Andyrew’s rankings of movies Watched for the First Time in 2025
One thing you need to know about me is I love the movies. For years, people have heard me say the phrase, SAVE THE MOVIES. There was a time post-COVID where things were looking bleak, but it truly feels like the back-to-back summers of Top Gun: Maverick and then Barbenheimer put us back on a good path. Do I sometimes check the domestic box office more times in a week than I should? Yes. However, as someone who claims to love movies, there were a lot of classics I was not proud to say I hadn’t watched. So, at the beginning of the year, I started a journey to watch 100 new movies this year. I was lucky enough to hit that number right on the dot. I have excerpts about the top 10 and the full list is at the bottom.
1. Jerry Maguire
Tom Cruise. Legend. Interesting man. This was during the release of Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning Pt. 2, and The Ringer podcast The Rewatchables had just come out with a Jerry Maguire episode. I happened to be flying back from the most magical place on earth (Walt Disney World) and needed a movie to watch. However, this came after being at not the most magical place on earth: a layover at DFW flying back to the second-best city in America, Salt Lake City, Utah. I am very passionate about that as well, but that will be a story for another day.
I always try to save my longer movies (over 2 hours) for a plane so it can make the ride smoother since I am not a huge fan of flying. There are certain movies that you know within 5 minutes if you’ll like or not, and saying that for Jerry Maguire would be the understatement of the century.
My notes for this movie are easy to come by: 90s Tom Cruise may be one of the coolest people of all time. Despite my fiancée making fun of me, I kid you not, there are not 5 total movie characters I have a bigger crush on than Renée Zellweger’s portrayal of Dorothy in this movie. Another hot take: Macaulay Culkin gets all the praise for being a child actor. I don’t think he can hold a candle to Jonathan Lipnicki.
I also gauge movies on how long I think about them afterward. I have watched so many Secret Garden edits of this movie and have added “I am looking for my wife” and “Show me the money” to my vernacular. A borderline perfect movie and in my top 10 of all time right now
2. American Pie 2
For people reading this that may not know me, I have a fascination with the 2000s. The right amount of technology (especially pre-iPhone) and the absolute perfect blend of all things pop culture.
My expectations for the first American Pie were sky high, as I love Seann William Scott, and I had been under the impression that this was the defining movie of a generation. It was fine - not terrible, but fine. I did not think it aged well at all. I thought the pie scene was gross and anything but funny, I thought Chris Klein added absolutely zero to the storyline, and the Vicky and Kevin storyline I am sure was great for the time, but it truly felt like there was no resolution to it.
Now turn to American Pie 2, and it flipped everything I just said on its head. I watched just because I had started the series, and the second entry into the franchise had been put on Netflix.
My notes for this one start with: this is the greatest soundtrack of all time. Period. There is not a single bad song, and they are all played at the perfect times. We start with Blink-182, after having made a cameo in the first movie. We throw in Always Getting Over You by Angela Ammons, which I had never even heard of before this movie. No movie should have two hours go by and not include a Michelle Branch song. This time we get Everywhere which you can’t go wrong with. Multiple Sum 41 songs were played as they should have been (is that the defining band of the 2000s sound?). I actually think the most underrated song on this album is Phoebe Cates by Fenix TX which I would encourage all of you to listen to after reading this.
Now the scenes felt like they had real meaning. College students trying to find their way and going back home to do that. Jim realizes that Nadia is not for him and that he is, in fact, a band geek. I was forced one time after an Arkansas v. Texas A&M football game to listen to an Alix Earle podcast where she talks about choosing your sororities based on your interests and not popularity which I could not believe people wanted to listen to as I thought that was obvious. For all of the Alix Earles stating the obvious of “find your friends and not the popular crew,” this is a perfect example of that.
The Be Like That scene followed by everyone at the party getting their happy ending (including Stifler’s mom) is the perfect amount of serious, romance, and Stifler being Stifler. This may be the defining pop-punk rock movie of the 2000s.
3. She’s the Man
Amanda Bynes, Channing Tatum, All-American Rejects, 2006 - I’m in. If I had to make a movie, this is what I would make. I find the other two movies above a little more rewatchable and thought-provoking, but this is the highest compliment I could give it. Also, the more montages the better. Shoutout to The Veronicas too.
4. Legally Blonde
“You’re breaking up with me because I’m too… blonde?”
The first entry from Reese Witherspoon on this list is Legally Blonde. Can I be honest? The only reason this movie is not in the Top 3 is because - what is Luke Wilson doing there? I feel like so many other actors would have been so much better in this role. I know some people don’t love Matt Davis in this, but I actually love him in this snarky boyfriend role.
I am an Ali Larter superfan and do not understand why she is not a top 5 actress of all time. I felt empowered watching this, and I am not joking when I say I don’t know how many stronger characters there are on this list than Elle Woods when it comes to iconic factor. It makes everyone want to go to Harvard Law School - even though I’m not sure they’ll be taking me.
5. 13 Going on 30
“Why Can’t I” by Liz Phair - most underrated song of all time?
I know a lot of people think the rom-com of the 2000s is How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. I just don’t think it even comes close to this gem. Nostalgia from the 80s, being the best person you can be, going back in time to change things. The dance number is magic, and I think Mark Ruffalo is spectacular. New York, rom-com, what’s not to love?
6. Sweet Home Alabama
This may shock you, but in this movie, Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd did have a scene in this movie.
The moral of the story is, I had never seen a rom-com where you kind of want the other guy to win. In the opposite of my feelings for a movie later on in this list, what did Patrick Dempsey not have to offer?
I get it, trust me. I have lived in every time zone, and there truly is no place like the comfort of home. But if you haven’t seen someone you were married to for 7 years, there has to be a reason, right?
Anyways, on the positive side, it hits home for me, as I have felt like I was on a deserted island a few times in life, and then when I make it back home to the culture I am used to, it is a high I am sure is what drugs feel like. We only get a certain amount of years, so why not spend them with the people you love?
Also, shoutout to Jake for moving to New York at the end of the movie. Usually in these types of movies, she gives up her career, but here she gets the best of both worlds: the person she loves and her career.
Was it common knowledge that glass can be made from sand?
7. Pretty Woman
I would love to know what it must have been like in 1990 to hear this plotline and want to go see it. Now, after having seen it, it is the definition of a classic. Julia Roberts may have given my favorite performance ever. Then there’s George Costanza, who may be the most outright terrible person in movie history.
(Side note: has anyone reading this ever seen Dunston Checks In?)
My only complaint about this movie is that the ending felt a little rushed. I wish we had a better reuniting between Gere and Roberts, but I’m sorry to nitpick - it was amazing.
The moments that stick with me are why this is such a classic. The opera scene where Vivian is completely moved - you feel like you’re watching her fall in love with a whole new world. The polka dot dress at the polo match - iconic. And then the Rodeo Drive shopping scene: “Big mistake. Huge.” On commission??? C’mon now. I’m a huge quote guy, and that one is up there with the best of all time.
8. American Reunion
I have a take: would we all be better if we watched videos of ourselves before the age of 5 every day? Nostalgia, in my opinion, not only makes you feel great, but also makes you want to do a service to that person.
The nostalgia in this movie is off the charts. It’s the perfect mix of callbacks to the original trilogy, new storylines that actually feel deserved to be here, and just enough ridiculousness to remind you it’s American Pie. Stifler getting with Finch’s mom is one of those jokes that lands perfectly. The music is still right on brand - they didn’t miss when it came to setting the scene as so many remakes seem to do. Nadia popping up for her cameo, Jim and Michelle navigating parenthood, even the reunion setting itself - it all hits in the best way.
What I loved most is how it balances humor and heart. You laugh at Stifler still being Stifler, but you also feel the weight of everyone realizing how much time has passed since high school. There’s something so relatable about that - you go back home, see old friends, and even though everyone’s grown up, part of you falls right back into who you were. It’s messy, funny, and strangely heartfelt.
9. The Materialists
Okay, I am sorry, but why is there so much controversy around this one? I went into this movie knowing everyone was out on it, and came out flabbergasted as to why.
It has everything you could ever want in a rom-com. I am fully aware that with A24, you could go in thinking this will either be the worst movie ever made or the best. This was definitely the latter.
The love triangle is about as real-life as it gets, and I am fully aware that Pedro Pascal had it all. However, you cannot stop who you love, and I do not think money can buy everything. If Chris Evans’ character ever got his big break, why would that change anything? That, to me, is the epitome of some of the private equity things happening today: where there is no soul, it’s just how much money you have to buy me things or how much shareholder value you can drive.
I thought it was shot beautifully and left thinking: how could you not love that? The first scene was weird, but everything else was borderline perfect.
10. Lilo and Stitch (2025)
Is Stitch the new Mickey Mouse? I went to Disney World in May, and I kid you not, there were more Stitches than Mickeys.
However, with these remakes, you truly have no clue how they might go. Most are mediocre at best. This one happens to be far superior and keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole movie.
I thought Maia Kealoha, who played Lilo, was right up there with Jonathan Lipnicki in the kid-actor rankings. You can never go wrong with Galifianakis, and at the end you actually think we lose Stitch.
I want to go to Hawaii now. And shoutout to Courtney B. Vance - can he just say, “We need everyone to stop being gangstas and start being graduates” in every movie?
Biggest Surprises
Low Expectations, Turned Out Great: Relay
Lily James is on a major hot streak for me. Obviously, there’s a wrestling fan in me, and she was ELECTRIC in The Iron Claw. I went to go see Relay at the theaters for two reasons: one, because you’ve got to see at least one movie a week and there were no others I was interested in, and two, because Lily James was in it.
I had seen no press on this movie, and to say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. She turns heel at the end of the movie, the idea was great, it was flawless, and shoutout to Sam Worthington. I really like him, and he was great as the villain in this. Would not be upset about seeing more of him outside of being blue.
(Relay is at #19 in my rankings, in between #18 Clueless and #20 Big Fat Liar.)
High Expectations, Letdown: Bridget Jones’s Diary
Do you remember earlier when I said I thought Renée Zellweger was a top 5 character crush for me as Dorothy in Jerry Maguire? Yeah… I did not feel it here. I went in ready for a rom-com classic, but I was just bored. Didn’t get it, didn’t like Hugh Grant, just thought it was awkward, and I have no desire to see the others.
Maybe I saw it too late, or maybe it was just one of those “you had to be there” movies. Either way, not for me.
(Bridget Jones’s Diary is #57 in my rankings, in between #56 Superman (2025) and Jackass 2.5.)
Strongest Recommendation Outside the Top 10
Karate Kid: Legends
I am not a Karate Kid guy. I haven’t seen Cobra Kai. I’ve seen the original and thought it was fine. I watched the Jackie Chan one with Jaden Smith (pre “can we talk about the economic and political state of the world right now”) and thought it was fine. And the Justin Bieber music video did not mean as much to me as it did for others my age.
But Joshua Jackson comes in and is awesome. Ben Wang is awesome. I thought Sadie Stanley was great. And every Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio scene worked. You might say I don’t want to wait for another one to come out this time… get it? Because Dawson’s Creek. Anyways.
(Karate Kid Legends is at #22 in my rankings, in between American Wedding at #21 and I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025) at #23.)
Couples Retreat
How did I have no idea this made $100 million? Vince Vaughn, Kristen Bell, Jon Favreau, Jason Bateman, Charlotte from Sex and the City - how is this not talked about more? Freaking awesome.
It’s hilarious: Vince Vaughn thinks he got bit by a shark, there’s a Ken Jeong cameo as a therapist, it’s heartfelt at the end. I get it was a crowded comedy scene at the time, but if this came out today, we’d talk about it for years to come.
(Couples Retreat is #26 in my rankings, in between The Amateur (2025) at #25 and F1 at #27.)
Why I Do This
My favorite example so far - as of late October 2025 - is my #11 ranked movie of the year: Accepted. Blake Lively, one year before Gossip Girl. Jonah Hill, one year before Superbad. College - I don’t know if you know this, but I have an entire blog based on my passion for higher education. Justin Long, two years removed from Dodgeball. A Green Day montage right in the middle. It has everything I could ever want in a movie - and I had never heard of it. I probably never would have watched it had I not set out on this journey.
I had just gotten home from visiting my fiancée and wanted a laid-back, 90-minute movie. Now I wish I could have five more just like it. That is why I do this.
We’ll see where it lands on December 31. The final list goes up January 1. And if any of you reading this have recommendations… throw them my way.
