The 8 Best Movies of 2009, Ranked

Ranked by the movie.guru score, critics and audiences blended. No nostalgia, no vibes. Just the numbers, and a few of them are going to sting.

Number one outranked the biggest movie of the year. Nobody saw that coming.

1. 8
   (500) Days of Summer (2009)8.4

   Best rom-com where the hero is clearly the problem.

   Made for a reported $7.5M, grossed $60.8M worldwide, and 629,906 IMDb voters still argue about whether Summer was the villain. She wasn't. Tom just didn't listen.
2. 7
   Inglourious Basterds (2009)8.4

   Tarantino's best movie, and the opening scene proves it.

   Christoph Waltz owns every room he walks into. An 8.4 on IMDb from 1.8 million votes, $321.5M worldwide. Metacritic gave it a 69, which is the only miss here.
3. 6
   Avatar (2009)8.5

   Biggest movie of the year, only sixth best. Deal with it.

   $2.92 billion worldwide on a reported $237M budget. A gorgeous blue planet wrapped around a very familiar plot. Box office isn't a ranking, it's just a really big receipt.
4. 5
   The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)8.6

   Noomi Rapace alone is why this outranks Avatar.

   Made for a reported $13M, pulled $104.4M worldwide with only $10.1M of it domestic. Audiences beat 93% of movies. Turns out subtitles scare off more people than the plot.
5. 4
   Moon (2009)8.6

   One Sam Rockwell, one set, better than most blockbusters.

   Made for a reported $5M and earned just $9.8M worldwide, which is a crime against sci-fi. 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. Duncan Jones built a classic out of one guy and a lot of quiet.
6. 3
   3 Idiots (2009)8.8

   The best college movie ever made, and it isn't close.

   100% on Rotten Tomatoes and audiences beat 98% of movies. Aamir Khan turns an engineering school into the most fun campus on film. $60.3M worldwide, and every rupee earned.
7. 2
   The Secret in Their Eyes (2009)9.2

   The best movie of 2009 that most people skipped.

   A 9.2 on movie.guru, tied with #1, made for a reported $2M. Only $6.4M domestic. Ricardo Darín carries a mystery that lands like a love story, and it stays with you.
8. 1
   Star Trek (2009)9.2

   Yes, Star Trek beat Avatar. Critics and crowds both agreed.

   9.2 on movie.guru, 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, an A CinemaScore. Critics beat 92% of movies, audiences 93%. Avatar made more money. Star Trek made fewer people grumpy.

$317.71 says the first comment is somebody typing 'AVATAR AT #6?' in all caps.

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