The Movies of 1996
(Movies Marked With a 
Are Reviewed in Full)
(Includes films first exhibited to commercial audiences in America between Jan. 1, 1996, and Dec. 31, 1996.
Consequently, certain entries, especially foreign films, are indexed here despite being produced in earlier years.)
My Top Ten List
1. Fargo Dir. Joel Coen. With Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi A
2. The English Patient * Dir. Anthony Minghella. With Ralph Fiennes, Kristin Scott Thomas, Juliette Binoche A
3. Lone Star Dir. John Sayles. With Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Peña, Kris Kristofferson A–
4. The Portrait of a Lady ² Dir. Jane Campion. With Nicole Kidman, John Malkovich, Barbara Hershey A–
5. Jerry Maguire ² Dir. Cameron Crowe. With Tom Cruise, Renée Zellweger, Cuba Gooding Jr. A–
6. Secrets & Lies Dir. Mike Leigh. With Brenda Blethyn, Timothy Spall, Marianne Jean-Baptiste A–
7. The Hunchback of Notre Dame Dir. Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise. Animated. With the voice of Tom Hulce A–
8. Big Night Dir. Stanley Tucci & Campbell Scott. With Stanley Tucci, Tony Shalhoub A–
9. The People vs. Larry Flynt Dir. Milo Forman. With Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love, Edward Norton A–
10. Bound Dir. Lana and Lilly Wachowski. With Jennifer Tilly, Gina Gershon, Joe Pantoliano A–
Other Releases from the Year 1996
- Angels & Insects Dir. Philip Haas. With Mark Rylance, Kristin Scott Thomas, Patsy Kensit B+
- Basquiat Dir. Julian Schnabel. With Jeffrey Wright, David Bowie, Claire Forlani B+
- Beautiful Girls Dir. Ted Demme. With Timothy Hutton, Matt Dillon, Natalie Portman B–
- Beautiful Thing Dir. Hettie MacDonald. With Glen Berry, Linda Henry, Scott Neal B+
- Beavis and Butt-head Do America Dir. Mike Judge. Animated. With the voices of Mike Judge, Robert Stack C–
- The Birdcage Dir. Mike Nichols. With Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman B–
- Breaking the Waves ² Dir. Lars von Trier. With Emily Watson, Stellan Skarsgård, Katrin Cartlidge B+
- Butterfly Kiss Dir. Michael Winterbottom. With Amanda Plummer, Saskia Reeves, Ricky Tomlinson C+
- The Celluloid Closet Dirs. Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman. Documentary. Narrated by Lily Tomlin B
- Cemetery Man Dir. Michèle Soavi. With Rupert Everett, Francois Hadji-Lazaro, Anna Falchi B–
- Citizen Ruth Dir. Alexander Payne. With Laura Dern, Swoosie Kurtz, Mary Kay Place C+
- Cold Comfort Farm Dir. John Schlesinger. With Kate Beckinsale, Eileen Atkins, Rufus Sewell B–
- Courage Under Fire Dir. Edward Zwick. With Denzel Washington, Meg Ryan, Matt Damon C+
- The Crucible Dir. Nicholas Hytner. With Daniel Day-Lewis, Winona Ryder, Joan Allen B+
- Dadetown Dir. Russ Hexter. With Bill Garrison, Edith Meeks, David Phelps B
- Dead Man Dir. Jim Jarmusch. With Johnny Depp, Gary Farmer, Lance Henriksen C
- Diabolique Dir. Jeremiah Chechik. With Isabelle Adjani, Sharon Stone, Chazz Palminteri B
- Emma Dir. Douglas McGrath. With Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeremy Northam, Toni Collette B–
- Everyone Says I Love You Dir. Woody Allen. With Woody Allen, Goldie Hawn, Natasha Lyonne B+
- Evita Dir. Alan Parker. With Madonna, Antonio Banderas, Jonathan Pryce B+
- Executive Decision Dir. Stuart Baird. With Kurt Russell, Halle Berry, Steven Seagal F
- The Film of Her Dir. Bill Morrison. Experimental documentary collage of found footage C+
- Fire Dir. Deepa Mehta. With Nandita Das, Shabana Azmi, Kulbushan Kharbanda B–
- The First Wives Club Dir. Hugh Wilson. With Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler B
- Flirting with Disaster Dir. David O. Russell. With Ben Stiller, Patricia Arquette, Téa Leoni B–
- Ghosts of Mississippi Dir. Rob Reiner. With Alec Baldwin, James Woods, Whoopi Goldberg C–
- Gray's Anatomy Dir. Steven Soderbergh. With Spalding Gray (performing an extended monologue) C–
- Hamlet Dir. Kenneth Branagh. With Kenneth Branagh, Julie Christie, Derek Jacobi B–
- I Love You, I Love You Not Dir. Billy Hopkins. With Claire Danes, Jeanne Moreau, Jude Law D
- I Shot Andy Warhol Dir. Mary Harron. With Lili Taylor, Jared Harris, Stephen Dorff B
- If These Walls Could Talk TV Movie. Dirs. Nancy Savoca, Cher. With Demi Moore, Sissy Spacek C+
- Independence Day Dir. Roland Emmerich. With Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum C–
- Jane Eyre Dir. Franco Zeffirelli. With Charlotte Gainsbourg, William Hurt, Joan Plowright C–
- Jingle All the Way Dir. Brian Levant. With Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad, Phil Hartman F
- Jude Dir. Michael Winterbottom. With Christopher Eccleston, Kate Winslet, Liam Cunningham B+
- Kansas City Dir. Robert Altman. With Jennifer Jason Leigh, Miranda Richardson, Harry Belafonte B–
- Mars Attacks! Dir. Tim Burton. With Jack Nicholson, Jim Brown, Annette Bening B
- Marvin's Room Dir. Jerry Zaks. With Diane Keaton, Meryl Streep, Leonardo DiCaprio B
- Mary Reilly Dir. Stephen Frears. With Julia Roberts, John Malkovich, Glenn Close B–
- The Mirror Has Two Faces Dir. Barbra Streisand. With Barbra Streisand, Jeff Bridges, Lauren Bacall C–
- Mission: Impossible Dir. Brian De Palma. With Tom Cruise, Emmanuelle Béart, Jon Voight B+
- A Moment of Innocence Dir. Mohsen Makhmalbaf. With Mirhadi Tayebi, Mohsen Makhmalbaf A–
- Mother Dir. Albert Brooks. With Albert Brooks, Debbie Reynolds, Rob Morrow B–
- Mr. Wrong Dir. Nick Castle. With Ellen DeGeneres, Bill Pullman, Joan Cusack B–
- Nenette et Boni Dir. Claire Denis. With Gregoire Colin, Alice Houri, Jacques Nolot B–
- The Nutty Professor Dir. Tom Shadyac. With Eddie Murphy, Jada Pinkett, Larry Miller B+
- The Pallbearer Dir. Matt Reeves. With David Schwimmer, Gwyneth Paltrow, Barbara Hershey B
- Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills Dirs. Joe Berlinger & Bruce Sinofsky. Documentary. B
- Primal Fear Dir. Gregory Hoblit. With Richard Gere, Edward Norton, Laura Linney C+
- Ransom Dir. Ron Howard. With Mel Gibson, Gary Sinise, René Russo B–
- The Rock Dir. Michael Bay. With Nicolas Cage, Sean Connery, Ed Harris B–
- Schizopolis Dir. Steven Soderbergh. With Steven Soderbergh, Betsy Brantley, David Jensen B
- Scorned 2 Dir. Rodney McDonald. With Tane McClure, Myles O'Brien, Wendy Schumacher D+
- Scream Dir. Wes Craven. With Neve Campbell, Skeet Ulrich, Rose McGowan B
- Set It Off Dir. F. Gary Gray. With Jada Pinkett, Vivica A. Fox, Queen Latifah B–
- Shine Dir. Scott Hicks. With Geoffrey Rush, Noah Taylor, Armin Mueller-Stahl B+
- Sling Blade Dir. Billy Bob Thornton. With Billy Bob Thornton, Lucas Black, Dwight Yoakam B+
- Stealing Beauty Dir. Bernardo Bertolucci. With Liv Tyler, Jeremy Irons, Sinéad Cusack C
- Surviving Picasso Dir. James Ivory. With Anthony Hopkins, Natascha McElhone, Julianne Moore D+
- Sweet Nothing Dir. Gary Winick. With Michael Imperioli, Mira Sorvino, Paul Calderon B–
- A Time to Kill Dir. Joel Schumacher. With Matthew McConaughey, Samuel L. Jackson, Sandra Bullock C
- Trainspotting Dir. Danny Boyle. With Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller, Robert Carlyle B
- The Truth About Cats & Dogs Dir. Michael Lehmann. With Janeane Garofalo, Uma Thurman, Ben Chaplin B+
- Twister Dir. Jan de Bont. With Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Jami Gertz C
- Unhook the Stars Dir. Nick Cassavetes. With Gena Rowlands, Marisa Tomei, Jake Lloyd B
- Les Voleurs Dir. André Téchiné. With Daniel Auteuil, Laurence Cote, Catherine Deneuve B–
- Walking and Talking Dir. Nicole Holofcener. With Catherine Keener, Anne Heche, Todd Field B+
- Welcome to the Dollhouse Dir. Todd Solondz. With Heather Matarazzo, Brendan Sexton Jr., Matthew Faber B
- The Whole Wide World Dir. Dan Ireland. With Renée Zellweger, Vincent D'Onofrio, Ann Wedgeworth C
- William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet Dir. Baz Luhrmann. With Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes B
² Seen twice in a cinema; ³ Seen three times in a cinema; * Seen four times or more in a cinema