Every year sees a handful of movies get released that end up as hidden gems. These are the films that fly under the radar, perform poorly at the worldwide box office, are little-known indie movies, or don’t receive the critical acclaim that they deserve. It happens all the time and these are the most intriguing films to seek out. Everyone knows the biggest releases of each year, so there’s no surprise when you see or hear about one of them.
2001 was a great year for both major releases and hidden gems. The year was home to blockbusters like The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Shrek, Ocean’s Eleven, and Monsters Inc., as well as critical darlings like Spirited Away, A Beautiful Mind, Training Day, and Y Tu Mamá También. Even comedies like Legally Blonde, The Princess Diaries, and Wet Hot American Summer have only become more popular as time goes on.
Those success stories mean that it’s even more difficult to find the hidden gems from 2001. Those films include early performances by future stars, goofy comedies that are a blast, cult classics, musicals, and even a William Shakespeare adaptation, and all are worth checking out now that 25 years have passed.
Manic
Long before they famously shared the screen as Tom and Summer in (500) Days of Summer, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel worked together in Manic. The story centers on Lyle (Gordon-Levitt), a violent teen who gets placed in a juvenile detention center where he meets other troubled youths.
Among them is Deschanel’s Tracy, with whom he forms a romantic bond. Manic is a small film that was made for less than $500,000, yet it’s a really good project with a strong cast that also includes Academy Award nominee Don Cheadle.
The Mexican
The Mexican falls into the category of a hidden gem that became so because it was forgotten. Upon release, it made nearly $150 million at the box office, which was pretty impressive. It also features Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts in the main roles, which was enough star power for people to come to the theater.
The film received mixed reviews, though it’s a fun romp of a crime comedy. The Mexican sees a small-time crook (Pitt) get sent to retrieve an antique pistol from Mexico while his girlfriend, who isn’t happy with their relationship, ends up in a series of wild events herself, making for a wacky film.
Sugar & Spice
Sugar & Spice is one of those movies that has found an audience over the years, with more of a cult following after flopping at the box office and receiving poor reviews. The movie centers on a group of high school cheerleaders who commit armed robbery in a desperate act for money.
With Maria Sokoloff, Marley Shelton, Mena Suvari, Melissa George, Rachel Blanchard, and even James Marsden, the cast reads like a who’s who of the time. Millennials have a great time watching these girls commit their crimes over and over in this blast of a comedy.
How High
It seems like the era of goofy stoner comedies is mostly over, though they were a great time to be had. The 2000s saw several of them arrive and 2001 brought us How High, which stars hip-hop duo Redman and Method Man. After negative reviews, the film has become a cult classic.
How High follows two stoner friends who get into Harvard University after smoking marijuana that was fertilized with the ashes of their deceased smart friend. Method Man and Redman are hilarious together and the movie benefits from a fantastic hip-hop soundtrack. It even received a TV sequel in 2019.
The One
We currently live in a world where multiverse stories are popping up all over the place. From a big chunk of the blockbuster MCU franchise to Oscar winners like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Everything Everywhere All At Once, it’s a hot subject. However, The One was utilizing it way before they were.
The One follows a sheriff’s deputy who travels the multiverse to fight another version of himself who grows more powerful as he kills his doubles from other universes. It’s a wild concept that isn’t perfectly executed, yet it’s an engaging film with tons of action and the likes of Jet Li and Jason Statham in the cast.
Josie And The Pussycats
Over the years, we’ve been treated to many iterations of Josie and the Pussycats. They stem from Archie Comics and were eventually part of the Riverdale TV series but the 2001 film adaptation is a cult classic for a reason.
Rachael Leigh-Cook, Rosario Dawson, and Tara Reid starred as the titular band in this musical comedy that’s over the top in the best way. The music is great, with some memorable tracks, the supporting cast is stacked (Parker Posey, Alan Cumming, Missi Pyle, etc.), and it’s hard to have a bad time watching this endlessly enjoyable film.
Hardball
In the long history of baseball movies in Hollywood, Hardball is one that often gets forgotten about. That’s likely because it wasn’t a commercial hit and it didn’t receive great reviews, yet there’s still a lot to like from the great music to the notable cast members to the emotional core.
Keanu Reeves stars as a gambler who agrees to coach a youth baseball team to make some money. Despite their cultural differences, he forms an unlikely bond with the team, which is endearing. Hardball is also worth a watch to see a young Michael B. Jordan give a solid performance.
Hedwig And The Angry Inch
Based on the 1998 stage musical of the same name, Hedwig and the Angry Inch tells the story of a genderqueer teenager who becomes a rock star and finds themselves along the way. The songs the bands play center on Hedwig’s past, reassignment surgery, and more.
John Cameron Mitchell starred as Hedwig, directed the film, wrote the screenplay, and wrote the book that everything since has been based on. Reviews were great, including Mitchell earning a Golden Globe nomination, and the movie has gone on to find a huge cult following over the years.
Finder’s Fee
Finder’s Fee is basically the definition of a hidden gem. It’s the kind of movie you’d pass on cable and get hooked on because it features recognizable actors, an intriguing premise, and the kind of intensity that makes a thriller sing.
The story sees a man find a wallet that contains the winning lottery numbers ahead of a poker night with his friends. He calls the wallet’s owner, who joins in on the poker game, but secretly keeps the lotto ticket, with each scene building more tension. The recognizable cast includes James Earl Jones, Ryan Reynolds, and Matthew Lillard.
O
There have been plenty of modern adaptations of William Shakespeare’s works and one of them is O. A retelling of Othello, this twisted version takes place at Palmetto Grove Academy, a prestigious school where Odin James is the only Black student.
He has the admiration of the coach and the dean’s daughter, yet the coach’s son Hugo is resentful and puts forth a devious plot to ruin Odin’s life. With Mekhi Phifer, Julia Stiles, and Josh Hartnett, the film is great for millennials to look back on and is filled with intrigue for first-time viewers.