The Best 11 Movies of 2011

*Updated December 2025

We have compiled The Best 11 Movies of 2011 – a mix of the finest commercial and independent fare – so that you can buy that movie ticket without having to clutch it to dear life, or watch that movie on your streaming or DVD player without feeling you wasted 2 hours of your existence. Why 11? Just to piss off the rest of the people who create Top 10s and to give a nod to the year that just left us.

So trust me on this. Relax and have some peace of mind that these films will either change you or just remind you why going to the movies can be a soul-satisfying experience.

11. The Help

And we begin with #11. Authentic, visceral, funny, melancholic, disturbing and powerful is how I would describe Tate Taylor’s The Help. An aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960s decides to write a book detailing the Black maid’s point of view on the white families for which they work, and the hardships they go through on a daily basis.

What you need to know is that a Best Actress award will come out of this film at the Oscars and it will be between Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer who bring home the gold. The cast ensemble is the second best of the year and its ardent, sensitive subject matter of racism is sure to trigger emotions you did not think could rise from you in a movie theater.

10. The Lincoln Lawyer

Talk about a film that came out of nowhere to leave me dumbfounded at how crazy good it was. This crime thriller, full of twists and turns, brought back Matthew McConaughey to a place of respectability again amongst the garbage he has been starring in since Fool’s Gold. The plot of The Lincoln Lawyer is about Mick Haller (McConaughey), a bad-ass, but sleazy defense lawyer who works out of his Lincoln town car. When a wealthy Realtor (Ryan Phillippe) is accused of raping a prostitute, Haller is asked to defend him.

But his client has a foolproof plan to beat the system. It is up to our protagonist to get over his crisis of conscience and see if he can see the difference of right and wrong in his profession. The reason this film comes in at number 10 is because compared to most movies this year, you cannot seem to unglue your eyes from this engrossing “did he or didn’t he do it?” storyline. It is so well paced and acted that the flaws are almost non-existent. There is enough action, tension and mystery here to satisfy even the most stubborn of spectators. PS: Look for one of the best scenes in the film with scene-stealing star Michael Peña who goes toe to toe with McConaughey. It is a memorable one.

9. The Beaver

I have some major beef with those people who have knocked on this film simply for Mel Gibson’s off-camera deeds. If one would just judge the work, one can see that The Beaver is, by far, the most underrated movie of 2011. It is a powerful dark dramedy about a man trying to rediscover his family and restart his life. Plagued by his own demons, Walter Black (Gibson) was once a successful toy executive and family man who now suffers from depression.

No matter what he tries, Walter cannot seem to get himself back on track until a beaver hand puppet enters his life. Gibson delivers what I can only describe as one of the most visceral and compelling performances of his career. It is my belief that his performance was as equivalent, if not better, than Michael Fassbender’s in Shame. This to me is at least worthy of a nomination. Jodie Foster is also on her directing A-game. Her choice of a story is outside of the box, weaving it in with a tragic sense of farce that somehow connects with anyone searching for who they truly are inside.

8. The Artist

Without question, one of the most hyped films of the year is The Artist. It deserves its label for reviving the obsolete format of silent films with a retro-fresh perspective, and by possessing the most charming performance of any actor this year by Jean Dujardin. But even though a film like this was given the greenlight for cinephiles to enjoy, after the first half hour the novelty begins to wear off, exposing the screenplay to a story we have seen before.

Similarities linger from All About Eve, 42nd Street, Sunset Boulevard, Veronika Voss, and most recently, Burlesque. A veteran star sees their success flutter away while the new kid in town begins their march into stardom. Nevertheless, The Artist provides an experience that is unique and unlike anything you will pay to see in a theater this year. Will it win Best Picture at the Oscars? Most likely. Does it deserve it? No. Novelty is king this year.

7. War Horse

Yeah, maybe Steven Spielberg lost some of that magic touch since he won an Oscar for Saving Private Ryan 14 years ago, but that does not mean he forgot how to make an Oscar-worthy film. Enter War Horse, the closest thing to a dramatic masterpiece we are going to see from a director all year.

The story of a horse and his young owner, which has hues of Gone with the Wind and Saving Private Ryan, does not possess the most stellar acting or dazzling dialogue, but it does possess beautiful cinematography and one hell of a feel good, tearjerker story that will squeeze those tear ducts to oblivion. It starts slow, fleshing out the characters, and builds up to an emotionally rousing crescendo, like a Beethoven symphony. What must be witnessed here is how Spielberg made that horse seem human!

6. The Ides of March

You are really going to enjoy The Ides of March. It is such a satisfying political thriller, that it will from now on be discussed in the same breath as A Few Good Men, The Firm and All the President’s Men. You will see an all-star cast in George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, Paul Giamatti and Philip Seymour Hoffman giving us first-class performances that will leave a lasting impression on you long after you leave the theater.

This is arguably the best ensemble of actors of any movie this year, and boy, do they deliver the goods. The characters they inhabit are placed during the frantic last days before a heavily contested Ohio presidential primary, when an up-and-coming campaign press secretary (Ryan Gosling) finds himself involved in a political scandal that threatens to upend his candidate’s (Clooney) shot at the presidency. Clooney, who directs it, is now officially a bonafide helmer with a reputation of creating artistically-crowd-pleasing movies.

5. Hugo

Martin Scorsese’s Hugo is probably the sleeper surprise hit of the year because you expect one thing and end up getting something better. How often does that happen for the price of your ticket? It also somehow manages to linger in the crevices of your mind for days. The more you think about it, the more you end up loving it.

The catch here is that Hugo is a fairytale for adults, but one that does not ignore the kiddies. The 3D experience is absolutely sick and one of the year’s best. You only have to see the opening sequence to understand how masterful Scorsese truly is. If you are a film fanatic, one who appreciates silent films and the importance of film preservation, then you are in for a treat that you will cherish for a long time.

4. Rango

Just when I thought animated films could not get any better, Rango had to go out and prove me wrong. This odd and eccentric project, led by the voice of Johnny Depp, was challenging to be, arguably, the best film of the year upon its release in March. The opening sequence, where Rango performs a brilliant and audacious acting monologue, instantly set it apart from any other computer-generated movie ever created in its genre.

It began to play above the level of any Pixar before it. After a car accident, the chameleon Rango winds up in an old western town called Dirt. What this town needs the most is water, but they also need a hero and a sheriff. The thirsty Rango instantly takes on the role of both and selfishly agrees to take on the case of their missing water. Also credit to the writers for injecting a Latino flavor that was palpable right from the beginning. Rango is not for kids, it is really adult fare with a nod to children.

3. Midnight in Paris

And you thought he had lost it. Allen is in rare form, back to the man that created the seminal films Annie Hall and Hannah and her Sisters. This is one of his finest works, an ode to the most romantic city in the world, Paris, where Woody Allen seems re-inspired. He stupefies us with an ingenious and simple plot full of love, nostalgia, and of course, wit.

In Midnight in Paris, Allen finds his form again. This tale centers around Gil (Owen Wilson), a successful Hollywood writer who is struggling on his first novel. While in Paris with his demanding wife Inez (Rachel McAdams), his obsession with 1920s Paris comes to life every night at midnight where he befriends the greatest writers, artists and legendary figures of the 20th century. This is a beautiful film that will capture your imagination and seize you in its philosophical message.

2. Drive

I have to go back to Louis Malle’s 1958 film Elevator to the Gallows to know what it feels like to experience the coolest movie I have ever seen. Drive is cool, it is uber-cool. It is a sophisticated action movie drenched in sexiness and artistic violence. Have you seen a man get sliced up to classical music or a protagonist without a name?

After a slew of fantastic performances this year, this film consecrates Ryan Gosling as a major force in Hollywood and director Nicolas Winding Refn as a visionary. The plot revolves around a Hollywood stunt performer (Gosling) moonlighting as a wheelman who discovers that a contract has been put on him after a heist gone wrong. I would catalog this film as an instant cult classic you will be talking about for years.

1. Warrior

Since no one has the balls to say it, then I will. Warrior is the best film of 2011, with Drive right on its heels. It possesses the best combination of drama, humor, plot intrigue, superb acting and relentless fight action for your movie ticket. It is the mounting, rousing crescendo towards the end that gets to you.

The movie is about the youngest son (Tom Hardy) of an alcoholic former boxer (Nick Nolte) who returns home, where he is trained by his father for competition in a mixed martial arts tournament, a path that puts the fighter on a collision against his older brother (Joel Edgerton). Mark Wahlberg’s The Fighter has nothing on this film. If you are looking for strong acting, a gritty drama and a good dose of movie violence, then get ready to titillate your senses.

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