Dan HopperList RulesVote up which movies best represent the twee, surreal, pseudo-indie vibe that was ALL THE RAGE from 2003-2008.
For a brief period in the mid-2000s, Hollywood had a VERY specific idea of what made a movie "good": Ultra-dry humor, mumbled dialogue, twee hand-drawn fonts all over the poster and credits, and long shots of directionless youths staring at ceilings and out train windows while an indie soundtrack played. It wasn't a "genre" of movies per se, but they felt spiritually similar in so many ways.
Which movies were the most mid-2000s? Throw on a Shins song and gaze wide-eyed into the list below.
1
379165Napoleon Dynamite
Jon Heder, Aaron RuellReleased: 2004
Directed by: Jared Hess
Napoleon Dynamite is a 2004 American independent art-house comedy film written by Jared and Jerusha Hess and directed by Jared. The film stars Jon Heder in the role of the title character, for which... more2
476276Juno
Ellen Page, Jennifer GarnerReleased: 2007
Directed by: Jason Reitman
Juno is a 2007 Canadian-American comedy-drama film directed by Jason Reitman and written by Diablo Cody. Elliot Page stars as the title character, an independent-minded teenager girl confronting an... more- 3323295
Little Miss Sunshine
Steve Carell, Bryan CranstonReleased: 2006
Directed by: Valerie Faris, Jonathan Dayton
Little Miss Sunshine is a 2006 American comedy-drama road film and the directorial film debut of the husband-wife team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. The screenplay was written by first-time... more - 4312325
Nacho Libre
Jack Black, Ana de la RegueraReleased: 2006
Directed by: Jared Hess
Nacho Libre is a 2006 American comedy film directed by Jared Hess and written by Jared and Jerusha Hess and Mike White. It was loosely based on the story of Fray Tormenta, aka Rev. Sergio Gutiérrez... more - 5259313
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Jim Carrey, Kate WinsletReleased: 2004
Directed by: Michel Gondry
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a 2004 American romantic science-fiction comedy-drama film about an estranged couple who have each other erased from their memories, written by Charlie... more - 6238297
Garden State
Zach Braff, Natalie PortmanReleased: 2004
Directed by: Zach Braff
Garden State is a 2004 comedy-drama film written and directed by Zach Braff and starring Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Ian Holm and Braff himself. The film centers on Andrew Largeman, a... more - 7199286
Lost in Translation
Bill Murray, Scarlett JohanssonReleased: 2003
Directed by: Sofia Coppola
Lost in Translation is a 2003 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Sofia Coppola. It stars Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris, and Fumihiro Hayashi. The film... more - 8175268
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
Kat Dennings, Michael CeraReleased: 2008
Directed by: Peter Sollett
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist is a 2008 romantic comedy-drama film directed by Peter Sollett and starring Michael Cera and Kat Dennings. Written by Lorene Scafaria and based on the novel of the... more - 9154264
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Bill Murray, Cate BlanchettReleased: 2004
Directed by: Wes Anderson
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is a 2004 American comedy-drama film directed, co-written, and co-produced by Wes Anderson. It is Anderson's fourth feature length film, released in the U.S. on... more - 10107238
Stranger than Fiction
Will Ferrell, Dustin HoffmanReleased: 2006
Directed by: Marc Forster
Stranger than Fiction is a 2006 American comedy-drama-fantasy film directed by Marc Forster, written by Zach Helm, and starring Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah, and... more - 11105240
I Heart Huckabees
Naomi Watts, Isla FisherReleased: 2004
Directed by: David O. Russell
I ♥ Huckabees is a 2004 American philosophical comedy film from Fox Searchlight. It was produced and directed by David O. Russell, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jeff Baena. The film stars an... more - 1289233
Lars and the Real Girl
Ryan Gosling, Emily MortimerReleased: 2007
Directed by: Craig Gillespie
Lars and the Real Girl is a 2007 comedy-drama film directed by Craig Gillespie. A sweet but socially awkward young man (Ryan Gosling) develops a romantic yet platonic relationship with a doll.... more - 1381217
Be Kind Rewind
Jack Black, Mos DefReleased: 2008
Directed by: Michel Gondry
Be Kind Rewind is a 2008 comedy-drama film from New Line Cinema, written and directed by Michel Gondry and starring Jack Black, Mos Def, Melonie Diaz, Danny Glover and Mia Farrow. The film first... more - 1473222
Elizabethtown
Jessica Biel, Kirsten DunstReleased: 2005
Directed by: Cameron Crowe
Elizabethtown is a 2005 American romantic tragicomedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe starring Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst. Alec Baldwin has a small role as a CEO of an athletic... more - 1536214
Broken Flowers
Bill Murray, Sharon StoneReleased: 2005
Directed by: Jim Jarmusch
Broken Flowers is a 2005 French-American comedy-drama film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch and produced by Jon Kilik and Stacey Smith. The film focuses on an aging "Don Juan" who embarks on a... more - 1629188
Running with Scissors
Gwyneth Paltrow, Alec BaldwinReleased: 2006
Directed by: Ryan Murphy
Running with Scissors is a 2006 American black comedy film based on Augusten Burroughs' 2002 memoir of the same name, written and directed by Ryan Murphy, and starring Joseph Cross, Annette Bening,... more - 1731198
Charlie Bartlett
Robert Downey Jr., Kat DenningsReleased: 2007
Directed by: Jon Poll
Charlie Bartlett is a 2007 American comedy-drama film directed by Jon Poll. The screenplay by Gustin Nash focuses on a teenager who begins to dispense therapeutic advice and prescription drugs to the... more - 1824180
Me and You and Everyone We Know
John Hawkes, Miranda JulyReleased: 2005
Directed by: Miranda July
Me and You and Everyone We Know is a 2005 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Miranda July and stars July, John Hawkes, Miles Thompson, Brandon Ratcliff, Natasha Slayton,... more - 195177
Winter Passing
Zooey Deschanel, Will FerrellReleased: 2005
Directed by: Adam Rapp
Winter Passing is a 2005 American film. It is the directorial debut of playwright Adam Rapp, also known for his work on the show The L Word. The film stars Zooey Deschanel and Ed Harris, with... more
