Here are 12 perfect movies.
Ready?
Let’s go.
What Do We Mean By Perfect Movies?
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. Universal Studios
Obviously, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And perfection is even more subjective. But these are movies that we consider perfect in that they do exactly what they set out to do.
We could turn any of them all at any point and find ourselves engaged and entertained. They continue to play in our heads long after we turn them off. They’re exquisite.
Do they have any mistakes? Some have elements — including special effects — that are very much of their times. We feel that those qualties make them even more perfect movies, because they often represent a moment that can never be duplicated.
All of these perfect movies are available on demand or on disc. And now, our list.
Casablanca (1942)
The oldest film on our perfect movies list didn’t stumble onto perfection: Screenwriters Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch labored over every line. Director Michael Curtiz paced the film flawlessly. Herman Hupfeld’s “As Time Goes By” was a gorgeous song selection.
But what works best is the chemistry between Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman as Rick and Ilsa, two lovers who have to sacrifice their love for the greater good. It was an extremely timely story upon release — the World War II story came out at the height of the war — but its message against fascism has aged incredibly well.
It’s also one of the funniest movies ever made, in a very wry kind of way. We could watch it again and again, and we have.
Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
This might be the perfect film to watch in 2026, at a time when we hear constantly that AI is about to disrupt everything.
Singin’ in the Rain is also about new technology — in this case, talking pictures, or talkies — that threatens to change Hollywood forever, maybe for the worse.
Of course, the doomsayers were wrong. Smart people will always dance through anything.
As knowing and funny as Singin’ in the Rain is, it doesn’t hurt that it also has several showstopping songs — or that it’s one of the most beautiful-looking movies we’ve ever seen.
Rear Window (1954)
Alfred Hitchcock’s perfectly constructed thriller stars Jimmy Stewart as a war photographer recovering from an injury that keeps him bound to his apartment. So he spends his days spying on his neighbors.
His ladyfriend Lisa (Grace Kelly) pops by from time to time to check on him — and gets enmeshed in his theory that one of his neighbors is a killer.
Things built with intoxicating elegance and verve. And in one of the all time best movie tricks, by the end of the film we’ve become the voyeurs.
The Godfather (1972)
Francis Ford Coppola’s story of the mob — and America — has everything. Gorgeous cinematgraphy by the great Gordon Willis, stellar acting by established icons like Marlon Brando and then-rising stars like Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall and Diane Keaton, and a captivating screenplay by Coppola and Mario Puzo, working from Puzo’s page-turner novel.
The Godfather also has sex, violence, passion, terror, and plenty of strategically located oranges. It expanded everyone’s definition of what a movie could do, creating a novelistic masterpieces that remains one of the most referenced and quoted films of all time.
If you’re skipping through channels and come across it, odds are you’re going to watch.
Jaws (1975)
Rewatching Jaws, you expect it to be boring — it’s from 1975, after all, when horror movies and thrillers didn’t have the technology to do what they can do today.
But no. Jaws has a rawness and tension that feel astonishingly real, so real that you’ll think about the film every single time you visit a beach. The technical troubles that made it hard for director Steven Spielberg to show the shark too often ended up helping the film, by keeping the monster largely out of sight.
We’re left with John Williams score, incredible acting all around, and a very ominous plastic shark fin to do the heavy lifting. And they do.
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
This is a film that has absolutely no business being as good as it is. It’s the sequel to a story that seemed to be completely told — what’s left after you’ve seen the farm boy blow up the Death Star?
A lot, as it turns out. Besides being absolutely beautiful-looking, from Hoth to Cloud City, The Empire Strikes Back combines Casablanca-style repartee with the flat-out greatest movie twist of all time.
And you’ll get some rather impressive life advice from a puppet named Yoda. The line everyone remembers is “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” But we also like “size matters not” and “wars not make one great.”
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1983)
You can watch E.T. as a child and be mesmerized, or watch it as an adult and be mesmerized. But for the best viewing experience, we recommend watching it with a child you love, and being mesmerized by the sight of them being mesmerized.
It’s an incredibly simple story, yet the emotions in brings up are profound: A little boy, Elliott (Henry Thomas) encounters an alien whose curiosity about our planet prevents him from making it back to his spacecraft on time.
Soon Eliott and E.T. find themselves deeply connected, in a bond strengthened through Reece’s Pieces, bike rides, and — at one point — beer. Henry Thomas delivers maybe the best performance by a child in any film.
At times, the special effects are a little janky. Somehow that makes the movie better.
This is the second Steven Spielberg-directed movie on this list, and we thought a lot about adding more. But he did executive produce the next film on our list.
Back to the Future (1985)
A movie about nostalgia that gets better with age. It also combines sci-fi and comedy better than any movie ever.
The setup of Robert Zemeckis’ blockbuster is the best smart-stupid idea ever: 1980s teen Marty McFly travels back in time to the 1950s, where he accidentally prevents his parents’ fateful meeting. To save himself and his siblings, he must somehow get them to become a couple — while avoiding his mom, who has developed very confusing feelings for him.
Back to the Future has a looseness and lightness that are totally irresistible. Michael J. Fox is funny and completely endearing, and Christopher Lloyd brings the perfect amount of insanity to Doc Brown. Crispin Glover and Lea Thompson are excellent as Marty’s parents, the elder McFlys.
The Princess Bride (1987)
The Princess Bride is so excellent that you can tell it as a bedtime story, and kids will be rapt. But once you pepper in all the brilliant lines and performances, you have a masterpiece.
Director Rob Reiner did an utterly charming job of bringing to life William Goldman’s screenplay, as adaptation of his own novel with just the right mix of cynicism and romance.
Then-unknown Cary Ewles and Robin Wright are utterly entrancing as Wesley and Buttercup, and the supporting cast is maybe the best ever. The best speech goes to a supporting character, played by Mandy Patinkin: “Hello! My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”
But Andre the Giant, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, Carol Kane, Chris Sarandon, Christopher Guest, Peter Falk and Fred Savage are all delightful as well.
Filled with pleasures both audacious and simple, this may be the most re-watchable movie we’ve ever seen.
Goodfellas (1990)
Speaking of re-watchability: Watching Goodfellas again, it’s striking how every single scene is memorable. The film just flies by, from one constantly quoted or imitated scene to the next.
What’s even more remarkable is how well they all hold together, as Henry Hill’s gangster dream falls apart.
It’s director Martin Scorsese’s best work, which is really saying something. Ray Liotta is magnificent as Hill, and his co-stars Joe Pesci, Robert De Niro, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Sorvino are plenty great as well.
Dazed and Confused (1993)
The best hangout movie ever made. Richard Linklater lays out one night in the life of some Baby Busters — the kids born right after the Baby Boomers —played by a slew of Gen X stars on the rise, including Ben Affleck, Matthew McConaughey, and Parker Posey.
Linklater creates the illusion that it’s all effortless. But there’s nothing harder than making a movie that’s easy to watch.
Every generation since Gen X has watched this beautiful film about growing up, and maybe felt a little longing for a time they never knew of cruising around, making and breaking pledges, and partying at the moon tower.
Lost in Translation (2003)
The best movie ever made about ennui is also a great film about friendship — especially of the temporary kind.
Sofia Coppola’s masterpiece stars a very young Scarlett Johansson as the new wife of a self-centered director. She finds herself with nothing to do in a luxurious Tokyo hotel, until she crosses paths with aging movie star Bob (Bill Murray), in town for a whiskey ad.
They connect over their disappointing marriages and uncertainty about life, and we wonder if they’ll get together — hoping, in a way, that they won’t. But if they don’t, where can the movie possibly go?
It makes a choice that feels both melancholy and exquisite. And it has the best last line no one’s ever heard.
If you like this list of perfect movies, you may also like this list of the 12 Best Time-Travel Movies, featuring Back to the Future.
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Main image: Lost in Translation. Focus Features.
