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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
The 100 Most Basic Movies #40-21

20. Say Anything… (1989)

This movie marks the first and final time light stalking while wearing a trenchcoat has ever been seen as romantic. [Where to stream Say Anything…]

19. Cruel Intentions (1999)

For the misanthropic basics who find 10 Things I Hate About You too charming, here’s a dark teenage romantic drama based on a piece of classic literature that makes good use of coke spoons, incestuous hand jobs, and “Bittersweet Symphony.” [Where to stream Cruel Intentions]

18. Empire Records (1995)

If this is a “cult classic,” I think it’s very disturbing how so many people I know are in the same crappy cult. [Where to stream Empire Records]

17. Life Is Beautiful (1997)

Shouldn’t all Holocaust movies feature the most annoying Italian actor/director in cinema history? [Where to stream Life Is Beautiful]

16. Gladiator (2000)

I suppose this is a “thinking man’s war movie,” but it’s really just for people who were too young to be blown-away by Braveheart. [Where to stream Gladiator]

15. Braveheart (1995)

Speaking of Braveheart! This is another movie with a ruggedly handsome hero wearing, of all things, a skirt as he chops people apart with a big sword. [Where to stream Braveheart]

14. Pretty Woman (1990)

Who can resist a hooker with a heart of gold? The same people who love a movie in which George Costanza tries to rape Julia Roberts. [Where to stream Pretty Woman]

13. Dirty Dancing (1987)

What sets this ’60s-set coming-of-age love story apart from every other period piece in which a teenage girl sleeps with an older guy? The gauche anachronistic music cues, probably. [Where to stream Dirty Dancing]

12. Dead Poets Society (1989)

Oh, were you an angsty teenager who rejected authority until that one inspirational teacher convinced you to seize the day and appreciate poetry as an artistic literary form? You and me both, brother. [Where to stream Dead Poets Society]

11. Garden State (2004)

How many awkward makeouts began and ended within the first third of this movie? The Shins really gets you nice and lukewarm. [Where to stream Garden State]

10. The Notebook (2004)

Ryan Gosling is not your boyfriend, and he is not building you a house with a wraparound porch.

[Where to stream The Notebook]

9. Love Actually (2003)

This movie is like a Snuggie: you might be super comfortable, but you look really dumb. [Where to stream Love Actually]

8. Scarface (1983)

Ladies, be wary of any man who owns a Scarface t-shirt and/or poster. He is overcompensating, and possibly also a sociopath. [Where to stream Scarface]

7. Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)

I’m convinced that 90% of the women who have a Breakfast at Tiffany’s poster have not seen it and assume it’s about a really cool lady who drinks mimosas at a jewelry store. [Where to stream Breakfast at Tiffany’s]

6. American Beauty (1999)

My heart really goes out to the middle-aged white men who suffer identity crises in this modern world. It must be tough keeping a full-time job, not fucking teenager girls, and maintaining a reasonable relationship with your wife. Sometimes you just have to stop sweating the small stuff and appreciate all of the beauty in the world, like garbage floating in the wind. [Where to stream American Beauty]

5. Titanic (1997)

Incredible special effects, for sure, but they barely distract from the mediocre script featuring a pretty drippy relationship between two star-crossed lovers. [Where to stream Titanic]

4. Fight Club (1999)

Do I really need to explain this one to you again? [Where to stream Fight Club]

3. Forrest Gump (1994)

An ignorant simpleton somehow experiences first-hand nearly every major historical event from 1960 to 1980 all set to a soundtrack that’ll put every baby boomer into a comfortable daze. [Where to stream Forrest Gump]

2. Crash (2005)

Remember when we finally solved racism simply by proving that everyone is racist? Or something like that. All I know is that Ludacris was in a movie that won a Best Picture Oscar. [Where to stream Crash]

1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

A movie about the power of the human spirit in the face of great adversity is the perfect formula for massive universal appeal, especially when it’s narrated by Morgan Freeman. [Where to stream The Shawshank Redemption]

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Photos: Everett Collection