Thomas Duffy’s Top 10 Films of 2021

Thomas Duffy’s Top 10 Films of 2021

2021 was a great year for movies. I found myself moved and entertained by so many pictures this year that it’s hard to disqualify some of them based on minor technicalities, but such is the nature of being a film critic. There were also a few great festival films that I saw at Locarno, Animation Is Film and Fantasia thanks to my experience this past year writing for FilmBook. These “favorites” of mine haven’t been released yet. I’ve decided to save those movies for the year in which they are actually released as to give credit to those films when they are, indeed, unveiled to the movie-going public not before whereas they could get lost in a shuffle that they certainly do not deserve to get lost in. A movie must move me to make my top 10 and all the films I’m about to mention did exactly that. That’s not to say some other films that scored 8’s didn’t move me. They just had problems which held them back from greatness. Here are the films that made the cut.

Thomas Duffy’s Top 10 Films of 2021

10. Lorelei

Director Sabrina Doyle’s Lorelei is a triumph of independent filmmaking. Jena Malone and Pablo Schreiber star in this story of a love against the odds that overcomes all possible obstacles only to find more barriers to the couple in the film finding their ultimate happiness together. I liked the performances by Malone and Schreiber and found them extremely relatable. Malone portrays a mother of three who engages in a relationship with an old friend (Schreiber) who has served time in prison. Doyle never lets the subject matter become too overbearing to watch yet she maintains the realism of the film which always make the film feel like an authentic story and you will not be able to guess where it is headed. It is independent filmmaking at its most intriguing and is supremely well-acted. This is one that you should definitely seek out.

9. Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar

Director Josh Greenbaum made a hysterical look at two mid-Western women’s adventures in a fictional Florida town with Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar. Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo of Bridesmaids fame didn’t disappoint with their witty humor here and the supporting cast was all phenomenal. Whoever thought Jamie Dornan could be this funny on screen? He also appeared in this year’s solid Belfast, but his light touches added to the humor of Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar and made some of the scenes in it just laugh-out-loud funny. Vanessa Bayer as Debbie, the title characters’ sly friend was simply gold in a movie full of hysterical one-liners and zingers. It’s a must-see pick-me-up movie that will keep you laughing from beginning to end.

8. We Need to Do Something

This year’s shocker of a horror movie from IFC Midnight, We Need to Do Something, was nothing short of phenomenal. Sierra McCormick starred in the lead role as Melissa, a young girl trapped with her family in the bathroom when a storm hits. There’s much more to the story, though, with darkness and terror awaiting the characters at each and every turn. Vinessa Shaw and Pat Healy as the girl’s parents were terrific and frighteningly realistic as these characters are forced to confront their worst nightmare which expands way beyond the fact that they are all trapped together with pretty much nothing in common. I like awarding a movie like this a spot on my top 10 because it proves that little pictures can be quite mesmerizing and make an impact on the viewer that is rather unexpected. This is simply a horror film for the record books that should not be missed.

7. Pig

Nicolas Cage has never been better since his Leaving Las Vegas days than in his recent work in the terrific, Pig. Director Michael Sarnoski’s film finds Cage as Robin Feld, a loner who was at one point in his life, a renowned chef in Oregon. He has gone into seclusion and befriended a truffle hunting pig as the film opens. This film takes us through the life of Robin as he tries to locate his kidnapped pig and meets a few interesting characters along the way which help him realize that sometimes the loyalty of a pig is all you need in life to be happy. This story is more complex with a devastatingly deep climax, but the film’s ending played to the Bruce Springsteen song “I’m on Fire,” is satisfying and touching making this a movie that completely sneaks up on you. It’s absolutely unforgettable.

6. The French Dispatch

Wes Anderson is slick. He made this love letter to journalism so darn entertaining that you can’t help but simply overlook the movie’s few flaws and just give in to the zaniness. Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Benicio Del Toro, Adrien Brody, Frances McDormand, Timothee Chalamet and Jeffrey Wright are just the best of the best in this film chock full of fun performances. It’s about stories published in an American magazine that tells French stories but none of that really matters. What is important is the way we learn about life through the characters and their experiences which are at times so funny that you can’t help but be intrigued every step of the way. You will just want to see this film for yourself and have a blast even if Anderson is too smart for his own good at times. He may put up subtitles faster than you can read them but that’s why re-watching this masterpiece gives you a new take on the material every time. It’s a winner.