Club 50 Wrap-Up: 2004

Years Completed:
1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1995 | 1996 | 1998 | 1999 | 2001 | 2002 
2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014

2004 was one of the in-between years I've mentioned before, I think in 2006. It was coming off a huge 2003. It pretty much hard to be a letdown. Only 10 movies in the top 50 were sequels, which is one of the low marks in that era. There were two remakes as well (The Manchurian Candidate, The Stepford Wives). Five of those sequels were in the top ten though, including the two at the very top.

The Oscar movies did quietly well that year. Four of the five movies made the top 50. Only Finding Neverland (#61) didn't make that cut and only barely. The Aviator (#22) and Million Dollar Baby (#24) both barely made it to $100 million. Ray (#37) and Sideways (#40) were firmly on the list but not massive hits.

Look at the movies that year and one thing is clear: This was the year of Ben Stiller. It's hard to find anyone with a bigger year ever than his 2004. It started in January with his sleeper hit, Along Came Polly (#27). He followed that up in March with Starsky and Hutch (#26). He had time for Envy (#128), which tanked. By June, he was back to making hits with Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (#19). He cameo-ed in Anchorman (#30) that summer. To end the year, he had the Christmas mega-hit sequel Meet the Fockers (#4). You simply aren't going to find another actor with that many successful movies in a single year.

To wind down each year as I complete them, I'm going to hand out a few superlatives or anecdotal awards to highlight some of the highs and lows of the year's top 50 box office earners.

First Seen: Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed

Look, they can't all be winners. The first movie was surprisingly enjoyable. You know, 1999 would've be ecstatic about a cast featuring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr, Linda Cardellini, and Matthew Lillard. And I believe this film even featured a performance by a certain American Idol winner.

Last Seen: Garfield: The Movie

Sometimes, I think Bill Murray takes roles just to build on his own myth.

Happiest Surprise: Mean Girls

It's hard to remember a time when "Screenplay by Tina Fey" or "Starring Rachel McAdams" didn't immediately excite me. In 2004, that was the case. Not to mention Amanda Seyfried, Lacey Chabert, Lizzy Caplan, and pre-Whatever the hell happened- Linday Lohan.

Biggest Disappointment: Ocean's Twelve

Ocean's Eleven is one of my five favorite movies ever, even by 2004. The expectations couldn't've been any higher for me. I was so disappointed by how unfocused this was. Since it was released, I've seen it several more times and have come to appreciate a lot about it. That initial viewing was rough though.

Looked Better Then: The Passion of the Christ

This was essential viewing for every church group and conservative Christian out there when it was released. No one saw it coming. They ended up using the now defunct NewMarket to distribute the film, which ended up more than tripling the profits from their other 35 films combined.
I'm going to use my mother as example of why Passion is in this category. After she of course saw the movie in theaters, she bought the DVD as soon as it was released. Months later, I was cleaning the house (because that's what I do when I get bored) and noticed the DVD was still unopened. I asked my mother why she hadn't opened it. Matter-of-factly, she told me "Oh, I'm never watching that again." This movie was Hands Across America, not the Superbowl. It happened, then we were done with it, never to matter again.

Looks Better Now: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

Certainly, Mean Girls could go here with no hesitation. It's aged incredibly well. I was tempted to put Man on Fire simply because I was shocked by when Tony Scott died how many people referenced that movie as a high mark for him. I'm sticking with Anchorman because the sequel has only made the magic trick of the first all the more impressive.

Favorite: Mean Girls

Do you realize that this is the only screenplay Tina Fey has ever written that was made into a movie? Her only credits are for 30 Rock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, SNL, assorted award shows, and this. That's bizarre. Thank god for Mean Girls then. This is one of those movies where you look back at who was in the cast every couple years and it gets more and more impressive.

2nd Favorite: The Incredibles

It goes to show how deep the Pixar lineup is that this isn't the first one that immediately comes to mind (or 2nd or 3rd...). Brad Bird has one of the great animated back-to-backs with The Iron Giant and The Incredibles. It's everything I could want it to be. It's funny. It's exciting. The animation holds up. The script is tight. I'm still torn about this sequel they're working on.

3rd Favorite: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

One of the most quotable movies of all time.
"I'm in a glass case of emotion!"
"I love lamp."
"You stay classy San Diego."
"I'm Ron Burgandy?"
"Loud noises"
"I don't know how to put this, but I'm kind of a big deal."
"Milk was a bad choice."
"It's made out of real panther, so you know it's good."
I'll stop there. Otherwise, I could just go through the whole movie. It is so dense with jokes.

Honorable Mention:

Troy

Badass Brad Pitt and Eric Bana. Orlando Bloom. Rose Byrne. Diane Kruger. Peter O'Toole. Fantastic cast for a giant ancient epic. It's a shame that so many of these fail, because this is one of my ideal genres: Keep the stories. Drop the myth. Cast it well. Don't over stylize it. Big battles. That's all I really want.

Spider-Man 2

The best Spider-Man movie by far. Possibly the best Marvel movie outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I'd even say it belongs in the top tier of those. Sam Rami mixes action and camp near perfectly in this.

Ocean's Twelve

Maybe the script isn't as tight as I'd like, but it's still plenty funny. I've always liked the idea of a movie where you can tell that everyone in the cast likes hanging out with one another. Especially for a comedy.

The Aviator

You know, if they would've just given Leo the Oscar in 2004 when he deserved it, people wouldn't've been so antsy about it this year. Then again, Jamie Foxx was solid in Ray.

Least Favorite: Fahrenheit 9/11

I surprised even myself with this. Million Dollar Baby is my go-to movie for complaining about Oscar winners (along with Crash). I actually don't hate that movie. I don't like it or Hilary Swank much (and even that's softening it). I wouldn't say 'hate' though. Fahrenheit 9/11 was wholly unenjoyable though. I never liked Bush, but I never bought into the whole "he's the worst person in the history of the planet" stuff either. This was unfocused and seemed entirely designed to piss certain people off without trying to make an actual point.