Best-Reviewed Dramas 2019

Chalk up another win for the South Korean film that could, as Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite leads the pack in a competitive year full of fantastic dramas. Two Netflix films made a big splash in the category (The Irishman and Marriage Story), as well as Pedro Almodóvar’s latest (Pain and Glory) and Greta Gerwig’s much-anticipated follow-up to Lady Bird (Little Women). But after racking up hundreds of positive reviews, this was Parasite‘s award to lose.

The order of the rank below reflects the Adjusted Score as of December 31, 2019. Scores might change over time.

#1

Parasite (2019)
99%

#1

Adjusted Score: 125046%

Critics Consensus: An urgent, brilliantly layered look at timely social themes, Parasite finds writer-director Bong Joon Ho in near-total command of his craft.

Synopsis: Greed and class discrimination threaten the newly formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.... [More]

Starring: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Jo Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-sik

Directed By: Bong Joon Ho

#2

The Irishman (2019)
95%

#2

Adjusted Score: 120038%

Critics Consensus: An epic gangster drama that earns its extended runtime, The Irishman finds Martin Scorsese revisiting familiar themes to poignant, funny, and profound effect.

Synopsis: In the 1950s, truck driver Frank Sheeran gets involved with Russell Bufalino and his Pennsylvania crime family. As Sheeran climbs... [More]

Starring: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Anna Paquin

Directed By: Martin Scorsese

#3

Marriage Story (2019)
95%

#3

Adjusted Score: 116734%

Critics Consensus: Observing a splintering union with compassion and expansive grace, the powerfully acted Marriage Story ranks among writer-director Noah Baumbach's best works.

Synopsis: A stage director and his actor wife struggle through a grueling divorce that pushes them to their limits.... [More]

Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, Azhy Robertson, Laura Dern

Directed By: Noah Baumbach

#4

Pain and Glory (2019)
96%

#4

Adjusted Score: 112135%

Critics Consensus: Pain and Glory finds writer-director Pedro Almodóvar drawing on his own life to rewarding effect -- and honoring his craft as only a master filmmaker can.

Synopsis: An aging Spanish film director in the middle of a creative crisis revisits memorable events of his past.... [More]

Starring: Antonio Banderas, Asier Etxeandia, Penélope Cruz, Leonardo Sbaraglia

Directed By: Pedro Almodóvar

#5

Little Women (2019)
95%

#5

Adjusted Score: 118750%

Critics Consensus: With a stellar cast and a smart, sensitive retelling of its classic source material, Greta Gerwig's Little Women proves some stories truly are timeless.

Synopsis: In the years after the Civil War, Jo March lives in New York and makes her living as a writer,... [More]

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen

Directed By: Greta Gerwig