Zoe Kazan stars in this Judd Apatow romantic drama about a young couple who come from very different worlds and must face incredible hardships together. Kazan plays grad student Emily V Gordon, who falls in love with a man from a traditional Muslim family in the Oscar-nominated picture. While Kazan plays Gordon, Kumail Nanjiani actually plays himself in biographical account of his relationship with his now-wife.
The Big Sick premiered at Sundance in 2017, and was nominated for a number of awards, including the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. It won the 2018 Critics Choice Award for Best Comedy. It grossed $56 million against a budget of $5 million and was one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)
This 2007 French biographical film dives into the true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, journalist and editor of an esteemed fashion magazine, Elle. The French biographical drama stars Mathieu Almaric as the editor who’s left suffering from locked-in syndrome after having a stroke. The film is based on the very book Bauby wrote while "locked in." He used a method of blinking in order to communicate the words he wanted to write.
The film won a number of prestigious awards and was nominated for several more, at the Golden Globes, the Cannes film Festival, and the BAFTAs, among others. It is widely regarded by many critics as one of the best films of the decade and, on Rotten Tomatoes, it has nearly a 95% fresh score.
Cinderella Man (2005)
This 2005 and film tells the tale of Boxer James Braddock, played by Russell Crowe. Braddock was a promising contender in the 1920s, but his career was cut short after an injury. But in the 1930s he made a surprising comeback, which was good news for a country desperate for it in the midst of the Great Depression. Braddock became famous for his deadly counterpunching style, mighty right hand, and his chin of iron.
The film grossed over $100 million at the box office and received three Academy Award nominations. It holds an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a 69% on Metacritic, and opened to mostly positive reviews.
The Farewell (2019)
This 2019 dramedy (comedy-drama) follows a Chinese American family (based on writer/director Lulu Wang’s experiences,) who work hard to get together one last time with their grandmother when they learn that she has little time left on earth, due to a case of terminal lung cancer. Actress Awkwafina channels the true experiences of the director Wang and her journey to China to bid farewell to her dying grandmother. Fun fact. Wang's grandmother is still alive.
The film had a budget of $3 million and managed to earn more than $22 million back at the box office. It holds a whopping 98% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, one of the highest on the list so far. Awkwafina won a Golden Globe for Best Actress for her work as Lulu in the film.
Apollo 13 (1995)
This 1995 film stars Tom Hanks as one of the astronauts on the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission to the moon. The film tells the tale of the 1970 lunar mission, headed up by astronaut Jim Lovell, (Hanks). Although it seems the mission will end in disaster, the men make it home safely, but not before dealing with chaos in space.
It grossed more than $355 million in the box office and has a 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It one a number of awards including two Oscars for Best Sound and Best Film Editing, and it was nominated for seven more.