The very popular podcast, The Big Picture, hosted by Sean Fennessy and Amanda Dobbins, has decided to rank the best films of 1989, and given that podcast’s popularity, it’s caught like wildfire online.
Why 1989? Beats me. However, I’ll never complain about a revisit of film years, digging into personal and cultural memory. I love that stuff. It’s also a good way to engage our readers in conveying their appreciation for a specific time and place in movie history.
That said, what were the best films of 1989? For me, it starts and ends with Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing,” a monumental film that I still vividly remember seeing for the first time. Some films change you, make you see the world in a new light, and “Do the Right Thing” did just that.
“Do the Right Thing” was not nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, and its omission remains one of the most notable snubs in Academy history. Instead, Driving Miss Daisy took the top prize—a smoothed-over depiction of racial issues that was far more palatable to Oscar voters.
Meanwhile, Steven Soderbergh’s “Sex, Lies and Videotape” won the Palme d’Or, kickstarting the rise of indie cinema in the United States and establishing a concrete foundation for the ‘90s boom, one which we have sadly not seen since.
Looking back at this year, you’re left a bit depressed by the state of movies today. Sure, there was “Batman” “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” and “Back to the Future Part II,” but 1989 barely had any franchises or established IP—it was mostly original storytelling. Even “Rain Man,” which was actually released in late December 1988, became the third-highest-grossing film of the year, earning $172M domestically. Would it even manage to make $50M today?
A vastly different time and place for the industry—a moment when daring original voices could find both critical acclaim and box office success, before sequels, reboots, and cinematic universes came to dominate the landscape.
The Best Films of 1989
1) Do the Right Thing – Spike Lee’s crowning achievement. This isn’t just a movie; it’s a city breathing, pulsating, and exploding in color, sound, and tension. Every character pops, every frame hums, and by the end, you’re not watching—you’re living it.
2. The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover – Peter Greenaway goes full operatic madness. Lavish, grotesque, hypnotic. Gluttony, lust, revenge—elevated into pure art. You’ll never think of fine dining the same way again. Greenway has never topped this surreal masterpiece.
3. Crimes and Misdemeanors – Woody Allen, moral questions on full display. Darkly humorous. Pitch black. Yet, also an exquisitely profound exploration of morality. I don’t think Allen’s ever made a more Dostoevsky-esque movie. These last 35 years, he’s countlessly tried to replicate this film, but never matched it.
4. Dead Poets Society – Peter Weir’s most crowd pleasing film. Robin Williams at his most electric, and iconic. Yes, it’s a tear-jerker, but it can also be read as a wake-up call, a call-to-arms to seize the one life you get to live. Corny? Sure. Rousing? Undeniably. Copied ad nauseam these last 35 years.
5. Casualties of War – Underrated Brian De Palma. Sean Penn embodies evil before Steven K. Lockjaw was a thing. The film delivers the moral ambiguity of Vietnam with gut-punch intensity and unforgettable performances. It’s also De Palma’s least flashy movie—stripped down to the bone.
6. Drugstore Cowboy – Gus Van Sant’s hypnotic, street-level poetry. Raw portrait of addiction and subculture, but infused with Van Sant’s lyrical realism, and paired with Matt Dillon’s magnetic performance. An indie landmark, and makes for a perfect Van Sant double bill with “My Own Private Idaho.”
7. My Left Foot – Daniel Day-Lewis is unstoppable in this film, bringing Christy Brown to life with humor, tenderness, and triumph. Jim Sheridan’s intimate, soaring, near-perfect film wouldn’t have the same impact without its towering lead performance. Method acting stretched to the limit.
8. The Killer – John Woo turns bullets into ballet. It might be his best film. An action classic. Chow Yun-Fat moves like poetry through chaos. Every gunfight: stylish, emotional, elegant. Pure cinematic poetry adrenaline rush. What a misguided decision for Woo to remake it this decade. You don’t replicate perfection.
9. The War of the Roses – Marriage as a war zone. Danny DeVito and Michael Douglas go for broke in this darkly funny, deliciously vicious divorce comedy. A remake this year fell flat, lacking DeVito’s outrageous direction and the artful work from Douglas and Kathleen Turner.
10. Sex, Lies, and Videotape – Steven Soderbergh’s film was a revelation. Desire, deceit, and confession captured with an intimacy he rarely revisits today. James Spader is magnetic, Andie MacDowell sensually elusive, and the whole thing is nothing short of provocative. Has it aged? Maybe. But its rebellious spirit still hits hard.
I can’t go out without mentioning “Enemies: A Love Story,” “Roger & Me,” “The Fabulous Baker Boys,” “Born on the Fourth of July,” “Kill Me Again,” “High Hopes,” “Henry V,” “Back to the Future Part II,” “Batman,” “Weekend at Bernie's, “Major League,” “Glory”