The Top 50 Movies of 2008
by saucedo64 | created - 16 Feb 2011 | updated - 16 Feb 2011 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. The Dark Knight (2008)
PG-13 | 152 min | Action, Crime, Drama
When the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine
Votes: 2,870,960 | Gross: $534.86M
2. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
R | 120 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A teenager from the slums of Mumbai becomes a contestant on the show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati?' When interrogated under suspicion of cheating, he revisits his past, revealing how he had all the answers.
Directors: Danny Boyle, Loveleen Tandan | Stars: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Saurabh Shukla, Anil Kapoor
Votes: 877,871 | Gross: $141.32M
3. Iron Man (2008)
PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
After being held captive in an Afghan cave, billionaire engineer Tony Stark creates a unique weaponized suit of armor to fight evil.
Director: Jon Favreau | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges
Votes: 1,124,985 | Gross: $318.41M
4. The Wrestler (2008)
R | 109 min | Drama, Sport
A faded professional wrestler must retire, but finds his quest for a new life outside the ring a dispiriting struggle.
Director: Darren Aronofsky | Stars: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Mark Margolis
Votes: 319,956 | Gross: $26.24M
5. Frost/Nixon (2008)
R | 122 min | Biography, Drama, History
A dramatic retelling of the post-Watergate television interviews between British talk-show host David Frost and former president Richard Nixon.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Kevin Bacon, Sam Rockwell
Votes: 112,471 | Gross: $18.59M
6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
PG-13 | 166 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Tells the story of Benjamin Button, a man who starts aging backwards with consequences.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Julia Ormond
Votes: 695,762 | Gross: $127.51M
7. Vantage Point (2008)
PG-13 | 90 min | Action, Crime, Drama
The attempted assassination of the American President is told and re-told from several different perspectives.
Director: Pete Travis | Stars: Dennis Quaid, Forest Whitaker, Matthew Fox, Bruce McGill
Votes: 154,071 | Gross: $72.27M
8. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
R | 111 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Devastated Peter takes a Hawaiian vacation in order to deal with the recent break-up with his TV star girlfriend, Sarah. Little does he know, Sarah's traveling to the same resort as her ex - and she's bringing along her new boyfriend.
Director: Nicholas Stoller | Stars: Kristen Bell, Jason Segel, Paul Rudd, Mila Kunis
Votes: 302,481 | Gross: $63.17M
9. Gran Torino (2008)
R | 116 min | Drama
After a Hmong teenager tries to steal his prized 1972 Gran Torino, a disgruntled, prejudiced Korean War veteran seeks to redeem both the boy and himself.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang, Christopher Carley, Ahney Her
Votes: 815,035 | Gross: $148.10M
10. Pineapple Express (2008)
R | 111 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A process server and his marijuana dealer wind up on the run from hitmen and a corrupt police officer after he witnesses his dealer's boss murder a competitor while trying to serve papers on him.
Director: David Gordon Green | Stars: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Gary Cole, Danny McBride
Votes: 357,537 | Gross: $87.34M
11. Seven Pounds (2008)
PG-13 | 123 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A man with a fateful secret embarks on an extraordinary journey of redemption by forever changing the lives of seven strangers.
Director: Gabriele Muccino | Stars: Will Smith, Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson, Michael Ealy
Votes: 315,232 | Gross: $69.95M
12. In Bruges (2008)
R | 107 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
After a job gone wrong, hitman Ray and his partner await orders from their ruthless boss in Bruges, Belgium, the last place in the world Ray wants to be.
Director: Martin McDonagh | Stars: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ciarán Hinds, Elizabeth Berrington
Votes: 461,542 | Gross: $7.76M
13. Defiance (I) (2008)
R | 137 min | Action, Drama, History
Jewish brothers in German-occupied Eastern Europe escape into a Belorussian forest, where they join Russian resistance fighters, and endeavor to build a village, in order to protect themselves and about one thousand Jewish non-combatants.
Director: Edward Zwick | Stars: Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell, Alexa Davalos
Votes: 155,688 | Gross: $28.64M
14. W. (I) (2008)
PG-13 | 129 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
A chronicle of the life and Presidency of George W. Bush.
Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Banks, Ioan Gruffudd, Colin Hanks
Votes: 50,039 | Gross: $25.53M
15. The Air I Breathe (2007)
R | 95 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A drama based on an ancient Chinese proverb that breaks life down into four emotional cornerstones: happiness, pleasure, sorrow and love. A businessman bets his life on a horse race; a gangster sees the future; a pop star falls prey to a crime boss; a doctor must save the love of his life.
Director: Jieho Lee | Stars: Brendan Fraser, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Andy Garcia, Kevin Bacon
Votes: 34,935 | Gross: $0.03M
16. The Bank Job (2008)
R | 111 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Martine offers Terry a lead on a foolproof bank hit on London's Baker Street. She targets a roomful of safe deposit boxes worth millions in cash and jewelry along with a treasure trove of dirty secrets.
Director: Roger Donaldson | Stars: Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows, Stephen Campbell Moore, Daniel Mays
Votes: 189,181 | Gross: $30.06M
17. Role Models (2008)
R | 99 min | Comedy
Wild behavior forces a pair of energy drink reps to enroll in a Big Brother program.
Director: David Wain | Stars: Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott, Elizabeth Banks, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Votes: 241,160 | Gross: $67.29M
18. Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)
R | 101 min | Comedy, Romance
Lifelong platonic friends Zack and Miri look to solve their respective cash-flow problems by making an adult film together. As the cameras roll, however, the duo begin to sense that they may have more feelings for each other than they previously thought.
Director: Kevin Smith | Stars: Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Craig Robinson, Gerry Bednob
Votes: 182,304 | Gross: $31.46M
19. Meet Bill (2007)
R | 93 min | Comedy, Drama
A guy fed up with his job and married to a cheating wife reluctantly mentors a rebellious teen.
Directors: Bernie Goldmann, Melisa Wallack | Stars: Aaron Eckhart, Jessica Alba, Logan Lerman, Elizabeth Banks
Votes: 20,991 | Gross: $0.06M
20. Leatherheads (2008)
PG-13 | 114 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
In 1925, an enterprising pro football player convinces America's too-good-to-be-true college football hero to play for his team and keep the league from going under.
Director: George Clooney | Stars: George Clooney, Renée Zellweger, John Krasinski, David de Vries
Votes: 33,443 | Gross: $31.20M
21. Kung Fu Panda (2008)
PG | 92 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
To everyone's surprise, including his own, Po, an overweight, clumsy panda, is chosen as protector of the Valley of Peace. His suitability will soon be tested as the valley's arch-enemy is on his way.
Directors: Mark Osborne, John Stevenson | Stars: Jack Black, Ian McShane, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman
Votes: 522,746 | Gross: $215.43M
22. Hamlet 2 (2008)
R | 92 min | Comedy, Music
In this irreverent comedy, a failed actor-turned-worse-high-school-drama-teacher rallies his Tucson, AZ students as he conceives and stages politically incorrect musical sequel to Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Director: Andrew Fleming | Stars: Steve Coogan, Elisabeth Shue, Catherine Keener, J.J. Soria
Votes: 17,358 | Gross: $4.88M
23. Transsiberian (2008)
R | 111 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A Transsiberian train journey from China to Moscow becomes a thrilling chase of deception and murder when an American couple encounters a mysterious pair of fellow travelers.
Director: Brad Anderson | Stars: Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer, Ben Kingsley, Kate Mara
Votes: 54,738 | Gross: $2.20M
24. Tropic Thunder (2008)
R | 107 min | Action, Comedy, War
Through a series of freak occurrences, a group of actors shooting a big-budget war movie are forced to become the soldiers they are portraying.
Director: Ben Stiller | Stars: Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Jeff Kahn
Votes: 448,113 | Gross: $110.52M
25. Milk (I) (2008)
R | 128 min | Biography, Drama, History
The story of American gay activist Harvey Milk, who fought for gay rights and was elected as California's first openly gay official.
Director: Gus Van Sant | Stars: Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, Diego Luna
Votes: 179,862 | Gross: $31.84M
26. Ghost Town (I) (2008)
PG-13 | 102 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Bertram Pincus is a man whose people skills leave much to be desired. When Pincus dies unexpectedly, but is miraculously revived after seven minutes, he wakes up to discover that he now has the annoying ability to see ghosts.
Director: David Koepp | Stars: Ricky Gervais, Greg Kinnear, Téa Leoni, Jordan Carlos
Votes: 77,903 | Gross: $13.21M
27. Doubt (I) (2008)
PG-13 | 104 min | Drama, Mystery
A Catholic school principal questions a priest's ambiguous relationship with a troubled young student.
Director: John Patrick Shanley | Stars: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis
Votes: 136,077 | Gross: $33.42M
28. JCVD (2008)
R | 97 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Jean-Claude Van Damme gets involved in a bank robbery with hostages situation and reflects about his life during it.
Director: Mabrouk El Mechri | Stars: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Valérie Bodson, Hervé Sogne, Rock Chen
Votes: 40,308 | Gross: $0.47M
29. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)
PG-13 | 94 min | Drama, War
Through the innocent eyes of Bruno, the eight-year-old son of the commandant at a German concentration camp, a forbidden friendship with a Jewish boy on the other side of the camp fence has startling and unexpected consequences.
Director: Mark Herman | Stars: Asa Butterfield, David Thewlis, Rupert Friend, Zac Mattoon O'Brien
Votes: 246,478 | Gross: $9.03M
30. Appaloosa (2008)
R | 115 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Two friends hired to police a small town that is suffering under the rule of a rancher find their job complicated by the arrival of a young widow.
Director: Ed Harris | Stars: Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Renée Zellweger, Jeremy Irons
Votes: 64,726 | Gross: $20.21M
31. Nobel Son (2007)
R | 110 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A professor of chemistry wins the Nobel Prize. His wife joins him to Stockholm but his PhD. working son gets kidnapped. The kidnapper demands $2,000,000 = prize sum.
Director: Randall Miller | Stars: Alan Rickman, Bryan Greenberg, Shawn Hatosy, Mary Steenburgen
Votes: 6,143 | Gross: $0.54M
32. Charlie Bartlett (2007)
R | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A rich kid becomes the self-appointed psychiatrist to the student body of his new high school.
Director: Jon Poll | Stars: Anton Yelchin, Robert Downey Jr., Hope Davis, Kat Dennings
Votes: 66,703 | Gross: $3.95M
33. Diary of the Dead (2007)
R | 95 min | Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi
A group of young film students run into real-life zombies while filming a horror movie of their own.
Director: George A. Romero | Stars: Michelle Morgan, Joshua Close, Shawn Roberts, Todd Schroeder
Votes: 49,239 | Gross: $0.96M
34. How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008)
R | 110 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
A British writer struggles to fit in at a high-profile magazine in New York City.
Director: Robert B. Weide | Stars: Simon Pegg, Kirsten Dunst, Megan Fox, Kelan Guy
Votes: 70,896 | Gross: $2.78M
35. Changeling (2008)
R | 141 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
After Christine's son goes missing, she reaches out to the LAPD to find him. But when they try to pass off an impostor as her son to quieten public protests, she refuses to accept him or give up hope.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Angelina Jolie, Colm Feore, Amy Ryan, Gattlin Griffith
Votes: 265,284 | Gross: $35.74M
36. Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
PG-13 | 96 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Two friends on a summer holiday in Spain become enamored with the same painter, unaware that his ex-wife, with whom he has a tempestuous relationship, is about to re-enter the picture.
Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem, Christopher Evan Welch
Votes: 268,889 | Gross: $23.22M
37. Revolutionary Road (2008)
R | 119 min | Drama, Romance
A young couple living in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their two children.
Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Christopher Fitzgerald, Jonathan Roumie
Votes: 225,012 | Gross: $22.91M
38. Baby Mama (2008)
PG-13 | 99 min | Comedy, Romance
A successful, single businesswoman who dreams of having a baby discovers she is infertile and hires a working class woman to be her unlikely surrogate.
Director: Michael McCullers | Stars: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Sigourney Weaver, Greg Kinnear
Votes: 47,479 | Gross: $60.49M
39. Horton Hears a Who! (2008)
G | 86 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Horton the Elephant struggles to protect a microscopic community from his neighbors who refuse to believe it exists.
Directors: Jimmy Hayward, Steve Martino | Stars: Jim Carrey, Steve Carell, Carol Burnett, Will Arnett
Votes: 150,269 | Gross: $154.53M
40. Run Fatboy Run (2007)
PG-13 | 100 min | Comedy, Romance, Sport
Five years after jilting his pregnant fiancée on their wedding day, out-of-shape Dennis decides to run a marathon to win her back.
Director: David Schwimmer | Stars: Simon Pegg, Thandiwe Newton, Hank Azaria, Dylan Moran
Votes: 69,851 | Gross: $6.00M
41. Choke (2008)
R | 92 min | Comedy, Drama
A sex-addicted con-man pays for his mother's hospital bills by playing on the sympathies of those who rescue him from choking to death.
Director: Clark Gregg | Stars: Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, Kelly Macdonald, Kathryn Alexander
Votes: 33,610 | Gross: $2.93M
42. RocknRolla (2008)
R | 114 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
When a Russian mobster orchestrates a crooked land deal, millions of dollars are up for grabs, drawing in the entire London underworld into a feeding frenzy at a time when the old criminal regime is losing turf to a wealthy foreign mob.
Director: Guy Ritchie | Stars: Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Idris Elba, Thandiwe Newton
Votes: 265,044 | Gross: $5.69M
43. Burn After Reading (2008)
R | 96 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A disk containing mysterious information from a CIA agent ends up in the hands of two unscrupulous and daft gym employees who attempt to sell it.
Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen | Stars: Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, George Clooney, John Malkovich
Votes: 353,277 | Gross: $60.36M
44. Religulous (2008)
R | 101 min | Documentary, Comedy, War
Bill Maher's take on the current state of world religion.
Director: Larry Charles | Stars: Bill Maher, Tal Bachman, Jonathan Boulden, Steven Burg
Votes: 60,244 | Gross: $13.00M
45. Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)
R | 118 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A look at a few chapters in the life of Poppy, a cheery, colorful, North London schoolteacher whose optimism tends to exasperate those around her.
Director: Mike Leigh | Stars: Sally Hawkins, Alexis Zegerman, Samuel Roukin, Elliot Cowan
Votes: 41,060 | Gross: $3.49M
46. Man on Wire (2008)
PG-13 | 94 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A look at tightrope walker Philippe Petit's daring, but illegal, high-wire routine performed between New York City's World Trade Center's twin towers in 1974, what some consider, "the artistic crime of the century".
Director: James Marsh | Stars: Philippe Petit, Jean François Heckel, Jean-Louis Blondeau, Annie Allix
Votes: 58,679 | Gross: $2.96M
47. Frozen River (2008)
R | 97 min | Crime, Drama
A mom looks for another source of income, when her husband leaves with the money meant for the new mobile home. A nearby Indian territory stretches across the border to Canada with a drivable frozen river between. Smuggling?
Director: Courtney Hunt | Stars: Melissa Leo, Misty Upham, Charlie McDermott, Michael O'Keefe
Votes: 26,461 | Gross: $2.51M
48. Pride and Glory (2008)
R | 130 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A family's moral codes are tested when Ray Tierney investigates a case that reveals an incendiary police corruption scandal involving his own brother-in-law. For Ray, the truth is revelatory, a Pandora's Box that threatens to upend not only the Tierney legacy but the entire NYPD.
Director: Gavin O'Connor | Stars: Edward Norton, Colin Farrell, Noah Emmerich, Jon Voight
Votes: 63,285 | Gross: $15.71M
49. The Hammer (2007)
R | 88 min | Comedy, Romance, Sport
A 40-year-old who gave up a promising amateur boxing career 21 years ago is offered a path to the Olympics.
Director: Charles Herman-Wurmfeld | Stars: Adam Carolla, Oswaldo Castillo, Heather Juergensen, Harold House Moore
Votes: 6,275 | Gross: $0.44M
50. American Teen (2008)
PG-13 | 95 min | Documentary
A documentary on seniors at a high school in a small Indiana town and their various cliques.
Director: Nanette Burstein | Stars: Hannah Bailey, Jake Tusing, Megan Krizmanich, Colin Clemens
Votes: 4,230 | Gross: $0.94M
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