24 films that turn 24 in 2024

Cast Away is one of my favorite Tom Hanks movies. You're telling me it's been 24 years since "Wilson!"? There's no way. The film won Hanks a Golden Globe Award and was one of the highest-grossing films of 2000.

I have memories of seeing this in the theater and have loved it ever since. Despite its grueling makeup process, Jim Carrey gave us the best version of the Grinch that exists. Yeah, I said it. What are you going to do about it? How the Grinch Stole Christmas rightfully won an Academy Award for Best Makeup and is still a holiday favorite today.

Meet the Parents has forever left its mark on pop culture, with two sequels, Meet the Fockers and Little Fockers, and having been referenced countless times over the past 24 years. The film is a comfort comedy that we'll never get tired of and has to be one of the most successful remakes since I didn't realize that it was one.

I didn't watch Almost Famous for the longest time, but for some reason, the film's poster had been burned into my brain in the early 2000s. The Academy Award-winning screenplay was exceptional and so was the soundtrack, which it won a Grammy Award in 2001.

X-Men made superhero movies cool again! The film's success gave us two sequels, X-2 and X-Men: The Last Stand, and a Wolverine trilogy, prequels, spinoffs, and appearances in other Marvel films. Who could have predicted just how big of an impact it would have on the world 24 years ago?

Bring It On is obviously a cult classic and *the* cheerleading movie. Though its sequels can never touch the original, it's a testament to just how impactful the film has been on pop culture.

The 2000s Charlie's Angels will always be a comfort movie, and no one can tell me otherwise. Though it may have received mixed reviews at the time, the film spawned a sequel, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, in 2003 and a reboot written and directed by Elizabeth Banks in 2019.

The Emperor's New Groove is a forever favorite. It's just too funny, and it has the best cast imaginable. The film's success produced a sequel, a TV series, and even a couple of video games. A rewatch of this beloved classic will have you saying, "Oh yeah, it's all coming together."

Dude, Where's My Car? is the ultimate stoner comedy: incredibly stupid but hilarious. Sure, some things don't necessarily age well, but it gave us so many great one-liners that some of us still quote today, making it a cult classic. Shibby!

Is anyone else not able to drive behind logging trucks because of Final Destination, or is it just me? Okay, that's technically from the second one, but still! This film and its sequels made me incredibly aware of potentially dangerous situations, which may not have been a bad thing now that I'm thinking about it. They're still fun to watch every now and then, for nostalgia purposes, if anything.

I loved The Little Vampire when it first came out, just as much as I do today. It's cute yet wildly entertaining, but maybe I'm biased. Starring that kid who was in everything in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Jonathan Lipnicki, and the iconic Richard E. Grant, the film, in my opinion, still holds up.

An action comedy favorite, Miss Congeniality is one of Sandra Bullock's best. Its success generated a sequel, Miss Congeniality: Armed and Fabulous, in 2005 and let us all know what the perfect date was.

Did anyone else watch this in their junior high English class? Roughly based on Homer's The Odyssey, O Brother, Where Art Thou? won two Grammy Awards and earned George Clooney his first Golden Globe. It might be time for a rewatch — if I can find it anywhere on streaming, that is.

Do we remember the Titans? I'm sorry. Viewed incessantly in high schools across the nation, Remember the Titans is considered to be one of the best football movies, probably up there next to Rudy because those are the first two to come to mind. The film earned Denzel Washington the award for Best Actor at the first-ever BET Awards the following year.

The one that started it all. Based on Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and various other horror films, the Wayans family gave us the best parody film series ever. Though the quality of Scary Movie may have gone downhill toward the end, its impact on pop culture remains. Anna Faris and Regina Hall have had some amazing performances over the years, but their roles as Cindy and Brenda are still my favorites.

The Road to El Dorado is a perfect film. Yes, a film, not a movie. This is cinema at its finest. Kenneth Branagh, Kevin Kline, and Rosie Perez gave us absolutely everything. The music was also great, with Elton John's involvement in the soundtrack's composition and Hans Zimmer responsible for the score. Like friends, this cult classic will never say goodbye.

Well, I couldn't very well leave American Psycho off of the list. On top of its initial success, it has become a cult classic and the subject of many memes. For most, this film made Christian Bale a household name.

Shanghai Noon  is another crowd favorite. Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson make a hilarious team that we'll probably never get tired of seeing. Rewatch this gem and its sequel, Shanghai Knights, if you need a good laugh.

Love & Basketball was The Woman King director Gina Prince-Bythewood's first feature film, and what a first impression it was. The film's success and cult status finally earned it a spot on the National Film Registry just last year. In addition to its great direction and story, Sanaa Lathan won Best Actress at the first BET Awards in 2001 for her performance as Monica.

Those who have seen Memento, myself included, will tell you it is a wild ride. Though I'm sure I would've gotten around to watching it eventually, I have VH1's I Love the New Millennium's influence to thank. Memento made me a Guy Pearce fan for life. It was inducted into the National Film Registry and ranked on the Writers Guild of America's 101 Greatest Screenplays list.

Julia Roberts' portrayal of Erin Brockovich in Erin Brockovich is one of her all-time best. The film seemingly has a never-ending list of accolades, including Roberts' Academy Award for Best Actress.

Gladiator was one of the most successful films to come out in 2000 and essentially marked a turning point in both Russell Crowe's and Joaquin Phoenix's careers. The film brought in the most Academy Award nominations that year, ultimately winning five, including Best Picture.

I know. I went from award-winning Gladiator to this, and although it might not be a masterpiece, there's no doubt that Coyote Ugly was huge back in the day. Its cult classic status is most likely derived from that carefree nostalgia that came from movies like this in the early 2000s, and we love it for that!

No film school is safe from Requiem for a Dream! Its unique imagery encapsulates drug addicts' mental states in a way we hadn't seen before on film. It is, by no means, a fun movie to watch, but it is definitely an important one.