10 Favorite Movies of 2022
With a couple honorable mentions
This felt like a really good year for movies. Certainly there were some disappointments (I’m looking at you, “Babylon” and “Wakanda Forever”), but there were a lot of really excellent films, including one that made it into my list of favorite films ever.
Note: This is a list of ten, but know that in terms of favorites, the order is pretty whatever, excluding the very top. It’s definitely number one.
Honorable mentions:
Nope - Jordan Peele is astounding as a writer and director, and he brings it again with his most recent film, “Nope.” This is an incredible look at spectacle and, quite honestly, content creation and how all of that plays with trauma. It is a deeply nuanced look while also having some really great creature design. The only reason this isn’t in my actual list is because I feel like it takes a couple watches to really pick up everything he’s putting down and not everyone has time/energy for multiple viewings of a movie. But this one is worth it. (Streaming on Peacock)
Fresh - I absolutely loved this movie. Sebastian Stan is phenomenal in it and it is a really wonderful horror comedy. It speaks to the ways women are consumed by men, but mostly, it’s just a super fun horror flick with a great premise and some solid performances. It doesn’t make the top list mostly because the villain dies one too many times at the end and that’s just an unforgivable faux pas. You can only fake kill your villain once. I don’t make the rules. (Streaming on Hulu)
Now for the real list!
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On - You may remember Marcel from the series of YouTube videos more than a decade ago. Well, they have been turned into a feature length stop-motion film that is just about the sweetest thing you’ve ever seen. It is a film about discovering the difference between followers and community. It is about loss and friendship and growth and it is all wrapped up in Jenny Slate’s incredible voice work. This was a bit of a sleeper, but if you’re looking for something the entire family can enjoy, this is it. (Streaming on Amazon)
Bros - I love rom-coms, but what I really love is a unique rom-com. And Billy Eichner gave us a genuinely unique and deeply funny rom-com with “Bros.” His thesis statement of “love is not love” may seem edgy, but I appreciate that he didn’t just plug two men into a standard story line. There are a lot of the same beats you’d expect in a straight rom-com, but he twists it up enough that it’s worth watching. And truly, I saw this in a theater in West Virginia and everyone there laughed constantly. Need romance? Watch this ASAP. (Streaming on Peacock)
Barbarian - I told one of my kids and a brand-new love interest to go see this movie because it is a truly unique horror flick, but I forgot that what makes it unique is kind of off-putting. But honestly, this movie never goes where you think it’s going to go, and in a genre that has a penchant for formulas, this one breaks them all. It is fully wonderful and if you’re in the mood for something that will keep you guessing, this will sate that desire. Not recommended for first or second dates. (Streaming on HBO Max)
X/Pearl - I’m combining these because they were shot at the same time and they are both superb and trying to pick between them is impossible. I am already assuming that Mia Goth will be passed over when awards roll around, and that is a shame, because she is STUNNING in these (particularly in “Pearl”). Interesting look at sex work? Yes. Excellent slasher? Yes. Best look at male fragility I’ve seen this year? Yes. These movies are some of my absolute favorites and I highly recommend them. (Streaming on Amazon)
Weird - I got to see Weird Al Yankovic in concert like a decade ago, and it was one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen. He is absolutely amazing and this “biopic” is everything I would want out of a movie about Weird Al. It is, top to bottom, absolutely hilarious and displays his genius in a way that is nearly perfect. Comedies are pretty hit or miss, but a parody biopic of the king of parodies? Inject it into my veins, please. (Streaming on Roku TV)
Vengeance - I hate that this movie didn’t come to theaters near me, so I didn’t get to see it until much later in the year, but wow. What an absolutely amazing movie. B.J. Novak is a brilliant writer and this movie gets almost everything right in the script. I particularly liked the way that he showed people in more rural areas. As someone from WV, it’s easy to fault particular groups for everything negative happening, but it would be a mistake to assume people are dumb or malicious or ignorant, and Novak avoids that. It is an incredible movie. (Streaming on Peacock)
The Valet - I’m a little surprised this one made my list, but it has stuck with me all year. As you may have gathered, I love movies that subvert my expectations well, and this is a movie that does that. It is sweet and funny, and I was smitten. Again, it’s another rom-com that hits all of the familiar beats without feeling stale. The end is perfect and I am so glad to have seen it. (Streaming on Hulu)
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande - This was definitely a year of small casts, and Leo Grande is basically a cast of two. Older widow wants to experience something more than what she did in her marriage, so she hires an escort. Emma Thompson gives a stellar performance and I feel lucky to have grown up with her performing in front of me pretty much my whole life. This movie is one that’s almost worth watching alongside “X” because it hits a lot of the same beats in a really different way. (Streaming on Hulu)
The Menu - This one caught me off guard, but wow, what an awesome movie. Ralph Fiennes is brilliant in this, as is Anya Taylor-Joy. Truly, in a year where some big name ensemble casts had so-so reviews (“Don’t Worry Darling,” “Amsterdam,” and “Babylon” were all pretty meh), this one hit strong. It had a clear story, stunning visuals, wicked humor, and shocking violence. And it married of all of that perfectly. You might be able to still catch it in a theater near you, but if not, it will be on HBO Max on January 3. Phenomenal.
Everything Everywhere All At Once - This is easily my top film of 2022, and one of the best movies I’ve ever seen, period. I have written about it here two times and I have recommended it to literally every person I have met this year who even hinted at wanting to discuss movies. I don’t rewatch movies over and over, but I have seen this at least 7 times this year, and will definitely find a chance to watch it once more before the end of the year. It is hilarious. It is heartbreaking. It features one of the all-time comebacks with Ke Huy Quan. It centers middle-aged women with Jamie Lee Curtis and Michelle Yeoh. It has the most perfect villain played by Stephanie Hsu. I hesitate to call anything perfect, but this movie is about the closest to perfect I’ve seen. Watch this movie. It will change your life. (Streaming on Showtime)
One of the things I noticed while I was compiling this list is that most of the movies on it are about being truly seen. There is a lot of talk about division in the United States, and fair enough. There’s a lot of that is concerning and that we shouldn’t try to find a middle ground on. But I do think a lot of the division is from false stories about The Other Side being amplified. We don’t see people, we see caricatures, and those are easier to hate or vilify. A lot of my favorite movies this year have reminded me that taking time to get to know others and their struggles can help me see them better. Maybe we won’t be besties, but maybe we won’t be mortal enemies either.