It is that time of the year again where everyone releases their list of the best movies, shows, and performances. This truly is one of my favorite times of the year because you reflect on everything you’ve watched and start to put together these lists. As a critic, narrowing down the list can be hard because you are battling the sheer amount of content that you consumed. That said, after a long battle of tinkering with my lists, today I share with you the best movies of 2025. 

Over the past two years, I’ve really wanted to get into the TV game more, which is quite a bit more time-consuming than movies. As a voting member of Critics Choice in both the movie and TV branches, the last two months have been spent honing in on my ballot on both sides of the world. This really allowed me to catch up on much of what I missed, followed by whittling down the best of the best. 

Honorable Mentions: The Smashing Machine, Weapons, Eddington, Warfare, No Other Choice

The Top 10 Movies of 2025

10 – The Perfect Neighbor

My oh my, Geeta Gandbhir’s The Perfect Neighbor was a haunting and harrowing look at the murder of Ajike Owens. The groundbreaking way Gandbhir used the officer’s bodycams to tell the story and teamed with Viridiana Lieberman, whose editing deserves to be in the Oscar conversation. This movie is powerful and perfect. 

9 – Materialists

Celine Song’s Past Lives was my favorite movie of 2023, and Materialists was at the top of my most anticipated of 2025. Song knows how to portray love in a raw and authentic way, and that is why her script for Materialists works so well. Of course, having Dakota Johnson give the performance of her career only raised the stakes. 

8 – The Long Walk

From my review: As a film critic, there is nothing greater than seeing a movie that reminds you why you do what you do and love watching movies, and that is what The Long Walk did for me. The Long Walk is a thought-provoking masterclass of filmmaking that will be remembered for years.

7 – The Testament of Ann Lee

By far the best lead actress performance of 2025 was Amanda Seyfried’s out-of this-world portrayal of Ann Lee. The direction, score, costume design, and the whimsical songs were just pitch perfect. 

6 – Train Dreams

Excerpt from my interview with Clint Bentley, Joel Edgerton, and William H. Macy: As the credits rolled, I pondered the mixed feelings of how to feel about Train Dreams. I thought, “Man, that was an incredibly sad movie.” But the more I unpacked my feelings, the ending felt like this journey of Robert’s grief that we all had to sit in and understand. Bentley showed us how one can overcome this relentless grief regardless of how deep the loss is. From top to bottom, Train Dreams truly is one of the year’s most special films.

5 – Is This Thing On?

Bradley Cooper continues to shape himself as one of the most exciting and best directors of this generation. While Cooper wows with his simplistic yet staggering work, it’s Will Arnett’s career-best performance that makes this film come together. Man, I just love this movie. 

4 – Sinners

Is it really shocking that here we sit at the end of the year and Ryan Coogler has made yet another banger that will make everyone’s top ten list? I don’t believe so. As the year progressed, more and more films came out, and none of them could reach the heights of Coogler’s Sinners. The ensemble is top-tier and right alongside One Battle After Another as the best. Michael B. Jordan’s dual performance shouldn’t go unnoticed by voters this award season. 

3 – Jay Kelly

This movie was everything I expected it to be and more. From the moment I saw the trailer, I knew Jay Kelly would be a “Ricky” type of movie. However, was that going to be a great movie by all standards, or was it going to be a personal one? There is a shot in the middle of the woods that is one of the year’s best that solidified my love for this movie and George Clooney’s performance. Noah Baumbach’s work here is truly special. 

2 – F1: The Movie

The IMAX experience that was Joseph Kosinski’s F1: The Movie was absolutely magnetic. Every act was built with such precision, leading to this culmination that delivered one of the most daring directions of 2025. The pairing of Brad Pitt and Damson Idris was brilliant alongside Javier Bardem and Kerry Condon. As I walked out of the theaters, for months I wondered why I held it at 4 and a half stars. But after a rewatch, it joined my number one as the only two films to get the perfect rating this year. 

1 – One Battle After Another

Paul Thomas Anderson crafted not only one of the best movies of the year but of the decade. A timely yet authentic script of modern day filled with a stunning score, captivating story, and an ensemble to die for. This movie will be at the top of many people’s lists, and rightfully so, as it heads on its way to win many Academy Awards.