Year-End Lists

A.O. Scott: 10 Best Movies of 2016, as published by The New York Times

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
2. O.J.: Made in America
   Ezra Edelman
3. Toni Erdmann
   Maren Ade
4. Cameraperson
   Kirsten Johnson
5. Aferim!
   Radu Jude
6. American Honey
   Andrea Arnold
7. Aquarius
   Kleber Mendonça Filho
8. Sausage Party
   Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon
9. A Bigger Splash
   Luca Guadagnino
10. Elle
    Paul Verhoeven
10. Things to Come
    Mia Hansen-Løve

Stephen Holden: 20 Best Movies of 2016, as published by The New York Times

[see also 2015 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
2. O.J.: Made in America
   Ezra Edelman
3. American Honey
   Andrea Arnold
4. Embrace of the Serpent
   Ciro Guerra
5. Manchester by the Sea
   Kenneth Lonergan
6. Neon Bull
   Gabriel Mascaro
7. Fire at Sea
   Gianfranco Rosi
8. Elle
   Paul Verhoeven
9. Aquarius
   Kleber Mendonça Filho

Runners-up

• Fireworks Wednesday
  Asghar Farhadi
• Krisha
  Trey Edward Shults
• Sunset Song
  Terence Davies
• Wiener-Dog
  Todd Solondz
• The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years
  Ron Howard
• Chronic
  Michel Franco
• Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened…
  Lonny Price
• 20th Century Women
  Mike Mills
• 13th
  Ava DuVernay
• Paterson
  Jim Jarmusch
• Things to Come
  Mia Hansen-Løve

Manohla Dargis: 28 Best Movies of 2016, as published by The New York Times

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. No Home Movie
   Chantal Akerman
2. Toni Erdmann
   Maren Ade
3. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
4. O.J.: Made in America
   Ezra Edelman
5. My Golden Days
   Arnaud Desplechin
6. I Am Not Your Negro
   Raoul Peck
7. Arrival
   Denis Villeneuve
8. The Handmaiden
   Park Chan-wook
9. 13th
   Ava DuVernay
10. From the Notebook of…
    Robert Beavers

Other Loves

• Aquarius
  Kleber Mendonça Filho
• Autumn
  Nathaniel Dorsky
• The Dreamer
  Nathaniel Dorsky
• Bagatelle II
  Jerome Hiler
• Certain Women
  Kelly Reichardt
• Creepy
  Kiyoshi Kurosawa
• The Fits
  Anna Rose Holmer
• The Illinois Parables
  Deborah Stratman
• Into the Inferno
  Werner Herzog
• Jackie
  Pablo Larraín
• Neruda
  Pablo Larraín
• Krisha
  Trey Edward Shults
• La La Land
  Damien Chazelle
• Loving
  Jeff Nichols
• Mountains May Depart
  Jia Zhang-ke
• Paterson
  Jim Jarmusch
• Sunset Song
  Terence Davies
• 20th Century Women
  Mike Mills

Alison Willmore: 11 Best Movies of 2016, as published by BuzzFeed

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Toni Erdmann
   Maren Ade
2. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
3. Weiner
   Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg
4. Mountains May Depart
   Jia Zhang-ke
5. Hell or High Water
   David Mackenzie
6. Elle
   Paul Verhoeven
6. Things to Come
   Mia Hansen-Løve
8. O.J.: Made in America
   Ezra Edelman
9. The Edge of Seventeen
   Kelly Fremon Craig
10. Manchester by the Sea
    Kenneth Lonergan
11. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
    Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone

Richard Brody: 35 Best Movies of 2016, as published by The New Yorker

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Little Sister
   Zach Clark
2. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
3. Sully
   Clint Eastwood
4. Viktoria
   Maya Vitkova
5. Love & Friendship
   Whit Stillman
6. Men Go to Battle
   Zachary Treitz
7. Wiener-Dog
   Todd Solondz
8. Kate Plays Christine
   Robert Greene
9. Happy Hour
   Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
10. Knight of Cups
    Terrence Malick
11. Hail, Caesar!
    Joel & Ethan Coen
12. Everybody Wants Some!!
    Richard Linklater
13. The Love Witch
    Anna Biller
14. Krisha
    Trey Edward Shults
15. Pete’s Dragon
    David Lowery
16. Mountains May Depart
    Jia Zhang-ke
17. For the Plasma
    Bingham Bryant and Kyle Molzan
18. 13th
    Ava DuVernay
19. Manchester by the Sea
    Kenneth Lonergan
20. No Home Movie
    Chantal Akerman
21. The Witness
    James D. Solomon
22. Certain Women
    Kelly Reichardt
23. Sunset Song
    Terence Davies
24. Dog Eat Dog
    Paul Schrader
25. The Treasure
    Corneliu Porumboiu
26. Tower
    Keith Maitland
27. Nuts!
    Penny Lane
28. Mia Madre
    Nanni Moretti
29. Southside with You
    Richard Tanne
30. Michael Moore in TrumpLand
    Michael Moore
31. The Birth of a Nation
    Nate Parker
32. Right Now, Wrong Then
    Hong Sang-soo
33. Embrace of the Serpent
    Ciro Guerra
34. Silence
    Martin Scorsese
35. Hidden Figures
    Theodore Melfi

David Edelstein: 20 Best Movies of 2016, as published by New York Magazine’s Vulture

[see also 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. La La Land
   Damien Chazelle
2. Hell or High Water
   David Mackenzie
3. 20th Century Women
   Mike Mills
4. Krisha
   Trey Edward Shults
5. O.J.: Made in America
   Ezra Edelman
6. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
7. The Witness
   James D. Solomon
8. The Handmaiden
   Park Chan-wook
9. Tower
   Keith Maitland
10. Zero Days
    Alex Gibney
11. Loving
    Jeff Nichols
12. Toni Erdmann
    Maren Ade
13. Silence
    Martin Scorsese
14. Don’t Think Twice
    Mike Birbiglia
15. The Fits
    Anna Rose Holmer
16. Little Men
    Ira Sachs

And let’s not forget

• Creative Control
  Benjamin Dickinson
• Indignation
  James Schamus
• Hacksaw Ridge
  Mel Gibson
• Weiner
  Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg

Eric Kohn: 16 Best Movies of 2016, as published by IndieWire

[see also 2023 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2012]

1. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
2. Jackie
   Pablo Larraín
3. Weiner
   Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg
4. Everybody Wants Some!!
   Richard Linklater
5. Creative Control
   Benjamin Dickinson
6. Cameraperson
   Kirsten Johnson
7. Paterson
   Jim Jarmusch
8. Swiss Army Man
   Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
9. American Honey
   Andrea Arnold
10. Neruda
    Pablo Larraín
11. The Academy of Muses
    José Luis Guerín
12. The Fits
    Anna Rose Holmer
13. Uncle Kent 2
    Todd Rohal
14. Toni Erdmann
    Maren Ade
15. The Witch
    Robert Eggers
16. Certain Women
    Kelly Reichardt

Mara Reinstein: Top 10 Movies of 2016, as published by Us Weekly

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013]

1. La La Land
   Damien Chazelle
2. Manchester by the Sea
   Kenneth Lonergan
3. Arrival
   Denis Villeneuve
4. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
5. Patriots Day
   Peter Berg
6. O.J.: Made in America
   Ezra Edelman
7. Zootopia
   Byron Howard and Rich Moore
8. Hell or High Water
   David Mackenzie
9. Nocturnal Animals
   Tom Ford
10. Bad Moms
    Jon Lucas and Scott Moore

Rest of the Best

• Captain Fantastic
  Matt Ross
• Toni Erdmann
  Maren Ade
• Fences
  Denzel Washington
• The Nice Guys
  Shane Black
• 10 Cloverfield Lane
  Dan Trachtenberg
• Moana
  Ron Clements and John Musker
• Gleason
  Clay Tweel
• The Edge of Seventeen
  Kelly Fremon Craig
• Don’t Think Twice
  Mike Birbiglia
• Deadpool
  Tim Miller

Richard Lawson: The 10 Best Movies of 2016, as published by Vanity Fair

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013]

1. The Meddler
   Lorene Scafaria
2. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
3. Fire at Sea
   Gianfranco Rosi
4. Things to Come
   Mia Hansen-Løve
5. American Honey
   Andrea Arnold
6. Manchester by the Sea
   Kenneth Lonergan
7. Jackie
   Pablo Larraín
8. The Edge of Seventeen
   Kelly Fremon Craig
9. Mountains May Depart
   Jia Zhang-ke
10. The Lobster
    Yorgos Lanthimos

Matt Singer: The Best Movies of 2016, as published by ScreenCrush

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. O.J.: Made in America
   Ezra Edelman
2. Toni Erdmann
   Maren Ade
3. Manchester by the Sea
   Kenneth Lonergan
4. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
5. Sing Street
   John Carney
6. La La Land
   Damien Chazelle
7. Krisha
   Trey Edward Shults
8. The Handmaiden
   Park Chan-wook
9. Demon
   Marcin Wrona
10. Hail, Caesar!
    Joel & Ethan Coen

Honorable Mentions (In Alphabetical Order)

• 20th Century Women
  Mike Mills
• Arrival
  Denis Villeneuve
• The Boy and the Beast
  Mamoru Hosoda
• Everybody Wants Some!!
  Richard Linklater
• Fences
  Denzel Washington
• Green Room
  Jeremy Saulnier
• Hell or High Water
  David Mackenzie
• Paterson
  Jim Jarmusch
• Star Trek Beyond
  Justin Lin
• The Witch
  Robert Eggers