Following are the 211 theatrical releases for 2003 I ranked on the fly during the year. The ranking is now final, and any 2003 releases that I might catch in the future will not be ranked. The ranking includes only theatrical releases — made-for-cable and made-for-TV movies are not ranked, nor are older films I saw in 2003. Links go to my review. Numbers after each entry are Date First Viewed/NYC Release Date. Year is 2003 unless otherwise noted.
other yearly rankings:
2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020
2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010
2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004
The 10 Best Films of 2003
why these?
1. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (12.02/12.17)
2. Lost in Translation (09.09/09.12)
3. American Splendor (08.11/08.15)
4. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (11.06/11.14)
5. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (07.02/07.09)
6. In America (10.08/11.26)
7. The Triplets of Belleville (11.18/11.26)
8. Big Fish (12.04/12.10)
9. Bad Santa (11.14/11.26)
10. Hulk (06.17/06.20)
The Rest
X2: X-Men United (04.23/05.02)
Mystic River (10.02/10.08)
The Station Agent (09.29/10.03)
Peter Pan (12.17/12.25)
The Magdalene Sisters (06.11/08.01)
Winged Migration (08.04/04.18)
In This World (09.10/09.19)
A Mighty Wind (04.04/04.16)
Millennium Actress (09.04/09.12)
Love Actually (11.04/11.07)
Carnage (08.28/09.05)
The Fog of War (12.15/12.19)
Holes (04.15/04.18)
Girl with a Pearl Earring (12.01/12.12)
The Barbarian Invasions (11.18/11.26)
Nowhere in Africa (08.11/03.07)
Capturing the Friedmans (08.06/05.30)
Shattered Glass (10.08/10.31)
Veronica Guerin (10.14/10.17)
Cold Mountain (12.22/12.25)
Gerry (12.22/02.14)
Intolerable Cruelty (10.07/10.10)
Buffalo Soldiers (05.22/07.25)
In My Skin (11.03/11.07)
Seabiscuit (07.21/07.25)
Matchstick Men (09.14/09.12)
Open Range (08.12/08.15)
The Missing (11.19/11.26)
Calendar Girls (11.11/12.19)
Runaway Jury (10.14/10.17)
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (06.30/07.02)
Secondhand Lions (09.07/09.19)
OT: our town (08.06/08.15)
Taking Sides (08.28/09.05)
Under the Tuscan Sun (09.23/09.26)
The Cooler (10.17/11.19)
Le Divorce (08.04/08.08)
Dummy (09.11/09.12)
Casa de los Babys (08.05/09.19)
28 Days Later (06.18/06.27)
Down with Love (05.07/05.16)
Girlhood (05.09/10.31)
The Matrix Reloaded (05.08/05.15)
Dirty Pretty Things (05.15/07.18)
Bubba Ho-Tep (09.10/09.19)
The Sea (02.27/05.16)
Stevie (03.06/03.28)
The Good Thief (04.15/04.02)
May (12.30/02.07)
Thirteen (08.18/08.20)
The Guys (02.05/04.04)
Home Room (08.26/09.05)
Spellbound (08.05/04.30)
Sweet Sixteen (08.10/05.16)
All the Real Girls (12.29/02.14)
Beyond Borders (10.21/10.24)
21 Grams (10.14/11.14)
Out of Time (10.01/10.03)
Hell’s Highway: The True Story of Highway Safety Films (11.09/06.27)
Spider (02.05/02.28)
The Event (05.06/10.03)
Raising Victor Vargas (12.30/03.28)
Zero Day (08.26/09.03)
I Capture the Castle (07.08/07.11)
Whale Rider (05.27/06.06)
Bend It Like Beckham (03.05/03.12)
Ghosts of the Abyss (04.07/04.11)
September 11 (06.05/07.11)
Lawless Heart (02.07/02.21)
Phone Booth (04.01/04.04)
The Secret Lives of Dentists (12.22/08.01)
The Last Samurai (12.03/12.05)
Once Upon a Time in Mexico (09.12/09.12)
Venus Boyz (11.06/08.22)
Freaky Friday (07.31/08.06)
Irreversible (02.27/03.07)
Starkiss: Circus Girls in India (06.05/06.11)
Amen. (01.20/01.24)
Amandla! A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony (01.13/02.14)
Chaos (01.13/01.29)
Man on the Train (05.02/05.09)
The Company (12.15/12.25)
The Hard Word (06.09/06.13)
The Human Stain (10.23/10.31)
Finding Nemo (05.18/05.30)
Willard (03.21/03.21)
The Core (03.26/03.28)
Confidence (04.14/04.25)
Owning Mahowny (04.15/05.02)
The Italian Job (05.21/05.30)
Lost in La Mancha (12.18.02/01.31)
Young Black Stallion (12.13/12.25)
Laurel Canyon (02.10/03.07)
The Heart of Me (06.09/06.13)
Jet Lag (04.14/06.13)
The Singing Detective (11.09/10.24)
Journeys with George (02.28/03.14)
Dark Blue (02.06/02.21)
Cabin Fever (09.13/09.12)
Tears of the Sun (03.04/03.07)
The Guru (01.28/01.31)
Mona Lisa Smile (12.09/12.19)
Honey (12.01/12.05)
Dreamcatcher (03.17/03.21)
Bollywood Hollywood (09.10/09.26)
Garage Days (07.10/07.18)
Legally Blonde 2: Red White and Blonde (06.25/07.02)
Wonderland (10.11/10.03)
Till Human Voices Wake Us (02.11/02.21)
The Recruit (01.27/01.31)
Blind Spot: Hitler’s Secretary (12.04.02/01.24)
It Runs in the Family (04.21/04.25)
Better Luck Tomorrow (02.27/April)
Cinemania (05.10/05.16)
Anything but Love (11.12/11.14)
Shaolin Soccer (05.01/09.05)
The Rundown (09.24/09.26)
Paycheck (12.18/12.25)
Timeline (11.20/11.26)
Bulletproof Monk (04.09/04.16)
Shanghai Knights (01.30/02.07)
Looney Tunes: Back in Action (11.11/11.14)
In the Cut (10.13/10.22)
Rugrats Go Wild (06.06/06.13)
S.W.A.T. (08.04/08.08)
2 Fast 2 Furious (06.02/06.06)
Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (04.02/04.04)
The Matrix Revolutions (10.30/11.05)
Tsui Hark’s Vampire Hunters (05.19/05.30)
Flesh for the Beast (10.10/10.10)
Freddy Vs. Jason (08.07/08.15)
Levity (03.10/04.04)
The Legend of Suriyothai (09.14/06.20)
Charlotte Sometimes (06.19/???)
Agent Cody Banks (03.01/03.14)
Something’s Gotta Give (12.02/12.12)
Cheaper by the Dozen (12.14/12.25)
The Haunted Mansion (11.22/11.26)
Elf (10.27/11.07)
School of Rock (09.25/10.03)
Cold Creek Manor (09.16/09.19)
Johnny English (07.15/07.18)
Gothika (11.17/11.21)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (10.13/10.17)
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (07.22/07.25)
Underworld (09.17/09.19)
Daredevil (02.12/02.14)
The Battle of Shaker Heights (08.18/08.22)
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (07.07/07.11)
How to Deal (07.08/07.18)
Radio (10.11/10.24)
Daddy Day Care (05.05/05.09)
And Now… Ladies and Gentlemen… (08.11/08.01)
Suspended Animation (10.30/10.31)
Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd (06.10/06.13)
Head of State (03.25/03.28)
Bringing Down the House (03.03/03.07)
Sinbad: Legend of the 7 Seas (06.26/07.02)
The Life of David Gale (02.19/02.21)
Brother Bear (10.18/10.24)
Love Don’t Cost a Thing (12.08/12.12)
What a Girl Wants (03.31/04.04)
Cradle 2 the Grave (02.25/02.28)
Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (09.03/09.05)
Duplex (09.27/09.26)
Stuck on You (12.09/12.12)
View from the Top (03.19/03.21)
Gods and Generals (02.12/02.21)
Deliver Us From Eva (01.29/02.07)
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (02.01/02.07)
A Guy Thing (01.15/01.17)
Just Married (01.07/01.10)
Spun (02.05/03.14)
Old School (02.08/02.21)
The In-Laws (05.19/05.23)
American Wedding (07.29/08.01)
Final Destination 2 (01.23/01.31)
The Hunted (03.11/03.14)
A Man Apart (03.27/04.04)
Bruce Almighty (05.20/05.23)
The Statement (12.08/12.12)
Monster (12.16/12.24)
Darkness Falls (01.25/01.24)
The Order (09.07/09.05)
Jeepers Creepers 2 (08.27/08.29)
Identity (04.22/04.25)
Alex and Emma (06.16/06.20)
Anger Management (04.07/04.11)
Uptown Girls (08.13/08.15)
Elephant (12.07/10.24)
Hollywood Homicide (06.06/06.13)
The 10 Worst Films of 2003
why these?
10. Kill Bill: Volume 1 (10.08/10.10)
9. Bad Boys II (07.14/07.18)
8. Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (07.16/07.25)
7. From Justin to Kelly (07.21/07.20)
6. House of Sand and Fog (12.04/12.19)
5. Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (06.23/06.27)
4. Kangaroo Jack (01.12/01.17)
3. Marci X (08.23/0822)
2. Gigli (07.28/08.01)
1. The Cat in the Hat (11.18/11.21)
