10. THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING

It seems wrong that the year’s sexiest film takes place during one of the darkest attacks in Czechoslovakia’s history, but director Philip Kaufman (The Right Stuff) brilliantly weaves historical context in with a heartbreaking love story of a doctor who struggles to provide the one thing his wife asks from him.

9. BIG

Countless movies have tried to recapture the carefree enjoyment of childhood, but few get as delightfully close to getting it right as Penny Marshall’s perfectly cast Big.  The wonderful Tom Hanks – best known for dressing in drag in Bosom Buddies – plays the adult version of a child who’s wish of being a grownup is unexpectedly granted.  Ironically, it takes a picture of a kid learning the responsibilities of adulthood that makes us all wish we weren’t big.  Marshall’s film is so sweet, you might just use your wish begging it to never end.

8. BULL DURHAM

Lately, baseball movies have been a dime-a-dozen, yet none have been as funny or as entertaining as the story of an upcoming pitcher and a washed-up catcher competing for the affection of the same woman.  And, thanks to writer/director Ron Shelton, it might even be one of the most accurate depictions of the sport.  That’s because Shelton is a former minor league player himself, and he understands the competitive spirit of the players and the affection they receive that allows their egos to expand exponentially.  The Natural and Eight Men Out were both solid hits, but Bull Durham is a home run.

7. DIE HARD

Christmas in July happened for lovers of action movies, thanks to the pure adrenaline rush that Bruce Willis brings to Die Hard.  So much, in fact, that I don’t hesitate to call Die Hard one of the best action movies of its kind ever made.   Willis plays a New York cop who travels to Los Angeles to spend Christmas with his kids and with hopes of repairing his damaged marriage.  The situation he finds is even worse than he expected – his wife and coworkers are held hostage during a heist, and the only person who can save them is an officer by the name of John McClane.  Die Hard may not be brainy, but it’s one of the most purely entertaining pictures I saw all year.

6. AU REVOIR LES ENFANTS

The inspiration for Louis Malle’s heartbreaking story of a Jewish boy who find solace in a boarding school run by priests is from the director’s own childhood.  It makes sense, since a film this intimate and heartbreaking has to be deeply personal.  The character of Julien is inspired by Malle’s childhood.  Julien is a young boy who at first resents a student named Bonnet, but they grow close after he discovers that Bonnet is Jewish.  Au Revoir les Enfants – which translates to Goodbye, Children – is a heartbreaking tribute to Malle’s childhood friend, as well as a way for him to cope with his past regrets.

5. THE THIN BLUE LINE

How many films of 1988 released an innocent man from death row?  Although I’ve done no research, I’m fairly certain that the answer is one – and that film is Errol Morris’s intimate documentary that examines the wrongful accusation of a Texas man accused of killing a police officer.  When a Texas police officer was shot, they quickly pinned the murder of Randall Adams as if to send a quick message that such violence towards officers wouldn’t be tolerated.  Instead, thanks to The Thin Blue Line, it sent a message that the detectives and police force assigned to the case were corrupt and incompetent.  The Thin Blue Line isn’t just a documentary, it’s the final disposition that Adams deserved – unlike the one by his lawyer that failed to prove his innocence.

4. RAIN MAN

Is there anyone outside of a few disgruntled K-Mart employees that didn’t like Rain Man?  Barry Levinson’s crowd pleaser is a perfect formula movie about two brothers – one handicapped by autism and the other handicapped by greed – who bond during a road trip from Cincinnati to Los Angeles.  Dustin Hoffman does about as good as a job as a non-autistic person can do playing an autistic person, and Tom Cruise proves himself to be a seriously good actor in a far less showy role.  During filming, the duo apparently was worried that the film was going to be so awful that it’d ruin both their careers.  On the contrary, Rain Man is a road trip that is well worth the ride.

3. MISSISSIPPI BURNING

Trying to pick the best movie of 1988 is a bit like trying to pick a favorite child.  Rain Man was the most popular movie of the year and A Fish Called Wanda was easily the funniest.  Who Framed Roger Rabbit? was the most innovative and The Thin Blue Line was the most important.  Yet, Mississippi Burning, in my humble opinion, was the picture that made audiences the most emotional – and one that certainly deserves serious consideration when naming the best movie of the year.  Willem Dafoe and Gene Hackman are both great as a pair of FBI agents with very different backgrounds and work styles who are sent to Mississippi to review a case involving three missing teenage activists.  Mississippi Burning has received plenty of criticism for its inaccuracies and for having white saviors, but it also deserves to be praised for its heart, passion and strong production values. 

2. WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT?

When it comes down to it, Hollywood is really just a fake world designed to entertain us.  The characters portrayed on the screens are really no more real than, say, Bugs Bunny, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? may be the first picture ever made to realize it. Director Robert Zemeckis brilliantly uses both live action and entertainment to create the most original film of the year as he tells the story of a toon-hating detective who is hired to prove the innocence of a beloved cartoon character and save the town he hates.  Roger Rabbit may use the medium of choice for most toddlers, but it’s also the brainiest and most innovative film of the year.  And one of the most fun, too.

1. A FISH CALLED WANDA

It has been reported that a man died from laughter while watching A Fish Called Wanda.  For most movies, that would seem like nothing more than an old wives’ tale, but for Wanda, it’s completely believable.  That’s because Charles Crichton’s caper comedy of a group of manipulative jewel thieves is the funniest, laugh out loud film since This Is Spinal Tap.  And in a year where there is no clear best picture, it seems worthy to crown one of the funniest comedies of all time with the “Movie of the Year” title.    This is one comedy that you won’t dare call stupid!