Iconic Movies Turning 20 In 2020
It's been two decades since the world entered into a new millennium. There's been a lot of change since the year 2000, but it's still great to look back at the things that defined the beginning of the 21st century. Many popular movies, such as Gladiator, Charlie's Angels, and Meet the Parents, were released in 2000 and it's hard to fathom that they are turning 20. Let's look back at some of the best films of 2000 that are celebrating a 20-year release anniversary.
Tom Hanks Met Wilson 20 Years Ago In Cast Away
Cast Away was released on December 22, 2000, and starred Tom Hanks as a FedEx worker who goes through a complete transformation after getting stranded on a deserted island for several years. Hanks gave one of the most moving performances of his career and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
It remains one of the few great movies to have the majority of its scenes performed by a single actor. Wilson, the volleyball that Hanks' character befriends, quickly became a heavily-cited reference in pop culture.
Why Almost Famous Remains A Must-See Movie
The cast of Almost Famous was comprised of some of Hollywood's top stars including Kate Hudson, Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, and Zooey Deschanel. It followed a teen boy who was given the chance to write an article for Rolling Stone about a touring rock band.
Both Hudson and McDormand earned Academy Award nominations for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and the writer/director, Cameron Crowe, won the Oscar for Best Screenplay. One reason the film earned so much praise was due to the 1970's setting infused with classic tunes and eye-grabbing costumes.
The Memorable Performances In Requiem for a Dream
The 21st century brought forth a new selection of film concepts that hadn't been touched on as much in previous years. Requiem for a Dream was originally a novel, but was adapted into a film by famed director Darren Aronofsky. It starred Jared Leto, Ellen Burstyn, Jennifer Connelly, and Marlon Wayans as four characters dealing with addiction in a world they don't understand.
Burstyn earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role and critics gave it mainly positive reviews, even though they admitted it was a bit much for the general public to stomach.
Memento Became A Box Office Smash
In Memento, Guy Pearce played a man who developed anterograde amnesia, meaning he couldn't form new memories, as a result of an injury. Throughout the film he searches for the man responsible for taking the life of his wife and tracks his steps through Polaroids and tattoos.
The movie was given two Oscar nominations for Best Writing and Best Film Editing. It started out as a top pick at film festivals and eventually became one of the biggest box office hits of the year. Reviewers liked the "fractured narrative" because it was told in a similar way to how Pearce's character perceived memories.
Jim Carrey Almost Quit How the Grinch Stole Christmas
The 2000 version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas was the first live-action feature film of a Dr. Seuss book. Jim Carrey led the cast as the mean-spirited and misunderstood Grinch in one of the greenest looks in Hollywood history. The makeup ended up being one of the most intense aspects of the film, which led to the movie winning the Best Makeup Oscar.
Carrey's makeup as the Grinch was the most challenging. He spent many long hours getting into and out of his costume and makeup, and this led to him almost quitting the film. The production team even brought in a torture specialist to help him deal with the whole process.
Dude, Where's My Car? Became A Cult Classic
Even though Dude, Where's My Car? didn't get the best reviews from critics, it still managed to earn a huge cult status among fans. Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott played the two leads who end up losing their car after a night of debauchery.
It opened at the second spot at the North American box office and eventually grossed $73.2 million worldwide. Soon after, the movie was frequently shown on cable networks and available to rent at video stores across the country. The soundtrack is a glimpse at life in the 2000s with artists such as Smash Mouth, Good Charlotte, and Young MC.
Behind The Making Of Gladiator
Gladiator was one of the biggest movie epics released in 2000. Russell Crowe starred as a former Roman General who sought vengeance against the corrupt emperor (Joquin Phoenix), who took the lives of his family and turned him into a slave.
The film was based on the 1958 book The Way of the Gladiator and the real events that happened in the Roman Empire in the second half of the 2nd century AD. It earned a whopping 12 Oscar nominations and won Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, Best Costume Design, Best Actor in a Leading Role (Russell Crowe), and Best Picture.
Remember The Titans Was Based On A True Story
Many films are based on a true story and Remember the Titans happens to be one of the best. It centered on an African American football coach (Denzel Washington) who tried to integrate a high school football team in Alexandria, Virginia in 1971.
Fandango lists Remember the Titans as one of the best sports movies of all time because it's filled with inspirational scenes and a good dose of social commentary, while still being a crowd-pleaser. Also, the movie has a perfectly composed soundtrack with songs including "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and "Peace Train."
You'll Recognize Some Famous Faces In Snow Day
Kids who grew up in the 2000s may remember this film. Snow Day was released on February 11, 2000, and included a unique cast with actors such as Chris Elliott, Chevy Chase, Jean Smart, and Josh Peck.
The plot revolves around a group of students who do everything they can to mess with the evil snow plowman (Elliott) in order to keep their school closed. It opened at the number three spot at the North American box office and earned over $62 million worldwide, despite negative reviews from critics.
How X-Men Changed Hugh Jackman's Life Forever
Nowadays, there seems to be a new superhero film released almost weekly. There have been a total of 12 X-Men movies and the first premiered in 2000. It featured an ensemble cast of actors including Halle Berry, Ian McKellan, Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, James Marsden, and Anna Paquin.
X-Men follows a group of mutants who developed superhuman powers and must convince normal humans to accept them. Before appearing in X-Men, Jackman was mainly working in theater back home in Australia and this ended up being his breakthrough role in Hollywood.
How The First Reboot Of Charlie's Angels Turned Out
Charlie's Angels began as a TV show in the 1970s and was recently rebooted in 2019 by Elizabeth Banks. The 2000 version starred Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Liu as the three "Angels." Their characters worked as private investigators for a mysterious millionaire named Charlie and they were skilled in martial arts and technology.
It became wildly successful at the box office by reaching the top spot in its opening weekend and inspired a sequel called Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. Reviewers praised the Angels for their performances even though they thought the film lacked originality and a decent plot.
Julia Robert's Oscar-Winning Performance In Erin Brockovich
Julia Roberts has played a variety of pivotal roles throughout her career and one of them was the titular character in 2000's Erin Brockovich. In the film she starred as an unemployed, single mother who becomes a legal assistant to seek justice for a California city after discovering a power company is polluting their water.
Roberts was very convincing in the role, which earned her the Best Actress in a Leading Role Academy Award. The movie was also nominated for Best Writing, Best Director, Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Albert Finney), and Best Picture.
The Truth Behind Miss Congeniality
Movies that are based on true stories tend to be more dramatic, but Miss Congeniality is a biopic that combines comedy, crime, and action. Sandra Bullock played the protagonist, Gracie Hart, an undercover F.B.I. agent who poses as a beauty pageant contestant to prevent a huge disaster.
After 20 years the film has gained a large cult following and even inspired a sequel called Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous. Miss Congeniality was very successful at the box office and earned over $212 million worldwide. Also, Bullock received a coveted Golden Globe nomination for her performance.
Bring It On Has More Sequels Than Most Movies
One film that put high school cheerleading on the map was Bring It On. It's about a San Diego high school cheerleading squad who discovers that their previous captain stole all their routines from an inner-city team, so they must work together to compete at the upcoming cheerleading championships.
The film's cast included Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku, Jesse Bradford, and Gabrielle Union and earned a worldwide box office gross of $90 million. It resonated with such a large audience that five direct-to-video sequels were created, but none of the original cast appears in any of them.
The Emperor's New Groove Pushed Disney In A New Direction
While The Emperor's New Groove underperformed at the box office by Disney's standards, it ended up being the bestselling DVD the next year. This is one of the more comedic Disney films, which centers on an Incan emperor named Kuzco who is turned into a llama by his ex-advisor Yzma and her dopey sidekick Kronk.
Some recognizable voices from the film include David Spade, John Goodman, Eartha Kitt, Patrick Warburton, and Wendie Malick. Much of the music in the movie was composed by Sting, who was given an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song for "My Funny Friend and Me."
Best in Show Was Mostly Improvised
Christopher Guest made some of the most-watched comedies of the 1990s and 2000s. His 2000 mockumentary, Best in Show, followed a group of outlandish characters as they prepared to compete in a prestigious dog show. Guest cast many actors he worked with in the past, including comedy legends Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Parker Posey, Jennifer Coolidge, Fred Willard, and Jane Lynch.
The film earned a Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical nomination at the Golden Globes and made it onto several top comedy movie lists. There were a lot of laugh out loud scenes and most of the dialogue was actually improvised.
Chicken Run Made Stop Motion History
Chicken Run came from the minds behind Wallace and Gromit and centered on a group of chickens who try to escape from their farm after they find out they will be turned into food. Over the course of its theatrical run, the movie raked in over $224 million, which made it the highest-grossing stop motion animated film in history.
Its most notable nomination was for Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical at the Golden Globes. Audiences and critics alike were impressed with the charm, slapstick humor, and brilliant voice acting.
What Robert De Niro And Ben Stiller Brought To Meet the Parents
There were several iconic comedies released in 2000 and Meet the Parents is one that gained a lot of attention. It starred Ben Stiller as a nurse who does everything in his power to ask his girlfriend's parents permission to marry her. Robert De Niro and Stiller's back and forth gave a hilarious look into familial relationships and proved the actors had great on-screen chemistry.
Meet the Parents was a box office hit and inspired two movie sequels called Meet the Fockers and Little Fockers. The film even earned a Best Original Song Academy Award nomination for Randy Newman's "A Fool In Love."
Nickelodeon Hits The Big Screen In Rugrats in Paris: The Movie
One of Nickelodeon's top cartoons of the 1990s and early 2000s was Rugrats. The series was so popular that it led to numerous movies, TV spin-offs, merchandise, and more. Rugrats in Paris: The Movie saw the same lovable characters travel across the world to Paris, France, while the red-headed Chuckie Finster searches for a new mother.
It was given favorable reviews for being highly character-driven, cleverly written, and filled with a multitude of catchy songs and vibrant animation. The film was grossed over $103 million worldwide with a budget of $30 million.
Where You Might Recognize The Puppy From My Dog Skip
Based on the autobiography of the same name, My Dog Skip tells the story of Willie Morris (Frankie Muniz), who is given a Jack Russell Terrier for his birthday in 1940s Mississippi, and the strong bond they share in the years to follow. It became one of the most profitable films of 2000 by grossing over $35.5 million worldwide.
A total of six dogs were used for the role of Skip, with one of them being the same dog who played Eddie on Frasier. This was also Muniz's first film role and the same year the Malcolm in the Middle pilot aired.
