23 Best Movies of 2023, Ranked!
From 'Air' to 'Wonka,' Moviefone counts down the 23 best movies of 2023.
Moviefone presents the 23 best movies of 2023.
2023 will probably go down in the books as the year of "Barbenheimer" at the cinema.
But in addition to 'Oppenheimer' and 'Barbie,' 2023 also saw new films from acclaimed filmmakers like Alexander Payne ('The Holdovers'), Martin Scorsese ('Killers of the Flower Moon'), Ridley Scott ('Napoleon'), Wes Anderson ('Asteroid City') and Ben Affleck ('Air'), as well as box office blockbusters like 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie,' 'Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour' concert movie and Marvel's 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.'
With the year quickly coming to a close, Moviefone has assembled its list of the 23 best movies of 2023.
Let's begin and Happy New Year!
23. 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' (2023)
Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) in Marvel Studios' 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.' Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 Marvel.
Directed by James Gunn, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), still reeling from the loss of Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), must rally his team around him to defend the universe along with protecting one of their own. A mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
22. 'No Hard Feelings' (2023)
(L to R) Maddie (Jennifer Lawrence) and Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) in Columbia Pictures’ 'No Hard Feelings.'
Directed by Gene Stupnitsky, Maddie (Jennifer Lawrence) thinks she’s found the answer to her financial troubles when she discovers an intriguing job listing: wealthy helicopter parents looking for someone to "date" their introverted 19-year-old son, Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman), and bring him out of his shell before he leaves for college. But awkward Percy proves to be more of a challenge than she expected, and time is running out before she loses it all.
21. 'Napoleon' (2023)
Joaquin Phoenix in 'Napoleon,' premiering in theaters around the world on November 22, 2023.
Directed by Ridley Scott, 'Napoleon' is an epic that details the checkered rise and fall of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte (Joaquin Phoenix) and his relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his wife, Josephine (Vanessa Kirby).
Napoleon
20. 'Killers of the Flower Moon' (2023)
(L to R) Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio in 'Killers of the Flower Moon,' coming soon to Apple TV+.
Directed by Martin Scorsese, when oil is discovered in 1920s Oklahoma under Osage Nation land, the Osage people are murdered one by one—until the FBI steps in to unravel the mystery.
Killers of the Flower Moon
19. 'Asteroid City' (2023)
(L to R) Jake Ryan, Jason Schwartzman and Tom Hanks in director Wes Anderson's 'Asteroid City,' a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Pop. 87 Productions/Focus Features.
Directed by Wes Anderson, the itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention (organized to bring together students and parents from across the country for fellowship and scholarly competition) is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events.
18. 'Wonka' (2023)
Timothée Chalamet as Willy Wonka in 'Wonka.' Photo by Eric Charbonneau.
Directed by Paul King, Willy Wonka (Timothée Chalamet) – chock-full of ideas and determined to change the world one delectable bite at a time – is proof that the best things in life begin with a dream, and if you’re lucky enough to meet Willy Wonka, anything is possible.
Wonka
17. 'May December' (2023)
(L to R) Natalie Portman as Elizabeth Berry and Julianne Moore as Gracie Atherton-Yoo in 'May December.' Photo: Francois Duhamel / courtesy of Netflix.
Directed by Todd Haynes, twenty years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, a married couple (Julianne Moore and Charles Melton) buckles under pressure when an actress (Natalie Portman) arrives to do research for a film about their past.
16. 'The Killer' (2023)
Michael Fassbender as an assassin in 'The Killer.' Photo: Netflix ©2023.
Directed by David Fincher, after a fateful near-miss, an assassin (Michael Fassbender) battles his employers, and himself, on an international manhunt he insists isn't personal.
15. 'Godzilla Minus One' (2023)
'Godzilla Minus One' opens in U.S. theaters on December 1st.
Directed by Takashi Yamazaki, in postwar Japan, a new terror rises. Will the devastated people be able to survive... let alone fight back?
14. 'Polite Society' (2023)
(L to R) Priya Kansara stars as Ria Khan and Ritu Arya as her sister Lena in director Nida Manzoor’s 'Polite Society,' a Focus Features release.
Credit: Saima Khalid / © 2023 Focus Features LLC.
Directed by Nida Manzoor, a merry mash up of sisterly affection, parental disappointment and bold action, 'Polite Society' follows martial artist-in-training Ria Khan (Priya Kansara) who believes she must save her older sister Lena (Ritu Arya) from her impending marriage. After enlisting the help of her friends, Ria attempts to pull off the most ambitious of all wedding heists in the name of independence and sisterhood.
13. 'Paint' (2023)
Owen Wilson as Carl Nargle in the comedy film, 'Paint,' an IFC Films release. Photo courtesy of IFC Films.
Directed by Brit McAdams, Carl Nargle (Owen Wilson), Vermont’s #1 public television painter, is convinced he has it all: a signature perm, custom van, and fans hanging on his every stroke… until a younger, better artist (Ciara Renée) steals everything (and everyone) Carl loves.
12. 'John Wick: Chapter 4' (2023)
Keanu Reeves as John Wick in 'John Wick: Chapter 4.' Photo Credit: Murray Close.
Directed by Chad Stahelski, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) uncovers a path to defeating The High Table. But before he can earn his freedom, Wick must face off against a new enemy with powerful alliances across the globe and forces that turn old friends into foes.
11. 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' (2023)
Spider-Man/Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) in Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animations’ 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.'
Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Justin K. Thompson and Kemp Powers, Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) returns for the next chapter of the Oscar®-winning Spider-Verse saga, 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.' After reuniting with Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
10. 'Priscilla' (2023)
(L to R) Jacob Elordi and Cailee Spaeny in 'Priscilla.' Credit: Philippe Le Sourd.
Directed by Sofia Coppola, when teenage Priscilla Beaulieu (Cailee Spaeny) meets Elvis Presley (Jacob Elordi) at a party, the man who is already a meteoric rock-and-roll superstar becomes someone entirely unexpected in private moments: a thrilling crush, an ally in loneliness, a vulnerable best friend.
Priscilla
9. 'The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster' (2023)
Laya DeLeon Hayes as Vicaria in the horror/thriller, 'The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster,' an AllBlk/Shudder/RLJE Films release. Photo courtesy of AllBlk/Shudder/RLJE Films.
Vicaria (Laya DeLeon Hayes) is a brilliant teenager who believes death is a disease that can be cured. After the brutal and sudden murder of her brother, she embarks on a dangerous journey to bring him back to life. Inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, 'The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster' thematically challenges our ideas of life and death. Bomani J. Story, the film's writer and director, crafts a thrilling tale about a family that, despite the terrors of systemic pressure, will survive and be reborn again.
The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster
8. 'American Fiction' (2023)
Jeffrey Wright stars as Thelonious "Monk" Ellison in writer/director Cord Jefferson’s 'American Fiction,' an Orion Pictures Release. Photo credit: Claire Folger. © 2023 Orion Releasing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
'American Fiction' is Cord Jefferson's hilarious directorial debut, which confronts our culture’s obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes. Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk, a frustrated novelist who’s fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk uses a pen name to write an outlandish “Black” book of his own, a book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.
7. 'Saltburn' (2023)
(Center) Barry Keoghan as Oliver Quick in 'Saltburn.' Photo: Amazon MGM Studios. Amazon MGM Studios.
Directed by Emerald Fennell, struggling to find his place at Oxford University, student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family's sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten.
6. 'Air' (2023)
(L to R) Matt Damon as Sonny Vaccaro and Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan in 'Air.' Photo: Courtesy of Amazon Studios. © Amazon Content Services LLC.
From award-winning director Ben Affleck, 'Air' reveals the unbelievable game-changing partnership between a then-rookie Michael Jordan and Nike’s fledgling basketball division which revolutionized the world of sports and contemporary culture with the Air Jordan brand. This moving story follows the career-defining gamble of an unconventional team with everything on the line, the uncompromising vision of a mother (Viola Davis) who knows the worth of her son’s immense talent, and the basketball phenom who would become
5. 'The Iron Claw' (2023)
(L to R) Harris Dickinson as David Von Erich, Zac Efron as Kevin Von Erich, Stanley Simons as Mike Von Erich, and Jeremy Allen White as Kerry Von Erich in 'The Iron Claw.' Photo: A24.
Directed by Sean Durkin, the true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers (Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson and Stanley Simons), who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s. Through tragedy and triumph, under the shadow of their domineering father and coach (Holt McCallany), the brothers seek larger-than-life immortality on the biggest stage in sports.
4. 'Maestro' (2023)
Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein (Director/Writer/Producer) in 'Maestro.' Photo: Jason McDonald/Netflix © 2023.
Directed by Bradley Cooper, this fearless love story chronicles the complicated lifelong relationship between music legend Leonard Bernstein (Cooper) and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein (Carey Mulligan).
3. 'Barbie' (2023)
(L to R) Ryan Gosling as Ken and Margot Robbie as Barbie in Warner Bros. Pictures’ 'Barbie,' a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2023 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Directed by Greta Gerwig, Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) are having the time of their lives in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, when they get a chance to go to the real world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans.
2. 'Oppenheimer' (2023)
Cillian Murphy is J. Robert Oppenheimer in 'Oppenheimer,' written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Directed by Christopher Nolan, the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer's (Cillian Murphy) role in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II.
1. 'The Holdovers' (2023)
(L to R) Dominic Sessa stars as Angus Tully and Paul Giamatti as Paul Hunham in director Alexander Payne’s 'The Holdovers,' a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of FOCUS FEATURES / © 2023 FOCUS FEATURES LLC.
From acclaimed director Alexander Payne, 'The Holdovers' follows a curmudgeonly instructor (Paul Giamatti) at a New England prep school who is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually he forms an unlikely bond with one of them -- a damaged, brainy troublemaker (newcomer Dominic Sessa) -- and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam (Da’Vine Joy Randolph).
