While Y2K was a bust, 2000 was a memorable year for movies. The start of a new millennium brought a surge of notable films that cinephiles still adore to this day.
Therefore we selected twenty beloved films to take a trip down memory lane by revisiting these now-classic films that are eventually turning the big 2-0 this year.
Varying from cult classics to romcoms and guilty pleasures, we’ve compiled a list below of twenty films turning twenty in 2020.
Almost Famous
Release date: September 13th, 2000
Cast: Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson, Jason Lee, Jimmy Fallon, Patrick Fugit, Anna Paquin, Fairuza Balk, Noah Taylor, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Zooey Deschanel.
Why we love it: Cameron Crowe’s semi-autobiographical dramedy centers around William Miller and the misadventures of covering a band for Rolling Stone Magazine.
American Psycho
Release date: April 14th, 2000
Cast: Christian Bale, Jared Leto, Willam Dafoe, Chloë Sevigny, Reese Witherspoon,
Why we love it: Despite being a handsome yuppie, Patrick Bateman lives a second life as a gruesome and disturbed serial killer by night.
The Beach
Release date: February 2nd, 2000
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tilda Swinton, Virginie Ledoyen, Guillaume Canet
Why we love it: This film’s become a cult classic, it stars a dissatisfied and restless Richard who longs to find something real- to find a connection with something or someone travels to Thailand.
Moreover, the Thailand destination made famous by this Danny Boyle film is still closed (and will remain closed until at least 2021) because of tourist impact on the reef on Maya Bay. So keep that in mind if you find yourself in Bangkok.
Bring It On
Release date: August 22nd, 2000
Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Gabrielle Union, Eliza Dushku, Jesse Bradford
Why we love it: This iconic cheerleading film remains to be unmatched. First, in the unexpected cheer sequels sees Kirsten Dunst and Gabrielle Union play rival cheerleaders in this cult smash.
Cast Away
Release date: December 7th, 2000
Cast: Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, Lari White, Paul Sanchez, Chris Noth, Nick Searcy
Why we love it: A stranded FedEx executive named Chuck is subsequently stranded on a deserted island after his plane crashes over the Pacific Ocean during a storm.
Importantly, Chuck handmakes his only friend and confidant the aptly-named Wilson (the volleyball).
Charlie’s Angels
Release date: October 22nd, 2000
Cast: Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, Bill Murray, Luke Wilson, Sam Rockwell, Crispin Glover, Matt LeBlanc, as well as plenty of celebrity cameos.
Why we love it: A powerhouse trio of stunning and elite private investigators financed by a mysterious billionaire with the best high-tech gadgets, weapons, and disguises, what’s not to like about this big-screen adaption of Aaron Spelling classic.
Not only was the reboot spearheaded by Drew Barrymore, but her production company (Flower Films) also produced it. Girl power indeed.
Coyote Ugly
Release date: August 4th, 2000
Cast: Piper Perabo, Adam Garcia, Maria Bello, Bridget Moynahan, Izabella Miko, Tyra Banks, John Goodman, Melanie Lynskey.
Why we love it: Violet Sanford moves to New York City to pursue her dream of becoming a songwriter. Struggling with making ends meet, she lands a job as a barmaid where the “coyotes” are encouraged to entice customers with their antics.
Best of all, the bar still exists in NYC today.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Release date: December 8th, 2000
Cast: Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi, Chow Yun‑fat, Chang Chen, Cheng Pei‑Pei, Sihung Lung.
Why we love it: Notably, Ang Lee’s martial arts directorial held the record for most Academy Award nominations for a non-English language film (until 2018’s Roma earned the same number). Rightly so, the film was a cinematic phenomenon.
Erin Brockovich
Release date: March 14th, 2000
Cast: Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, Aaron Eckhart, Marg Helgenberger, Conchata Ferrell, Cherry Jones, Peter Coyote.
Why we love it: Unquestionably, a dramatization of the true story of a down on her luck single mother, Erin Brockovich, who fought against the energy corporation Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) in this Steven Soderbergh movie.
Gladiator
Release date: May 5th, 2000
Cast: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Oliver Reed, Djimon Hounsou, Richard Harris,
Why we love it: Ridley Scott’s epic historical drama features a Roman general-turned-slave-turned-gladiator. Understandably, this cinematic masterpiece took over the year 2000, even winning Best Picture at the Oscars.
High Fidelity
Release date: March 28th, 2000
Cast: John Cusack, Jack Black, Lisa Bonet, Bruce Springsteen, Iben Hjejle, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Tim Robbins, Lili Taylor, Joan Cusack.
Why we love it: Rob Gordon’s the owner of a failing vinyl shop in Chicago. Despite having a comprehensive knowledge of pop music and even being consumed by the music scene, his dismal love life has lost its groove.
Love & Basketball
Release date: April 16th, 2000
Cast: Sanaa Lathan, Omar Epps, Dennis Haysbert, Alfre Woodard, Kyla Pratt, Glenndon Chatman.
Why we love it: Monica and Quincy are childhood friends with the same aspiration to become a professional basketball player. Throughout the years, they begin to fall for each other, although their paths start to separate in different directions.
Meet the Parents
Release date: October 6th, 2000
Cast: Ben Stiller, Teri Polo, Robert Di Nero, Blythe Danner, Owen Wilson.
Why we love it: A young man’s first visit to his girlfriend’s parents’ house turns into quite the roller coaster nightmare. Poor Focker can’t catch a break.
Memento
Release date: March 16th, 2000
Cast: Guy Pierce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Mark Boone Junior, Stephen Tobolowsky.
Why we love it: Without a doubt, a classic Christopher Nolan film, it focuses on Leonard’s mission of tracking down the man who raped and murdered his wife. However, this proves to be difficult since Leonard suffers from anterograde amnesia.
Miss Congeniality
Release date: December 14th, 2000
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Benjamin Bratt, Michael Caine, Heather Burns, Candace Bergen, William Shatner, Ernie Hudson.
Why we love it: A cult classic with a following. It features Sandra as Gracie Hart, a passionate FBI agent with a couple of strikes against her, so she helps her agency by going undercover at the Miss United States pageant in Texas.
Remember the Titans
Release date: September 23rd, 2000
Cast: Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Wood Harris, Ryan Hurst, Hayden Panettiere, Ethan Suplee, Ryan Gosling, Donald Faison, Kate Bosworth.
Why we love it: While based on the real-life integration of an Alexandria, Virginia high school and its football team in 1971. Differing from other sports films, Remember the Titans concentrates on the struggles of civil rights (similar to the conflicts we still currently face now).
Along with the film being a feel-good Disney classic, the soundtrack is marvelous.
Requiem for A Dream
Release date: October 27th, 2000
Cast: Jennifer Connelly, Jared Leto, Marlon Wayans, Ellen Burstyn, Hubert Selby Jr.
Why we love it: Originally a novel by Hubert Selby Jr, the film follows the book adaption from none other than cinematic auteur, Darren Aronofsky.
Besides being a cautionary yet manic tale, Requiem for A Dream involves four paralleled individuals as well as their drug-induced wonderland. Moreover, it also features the seedy underbelly that addicts reside in as the sense of reality is lost.
Snatch
Release date: January 19th, 2000
Cast: Brad Pitt, Jason Statham, Vinnie Jones, Benicio del Toro, Stephen Graham, Lennie James.
Why we love it: Illegal and corrupt boxing promoters, savage bookies, Russian Gangsters, amateur thieves, and last but not least Jewish jewelers fighting to trace a stolen diamond. This Guy Ritchie movie has it all.
Traffic
Release date: December 27th, 2000
Cast: Benicio del Toro, Erika Christensen, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michael Douglas, Don Cheadle, Jacob Vargas, Luis Guzmán, Dennis Quaid, Topher Grace, Albert Finney, Benjamin Bratt, Miguel Ferrer.
Why we love it: Clearly, it’s Steven Soderbergh’s look into America’s war on drugs through multiple interlinked stories in both the United States and Mexico.
Even if Traffic is critically acclaimed, it’s lauded with trite stereotypes. Movies like this don’t realize they perpetuate an ideology that they cater specifically to white audiences. Contrary to what films show, Mexico isn’t the sepia-toned (like pictured above) and the drug-filled country it’s usually always portrayed.
Wonder Boys
Release date: February 22nd, 2000
Cast: Michael Douglas, Robert Downey Jr., Tobey Maguire, Frances McDormand, Katie Holmes, Rip Torn.
Why we love it: Following an English Professor’s struggle with writer’s block meanwhile his complicated love life is in shatters. Additionally, there’s his troubled students as well as his associates’ various problems to add on top of that.
