Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword "essay"
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1. American History X (1998)
R | 119 min | Crime, Drama
Living a life marked by violence, neo-Nazi Derek finally goes to prison after killing two black youths. Upon his release, Derek vows to change; he hopes to prevent his brother, Danny, who idolizes Derek, from following in his footsteps.
Director: Tony Kaye | Stars: Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, Beverly D'Angelo, Jennifer Lien
Votes: 1,186,253 | Gross: $6.72M
2. The Whale (2022)
R | 117 min | Drama
A reclusive, morbidly obese English teacher attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter.
Director: Darren Aronofsky | Stars: Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Ty Simpkins, Hong Chau
Votes: 211,029
3. The Butterfly Effect (2004)
R | 113 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Evan Treborn suffers blackouts during significant events of his life. As he grows up, he finds a way to remember these lost memories and a supernatural way to alter his life by reading his journal.
Directors: Eric Bress, J. Mackye Gruber | Stars: Ashton Kutcher, Amy Smart, Melora Walters, Elden Henson
Votes: 521,151 | Gross: $57.94M
4. The Blind Side (2009)
PG-13 | 129 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
The story of Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All-American football player and first-round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring woman and her family.
Director: John Lee Hancock | Stars: Quinton Aaron, Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Jae Head
Votes: 360,496 | Gross: $255.96M
5. The Babysitter: Killer Queen (2020)
TV-MA | 101 min | Comedy, Horror
Two years after Cole survived a satanic blood cult, he's living another nightmare: high school. And the demons from his past? Still making his life hell.
Director: McG | Stars: Judah Lewis, Samara Weaving, Jenna Ortega, Emily Alyn Lind
Votes: 50,923
6. Jack (1996)
PG-13 | 113 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Because of an unusual disorder that has aged him four times faster than a typical human being, a boy looks like a 40-year-old man as he starts fifth grade at public school after being homeschooled.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Robin Williams, Diane Lane, Brian Kerwin, Jennifer Lopez
Votes: 63,816 | Gross: $58.62M
7. Dreamcatcher (2003)
R | 134 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
Friends on a camping trip discover that the town they're vacationing in is being plagued in an unusual fashion by parasitic aliens from outer space.
Director: Lawrence Kasdan | Stars: Morgan Freeman, Thomas Jane, Jason Lee, Damian Lewis
Votes: 96,468 | Gross: $33.72M
8. Big Fat Liar (2002)
PG | 88 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
Fourteen-year-old Jason Shepherd has a reputation for stretching the truth. So, when big-time Hollywood producer Marty Wolf steals his class paper and turns it into a smash hit movie, no one believes Jason's latest tall tale.
Director: Shawn Levy | Stars: Frankie Muniz, Amanda Bynes, Paul Giamatti, Amanda Detmer
Votes: 39,575 | Gross: $48.36M
9. Another Earth (2011)
PG-13 | 92 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
On the night of the discovery of a duplicate Earth in the Solar system, an ambitious young student and an accomplished composer cross paths in a tragic accident.
Director: Mike Cahill | Stars: Brit Marling, William Mapother, Matthew-Lee Erlbach, DJ Flava
Votes: 100,018 | Gross: $1.32M
10. Breakfast on Pluto (2005)
R | 128 min | Comedy, Drama
In the 1970s, a young trans woman, Patrick "Kitten" Braden, comes of age by leaving her Irish town for London, in part to look for her mother and in part because her gender identity is beyond the town's understanding.
Director: Neil Jordan | Stars: Cillian Murphy, Morgan Jones, Eva Birthistle, Liam Neeson
Votes: 24,533 | Gross: $0.83M
11. A Christmas Story (1983)
PG | 93 min | Comedy, Family
In the 1940s, a young boy named Ralphie Parker attempts to convince his parents, teacher, and Santa Claus that a Red Ryder Range 200 Shot BB gun really is the perfect Christmas gift.
Director: Bob Clark | Stars: Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin, Scott Schwartz
Votes: 168,621 | Gross: $20.61M
12. The Wave (2008)
Not Rated | 107 min | Drama, Thriller
A high school teacher's experiment to demonstrate to his students what life is like under a dictatorship spins horribly out of control when he forms a social unit with a life of its own.
Director: Dennis Gansel | Stars: Jürgen Vogel, Frederick Lau, Max Riemelt, Jennifer Ulrich
Votes: 115,107
13. Blinded by the Light (2019)
PG-13 | 118 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
In England in 1987, a teenager from an Asian family learns to live his life, understand his family and find his own voice through the music of American rock star Bruce Springsteen.
Director: Gurinder Chadha | Stars: Billy Barratt, Ronak Singh Chadha Berges, Viveik Kalra, Lee Barnett
Votes: 27,319 | Gross: $11.90M
14. Handsome Devil (2016)
TV-MA | 95 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
Ned and Conor are forced to share a bedroom at their boarding school. The loner and the star athlete at this rugby-mad school form an unlikely friendship until it's tested by the authorities.
Director: John Butler | Stars: Fionn O'Shea, Ardal O'Hanlon, Amy Huberman, Ruairi O'Connor
Votes: 17,060
15. The Half of It (I) (2020)
PG-13 | 104 min | Comedy, Drama
When smart but cash-strapped teen Ellie Chu agrees to write a love letter for a jock, she doesn't expect to become his friend - or fall for his crush.
Director: Alice Wu | Stars: Leah Lewis, Daniel Diemer, Alexxis Lemire, Wolfgang Novogratz
Votes: 43,251
16. The Tale (2018)
TV-MA | 114 min | Biography, Drama, Mystery
A woman filming a documentary on childhood rape victims starts to question the nature of her childhood relationship with her riding instructor and running coach.
Director: Jennifer Fox | Stars: Laura Dern, Jason Ritter, Common, Elizabeth Debicki
Votes: 19,705
17. Freaks of Nature (2015)
R | 92 min | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi
In the town of Dillford, humans, vampires and zombies were all living in peace - until the alien apocalypse arrived. Now three teenagers - one human, one vampire, and one zombie - have to team up to figure out how to get rid of the visitors.
Director: Robbie Pickering | Stars: Nicholas Braun, Mackenzie Davis, Josh Fadem, Denis Leary
Votes: 13,371
18. Wide Awake (1998)
PG | 88 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
A 10-year-old boy goes on a search for God after his grandfather dies.
Director: M. Night Shyamalan | Stars: Joseph Cross, Timothy Reifsnyder, Dana Delany, Denis Leary
Votes: 4,534 | Gross: $0.26M
19. Wounds (2019)
R | 95 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
Disturbing and mysterious things begin to happen to a bartender in New Orleans after he picks up a phone left behind at his bar.
Director: Babak Anvari | Stars: Armie Hammer, Zazie Beetz, Karl Glusman, Christin Rankins
Votes: 21,578
20. Before the Fall (2004)
110 min | Drama, Sport, Thriller
Friedrich's boxing skills gets him in an elite Nazi high school in a castle in 1942. He enrolls against his dad's wish as it promises a brighter future. It's not what he expected.
Director: Dennis Gansel | Stars: Max Riemelt, Tom Schilling, Devid Striesow, Jonas Jägermeyr
Votes: 17,129 | Gross: $0.14M
21. Frances (1982)
R | 140 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
The story of Frances Farmer's meteoric rise to fame in Hollywood and the tragic turn her life took when she was blacklisted.
Director: Graeme Clifford | Stars: Jessica Lange, Jonathan Banks, Bonnie Bartlett, James Brodhead
Votes: 8,569 | Gross: $5.00M
22. Real Women Have Curves (2002)
PG-13 | 90 min | Comedy, Drama
In East Los Angeles, an 18-year-old struggles between her ambitions of going to college and the desires of her domineering mother for her to get married, have children, and oversee the small, rundown family-owned textile factory.
Director: Patricia Cardoso | Stars: America Ferrera, Lupe Ontiveros, Ingrid Oliu, George Lopez
Votes: 8,238 | Gross: $5.84M
23. The Last Station (2009)
R | 112 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
A historical drama that illustrates Russian author Leo Tolstoy's (Christopher Plummer's) struggle to balance fame and wealth with his commitment to a life devoid of material things.
Director: Michael Hoffman | Stars: Helen Mirren, James McAvoy, Christopher Plummer, Paul Giamatti
Votes: 19,160 | Gross: $6.62M
24. Educating Rita (1983)
PG | 110 min | Comedy, Drama
An alcoholic professor has been hired by a working-class girl for higher education.
Director: Lewis Gilbert | Stars: Michael Caine, Julie Walters, Michael Williams, Maureen Lipman
Votes: 14,924 | Gross: $14.65M
25. The History Boys (2006)
R | 109 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
An unruly class of gifted and charming teenage boys are taught by two eccentric and innovative teachers, as their headmaster pushes for them all to get accepted into Oxford or Cambridge.
Director: Nicholas Hytner | Stars: Richard Griffiths, Frances de la Tour, Clive Merrison, Samuel Anderson
Votes: 21,411 | Gross: $2.71M
26. Rebel in the Rye (2017)
PG-13 | 106 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
The life of celebrated but reclusive author, J.D. Salinger, who gained worldwide fame with the publication of his novel, "The Catcher in the Rye".
Director: Danny Strong | Stars: Nicholas Hoult, Kevin Spacey, Victor Garber, Hope Davis
Votes: 10,789 | Gross: $0.38M
27. The Ledge (2011)
R | 101 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
A police officer looks to talk down a young man lured by his lover's husband to the ledge of a high rise, where he has one hour to contemplate a fateful decision.
Director: Matthew Chapman | Stars: Charlie Hunnam, Terrence Howard, Patrick Wilson, Liv Tyler
Votes: 20,404 | Gross: $0.01M
28. The Bells of St. Mary's (1945)
Unrated | 126 min | Drama
At a big city Catholic school, Father O'Malley and Sister Benedict indulge in friendly rivalry, and succeed in extending the school through the gift of a building.
Director: Leo McCarey | Stars: Bing Crosby, Ingrid Bergman, Henry Travers, William Gargan
Votes: 9,368 | Gross: $21.30M
29. Dismissed (2017)
Not Rated | 87 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
A straight-edged teacher finds trouble when an honors student is willing to do anything to get an A.
Director: Benjamin Arfmann | Stars: Kent Osborne, Dylan Sprouse, Rae Gray, Alycia Delmore
Votes: 8,002
30. Pretty Persuasion (2005)
R | 104 min | Comedy, Drama
A 15-year-old girl incites chaos among her friends and a media frenzy when she accuses her drama teacher of sexual harassment.
Director: Marcos Siega | Stars: Evan Rachel Wood, Ron Livingston, James Woods, David Wagner
Votes: 10,820 | Gross: $0.31M
31. The Class (2008)
PG-13 | 128 min | Drama
Teacher and novelist François Bégaudeau plays a version of himself as he negotiates a year with his racially mixed students from a tough Parisian neighborhood.
Director: Laurent Cantet | Stars: François Bégaudeau, Agame Malembo-Emene, Angélica Sancio, Arthur Fogel
Votes: 36,431 | Gross: $3.77M
32. Admission (2013)
PG-13 | 107 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A Princeton admissions officer who is up for a major promotion takes a professional risk after she meets a college-bound alternative school kid who just might be the son she gave up years ago in a secret adoption.
Director: Paul Weitz | Stars: Tina Fey, Paul Rudd, Nat Wolff, Gloria Reuben
Votes: 36,260 | Gross: $18.00M
33. Suck Me Shakespeer 2 (2015)
115 min | Comedy
Mr. Müller and his class are taking a school trip to Thailand to strengthen the reputation of their school.
Director: Bora Dagtekin | Stars: Elyas M'Barek, Jella Haase, Karoline Herfurth, Katja Riemann
Votes: 14,580
34. Lila dit ça (2004)
R | 89 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Two inner-city teenagers engage in an obsessive, innocent flirtation fueled by Lila's sexually explicit overtures.
Director: Ziad Doueiri | Stars: Vahina Giocante, Moa Khouas, Karim Ben Haddou, Lotfi Chakri
Votes: 5,052 | Gross: $0.12M
35. HyperNormalisation (2016)
166 min | Documentary
Adam Curtis explains how, at a time of confusing and inexplicable world events, politicians and the people they represent have retreated in to a damaging over-simplified version of what is happening.
Director: Adam Curtis | Stars: Adam Curtis, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Victor Gotbaum
Votes: 7,371
36. Murderous Intent (2006)
PG-13 | 110 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
A forensic psychologist (Collette) is tasked with determining whether or not a minor should face murder charges for killing his schoolmate.
Director: Gregory Read | Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Tom Sturridge, Toni Collette, Richard Roxburgh
Votes: 5,508
37. The Corn Is Green (1945)
Approved | 115 min | Drama
A schoolteacher becomes the mentor of a talented young miner and seeks to get him into a university.
Director: Irving Rapper | Stars: Bette Davis, John Dall, Nigel Bruce, Rhys Williams
Votes: 3,220
38. Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1973)
G | 99 min | Drama, Family
A skilled flyer but very rebellious young seagull is kicked out of his clan. However, instead of being sad or lonely, he decides to enjoy and explore his newfound freedom.
Director: Hall Bartlett | Stars: James Franciscus, Juliet Mills, Philip Ahn, David Ladd
Votes: 2,326 | Gross: $1.60M
39. Monsieur Lazhar (2011)
PG-13 | 95 min | Comedy, Drama
At a Montréal public grade school, an Algerian immigrant is hired to replace a popular teacher who committed suicide in her classroom. While helping his students deal with their grief, his own recent loss is revealed.
Director: Philippe Falardeau | Stars: Mohamed Fellag, Sophie Nélisse, Émilien Néron, Danielle Proulx
Votes: 21,191 | Gross: $2.01M
40. Nothing Sacred (1937)
Passed | 77 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
An eccentric woman learns she is not dying of radium poisoning as earlier assumed, but when she meets a reporter looking for a story, she feigns sickness again for her own profit.
Director: William A. Wellman | Stars: Carole Lombard, Fredric March, Charles Winninger, Walter Connolly
Votes: 7,259
41. Goodbye to Language (2014)
Not Rated | 70 min | Drama, Fantasy
A silent, surreal parallel between a couple and a dog.
Director: Jean-Luc Godard | Stars: Héloïse Godet, Kamel Abdelli, Richard Chevallier, Zoé Bruneau
Votes: 6,315
42. Angel (2007)
Not Rated | 134 min | Drama, Romance
The rise and fall of a young eccentric British writer, in the early 20th century.
Director: François Ozon | Stars: Romola Garai, Sam Neill, Lucy Russell, Michael Fassbender
Votes: 5,637
43. Class of '96 (1993)
60 min | Drama
Seven students make their way through their freshman year at Havenhurst College.
Stars: Jason Gedrick, Megan Ward, Brandon Douglas, Perry Moore
Votes: 248
44. My American Uncle (1980)
PG | 125 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
The intersecting stories of three people who face difficult choices in life-changing situations are used to illustrate the theories espoused by Henri Laborit about human behavior and the relationship between the self and society.
Director: Alain Resnais | Stars: Gérard Depardieu, Nicole Garcia, Roger Pierre, Nelly Borgeaud
Votes: 6,851
45. Seven in Heaven (2018)
PG-13 | 94 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
Teenagers Jude and June spend seven minutes in a locked closet and emerge in a hostile and dangerous alternate world.
Director: Chris Eigeman | Stars: Travis Tope, Haley Ramm, Dylan Everett, Jake Manley
Votes: 2,937
46. Microbe & Gasoline (2015)
R | 105 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Two young friends embark on a road trip across France in a vehicle they built themselves.
Director: Michel Gondry | Stars: Ange Dargent, Théophile Baquet, Diane Besnier, Audrey Tautou
Votes: 3,074 | Gross: $0.06M
47. The Image Book (2018)
Not Rated | 88 min | Documentary, Drama, Horror
Nothing but silence. Nothing but a revolutionary song. A story in five chapters like the five fingers of a hand.
Director: Jean-Luc Godard | Stars: Jean-Luc Godard, Dimitri Basil, Jean-Pierre Gos, Anne-Marie Miéville
Votes: 2,991 | Gross: $0.09M
48. Beverly Hills Wedding (2021 TV Movie)
TV-G | 84 min | Drama, Romance
An overenthusiastic photographer wins her younger sister an all-expenses-paid wedding, which includes a trip to Beverly Hills to plan, and is surprised to learn that her ex-boyfriend is the best man and will be joining them.
Director: Paul Ziller | Stars: Brooke D'Orsay, Brendan Penny, Emma Johnson, Ben Sullivan
Votes: 903
49. Trailer of the Film That Will Never Exist: 'Phony Wars' (2023)
20 min | Short
Godard's last film, a trailer for a movie that will never exist, shows a series of collages on what appears to be photographic paper, and is about Belgian surrealist/poet Charles Plisnier, who was expelled from the Communist party in 1937.
Director: Jean-Luc Godard | Star: Jean-Paul Battaggia
Votes: 147
50. Histoire(s) du cinéma (1989–1999)
267 min | Documentary
An 8-part documentary chronicling the history of cinema, examining the history of the concept of cinema and how both relates to the 20th century.
Stars: Jean-Luc Godard, Alain Cuny, Julie Delpy, Sabine Azéma
Votes: 799