In honor of America's 250th birthday, here are 50 must-see American movies that celebrate who we are, who we've been and who we can be.Show Caption
There's nothing like a great film that touches your soul.For much of America's first 250 years, movies have been the escape we've all needed at times in our lives. Theaters were there for us as an affordable diversion during the Great Depression and World War II, and more recently have been a haven for anyone needing air conditioning or a popcorn bucket.That's why we're celebrating 50 great American films, of varying genres, that showcase our best filmmakers and actors in memorable stories about our history, our passions and our fantasies. There are influential old movies on this list, as well as newer classics. Some are simply a whole lot of fun. And because we can't possibly pick a favorite, here's a list of stellar movies (in alphabetical order) that explore who we are, who we've been, and who we can be.1. 'All the President’s Men' (1976)Not only an American classic, but likely the only movie where a close-up of a busy typewriter is a perfectly satisfying ending. The mother of all journalism dramas melds elements of white-knuckle political thriller and old-school detective yarn with Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as Washington Post reporters who tackle a crooked commander in chief like a pair of coffee-swilling, paper-passing superheroes.2. 'Animal House' (1978)Just think of how many kids have had that John Belushi poster on their dorm-room wall. Now imagine all their parents having nightmares that this was their university experience. "Animal House" made the gross-out college comedy a thing, popularized the toga party, hosted the best cinematic cafeteria food fight ever, plus launched the careers of remarkable young actors (from Kevin Bacon to Karen Allen) and so many catchphrases.3. 'Apocalypse Now' (1979)You can enjoy Francis Ford Coppola's Vietnam drama as a war movie filled with the horror of battle or as a weirdly and wholly watchable journey into insanity. Martin Sheen is the Army captain tasked with going on a secret mission to Cambodia to assassinate a special forces officer (Marlon Brando) who's gone rogue and might actually be nuts. Other movies of its ilk might lean more realistic, but Coppola's vision is absolutely sublime.4. 'Back to the Future' (1985)For those of a certain age, it's probably best not to think about how Michael J. Fox going back from '85 to '55 to make sure his parents meet is like going from now to '96, the year of Spice Girls and the "Macarena." Yes, we're getting older, but "Back to the Future" remains a timeless time-travel comedy filled with so much humor, smarts and electrifying shenanigans that it (almost) makes up for the ultra-creepiness of Marty McFly's mom hitting on her future son.5. 'Barbie' (2023)The pink-bedecked half of the "Barbenheimer" pop-culture moment, Greta Gerwig's feminist meta comedy found fans of all ages and genders. Famous fashion dolls Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) head to the Real World and deal with existential crises while things go goofily awry for the plastic folks in Barbie Land. Our hearts are left warmed by its deft exploration of humanity, patriarchy and the meaning of life.6. 'The Blues Brothers' (1980)Folks, this one has country and Western. And the blues. And gospel. And soul. And good old rock 'n' roll. In addition to a starry road trip through musical Americana (with none other than Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and James Brown), Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi are Chicago criminal siblings on a mission from God to save their old orphanage. Which means getting their band back together and avoiding the law as well as Illinois Nazis.7. 'The Breakfast Club' (1985)Done now, John Hughes' seminal teen movie probably would look very different – there'd be cellphones, for sure – but likely would have the same sort of archetypes that defined this essential '80s film. A jock (Emilio Estevez), a nerd (Anthony Michael Hall), a rebel (Judd Nelson), a popular girl (Molly Ringwald) and an outcast (Ally Sheedy) go into a Saturday detention session as strangers and come out something else.8. 'Bonnie and Clyde' (1967)The successful biopic about two of the country's most wanted outlaws foreshadowed the current cultural obsession with all things true crime. It also helps when you get two of Hollywood's finest breaking the law. Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway play criminal couple Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, respectively, who go on a spree of robberies that gradually grow more brazen and lead to a predictably bloody end.9. 'Casablanca' (1942)It still holds up as time goes by, whether you prefer the romance between expat nightclub owner (Humphrey Bogart) and his ex Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) or the bromance of Rick and pianist pal Sam (Dooley Wilson). There's World War II intrigue, a thought-provoking love triangle, clever humor, some schmaltz and a slew of memorable lines as Rick tries to remain neutral in war until love and righteousness walk through his doors.10. 'Citizen Kane' (1941)Is it the best movie of all time? Orson Welles' work certainly was doing nonlinear storytelling and twist endings way before it was cool, but "Kane" is also a cracking good journalism narrative with modern cultural relevance. Power goes to the head of a newspaper magnate (Welles) who uses his media empire to build himself into a political contender, while a reporter (William Alland) is left piecing together the puzzle of the mogul's complicated legacy. 11. 'Die Hard' (1988)During an era of pumped-up movie He-Men, Bruce Willis' determined cop John McClane stood out for being the ultimate regular dude in a seriously messed-up situation. In the superb action film or Christmas movie, take your pick, he goes to the holiday party of his ex only to get put in the middle of a terrorist attack. With grit and one-liners, this American hero navigates air vents and glass shards to save the day.12. 'Do the Right Thing' (1989)Spike Lee's incendiary racial drama feels so relevant, hard to believe it's nearly 40 years old. Set during a sweltering summer day in Brooklyn, tensions run high when Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn), friend to pizza delivery man Mookie (Lee), wants Black celebrities featured on the Italian restaurant's Wall of Fame. The situation boils over, leading to a riot and the police killing a key character, making Lee's signature flick a must-watch though not an easy one.13. 'The Exorcist' (1973)William Friedkin long argued that his movie about innocence lost and the power of faith is more religious thriller than horror flick. But, man, it's unnerved several generations and continues to do so. The devil invades a Georgetown home, and holy men have quite the job to do on a demonic little girl. Linda Blair's harrowing portrayal of a possessed child and the meaningful exploration of good and evil will stick with anyone who dares see it.14. 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' (1982)Watch Amy Heckerling's movie as a kid and you get the teen comedy with a bunch of '80s mallrats running around. (Sean Penn's surfer dude Spicoli is particularly a hoot.) Watch it as an adult, however, and it's a totally different experience – the film is actually a rather trenchant look at high school kids on the cusp of growing up, dealing with low-paying jobs, navigating the consequences of sex and finding needed wisdom wherever they can.15. 'Field of Dreams' (1989)It could be argued baseball isn't America's pastime any longer, yet there's something poetic and haunting in this beautiful film that explores the sport as well as ghosts of our past. Kevin Costner is the Iowa farmer who hears strange voices and builds a ball field in his corn. He's labeled a weirdo but it all works out when "Shoeless" Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta) shows up in the outfield. The one movie that leaves most dudes a weeping mess at the end.16. 'The French Connection' (1971)Never seen Brooklyn? Let Gene Hackman take you on an astounding car chase through town in William Friedkin's fast-paced neo-noir cop thriller. Narcotics detective Popeye Doyle (Hackman), who bends the rules regularly on the job, and his partner Buddy (Roy Scheider) work with feds to track down a French drug lord and his hitman who are smuggling heroin into the city via a Lincoln Continental.17. 'Get Out' (2017)Jordan Peele instantly became one of our foremost creative filmmaking voices with his socially conscious horror phenomenon. And in "Get Out," a clever and biting take on racism, culture and humanity, he tiptoes a fine line between humor and terror as a young African-American photographer (Daniel Kaluuya) meets the parents of his white girlfriend (Allison Williams) and learns you don't want to go anywhere near the Sunken Place.18. 'The Godfather' (1972)The fact that the first two "Godfather" movies aren't both on this list might earn us a horse head in bed. Yet Francis Ford Coppola's original sprawling gangster epic is undeniable. Centered on New York's Corleone crime family, and featuring brilliant performances from Marlon Brando and Al Pacino as two generations of mafia dons, it's a period mob tale that pummels you for three joyous hours of violence, betrayal, drama and gripping emotion.19. 'Gone With the Wind' (1939)Recent times have brought renewed scrutiny on the popular Southern-fried Civil War epic's racist depictions and romanticizations of slavery. Like America itself, its past is complicated. The movie follows the life of feisty belle Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh), from growing up on a plantation to her love affairs, including with roguish Rhett Butler (Clark Gable).20. 'Groundhog Day' (1993)In the best comedy ever inspired by a rando holiday, Bill Murray refuses to let a bucktoothed critter upstage him. And dang it, we love him for it. Directed by his "Ghostbusters" mate Harold Ramis, the fantasy rom-com casts Murray as a jerky weatherman stuck in a time loop who has to relive his dreaded day over and over until he figures his life out – meaning learning to play piano, get good at ice sculptures and fall for his producer (Andie MacDowell).21. 'Hidden Figures' (2016)Leave it to Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe to make math a joy. The engaging – and educating! – period drama not only throws back to the era of the civil-rights movement and the Space Race but combines the two, with the actresses playing 1960s NASA mathematicians having to prove their worth to their boss (Kevin Costner) amid stifling racial and gender inequality.22. 'It Happened One Night' (1934)Those who came up on romantic comedies of the '80s and '90s should dip into this early – and rather nifty – example of the genre. Frank Capra's screwball flick stars Claudette Colbert as a spoiled socialite who elopes with her hubby, hits the road to escape the influence of her rich daddy and has a "meet cute," 1930s style, on a Greyhound bus with a reporter (Clark Gable) who wants the exclusive scoop on her story.23. 'It’s a Wonderful Life' (1946)Definitely the movie on this list to choose if you need a smack upside the head with Christmas spirit. George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) considers ending it all on Christmas Eve and meets guardian angel Clarence (Henry Travers), who takes George through big moments in his existence and shows him how much life would have sucked had he not been born. Spoiler alert: An angel gets his wings and you're in for all the feels.24. 'Jaws' (1975)Beach trips are a July Fourth tradition, though Steven Spielberg ruined them for a while with his inaugural blockbuster. Mayhem comes to a coastal New England town in the form of a killer shark who hunts anybody dumb enough to get in the water. Yet this tale of underwater terror also brings the emotional depth of a modern-day Moby-Dick, featuring an obsessed hunter (Robert Shaw) inextricably tied to his great white rival.25. 'The Last Picture Show' (1971)Peter Bogdanovich's quintessential coming-of-age film was a showcase for future stars and a teen movie that very much matched the 1970s film mood. Timothy Bottoms and Jeff Bridges are best friends and high school seniors in a dead-end North Texas town. They get locked in a love triangle with local popular girl (Cybill Shepherd) and want to find a way out of this place while also facing uncertain futures.26. 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' (1939)It's a crazy premise that seems sort of impossible given the divided politics of right now: Naive, unprepared guy gets tapped to be a United States senator and winds up battling government corruption. Frank Capra's political dramedy made a star out of Jimmy Stewart as Jefferson Smith, a dude in over his head who takes on the D.C. machine with stirring sentiment.27. 'Network' (1976)Say it with us: “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!” Fifty years later, Sidney Lumet's satirical dark comedy feels unbelievably current in its premise, especially in a world of 24-hour news cycles, divisive social media and bonkers headlines. A TV network with flagging ratings rides its suicidal, unhinged anchorman to populist glory, and a raging Peter Finch unleashes an all-timer of a cinematic rant.28. 'Night of the Living Dead' (1968)George Romero influenced horror forever by unleashing zombies into the Pennsylvania countryside. The indie chiller follows a group of survivors who take refuge in a farm house from a host of undead ghouls, and it would have been a signature movie if just for that and a gut-punch ending. Instead, it's turned into a timeless work that's spawned decades of study about the movie as a metaphor for the civil rights movement, Vietnam War and 1960s America.29. 'Psycho' (1960)OK, Alfred Hitchcock was British but he crafted so many rich and suspenseful films that defined the 1940s, '50s, and '60s – plus worked with the major A-listers of the day – he might as well be Hollywood royalty. And arguably none was as eerie and downright innovative as "Psycho." Janet Leigh is a woman on the run who stops at the wrong motel – one run by the charmingly creepy Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) – and it's too bad she gets offed in the most famous shower scene ever before that deeply unsettling "mother" reveal.30. 'Pulp Fiction' (1994)Yes, it's going to bug us into the afterlife wondering what's in the golden briefcase. That's the sort of movie magic Quentin Tarantino conjured in this LA gangland game-changer. The genre-smashing delight brandished intertwining stories and character interactions, relaunched the careers of John Travolta and Bruce Willis, made Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson household names, and had everybody quoting the Book of Ezekiel for the first time in ages.31. 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' (1981)Who didn't think about getting into archaeology watching this as a kid? The kind of movie that reminds us why we love movies, Steven Spielberg's chef's kiss of an action adventure introduced Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones. The scrappy globetrotting hero finds love again and punches a whole bunch of Nazis in a race to find the Ark of the Covenant, with a whole bunch of world-shaking religious implications at hand.32. 'The Right Stuff' (1983)More than three wondrous hours detailing the backstory – in epic Hollywood fashion, naturally – of Americans' first trip to space. The epic historical drama stars Sam Shepard, Dennis Quaid, Fred Ward, Ed Harris and Scott Glenn as test pilots out to prove they have – you guessed it – "the right stuff" to be astronauts. Especially when political leaders order NASA to get going against the Soviets in the Space Race.33. 'Rocky' (1976)The fourth "Rocky" was the really patriotic one, with Sylvester Stallone pretty much taking on the whole Soviet Union. The OG drama was what forever changed the underdog sports movie, with Stallone's rough-and-tumble Philadelphia boxer finding punch and pathos in not only wooing his true love (Talia Shire) but also in an extraordinary chance to take down the heavyweight champ (Carl Weathers).34. 'Rudy' (1993)Anyone who says this is just "Rocky" with football is doing this feel-good, true-life tale a disservice. Rocky actually looked like he could win a fight – Sean Astin's Rudy is in a land of giants on the gridiron, trying his darnedest to make the famed Notre Dame squad. But make it he does, taking his lumps in the classroom, the practice field and just life in general, all leading to a rousing moment that dares you not to cry and cheer.35. 'Saving Private Ryan' (1998)From its ferocious and graphic opening, Steven Spielberg immerses audiences in the unflinching carnage and chaos of what American soldiers experienced during the Invasion of Normandy. It's Spielberg, though, which means the World War II drama also wields a big heart as well as weaponry. Tom Hanks is the Army Ranger captain who takes his men on a powerfully emotional quest to find a missing private (Matt Damon).36. 'The Searchers' (1956)For much of his career, John Wayne was a steely walking billboard for the Western. Director John Ford's epic finds the Duke as a more complicated protagonist: He plays a middle-aged Civil War veteran obsessed with taking revenge on the Comanche who slaughtered his family. The man's hatred runs deep, which makes the relationship that grows with his partially Native American nephew (Jeffrey Hunter) all the more thoughtful.37. 'The Shawshank Redemption' (1994)Based on a Stephen King novella, the period prison drama became a cult favorite thanks to video rentals and cable reruns. The thing is, Frank Darabont's adaptation is pretty great, and gets even better on repeat viewings. Tim Robbins is the banker convicted of killing his wife and her lover and sent to notorious Shawshank prison, while Morgan Freeman is the fellow inmate who befriends the new guy and heeds his wise words: "Get busy living, or get busy dying."38. 'The Shining' (1980)Stephen King never liked Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of his novel. Too bad, because it's a horror masterpiece. Jack Nicholson plays the new caretaker of a remote Colorado hotel in the offseason, bringing his family and hoping to overcome writer's block. Instead, the guy talks to dead barkeeps and wields an ax more than his typewriter. It's an excellent exploration of isolation and abuse as one man’s descent into madness turns terrifying for his loved ones.39. 'Sinners' (2025)Ryan Coogler mines his own family's roots in the Jim Crow South to create something original and audacious. He also leaves no genre unturned in his period musical gangster vampire extravaganza. Michael B. Jordan won a best actor Oscar playing twin brothers in 1930s Mississippi who return to their hometown to open up a blues-blasting juke joint but have their opening night crashed by vampires who come bearing sharp fangs and Irish reels.40. 'The Sixth Sense' (1999)Right from the start, M. Night Shyamalan introduced himself as a filmmaker to be reckoned with – a cool mix of Spielberg and Hitchcock. And his signature work changed the way we view movies with a surprising ending that almost no one saw coming. Why it works so well is because of the way the thriller straddles hope and tragedy with Bruce Willis’ stoic child psychologist and Haley Joel Osment’s embattled boy who can see ghosts.41. 'Star Wars' (1977)A youthful rebellion vs. a fascistic empire. Wizards with laser swords. An antiheroic smuggler, a spunky princess and a farmboy with big dreams. Oh, and a bar full of the weirdest aliens you've ever seen. George Lucas' original "Star Wars" had everything a movie lover would ever want, and through inventive world building and inimitable ingenuity, he created a galaxy far, far away that still captures our collective imagination nearly 50 years later.42. 'Superman' (1978)No other genre has had the box-office success the past 25 years like the superhero movie. The best one, however, came out before they got so popular. Saving people from dastardly supervillains and disastrous earthquakes, those are jobs for Superman. What Christopher Reeve gets so right as the Man of Steel is bringing nuance, kindness and soaring spirit to an American icon – and an alien nurtured to be the best of us.43. 'Taxi Driver' (1976)The pairing of Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro has given Hollywood so much memorable fare, from "Raging Bull" to "The Irishman." “Taxi Driver” was so evocative of its time and place while also being a gritty standard-bearer for antiheroic movies that came after. And De Niro is sensational as Travis Bickle, a cabbie in post-Vietnam New York City who suffers a psychological breakdown that leads to unhinged vigilantism.44. 'Toy Story' (1995)While generations of youngsters have been raised on animated Disney movies since the 1930s (thanks, Snow White!), the first Pixar movie won over the hearts and minds of kids of all ages. Tom Hanks' cowboy Woody and Tim Allen's spaceman Buzz Lightyear, plus all their friends, ushered in an era of storytelling that entertained children and fostered adult rediscovery, like feeling seen by watching action figures going through their own existential crises.45. 'To Kill a Mockingbird' (1962)Based on Harper Lee's seminal novel, the movie casts Gregory Peck as lawyer Atticus Finch, who in Depression-era Alabama defends a Black man wrongly accused of raping a young white woman. "Mockingbird" is an enthralling classic as a courtroom drama while also discussing racial inequality through the perspective of Atticus' young daughter Scout (Mary Badham). For the ultimate legal-eagle double feature, consider watching that with ...46. '12 Angry Men' (1957)Sidney Lumet's gripping thriller is an inspired work that examines the court system and how we interact with others. The film centers on a New York murder trial where a teenage boy is accused of stabbing his abusive dad and a jury has the kid's fate in their hands. Henry Fonda leads an all-star cast as the one juror who's not initially a "guilty" vote, sparking a stressful tug-of-war among fellow "Angry Men" (including Lee J. Cobb and Jack Warden).47. '2001: A Space Odyssey' (1968)A film about a person facing an artificial intelligence that becomes sentient and takes over? That's very much a movie of 2026, made more than five decades ago. Stanley Kubrick's influential sci-fi piece is much more than a scientist astronaut (Keir Dullea) vs. the HAL 9000, as it digs into themes of evolution, technology and the existence of extraterrestrial species in extremely trippy and memorable fashion.48. 'West Side Story' (1961)Dance fights, colorful musical numbers and Leonard Bernstein's fabulous showtunes mark the original adaptation of the Broadway spectacular. The urban take on Shakespeare's "Romeo & Juliet" tells the tragic love story of Tony (Richard Beymer) and Maria (Natalie Wood) set against a New York gang war between the white Jets and Puerto Rican Sharks. Even now, the film continues to reflect our own issues with cycles of violence and cultural prejudice.49. 'The Wild Bunch' (1969)The style and unyielding violence of Sam Peckinpah's Western classic inspired a slew of filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino as well as later men-on-a-mission tales. William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Warren Oates and Ben Johnson star as aging outlaws who set out for one last robbery but are set up and betrayed by an old ally (Robert Ryan), leading to a bloody quest to survive along the Mexican-American border.50. 'The Wizard of Oz' (1939)The moment where Dorothy (Judy Garland) goes from her black-and-white Kansas existence to the Technicolor wonder of Oz still hits like few others in film. The movie's influence on culture is unmistakable ("The Wiz" and "Wicked," anyone?) and we still find so much joy in this little girl and her dog going on a fantastical journey with a motley crew of characters. Yet this classic continues to remind of an unwavering truth: There's no place like home.
