The best movie released the year you were born



Just as major events help mark the passing of time, movies have also defined different eras in American history. From the silent movies of the early 20th century, to movie musicals of the 1950s, to the not-strictly-for-kids animated features of recent decades, films have grown and changed alongside the country.

Using data from a number of sources, PrettyFamous identified the best movie of every year since 1945. They selected the movie with the highest Smart Rating each year, which is a weighted average out of 100 of the following:

- Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer
- Rotten Tomatoes' Audience Score
- IMDb Rating
- Metacritic's Metascore
- Gracenote's Proprietary Rating
- Inflation-adjusted cumulative domestic box office gross

PrettyFamous set a limit of IMDb votes that a movie needs to have to be considered popular enough to be eligible. To account for older movies which have fewer reviews than their modern counterparts, PrettyFamous only included movies from 1945-1949 with more than 25,000 IMDb votes and 50,000 IMDb votes for movies from 1950-2015.

1945: Spellbound


 



Smart Rating: 91

Genre: Mystery
IMDb votes: 31,666

1946: It's a Wonderful Life


 

[findthebest id="7tnhaEYIEtv" title="It's a Wonderful Life (1946)" width="600" height="650" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/7tnhaEYIEtv" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/61694/It-s-a-Wonderful-Life-1946" link_text="It's a Wonderful Life (1946) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Holiday, Drama
IMDb votes: 262,665

1947: Miracle on 34th Street


 



Smart Rating: 94

Genre: Holiday, Fantasy
IMDb votes: 29,623

1948: The Bicycle Thief


 

[findthebest id="1YHHM9HG55r" title="The Bicycle Thief (1948)" width="600" height="700" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/1YHHM9HG55r" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/100568/The-Bicycle-Thief-1948" link_text="The Bicycle Thief (1948) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Drama
IMDb votes: 83,409

1949: The Third Man


 



Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Mystery, Thriller
IMDb votes: 108,694

1950: Sunset Blvd.


 

[findthebest id="adI3RUCeWax" title="Sunset Blvd. (1950)" width="600" height="650" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/adI3RUCeWax" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/25971/Sunset-Blvd-1950" link_text="Sunset Blvd. (1950) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Drama
IMDb votes: 132,884

1951: Strangers on a Train


 



Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Thriller
IMDb votes: 91,342

1952: Singin' in the Rain


 

[findthebest id="4J2utplcmMt" title="Singin' in the Rain (1952)" width="600" height="690" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/4J2utplcmMt" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/78935/Singin-in-the-Rain-1952" link_text="Singin' in the Rain (1952) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Musical, Comedy
IMDb votes: 142,316

1953: Roman Holiday


 



Smart Rating: 94

Genre: Romantic, Comedy
IMDb votes: 95,073

1954: Seven Samurai


 

[findthebest id="66cSP29XvCZ" title="Seven Samurai (1954)" width="600" height="730" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/66cSP29XvCZ" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/91688/Seven-Samurai-1954" link_text="Seven Samurai (1954) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 98

Genre: Action
IMDb votes: 218,812

1955: The Night of the Hunter


 



Smart Rating: 97

Genre: Thriller
IMDb votes: 62,478

1956: The Killing


 

[findthebest id="BxjqwSUWeV" title="The Killing (1956)" width="600" height="650" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/BxjqwSUWeV" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/89887/The-Killing-1956" link_text="The Killing (1956) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 95

Genre: Crime Drama
IMDb votes: 60,229

1957: 12 Angry Men


 



Smart Rating: 98

Genre: Drama
IMDb votes: 421,352

1958: Vertigo


 

[findthebest id="8QxFwhNtNk1" title="Vertigo (1958)" width="600" height="690" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/8QxFwhNtNk1" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/109348/Vertigo-1958" link_text="Vertigo (1958) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Thriller
IMDb votes: 235,402

1959: North by Northwest


 



Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Thriller
IMDb votes: 210,767

1960: Psycho


 

[findthebest id="3lS67MwrdVX" title="Psycho (1960)" width="600" height="650" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/3lS67MwrdVX" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/63013/Psycho-1960" link_text="Psycho (1960) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Horror, Thriller
IMDb votes: 399,574

1961: Yojimbo


 



Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Adventure, Dark Comedy
IMDb votes: 69,706

1962: Lawrence of Arabia


 

[findthebest id="89Xtlto6dTL" title="Lawrence of Arabia (1962)" width="600" height="730" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/89Xtlto6dTL" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/72139/Lawrence-of-Arabia-1962" link_text="Lawrence of Arabia (1962) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 98

Genre: Adventure, Drama
IMDb votes: 182,675

1963: The Birds


 



Smart Rating: 93

Genre: Thriller
IMDb votes: 123,373

1964: Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb


 

[findthebest id="2FhTWY73EvH" title="Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)" width="600" height="670" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/2FhTWY73EvH" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/47750/Dr-Strangelove-Or-How-I-Learned-to-Stop-Worrying-and-Love-the-Bomb-1964" link_text="Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 97

Genre: Comedy
IMDb votes: 327,306

1965: For a Few Dollars More


 



Smart Rating: 95

Genre: Western
IMDb votes: 147,540

1966: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?


 

[findthebest id="aUig2J1CvAN" title="Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)" width="600" height="650" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/aUig2J1CvAN" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/66028/Who-s-Afraid-of-Virginia-Woolf-1966" link_text="Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 95

Genre: Drama
IMDb votes: 53,467

1967: Cool Hand Luke


 



Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Drama
IMDb votes: 114,803

1968: 2001: A Space Odyssey


 

[findthebest id="5pCGEdKzWcJ" title="2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)" width="600" height="650" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/5pCGEdKzWcJ" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/95102/2001-A-Space-Odyssey-1968" link_text="2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 95

Genre: Science Fiction
IMDb votes: 403,030

1969: The Wild Bunch


 



Smart Rating: 95

Genre: Western
IMDb votes: 61,119

1970: Patton


 

[findthebest id="6MN4ZQzl53f" title="Patton (1970)" width="600" height="650" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/6MN4ZQzl53f" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/77161/Patton-1970" link_text="Patton (1970) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Biography, Drama, War
IMDb votes: 73,640

1971: The French Connection


 



Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Crime Drama, Thriller
IMDb votes: 78,466

1972: The Godfather


 

[findthebest id="1i7vBliivFb" title="The Godfather (1972)" width="600" height="730" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/1i7vBliivFb" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/95403/The-Godfather-1972" link_text="The Godfather (1972) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 100

Genre: Drama, Crime Drama
IMDb votes: 1,098,061

1973: The Sting


 



Smart Rating: 95

Genre: Comedy, Drama
IMDb votes: 166,890

1974: Chinatown


 

[findthebest id="9x7RH6cRmKh" title="Chinatown (1974)" width="600" height="650" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/9x7RH6cRmKh" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/52123/Chinatown-1974" link_text="Chinatown (1974) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Crime Drama
IMDb votes: 206,098

1975: Monty Python and the Holy Grail


 



Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Comedy
IMDb votes: 365,119

1976: Taxi Driver


 

[findthebest id="42siiAVONmd" title="Taxi Driver (1976)" width="600" height="650" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/42siiAVONmd" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/75202/Taxi-Driver-1976" link_text="Taxi Driver (1976) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 97

Genre: Drama
IMDb votes: 478,725

1977: Star Wars


 



Smart Rating: 99

Genre: Science Fiction, Adventure, Action, Fantasy
IMDb votes: 865,651

1978: Dawn of the Dead


 

[findthebest id="785b5fM1RLn" title="Dawn of the Dead (1978)" width="600" height="650" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/785b5fM1RLn" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/24980/Dawn-of-the-Dead-1978" link_text="Dawn of the Dead (1978) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 94

Genre: Horror
IMDb votes: 86,537

1979: Apocalypse Now


 



Smart Rating: 97

Genre: War Drama
IMDb votes: 431,242

1980: Raging Bull


 

[findthebest id="1DpBGKuZinj" title="Raging Bull (1980)" width="600" height="730" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/1DpBGKuZinj" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/64797/Raging-Bull-1980" link_text="Raging Bull (1980) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Biography, Drama
IMDB votes: 225,082

1981: Raiders of the Lost Ark


 



Smart Rating: 97

Genre: Adventure, Action
IMDb votes: 626,013

1982: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial


 

[findthebest id="9SpXMvpy9sp" title="E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)" width="600" height="710" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/9SpXMvpy9sp" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/15383/E-T-the-Extra-Terrestrial-1982" link_text="E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 95

Genre: Science Fiction, Adventure
IMDb votes: 269,839

1983: A Christmas Story


 



Smart Rating: 93

Genre: Holiday, Comedy
IMDb votes: 103,747

1984: Amadeus


 

[findthebest id="4nKoo08vA4l" title="Amadeus (1984)" width="600" height="710" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/4nKoo08vA4l" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/115117/Amadeus-1984" link_text="Amadeus (1984) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Biography, Historical Drama
IMDb votes: 257,715

1985: Back to the Future


 



Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Comedy, Science Fiction, Fantasy
IMDb votes: 690,270

1986: Aliens


 

[findthebest id="5KUMJCXgIUR" title="Aliens (1986)" width="600" height="710" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/5KUMJCXgIUR" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/133190/Aliens-1986" link_text="Aliens (1986) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Science Fiction, Horror, Action
IMDb votes: 465,003

1987: Full Metal Jacket


 



Smart Rating: 95

Genre: War Drama
IMDb votes: 457,736

1988: Grave of the Fireflies


 

[findthebest id="gfdl7Ge9wN" title="Grave of the Fireflies (1988)" width="600" height="650" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/gfdl7Ge9wN" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/35482/Grave-of-the-Fireflies-1988" link_text="Grave of the Fireflies (1988) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Drama, Anime
IMDb votes: 128,142

1989: Do the Right Thing


 



Smart Rating: 95

Genre: Drama
IMDb votes: 56,854

1990: Goodfellas


 

[findthebest id="8vfzqSAN0BT" title="GoodFellas (1990)" width="600" height="710" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/8vfzqSAN0BT" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/29053/GoodFellas-1990" link_text="GoodFellas (1990) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 97

Genre: Crime Drama
IMDb votes: 690,841

1991: The Silence of the Lambs


 



Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Thriller, Crime Drama
IMDb votes: 835,276

1992: Unforgiven


 

[findthebest id="30A02njKrdP" title="Unforgiven (1992)" width="600" height="710" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/30A02njKrdP" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/31934/Unforgiven-1992" link_text="Unforgiven (1992) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 95

Genre: Western
IMDb votes: 264,875

1993: Schindler's List


 



Smart Rating: 98

Genre: Historical Drama
IMDb votes: 818,540

1994: Pulp Fiction


 

[findthebest id="7OFng4bprbD" title="Pulp Fiction (1994)" width="600" height="710" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/7OFng4bprbD" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/35094/Pulp-Fiction-1994" link_text="Pulp Fiction (1994) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 97

Genre: Crime Drama
IMDb votes: 1,253,831

1995: Toy Story


 



Smart Rating: 97

Genre: Children, Comedy, Adventure, Fantasy, Animated
IMDb votes: 583,642

1996: Fargo


 

[findthebest id="2jZNRyUmRNz" title="Fargo (1996)" width="600" height="710" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/2jZNRyUmRNz" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/45319/Fargo-1996" link_text="Fargo (1996) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 95

Genre: Dark Comedy, Crime Drama, Thriller
IMDb votes: 429,601

1997: L.A. Confidential


 



Smart Rating: 97

Genre: Crime Drama
IMDb votes: 397,274

1998: Saving Private Ryan


 

[findthebest id="az09XjOVISF" title="Saving Private Ryan (1998)" width="600" height="710" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/az09XjOVISF" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/55543/Saving-Private-Ryan-1998" link_text="Saving Private Ryan (1998) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: War, Historical Drama
IMDb votes: 827,986

1999: Toy Story 2


 



Smart Rating: 95

Genre: Children, Comedy, Adventure, Fantasy, Animated
IMDb votes: 365,948

2000: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon


 

[findthebest id="54kAyOxT9uB" title="Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)" width="600" height="650" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/54kAyOxT9uB" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/60264/Crouching-Tiger-Hidden-Dragon-2000" link_text="Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 95

Genre: Adventure, Action, Martial Arts
IMDb votes: 210,471

2001: Spirited Away


 



Smart Rating: 97

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Animated
IMDb votes: 390,230

2002: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers


 

[findthebest id="6ruYUrmEil7" title="The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)" width="600" height="650" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/6ruYUrmEil7" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/65520/The-Lord-of-the-Rings-The-Two-Towers-2002" link_text="The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 97

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
IMDb votes: 1,037,590

2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King


 



Smart Rating: 97

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
IMDb votes: 1,147,689

2004: Million Dollar Baby


 

[findthebest id="WPpvW5BIX3" title="Million Dollar Baby (2004)" width="600" height="650" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/WPpvW5BIX3" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/70262/Million-Dollar-Baby-2004" link_text="Million Dollar Baby (2004) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 95

Genre: Drama
IMDb votes: 457,817

2005: Brokeback Mountain


 



Smart Rating: 93

Genre: Romance, Drama
IMDb votes: 251,392

2006: Pan's Labyrinth


 

[findthebest id="9bPLBH0aA29" title="Pan's Labyrinth (2006)" width="600" height="650" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/9bPLBH0aA29" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/4404915/Pan-s-Labyrinth-2006" link_text="Pan's Labyrinth (2006) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 97

Genre: Fantasy, Drama, War
IMDb votes: 444,647

2007: Ratatouille


 



Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Children, Comedy, Animated
IMDb votes: 448,080

2008: The Dark Knight


 

[findthebest id="3HacdbJ80E5" title="The Dark Knight (2008)" width="600" height="650" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/3HacdbJ80E5" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/43566/The-Dark-Knight-2008" link_text="The Dark Knight (2008) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller, Fantasy
IMDb votes: 1,584,042

2009: Up


 



Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Children, Comedy, Adventure, Animated
IMDb votes: 620,679

2010: Toy Story 3


 

[findthebest id="7hoIKmVskPb" title="Toy Story 3 (2010)" width="600" height="650" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/7hoIKmVskPb" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/70941/Toy-Story-3-2010" link_text="Toy Story 3 (2010) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 97

Genre: Children, Comedy, Adventure, Fantasy, Animated
IMDb votes: 508,680

2011: A Separation


 



Smart Rating: 97

Genre: Drama
IMDb votes: 144,013

2012: Argo


 

[findthebest id="1MJ9lREpLr7" title="Argo (2012)" width="600" height="650" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/1MJ9lREpLr7" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/127351/Argo-2012" link_text="Argo (2012) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 95

Genre: Historical Drama, Thriller
IMDb votes: 430,637

2013: 12 Years a Slave


 



Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Historical Drama, Biography
IMDb votes: 401,573

2014: Whiplash


 

[findthebest id="a1JvrCyYCwd" title="Whiplash (2014)" width="600" height="650" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/a1JvrCyYCwd" link="http://movies.prettyfamous.com/l/7057/Whiplash-2014" link_text="Whiplash (2014) | PrettyFamous"]

Smart Rating: 96

Genre: Drama
IMDb votes: 346,655

2015: Inside Out


 



Smart Rating: 97

Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Animated
IMDb votes: 267,253

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