The Neighborhood has officially come to an end — but how did CBS wrap up the hit sitcom after eight seasons?

During the series finale, which aired on Monday, May 11, Calvin (Cedric the Entertainer) and Tina (Tichina Arnold) watched their sons — Malcolm (Sheaun McKinney) and Marty (Marcel Spears) — get married. At the same time, the Butlers had different reactions as they all mourned Dave (Max Greenfield) and Gemma’s (Beth Behrs) move back to Michigan.

Dave and Gemma’s son, Grover (Hank Greenspan), even tried to squat at the Butlers’ home instead of moving with his parents. In the end, Calvin gave an emotional speech where he finally acknowledged his friendship with Dave. The Butlers helped the Johnsons pack up their house and watched them drive off.

The final scene was Tina asking her husband if he was looking forward to meeting their new neighbors. Calvin, however, joked he “wasn’t ready to train in” another neighbor after Dave.

Related: TV Shows Ending in 2026: See the Complete List

From The Bear to Outlander to Outer Banks, TV fans are gearing up to say goodbye to their favorite shows in 2026. Outer Banks, which debuted in 2020, follows the conflict between two groups of teenagers in a coastal North Carolina town. The social divide is introduced with the wealthy residents (a.k.a. the Kooks) and […]

The Neighborhood premiered in 2018 and followed a white Midwestern family adjusting after moving into a predominantly Black neighborhood in California. CBS confirmed in 2025 that The Neighborhood was renewed for an eighth and final season. Greenfield, 46, later spoke to Us Weekly about choosing to look for a silver lining.

“The truth of the matter is this will be our eighth and final season. When you look around, there’s so few … there’s no shows that go eight seasons anymore and there may never be another one. We might be the last one,” Greenfield told Us last year. “So I’m genuinely not sad at all that this is ending and feel so grateful for the eight seasons that we were given. We’ve been through so much together. This show has made it through a pandemic. This show has made it through multiple writers and actor strikes. It’s been a real roller-coaster.”

Greenfield teased at the time that The Neighborhood is going out on a high.

“To have made it this far and to be in the position we’re at is just such a wonderful gift,” he continued. “And the ability to say goodbye in the way that we all want to, it is great. So I’m really excited to have a fun last season where everybody knows what the fate of the show is and have a good time with the people that I have already had such a good time with for the last seven-plus years.”

Cedric the Entertainer, 62, also reflected on the sitcom’s cancellation following ups and downs behind the scenes.

“On this particular show, we had to go through a number of adversities that were different from just a TV show,” Cedric the Entertainer told Us in May 2025. “There were the [WGA and SAG-AFTRA] strikes and COVID. There’s been so many challenges that [it comes down to], ‘How do you keep a show together? How do you keep a cast together? How do you keep everybody motivated?’”

Related: Which TV Shows Are Canceled in 2026-2027?

2026 has been brutal when it comes to our favorite shows getting canceled. Netflix cut ties with Boots two months after the show premiered. Based on Greg Cope White‘s memoir, the scripted series followed Cameron (Miles Heizer) as he joined the U.S. Marine Corps alongside his best friend Ray (Liam Oh) during the 1990s, the […]

There were creative shakeups as well. “A lot of executive producers — we had to switch the writers a lot,” Cedric the Entertainer explained. “I think that the biggest thing I learned is this idea of staying steady, staying focused and understanding that through adversity is an opportunity for a bigger and greater win.”

He continued: “You gotta trust that a lot of times — sometimes you see it as all tragedy, it’s happening — but sometimes it’s trusting the idea that the win is actually on the other side of it. If you can dig through it. That’s what I’ve learned the most.”

Thank You!

You have successfully subscribed.

Greenfield, for his part, said the cast was focused on delivering the best possible ending for fans who followed along from the start.

“We do know that we want to have something that feels final for the audience, that the audience that loves the show, that loves us coming into their house every week. We want them to really enjoy this,” the New Girl alum told Us. “We don’t want to have that kind of Game of Thrones ending where everybody is like, ‘That’s some bulls***.’ That’s the biggest thing we working on, is a good finish so that our audience goes, ‘That was good.’”

The Neighborhood is now streaming on Paramount+.

Steven Spielberg is about as legendary as filmmakers get, and that’s something that should be emphasized right away, before things get a little negative. He’s made a few dozen movies, as a director, across a career that’s lasted more than half a century, and he remains active, as of 2026, with the (currently) upcoming Disclosure Day being one of many blockbuster-scale movies he’s made. It would be great if that movie were great, of course, but it almost doesn’t matter, in the overall scheme of things, because Spielberg’s always going to be a legend because of what he’s already done. Some of the most beloved, enduring, and popular American movies of all time were directed by him (see Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Jurassic Park, for starters), and he’s also taken on a few films of a more serious nature that are remarkable, and not necessarily the kind of blockbuster fare that he’s most celebrated for, like Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, and Munich.

Again, there’s a lot by way of positive things that can be said about Steven Spielberg, and his misfires aren’t too common, when you consider how many movies he’s made and how long he’s been active for. The ones that aren’t great have to be emphasized here as “kind of bad,” rather than “really bad” or “terrible.” Spielberg’s worst movies are just a bit clunky, and maybe disappointing, but it would be a stretch to suggest those misfires are outright failures, or devoid of anything somewhat redeeming. The ones below just come the closest to being bad, and some of the picks might feel controversial. Similarly controversial is the admission that of the three movies here, the following are not among them: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Always, and 1941, all of them flawed, but not really close enough to be considered bad by this particular writer. The following movies (again, in this writer’s opinion) are worse than those ones, but not by much. Consider those more expected/usual suspects as having received dishonorable mentions, if you want.

3

‘War Horse’ (2011)

No false advertising here, at least, because War Horse is a war movie and there is also a horse in it. The movie begins as something about that horse and his owner, but then the horse is sold to the Cavalry while World War I is beginning, and so the pair are separated. And the horse gets involved in a whole bunch of battles or, more accurately, is used by various people throughout the conflict, and then the horse’s owner is all sad about it and wants the horse back. It’s in this weird zone, as a movie, because there are ingredients here that might suggest a slam-dunk, but then there’s also a kind of strange premise and some other glaring issues that really don’t suggest anything slam-dunk-y in nature. Like, War Horse is blown up to almost two and a half hours in length, for some reason, and there really isn’t a lot of story here… plus, the film is quite episodic in nature, so the stop-and-start feeling of it all, when paired with the epic-length runtime, makes it all feel like quite a slog to actually get through.

When compared to the other war movies Steven Spielberg has directed, War Horse falls pretty short. It’s maybe a little interesting for its supporting cast, because the way the film’s structured, it does lead to a good many characters showing up and dropping out along the way, and a few of those actors were either about to blow up – or were sort of blowing up – in the very early 2010s (namely, Tom Hiddleston and Benedict Cumberbatch, both of whom have supporting roles here). But there are those reasons why War Horse has been kind of forgotten, and it doesn’t boast one standout element that other debatably middling Spielberg films from this period have. Like, one year on from War Horse, Spielberg directed Lincoln, and that movie’s not perfect, and it also has that War Horse problem of being too long, but it does boast an incredible Daniel Day-Lewis performance at its center. War Horse is all a bit too forgettable, though, if one’s being generous, and maybe actually kind of bad, if one’s not being so generous. It’s a little bad, sadly.

2

‘The BFG’ (2016)

Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Advertisement

The BFG sees Steven Spielberg trying to do E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial again, but this time within the bounds of the fantasy genre, rather than the sci-fi one. And that might sound like a bit of a bold or even stupid claim, but The BFG does take that kind of approach to the source material, which was published the same year as E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial came out. Okay, that’s probably just a coincidence. But The BFG (2016) was adapted by Melissa Mathison, and her best-known credit was for writing E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, so with those two essentially re-teaming for The BFG… you can start to see it. Maybe it doesn’t seem like as big of a stretch to say now. Anyway, The BFG does fail in most of the areas where E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial succeeds, and it’s weird to see a family movie mishandled in this way when it’s got a somewhat comparable premise to that 1982 classic (child becomes friends with an unlikely/otherworldly companion) and had some of the same people involved in making it.

There’s just a horror to a lot of The BFG that does not feel intentional. The title character looks so awful throughout, and whatever worked with the computer animated characters in The Adventures of Tintin (2011) was not maintained here, with The BFG. Also, Mark Rylance is not very good, especially compared to the performance he gave in the previous year’s Bridge of Spies (Spielberg’s preceding movie), but he’s also got lesser material to work with here, so maybe not even Daniel Day-Lewis (if Spielberg had kept him around post-Lincoln) would’ve been able to do much here. There are technically worse family movies out there, and you can recognize that an attempt was made, on a technical front, with The BFG, even if so much of the ambition feels misguided, and that screenplay being so sloppy in the first place makes it harder to see much else here as worthy of being considered a silver lining or whatever. There’s just not much here, and it’s hard to imagine either young or older viewers getting anything substantial out of this one.

1

‘The Terminal’ (2004)

Image via DreamWorks Pictures

There was something of a dream team assembled for The Terminal, or at least it might look that way on paper. Steven Spielberg collaborating with Tom Hanks is usually a good thing, and they’d been on a solid streak in the years preceding The Terminal, thanks to Saving Private Ryan (1998) and Catch Me If You Can (2002). John Williams did the score, and maybe that’s not too surprising, but it’s still worth noting, because Spielberg and Williams are one hell of a duo. Michael Kahn was the editor, and he’s either edited or co-edited far more Spielberg feature films than he hasn’t… like, he’s technically collaborated with Spielberg on more movies than Williams has, only just. And then Janusz Kamiński was the cinematographer for The Terminal, and he’s fulfilled that role for about 20 Spielberg movies all up. Sure, those collaborations include the aforementioned War Horse and The BFG, but Kamiński’s contributions to Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, and West Side Story are harder to overlook/ignore.

Overlooking and ignoring is just what you should do for The Terminal, though. There were all these great people who came together to make another Spielberg movie, and it ended up, somehow, becoming pretty much the worst Spielberg movie. It’s the one film of his that really goes over the line in terms of being overly sentimental, and it really drags, with the initially intriguing premise (about a man effectively stranded inside the John F. Kennedy Airport terminal) soon giving way to awkward humor, sickly sweet emotional beats, and an overall sense of tedium that doesn’t really feel intentional. Like, The Terminal isn’t trying to capture the boredom and tedium that would probably come from being stuck in this situation. It’s trying to be a crowd-pleaser, and it’s not very pleasing. There are so many other Spielberg movies that aim for entertainment value above anything else and really succeed. The Terminal has simply not aged very well, and feels like it should stay nice and forgotten about in the past. It tries too hard to make you feel good, and nothing feels very sincere or effortless about it, the way you likely feel about a great many actually moving and endearing Spielberg films.

Advertisement

The Terminal

Release Date

Advertisement

June 18, 2004

Runtime

128 Minutes

Advertisement

Writers

Andrew Niccol, Sacha Gervasi, Jeff Nathanson

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Blake Lively has been called out by journalist Kjersti Flaa after she and Justin Baldoni settled their long-running legal battle last week.

Flaa claimed the actress “bullied” and “publicly humiliated” her as she was dragged into the nasty legal fight between the co-stars, but then attempted to block her from testifying in court.

The journalist also hit out at Blake Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds for “manipulating” the internet following her appearance at the Met Gala on the same day she settled her lawsuit.

Flaa has hit out at Blake Lively following her out-of-court settlement with Justin Baldoni, as it essentially means she won’t get to testify in their case.

The Norwegian reporter got dragged into the legal feud after sharing an old interview clip she had with Lively, where the actress made remarks about her “bump” because she congratulated her on her pregnancy at the time.

Flaa didn’t expect the jab from the star at the time and would later reveal that she cannot conceive. However, the video went viral, causing many to accuse Lively of being “mean” and “rude.”

This led to speculations that she may have reshared the old clip as part of a “smear campaign” by Baldoni, with Lively attempting to subpoena Google to get information from Flaa’s account.

Baldoni’s team eventually tapped her to testify on the actor’s behalf, but now that both stars have settled, it means she’ll no longer need to, which she considers painful considering all that she went through.

“I wasn’t surprised by [Lively objecting to me testifying], it makes a lot of sense that they wouldn’t want me [to testify],” Flaa told the Daily Mail. “They accused [Justin’s production studio’s team] of amplifying the video and using it to smear her, and I was planning to tell the truth about what actually happened. I had nothing to do with the smear campaign.”

Kjersti Flaa Accused The Actress Of Being A ‘Bully’

The journalist claimed that her testimony would have dealt a devastating blow to Lively’s case as she could “prove the opposite of what she was trying to prove” with the video analytics.

“I was the only person who had access to the analytics and could see what really happened to that video. I could see there was no one who amplified that video – YouTube shows you where all the traffic is coming from. I was going to reveal a lot of things that I’m sure they were not happy about,” Flaa noted.

She also alleged that Lively “bullied” and publicly humiliated her, before saying she was “disappointed” she won’t get to testify now that they’ve settled.

“I was looking forward to it. I was looking forward to telling my side of the story and supporting what I believe very strongly is the truth here,” Flaa said.

The Journalist Said It Would Have Been ‘Humiliating’ For Blake Lively To Lose

Just last month, Lively’s case took a shocking turn after Judge Lewis Liman dismissed 10 out of the 13 claims she made against Baldoni, including sexual harassment and defamation charges.

At the time, she maintained that she was proceeding to court and was going to try and prove the remaining charges when their trial started, which was supposed to be Monday, May 18.

But by settling, Flaa believes it was her accepting defeat, as things were already looking shaky for her.

“She knew she had a weak case. I think she was advised by everyone to let it go,” the reporter suggested. “It would have been so humiliating for her to lose, and you never want to look like a liar in front of a jury.”

After announcing her settlement, Lively proceeded to make an appearance at the 2026 Met Gala on the same day, but Flaa noted it was a desperate attempt by “delusional” Lively to change the narrative about her.

Kjersti Flaa Called The Actress’s Met Gala Move ‘Mind-Blowing’

Flaa told the news outlet that it was “mind-blowing” she’d even consider doing something like that, alleging it’s what she and Reynold try to “manipulate the public” by flooding the internet with stories that are “friendly and  pro–their narrative.”

“The audacity and guts that she had to stand there in front of all these people and say, ‘Hey, look at me in this dress.’ I was shocked that she did that. I think it says a lot about her,” she noted. “In her reality, she still cannot believe that people don’t like her. That’s why she went to the Met Gala.”

Flaa added, “For her, this is an orchestrated smear campaign against her, and she believes people still love her. It’s so delusional. She really, truly believes this … that’s the tragic thing in all of this. In her wildest imagination, she cannot fathom that people don’t like her.”

The Journalist Believes Blake Lively Can Still Make A Career Comeback

Amid her lengthy court battle with the actor, reports emerged suggesting Lively has become unpopular among several Hollywood circles, with a Disney executive saying nobody will work with her anymore.

Several brand and PR experts have also spoken out about how the court case may have negatively affected her public image, especially because many people already think she exudes “mean girl” energy.

However, Flaa suggests all hope isn’t lost yet if the “Another Simple Favor” actress just lies low for a while.

“My advice to her would be to stay low for a couple of years if she wants a chance to come back and do anything in Hollywood again,” Flaa said. “I think in Hollywood, everything is just about money. And if [a movie studio] believes she can make money on a project, they will consider working with her.”

“But who wants to work with her now? Maybe a studio would risk it, but what kind of director wants to work with her? Who wants to put themselves through that? She is toxic, and right now the public is not ready to take her back,” she added.

Ryan Reynolds has raised eyebrows over the way he referred to his wife, Blake Lively, using “this/them” wording in a recent Mother’s Day post.

The post comes amid rumors that the couple’s marriage has been strained by Lively’s high-profile legal battle with Justin Baldoni, which reportedly ended in a settlement earlier this month.

Lively has also reportedly grown unpopular in some Hollywood circles, with the fallout from the legal battle said to have affected both her career and Reynolds’ public image.

On Sunday, May 10, Reynolds took to Instagram to share a glowing Mother’s Day tribute to Lively. However, several online users raised eyebrows over his choice of words as speculation continues that their marriage has been strained.

“I appreciate this mother beyond measure,” Reynolds wrote.

The post immediately sent the rumor mill into overdrive, with some social media users calling it “weird” that he referred to his wife as “this” instead of simply using her name. Others also pointed to his April 19 interview on “TODAY,” where he used similar language to refer to her.

“I’ve just never in my life been more proud of someone with that level of integrity that brings that with them and carries that with them in everything that they do,” he said.

Fans Call Out Reynolds Over Blake Lively Tribute

Fans then took to social media to share their reactions, calling Reynolds out over the way he referred to his wife.

“Are her eyes closed in the bottom picture? And what a crappy story. He doesn’t even say her name. With a husband like that, who needs enemies?” a Reddit user wrote.

Another person claimed, “It’s a weird narcissistic devaluation thing. Although I do sort of think he’s running everything through ChatGPT to the point of madness.”

“Maybe it’s a keyword SEO manipulation thing again,” someone else penned. “He avoids referring to Blake by name so that he’s not contributing any additional new content that associates Blake with him.”

Ryan Reynolds Reportedly Pushed Blake Lively To Settle

The backlash comes amid reports that Lively’s legal battle with Baldoni strained her marriage to Reynolds. This apparently prompted him to push her to settle, as he allegedly didn’t want to be dragged through court.

Sources told Rob Shuter’s #ShuterScoop that the actor was also concerned the case was beginning to affect Lively’s public image and personal relationships, among other things.

An insider told the journalist that Reynolds “knew the longer this dragged on, the more it would erode everything,” while another source claimed Lively was deeply invested in the case and wanted to defend her position until the end.

However, she supposedly decided to pull the plug on the case, with the source noting that “the one thing she refused to lose was her marriage.”

Lively And Baldoni Ended The Feud With A Statement

Lively and Baldoni reached an out-of-court settlement, ending a bitter legal feud that began in late 2024 when she filed a sexual harassment suit against him.

The “Another Simple Favor” actress had originally filed 13 claims against Baldoni, including sexual harassment and defamation, but 10 of those claims were dismissed by a judge in April on technical grounds.

In a joint statement released at the time, both parties said they remained proud of their work on “It Ends With Us” and its message about supporting survivors of domestic violence. They also noted that the concerns raised deserved to be heard, while sharing hopes that everyone involved could now move on peacefully.

Blake Lively Still Seeking Damages After Settlement

Since the settlement, both sides have claimed victory despite reports suggesting there was no financial payout from either party. However, Lively’s lawyers have said she will continue to pursue damages under a California law that bars retaliatory defamation lawsuits tied to sexual harassment claims.

According to the L.A. Times, she is seeking attorneys’ fees, punitive damages, and other financial penalties stemming from the $400 million countersuit Baldoni filed against her, which was dismissed by a judge last June.

“By agreeing to this settlement, and waiving their right to appeal, Justin Baldoni and every individual defendant now face personal liability for abusing the legal system to silence and intimidate Ms. Lively,” Lively’s attorneys, Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, said in a statement.

Dua Lipa has launched a massive legal battle against Samsung, alleging that the company used her likeness to market its products without her consent.

The pop star claims that the tech giant ignored multiple warnings to stop using a specific photograph of her on their television packaging.

However, fans have slammed the singer’s lawsuit as a weak attempt to gain more money out of financial desperation. 

Lipa is seeking at least $15 million in damages from Samsung, alleging that the company featured her face on TV boxes sold across the United States without her permission.

According to the lawsuit filed on May 8, the image in question is a copyrighted photo titled “Dua Lipa – Backstage at Austin City Limits, 2024.” 

The singer’s legal team argued that this marketing tactic falsely implies she endorses the television, leading customers to believe she is affiliated with the brand. The filing even highlighted social media posts from fans who admitted they purchased a TV specifically because they saw the 30-year-old Grammy winner on the box, per People Magazine.

In addition to the initial use of the photo, the complaint alleges that Samsung acted in a “dismissive and callous” manner when confronted. Lipa’s representatives reportedly sent several cease-and-desist letters starting around June 2025, yet the televisions featuring her face allegedly remain on the market. 

Her attorneys insisted that Samsung purposefully exploited her fame and brand recognition to drive their own commercial success.

Fans Are Not Buying Into Dua Lipa’s Lawsuit

The news of the $15 million lawsuit has generated a wave of strong, conflicting opinions online, with some fans criticizing the legal action as an excessive move for a celebrity of Lipa’s stature. 

One social media user wrote, “This is so frivolous, but yes, they did use her entire face as the largest visual on the packaging to sell their product… she absolutely should be paid. 

Another critic even joked that the singer might be acting out of financial desperation, suggesting her “vacation money” was running low.

Yet, another user wrote, “I do not believe a single person exists that chooses to buy that TV because the ad on display had Dua Lipa’s face lol.” 

On the other hand, a small part of the audience believes the star is entirely justified in her legal pursuit.  “If a billion-dollar company can use your face without permission, imagine what they’ll do to ordinary people. Protecting image rights matters,” the user wrote. 

Inside Dua Lipa & Callum Turner’s Altercation With The Paparazzi

Lipa’s struggle to maintain her boundaries with corporations like Samsung is mirrored in her daily life with the paparazzi. In February, a romantic evening in Paris for Lipa and Callum Turner turned into a chaotic ordeal when they were swarmed by aggressive photographers. 

As the couple attempted to leave Le Voltaire restaurant, they were met by a crowd of paparazzi who ignored their requests for space. 

The Blast reported that Turner was seen on video appearing visibly frustrated and telling individuals off-camera that the situation was “not okay.” Lipa was equally distressed, shielding her face with one hand while holding Turner’s hand with the other as she tried to walk away. 

The situation became so frantic that Lipa nearly bumped into a pole while trying to escape the flashing lights and shouting. Afterward, fans online rushed to the singer’s defense when video of the encounter went viral, with many describing the photographers’ behavior as outright harassment. 

What Dua Lipa Said About Her Future Motherhood Plans

While Lipa remains protective of her current personal space, she has also contemplated the future and the life she hopes to build with her significant other. In a candid interview, the singer addressed the prospect of starting a family, confirming that she would love to have kids one day. 

However, she admitted that the logistical realities of balancing a massive global career with motherhood are a source of constant thought and concern. She questioned how motherhood would fit into her demanding schedule, particularly how long she would need to step away from work and how she would manage being on tour.

Despite her concerns about her professional life, the Albanian native remains optimistic about the future milestone, stating that it will “happen when it happens,” per The Blast.

Dua Lipa Defended Her Controversial Wedding Attire

Whether she is debating the logistics of her future or defending her past choices, Lipa has consistently stood by her decisions regardless of public opinion. 

This same independent spirit was on display when she addressed the long-standing controversy surrounding her choice of the sheer white dress she wore to the wedding of designer Simon Porte Jacquemus and Marco Maestri. 

The outfit had caused a significant stir because it was both white and quite revealing, leading many to criticize her for breaking traditional wedding guest etiquette.

As The Blast reported, Lipa explained that the dress code for the event was specifically white and that she was far from the only person following those instructions.

The fantasy genre was on its deathbed by 1999. Indeed, things were outright dire by the decade’s second half, with hardly any movies taking off outside of the animated realm. Sure, there were still masterpieces by Princess Mononoke, but overall, the likes of Hercules couldn’t live up to the greatest gems produced throughout the early days of the Disney Renaissance. Then 2001 came along, and everything changed.

It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say 2001 was one of the greatest years for fantasy in the new millennium, if not the best. At least three certified masterpieces came out throughout those precious twelve months, two of which revitalized the dying genre and revolutionized cinema as a whole. Today, twenty-five years later, the best fantasy movies of 2001 are more revered than ever before. They have aged like fine wine, not only for their importance to the medium, but for their stellar quality as motion pictures.

‘Monsters, Inc.’

Image via Pixar Animation Studios

Pixar Animation Studios began the new millennium with a lovely adventure about friendship and self-discovery that proved they could do much more than just Toy Story. Monsters, Inc. is set in a world where children’s screams power a huge, monster-populated city. James P. Sullivan (John Goodman) and his sidekick, Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal), are the top-performing duo at Monsters, Incorporated, the monster world’s largest scare factory. Things change when the two-year-old human girl Boo (Mary Gibbs) accidentally finds her way to the monster world, throwing Sully and Mike’s lives into disarray.

Like most other great Pixar movies, Monsters, Inc. thrives through a combination of a creative narrative, a powerful emotional core, stunning animation, and a memorable screenplay full of quotable lines and now-iconic gags. Sully and Mike are among Pixar’s most emblematic characters and one of cinema’s best depictions of friendship. However, it’s Sully’s bond with Boo that becomes the strongest aspect of this delightful monster comedy. For a movie aimed at children, Monsters, Inc. deals with some very profound issues, including corporate greed, prejudice, and the healing power of laughter as a force for good. A now-famous and very bittersweet ending is the cherry on top of this monstrously crafted cake.

‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Harry Potter was arguably the defining franchise of the 2000s. Progressing and maturing along with the decade, the tale of the Boy Who Lived is responsible for an entire generation’s love for the fantasy genre. The first entry, 2001’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, introduces us to eleven-year old Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), an orphan living with his abusive uncles. One day, he learns he’s actually a wizard and can attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he meets and becomes friends with Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson). While attending classes and facing new and daunting tasks, Harry learns of his backstory and his role in bringing down the dark wizard Lord Voldemort.

The Harry Potter movies produced one of cinema’s most enduring fantasy worlds — never before had so many wanted to receive a letter via owl. The highlight of the series is undoubtedly the third entry, 2004’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, but there’s such an enchanting value to the first entry. Out of them all, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is the one that feels most inviting and wholesome. It has to do with it being the introductory chapter to this story, but it’s also thanks to the distinct childlike approach that director Chris Columbus takes to the story. Hogwarts feels like a place straight out of the wildest child fantasies, full of whimsy and danger, but always warm and irresistible. The saga would become something darker and more mature as it progressed, but the first movie remains a timeless triumph that marked an entire generation.

‘Shrek’

The worlds of fantasy and animation forever changed in 2001, thanks to the release of Shrek. Based on the 1990 children’s book Shrek! by William Steig, the film stars Mike Myers as the titular character, a cantankerous ogre whose swamp is suddenly flooded by a myriad of fairy tale characters banned by the despotic Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow). Joined by a talking Donkey (Eddie Murphy), Shrek strikes a deal with Farquaad: he’ll travel to a distant tower and rescue Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) so she can marry Farquaad, in exchange for his swamp.

Shrek subverted the classic fantasy notions and fairy tale tropes through a modern and edgy humor, including anachronistic references, pop culture jokes, and an overall 21st-century approach to what would otherwise be a classic romance adventure. Myers, Diaz, Murphy, and Lithgow are incredible in their voice roles, with Murphy even earning a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the 2002 ceremony (one of the coolest things BAFTA has ever done, by the way). In terms of narrative, Shrek is simply amazing, full of hilarious and witty jokes, double-entendres, and subversions of classic fairy tale characters and settings. The film truly felt like a breath of fresh air in 2001, and its success led to a wildly successful franchise that endures to this day — the long-awaited fifth movie will debut in 2027. Moreover, Shrek won the inaugural Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

‘Spirited Away’

Image via Studio Ghibli

Advertisement

Studio Ghibli has been producing masterpieces since the ’80s, but it reached a whole new peak in the 2000s, largely thanks to Spirited Away. Hayao Miyazaki‘s timeless fantasy masterpiece tells the story of Chihiro (Rumi Hiiragi/Daveigh Chase), a young girl whose parents are transformed into pigs after they inadvertently enter the spirit world and overindulge in food. To save them, Chihiro secures employment in the bathhouse of the witch Yubaba (Mari Natsuki/Suzanne Pleshette), where she will lose her name and will need to rediscover herself.

A mystical coming-of-age journey that stands as arguably Studio Ghibli’s crowning jewel, Spirited Away is a masterpiece that has only gotten better with age. The film’s messages about strength, self-discovery, consumerism, and the road to maturity blend beautifully with the story’s larger exploration of Japanese culture, mysticism, and spirituality. As with most other Miyazaki movies, there’s also a considerable dose of environmentalist themes here. The result is a true work of art that keeps resonating with audiences. Spirited Away brought Japanese cinema to a new international level of acclaim and established Ghibli as a singular force in animation. Released in the U.S. in 2002, the film won the second-ever Oscar for Best Animated Feature, ensuring its legacy as a titan of the medium.

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’

Image via New Line Cinema

Advertisement

No franchise in the 2000s had a better commercial or critical reception than Sir Peter Jackson‘s Lord of the Rings trilogy. Based on the seminal novels by J.R.R. Tolkien, the trilogy adapted the three most important and influential fantasy books of the 20th century into three equally revolutionary movies. The first entry, 2001’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, tells the story of young hobbit Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood), who inherits from his uncle a mysterious ring with a strange power. Learning it is the dreaded One Ring, Frodo and a group of companions, calling themselves the Fellowship of the Ring, begin a journey to destroy the One Ring in the fired of Mount Doom.

You simply can’t overstate just how massive Fellowship of the Ring was. The film created one of the most immersive and mystical fantasy worlds in cinema, throwing audiences into the middle of an intense and dangerous tale of good versus evil. At its core, the film is about how heroes can come from the most unlikely places and how small deeds can have the power to shake entire destinies. Yet, it also includes some spectacular sequences, from Arwen’s (Liv Tyler) rescue of Frodo to the magic duel between Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellen) and Saruman (Sir Christopher Lee), to the confrontation against the demonic balrog. The film is stunning to look at, with visual effects that have aged beautifully and an atmosphere that makes everything seem ancient and outside of time itself. The Fellowship of the Ring is arguably the best fantasy movie ever made, launching one of cinema’s most revered trilogies and changing the landscape of cinema forever.

For decades, Brooke Shields has been one of Hollywood’s most recognizable faces, from controversial fashion campaigns to iconic film and television roles. But behind the glamorous image, Shields says there was another side of herself the industry rarely allowed audiences to fully see. Now, as she steps back into comedy with her new mystery series “You’re Killing Me” and continues speaking openly about aging and reinvention, Brooke Shields is reflecting on the pressure she faced growing up in the spotlight and why it took decades for Hollywood to embrace her comedic side.

Brooke Shields is reflecting on the pressures she faced growing up in Hollywood, admitting the industry largely viewed her as a “sex symbol” instead of embracing her comedic side. Speaking with AARP’s Movies for Grownups about her memorable guest appearance on “Friends,” Shields said she would have loved to lean into comedy much earlier in her career.

“Believe me, I would’ve done it a couple of decades before,” she said of her over-the-top role as Joey’s obsessed stalker on the hit sitcom. “But that wasn’t what people wanted of me. They wanted me to be this, I don’t know, sex symbol … and that was fine.”

Shields Says Comedy Was Always Her Happy Place

Although Shields became famous for her provocative Calvin Klein ads as a teenager, she revealed that comedy had always been where she felt most comfortable creatively. The actress said she spent years doing sketch comedy under legendary entertainer Bob Hope during dozens of USO tours entertaining troops overseas. “Doing sketch comedy,” Shields said. “I was always happiest.”

Now at 60, Shields is once again stepping into a comedy-forward role with her new Acorn TV series You’re Killing Me. In the limited mystery-comedy series, Shields plays an “aging out” mystery novelist who teams up with a younger true-crime podcaster to solve a murder. “It’s a funny mystery series,” she explained. “And there’s a lot of physical comedy in it for me.”

Brooke Shields Is Embracing Aging Differently

Shields also opened up about aging and how her perspective on beauty has evolved over the years. While chatting with the outlet, the actress joked about trading trendy denim for vintage Levi’s. “I’ve gone back to the OGs,” she said. “Can’t do any of these new, fancy ones.”

Shields added that while she’s no longer the same size she was as a teenager, she no longer sees that as something to chase. “I’m not the same size as I was at 17, but … that’s not the goal,” she explained.

The actress recently expanded on those themes in her book, “Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old: Thoughts on Aging as a Woman,” where she discusses aging, menopause, and the pressure women face to stay youthful.

Shields Says Menopause Conversations Were Long Overdue

According to Shields, conversations surrounding menopause were ignored for far too long, even within the medical community. “Doctors weren’t even educated about it,” she said. “They never learned about it.”

Since releasing her book, Shields said she has been overwhelmed by women thanking her for speaking openly about topics many previously felt uncomfortable discussing publicly. “People say to me, ‘Oh my God, thank you for having these discussions,’” she shared. “It’s in the zeitgeist now.”

Brooke Shields Says Family Life Looks Different These Days

Away from Hollywood, Brooke Shields says life at home with husband Chris Henchy has settled into a much quieter rhythm. The actress revealed that when they’re off the clock, Henchy usually handles dinner while she enjoys relaxing hobbies like needlepoint. But when daughters Rowan Henchy, 22, and Grier Henchy, 20, are home, the atmosphere quickly shifts back into family mode with backgammon games and long conversations.

Shields also admitted that becoming an empty nester ended up being easier than she initially feared. “The empty nest syndrome was not as painful as I thought it was going to be,” she shared, before joking, “I only had two years of it.”

While Rowan is currently back home, Grier is away at college, though Shields said her youngest daughter initially acted nervous about leaving. “When [Grier] went to college, she said, ‘I’m going to want to come back…. I don’t want to leave you,’” Shields recalled with a laugh. “Within two weeks, I could barely get her on the phone.”

As Shields approaches her 61st birthday later this month, the actress says she’s embracing this stage of life with humor and a willingness to laugh at herself along the way.