Thomas Duffy’s Top 10 Films of 2022

Thomas Duffy’s Top 10 Films of 2022

2022 was simply a wonderful year for movies. There were so many powerful films. I scored quite a few pictures this year in the 9-10 range making it a significant improvement over 2021 where some of the year’s most prestigious films ended up being rated (by me) an average of an “8.” With movies this year that didn’t make my list such as Aftersun, Nope, The Batman, The Quiet Girl, Bullet Train, Cha Cha Real Smooth, Bros, Bodies Bodies Bodies and X, I am reminded of just how terrific this year was for motion pictures. Then, there’s the matter of Top Gun: Maverick which just barely made my top 20 of 2022. Yet, Top Gun: Maverick was the fan favorite of the year and a box-office juggernaut. I haven’t even begun to consider some of the festival movies I saw this year which have yet to be released in the U.S. Without further ado, let’s take a look back at the 10 best films of 2022.

Thomas Duffy’s Top 10 Films of 2022

10. I Love My Dad

James Morosini directed the South by Southwest Film Festival hit, I Love My Dad, which made me laugh harder than any other movie did this year. What’s even more impressive is that Morosini starred in the film too. As Franklin, a troubled young man, Morosini played a character who was estranged from his father (played to perfection by Patton Oswalt). When the father, Chuck, finds a pretty waitress named Becca (the radiant Claudia Sulewski), he comes up with an idea to win back the attention of his son. By posing as Becca online, Chuck makes an attempt to rekindle his relationship with his grown child. All hell essentially breaks loose in the movie with hysterical results but what’s fascinating here is how well Oswalt walks the tightrope his character places him on. Any other movie would have made Chuck easy to dislike but in this picture, the audience cares about him and doesn’t want to see him burn, so to speak, for manipulating his son. With three great central performances by Morosini, Sulewski and Oswalt, this movie is hard to resist and is one of the most entertaining pictures of 2022.

9. The Whale

It’s the comeback story of 2022. Darren Aronofsky brought Brendan Fraser’s career back to life with the heart-wrenching drama, The Whale. As a man who has become an overweight recluse, Fraser commanded the audience’s attention in this movie right from the word “go.” Fraser’s character, Charlie, is estranged from his teenage daughter, Ellie (the remarkable Sadie Sink) and lives his life with the help of his ex-lover’s sister, Liz (the unforgettable Hong Chau). This movie was an emotionally affecting film. It manages to be provocative and deeply moving with so many moments that simply leap off the screen in terms of the way they get under the viewer’s skin. It’s not easy to like Charlie but in Fraser’s hands, it’s not easy to hate him either. This is the type of performance that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences likes to reward because it is both physically and mentally challenging to play. I’d love nothing more than to see Fraser bring home the gold for his extraordinary performance in this exquisitely made movie that ranks among Aronofsky’s very best films.

8. Women Talking

Give director Sarah Polley almost all the credit for bringing the devastating and triumphant masterpiece, Women Talking, to the screen. The cast of the picture is one of the most terrifically assembled ones of 2022. Rooney Mara, Jessie Buckley, Claire Foy, Judith Ivey and Ben Whishaw have never been better than they were in this picture about a community of women who collectively decide to rebel against the situations that they find themselves a part of. Whishaw’s character, August, is the only man in the movie who provides a certain level of decency when juxtaposed to the female characters in the picture. As August sheds lights on the way men are unpredictable in nature at almost any age, we question whether or not our main characters can find a way to triumph against the odds by escaping the unfair circumstances which have fallen upon them. These women talk about their children (born or soon to be born) and strive to protect a better way of life for themselves by rejecting a poorly bestowed series of unfortunate scenarios. This is the type of movie that you just see and you will certainly be blown away by the performances and story of this powerhouse motion picture.

7. The Fabelmans

Steven Spielberg’s love letter to cinema and the craft of movie-making is one of the highlights of the distinguished director’s non-blockbuster movie career. With Michelle Williams doing a wonderful job playing the mom of the stand-in for Spielberg (a character named Sammy, played terrifically by relative newcomer Gabriel LaBelle) and Paul Dano playing Sammy’s dad, The Fabelmans was a portrait of a family that helped create a genius in the art of movie-making. Look out for Judd Hirsch’s scene-stealing performance, David Lynch’s bizarrely intriguing surprise character and the best part of The Fabelmans in my opinion: the character of Monica (Chloe East) who is Sammy’s first girlfriend. Monica is a religious fanatic who takes a liking to the movie loving artist and East steals the movie whenever she’s on screen. Williams may be the center of attention in Spielberg’s gem but East is so entertaining to watch, she brightens up the movie whenever she appears on screen. This is one of the best films of the year, for sure, but also one of the most fascinatingly creative even though it was based on a true story. What an accomplishment this film is.

6. Everything Everywhere All at Once

In the wonderful film, Everything Everywhere All at Once, by directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Michelle Yeoh plays Evelyn, a woman who is being audited for her laundry business by the tough-as-nails Deirdre (the incomparable Jamie Lee Curtis) from the IRS. Evelyn lives a mundane existence but everything she does can be tied to an alternate reality. Something could actually be that isn’t and the multiverse the picture creates is creative and utterly interesting every step of the way. This would all be a lot less interesting without Evelyn’s kind-hearted husband, Waymond (Ke Huy Quan, the former kid star from The Goonies making another comeback story of 2022 come to life) and their rebellious but determined daughter, Joy (Stephanie Hsu in a star-making turn). Hsu kind of has a dual role as she plays variations of her character here and this movie ends up becoming a truly moving picture about forgiveness, second chances and the possibilities that await us in life if we open our eyes to them. Yeoh may make the movie the masterpiece it is but the supporting players make it all come together so seamlessly. This is magical film-making at work, folks.

5. Close

Actors Eden Dambrine and Gustav De Waele create a bond between two young teenage boys so amazingly that it’s hard to decipher just how “close” they really are in director Lukas Dhont’s masterfully made tearjerker, Close. When tragedy strikes, one of the young boys (Dambrine’s character) is left to survive in the world wondering the reasons the other one is no longer able to live in the world that seemed so hopeful to them both at one point in their lives. Dhont doesn’t sugarcoat anything here or make anything obvious. Instead, we’re presented with harsh realities regarding the world today and the perception of relationships by those who have no business interfering with these said relationships–platonic or otherwise. Emilie Dequenne plays a pivotal role in this movie’s success as the mom of the boy who is taken away from the world unfairly. Dequenne and Dambrine are two masters of the acting game with their performances in this movie which cuts to the bone with raw authenticity. It’s the most moving picture of the year, hands down.

4. Vengeance

Hats off to filmmaker and actor, B.J. Novak, who turned an interesting plot into one of the most thought-provoking movies of this year or any year. When a New York reporter named Ben (Novak) finds out one of his old girlfriends has died, he reluctantly heads to Texas for her funeral where he proceeds to meet her eccentric but oddly lovable family. Issa Rae plays Ben’s editor who may want him to get the full scoop on what, exactly, goes on behind closed doors with these unusual people Ben encounters in the picture. This is such a fantastic movie because it’s so unexpectedly entertaining, moving at a fast pace with a scene-stealing turn from none other than Ashton Kutcher in a role he was born to play. When the movie ends, the audience is left with some difficult questions that could lead to conversations that actually could, theoretically, go on for days. Novak’s script is super smart, his direction is always probing and his performance here is surprisingly relatable. This film may be the most surprising, offbeat movie of the year that sadly sneaked under many people’s radars this year at the movies. Don’t miss an opportunity to see it.

3. The Banshees of Inisherin

The best thing about The Banshees of Inisherin, Martin McDonagh’s latest gem, is one of the most underrated actors working today: Colin Farrell. His eyebrows say a lot about his character in the picture and the facial expressions Farrell conveys on screen are wonderfully definitive of the type of determined actor Farrell is. As his former partner in crime (the crime of drinking, that is), Brendan Gleeson is perfect here too, adding dimensions to his character which make viewers try to understand why his character and Farrell’s simply can’t get along anymore. Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan certainly made their supporting roles stand out, which in turn, made this movie a candidate for having the Best Acting Ensemble of the year. It’s Farrell’s most interesting year to date when you consider this role amidst his other roles this year which have shown tremendous range from The Batman to Thirteen Lives to The Banshees of inisherin. McDonagh’s movie could make you think for hours about the reasons Gleeson’s character strays from Farrell’s and the end result is something fascinating and tragic but undeniably compelling. Condon and Keoghan’s turns are the icing on the very layered cake. This is a great film.

2. Elvis

Austin Butler’s portrayal of Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s masterpiece, Elvis, is nothing short of awe-inspiring. The detail put into the role by Butler is impeccable and every scene of Luhrmann’s movie is full of fast-paced energy that only slows down when the movie ends. Tom Hanks, as Colonel Tom Parker, turned in one of the best supporting performances of the year but people took it for granted. Hanks’ work here in this picture is nothing short of remarkable. It’s easy to see how phony Parker was but also even easier to “get” why Elvis was manipulated by him. Butler could pose a threat to Brendan Fraser in the Best Actor category at the Oscars next year. He’s that good and Butler simply immerses himself in the role beyond any and all expectations. The great music and the very stylized direction by the always reliable Luhrmann make this picture one for the record books. It’s a stunning feat of film-making that must be experienced in its entirety to be appreciated. When Luhrmann made Moulin Rouge!, he was snubbed for an Oscar nod for Best Director. It is doubtful that he will be overlooked again when considering the quality of his work on the amazing Elvis.

1. Tár

Cate Blanchett is in top form and deserving of awards playing the character named in Todd Field’s film’s title, Tár,  who is a famous musical artist who finds herself immersed in some very heavy situations as the film progresses. Some people may view the character Blanchett plays here as a narcissist and they may be right but the character goes through a transformation that is masterfully conveyed on screen by the Academy Award-winning actress. Nina Hoss, as Blanchett’s character’s significant other in the movie also turns in a very intriguing performance worthy of award consideration. The magic of Field’s movie is how it makes us feel like the character Lydia Tár is just like one of our friends or neighbors. She’s a distinguished professional with an ugly side that is often perceived and a softer side which rarely gets to be seen by the people she associates with. And, when Tár does things that are kind and/or respectful, bad things happen which makes us understand why she chose the identity she decided to present to the world. This is the type of picture that could have audiences talking for hours afterwards but it is, most importantly, a terrifically crafted film that is an example of film-making at its best. I wouldn’t be surprised if Blanchett wins another Oscar next year.

There’s the list of the best movies of 2022. Let’s hope for more great films in 2023. The Sundance Film Festival will be coming up in late January where there will surely be early candidates for some of the best films of the upcoming year. As the Academy Award nominations for 2022 approach, here’s hoping some of the films mentioned on this list of 2022’s best get mentioned alongside some of their fantastic performances. It was a banner year for movies and with films like Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated Oppenheimer on the horizon next year, there’s a lot to be looking forward to.

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