Writing is the cornerstone of all entertainment. Somewhere, right now, someone is writing something we're going to watch very soon.
Somewhere, someone is creating a character that will stick in our hearts and minds forever.
Somewhere, someone is typing "FADE OUT" on their masterpiece.
This year, during the Pandemic Part II, we relied on incredibly written television and movies to keep us entertained and take us to worlds far away from our own. While I haven't been able to see everything this year, I wanted to spend some time celebrating the stories I've watched that carried me through these insane times.
So what were the best-written stories of 2021?
Let's take a look. (Be sure to click through the links for more insight, often in the form of podcasts with the creators of these shows and movies!)
The Best Writing of 2021: Movies
Whether you made it to the theater or not, movies were available all over this year. From powerful streamers to day-and-date releases, it felt like a big changing of the tide within Hollywood. So what titles stood out as the best written?
The Power of the Dog comes to mind first, perhaps because I watched it right before writing this, and perhaps because the slow burn film grips you until the ending that sort of just happens... in the best way possible.
Jane Campion's work here should garner her some Academy Award nominations. The characters here are deep, hiding something, and feel perfectly crafted.
'The Power of the Dog'Credit: Netflix
Earlier in the year, I really enjoyed the dialogue and twists inside No Sudden Move. Ed Solomon and Steven Soderbergh wove an intricate tale here, visuals supporting the words on the page. It moves us through a story that I actually paused at one moment to talk it out because I was having so much fun with it.
Original ideas always get more favor from me, and that's why Free Guy ranks high for me this year. I laughed so hard at this video game adventure. And blending it with the outside world was such a smart twist to make the stakes feel real.
Still, a movie likeWest Side Story deserves to be talked about. Not just because of Spielberg, but because of the script work Tony Kushner did to tweak and motivate the characters. The nuance he added helped elevate storylines and make the whole thing feel grounded and daring. It was special and daring.
'Passing'Credit: Netflix
An unsung movie this year is Rebecca Hall's Passing, which tells the story of a woman passing for another race in early 1930s New York. It's deep and interesting, and incredible to see Hall adapt a novel from 1929 into something that feels so present and necessary.
I'm not sure I can say I enjoyed The Card Counter, but I found the movie dark, complex, and necessary. It takes the idea of being a hero as a soldier and exposes it as an American bluff to get more people to enlist and take the heat as the higher-ups get by unscathed by the PTSD they inflict.
On the lighter side, how about some PTA? Licorice Pizza is as good as everyone says. Its sumptuous love story takes a crush and spins it into an incredible coming-of-age story about two people trying to find stability and purpose in the Valley.
Another home anecdote comes from Kenneth Branagh in Belfast. Not only do we get the world of a child, but we see the expanse of a family on the brink, and how much they're able to rely on one another when the world falls apart.
'Licorice Pizza'Credit: MGM
Speaking of families, I'm not sure I'll cry at another movie as hard as I did at the sweet and wonderful CODA. If you need affirmations of what it means to be human and what it means to love your family, everything is inside this one.
If you want some darker fare, I think many people will be talking about Nightmare Alley. This fantasy film-noir goes places the trailers don't suggest, but the story takes risks that continue to pay off and surprise us.
As far as movies for adults go, The Last Duel signified a high point for Ridley Scott for me. This movie about dueling perspectives and people broke down points of view in such a clever way that it felt like three features in one.
Of course, there were lots of very adult movies this year, from the hard lessons of Drive My Car to the sugar baby in Shiva Baby. These movies survived because of the characters who may not be like us but made us empathize and learn about them in ways unexpected. The same goes for a movie that I was shocked more people didn't talk about, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, which presents a story of someone who seeks love and gets duped into thinking it may not exist.
'The Harder They Fall'Credit: Netflix
Love of people has been covered, but what about the love of a pig, like in Pig, which becomes an allegory on forgiveness that I never expected. Or how about the revisionist western, The Harder They Fall, which also chases revenge while talking about the building of something bigger.
Rounding out the year in movies, I'd like to take a moment to talk about the weird ones that are near and dear to my heart. I'm talking about titles like Red Rocketand Annette, which take on subjects like retired porn stars and a couple who has a doll like a baby. They took me out of the doldrums and set me off on adventures of interpersonal conflict and song. Each proves film is a wide-ranging medium where anyone can find the kinds of stories that challenge and excite them.
Before you ask, I still haven't seen The Matrix: Resurrections, which I'm sure will make me very happy, as a Wachowski stan who finds meaning in even their weirdest works.
'The Matrix: Resurrections'Credit: Warner Bros.
The Best Writing of 2021: Television
When I'm not watching movies, I'm watching TV. So many titles came out this year it was hard for me to get to most of them. The ones I'm listing here are the ones who I have seen every episode available. It didn't feel fair to assume to grasp at other titles. But if you have things I must see, put them in the comments.
Perhaps the biggest show this year was Squid Game. It's amazing to see people come together around the world to watch something that felt eerily pertinent to our lives. What's crazy is that Netflix released that show, and also released Bridgerton, which was probably the other biggest show of the year, with millions tuning into the costume drama. Both took their genres and leaned into tropes, and both understood that people wanted cliffhangers to keep binging.
'Squid Game'Credit: Netflix
My favorite show of the year was the second season of The Greaton Hulu. This was superb storytelling that took us through incredible moments of violence, sex, and humor like a beautiful sonata.
In a close second was the new Only Murders in the Building, which took a genius look at deconstructing true crime podcasts inside a mystery we all wanted to solve. It was so original and fresh.
'The Great'Credit: Hulu
Another show that took us through different genres and time was WandaVision, which I found to be just cheeky enough to set it apart from other Marvel shows, although I am enjoying Hawkeye, which leans into something with smaller stakes and personal moments in a way I haven't found the other shows have found (outside of WandaVision).
This was a big year for new voices as well, like Reservation Dogs, which took me by surprise and wrapped me up in a foul-mouthed blanket of coming of age and storytelling. Shows like Hack and The White Lotus also introduced us to new characters we could not stop talking about, from Jean Smart's acerbic comedienne to Jennifer Coolidge's aloof millionaire.
It was a great year for dark drama, like Maid and The Flight Attendant. Both defied genre to keep us guessing.
'The White Lotus'Credit: HBO
It was also a year of deep reflection, which came in the form of The Underground Railroad. This masterpiece from Barry Jenkins pulled us deep into the echoes of society and the horrors many endured to live freely.
Old standbys like Succession and Dickinson continued to deliver characters who felt outrageous but fit inside their worlds.
And something like Midnight Mass was such an unexpected joy of a slow burn, treating apart grief and religions inside the microcosm of a small town.
'Dave'Credit: FX
Dave continued to deconstruct the creative mind and artistic endeavors in the face of human interaction. It put things into context most people only feel and have no idea how to say.
Mare showed us a town that needed to forgive and a person who had lost control and wanted to find stability and comfort in the face of great loss.
These were the shows that really got to me this year and that I made time to watch as soon as they dropped. Let me know your favorites in the comments section.
'Mare of Easttown'Credit: HBO
Summing Up the Best Writing for Film and TV in 2021
As we wrap on year two of the pandemic, it's been interesting to see how film and television changed this year. We saw a lot more of a push to get things onto home screens as fast as possible. We also saw movies that demanded the big screen.
It's hard to predict where Hollywood will go, but I'm looking forward to the titles and new seasons that 2022 brings us. And I look forward to catching up on all the things I missed in 2021. Put your favorites in the comments section below!
Happy watching!
