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If there’s one buzzword that has come out of our current cultural obsession with all things pumpkin flavored, it’s “basic.” Typically, it’s a term used to describe a group of people (primarily white women) who appear to fully embrace an obsession with the lowest-common dominator of aesthetics and tastes. Like other words like “hipster” or “bro,” “basic” is the kind of word that mostly white people use to describe other white people who seemingly embody a banal lifestyle that isn’t endlessly curated. It basically says more about the person who says it than it does the person it supposedly describes.

Having said all of that, I figured it’d still be fun to figure out an exhaustive, completely objective, and absolutely definitive ranking of the most basic movies ever made. Does your favorite movie make you basic?

Previously:
The 100 Most Basic Movies #100-81
The 100 Most Basic Movies #80-61
The 100 Most Basic Movies #60-41

40. Love Story (1970)

In the prototypical basic movie, a pretty lady falls in love with the WASPiest man of all time and then dies. [Where to stream Love Story]

39. Midnight in Paris (2011)

Ever wonder what it was like to go to a cocktail party where a ton of famous dead literary and artist types were all sitting around talking for your own entertainment? [Where to stream Midnight in Paris]

38. The Help (2011)

Based on a popular novel? Check. An oversimplification of the Civil Rights movement? Check. A white lady solving racism. You got it. [Where to stream The Help]

37. Shakespeare in Love (1998)

Who doesn’t love a madcap romantic comedy with a little bit of cross-dressing? And if you like speculative historical fiction, you’ll love watching William Shakespeare get GOOPed. [Where to stream Shakespeare in Love]

36. The Princess Bride (1987)

I imagine the kind of girls who are all, “I don’t really get along with other women,” look up to Princess Buttercup because she’s a cool princess. Also, how many shirts have you seen featuring the likeness of Inigo Montoya? [Where to stream The Princess Bride]

35. Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)

British women can be basic, too, and I’m pretty sure they all fall in love with Colin Firth. [Where to stream Bridget Jones’s Diary]

34. Office Space (1999)

Do you hate your boring desk job because you’re asked to do simple tasks in exchange for money that allows you to afford all of the things those in the upper middle class take for granted? That must be terrible for you. [Where to stream Office Space]

33. Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

The thing about Jennifer Lawrence is that she’s just so real, you know? Like, totally a cool girl who, like, doesn’t care what anyone thinks. Anyway, here she is in a movie about obsessive compulsive disorder and ballroom dancing.[Where to stream Silver Linings Playbook]

32. The Breakfast Club (1985)

Five white teenagers from various social groups discover they all have a lot in common during one a Saturday detention session in their affluent suburban Chicago high school. (Being a teen is hard.) [Where to stream The Breakfast Club]

31. Rocky (1976)

People who love Rocky probably really want you to check out their workout playlist on Spotify. [Where to stream Rocky]

30. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

When guys realize that Zoolander quotes will no longer get them laid, they move on to this one. And they think they’re going to land a Christina Applegate type, but they’re more likely going to end up with someone who looks like Will Ferrell. [Where to stream Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy]

29. Almost Famous (2000)

This movie is for people who bemoan the current state of pop music (like, did The Beatles need ten people to write a simple pop hit?) because the likes of Led Zeppelin and Humble Pie were, like, high art. [Where to stream Almost Famous]

28. The Hangover (2009)

This movie is for dudes who think Dude, Where’s My Car was déclassé. [Where to stream The Hangover]

27. Moulin Rouge! (2001)

Like any good private room karaoke party, you’ll drunkenly sing along to a bunch of songs you’d never listen to otherwise but feel just so damn comfortable when you hear them every now and then. [Where to stream Moulin Rouge!]

26. You’ve Got Mail (1998)

Don’t you love it when New York just feels like a character in a movie? Don’t you wish Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks’ irresistible chemistry and functionally ineptitude could be in every movie? Don’t you appreciate a movie that features both an anti-corporate sentiment and an unabashed feature-length product placement for AOL? [Where to stream You’ve Got Mail]

25. Donnie Darko (2001)

Whoa, dude. It’s like… Huh? But whoa. Seriously. You should check this out, man. [Where to stream Donnie Darko]

24. The Dark Knight (2008)

When you want your superheroes to be sad and frustrated and your bad guys to be either crazy anarchists or angry politicians acting out because half of their faces have been burned off, then you’ll love Christopher Nolan’s dark and super serious attempt at making a guy fighting crime in tights and a mask seem realistic. [Where to stream The Dark Knight]

23. Amélie (2001)

What’s the French word for “adorkable?”[Where to stream Amélie]

22. Boondock Saints (1999)

When you’re not cool enough to be goth and Pulp Fiction is too “complicated,” you settle with this movie. [Where to stream Boondock Saints]

21. Star Wars (1977)

Oh no, Star Wars can’t be basic, can it? I mean, it’s not like it’s a movie that is beloved by sci-fi nerds and regular folks who just appreciate a fun action film. It’s not like it’s made billions of dollars across the globe and launched the career of at least one Hollywood A-list actor as well as spawned several franchises across various mediums. No, no. Definitely not basic at all. Your Star Wars fandom makes you very, very special and unique. [Where to stream Star Wars]

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Photos: Everett Collection