Entertainment
6 Near-Perfect on Rotten Tomatoes Movies to Watch This Weekend
A free weekend is a blank slate, and many people use that time to watch a feature film. So, naturally, no one wants to waste their valuable free time on a mediocre movie with questionable impressions — they’d rather be blown away by near-perfect content that feels both classic and brand-new at the same time.
Everyone has a different definition of a near-perfect film, but Rotten Tomatoes is the go-to site for finding an almost flawless pick. Some of these recommendations are timeless classics that many people adore, but if you haven’t seen them yet — or want to rewatch something you haven’t seen in a long time — here are six near-perfect on Rotten Tomatoes movies to watch this weekend.
1
‘The Truman Show’ (1998)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95% Certified Fresh
The Truman Show is a sci-fi comedy/drama starring Jim Carrey in one of his most iconic roles. It was written by Andrew Niccol and directed by Peter Weir, and it is a prescient satire on reality television, media manipulation, and the nature of free will. Carrey gives the performance of his career, portraying a heartbreakingly sincere character who never veers into cartoonish territory. Many of the film’s themes still resonate with audiences today, particularly in this age of constant screen time and connectivity. The film has a 95% Certified Fresh rating and received three Oscar nominations.
The Truman Show follows Truman Burbank (Carrey), a cheerful, ordinary insurance salesman living a dream life in the idyllic seaside town of Seahaven. What he doesn’t realize is that his entire life has been a 24-hour reality TV show broadcast around the world since he was born. Every person and thing in his life, including his wife Meryl (Laura Linney), best friend Marlon (Noah Emmerich), daily events, and even the weather, are paid actors playing scripted roles. When small glitches appear, Truman’s carefully constructed reality begins to unravel, and he gradually realizes that things aren’t as they seem. The Truman Show is ideal for a weekend of thought-provoking, funny, and emotionally charged entertainment.
2
‘The Social Network’ (2010)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96% Certified Fresh
The biopic drama The Social Network is widely regarded as David Fincher‘s best directorial work. Fincher’s dark and sleek visuals, combined with Aaron Sorkin‘s chatty, poignant screenplay, transform a story about the creation of the world’s most famous social media platform into a Shakespearean tragedy with themes of friendship and greed. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross complete the experience with their haunting electronic score, which earned them a well-deserved Oscar. The film was based on Ben Mezrich‘s novel The Accidental Billionaires, and Sorkin also won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. The film has a 96% Rotten Tomatoes rating and is endlessly watchable.
The Social Network is set in 2003 and follows Harvard undergraduate Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg). The opening scene depicts Zuckerberg being dumped by his girlfriend, and in a fit of drunken inspiration, he creates a campus website called “Facemash.” Its viral success inspires the creation of “The Facebook,” a social networking site that takes off across Ivy League campuses. However, as the platform grows, so do the lawsuits, particularly those filed by three classmates who claim Zuckerberg stole their idea, as well as his former best friend and CFO, Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield). Fincher’s film alternates between depositions and flashbacks, telling a story of ambition, betrayal, and the chaotic start of a billion-dollar empire. The Social Network is ideal for a weekend when you want sharp writing, brilliant performances, and a story that feels (and mostly is) unsettlingly real.
3
‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ (2015)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97% Certified Fresh
Many people believe that George Miller‘s masterpiece Mad Max: Fury Road is the most perfectly directed action film of our time. He conceived the story in the 1980s, when his Mad Max trilogy was at its peak of popularity, but it was shelved due to production delays, global events, and other unavoidable factors. It’s interesting because Fury Road appears to have arrived at the ideal time, when Miller was free to create a sandy, dystopian world with cutting-edge technology and stunning practical effects. The story is told almost entirely through images, the pacing is relentless, and each frame resembles a painting. Fury Road‘s protagonist, Furiosa (Charlize Theron), has become an icon, and the film has a feminist heart beneath its chrome-plated dusty exterior. The film received six Oscars and has a nearly perfect 97% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Mad Max: Fury Road is an action sci-fi epic set in a scorched, post-apocalyptic wasteland where water and gasoline are considered currencies. Imperator Furiosa, a war rig driver for the tyrannical Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne), devises a desperate plan: she smuggles Joe’s five wives out of his fortress and drives them to a fabled “Green Place.” The entire war party is pursuing her, and she is joined by a captured loner named Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy), who is reluctantly drawn into the chase. Fury Road is a two-hour high-speed chase through the desert with realistic stunts, powerful engines, and minimal CGI. This film is ideal for a weekend when you want adrenaline, spectacle, and pure cinematic bliss.
4
‘Inside Out’ (2015)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98% Certified Fresh
For fans of animated films, the last decade has seen some incredible additions to the genre. Inside Out stands out as the ideal animated comedy-drama that appears to be intended for children but also speaks to adults. Inside Out is the most emotionally intelligent animated film ever made, and it focuses on an intriguing topic: why humans need to feel and experience sadness. With this film, Pixar fully intended to make us all cry over a forgotten imaginary friend and reframe depression and low mood as a natural part of growing up, making the film a perfect coming-of-age story. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 98% rating, and it won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. It was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay.
Inside Out follows Riley Andersen, an 11-year-old who relocates with her parents from Minnesota to San Francisco, leaving behind her hockey team, friends, and everything she knows. The “control panel” in her head is run by five emotions: Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), and Disgust (Mindy Kaling). When Joy and Sadness are accidentally swept into the far reaches of Riley’s mind, Fear, Anger, and Disgust take over, and the lost emotions must return to Headquarters before Riley loses her ability to feel happy. Inside Out, with its brilliant voice cast and wonderful life lessons, is the ideal film for a weekend when you want to laugh, cry, and feel profoundly understood; if you have any family nearby, particularly children, this is the perfect choice.
5
‘Parasite’ (2019)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 99% Certified Fresh
Parasite is a brilliant psychological thriller that also serves as a dark satire. Bong Joon-ho‘s films frequently criticize capitalism and class divides, and Parasite is one of his most effective examples. Parasite is a masterful film that seamlessly transitions between class satire and horror, delivering a powerful plot twist that you never would have expected. Bong’s screenplay is tight, with every detail working in its favor, and everything from production design and music to performances is flawless. That makes Parasite not just near-perfect, but actually perfect. It received six Oscar nominations and won four, including Best Picture, making history as the first non-English-language film to do so.
Parasite follows the impoverished Kim family: father Ki-taek (Song Kang-ho), mother Chung-sook, son Ki-woo, and daughter Ki-jung. They live in a cramped, semi-basement apartment, folding pizza boxes for spare cash, when Ki-woo gets a job as a tutor for the wealthy Park family’s daughter. While doing that, he sees an opportunity, and the Kims gradually infiltrate the Parks’ household, posing as unrelated, highly qualified professionals: Ki-jung as an art therapist, Ki-taek as a driver, and Chung-sook as a housekeeper. Their plan works perfectly until the former housekeeper returns, revealing a terrifying secret hidden deep within the Parks’ modernist home. You’ll laugh, be scared, and maybe even cry; schedule Parasite for a weekend when you want something smart, tense, and completely absorbing.
6
‘Toy Story’ (1995)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100% Certified Fresh
So, while Toy Story may not fit into the “near-perfect” category due to its 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating, its audience score isn’t at its highest, so we can technically still call it an almost flawless film. Toy Story, if you aren’t aware, is a classic animated Pixar film for the entire family, and families with children who have free weekends will undoubtedly want to spend every minute with them, making Toy Story the perfect movie to watch in these circumstances; this film is funny, heartwarming, and timeless. Toy Story is well-known as the film that revolutionized animation and demonstrated that CGI could tell emotionally complex stories. It became the first animated film to be nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars.
Toy Story is set in a world in which toys come to life when humans are not around. Woody (Tom Hanks), Andy’s favorite pull-string cowboy doll, is the story’s protagonist, and Woody’s comfortable reign among Andy’s other toys is upended when Andy receives a flashy new space ranger action figure for his birthday: Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), who considers himself a true hero on a mission. After being separated from Andy, the rivals must band together to escape the clutches of his sadistic neighbor, Sid, and return home before Andy moves away. Toy Story is perfect for a weekend with the family or a solo nostalgia trip that will make you cry happy tears and reflect.
Toy Story
- Release Date
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October 30, 1995
- Runtime
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81 minutes
- Director
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John Lasseter
- Writers
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John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Joss Whedon, Alec Sokolow, Joel Cohen, Joe Ranft, Pete Docter
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Tim Allen
Buzz Lightyear (voice)
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