The 10 most overlooked movies of 2020

Rory Cashin

There is a good chance that one, some, or maybe even all of these 2020 movies passed you by.

Even though the majority of 2020 has forced us indoors, watching TV and movies endlessly, there is a very good chance that we’ve all been watching the same “comfort” shows and films over and over again. Which is fine! We all do it! But it has meant that some seriously good movies have fallen through the cracks.

With the year about to close, now is the best time to go back and discover (or rediscover?) some of the best hidden gem movies of 2020.

We’ve even listed where you can watch them from the comfort of your couch, because we’re nice like that!

10. The Assistant (NOW TV)

A look at a single day in the life of Jane (Julia Garner – Ozark, Dirty John), following her daily routine as the personal assistant to a very powerful executive. However, as the day goes on, she grows increasingly aware of the insidious abuse that threatens every aspect of her position. Parallels are automatically drawn to the Weinstein scandal, making this an incredibly timely, powerful watch.

9. I’m Thinking of Ending Things (Netflix)

The new movie from the mind behind Adaptation and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind would normally get A LOT of attention, especially when he announces he’s going down the psychological horror route. However, this tale was probably a bit too dark for most viewers, with Irish talent Jessie Buckley planning on breaking up with her boyfriend (Breaking Bad’s Jesse Plemons), just as they’re heading to meet his parents. Things, as you can guess, take a turn for worse, and the outright bizarre.

8. Underwater (NOW TV)

Being “kind of a rip-off of Alien” is no bad thing in our book, because if you’re going to steal from anyone, you might as well steal from the best! Kristen Stewart leads the cast of survivors of an accident at an oil-rig on the bottom of the ocean, and a claustrophobic race against time kicks off when they realise they may not be alone down there.

7. The Personal History of David Copperfield (Prime Video)

The creator of VEEP and The Thick of It puts together an insanely stacked cast – including Dev Patel, Peter Capaldi, Hugh Laurie, Tilda Swinton, Ben Whishaw and Paul Whitehouse – for this modern-minded retelling of the classic Charles Dickens tale. A consistently smart comedy that was probably mistaken for a stuffy period drama.

6. Birds of Prey (Rakuten, Google Play, Sky Store)

You wouldn’t think you’d find a big budget comic book movie on a list of overlooked movies, but here we are. We’re not sure why the mix of adult humour and strong violence didn’t work for audiences this time (seemed to work just fine for Deadpool), but Margot Robbie once again proves she was born to play this role, and the supporting cast – including Ewan McGregor as the preening, vicious baddie Black Mask – all bring their A-game.

5. Dick Johnson is Dead (Netflix)

Having spent her entire life making documentaries, award-winning filmmaker Kirsten Johnson turns to fiction in order to put together a series of elaborate death scenes for her real-life 86-year-old father. Darkly funny and at times properly heartbreaking, this is a documentary that everyone should watch, and everyone should be recommending.

4. Bad Boys For Life (NOW TV from Jan 1st)

How is the biggest Hollywood box office hit of the year on this list, you might be asking? Because this movie was actually good! The trailers didn’t inspire any confidence, and hindsight has not been kind to Bad Boys II, so it was surprising when this long-delayed threequel arrived and not only was it not bad (as in actually bad, not Bad Boys bad), it was actually a huge amount of fun!

3. The Hunt (NOW TV)

Initially postponed because some powerful folks in the States (including, sort of, Donald Trump) decided it was too offensive to be shown in cinemas, it turns out The Hunt was basically The Purge, but if it was made by someone with a dark sense of humour. In a just world leading lady Betty Gilpin would be in discussion for an Oscar, playing a woman who finds herself being hunted by the rich and famous for sport.

2. On The Rocks (Apple TV+)

Writer/director Sofia Coppola re-teams with Bill Murray after their landmark collaboration Lost In Translation for this emotional comedy-drama, in which Murray tries to help his daughter (Rashida Jones) catch her cheating husband (Marlon Wayans) in the act. Equal parts funny and sad, you’d expect this should have had as much conversation around it as Marriage Story did this time last year.

1. The Invisible Man (NOW TV)

Horror once again proves to be the best playground for actresses – we’re looking at you, Toni Collette in Hereditary, Lupita Nyong’o in Us, and Florence Pugh in Midsommar – as Elisabeth Moss is put through the emotional and psychological ringer when her abusive boyfriend somehow continues to torment her even after his supposed death. Years from now, this should be mentioned in the same breath as great modern horrors like Scream and The Conjuring.