The 15 Best Movies Of 2020… So Far

Pete Davidson’s semi-autobiographical comedy The King of Staten Island may be getting all the buzz this year, but you should definitely make time for Big Time Adolescence, as well. The indie comedy stars Davidson as Zeke, an unmotivated slacker who becomes a mentor to his ex-girlfriend’s younger brother Mo (Griffin Gluck). Big Time Adolescence is a fairly traditional coming-of-age film, but it’s an easy watch with great jokes and tons of heart. Essentially, it’s a perfect streaming movie. — Claire Spellberg

Where to watch Big Time Adolescence

Standing Up, Falling Down is a beautiful film that exceeds expectations. Starring the charismatic duo of Billy Crystal and Ben Schwartz, the movie imbues the predictable “emotionally stunted adult moves back home to figure out what it all means” genre with stealthy humor and genuine heart. This indie charmer offers a fresh take on the buddy comedy, producing a warm feel-good film that will make you smile. — Josh Sorokach

Where to watch Standing Up, Falling Down

The more things change, the more they stay the same, amiright? The fourth installment of The Trip series found our faves Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan traipsing around Greece, trading impressions and poking at each other’s egos, all in front of the most picturesque backgrounds you could ever imagine. It was the same funny formula in action, and just the journey we needed to take from the (dis)comfort of our homes during lockdown. This movie, which they insist is the final one, earned its sentimental ending and likely had you texting your own friend to tell them how much they mean to you, whether they’ve won a BAFTA or not. — Lea Palmieri

Where to watch The Trip to Greece

Helmed by the incredibly underrated Gavin O’ Conner, The Way Back is a drama about addiction and trauma disguised as a sports movie. But don’t let this seemingly tired theme scare you off from a deeply rewarding watch. In his best (and most personal) performance to date, Ben Affleck plays Jack Cunningham, former star athlete and recently divorced alcoholic, who is content to drink himself to death. When asked to coach the basketball team at his old Catholic high school, Jack begrudgingly accepts. As he begins to work with a rag-tag group of athletes, he is forced to confront the tragedy that he has allowed to consume him. There is no easy redemption given in The Way Back; instead, the audience shares one man’s misery as he attempts to accept his painful past and to find something resembling a life. — Karen Kemmerle

Where to watch The Way Back

Netflix’s interactive movie, released after the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt series ended, could have gone wrong in so many ways. Instead, it turned into the best thing the team behind the show has ever done. Hilariously playing with the choose-your-own-adventure format, Kimmy vs. The Reverend was laugh out loud funny, ridiculously rewatchable, and stunningly poignant by the end. It’s a fantastic story in its own right, but also a fitting end to the show. Dammit. — Alex Zalben

Stream Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend on Netflix

When was the last time a movie really razzed your berries? The Vast Of Night, the spectacular debut film of writer/director Andrew Patterson, is all but guaranteed to knock your bobby sox off. The story revolves around two teens in 1950s era New Mexico — one a radio disk jockey (Jake Horowitz), the other a telephone switchboard operator (Sierra McCormick)—who notice a strange frequency seems to be taking over the airwaves on an otherwise normal Friday night. This dazzling movie establishes its unique mood by allowing the camera to spend long, uninterrupted stretches of time (sometimes as long as 10 minutes between cuts) with its characters as they spout off rapid, era-specific, jargon-heavy splashes of dialogue. Put away your phone, pull up the covers on your coach, and allow this movie’s mysterious and wholly unique vibe — part X-Files, part Twilight Zone, part Twin Peaks: The Return — to envelop you. — Mark Graham

Where to watch The Vast of Night

Miss Americana was our first introduction to Political Taylor, a fierce woman we’re gonna get to know a whole lot better as 2020 continues. The revealing Netflix documentary was the most personal look yet at the way Taylor Swift operates professionally and politically, which gained her a whole lot of respect and new fans as well. The film was an admirably intimate peek into the life of one of the world’s biggest stars, proving that there’s so much more to this dynamic woman than we even realized — but we know we can’t wait to see more. — Lea Palmieri

Stream Miss Americana on Netflix

Hugh Jackman and Alison Janey are electric in Bad Education. The film tells the story of the Roslyn Public Schools scandal of the early 2000s, when Superintendent Frank Tassone (Jackman) and his second-in-command Pamela Gluckin (Janney) embezzled millions of dollars from the school district. From the excellent Long Island accents to the impeccable early aughts attire, Bad Education drops viewers into the deceptive, dark world of Tassone and his co-conspirator. And the best part? A bright student journalist on a mission is the one who bravely brings it all crashing down. — Greta Bjornson

Stream Bad Education on HBO

To be clear, nothing good has come from COVID-19. But if there’s something that’s made it easier, the rapid release of motion pictures on VOD and—even better—streaming illuminated little spots of joy in an otherwise grim AF spring (and now summer). Onward’s Disney+ debut after a cut-short theatrical run was one such spot of joy, as subscribers of all ages got to stream Pixar’s latest triumph on repeat. And of all the films to experience while trapped indoors, this tale of brotherly love took us on the exact right epic quest we needed in 2020. Elves, fairies, a manticore—Onward brought a lot of magic into our quarantines. — Brett White

Where to watch Onward

Elisabeth Moss is one of our best working actors, and Shirley is Elisabeth Moss’s best role to date. She is fuller, wiser, and more sure of herself than she’s ever been in this not-quite biopic of horror author Shirley Jackson. Directed by Josephine Decker with her signature unsettling style, and written by I Love Dick co-creator Sarah Gubbins, this haunting film finds Jackson and her husband—played by a darkly charismatic Michael Stuhlbarg—manipulating a young couple as Jackson works on her second novel. But the question of who is manipulating who grows murky, and allegiances shift between husbands and wives. Shirley has much to say on the insanity of womanhood, and, though it blends fact and fiction, it leaves you with a fascinating and sad portrait of one of our greatest writers. — Anna Menta

Where to watch Shirley

I’m not a big movie crier, but A Secret Love absolutely destroyed me. Filmed over the course of four years, A Secret Love tells the story of two women who were secretly together for seven decades. Terry Donahue and Pat Henschel first began dating in 1947, when lesbian relationships were illegal, and lived together for almost 70 years before coming out to their family in 2013. In just 90 minutes, the Netflix documentary manages to deliver a slice of LGBTQ history (and sports history!) while also exploring Pat and Terry’s epic love story, their transition to assisted living, and their eventual wedding. If you can make it through just one box of tissues, consider that a feat. — Claire Spellberg

Stream A Secret Love on Netflix

Autumn de Wilde’s playful take on Jane Austen’s classic romantic comedy seduces the audience as easily as would a Regency rake. Led by a brilliant ensemble and punctuated by exquisite aesthetics, the film makes you feel like you’re swooning into love. Anya Taylor-Joy is a brilliant Emma Woodhouse: as pretty as a fairy tale princess and as sharp as an executioner’s blade. Her only weakness is not understanding herself. Emma is as much a film about learning who you are (and better yet who you want to work to be) as it is a vibrant retelling of a classic romance. Oh, and did we mention how great Johnny Flynn is as Mr. Knightley? Colin Firth’s Darcy is shook. — Meghan O’Keefe

Where to stream Emma

Look, if you put Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani in the same movie, you’re going to get back one of the best comedies of the year. That’s just science! It doesn’t hurt, of course, that director Michael Showalter and writers Aaron Abrams and Brendan Gall actually make you care about Rae and Nanjiani’s characters—a couple on the verge of breaking up who find themselves at the center of a murder mystery—in this one-crazy-night comedy. But mostly, The Lovebirds is a vehicle for two comedians at the top of their games, with a little romance on the side. That’s what the people want. — Anna Menta

Stream The Lovebirds on Netflix

Spike Lee has long been regarded as one of cinema’s most important voices and in Da 5 Bloods, he reimagines the war movie as a battle not against two nations, but man and trauma. Delroy Lindo stars as Paul, a member of a tight-knit unit of Vietnam vets who call themselves “Da Bloods.” When the four remaining Bloods return to Vietnam to retrieve their fallen comrade’s body as well as a cache of gold hidden in the jungle, Paul has to revisit the source of all his nightmares. During their caper into the heart of proverbial darkness, Paul loses his grip on his sanity, culminating in him abandoning his injured adult son and launching into one of the all-great cinematic monologues. Lindo’s barnburner of a performance aside, Da 5 Bloods is Spike Lee at the height of his powers. — Meghan O’Keefe

Stream Da 5 Bloods on Netflix

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) operated in two modes: it had something to prove, and it also did not give a rat’s ass. Those two seemingly contradictory ethea (the plural of “ethos”—who knew?) resulted in a superhero movie unlike any we’ve ever seen before—and lord knows we’ve seen a bunch. Re: Ethos #1—the movie went harder than anyone expected, with blistering and bruising action scenes that made audiences wince and cackle simultaneously. And Re: Ethos #2—when was the last time that a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich drove a movie’s plot? Even the film’s title was a middle finger to expectations. And ultimately it doesn’t matter what confused studio execs or disgruntled fanboys have to say about Birds of Prey. The movie exists—and it’s a bad ass coke-snorting, bat-swinging, canary-screaming, revenge-seeking, ball-shaving, pocket-picking, rip-roaring helluva time. — Brett White

Where to watch Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn)