What I Watched in 2024, Part 1: Movies

The films I loved, the ones I thought were just okay, and the ones you should skip.

I asked Substack AI to generate an image of “a happy, stylish middle-aged woman watching a movie.” I got an AI fail. This woman isn’t even watching the movie on her screen about a man and his roll of paper towels. Instead, she appears to have just learned that her husband is going on an extended business trip.

Those of you who subscribe to my monthly author newsletter (which I send out from another platform because reasons) know that in one section I list the movies I saw that month. In this post I jump on the end-of-year “Best of” list bandwagon, but with a twist. I’ve gathered the movies I watched in 2024¹ in one place, but instead of giving you only the best, which would require me to pick favorites, I’m giving you all of them, categorized them into 3 giant buckets:

• Watch these: Movies I loved and that you MUST watch. I know, bossy.

• Maybe watch these: Movies that were good, but we could still be friends if you skipped them.

• Skip these: Movies that I watched so you don’t have to, because they were horrible.

They’re listed alphabetically for easy scanning and because that’s the way my mind works.

Note: Most of these films were released in 2023 or 2024, but some are much older because they’re classics, and my husband and I decided it was our parental duty to force our son to watch them on his winter and summer breaks.

Watch these.

• American Fiction: Captures the U.S. literary scene perfectly. And it’s brilliantly written and acted. I've met all the people on that literary award judging panel.

• Anatomy of a Fall: Part mystery, part courtroom drama, this movie was "really good" (my teen son's words, which is high praise), in no small part because of Sandra Hüller's layered performance.

• Barbie (second viewing): Watched this a second time on vacation, and enjoyed it just as much as the first time.

• Conclave: Who would have thought that a movie about selecting a new Pope would be quite possibly the best movie of the year? And OMG, the cinematography.

• Dumb Money: I'm a sucker for a David vs. Goliath story. We really enjoyed this movie about the Game Stop stock run-up.

• Dune, Part 2: Saw this in the theater, and it was just as good on a second viewing at home. Plus, with subtitles you can understand what characters are whispering. I'm looking at you, Timothée Chala-Mala-Bing-Bong.

• Poor Things: Brilliant and bonkers in the best possible way. Of all the movies I saw in 2024, this was my favorite. Emma Stone’s Oscar was 100% deserved.

• Saving Private Ryan (1998): Watching this movie at home, I had the same visceral reaction as when I saw it on its release in 1998 (with a Frenchman, but that's another story). It's a streaming hit with good reason. Possibly the best war movie ever made.

• The Fall Guy: I wish I'd seen it on the big screen. Great cast, though Emily Blunt was a little underused, IMHO. Overall, a super-fun movie.

• The Holdovers: This film's quiet humor packs an emotional wallop. Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa and Da'Vine Joy Randolph are all superb. Highly recommend.

• The Iron Claw: Excellent. Heartbreaking. Not what I expected at all. It's much more than a standard sports drama, and Zac Efron is phenomenal.

• The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999): I'd forgotten how good this 1999 version was. I'd also forgotten how beautiful Jude Law is. The movie's very different from the recent series Ripley, which I also loved. Also, Jude Law is beautiful.

• Whiplash (2014): One of the best movies ever. J.K. Simmons is phenomenal and rightfully deserved his Supporting Actor award.

Maybe watch these.

• Between The Temples: I appreciated this movie. I really wanted to like it. The cast is superb; the writing often hilarious. But I found many of the scenes, especially a key dinner scene, excruciating. YMMV.

• Challengers: I'm not sure I liked this movie, but I can't stop thinking about it. Zendaya really is amazing as a former tennis prodigy turned coach. Maybe I need to see it again.

• Dazed and Confused (1993)/ Everybody Wants Some!! (2016): We had a mini Richard Linklater festival this summer. My son particularly liked EWS, despite its complete absence of plot. I liked seeing Glen Powell's early charisma.

• Deadpool & Wolverine: Hilarious action. Clever dialogue. Amazingly choreographed fight scenes. But this movie is a “maybe” because of its extreme violent and gore, so be prepared. I’m not a fan of multiverse plotlines (zzzzz), but I loved the crossover jokes and cameos.

• Hit Man: I so, so wanted to like this movie. It's a fun watch with snappy dialogue, and it makes some clever points about identity. Also: GLEN POWELL. But when it ended, I was just "meh."

• Jerry Maguire (1996): Because our son is majoring in sports management and analytics, we forced him to watch this movie. He claimed to hate it for the first half hour, then got into it. Afterwards, we got to hear all about the inaccuracies.

• Liar Liar (1997)/ Yes Man (2008): Both movies are good for some belly laughs, thanks to Carrey's genius for physical comedy.

• Maestro: Carey Mulligan walks away with the movie, and Bradley Cooper smartly lets her. He was great, too. The performance of Mahler’s 2nd symphony in Ely Cathedral: I have no words—but that sequence is the only part of the movie I’d watch again.

• Quarter-Life Crisis (2020): I'm very late to the stand-up comedian Taylor Tomlinson's party, but I'm glad I got there, because she’s HILARIOUS.

• The Roast of Tom Brady: Worth watching just for Nikki Glaser's set, which was a masterclass in roasting. You can probably skip the rest, although Drew Bledsoe was pretty good.

• Thelma: When 93-year-old Thelma Post (June Squibb) gets robbed by a phone scammer, she sets out on a quest for revenge. I thought it was an adorable hoot; hubby didn't care for it. YMMV. In the “maybe” category because it could be either relatable or triggering if you’re part of the Sandwich Generation.

• Wolfs: I really wanted to like this movie, because y'all know how I feel about George Clooney. I was expecting the dialogue to be funnier and the pacing faster, although there were some good visual jokes about the stars' aging. I give it a B-. Sorry, George and Brad.

Skip these.

• Jackpot: I saw this movie so you don't have to. Despite the best efforts of Awkwafina, John Cena, and Simu Liu, it was 104 minutes of my life I'll never get back.

• Joy Ride: We laughed hardest at the very first scene. The rest was funny, but didn't live up the opening.

• The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: Possibly the worst war movie ever made. After watching and enjoying Guy Ritchie's The Gentleman, I had high hopes for a fun WWII heist story. Nope.

• Wonka: Meh, squared. Best part: Hugh Grant.

Next up: The television and streaming series I watched in 2024. In the meantime, what other 2024 movies should I add to my must-watch list?

1. Originally, I was also going to list the streaming TV series I watched in 2024. Then the post began to balloon into a TL;DR of epic proportions (apparently I spend a lot of time on the couch, yikes), so I’m saving my binge list for another time.