Ahead of awards season and the beginning of 2025, Teen Vogue staff have compiled the best movies of 2024. There's a little bit of everything: moving coming-of-age dramas, big box office smash hits, lighthearted rom-coms, and seminal queer cinema. Below, discover the best movies of 2024, according to Teen Vogue editors. (Plus, check out the best TV shows of 2024.)
My Old Ass
Have you ever wondered what you’d say to your younger self? In this film, starring Aubrey Plaza and Maisy Stella, the excitement of growing up meets the wisdom of a life lived. It's a clever twist on the coming-of-age genre that handles grief and loss with a nuanced and original perspective. — Juan Velasquez, Editorial Business Manager
Lisa Frankenstein
Lisa Frankenstein is perhaps the most massively underrated movie of 2024. Directed by Zelda Williams in her feature debut, written by Diablo Cody, and led by Kathryn Newton in her most deliciously weird role yet, the movie reimagines the story of Frankenstein from the viewpoint of a traumatized teenage girl who discovers her agency (and falls in love) in monstrous fashion. There's so much to love: Liza Soberano as Lisa's ditzy but well-intentioned step-sister, Cole Sprouse going full physical comedy in a role where he doesn't speak the whole film, a trippy black-and-white movie dream sequence, and Newton handily delivering Lisa's dry wit while looking a bit like Chappell Roan. It's part Heathers, part Jennifer's Body, and fully the most fun I had in a movie theater this year. —P. Claire Dodson, Assoc. Culture Director
Related: Kathryn Newton Doesn't Know Who She Is. Or Does She?
Heretic
This might just be the scariest movie I’ve seen all year — and that’s saying something, considering I watched Longlegs and Cuckoo. The fact that I went back for a second viewing in the same week should also speak to just how much I loved this film. In Heretic, Hugh Grant plays a theologian who invites two young Mormon missionaries into his home, only for them to soon realize they’ve stepped into a trap.
Without giving too much away, I’ll say this: the film offers thought-provoking, nuanced commentary on religion, paired with an intense, suspenseful atmosphere that keeps you hooked—sans cheap jump scares. Just a really good story paired with even better visuals. Despite this being a horror movie, Grant still brings his signature charisma to the role, and it definitely caught me off guard that I was kicking my feet and hiding my face behind my fingers in equal parts. A must-see! — Jennifer Nguyen, Weekend Social Media Editor
Wicked
Wicked is that rare big screen blockbuster that lives up to the hype (or exceeds it!). Jon Chu had a gargantuan task adapting the beloved musical for the big screen, and he absolutely nailed it. The director does a wonderful job with world building in the land of Oz, while Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo more than earn every tear they’ve cried on the press tour. They inhabit the roles of Glinda and Elphaba beautifully, with clear love and devotion to the source material, making their on- and offscreen friendship sing.
Major bonus: Jonathan Bailey’s take on “Dancing Through Life” as the irresistible Prince Fiyero. Every piece of this film is a piece of art, from the music and dancing to the incredible details in set production and costuming. Above all, the film is a timeless tale of finding and standing up for yourself, against the judgment, perceptions and propaganda of others. I left feeling like I couldn’t be happier — perhaps until part two comes out next year. I recommend seeing it again and again. — Versha Sharma, Editor-in-Chief
Upgraded
The Nostalgia renaissance has been coursing through all of our veins for the last few years. From returning to Y2K style to media executives giving every single movie and television show a reboot, we seem to be forgetting about the one thing that also made the early 2000s great: a simple yet stellar rom-com.
Rom-coms are the roots of what made the early 2000s feel like a beautiful, breezy walk through an oddly deserted Central Park on a gorgeous fall day. And you know what movie managed to bring that exact energy this year? Upgraded. I like my rom-coms with low stakes, witty banter, hot people, and slightly ridiculous miscommunication tropes. This movie did all that and more. Cami Mendes is making her mark, and I believe she can single-handedly bring back the coveted romcom. This was the best movie of the year for me. Producers take notes. — Aiyana Ishmael, Associate Editor
Woman of the Hour
I knew that Woman of the Hour was directed by a woman (Anna Kendrick) almost immediately. It tells the true story of a woman who came into close contact with '70s serial killer Rodney Alcala while on a dating show in L.A. But I knew someone who was not a cis man had shaped the telling of this story as its ability to visually articulate what it's like to move through this world as a woman and objectified person was spot on. I never felt so seen as someone who is well-versed in carrying my keys in my knuckles alone at night, checking the backseat of my car, and sharing my location with friends when out alone.
It's a true crime film that finally centers the stories on the murder victims and survivors without glamorizing the killer — or the justice system, which did nothing to help these women for a long time. Instead, it shows them exactly as they are: monsters. — Mandy Velez Tatti, Assoc. Director of Audience Development & Analytics
I Saw the TV Glow
In just the months since its release, Jane Schoenbrun's I Saw the TV Glow, starring Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine, has already become a seminal piece of trans film to egg crack its way into the mainstream. I've previously written here at Teen Vogue about the value its soundtrack has, but I would gladly recommend the surreal horror-drama on its own merits. Anyone, cis or trans, can relate to its message about leaving past parts of yourself behind. (I also think it's a great depiction of how fandom and media consumption help shape our childhoods into adulthood.) — Lex McMenamin, News & Politics Editor
Love Lies Bleeding
We needed Love Lies Bleeding so, so badly — in a year of homophobic legislation, there's no better time to release a goofy, campy, sexy thriller. Starring Kristen Stewart and Katy O'Brien, it's a fun way to kill a couple of hours while ogling some extremely hot gays. — Lex McMenamin, News & Politics Editor
The Substance
As obvious as it is disgusting — The Substance stuck with me for days after I saw it. Best experienced in theaters — where the sound is turned up to full volume and the details are in 4K — this film gave me a full-body reaction. Demi Moore gives the performance of a lifetime and is the perfect fit for an aging Hollywood starlet who succumbs to the intense pressure of maintaining her youth. Fair warning: it is graphic but worth a watch. The best part is that Kim Kardashian posted that she watched it and focused on how good Moore looked. You really can't write this stuff. —Ashleigh Carter, Weekend Editor
Challengers
I saw Challengers in theaters twice, one of only two films I repeated theater viewings for this year. (Yes, the other one was Wicked.) I remember sitting in my first press screening holding on to my empty popcorn bucket for dear life, holding my breath during that dramatic finale on the court and exhaling only during Tashi's triumphant outcry for her “little white boys.” I wrote in my notes the review I planned to post on Letterboxd as soon as the embargo lifted: This movie is so gay I loved every f*cking second of it. The soundtrack, the chemistry, the movement, and the Machiavellian narcissism are all unfailing elements that construct my favorite movie of 2024, but the key element is, and always will be, Zendaya. This is the role she was waiting for. This was the propulsion into superstardom she's been waiting on the launching pad for since 2010. Rocky Blue supremacy forever. — Kaitlyn Mcnab, Culture Editor
Dìdi
I am genuinely not of fan of movies or shows that try to recreate the early aughts because more often than not, these films really miss the mark on capturing what it was really like growing up in that era, often feeling like a caricature and inauthentic of the time period. I appreciated Dìdi so much because as a teen myself in 2008, it made me feel seen. I was transported back to that time, from the clothes (the Paramore Riot! band tees made me scream) and hairstyles to the music, and more importantly, to what it was like to be on the internet during that era on MySpace (I had Touchdown Turnaround by Hellogoodbye as profile song too), AIM, and the early days of YouTube. It’s a coming-of-age movie that feels true to what it was like to grow up in California with a diverse and dynamic friend group. — Honestine Fraser, Senior Social Media Manager
Monkey Man
If you are squeamish, Monkey Man might not be the one for you, but if you can put up with a little (or a lot of) blood, then it's simply a must-watch. Directed, written, produced, and starring Dev Patel, Monkey Man is a story about faith, family, and revenge that will have you on the edge of your seat from minute one. From the choreography of the action scenes down to the soundtrack, everything is terrifically placed and paced in Monkey Man. Patel said he set out to make a thriller with soul, and he far exceeded his promise. — Sara Delgado, Editor-at-Large
