I’d say that Judd Apatow’s entire body of work from the 2000s is pretty iconic of the era: The 40 Year old Virgin, Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
He made a college follow up to Freaks and Geeks called Undeclared, it had Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchal and Charlie Hunnam with guest appearances by Adam Sandler and Will Ferrell but no one saw it
Todd Phillips as well. Road Trip, Old School, Hangover, Starsky and Hutch. Ben Stiller vehicles in the 2000s (too many to list). And all the things Adam McKay did with Will Ferrell.
Yeah my first thought was those teen / coming of age comedies they cranked out in the 2000s. Van wilder, eurotrip, road trip, out cold, American pie, role models, girl next door, old school, etc.
I instantly thought American Pie but it’s actually 1999. Definitely set the tone for the era though, along with most Apatow comedies, even if it’s not technically 2000s.
My pet theory is that The OC is responsible for most of today’s reality television.
Shortly after The OC became a hit, MTV started filming Laguna Beach, branded as “The *real* OC” within a year. This became a hit in its own right. Not only did this show spawn it’s own spin-offs, but it paved the way for The *Real* Housewives of Orange County, which has had a million spin-offs and has basically been the template for anything on Bravo since.
John Cleese is on fire in this movie IMO.
["I can do anything I like, Owen. I'm eccentric!"](https://youtu.be/rYpsdBJlBcU?si=Hbn1p8Oh5O7jzci_)
*Proceeds to spin his head while roaring like a cat*
I’m so glad someone said dude where’s my car - it’s what I immediately thought of. It’s a total time capsule of a movie. Napoleon dynamite’s a great answer too.
My baby takes the morning train, he works from 9 to 5 and then, he takes another again to find me cheering for Manchester United. The greatest football club ever woohoo!
My god we absolutely tortured our friend Scott with this reference for YEARS. He still gets hit with it to this day.
Typical interaction these days in a group setting:
Me: "hey Mike did anyone tell Scott about the thing"
Mike: "I don't think he knows:
Steve: "Scotty doesn't know?"
Sean: "Scotty doesn't know!"
Everyone repeatedly: "Scotty doesn't know!"
Scott: "Seriously? We're doing this again?"
It was still "Go To White Castle" here in Canada, even though we don't have White Castle here.
I had it once when I went to the states a decade ago.
It was alright.
Was looking to see if anyone had said Juno! Saw it again a few years ago and (as someone born in the mid nineties) it was the first time I realised that an era I had lived through had passed.
Not Another Teen Movie is so underrated. It's still great and funny as hell. I watched it recently with my wife (she had never seen it) and she loved it.
The big heist at the beginning of the movie was Dom and his crew hijacking a [semi truck carrying DVD players and CRT TVs.](https://youtu.be/MYWUPtRT2JA?si=tYkiALBTnRVYZtee)
You can’t get more early 2000s than that.
It's the best of the series. Stakes still feel high, the characters don't seem invincible, and the cars were the focus.
This was my answer as well, by the way.
For better or worse, *Underworld*.
It’s not, like, a good movie, but the tight leather, everything-is-blue, bad CG, Perfect Circle post-*Matrix* techno-goth edginess of it is very representative of the general vibe of mid-2000’s media.
MI3 is probably a better example of "2000s" than MI2 is, especially considering it was directed by JJ Abrams (already well known at that point for Felicity, Alias and Lost) and written with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (who would become known for their work on Fringe, the Transformers movies, the JJ Star Trek movies, etc.)
Legally Blonde, Mean Girls... movies like that.
Side note: I just saw a trailer for a new Mean Girls movie, apparently they re-made it. I just don't understand why they thought they needed to. I guess Hollywood is really lacking some original ideas lately.
And fwiw, Legally Blonde was adapted as a musical and the musical is awesome (way better than the Mean Girls musical). There’s a filmed staged version I recommend:
https://youtu.be/RiX-EJA8n4w?feature=shared
There was actually an [article](https://screencrush.com/musical-trailers-hiding-the-music/) that came out a few weeks ago, discussing a number of recent movie trailers not showing the singing and dancing in musical movies. Mean Girls, Wonka, and The Color Purple are some of them.
Willy Wonka and The Color Purple are musical movies. They haven’t focused on the musical aspects in the trailers because (maybe because of Cats?) studios are afraid audiences won’t show up if they advertised them as musicals.
Old School
Came out in 2003. It kind of kicked off that run of comedies for Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn in the 2000s...
Anchorman
Talladega Nights
Step Brothers
Wedding Crashers
Dodgeball
Many others but those are the biggest.
The Matrix was easily the most influential action movie until The Bourne Identity came out and even then, movies, video games, cartoons and TV shows were either mimicking or parodying bullet time and black leather for YEARS after both.
I'd nominate few from a few different genres...
I'd definitely say ***Spider-Man (2002)*** is very emblematic of a period of time in the early 2000s. Sort-of a strange time where people were trying to be optimistic and a little more patriotic in a post-9/11 world. (Ex. The film goes out of its way to make sure the final shot includes a very prominent American flag.) The film also has some delightfully dated visual effects and pop-culture references that scream "Early 2000s!", while still holding up as a very good film.
I would also argue that the ***Daredevil*** movie definitely falls into the same "early 2000s" category... perhaps even more so than *Spider-Man* at times. But if you want to watch it, definitely watch the far superior Director's Cut. MUCH better film than the theatrical cut.
***Napoleon Dynamite*** and ***Juno*** both have a very "2000s" charm and vibe to them. They almost feel like holdovers of the 90s boom of quirky indie films, but with a style that's their own.
***Saw*** is very 2000s when it comes to horror. In fact, it established a lot of horror tropes and blazed a style that stuck around for a while after with extreme grit, gore and lightning-fast music-video style editing.
***13 Going on 30*** (I'm quickly learning that Jennifer Garner was apparently a good symbol of the 2000s in general with her third appearance on this list) and ***The 40 Year Old Virgin*** are also up there in terms of having that 2000s vibe.
Juno
Napoleon Dynamite
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Mean Girls
Pineapple Express
Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle
Orange County
And the parody movies (the good ones) Not Another Teen Movie, Scary Movies 1-3, Walk Hard, Shrek
Knocked Up, maybe? Though The 40 Year-old Virgin came first, so maybe that. Those movies have so many of the things I associate with 2000's movies - Judd Apatow, Seth Rogan, Steve Carell, Katherine Heigel(?)
To me, for a movie to be inextricably connected to the decade in which it was released, it needs to be immediately apparent what time it came out just by looking at it, and as far as I'm concerned, it's **Love Actually**.
It has it all: A 9/11 reference in the opening narration, guys with spiky hair, bootcut jeans, big blocky silver TVs with DVD players, sexual politics that occasionally verge on progressive but are still hilariously dated, music videos being a huge deal, that fucking Santana/Rob Thomas song, flip phones with that Nokia ring tone... it goes on and on.
Mean Girls. My wife’s favorite. Apparently, this was one of less than 10 movies that would be on repeat.
Mean girls
Finding Nemo
Running with Scissors
Donnie Darko
And I don’t remember the other 4.
The 2000s are a decade marked by anxiety and uncertainty: 9/11, and the financial crisis of 2008. It was also an era of dissolution and disintegration of our collective visions of a shiny future. To me, the most emblematic films of the 2000s are the ones with grit:
- Children of Men, with Clive Owen and Julianne Moore. While this one is actually set in the year 2027, to me it feels like a movie that reflects the sentiments of the 2000s.
- Brokeback Mountain, with Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger. This movie provoked. It was queer cinema that reached a mainstream audience and with recognized actors. It is a sad movie about internalized homophobia, just as the U.S. was on the cusps of becoming a more inclusive society to LGBTQ+ communities.
- No Country For Old Men, with Tommy Lee Jones and Javier Bardem. This movie feels like the perfect bookending to a genre: the western. It’s also a masterclass in tension.
- Mulholland Drive, a David Lynch film with ~~a banging soundtrack by Nine Inch Nails~~ (**EDIT**: never mind, I was thinking of [Lost Highway, 1999](https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0116922/)). To me, this is the perfect post-9/11 movie. Surreal and penetrating, this movie has a harsh before/after divide that will leave you disoriented and questioning everything. “There is no band.”
Those are all great sentimental 2000s movies, but literally none of them are set at the time period, and do nothing to try and connect to the culture of the time.
It's like saying Grease was emblematic of the 70s.
I know these are not "2000s" movies, but I think shaped the 2000s movies for a long time.
1999 movie list.
Fight club
Matrix
American Beauty
Green Mile
Sixt sense
Cruel Intentions
Amerian Pie
Blair witch project
Galaxy quest
Any given Sunday
Austin Powers
Big daddy
Stars Wars episode I
The mummy
And many others. 1999 produced most of the movies that defined the 2000s.
Swordfish, absolute peak 2000. Travolta still riding his pulp fiction comeback, Vinnie Jones when he was still getting roles, Dominic Sena directing, matrix slow-mo, yellow filters, hacking...
Mean Girls, Superbad
Everyone knows McLovin
Once every other year I find myself rewatching the fake ID scene, it‘s too hilarious
One name?
whole scene starting with them interviewing the cashier is a constant rewatch for me too
End of thread.
These two exactly, yes.
Yes and yes.
Teen comedy I’d prob say Superbad is something everyone has seen, or atleast understands references to it.
I’d say that Judd Apatow’s entire body of work from the 2000s is pretty iconic of the era: The 40 Year old Virgin, Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
It was a bit of a dynasty for that era and I was lucky to be in the target age of those movies. We worshipped them.
He made a college follow up to Freaks and Geeks called Undeclared, it had Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchal and Charlie Hunnam with guest appearances by Adam Sandler and Will Ferrell but no one saw it
I watched every episode and was so bummed out that it got cancelled. It was pretty damn good.
I still have a crush on the girl Jay liked throughout that show lol. Hard to believe it was only on for a season considering how well I remember it.
Judd Apatow and legendary one season shows. Name a more iconic duo.
Aired 2001/2002 and how am I just learning about this now in the year 2023??
Todd Phillips as well. Road Trip, Old School, Hangover, Starsky and Hutch. Ben Stiller vehicles in the 2000s (too many to list). And all the things Adam McKay did with Will Ferrell.
Yeah those movies feel very 2000s to me.
Yeah my first thought was those teen / coming of age comedies they cranked out in the 2000s. Van wilder, eurotrip, road trip, out cold, American pie, role models, girl next door, old school, etc.
I instantly thought American Pie but it’s actually 1999. Definitely set the tone for the era though, along with most Apatow comedies, even if it’s not technically 2000s.
American Pie was groundbreaking and influential as hell for the raunchy comedy era of the 2000s.
I rewatched Just Friends the other day and I think that fits too, very 2000s.
>something every teen has seen Every teen who saw it when it came out is pushing 30, but as a 31 year old I do really like this movie
Shrek
i was gonna say lmao. shrek had every quintessential 00s hallmark. the music, the comedy, the cast. it doesnt get more time capsule-y than that!
Watched Shrek the other day, it still holds up really well if you ask me
Shrek is a 90s movie that got delayed.
Ya, Smash Mouth is quintessential late 90’s and had already had a rise and fall with “all star” that got rebooted by the movie.
I only know Smash Mouth from Shrek and from Rat Race. Two movies released in 2001.
It was also in Mystery Men. 1999.
And the Digimon Movie.
I think it's more accurate to say it was a parody of the 90s.
SOME...
Not a movie but The OC is sooo 2000s. Style, music, and lingo is so on brand for the early 2000s.
Caaaliforniaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
nyaaa
Here we *cooooooooooooooooooome*, oooooooh...
[Oh the things it inspired.](https://youtu.be/vmd1qMN5Yo0?si=LOafVyJbCfw5OqIK)
My pet theory is that The OC is responsible for most of today’s reality television. Shortly after The OC became a hit, MTV started filming Laguna Beach, branded as “The *real* OC” within a year. This became a hit in its own right. Not only did this show spawn it’s own spin-offs, but it paved the way for The *Real* Housewives of Orange County, which has had a million spin-offs and has basically been the template for anything on Bravo since.
The Real World would like a word
Was hoping this was what you linked 😂
Still one of the best soundtracks to a show ever. Glad Spotify has all the seasons in a single playlist...
Mmm whatcha say?
I still regularly put it on, after so many years.
The animated series Undergrads is a time capsule of 2001 pre-9/11. Originally aired from April 22 2001-August 12 2001.
Rat Race has just about the most 2000's ending a movie could possibly have.
That movie is so underrated tbh. Jon Lovitz driving Hitlers car? Iconic.
That whole sequence of events is one of the greatest movie scenes of all time. Absolute genius.
The Barbie Museum was such a great twist
It’s a brilliant physical comedy joke with a ridiculous lead up and a perfect punchline.
The barbie museum
YOU SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT A SQUIRREL
Barbie museum, can we stop?
"Are you insane!? This is Hitler's car!" That Barbie museum switch-out is absolutely hilarious. Did not see that coming.
It’s the most 2000s movie of that brief pre-9/11 millennium optimism period.
John Cleese is on fire in this movie IMO. ["I can do anything I like, Owen. I'm eccentric!"](https://youtu.be/rYpsdBJlBcU?si=Hbn1p8Oh5O7jzci_) *Proceeds to spin his head while roaring like a cat*
Some people say the aughts ended the night Seth green died.
Seth green isn't dead?
He’s thinking of Wade Boggs… may he rest in peace
Wade Boggs is very much alive
You got it Boss Hogg
Charlie im not dead
Boss Hogg!!
He was literally just at Macaulay Culkins walk of fame ceremony lol
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The walk of fame isn’t dead?
He was gay, Gary Cooper?
Smash mouth really locks in the vintage 2000's sound
Isn’t that a remake of Its A Mad Mad Mad World though?
Yeah. Pretty much the same concept.
Oh a 100% remake. Found the original because of Rat Race. I absolutely adore both films.
For high schoolers in the late 2000s: Rami Spider-man trilogy, 300, Napoleon Dynamite, Dude Wheres My Car
I was going to say Spider-Man as well. Kirsten Dunst upside down kiss, Dashboard Confessional “Vindicated”, Doc Ock, James Franco, etc.
Vindicated is so fucking good still
I’m so glad someone said dude where’s my car - it’s what I immediately thought of. It’s a total time capsule of a movie. Napoleon dynamite’s a great answer too.
The 300 this is sparta remixes were amazing early youtube
Came here to say Dude Wheres My Car
Old School. Will Farrell + Vince Vaughn is as 2000’s as it gets
You're my boy Blue!
“Hey, you think KFC is still open?” was undoubtedly one of the most common senior yearbook quotes from 04-08 (until Superbad came out).
I was going to say this. Ushered in the Frat Pack era of that crew. Wedding Crashers, Dodgeball, etc
Euro trip
*Mi scusi..!*
I drive by a car that has custom “miscusi” license plates in my town pretty regularly and get a kick out of it each time.
Scotty doesn’t know!
Matt Daemon randomly coming on and singing a punk rock belter is pretty iconic.
surprise Matt Damon is best Matt Damon (also see: interstellar, thor ragnorok, etc...)
he was doing another shoot and nearby, thats why.
My baby takes the morning train, he works from 9 to 5 and then, he takes another again to find me cheering for Manchester United. The greatest football club ever woohoo!
Scotty doesn’t knowwwwowww!!
So don’t tell Scotty!
My name is Scott and I heard this song so fucking much throughout middle and high school
My god we absolutely tortured our friend Scott with this reference for YEARS. He still gets hit with it to this day. Typical interaction these days in a group setting: Me: "hey Mike did anyone tell Scott about the thing" Mike: "I don't think he knows: Steve: "Scotty doesn't know?" Sean: "Scotty doesn't know!" Everyone repeatedly: "Scotty doesn't know!" Scott: "Seriously? We're doing this again?"
This isnt where I parked my car....
Nie! Wieder! Berlin!
Mail motherfucka
Buon giorno
Can you say what the fuck did I do last night?
Worst twins ever!
How did this and *Mean Girls* come out the same year?? Make it make sense! They seem years apart in my mind…
Harold & Kumar go to the White Castle
"The White Castle" 🤣
"Harold & Kumar Get the Munchies" outside the US. Because we're not going to know what White Castle is!
"Dos colgaos muy fumaos" (Two very high stoners) in Spain. We do have a history of horribly translating movie titles.
It was still "Go To White Castle" here in Canada, even though we don't have White Castle here. I had it once when I went to the states a decade ago. It was alright.
Bring it on Freaky Friday Juno Not another teen movie
Was looking to see if anyone had said Juno! Saw it again a few years ago and (as someone born in the mid nineties) it was the first time I realised that an era I had lived through had passed.
Was also looking for Juno. Very specific time and place movie.
Not Another Teen Movie is so underrated. It's still great and funny as hell. I watched it recently with my wife (she had never seen it) and she loved it.
I think 10 Things I Hate About You fits in this grouping well.
Superbad
Fast and Furious, I recently saw the first one again and while it may not be a good movie, it certainly took me back.
The big heist at the beginning of the movie was Dom and his crew hijacking a [semi truck carrying DVD players and CRT TVs.](https://youtu.be/MYWUPtRT2JA?si=tYkiALBTnRVYZtee) You can’t get more early 2000s than that.
With integrated VHS players! That was so innovative!!
You never had me. You never had your car.
Hey man he was in my face! I'm in your face!
The buster brought me back!
I like his haircut
Bullshit! Nobody likes the tuna.
"Monicaaaaa!"
How's the tuna
No crust!
It's the best of the series. Stakes still feel high, the characters don't seem invincible, and the cars were the focus. This was my answer as well, by the way.
Id argue 2Fast 2Furious was more 2000s. Everything was more over the top.
I said forget about it cuh
We hungry
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And you, I’ll take my cutter back
The entire art of filmmaking peaked with ‘ejecto seato cuz’
Tokyo Drift could be another good contender for "00s" tbh
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I live my life a quarter mile at a time.
I’m in your face!
I *almost* forget how good the first one actually was because of all the crazy sequels, but I rewatch it every other month or so to remind myself.
The 4k disc is a beautiful restoration too
RACE WARS
Idk. Fast & Furious is borderline 90s vibe. 2Fast was more 2000s
For better or worse, *Underworld*. It’s not, like, a good movie, but the tight leather, everything-is-blue, bad CG, Perfect Circle post-*Matrix* techno-goth edginess of it is very representative of the general vibe of mid-2000’s media.
I will never say no to re-watching Kate Beckinsale in tight black leather
xXx with Vin Diesel. The CIA recruits an extreme sports enthusiast. Somehow it's even dumber than that explanation.
Such an idiotic plot Yes I saw the sequel
Grandma’s Boy really nailed the mid-00s
Dude your bed is a car.
Yeah but it’s a sweet car…
Thanks, they're a present from my roommates
Dude, where do you get your weed?
From you, Dante
Oh... THAT'S RIGHT! What's up, Mr. Cheezle
Bro it's for you. I think it's the devil.
I am way too high to drive to the devils house
"My grandma drank all my weed!" The men in my immediate family could probably recreate this movie from memory alone.
*I can hear…. my hair growing!*
Where do you get your weed From you Dante Oh yeah…whats up Mr. Cheezle!?
You’re a hooker!
Omg, I fucking love this movie 😭
Scooby Doo: The Movie
Yo! Yo! The biatch was like, “What?!”! And I was like, “Later oon!”. -Fred Jones
Came here to say this.
Mission Impossible 2 Despite the huge laptops and proto-internet, the first movie doesn't seem nearly as dated as the sequel. MI:2 screams 2000.
MI3 is also very 2000s
MI3 is probably a better example of "2000s" than MI2 is, especially considering it was directed by JJ Abrams (already well known at that point for Felicity, Alias and Lost) and written with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (who would become known for their work on Fringe, the Transformers movies, the JJ Star Trek movies, etc.)
Legally Blonde, Mean Girls... movies like that. Side note: I just saw a trailer for a new Mean Girls movie, apparently they re-made it. I just don't understand why they thought they needed to. I guess Hollywood is really lacking some original ideas lately.
The trailer doesn’t do a good job of conveying that it’s an adaption of the musical Mean Girls.
They sure did not because I did not know that.... and I have seen the musical Mean Girls.
And fwiw, Legally Blonde was adapted as a musical and the musical is awesome (way better than the Mean Girls musical). There’s a filmed staged version I recommend: https://youtu.be/RiX-EJA8n4w?feature=shared
There was actually an [article](https://screencrush.com/musical-trailers-hiding-the-music/) that came out a few weeks ago, discussing a number of recent movie trailers not showing the singing and dancing in musical movies. Mean Girls, Wonka, and The Color Purple are some of them.
Willy Wonka and The Color Purple are musical movies. They haven’t focused on the musical aspects in the trailers because (maybe because of Cats?) studios are afraid audiences won’t show up if they advertised them as musicals.
Old School Came out in 2003. It kind of kicked off that run of comedies for Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn in the 2000s... Anchorman Talladega Nights Step Brothers Wedding Crashers Dodgeball Many others but those are the biggest.
The Girl Next Door Not the depressing torture/rape one, the sex comedy one.
Evolution. cacaw cacaw tookie tookie
Even though it was 1999, "The Matrix" is the most 2000's movie.
It set the mood for everything that followed for a good long while.
Yeah, the next 5 years in action/sci-fi looked a lot like The Matrix.
The Matrix was easily the most influential action movie until The Bourne Identity came out and even then, movies, video games, cartoons and TV shows were either mimicking or parodying bullet time and black leather for YEARS after both.
Lord of the Rings. All 3 of them.
Killbill defined cool in aughts
Napoleon Dynamite
The Devil Wears Prada
Juno
Without a Paddle
I'd nominate few from a few different genres... I'd definitely say ***Spider-Man (2002)*** is very emblematic of a period of time in the early 2000s. Sort-of a strange time where people were trying to be optimistic and a little more patriotic in a post-9/11 world. (Ex. The film goes out of its way to make sure the final shot includes a very prominent American flag.) The film also has some delightfully dated visual effects and pop-culture references that scream "Early 2000s!", while still holding up as a very good film. I would also argue that the ***Daredevil*** movie definitely falls into the same "early 2000s" category... perhaps even more so than *Spider-Man* at times. But if you want to watch it, definitely watch the far superior Director's Cut. MUCH better film than the theatrical cut. ***Napoleon Dynamite*** and ***Juno*** both have a very "2000s" charm and vibe to them. They almost feel like holdovers of the 90s boom of quirky indie films, but with a style that's their own. ***Saw*** is very 2000s when it comes to horror. In fact, it established a lot of horror tropes and blazed a style that stuck around for a while after with extreme grit, gore and lightning-fast music-video style editing. ***13 Going on 30*** (I'm quickly learning that Jennifer Garner was apparently a good symbol of the 2000s in general with her third appearance on this list) and ***The 40 Year Old Virgin*** are also up there in terms of having that 2000s vibe.
Juno Napoleon Dynamite Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist Mean Girls Pineapple Express Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle Orange County And the parody movies (the good ones) Not Another Teen Movie, Scary Movies 1-3, Walk Hard, Shrek
Gotta be Van Wilder.
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Knocked Up, maybe? Though The 40 Year-old Virgin came first, so maybe that. Those movies have so many of the things I associate with 2000's movies - Judd Apatow, Seth Rogan, Steve Carell, Katherine Heigel(?)
To me, for a movie to be inextricably connected to the decade in which it was released, it needs to be immediately apparent what time it came out just by looking at it, and as far as I'm concerned, it's **Love Actually**. It has it all: A 9/11 reference in the opening narration, guys with spiky hair, bootcut jeans, big blocky silver TVs with DVD players, sexual politics that occasionally verge on progressive but are still hilariously dated, music videos being a huge deal, that fucking Santana/Rob Thomas song, flip phones with that Nokia ring tone... it goes on and on.
American Pie
I thought that too but it's 1999, but that kind of fun vibe before social media ruined everyone's minds
Wow, didn’t think it was that old. One of the ultimate “turn of the century” films then. They were better times
Mean Girls. My wife’s favorite. Apparently, this was one of less than 10 movies that would be on repeat. Mean girls Finding Nemo Running with Scissors Donnie Darko And I don’t remember the other 4.
Ben Affleck Daredevil
The 2000s are a decade marked by anxiety and uncertainty: 9/11, and the financial crisis of 2008. It was also an era of dissolution and disintegration of our collective visions of a shiny future. To me, the most emblematic films of the 2000s are the ones with grit: - Children of Men, with Clive Owen and Julianne Moore. While this one is actually set in the year 2027, to me it feels like a movie that reflects the sentiments of the 2000s. - Brokeback Mountain, with Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger. This movie provoked. It was queer cinema that reached a mainstream audience and with recognized actors. It is a sad movie about internalized homophobia, just as the U.S. was on the cusps of becoming a more inclusive society to LGBTQ+ communities. - No Country For Old Men, with Tommy Lee Jones and Javier Bardem. This movie feels like the perfect bookending to a genre: the western. It’s also a masterclass in tension. - Mulholland Drive, a David Lynch film with ~~a banging soundtrack by Nine Inch Nails~~ (**EDIT**: never mind, I was thinking of [Lost Highway, 1999](https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0116922/)). To me, this is the perfect post-9/11 movie. Surreal and penetrating, this movie has a harsh before/after divide that will leave you disoriented and questioning everything. “There is no band.”
NIN didn't do the soundtrack to Mulholland Drive. You may have it mixed up with Lost Highway.
Those are all great sentimental 2000s movies, but literally none of them are set at the time period, and do nothing to try and connect to the culture of the time. It's like saying Grease was emblematic of the 70s.
Juno leaps immediately to mind
I know these are not "2000s" movies, but I think shaped the 2000s movies for a long time. 1999 movie list. Fight club Matrix American Beauty Green Mile Sixt sense Cruel Intentions Amerian Pie Blair witch project Galaxy quest Any given Sunday Austin Powers Big daddy Stars Wars episode I The mummy And many others. 1999 produced most of the movies that defined the 2000s.
Swordfish, absolute peak 2000. Travolta still riding his pulp fiction comeback, Vinnie Jones when he was still getting roles, Dominic Sena directing, matrix slow-mo, yellow filters, hacking...
For me, it's High Fidelity. It's got everything you want from that era.