This Year in Film: 2001

In 2001, I was two years old, and while I’m sure someone probably stuck me in front of the TV, I didn’t keep up with the film scene very well. If you’d asked me which movie I wanted to win Best Picture, I probably would have drooled. Amateur.

Apparently, however, my toddler self was missing out: One Google search later and I’ve found out that 2001 was The Year for movies. It spawned franchises, fangirls, and quotes that are still ingrained in our collective heads 17 years later. For the sake of length, this list excludes films as significant as “Moulin Rouge!,” “Pearl Harbor,” “Spirited Away,” and “Zoolander” — and despite my best editing, it’s still too long. You’ll see pretty soon, though, that I couldn’t leave any other titles out. So here it is, y’all. Here are the best movies of 2001.

1. “Shrek”
Released in May of 2001, “Shrek” was (rightfully) the first ever winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. It was also entered, maybe less rightfully, into the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. In his review of the film, New York Times critic Elvis Mitchell wrote, “Beating up on the irritatingly dainty Disney trademarks is nothing new; it's just that it has rarely been done with the demolition-derby zest of ‘Shrek.’” It’s not so much that Shrek is a spectacular movie, per se, as it is that some of its gimmicks (constant pop culture references, irreverent entendres) would become mainstays of 21st Century animated features. And of course, there’s the endless stream of video games that the franchise produced. In conclusion: I don’t know who thought this movie was a good idea, but we owe them a great service.

2. “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”
I have yet to stay awake through any Lord of the Rings movie. If you’re not like me, however, the franchise’s first release was significant: “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” was the second-highest grossing film of the year. It also stars the wonderful Ian McKellen, an important selling point. Apparently, the scene where McKellen, who plays Gandalf, bumps into a beam in Bilbo’s hobbit-hole was an accident — further proof that Ian McKellen is the single best thing to happen to this trilogy.

3. “Ocean’s Eleven”
Yet another ridiculously long franchise! “Ocean’s Eleven” is relevant once again because of this summer’s female reboot, “Ocean’s 8.” The original (or, the 2001 remake of the 1960 original) follows Danny Ocean and his 11 accomplices as they try to rob three Las Vegas casinos in a single night. Even by 2018 standards, the cast is insane: It includes George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Julia Roberts. Besides the whole casino-robbing thing, these protagonists don’t do a lot. But if you want a low-stress heist movie, “Ocean’s Eleven” holds up.

4. “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”
The book version of the first Harry Potter installment hit shelves almost exactly 20 years ago, on September 1, 1998. Two decades (and my entire lifetime) later, both book and movie remain impressively relevant. While of course the books are better, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” gets a lot of credit for a.) being the highest grossing film in 2001, and b.) featuring 11-year-old Emma Watson. There are many painfully sweet, nostalgic anecdotes about the making of this movie — my personal favorite is that the granddaughter Richard Harris (who plays Dumbledore) said she would never speak to him again if he didn’t take the part.

5. “Legally Blonde”
Clearly, I saved the best for last. “Legally Blonde,” starring Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods, is iconic. There’s a reason that Harvard screens the movie on the Widener steps every fall — and it’s the same reason you should rewatch it again right now. The movie gained a sequel in 2003 and a Broadway musical in 2007, but the original remains both the funniest and the most quotable. (“What, like it’s hard?”)

Of course, the movies listed above are not comprehensive. The runners up include “Monsters, Inc.,” “The Princess Diaries,” and “The Fast and the Furious” (all worthy contenders). Still, every one of the listed titles prove my point: 2001 was a miniature golden age in American film. The year’s output has serious staying power. I hope all of y’all have seen every movie on this list — and if you haven’t, then at least you have a wonderful plan for this weekend. Enjoy!

—Staff writer Iris M. Lewis can be reached at at iris.lewis@thecrimson.com.