Matt and Jay Pick the Best Movie Dads

Seeing how Jay and I picked our top 5 movie moms for Mother's Day, I think it's only fair we do the same for the dads out there! These dads are great in more ways than one and they make us proud with how far they'll go for their kids. A big THANK YOU to all dads out there! So here they are (in no particular order):

Matt's Picks:

Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird

Played by Gregory Peck

Based on the protagonist of Harper Lee's seminal novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Finch (Gregory Peck) is a lawyer who takes on racial case defending Tom Robinson (Brock Peters), a black man accused of raping a young white woman. Finch's kids -- Scout (Mary Badham) and Jem (Phillip Alford) -- already admire their father, but they quickly grow up in terms of understanding what their father's job entails -- defending the life of a wrongly accused negro man. The children learn of racism and social injustice as well as sticking up for what's right, even when they are inadvertently thrown into the social racism of the area when they are bullied because their father chose to defend Tom. Peck is the quintessential father here, doing well at his job but also teaching his children about life and how it can sometimes be unfair and cruel. He is a loving man but also as stern as he needs to be, and his children -- who are central to the story -- are noticeably better people for his way of life.

Frank Sullivan in Frequency

Played by Dennis Quaid

 

In the sci-fi drama Frequency, Dennis Quaid plays firefighter Frank Sullivan who is the father of John Sullivan (Jim Caviezel). John loves his father. The only problem is that his father died in a firefighting accident when John was a kid. John's life is in shambles as he just can't seem to get his life together and his father's death is a part of his problem. One night, John finds his father old HAM radio and he toys with it -- only to come into contact with his father 30 years in the past. John makes it his mission to save his father's life, which he does but it causes a "butterfly effect" which John has to soon make right, all while dealing with a murderer in his present time while his father deals with the same murderer in the past. Quaid's Sullivan will do anything for his son and wife. He lives his life thinking of and saving others, and that makes him the best dad he can be. There is a touching bond between John and his father, and it's that bond that makes Frank featured on this list.

 

Jack Butler in Mr. Mom

Played by Michael Keaton

 

Having spent some time as a "Mr. Mom," I can especially appreciate Michael Keaton's role as Jack Butler, a man who was once the "breadwinner" of the family, who soon is fired from his job as his wife's career takes off in marketing. So, Jack stays home with his two young sons and toddler daughter, taking care of the day-to-day ins-and-outs of raising young children as well as the upkeep of the house. Like most dads, Jack is thrown into the fire -- dealing with broken house appliances, screaming kids, a crying baby with a dirty diaper, and juggling repairmen (i.e., what underappreciated housewives have to deal with on a daily basis). Keaton shines in this story originally written by '80s teen movie genius John Hughes. Although it's not his environment, Jack does what is best for his family and supports his wife in everything she does.

 

 

Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happyness

Played by Will Smith

Say what you will about this film, but Smith's portrayal of real-life Chris Gardner in this film (based on Gardner's book The Pursuit of Happyness) is pretty damn emotional. When Gardner's wife Linda (Thandie Newton) leaves Chris and their son Christopher (Jaden Smith), it is up to Gardner to support his son and make a better life for the both of them as best he can. Where most would look for a "get-rich-quick" scheme, Gardner works from the bottom to get his foot in the door of the financial district -- all the while living on the street, in homeless shelters, and even in subway station public restrooms, keeping his oath to never abandon his child the way he was abandoned by his dad. The role is emotional and inspirational and Smith captures every nuance of the character and his plight with earnest devotion.

Gil Buckman in Parenthood

Played by Steve Martin

Being a father is messy, complicated, tiring and definitely not for the faint-of-heart! As the old saying goes, "Parenthood doesn't come with an instruction manual." (Although, many authors and psychologists and self-help "gurus" have tried!) A majority of fathers try to do what's best for their kids and their spouses only to consistently fail on some level -- whether it's major or minor. And that's what I love about Steve Martin's character Gil Buckman in the 1989 Ron Howard film Parenthood. Buckman gets frustrated and angry and confused and clueless as to what to do about his children's eccentricities; and, when it comes to his wife, he's even more clueless. But that is what makes him real. Even the most sensitive man is going to make mistakes throughout the upbringing of the child(ren). But Gil does his best. He loves his family -- despite all the quibbles he has with them -- and it shows the brightest when he substitutes for the missing "party cowboy" at his son's birthday party, using household items to turn into "Cowboy Gil." Sure, it's cheesy. But that's what being a dad often is. It's trying your best to do what's right for your child -- whether they think it's right or not. (NOTE: Gil's wife Karen (Mary Steenburgen) was also one of my picks for "best movie mom!")

 

Jay's Picks:

 

Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird

Played by Gregory Peck

 

All discussions of movie dads begin and end with Gregory Peck's iconic performance as Atticus Finch in the 1962 adaptation of Harper Lee's classic novel, To Kill A Mockingbird. It was really a no-brainer to choose him. He is an honorable man trying to instil strong moral values into his two children, Scout and Jem, in a town where bigotry and ignorance are commonplace. A lawyer by trade, Atticus takes on the case of a black man wrongfully accused of raping a white women. Watching their father confront the racial prejudices of the day in a sweltering hot courtroom, his kids come to recognize the goodness in their father, a man willing to do what's right so they can grow up in a country founded on principles of equality.

Marlin the Clown Fish in Finding Nemo

Voiced by Albert Brooks

Once you make it through the tragic opening moments of Pixar's Finding Nemo, you understand pretty quickly that this is going to be a movie about fathers and sons. Knowing what he lost, it is understandable why Marlin would be overprotective of his son, Nemo. He would do anything to keep him safe. But it is that smothering love for his child that causes the young clown fish to lash out, and when Nemo is put in real danger when a scuba diver captures him, Marlin must go on the adventure of a lifetime to save his only son. Along the way, he learns valuable lessons about being a father and understanding that -- at some point -- you have to let go of your child so that they can stand, er, swim, on their own.

"Man" in The Road

Played by Viggo Mortensen

 

Cormac McCathry's novel, The Road, on which this film is based, is probably the most moving father/son story I have ever read. It's a post-apocalyptic poem about the relationship and story of one man's determination to survive for the hope that his boy might also live. The only information given to the viewer is that some calamity has befallen the earth, and we follow the journey of this man (Mortensen) and his young son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) as they walk across this gray and blasted landscape, trying to reach the coast. The mother (Charlize Theron) is long gone, leaving behind her the memories of a happier time when the land was whole. The Road is a moving story of survival and one father's unwavering devotion to his boy's survival, even in a world where living seems pointless.

Martin Brody in Jaws

Played by Roy Scheider

 

Chief Brody brings his family to the small New England island town of Amity to get away from the violence of New York City. He wants to raise his two sons in a more peaceful and quiet community. Then fate intervenes in the form of a 25-foot great white shark that begins eating people off the coast of his ideal summer town. Brody is not your typical hero for a blockbuster movie like this. He's afraid of the water and also unsure of what to do at times, but he knows something has to be done. When his older son, Michael, has a close brush with the killer shark, Brody determines to act and brings along marine biologist, Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss), and veteran fisherman, Quint (Robert Shaw), to help him catch the big fish. When both the man of science and the old shark-hunter fail to outsmart the shark, it is the "everyman," Brody who rises to the occasion and ends the monster's reign of terror.

Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi

Played by David Prowse and voiced by James Earl Jones

OK, this pick may be met with some criticism, because obviously Darth Vader is probably the worst father in cinema history (save Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance in The Shining, who though I love the performance, never redeems himself). He was one of the most powerful Jedi who betrayed the Order, helped orchestrate their destruction and the rise of the Galactic Empire, possibly killed his wife and mother of his two children and murdered the only father figure he ever knew in Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guiness). But, hey, he's arguably the most famous dad who's ever graced the screen, so he deserves to be mentioned. Everything Anakin/Vader does is out of the fear of losing love and it is love that ultimately saves him as he makes the ultimate sacrifice by killing his master, Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), in order to save his son, Luke (Mark Hamill). It's a rough journey back to the light, but even Vader can't bring himself to see his son killed.

Matt and Jay's "Ultimate List" - The 50 Best Films of the 1990's - Part II

Matt and Jay here!

To continue in our ultimate countdown of the best 50 films of the 1990s, here are numbers 40 - 31. Again, after we got to pick our 50 best, we narrowed it down to include those films we agreed on and narrowing down those from our list we thought were the best of the decade. To see the first installation -- which includes numbers 50 - 41 -- check it out here!

40. Malcolm X (1992)

Directed by Spike Lee

Starring Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Albert Hall, Al Freeman Jr., and Delroy Lindo

Jay: For me, this is still Spike Lee's best film. I acknowledge some of his other work as being very good -- Do the Right Thing comes to mind -- but his epic biography of one of the 20th century's most polarizing figures is the work of a filmmaker at the height of his powers. Lee takes us a journey from Malcolm's early days as a hustler and common criminal, to his days in prison and his transformation into a Muslim, and finally his ascension to becoming the face of Islam in America and a fierce defender of civil rights. Denzel Washington's performance was a towering achievement. His Malcolm X was a man of many layers, different from many past interpretations. His life and death celebrated in a movie that gave us a man instead of a image of a man.

Matt: One of the better biopics of the '90s ... and a film which -- in my eyes -- catapulted Washington into an acting force to be reckoned with! Based on the essential reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley, Lee's film pulls no punches in going through Malcolm's complete history -- from his days as a drug dealer and thief to his days in prison -- and it makes the film all the better for it. The film does not go the usual "Hollywood glamorization" route and there is an intense respect for the story and every one of its characters. Most today see Malcolm as an inspiration. And he was. But not for the reason most would claim. He's an inspiration not because of his militant, revolutionary ways, but rather for the peace he eventually came to live after his trip to Mecca in 1964. Of course, he denounced the Nation of Islam a month before he made the trip, but his trip to Saudi Arabia is what cemented his belief that when he saw Muslims of "all colors, from blue-eyed blonds to black-skinned Africans interacting as equals," he changed his thinking of Islam as a means by which racial problems could be overcome. This was when the true Malcolm philosophy and movement came about -- and, unfortunately, it is what got him killed (I believe under the direction of Nation of Islam leader -- and Malcolm's former mentor and hero -- Elijah Muhammad). Washington's portrayal is nothing short of brilliant as he takes the audience through a myriad of emotions in this aspiring leader's life. I especially am in awe of the moments leading up to and the assassination scene (playing Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come"), and the look Washington flashes to the gunmen right before they shoot him. He gives a slight smirk, as if he knows it was going to happen and as if saying -- to quote a famous sci-fi film -- "If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine." And Malcolm did.

39. Open Your Eyes (Abre Los Ojos) (1997)

Directed by Alejandro Amenabar

Starring Eduardo Noriega, Penelope Cruz, Chete Lera, and Fele Martinez

Jay: It has been a while since I've seen this one, but I do remember liking it a lot. It is hard to not automatically compare it to the Cameron Crowe remake starring Tom Cruise -- Vanilla Sky. This original version, produced in Spain with subtitles, is vastly superior to that American version. What starts of as a seemingly simple story of "boy-meets-girl/boy-has-horrible-accident-that-leaves-him-disfigured/boy-has-facial-reconstruction-to-regain-his-former-good-looks" turns into something far more interesting and out of left field. Director Alejandro Amenabar would go on to make two more excellent films everyone should see too -- The Others and The Sea Inside. While I am glad Matt had a foreign film like this to add to the list, I could provide him a slew of others that, in my opinion, would have been more deserving -- Chungking Express, Three Colors: Blue, White and Red, The City of Lost Children, Hard Boiled, Delicatessen, The Double Life of Veronique, All About My Mother, Audition, Funny Games or Cronos. That isn't meant to say that this film isn't very good as well.

Matt: No offense to Jay, but all of those movies (BTW, the Three Colors movies are three separate films, not one) he listed above are note-worthy foreign films, but they're not as noteworthy or as emotionally-resonating (to me, anyways) as this mindbender of a movie! But I will agree that Amenabar's other two films Jay listed are definitely worth watching! In this modern-day sci-fi fairy tale, Amenabar explores life in the way we all seem to take for granted. The film was later adapted into Crowe's Vanilla Sky, and for all of the pop reference Americanization of the film's story, Crowe successfully pulled it off. But, I agree with Jay that the original is far superior. Even Cruz's acting -- in a role she plays in both versions -- shines moreso here. What also makes this film even more influential is that it was the first. Amenabar introduced this wild concept of a man who could -- through science -- live a life through the ideals and identity with which he himself subconsciously set, only to realize that it is not as real as he believed. There is so much going on in the film that Amenabar's masterpiece requires multiple viewings!

38. Being John Malkovich (1999)

Directed by Spike Jonze

Starring John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener, and John Malkovich

Jay: Identity and the desire to be someone else consumes the motivations of the characters of Spike Jonze's brilliant and unique Being John Malkovich. John Cusack stars as Craig Schwartz, a discontented, self-absorbed puppeteer who takes a corporate day job only to discover a portal in an office that leads directly into the head of actor, John Malkovich (himself). When he tries to use this new discovery to impress a woman at work, Maxine (Catherine Keener), she ropes him into selling tickets to anyone wanting to use the portal. Craig's wife, Lotte (Cameron Diaz), soon becomes a problem when she insinuates herself into the get-rich-quick scheme and becomes obsessed with being in Malkovich's head. This was Charlie Kaufman's first feature film script. It was wholly original like all of Kaufman's work which would continue with great movies like Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Synecdoche, New York. Being John Malkovich was just one of the reasons 1999 was one to best years at the cinema of all time.

Matt: Moving on from one film about one's identity to another! First, before I go any further. Let me just say this. Synecdoche, New York is -- by far -- one of the worst, most pretentious films I've ever seen! I wish I could get back the two hours of my life it took me to watch it. And I very rarely say that about any film! This one was Jay's pick and I do believe it earns a place on this list, although I'm not sure it should rank as high as it did. Is the film noteworthy and something fresh and original? Yes. Is the acting good? Yes. But let's just say that I have no urge to re-watch it anytime soon. Nevertheless, Jonze and Kaufman are responsible for some of the most original films, making them formidable filmmakers in a time of big-budget remakes, adaptations of books and cinematic true-life stories. I don't mind this film making the list simply because it was a game-changer.

37. Backdraft (1991)

Directed by Ron Howard

Starring Kurt Russell, William Baldwin, Robert De Niro, Scott Glenn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Donald Sutherland, and Rebecca DeMornay

Jay: This is a good film from Ron Howard, who manages to bring some realism to the lives of firefighters. Kurt Russell is particularly good as "Bull" MCaffrey, an aging fireman who takes too many risky chances. I'm a huge Kurt Russell fan, so anything he is in automatically earns points with me. When an arsonist starts setting building ablaze around the city, Bull and his brother, Brian (William Baldwin), must learn to put aside their differences and work together to get to the bottom of things. With a solid supporting cast, including Robert De Niro, Scott Glenn, J.T. Walsh and Jennifer Jason Leigh, Backdraft is a solid choice from Matt. It wasn't my choice, but I like the movie a lot and it is one of Ron Howard's better offerings.

Matt: THE best Ron Howard film! And definitely one of the best films of the '90s. There was a big rave about this film when it was released because of the portrayal of firefighters and the danger they constantly face on the job. This film explores more than just the dangers of firefighting; there is also the themes of family -- both those by blood and those by deep friendly bond -- and the honor of duty and doing what is right. Lastly, there is also the theme of obsession with all of these issues; there is also just the obsession of fire -- brilliantly performed by Donald Sutherland. De Niro also puts in a brilliantly subtle performance as the fire chief. And, as always, Russell delivers! Like Jay, I'm also a huge fan of Kurt Russell, and Backdraft is probably one of his best. There is suspense, drama and action in this pre-9/11 firefighter tale.

36. Unforgiven (1992)

Directed by Clint Eastwood

Starring Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, and Richard Harris

Jay: Clint Eastwood returned to the genre that made him a star and delivered a critical and box office success with Unforgiven. A very somber and melancholy film, it actually has very little action and plays out more as a drama. When a group of prostitutes decided to offer a reward to any men who can kill two cowboys for attacking one of them, a reluctant, widowed pig farmer named William Munny (Eastwood) is recruited by a brash young desperado (Jaimz Woolvett) to exact the women's vengeance and collect the money. In his youth, Munny was a notoriously vicious outlaw, but when he married and had children he turned his back on the wickedness he was used to and settled down into family life. He also enlists the help of an old ally, Ned (Morgan Freeman) to join them on their bloody quest. What they don't realize is that the local sheriff, "Little" Bill Daggett (Gene Hackman in an Oscar winning performance) is waiting to stop them. He's an uncompromising, violent man of high morals and he will go to extreme lengths to keep lowlifes out of his town. Unforgiven sparked a renewal of interest in the western. It has an excellent script, with very well-written characters. Hackman, in particular, shines and when Eastwood confronts him at the end of the film it gives us one of the most intense and gripping standoffs in movie history. In a genre littered with stereotypes, Unforgiven was unique in how it played with those themes that we know and recognize and flipped them a bit. It won the Oscar for Best Picture and Best Director as well that year.

Matt: I love Clint Eastwood's westerns -- and I certainly did like this one -- but it wasn't nearly as great as his earlier films. This pensive western follows in the footsteps of the westerns the likes of the 1989 mini-series based on the Larry McMurtry novel Lonesome Dove. This pick was one of Jay's picks so I can't quite detail the greatness of the film, but I will say I enjoyed it. Eastwood is always good when acting as his usual tough guy -- whether young or retired -- but he has become an even better director, and this was the film that was a gem in the crown of a successful oeuvre of directed films.

35. A Bronx Tale (1993)

Directed by Robert De Niro

Starring Robert De Niro, Lillo Brancato, Chazz Palminteri, Taral Hicks, and Joe Pesci

Jay: Robert De Niro's directorial debut tells the story of young boy (Lillo Brancato) who befriends a local gangster (Chazz Palminteri) in the 1960's, much to the displeasure of his father (Robert De Niro). This film was based on the real-life experiences of Palminteri who also wrote the film. It's a moving story of two father figures competing for the soul of an impressionable youth. I like the movie and its simple to take on the father/son motif. It has a good moral message involving the allure of crime, racial struggles during the civil rights era and the struggles of a father to raise his son right. I find it surprising that Matt would choose a movie like this over one like Goodfellas, but I think I understand how he would connect more with it. While Goodfellas' Henry Hill is a generally unlikeable man, who learns very little throughout his life of crime, the characters in this movie are sympathetic in many ways. Some of us need that in a movie, I guess.

Matt: Jay is right. I enjoy this film so much better than Goodfellas. I've studied organized crime and come to enjoy films and books about gangsters. When Ray Liotta introduces the audience with the words "For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a gangster," I could even somewhat see the draw. However, I've never been a big fan of either Goodfellas or even the cult classic Scarface. Don't get me wrong. Goodfellas is a great film and Scarface is good. But there is something about their lowlife protagonists that I simply cannot cheer for (And this coming from a guy who rates John Milius' Dillinger as one of his favorite all-time movies!) In this film, though, the protagonist stands on the precipice of going down either path and that's what I found so more enjoyable about the film. For all their glitz, glamour and fancy camera-work of Scarface and Goodfellas, the stories are pretty predictable in that you know the protagonists are going down -- whether it be in a hail of gunfire or in the court system. Some might argue that Dillinger is the same but it has a style (plus the acting of Warren Oates) that sets it apart in my book. The acting in the two cult favorites is great but the same can be said for A Bronx Tale!

34. Boogie Nights (1997)

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

Starring Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore, Burt Reynolds, Don Cheadle, John C. Reilly, William H. Macy, Heather Graham, and Philip Seymour Hoffman

Jay: Boogie Nights is The Godfather of movies about the porn industry. For those who thought this film was simply about making dirty pictures in the 1970's then they missed the point entirely. Paul Thomas Anderson's epic is really a saga about family and the search for community. I would submit that this may be the best ensemble cast ever assembled. Everyone in it gives one of the best performances of their careers. Mark Wahlberg will never be better than his portrayal of budding porn star, Dirk Diggler, whose ego and self-involvement get the best of him and threaten to send him down a dark path. Burt Reynolds is brilliant as the patriarch of this pseudo-family, Jack Warner, who struggles against the technological advancements that are changing the business. Julianne Moore is so freaking good as Amber Waves, the matriarch whose struggles getting to see her real son show the desperate sadness within. And I haven't even mentioned the work of Don Cheadle, the hilarious John C. Reilly, Heather Graham, William H. Macy, and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. All of them at the top of their game. But it's Anderson who pulls all of this off. Boogie Nights is a work of genius. A colorful blast of a movie showing regular people who touch the darker side of celebrity, fall from grace, and rise again to embrace the only family that truly loves them.

Matt: When Boogie Nights was first released and I first viewed the film, I wasn't as crazy about it as nearly everyone else who saw it was. Jay says this is "The Godfather of movies about the porn industry." But, let's be honest, it's one of the very few mainstream films about the porn industry -- the others being Lovelace, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, and Wonderland (in which the main events of that film loosely inspire a scene in Nights). Not too much competition there. Either way, as I've watched Nights over the years, I decided that maybe I was a little too hard on the losers of that film. After all, I really like every actor in that film. And they all do very well. The film also cemented the timelessness of Burt Reynolds and how he can take any role, give it his own spin and make it gold. I like the film much more now than I did upon first viewing it. And it truly does earn its place among the best of the decade. No matter what these characters go through -- whether self-inflicted or due to fate -- they are family and that is what the film is truly about.

33. Falling Down (1993)

Directed by Joel Schumacher

Starring Michael Douglas, Robert Duvall, Barbara Hershey, and Rachel Ticotin

Jay: Yes, Joel Schumacher is capable of actually making a good movie. It doesn't happen often, but, what's the saying? "The sun can shine on dog's bottom on any given day?" Well, the sun was shining the day he made Falling Down, a cynical, entertaining story of one's man breakdown and retaliation against a society he can no longer stomach. Michael Douglas is very good as William "D-Fens" Foster, an unemployed defense worker who can't take it anymore and goes on a cathartic spree around the city, taking revenge on all of the wrongs he sees in the modern-day world. The film is a sharp and crude indictment of the decadence of our culture and one man's refusal to take it any more. One of Douglas's best performances.

Matt: Despite his taking a beloved franchise that Tim Burton built up and despicably tearing it down for years, Joel Schumacher still made this gem of a movie about an everyday man who simply gets fed up. Bill "D-Fens" Foster (Douglas) sits in his car in bumper-to-bumper traffic, waiting to go to a soul-sucking job which he does not even nearly like when he decides to get out of his car, abandon it, and go for a stroll. What follows is one of the most stark views of a man who is merely find his way home. What sets this apart from other movies of its ilk is that Foster -- no longer willing to be pushed around by life or people anymore -- violently confronts and deals with any obstacle in his way. The film's story feels like it was adapted from a novel, but it was written by actor Ebbe Roe Smith, known mostly for appearing in '80s movies. This is definitely one of Douglas's best performances as his character is both hero and villain, introducing audiences to one of the best anti-heroes on film in a decade when the cinematic anti-hero was flourishing!

32. Tombstone (1993)

Directed by George P. Cosmatos

Starring Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe, Dana Delaney, and Michael Biehn

Jay: As I said earlier, I love Kurt Russell and I also love Tombstone. It is on the short list of movies that when I come across it on TV, I cannot help but watch it. Matt and I both chose this one for the list and I have no problems admitting how good I think it is. A much more condensed version of the Wyatt Earp (Russell) story that focuses on his and his family's struggle to make a go of it in the budding town of Tombstone, Arizona. When a gang of outlaws, similar to those he spent his life putting in jail, threaten to disrupt their newly acquired retirement, the Earps fight back, leading to the climactic showdown at the O.K. Corral. Val Kilmer shines as the famous gunslinger/dentist, "Doc" Holliday. He steals every scene he is in, and has never been better. The entire cast is brilliant in this homage to the classic westerns of old. It is pure fun on all levels and a great depiction of an infamous legend in the last years of his glory.

Matt: In my opinion, this film should have ranked higher on our list because it is so damn great! Granted, Kevin Costner put out a longer, much more in-depth, more somber Earp film the following year (Wyatt Earp), which I also enjoyed. But this one has the style, writing, acting and pacing -- all of which makes it the perfect package! Kilmer's Holliday is brilliantly rebellious and loyal all at once, stealing every scene, while Russell -- as Jay and I have previously attested -- can almost do no wrong. He takes the role of Earp and brilliantly portrays the man's eccentricities as well as his makes it something I think the original Earp would have enjoyed. As someone who has read up on Earp, I can say there are definitely some events in this film which did not happen or were altered, but the film still does not stray from Earp's character (Plus, Russell uncannily looks like Earp). This is a quintessential film that any film buff should watch!

31. The Big Lebowski (1998)

Directed by The Coen Brothers

Starring Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, and John Turturro

Jay: By now the Coen Brothers' little movie about a slacker bowler and how he gets entangled in a complex kidnapping scheme has achieved mythic levels of cult status. It is possibly one of the most quoted movies of all time. At the time of its release, though, it was not a huge box office success, with many audiences expecting more dark humor akin to their previous film, Fargo. It wasn't long though until Lebowski found hordes of fans on DVD and became a comedy favorite. The Coens proved, yet again, that they were one of the most original voices in cinema by taking the hard-boiled, Dashell Hammett-style crime thriller and meshing it with a comedy about an unemployed loafer who, when he is mistaken for a billionaire with the same name, is roped into helping solve a crime. Jeff Bridges gives the performance of his career as "The Dude" and is supported by a fantastic supporting cast including John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore and John Turturro. To this day it is still one of my favorite comedies and never fails to make me laugh every time I watch it. "Sometimes you eat the bear, and, well, sometimes, he eats you."

Matt: Forget The Last Picture Show (a great film!). Forget Tron. Forget Starman. Forget Against All Odds. Forget Fearless. Forget The Fabulous Baker Boys. What Jeff Bridges will always be known for is his role as slacker Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski. The role has grown to mythic cult favorite status as people quote it, philosophize it and live it as best they can. But what is most likeable to me in this film is John Goodman's role of Walter Sobchak, which he based on rebel filmmaker John Milius. The characters of this Coen Bros. film are what makes the film and its story shine. It is an ensemble mystery comedy, following in the same style as Fletch. Lebowski is a great comedy and even though I don't like every film of the Coen Bros., they nonetheless know film and often make memorable ones.