The Best Ensemble Movies

Updated July 23, 2020 17.4k votes 1.1k voters 40.6k views261 items

List RulesMovies with ensemble casts

The best ensemble movies feature an incredibly talented cast of actors and actresses, so much so that the cast overshadows everything else about the film. When you ask someone to name their favorite, greatest ensemble films ever made, they'll almost always start talking about the cast members of the movie - not the actual storyline. Many of the films listed here are among the best movies of all time, not surprisingly, so be sure to vote for your favorites, add any ensemble films that are missing and re-rank this list in any order you want.

A truly wonderful ensemble film is a team effort. Yes, you have major celebrities sharing the spotlight, with each giving a phenomenal individual performance. Put them together, however, and you've got the very essence of a brilliant ensemble movie. Examples of this include 'Pulp Fiction,' 'The Usual Suspects,' 'Reservoir Dogs' and the outstanding legal drama '12 Angry Men.' And this list includes many of director Robert Altman's best ensemble films: 'MASH,' 'Gosford Park' and 'Short Cuts,' to name a few.

Given that the greatest ensemble films often star some of the greatest actors and actresses ever, is it any wonder that so many listed here are also among the very best Oscar-winning movies, too? From 'The Deer Hunter' to 'The Departed,' the ensemble casts of these listed films captivated us with their brilliance.

Comedy films aren't excluded from any list of excellent ensemble cast movies, either. Consider the amazing casts of the comedies 'The Royal Tenenbaums,' 'Best in Show' and 'The Breakfast Club,' for example. So you see, the best ensemble movies are a diverse mix from all different kinds of movie genres, but they all have one thing in common: wonderful acting and multiple characters that drive the storyline in the best way possible.

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The Godfather
Al Pacino, Marlon Brando
Released: 1972
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
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The Breakfast Club
Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald
Released: 1985
Directed by: John Hughes
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Ocean's Eleven
Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts
Released: 2001
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
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Pulp Fiction
John Travolta, Bruce Willis
Released: 1994
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
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The Shawshank Redemption
Morgan Freeman, Rita Hayworth
Released: 1994
Directed by: Frank Darabont
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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Cate Blanchett, Ian McKellen
Released: 2003
Directed by: Peter Jackson
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Saving Private Ryan
Tom Hanks, Matt Damon
Released: 1998
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
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The Departed
Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson
Released: 2006
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
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The Usual Suspects
Kevin Spacey, Benicio del Toro
Released: 1994
Directed by: Bryan Singer
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12 Angry Men
Henry Fonda, Jack Klugman
Released: 1957
Directed by: Sidney Lumet
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Goodfellas
Robert De Niro, Samuel L. Jackson
Released: 1990
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
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Reservoir Dogs
Quentin Tarantino, Steve Buscemi
Released: 1992
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
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Star Wars
Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Released: 1977
Directed by: George Lucas
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The Outsiders
Tom Cruise, Nicolas Cage
Released: 1983
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
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The Princess Bride
Billy Crystal, Robin Wright
Released: 1987
Directed by: Rob Reiner
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The Avengers
Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans
Released: 2012
Directed by: Joss Whedon
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The Dark Knight
Christian Bale, Michael Caine
Released: 2008
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
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The Magnificent Seven
Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson
Released: 1960
Directed by: John Sturges
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Stand by Me
Kiefer Sutherland, Corey Feldman
Released: 1986
Directed by: Rob Reiner
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Airplane!
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Leslie Nielsen
Released: 1980
Directed by: Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, David Zucker
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Raising Arizona
Nicolas Cage, John Goodman
Released: 1987
Directed by: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
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The Godfather Part II
Al Pacino, Robert De Niro
Released: 1974
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
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Steel Magnolias
Sally Field, Dolly Parton
Released: 1989
Directed by: Herbert Ross
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Jackie Brown
Robert De Niro, Samuel L. Jackson
Released: 1997
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
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Little Miss Sunshine
Steve Carell, Bryan Cranston
Released: 2006
Directed by: Valerie Faris, Jonathan Dayton
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