MGM: The studio whose movies come with the unforgettable lion’s roar.
When it comes to choosing the 100 essential MGM movies for their 100th anniversary, there’s good news and bad news. The good: We’ve got The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, the spaghetti Western masterpiece, along with many more classics (West Side Story, The Great Escape, A Fish Called Wanda), modern hits (Creed, Barbershop, Legally Blonde), and more 007 than you can shake and stir a stick at.
The bad: Many of the movies we associate with MGM — like The Wizard of Oz or famous musicals like Singin’ in the Rain — aren’t featured here. Why? Okay, history lesson time. Back in 1986, Ted Turner bought the MGM library, creating Turner Entertainment Company. In 1996, Time Warner bought that company, combining the Turner properties with Warner Bros.’, which is why all those movies are on the MAX streaming service.
And because we’re celebrating MGM’s 100th birthday in conjunction with Fandango At Home, we’re selecting only movies currently owned by MGM. So what does that leave us with? Bond, James Bond. Through all the ups and downs and boardroom deals, MGM has always been in league with cinema’s favorite secret agent, and we tried to cover all the Bonds here. Sean Connery (Dr. No). Roger Moore (The Spy Who Loved Me). Timothy Dalton (The Living Daylights). Pearce Brosnan (GoldenEye). Daniel Craig (Casino Royale).
We also have the United Artists library, which MGM bought in 1982. This allows us to choose films from as far back as the 1950s, including Best Picture winners The Apartment, In the Heat of the Night, Midnight Cowboy, Rocky, Annie Hall, and Rain Man.
Along with those are deeply influential films, like the eerie The Night of the Hunter, paranoid thriller The Manchurian Candidate, ice-cold Thief, humanist courtroom drama 12 Angry Men, and Ronin with its incredible car chases.
Many directors and stars have gone in league with what would become the MGM library, including Stanley Kubrick (Paths of Glory), Martin Scorsese (Raging Bull), Robert Altman (The Long Goodbye), Peter Sellers (The Pink Panther), Marilyn Monroe (Some Like It Hot), Sissy Spacek (Carrie), Cher (Moonstruck), Patrick Swayze (Road House), Nicolas Cage (Leaving Las Vegas), and Robin Williams (The Birdcage).
Beyond United Artists, MGM also purchased Orion Pictures, which unlocks genre prizes like RoboCop, The Terminator, and The Return of the Living Dead, along with Best Picture winners The Silence of the Lambs and Dances With Wolves.
And now, it’s a new day and age for MGM, having been acquired by Amazon in 2021. In this revitalized era, the Rocky and Creed series have lived on, movies like Licorice Pizza, Cyrano, and Till released, and they’ll continue to re-invent Bond for modern times.
Now, rent or purchase any of the 100 essential MGM movies on Vudu and celebrate 100 years of MGM!
#1
Adjusted Score: 106106%
Critics Consensus: Till reframes an historically horrific murder within a mother’s grief, brought heartwrenchingly to life by Danielle Deadwyler’s tremendous performance.
#2
Adjusted Score: 97596%
Critics Consensus: Uneven yet ultimately hard to resist, Joe Wright’s Cyrano puts a well-acted musical spin on the oft-adapted classic tale.
#3
Adjusted Score: 106516%
Critics Consensus: Licorice Pizza finds Paul Thomas Anderson shifting into a surprisingly comfortable gear — and getting potentially star-making performances out of his fresh-faced leads.
#4
Adjusted Score: 110388%
Critics Consensus: Creed brings the Rocky franchise off the mat for a surprisingly effective seventh round that extends the boxer’s saga in interesting new directions while staying true to its classic predecessors’ roots.
#5
Adjusted Score: 111077%
Critics Consensus: Sam Mendes brings Bond surging back with a smart, sexy, riveting action thriller that qualifies as one of the best 007 films to date.
#6
Adjusted Score: 105133%
Critics Consensus: Casino Royale disposes of the silliness and gadgetry that plagued recent James Bond outings, and Daniel Craig delivers what fans and critics have been waiting for: a caustic, haunted, intense reinvention of 007.
#7
Adjusted Score: 96352%
Critics Consensus: Director Werner Herzog has once again made a compelling tale of man versus nature, and Christian Bale completely immerses himself in the role of fighter pilot (and prisoner of war) Dieter Dengler.
#8
Adjusted Score: 96163%
Critics Consensus: Philip Seymour Hoffman’s riveting central performance guides a well-constructed retelling of the most sensational and significant period in author Truman Capote’s life.
#9
Adjusted Score: 97188%
Critics Consensus: A sobering and heartfelt tale about massacre that took place in Rwanda while most of the world looked away.
#10
Adjusted Score: 98987%
Critics Consensus: Osama is bitterly honest, deeply disturbing, and utterly worth watching.
#11
Adjusted Score: 89072%
Critics Consensus: Pieces of April transcends its small-scale setting and budget with endearing performances, playful humor, and genuine sweetness, resulting in a touching holiday treat.
#12
Adjusted Score: 85818%
Critics Consensus: Besides bringing on the laughs, Barbershop displays a big heart and demonstrates the value of community.
#13
Adjusted Score: 98774%
Critics Consensus: With acerbic wit, Terry Zwigoff fashions Daniel Clowes’ graphic novel into an intelligent, comedic trip through deadpan teen angst.
#14
Adjusted Score: 76158%
Critics Consensus: Though the material is predictable and formulaic, Reese Witherspoon’s funny, nuanced performance makes this movie better than it would have been otherwise.
#15
Adjusted Score: 73736%
Critics Consensus: Sleek, stylish, and painlessly diverting, The Thomas Crown Affair is a remake of uncommon charm.
#16
Adjusted Score: 74036%
Critics Consensus: Ronin earns comparisons to The French Connection with strong action, dynamic road chase scenes, and solid performances.
#17
Adjusted Score: 87906%
Critics Consensus: Mike Nichols wrangles agreeably amusing performances from Robin Williams and Nathan Lane in this fun, if not quite essential, remake of the French comedy La Cage aux Folles.
#18
Adjusted Score: 94412%
Critics Consensus: Oscar-awarded Nicolas Cage finds humanity in his character as it bleeds away in this no frills, exhilaratingly dark portrait of destruction.
#19
Adjusted Score: 99264%
Critics Consensus: This re-imagining of Shakespeare’s Crookback King relocates the story in 1930 and features an indelible star turn for Ian McKellen as the monstrous and magnetic King Richard.
#20
Adjusted Score: 86107%
Critics Consensus: The first and best Pierce Brosnan Bond film, GoldenEye brings the series into a more modern context, and the result is a 007 entry that’s high-tech, action-packed, and urbane.
#21
Adjusted Score: 92766%
Critics Consensus: With a perfect cast and a sly twist on the usual Hollywood gangster dynamic, Get Shorty delivers a sharp satire that doubles as an entertaining comedy-thriller in its own right.
#22
Adjusted Score: 35846%
Critics Consensus: Hackers has a certain stylish appeal, but its slick visuals and appealing young cast can’t compensate for a clichéd and disappointingly uninspired story.
#23
Adjusted Score: 102042%
Critics Consensus: Hugh Grant ably snatches up the bouquet of leading man status with Four Weddings and a Funeral, a sparkling romantic comedy given real charm by its chummy ensemble and Richard Curtis’ sharp-witted screenplay.
#24
Adjusted Score: 79363%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#25
Adjusted Score: 59521%
Critics Consensus: Part contrived romance, part hackneyed sports drama, The Cutting Edge shows how difficult it can be to figure skate through cheese.
#26
Adjusted Score: 109139%
Critics Consensus: Director Jonathan Demme’s smart, taut thriller teeters on the edge between psychological study and all-out horror, and benefits greatly from stellar performances by Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster.
#27
Adjusted Score: 92177%
Critics Consensus: It’s sentimental, and some viewers may feel manipulated by the melodramatic final act, but The Man in the Moon offers a finely drawn coming-of-age story with an excellent cast — including Reese Witherspoon in her film debut.
#28
Adjusted Score: 100139%
Critics Consensus: Driven by ride-or-die chemistry between Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon while director Ridley Scott provides scorching visuals fit for a postcard, Thelma & Louise is a feminist adventure that’s equal parts provocative and rollicking.
#29
Adjusted Score: 98290%
Critics Consensus: Dances with Wolves suffers from a simplistic view of the culture it attempts to honor, but the end result remains a stirring western whose noble intentions are often matched by its epic grandeur.
#30
Adjusted Score: 62372%
Critics Consensus: UHF is bizarre, freewheeling, and spotty, though its anarchic spirit cannot be denied.
#31
Adjusted Score: 86857%
Critics Consensus: Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter are just charming, goofy, and silly enough to make this fluffy time-travel Adventure work.
#32
Adjusted Score: 48157%
Critics Consensus: Whether Road House is simply bad or so bad it’s good depends largely on the audience’s fondness for Swayze — and tolerance for violently cheesy action.
#33
Adjusted Score: 44856%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#34
Adjusted Score: 100860%
Critics Consensus: This road-trip movie about an autistic savant and his callow brother is far from seamless, but Barry Levinson’s direction is impressive, and strong performances from Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman add to its appeal.
#35
Adjusted Score: 101930%
Critics Consensus: Smartly written, smoothly directed, and solidly cast, A Fish Called Wanda offers a classic example of a brainy comedy with widespread appeal.
#36
Adjusted Score: 78423%
Critics Consensus: Child’s Play occasionally stumbles across its tonal tightrope of comedy and horror, but its genuinely creepy monster and some deft direction by Tom Holland makes this chiller stand out on the shelf.
#37
Adjusted Score: 99887%
Critics Consensus: While over-the-top and gory, Robocop is also a surprisingly smart sci-fi flick that uses ultraviolence to disguise its satire of American culture.
#38
Adjusted Score: 61793%
Critics Consensus: There’s fine spoofery and amusing characters in Spaceballs, though it’s a far cry from Mel Brooks’ peak era.
#39
Adjusted Score: 95887%
Critics Consensus: Led by energetic performances from Nicolas Cage and Cher, Moonstruck is an exuberantly funny tribute to love and one of the decade’s most appealing comedies.
#40
Adjusted Score: 48634%
Critics Consensus: Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell’s comedic chops elevate waterlogged material, but not even their buoyant chemistry can keep Overboard‘s creepy concept afloat.
#41
Adjusted Score: 78124%
Critics Consensus: Newcomer Timothy Dalton plays James Bond with more seriousness than preceding installments, and the result is exciting and colorful but occasionally humorless.
#42
Adjusted Score: 102070%
Critics Consensus: Informed by director Oliver Stone’s personal experiences in Vietnam, Platoon forgoes easy sermonizing in favor of a harrowing, ground-level view of war, bolstered by no-holds-barred performances from Charlie Sheen and Willem Dafoe.
#43
Adjusted Score: 94899%
Critics Consensus: A punk take on the zombie genre, The Return of the Living Dead injects a healthy dose of ’80s silliness to the flesh-consuming.
#44
Adjusted Score: 106142%
Critics Consensus: With its impressive action sequences, taut economic direction, and relentlessly fast pace, it’s clear why The Terminator continues to be an influence on sci-fi and action flicks.
#45
Adjusted Score: 75061%
Critics Consensus: 1984 doesn’t fully emerge from the shadow of its source material, but still proves a solid, suitably discomfiting adaptation of a classic dystopian tale.
#46
Adjusted Score: 51857%
Critics Consensus: An appealing ensemble of young stars will have some audiences rooting for the Wolverines, but Red Dawn‘s self-seriousness can never conceal the silliness of its alarmist concept.
#47
Adjusted Score: 76963%
Critics Consensus: Barbra Streisand takes on every conceivable role and acquits herself well in Yentl, a musical epic with a humdrum score that’s given considerable lift from its writer-director-star’s sheer force of will.
#48
Adjusted Score: 88125%
Critics Consensus: Thief‘s enigmatic conclusion will rob some audiences of satisfaction, but it’s an authentic and sleekly rendered neo-noir, powered by a swaggering James Caan at the peak of his charisma.
#49
Adjusted Score: 85151%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#50
Adjusted Score: 108505%
Critics Consensus: Arguably Martin Scorsese’s and Robert De Niro’s finest film, Raging Bull is often painful to watch, but it’s a searing, powerful work about an unsympathetic hero.
#51
Adjusted Score: 88887%
Critics Consensus: With arresting visuals and an engrossingly lurid mystery, Dressed to Kill stylishly encapsulates writer-director Brian De Palma’s signature strengths.
#52
Adjusted Score: 100904%
Critics Consensus: One of Woody Allen’s early classics, Manhattan combines modern, bittersweet humor and timeless romanticism with unerring grace.
#53
Adjusted Score: 89113%
Critics Consensus: Spiritedly performed by a groovy cast and imaginatively directed by Milos Forman, Hair transports audiences straight to the Age of Aquarius.
#54
Adjusted Score: 95341%
Critics Consensus: Staging the improbable car stunts and crashes to perfection, director George Miller succeeds completely in bringing the violent, post-apocalyptic world of Mad Max to visceral life.
#55
Adjusted Score: 100279%
Critics Consensus: Employing gritty camerawork and evocative sound effects, Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a powerful remake that expands upon themes and ideas only lightly explored in the original.
#56
Adjusted Score: 111047%
Critics Consensus: Filled with poignant performances and devastating humor, Annie Hall represents a quantum leap for Woody Allen and remains an American classic.
#57
Adjusted Score: 61434%
Critics Consensus: A Bridge Too Far is a war movie too long, although top-notch talent on both sides of the camera keeps the end result consistently watchable.
#58
Adjusted Score: 88105%
Critics Consensus: Though it hints at the absurdity to come in later installments, The Spy Who Loved Me‘s sleek style, menacing villains, and sly wit make it the best of the Roger Moore era.
#59
Adjusted Score: 102548%
Critics Consensus: Carrie is a horrifying look at supernatural powers, high school cruelty, and teen angst — and it brings us one of the most memorable and disturbing prom scenes in history.
#60
Adjusted Score: 101409%
Critics Consensus: This story of a down-on-his-luck boxer is thoroughly predictable, but Sylvester Stallone’s script and stunning performance in the title role brush aside complaints.
#61
Adjusted Score: 70607%
Critics Consensus: In Rollerball, social commentary collides with high-speed action — and the audience is the winner.
#62
Adjusted Score: 102724%
Critics Consensus: Breezy, thrilling, and quite funny, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three sees Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw pitted against each other in effortlessly high form.
#63
Adjusted Score: 89960%
Critics Consensus: Dustin Hoffman inhabits Lenny Bruce with nervy energy in Bob Fosse’s richly stylized telling of the pioneering comedian’s career and downfall.
#64
Adjusted Score: 91326%
Critics Consensus: This likable buddy/road picture deftly mixes action and comedy, and features excellent work from stars Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges and first-time director Michael Cimino.
#65
Adjusted Score: 100623%
Critics Consensus: An ice-cold noir that retains Robert Altman’s idiosyncratic sensibilities, The Long Goodbye ranks among the smartest and most satisfying Marlowe mysteries.
#66
Adjusted Score: 90532%
Critics Consensus: Deliciously campy and wonderfully funny, Theater of Blood features Vincent Price at his melodramatic best.
#67
Adjusted Score: 87824%
Critics Consensus: Naturalistic but evocative, Last Tango in Paris is a vivid exploration of pain, love, and sex featuring a typically towering Marlon Brando performance.
#68
Adjusted Score: 90014%
Critics Consensus: A bird may love a fish — and musical fans will love this adaptation of Fiddler on the Roof, even if it isn’t quite as transcendent as the long-running stage version.
#69
Adjusted Score: 106097%
Critics Consensus: John Schlesinger’s gritty, unrelentingly bleak look at the seedy underbelly of urban American life is undeniably disturbing, but Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight’s performances make it difficult to turn away.
#70
Adjusted Score: 73296%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#71
Adjusted Score: 106048%
Critics Consensus: Arguably the greatest of the spaghetti westerns, this epic features a compelling story, memorable performances, breathtaking landscapes, and a haunting score.
#72
Adjusted Score: 106785%
Critics Consensus: Tense, funny, and thought-provoking all at once, and lifted by strong performances from Sydney Poitier and Rod Steiger, director Norman Jewison’s look at murder and racism in small-town America continues to resonate today.
#73
Adjusted Score: 96610%
Critics Consensus: With Clint Eastwood in the lead, Ennio Morricone on the score, and Sergio Leone’s stylish direction, For a Few Dollars More earns its recognition as a genre classic.
#74
Adjusted Score: 96817%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#75
Adjusted Score: 103554%
Critics Consensus: With Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo as his template, Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars helped define a new era for the Western and usher in its most iconic star, Clint Eastwood.
#76
Adjusted Score: 97081%
Critics Consensus: A Shot in the Dark is often regarded as the best of the Pink Panther sequels, and Peter Sellers gives a top-notch performance that makes slapstick buffoonery memorable.
#77
Adjusted Score: 96473%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#78
Adjusted Score: 91354%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#79
Adjusted Score: 100503%
Critics Consensus: With its impeccably slow-building story and a cast for the ages, The Great Escape is an all-time action classic.
#80
Adjusted Score: 94499%
Critics Consensus: Sidney Poitier lends heart and humor to the wonderfully simple Lilies of the Fields, in which splendor sprouts from wholesome soil.
#81
Adjusted Score: 73458%
Critics Consensus: It’s long, frantic, and stuffed to the gills with comic actors and set pieces — and that’s exactly its charm.
#82
Adjusted Score: 93178%
Critics Consensus: Peter Sellers is at his virtuosically bumbling best in The Pink Panther, a sophisticated caper blessed with an unforgettably slinky score by Henry Mancini.
#83
Adjusted Score: 104530%
Critics Consensus: A classic blend of satire and political thriller that was uncomfortably prescient in its own time, The Manchurian Candidate remains distressingly relevant today.
#84
Adjusted Score: 102186%
Critics Consensus: Featuring plenty of the humor, action, and escapist thrills the series would become known for, Dr. No kicks off the Bond franchise in style.
#85
Adjusted Score: 106383%
Critics Consensus: Buoyed by Robert Wise’s dazzling direction, Leonard Bernstein’s score, and Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics, West Side Story remains perhaps the most iconic of all the Shakespeare adaptations to visit the big screen.
#86
Adjusted Score: 108339%
Critics Consensus: Director Billy Wilder’s customary cynicism is leavened here by tender humor, romance, and genuine pathos.
#87
Adjusted Score: 95952%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#88
Adjusted Score: 94533%
Critics Consensus: The Magnificent Seven transplants Seven Samurai into the Old West with a terrific cast of Hollywood stars — and without losing any of the story’s thematic richness.
#89
Adjusted Score: 66400%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#90
Adjusted Score: 103451%
Critics Consensus: Some Like It Hot: A spry, quick-witted farce that never drags.
#91
Adjusted Score: 95330%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#92
Adjusted Score: 99326%
Critics Consensus: An advocacy drama that makes its points without belaboring them, The Defiant Ones relies on its clever concept and brilliant performances to repudiate racial prejudice.
#93
Adjusted Score: 101079%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#94
Adjusted Score: 108652%
Critics Consensus: Sidney Lumet’s feature debut is a superbly written, dramatically effective courtroom thriller that rightfully stands as a modern classic.
#95
Adjusted Score: 107342%
Critics Consensus: Paths of Glory is a transcendentally humane war movie from Stanley Kubrick, with impressive, protracted battle sequences and a knock-out ending.
#96
Adjusted Score: 105332%
Critics Consensus: Witness for the Prosecution combines a fascinating character study with a brilliantly unpredictable plot to produce a practically flawless Agatha Christie adaptation.
#97
Adjusted Score: 103535%
Critics Consensus: Featuring Robert Mitchum’s formidable performance as a child-hunting preacher, The Night of the Hunter is a disturbing look at good and evil.
#98
Adjusted Score: 105462%
Critics Consensus: Scriptwriter Paddy Chayefsky’s solid dialogue is bolstered by strong performances from Ernest Borgnine and Betsy Blair in this appealingly low-key character study.
#99
Adjusted Score: 82151%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#100
Adjusted Score: 104792%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.