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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.
5. Blue Bayou
Justin Chon’s authentic portrait of a family torn apart is, quite simply, the year’s most underappreciated film. Many people looked away as the film became the center of controversy for its premise but it’s still one of the most undeniably moving pictures of the year. Chon and Alicia Vikander created a memorable couple whose love for one another becomes tragic as a loophole in the system leads to Chon’s character having to be deported. Chon’s Antonio is flawed but the character rings truer than many we have seen on screen recently. Antonio’s relationship with Vikander’s Kathy and his stepdaughter, Jessie, is so powerful that I can’t imagine anyone not being moved by this film. It has such emotion and such heart that I was surprised that it didn’t make more of an impact when it was released. I am confident it will be seen, however, and that people will discover this film and the great actor that Chon is. I really recommend this movie to anyone who missed it when it was released in theaters.
4. Cruella
Emma Stone was dynamite in Craig Gillespie’s delightful film which showcased Stone’s versatile talents as Cruella De Vil. Stone played opposite the always fantastic Emma Thompson and the two actresses faced off with extraordinary results all around. Inspired by 101 Dalmatians, Cruella was a unique take on the fashion industry as Stone’s Cruella always managed to keep herself one step ahead of Thompson’s Baroness. Stone is such a talented actress that she almost made us respect Cruella more than the character had any right to be respected. We understood Cruella and this origin picture was simply tremendously entertaining with a soundtrack that kept audiences tapping their toes throughout. I’d like to see this film get some technical nods at the Oscars especially for the costumes and makeup/hairstyling. In a perfect world, Stone would get an Academy Award nomination, but she’s won already so I’ll have to let someone else have their year instead. Jessica Chastain, perhaps?
3. Cyrano
Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett and Kelvin Harrison Jr. created the year’s most interesting love triangle in Cyrano, one of the most entertaining and elegant films of the year. Bennett as Roxanne, the girl of both Cyrano (Dinklage) and Christian (Harrison Jr.)’s affections is simply brilliant. Bennett followed up her role in last year’s Swallow with this terrific role. Cyrano is another movie that deserves attention for its costumes and hair and make-up all of which are simply outstanding. However, one piece of this film is being overlooked by some and undeservedly so. That piece is the terrific song that appears a little less than halfway through the picture. It is titled “Every Letter” and it is everything we go to the movies for. It’s passionate, compelling and sophisticated much like the movie itself which is sure to get a few nominations come Oscar time. Dinklage has never been better!
2. Nine Days
Nine Days is pure movie-going magic. Directed by Edson Oda, Winston Duke is the lead actor in the film. He plays a man named Will who has the power to select one of several souls for the gift of life. He meets his match in Emma played by Zazie Beetz. Emma is a soul like no other who befriends Will slowly while Will slowly shifts his focus to another soul named Kane played brilliantly by Bill Skarsgard. It is the unborn Emma who will ultimately teach Will a thing or two about life that will forever alter these two characters’ existences. I loved the ending where we learn about the man Will once was and when we see his passion towards life as brought out of him by Emma, it’s nothing short of a miracle. This movie is a miracle itself and I loved every minute of it. It’s the type of movie that sneaks up on you and floors you. I wasn’t affected more emotionally at the movies all year long than while watching this film.
1. Licorice Pizza
Licorice Pizza is everything you go to the movies for. Paul Thomas Anderson’s gem is just so entertaining to watch. It also challenges the viewer with a complex storyline of two young adults (one significantly younger than the other) who find comfort in each other’s company. Cooper Hoffman is the smart but young Gary Valentine who falls hard for a charming, somewhat confused, girl in her 20’s, Alana (the brilliant Alana Haim). If the chemistry of these stars wasn’t enough to make this film perfect, Bradley Cooper pops up as Jon Peters and Cooper steals the show in his brief but memorable screen time here. Sean Penn is also on board as well as several other notable actors as well, but this movie belongs to Haim and Hoffman. They are so delightful to watch that this film becomes like a present from Anderson to the audience in which we unwrap it a little at a time just until we get to that perfect ending that makes us feel good about life and that’s something a movie needs to do if it wants to be at the top of my list of the year’s best movies. Now, more than ever, we need Licorice Pizza to remind audiences that life is one crazy journey but sometimes you can find someone in your own life that can make it all worthwhile. Haim and Hoffman are movie magic and you’ll be won over by this film’s charm and extraordinary originality.
There you have it, folks. What films moved you this year? Hopefully if you haven’t seen some of the movies I’ve mentioned, you will check out my favorites and see if you can find the same excellent qualities that I found in them. Thanks for reading! Happy 2022 ahead at the movies!
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