NYT's 100 Best 21st-Century Movies, Voted by Insiders

TL;DR

The New York Times polled over 500 filmmakers, actors, and industry figures to rank the 100 best movies released since 2000.
Parasite (2019, Bong Joon Ho) topped the list, followed by Mulholland Drive (2001, David Lynch) and There Will Be Blood (2007, Paul Thomas Anderson).
The rankings highlight films that endure amid streaming and blockbusters, blending arthouse and select mainstream works.

The story at a glance

The New York Times, working with The Upshot, asked more than 500 directors, actors, and other film professionals—including Pedro Almodóvar, Sofia Coppola, and Barry Jenkins—to name their top 10 movies from 2000 onward. They combined votes and matchup results into a ranked list of 100 films. This comes out now to assess what has lasted through industry shifts like streaming and superhero dominance.

Key points

1. Parasite (Bong Joon Ho, 2019): A class satire that shifts from comedy to violence, praised as a rebuke to neoliberalism.
2. Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001): A dreamlike Hollywood nightmare with Naomi Watts as a lost actress.
3. There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007): Daniel Day-Lewis as an oil prospector in a tale of ambition and ruin.
4. In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar-wai, 2001): A slow-burn romance of unspoken desire in 1960s Hong Kong.
5. Moonlight (Barry Jenkins, 2016): Follows a Black gay man's life in three acts, capturing identity and solitude.
6. No Country for Old Men (Coen brothers, 2007): A tense chase with Javier Bardem's chilling hit man.
7. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004): Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet erase a failed romance, blending humor and heartbreak.
Voters included hundreds of ballots; only one streaming exclusive, Roma, made the list at No. 68.
Lower ranks feature Superbad at 100, Black Panther at 96, and Get Out at 8.

Details and context

Voters submitted up to 10 favorites, then picked winners in random matchups to refine rankings. The list favors international and indie films over most blockbusters—Mad Max: Fury Road hit 11th as the top action entry, while superhero films mostly landed lower, like Black Panther at 96.

Each entry includes a short write-up on why it endures, plus quotes from specific fans, such as Sofia Coppola on In the Mood for Love's poetic style. The project notes how cinema changed post-2000, yet these films show what rises above.

A separate reader poll echoed the top picks, with Parasite again No. 1 from over 200,000 votes.

Key quotes

"It really blew my mind that you could make films in that way, as a poetic medium that doesn’t have to spell everything out." —Sofia Coppola on In the Mood for Love.[[1]](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/movies/best-movies-21st-century.html)
"The word ‘iconic’ is overused. But ‘I drink your milkshake’ is iconic." —Jason Blum on There Will Be Blood.[[1]](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/movies/best-movies-21st-century.html)

Why it matters

This poll captures what film insiders value most from 25 years of movies, spotlighting works that tackle class, identity, and dreams over pure spectacle. Readers get a curated watchlist to explore cinema's highlights, skipping weaker trends like endless franchises. Watch reader reactions and any debates over snubs like recent blockbusters, though the list feels settled.