Ever since the big-budget studio blockbusters took over and intimate, smaller-scale, more artistic movies got sidelined, the face of contemporary cinema has become bland and indistinguishable. The last decade to have a cinematic identity of its own was the ‘90s. But that doesn’t mean there haven’t been great movies made in the 21st century. Auteurs like Christopher Nolan, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Kathryn Bigelow have seen to that.
And there are always going to be masterful writers conceiving emotionally resonant characters and talented actors to bring them to life. So, here are The 10 Best Casts From 2000s Movies.
Superbad (2007)
Produced by comedy overlord Judd Apatow, Superbad is one of the sharpest and most relatable high school movies ever made. Jonah Hill and Michael Cera have hilarious chemistry as the central duo, Seth and Evan, and play the emotional moments with unrestrained sweetness.
Christopher Mintz-Plasse made himself a star overnight with his turn as Fogell (a.k.a. McLovin) and Emma Stone made a great first impression as Jules. Bill Hader and Seth Rogen are hysterical as the recklessly incompetent cops who take Fogell under their wing.
Almost Famous (2000)
Inspired by writer-director Cameron Crowe’s own experiences as a music journalist on the road with rock bands, Almost Famous is a character-driven movie that relied on its casting to work. Patrick Fugit anchors the whole thing as everyman protagonist William Miller, who goes on tour with a fictional band named Stillwater, while Billy Crudup captures every pompous rock star as Stillwater’s lead guitarist Russell Hammond.
Frances McDormand provides a memorable turn as William’s mother, Elaine, and there are terrific supporting performances from Philip Seymour Hoffman, Zooey Deschanel, Jason Lee, and Anna Paquin. But the true standout in this ensemble is Kate Hudson as Penny Lane, the veteran groupie who takes William under her wing.
Mean Girls (2004)
Mean Girls stars Lindsay Lohan as Cady Heron, the role that defined her career. Rachel McAdams is unforgettably spiteful as the nefarious Regina George, while Lacey Chabert and Amanda Seyfried hilariously round out the Plastics. Lizzy Caplan and Daniel Franzese play the endlessly likable Janis and Damien, respectively, in stark contrast with the Plastics’ meanness.
The movie’s screenwriter, Tina Fey, appears as a math teacher, and brought along some of her SNL cohorts, like Tim Meadows and Amy Poehler, to play hysterical supporting roles.
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Although it was marketed as a female version of Rocky, Million Dollar Baby turns into a depressing, but powerful drama at its harrowing midpoint. Director Clint Eastwood needed some seriously talented actors to appear alongside himself playing trainer Frankie Dunn.
Hilary Swank gives a career-best performance as Maggie Fitzgerald, a committed boxer whose aspirations are dashed by an unexpected tragedy, while Morgan Freeman gives a tearjerking turn as Dunn’s assistant.
No Country For Old Men (2007)
The Coen brothers’ neo-western cat-and-mouse thriller No Country for Old Men expertly toys with the audience’s expectations of narrative structure, and the actors all give beautifully nuanced performances to complement the grounded, realistic storytelling.
Javier Bardem’s Oscar-winning portrayal of the sociopathic murderer Anton Chigurh is as captivating as it is chilling, while Josh Brolin is mesmerizing as Llewelyn Moss, the regular guy who’s in over his head. At the end of the movie, Tommy Lee Jones’ Terrell County Sheriff Ed Tom Bell is left to contemplate the senseless violence that’s taken place.
Shaun Of The Dead (2004)
In Edgar Wright’s zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead, as always, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have the kind of on-screen chemistry that can only arise from actors being close friends in real life. Kate Ashfield goes above and beyond with the unusually three-dimensional love interest role of Liz. Bill Nighy plays both Philip’s comedic moments and dramatic moments beautifully, and Peter Serafinowicz nails every line as Pete.
Dylan Moran is hysterically arrogant and self-serving as David and Lucy Davis is as relatable as she was in The Office as his embattled girlfriend Dianne, while Dame Penelope Wilton’s portrayal of Shaun’s mother Barbara encapsulates sweet, well-meaning old ladies.
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Inglorious Basterds was Quentin Tarantino’s bunch-of-guys-on-a-mission WWII actioner. Brad Pitt leads the team with effortless Southern charm as Lt. Aldo Raine, but Christoph Waltz is the movie’s M.V.P. as Col. Hans Landa, one of the most terrifying villains ever put on film.
There’s also a ton of great supporting performances: Mélanie Laurent as revenge-seeking Jewish refugee Shosanna Dreyfus; Michael Fassbender as suave British spy Lt. Archie Hicox; and Diane Kruger as Bridget von Hammersmark, a German movie star using her acting abilities to spy for the Allies.
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
The story of the Hoover family’s road trip across America to get their daughter to a child beauty pageant needed actors that had palpable enough chemistry to feel like a real family, and the filmmakers got the perfect people for each part. Toni Collette and Greg Kinnear are terrific as a pair of perfectionists whose marriage is far from perfect, while Alan Arkin gives one of his all-time funniest performances as the grandpa.
Steve Carell and Paul Dano are both heartbreaking and heartwarming as the suicidal uncle and the neglected younger brother, respectively, who bond over being the family’s soulful outcasts. Even Abigail Breslin, who was just 10 when the movie came out, is revelatory as Olive.
The Departed (2006)
Pretty much every actor in Hollywood is dying to work with Martin Scorsese, so he’s able to get the very best people for each role. In The Departed, his first movie to win Best Picture, an undercover cop and a mole working for the Irish Mob both try to figure out who the other one is.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon are compelling in these roles, respectively, while Jack Nicholson is wonderfully sinister as the loopy mob boss Frank Costello (loosely based on Whitey Bulger). To round out the cast, there are also fantastic supporting turns from Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Vera Farmiga, and Alec Baldwin.
The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)
Getting mainstream moviegoers to follow J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings across three movies was a Herculean task, but Peter Jackson had the perfect cast to get them on the hook. Elijah Wood’s Frodo Baggins gives the whole trilogy an emotional backbone while acting heavyweights like Ian McKellen and Christopher Lee make exposition sound like Shakespeare.
Viggo Mortensen’s Aragorn and Orlando Bloom’s Legolas are both badass action heroes with a human side, and Andy Serkis pioneered motion-capture acting to portray Gollum.