Oscar Nominee
Gladiator 2000
First overall; the consensus No. 1, and looked even better after the sequel.
The Big Picture · Draft
The 2000 Movie Mega-Draft
June 4, 2025/ 125 min/ Sean Fennessey · Amanda Dobbins
Seven drafters, seven categories, 49 movies from the year 2000, with 'sequel' swapped out for 'original.'
49 films across 1 segment.
AI-generated This episode was transcribed and analyzed with AI models. The matches aren't perfect — expect the occasional misheard title or a link to the wrong film.
The 2000 Draft drafting 2000 movies
Mallory Rubin
Original
Snatch 2000
The Guy Ritchie pick: 'Bullet-Tooth Tony,' quoted endlessly in high-school basements.
Comedy
Best in Show 2000
Her favorite comedy ever; Cookie trying to walk on a twisted knee gets her every time.
Action/Horror/Thriller
Battle Royale 2000
No US theatrical release, so it counts as 2000. She forgot it was on the board.
Drama
Love & Basketball 2000
Van's would-be pick; Gina Prince-Bythewood's debut, snagged one round before he could.
Wildcard
Requiem for a Dream 2000
A Franklin High seminal watch; her favorite thing was watching fuck-ups.
Blockbuster
Mission: Impossible II 2000
Agreed worst of the franchise, and the one she's seen the most.
Rob Mahoney
Comedy
Almost Famous 2000
Taken at No. 2 over Joanna, who has the movie tattooed on her wrist. Now he identifies with Frances McDormand.
Blockbuster
Erin Brockovich 2000
Soderbergh and process; pulling dead frogs out of the well with Julia Roberts.
Action/Horror/Thriller
American Psycho 2000
Taken in thriller after debate over whether it's a drama; Bale is unreal.
Oscar Nominee
Dancer in the Dark 2000
Björk, in a role no one else could play. Glad to grab it before the Oscar bench thinned out.
Wildcard
The Legend of Drunken Master 1994
The John David Washington Criterion-closet pick, released in the US in 2000. Maybe the best kung fu movie ever.
Sean Fennessey
Blockbuster
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2000
Ang Lee's $130M wuxia phenomenon; a case for No. 1 overall.
Original
Unbreakable 2000
Rewatched the night before; Shyamalan's best, per one hot take he doesn't buy.
Comedy
High Fidelity 2000
Cusack casting tricks you into siding with a dipshit; the Beta Band store scene.
Oscar Nominee
The Contender 2000
Rod Lurie's Lewinsky-era political thriller; Joan Allen and Jeff Bridges both nominated.
Action/Horror/Thriller
Pitch Black 2000
A rare Vin Diesel pick from a known hater; later reverse-engineered by A Quiet Place.
Wildcard
Backstage 2000
Documentary on the 1999 Hard Knock Life tour: Jay-Z, Method Man, Redman, the Dame/Kevin Lyles jacket scene.
Chris Ryan
Original
You Can Count on Me 2000
Kenneth Lonergan's debut; Ruffalo and Laura Linney breakouts, Sean's 4.5-star Letterboxd.
Oscar Nominee
The Perfect Storm 2000
Nominated for sound editing and visual effects; Titanic for dudes who love deep-sea fishing.
Action/Horror/Thriller
Scream 3 2000
The Hollywood-set entry; Parker Posey lampooning scream queens.
Comedy
The Replacements 2000
'Fuck yeah, dude.' Keanu, Hackman, and a lot of Rhys Ifans, accidentally seen 20 times.
Drama
The Way of the Gun 2000
McQuarrie's talky, then very violent B-movie; garbage Elmore Leonard, affectionately.
Joanna Robinson
Original
Billy Elliot 2000
Allowed as original after a rehearsed-reading loophole debate; young Jamie Bell, the Swan Lake leap.
Oscar Nominee
O Brother, Where Art Thou? 2000
Her dad Barry's favorite too; her favorite Clooney, and the bluegrass reset.
Blockbuster
X-Men 2000
Origin of Jackman's Wolverine, and of Kevin Feige, then a Lauren Shuler Donner assistant.
Action/Horror/Thriller
The Cell 2000
A Tarsem 'fall head' pick; peak J.Lo, and D'Onofrio picking up the slack.
Drama
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai 2000
Jarmusch and Forest Whitaker; grabbed as a drama when nothing else was left.
Van Lathan
Original
Bamboozled 2000
The movie he watched most this year; Spike Lee's audacity, shot on early DV like surveillance footage.
Oscar Nominee
Traffic 2000
Soderbergh's Baton Rouge; sold to him as 'the number one crackhead' movie. Holds up.
Blockbuster
Remember the Titans 2000
He and Gino got shamed outside the theater for seeing Meet the Parents instead.
Comedy
Meet the Parents 2000
De Niro's comedy resurgence after Analyze This; funnier than he expected.
Action/Horror/Thriller
The Patriot 2000
A problematic-fave pick; a great Jason Isaacs performance he once brought up at the gym.
Wildcard
Final Destination 2000
The airplane original; after seeing it he swore off the franchise: death as villain is too much.
Amanda Dobbins
Drama
The Virgin Suicides 2000
First overall in drama; Sofia Coppola's debut and the power of Josh Hartnett, then and now.
Comedy
Bring It On 2000
She has the opening memorized; a queer classic that somehow wasn't a blockbuster.
Original
Center Stage 2000
Going 3-for-3 in original; one of the great dance films, and a sleepover staple.
Oscar Nominee
Wonder Boys 2000
Won Best Original Song for Bob Dylan; Michael Douglas in the fluffy pink robe.
Action/Horror/Thriller
Charlie's Angels 2000
Cameron Diaz's best recorded performance: 'They're in Carmel.'
Blockbuster
Miss Congeniality 2000
The backup blockbuster after Charlie's Angels went to action; Sandra Bullock, undercover FBI.
Wildcard
Coyote Ugly 2000
'Can't find the moonlight.' A movie she saw at 16 and put on running playlists for years.
On the board, undrafted honorable mentions
How the Grinch Stole ChristmasWhat Women WantScary MovieWhat Lies BeneathDinosaurNutty Professor II: The KlumpsBig Momma's HouseChicken RunGone in Sixty SecondsThe Emperor's New GrooveChuck & BuckCroupierGeorge WashingtonLittle NickyMission to MarsNurse BettyThe Whole Nine YardsAmores PerrosU-571The GiftThirteen DaysThe Family ManVertical LimitFinding ForresterChocolatProof of LifeShanghai Noon
Also mentioned raised along the way
In passing American BeautyMeet the FockersA Civil ActionSwordfishIn the Company of MenThe CoreThe Rules of AttractionThe Spanish PrisonerThe Winslow BoySave the Last DanceThe CompanyTitanicJawsSex, Lies, and VideotapeOut of SightOcean's ElevenThe Sixth SenseThe MatrixSignsJerry MaguireGlengarry Glen RossSpartacusCrankOutside ProvidenceA Quiet PlaceInterview with the VampireCinema ParadisoJungle FeverAdventurelandFreddy Got FingeredSomething's Gotta Give
Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads
TV OzTaskHigh Fidelity (2020 series)Squid GameThat '70s ShowEmily in ParisGirlsYour Friends & NeighborsSpartacus (Starz)
Video games Marvel vs. Capcom 2