Best Movies for Grownups Hall of Fame

Movies for Grownups Hall of Fame

Go all the way back to 2002 to recall the “Best Movie” winners of our Movies for Grownup Awards.

2014: 'The Theory of Everything'

Directed by Steve McQueen The true story of a free black man sold into slavery in the years before the Civil War manages to crystalize the diabolical combination of savage brutality and condescending paternalism that sustained America’s original sin. Through sheer artistry, it remains a beautifully realized film.

2013: '12 Years a Slave'

Directed by Tom Hooper A wondrous mix of inspired direction, breathtaking performances and compelling, true human drama, The King’s Speech is darn close to perfect. Seldom in film have the currents of history and the eddies of human frailty been so gingerly interwoven.

2012: 'The Descendants'

Directed by Ron Howard Howard’s astonishing take on Richard Nixon’s historic 1977 TV interviews with British talk-show host David Frost is based not on a history book but on a Broadway play. Still, between his restrained guidance and his stars’ uncanny channeling of the individuals they portray, we feel this is more than one person's version of history.

2011: 'The King’s Speech'

Directed by Tamara Jenkins Usually, movies try to tell us that our family quirks make us unique and somehow wonderful. But in a distinctly grownup (and oddly funny) approach, writer-director Jenkins refuses to sanctify her characters — or demonize them. One of the lessons they learn is that you can’t really undo all the nasty stuff you’ve done to each other. Another lesson is to get over it.

2010: 'Invictus'

Directed by Bennett Miller When defiantly strange author Truman Capote dropped in on Holcomb, Kan., to research a notorious murder, he must have seemed extraterrestrial. In the performance of a lifetime, Philip Seymour Hoffman captures a guy who’s uncomfortable in his own skin yet uses that uneasiness to bend others to his will.

2009: 'Frost/Nixon'

Directed by Clint Eastwood The fearless juxtaposition of innocence and horror is just one of the elements that make director Eastwood’s Mystic River a visually riveting, emotionally scorching grownup movie.

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2008: 'The Savages'

Go all the way back to 2002 to recall the “Best Movie” winners of our Movies for Grownup Awards.

2007: 'The Last King of Scotland'

Go all the way back to 2002 to recall the “Best Movie” winners of our Movies for Grownup Awards.

2006: 'Capote'

Go all the way back to 2002 to recall the “Best Movie” winners of our Movies for Grownup Awards.

2005: 'Ray'

Go all the way back to 2002 to recall the “Best Movie” winners of our Movies for Grownup Awards.

2004: 'Mystic River'

Go all the way back to 2002 to recall the “Best Movie” winners of our Movies for Grownup Awards.

2003: 'About Schmidt'

Go all the way back to 2002 to recall the “Best Movie” winners of our Movies for Grownup Awards.

2002: 'Lantana'

Go all the way back to 2002 to recall the “Best Movie” winners of our Movies for Grownup Awards.

More Entertainment Slideshows

Go all the way back to 2002 to recall the “Best Movie” winners of our Movies for Grownup Awards.