imitation Game
  14. Interstellar
  15. They Came Together

2015

I need to preface the following list because there were a few films here in which I was very dysphoric while watching.  My first viewing of The Big Short was not in the best of circumstances.  Far from it.  I was only recently out to my parents as of early November and it was living hell.

  1. Star Wars: Force Awakens
  2. The Big Short
  3. Spotlight
  4. Jurassic World
  5. Bridge of Spies
  6. Brooklyn
  7. Trainwreck
  8. Tangerine
  9. Boy Meets Girl
  10. Inside Out
  11. Room
  12. Ant-Man
  13. The Martian
  14. Sisters
  15. Spy

2016

  1. La La Land
  2. The Edge of Seventeen
  3. Manchester by the Sea
  4. Arrival
  5. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
  6. Captain America: Civil War
  7. Fences
  8. Hidden Figures
  9. Don’t Think Twice
  10. Hell or High Water
  11. Moonlight
  12. Sully
  13. Zootopia
  14. Deadpool
  15. Denial

2017

  1. Dunkirk
  2. Star Wars: The Last Jedi
  3. The Post
  4. Wonder Woman
  5. The Big Sick
  6. Lady Bird
  7. Logan
  8. The Florida Project
  9. Brigsby Bear
  10. Blade Runner 2049
  11. The Shape of Water
  12. Dave Made A Maze
  13. Their Finest
  14. Future ’38
  15. Colossal

2018

  1. Hearts Beat Loud
  2. First Man
  3. Black Panther
  4. Blockers
  5. Vice
  6. Mary Poppins Returns
  7. Paddington 2
  8. If Beale Street Could Talk
  9. RBG
  10. The Favourite
  11. Roma
  12. Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
  13. Blindspotting
  14. All About Nina
  15. BlacKkKlansman

2019

  1. Knives Out
  2. Jojo Rabbit
  3. Apollo 11
  4. 1917
  5. Booksmart
  6. Avengers: Endgame
  7. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
  8. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
  9. Long Shot
  10. Bombshell
  11. Ford v Ferrari
  12. Marriage Story
  13. Captain Marvel
  14. Brittany Runs A Marathon
  15. Blinded by the Light

The Best Movies of the 2010s

  1. The Social Network
  2. Dunkirk
  3. La La Land
  4. Bridesmaids
  5. Birdman
  6. The Descendants
  7. Star Wars: The Last Jedi
  8. The Edge of Seventeen
  9. Knives Out
  10. 12 Years a Slave
  11. Captain America: The First Avenger
  12. Moneyball
  13. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
  14. The Avengers
  15. Inception
  16. Gravity
  17. The Post
  18. Wonder Woman
  19. The Big Sick
  20. The Big Short
  21. Black Swan
  22. The Fighter
  23. Hearts Beat Loud
  24. First Man
  25. Black Panther

Danielle Solzman

Danielle Solzman is native of Louisville, KY, and holds a BA in Public Relations from Northern Kentucky University and a MA in Media Communications from Webster University. She roots for her beloved Kentucky Wildcats, St. Louis Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, and Boston Celtics. Living less than a mile away from Wrigley Field in Chicago, she is an active reader (sports/entertainment/history/biographies/select fiction) and involved with the Chicago improv scene. She also sees many movies and reviews them. She has previously written for Redbird Rants, Wildcat Blue Nation, and Hidden Remote/Flicksided. From April 2016 through May 2017, her film reviews can be found on Creators.