Best-Reviewed TV Movies 2020
It’s a confusing time to be a TV movie, sharing the at-home spotlight with big-budget would-be blockbusters or awards-bait independent films that debuted on streaming or VOD while most movie theaters were dark. Hello, Soul and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. We see you, Minari and Sound of Metal. All of those show up in the “Best Movies” category of our Golden Tomato Awards. The TV Movies category may as well be called the HBO Category this year, because aside from Showtime’s The Go-Go’s, every film is from the cable network, starting with powerful documentary, Welcome to Chechnya, which documents the detention, torture, and execution of LGBTQ Chechens under Ramzan Kadyrov’s leadership. HBO drama Bad Education, based on a true story and starring Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney, follows in the No. 2 spot.
The order of the rank below reflects the Adjusted Score as of December 31, 2020. Scores might change over time.
#1
Adjusted Score: 103457%
Critics Consensus: An illuminating and urgent call to action, Welcome to Chechnya portrays the horrors of the mass persecution of the LGBTQ+ community in the Chechen Republic with tenacity and tenderness.
Synopsis: Activists risk their lives to confront Russian leader Ramzan Kadyrov and his government-directed campaign to detain, torture and execute LGBTQ...
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#2
Adjusted Score: 101546%
Critics Consensus: Anchored by an outstanding Hugh Jackman, Bad Education finds absurd laughs -- and a worthy message -- in the aftermath of a real-life scandal.
Synopsis: A Long Island school superintendent and his assistant are credited with bringing the district unprecedented prestige. Frank is a master...
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#3
Adjusted Score: 99992%
Critics Consensus: Emulating the spirit of punk in form and function, The Go-Go's is a raucous celebration of the pioneering band and a stylistic knockout that will blow viewers' hair back.
Synopsis: The Go-Go's become the first successful, all-girl band to write their own songs and play their own instruments while making...
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Starring:
#4
Adjusted Score: 98297%
Critics Consensus: Blessed with the Bee Gees' discography and director Frank Marshall's concise thesis, How Can You Mend a Broken Heart is a poignant documentary that persuasively argues the trio's importance in music history.
Synopsis: Brothers Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb find early fame in the 1960s and go on to write over 1,000 songs,...
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#5
Adjusted Score: 92519%
Critics Consensus: Both a celebration of child actors and a cautionary tale about the profession, Showbiz Kids offers a revelatory perspective on the pitfalls and rewards of Hollywood stardom.
