Best Films Of 2004
by TheAnimalMother | created - 16 Feb 2013 | updated - 1 month ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Closer (I) (2004)
R | 104 min | Drama, Romance
The relationships of two couples become complicated and deceitful when the man from one couple meets the woman of the other.
Director: Mike Nichols | Stars: Natalie Portman, Jude Law, Clive Owen, Julia Roberts
Votes: 236,202 | Gross: $33.99M
Perhaps don't watch this with your lover, but watch it nonetheless. 8.5/10
2. Secret Window (2004)
PG-13 | 96 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A successful writer in the midst of a painful divorce is stalked at his remote lake house by a would-be scribe who accuses him of plagiarism.
Director: David Koepp | Stars: Johnny Depp, Maria Bello, John Turturro, Timothy Hutton
Votes: 209,621 | Gross: $48.02M
I'm not sure why many people didn't enjoy this as much as I did. I enjoyed the story and ol' John T is a great creepy bad guy. In the upper echelon of Stephen King films I'd say. There are a lot of good ones, but many badly executed ones too. That first smack with the baseball bat in this film looks so funny. It's a great moment in horror history in my book. :) 8.5/10
3. The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
R | 126 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
Ernesto Guevara de la Serna, popularly known as Che, along with his friend Alberto Granado, decides to take a road trip across South America. His experiences on the journey transform him.
Director: Walter Salles | Stars: Gael García Bernal, Rodrigo de la Serna, Mía Maestro, Mercedes Morán
Votes: 104,803 | Gross: $16.78M
A beautiful and pretty awesome film about a young medical student Ernesto, before he became the uncompromising revolutionary known as 'Che' Guevara. 8/10
4. The Butterfly Effect (2004)
R | 113 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Evan Treborn suffers blackouts during significant events of his life. As he grows up, he finds a way to remember these lost memories and a supernatural way to alter his life by reading his journal.
Directors: Eric Bress, J. Mackye Gruber | Stars: Ashton Kutcher, Amy Smart, Melora Walters, Elden Henson
Votes: 521,427 | Gross: $57.94M
Few time travel type films have been better.
5. Collateral (2004)
R | 120 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A cab driver finds himself the hostage of an engaging contract killer as he makes his rounds from hit to hit during one night in Los Angeles.
Director: Michael Mann | Stars: Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith, Mark Ruffalo
Votes: 433,344 | Gross: $101.01M
Not Michael Mann's best film, but definitely one of his best films.
6. It's All Gone Pete Tong (2004)
R | 90 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
A famous DJ in the Ibiza club scene finds the alcohol and drug-fueled party that is his life threatened by the progressive loss of his hearing.
Director: Michael Dowse | Stars: Paul Kaye, Beatriz Batarda, Kate Magowan, Mike Wilmot
Votes: 20,672 | Gross: $0.12M
Crazy hilarious. 8/10
7. The Aviator (2004)
PG-13 | 170 min | Biography, Drama
A biopic depicting the early years of legendary director and aviator Howard Hughes' career from the late 1920s to the mid 1940s.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, John C. Reilly
Votes: 384,241 | Gross: $102.61M
8. Head-On (2004)
R | 121 min | Drama, Romance
With the intention to break free from the strict familial restrictions, a suicidal young woman sets up a marriage of convenience with a forty-year-old addict, an act that will lead to an outburst of envious love.
Director: Fatih Akin | Stars: Birol Ünel, Sibel Kekilli, Güven Kiraç, Zarah Jane McKenzie
Votes: 57,703
Gritty, engaging. Very good dark film. 8/10
9. Sideways (2004)
R | 127 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Two men reaching middle age with not much to show but disappointment embark on a week-long road trip through California's wine country, just as one is about to take a trip down the aisle.
Director: Alexander Payne | Stars: Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh
Votes: 204,401 | Gross: $71.50M
Don't go to the dark side Miles.
10. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
PG-13 | 132 min | Drama, Sport
Frankie, an ill-tempered old coach, reluctantly agrees to train aspiring boxer Maggie. Impressed with her determination and talent, he helps her become the best and the two soon form a close bond.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Jay Baruchel
Votes: 722,156 | Gross: $100.49M
11. Lila dit ça (2004)
R | 89 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Two inner-city teenagers engage in an obsessive, innocent flirtation fueled by Lila's sexually explicit overtures.
Director: Ziad Doueiri | Stars: Vahina Giocante, Moa Khouas, Karim Ben Haddou, Lotfi Chakri
Votes: 5,054 | Gross: $0.12M
A little known film that is pretty amazing. At first I wasn't sure it would be any good after the first scene or two, but it does become quite a mesmerizing piece of cinema. I definitely recommend this film, that is, unless you're a prude. 8/10
12. Vénus et Fleur (2004)
76 min | Comedy, Drama
In this upbeat romantic comedy, two young women, the quiet Fleur and larger-than-life Venus, embark on an adventure through France to find the perfect boy.
Director: Emmanuel Mouret | Stars: Isabelle Pirès, Veroushka Knoge, Julien Imbert, Frédéric Niedermayer
Votes: 492
Beautiful Little French Film
5 October 2022
I should start by saying that the plot summary here, doesn't really capture the Venus character very well in my view. However, I'll leave this and her to your own interpretations.
The films dialogue is perhaps slightly weak in a few places. Though I can't even be entirely sure about that as I watched an English subtitled version, and I really don't know how great those subs were translated. Perhaps people who can understand the film in French, may enjoy this even more. Hard for me to honestly say.
Some of the acting here is not all that great. Isabelle Pirès who plays Fleur however, is very strong in her subtle role. Apparently this is the only film she's ever done. The actress who plays Vénus is effective enough. I found her a little irritating at times, but I think that aspect actually suited her character, and perhaps was even done with purpose. Whatever the case, in full-scope it works well.
Overall I found the film to be a breath of fresh air. There's no violence in the film whatsoever. Yet the story didn't have much problem holding my interest. The film as a whole feels a lot more real than your average Hollywood picture. It's also far more beautiful than almost any Hollywood film made in the last 25 years. Vénus et Fleur has both a simple, and a more complex beauty to it I would say. While it may be somewhat weakly written in some areas, as I said, I can't even be sure of that. What I can say for certain is that it definitely does have some very well written parts/aspects to it.
Overall the film works wonderfully. The characters mostly feel very modern, while at the same time, there's a very natural and traditional aspect to Fleur that helps ground the film.
In my view, this is an impressive and beautiful work.
8/10
13. Scorsese on Scorsese (2004 TV Movie)
TV-MA | 86 min | Documentary, Biography
Director Martin Scorsese discusses his life growing up in Manhattan and his filmmaking career.
Director: Richard Schickel | Stars: Martin Scorsese, Charles Scorsese, Catherine Scorsese
Votes: 366
I love me some Scorsese pictures! 8/10
14. Miracle (2004)
PG | 135 min | Biography, Drama, History
The true story of Herb Brooks, the player-turned-coach who led the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team to victory over the seemingly invincible Soviet squad.
Director: Gavin O'Connor | Stars: Kurt Russell, Patricia Clarkson, Nathan West, Noah Emmerich
Votes: 58,939 | Gross: $64.38M
This is actually an amazing recreation of the Miracle On Ice, however the film is not 100% accurate in the way it depicts world hockey domination by the Russians.
It of course totally ignores Team Canada's success, which when it had all their top players sent to any world hockey event, they actually almost always beat these so called unbeatable Russians. Canada never sent their best players to the Olympics back then, because they were all playing and professionally employed in the NHL during the Olympic tourney. For that reason alone I have taken an extra half point off my rating of the film.
Too bad about the one glaring discrepancy of truth. They could have avoided the over hype of the Russians in the film and just gave the straight facts and honestly, it's still a huge Miracle On Ice at the time for Team USA. They could have not even brought up the Canadian team and just said the reality that the Russians were extremely dominant at the Olympics during the 70's, but they had to overstate things in the film about Team Russia just to make it fit in somehow with the other Hollywood B.S. I suppose. I could understand the truth bending more back during the cold war, but when you make the film in the 2000's, I'm mean come on. All fact would have been far better for sure.
The execution of this film otherwise however is truly exceptional. Kurt is top notch with his performance, and all the other aspects of the real history seem to be here. In my view I'd say this is actually the best hockey film ever made, and truly one of the great sports films in the history of Hollywood. So yeah, a great sports film, but sadly slightly overdone in the hype of the Russians. 8/10
15. The Village (2004)
PG-13 | 108 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A series of events tests the beliefs of a small isolated countryside village.
Director: M. Night Shyamalan | Stars: Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt, Joaquin Phoenix, Bryce Dallas Howard
Votes: 277,931 | Gross: $114.20M
A story that's been done before in different ways. However stylistically this is the most successfully interesting film of Shyamalan's career, and as a whole one of his better executed films as well. 8/10
16. Man on Fire (2004)
R | 146 min | Action, Crime, Drama
In Mexico City, a former CIA operative swears vengeance on those who committed an unspeakable act against the family he was hired to protect.
Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Denzel Washington, Christopher Walken, Dakota Fanning, Radha Mitchell
Votes: 389,842 | Gross: $77.91M
Sure, it's not Rosemary's Baby or anything, but honestly this film was harshly underrated by the majority of critics at the time of release. Tony Scott made a lot of interesting and good films in his career, and this is simply just another one of them. I actually watched the original 1987 film with Scott Glenn just recently. Let me save you the time, it really is quite terrible, I gave it a 3 rating. This version is far superior in every way. 7.5/10
17. The Love Crimes of Gillian Guess (2004 TV Movie)
91 min | Drama
Director: Bruce McDonald | Stars: Joely Collins, Ben Bass, Hugh Dillon, Adrien Dorval
Votes: 121
What is with the IMDb rating? Sure, the film is fairly low budget and sure the style is somewhat of a rip off of Natural Born Killers. Nonetheless this is a pretty darn interesting film about a crazy true story. I definitely recommend a watch if you're not a huge prude. Now that I look a little closer at the IMDb rating, I notice this only has 111 votes, so no wonder the rating is yet to be a very good reflection of the film. Nobody's seen or rated this film. I may be the only person not involved with the film in the entire world who's actually seen this twice. 7.5/10
18. Kinsey (2004)
R | 118 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
A look at the life of Alfred Kinsey, a pioneer in the area of human sexuality research, whose 1948 publication "Sexual Behavior in the Human Male" was one of the first recorded works that saw science address sexual behavior.
Director: Bill Condon | Stars: Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Chris O'Donnell, Peter Sarsgaard
Votes: 50,971 | Gross: $10.21M
19. 50 First Dates (2004)
PG-13 | 99 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Henry Roth is a man afraid of commitment until he meets the beautiful Lucy. They hit it off and Henry think he's finally found the girl of his dreams until discovering she has short-term memory loss and forgets him the next day.
Director: Peter Segal | Stars: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Rob Schneider, Sean Astin
Votes: 382,474 | Gross: $120.91M
In my view, one of the better Adam Sandler films. 7.5/10
20. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)
PG-13 | 92 min | Comedy, Sport
A group of misfits enter a Las Vegas dodgeball tournament in order to save their cherished local gym from the onslaught of a corporate health fitness chain.
Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber | Stars: Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, Vince Vaughn, Rip Torn
Votes: 267,362 | Gross: $114.33M
One of the funnier really stupid comedies if you're asking me. Balls deep! 7.5/10
21. Hellboy (2004)
PG-13 | 122 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A demon raised from infancy after being conjured by and rescued from the Nazis, grows up to become a defender against the forces of darkness.
Director: Guillermo del Toro | Stars: Ron Perlman, Doug Jones, Selma Blair, John Hurt
Votes: 350,253 | Gross: $59.62M
22. The Riverman (2004 TV Movie)
R | 91 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A series of interviews are conducted with convicted serial killer Ted Bundy in hopes of gaining insight into the Green River Killer who is terrorizing Seattle.
Director: Bill Eagles | Stars: Bruce Greenwood, Sam Jaeger, Sarah Manninen, Kathleen Quinlan
Votes: 1,563
This film is based upon the 1989 non-fiction book The Riverman: Ted Bundy and I Hunt for the Green River Killer by Robert D. Keppel and William J. Birnes. Many have claimed this book actually inspired the Harris novel The Silence of the Lambs. However this is not true. This book was actually released after Harris's Silence novel. So unless Harris had a time machine, yeah, no. Harris may have indeed been influenced by this real life story from seeing or hearing about it in the press or elsewhere, or perhaps from reading about the FBI who did very similar interviews in the 1970's and 80's as is shown in the TV series Mindhunter. Nonetheless, contrary to popular rumor, SilenceOTL is not based on the book that this is based on. This film is actually pretty good if you're interested in Bundy or The Green River Killer. The film essentially becomes more about Bundy than the GRK, but nonetheless we do learn a good bit about both. This film, like The Deliberate Stranger has a good bit of very real Bundy-esque truths within it. To some degree, we definitely are able to get inside his head if we dare, and into Ridgeway's to some degree as well. Keppel after all was a Homicide Detective who worked both cases, and he became known as quite an educated profiler in understanding serial killers. Much of this is shown here. Overall the film is quite grim and fairly brutal, especially for a TV movie. It's more psychologically grim and brutal than visually, though it has some grim visuals as well. If you're interested and you can stomach this kind of fare, it's well worth a look. 7/10
23. Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)
R | 88 min | Adventure, Comedy
A Korean-American office worker and his Indian-American stoner friend embark on a quest to satisfy their desire for White Castle burgers.
Director: Danny Leiner | Stars: John Cho, Kal Penn, Ethan Embry, Rob Tinkler
Votes: 206,228 | Gross: $18.23M
Most of the parts with Neil Patrick are quite hilarious. I actually thought the 2nd film was even a little better, because it's so crazy funny. The 3rd film, the Christmas one was bloody terrible. 7/10
24. Bad Education (2004)
NC-17 | 106 min | Crime, Drama
An examination on the effect of Franco-era religious schooling and sexual abuse on the lives of two longtime friends.
Director: Pedro Almodóvar | Stars: Gael García Bernal, Fele Martínez, Javier Cámara, Daniel Giménez Cacho
Votes: 63,434 | Gross: $5.21M
25. Garden State (2004)
R | 102 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A quietly troubled young man returns home for his mother's funeral after being estranged from his family for a decade.
Director: Zach Braff | Stars: Zach Braff, Peter Sarsgaard, Natalie Portman, Ian Holm
Votes: 223,241 | Gross: $26.78M
I enjoyed this even more the second time I watched it.
26. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
PG-13 | 94 min | Comedy
In the 1970s, an anchorman's stint as San Diego's top-rated newsreader is challenged when an ambitious newswoman becomes his co-anchor.
Director: Adam McKay | Stars: Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd
Votes: 378,776 | Gross: $85.29M
27. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
R | 119 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
With a plan to exact revenge on a legendary shark that killed his partner, oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) rallies a crew that includes his estranged wife, a journalist, and a man who may or may not be his son.
Director: Wes Anderson | Stars: Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Anjelica Huston, Cate Blanchett
Votes: 211,045 | Gross: $24.01M
28. The Girl Next Door (2004)
R | 109 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A teenager's dreams come true when a former porn star moves in next door and they fall in love.
Director: Luke Greenfield | Stars: Emile Hirsch, Nicholas Downs, Elisha Cuthbert, Timothy Olyphant
Votes: 239,991 | Gross: $14.59M
A strong cast helps to pull this film off fairly well.
29. Strip Search (2004 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 120 min | Drama
Strip Search follows two parallel stories examining personal freedoms vs. national security in the aftermath of 9/11; one plot involves an American woman detained in China and the other an Arab man detained in New York City.
Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Austin Pendleton, Tom Guiry, Fred Koheler, Zack Manzella
Votes: 1,893
Lumet and Maggie, you really can't lose here.
30. Layer Cake (2004)
R | 105 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A successful cocaine dealer gets two tough assignments from his boss on the eve of his planned early retirement.
Director: Matthew Vaughn | Stars: Daniel Craig, Sienna Miller, Michael Gambon, Tom Hardy
Votes: 195,699 | Gross: $2.34M
The government is now organized crime. I've heard this one before, it seems to echo throughout history. 7/10
31. National Treasure (2004)
PG | 131 min | Action, Adventure, Mystery
A historian races to find the legendary Templar Treasure before a team of mercenaries.
Director: Jon Turteltaub | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Sean Bean
Votes: 355,365 | Gross: $173.01M
32. The Machinist (2004)
R | 101 min | Drama, Thriller
An industrial worker who hasn't slept in a year begins to doubt his own sanity.
Director: Brad Anderson | Stars: Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, John Sharian
Votes: 415,783 | Gross: $1.08M
33. Birth (2004)
R | 100 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
A young boy attempts to convince a woman that he is her dead husband reborn.
Director: Jonathan Glazer | Stars: Nicole Kidman, Cameron Bright, Lauren Bacall, Danny Huston
Votes: 40,917 | Gross: $5.01M
34. The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
R | 129 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
In the midst of the Gulf War, soldiers are kidnapped and brainwashed for sinister purposes.
Director: Jonathan Demme | Stars: Denzel Washington, Liev Schreiber, Meryl Streep, Kimberly Elise
Votes: 116,673 | Gross: $65.96M
35. The Libertine (2004)
R | 114 min | Biography, Drama, History
The story of John Wilmot, a.k.a. the Earl of Rochester, a 17th century poet who famously drank and debauched his way to an early grave, only to earn posthumous critical acclaim for his life's work.
Director: Laurence Dunmore | Stars: Johnny Depp, Samantha Morton, John Malkovich, Paul Ritter
Votes: 37,800 | Gross: $4.84M
36. A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004)
R | 119 min | Drama
A headstrong young woman returns to New Orleans after the death of her estranged mother.
Director: Shainee Gabel | Stars: Scarlett Johansson, John Travolta, Gabriel Macht, Deborah Kara Unger
Votes: 27,210 | Gross: $0.16M
37. Before Sunset (2004)
R | 80 min | Drama, Romance
Nine years after Jesse and Celine first met, they encounter each other again on the French leg of Jesse's book tour.
Director: Richard Linklater | Stars: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Vernon Dobtcheff, Louise Lemoine Torrès
Votes: 288,048 | Gross: $5.82M
38. The Polar Express (2004)
G | 100 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
On Christmas Eve, a young boy embarks on a magical adventure to the North Pole on the Polar Express, while learning about friendship, bravery, and the spirit of Christmas.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Tom Hanks, Chris Coppola, Michael Jeter, Leslie Zemeckis
Votes: 241,420 | Gross: $183.37M
There are some great aspects to this Christmas film. At the same time however, it doesn't really seem to understand the audience for which it wants to tell the story to. In this sense, the story is all over the place, and overall to me it's no better than a 6.5/10.
39. Hardcore (2004)
Not Rated | 96 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Leaving behind a hard life with their families, two young girls end up in a brothel, fall in love and support one another against the adversities and violence of the night.
Director: Dennis Iliadis | Stars: Katerina Tsavalou, Danae Skiadi, Ioannis Papazisis, Omiros Poulakis
Votes: 2,328
There's almost a good film here. 6.5/10
40. Alexander (2004)
R | 175 min | Action, Biography, Drama
Alexander, the King of Macedonia and one of the greatest army leaders in the history of warfare, conquers much of the known world.
Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Colin Farrell, Anthony Hopkins, Rosario Dawson, Angelina Jolie
Votes: 176,721 | Gross: $34.30M
41. EuroTrip (2004)
R | 92 min | Comedy
Dumped by his girlfriend, a high school grad decides to embark on an overseas adventure in Europe with his friends.
Directors: Jeff Schaffer, Alec Berg, David Mandel | Stars: Scott Mechlowicz, Jacob Pitts, Michelle Trachtenberg, Travis Wester
Votes: 223,014 | Gross: $17.72M
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