The Big Picture – The Top Five Movies of 2025
Podcast by The Ringer | Hosts: Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins | Guests: Chris Ryan, Adam Nayman
Date: December 5, 2025
Overview
In this annual year-end episode, Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins, Chris Ryan, and Adam Nayman assemble to break down the year in film and unveil their personal top five movies of 2025. The conversation ranges from the state of moviegoing, industry news including the Warner Bros. sale, box office hits like "Zootopia 2," and a comprehensive, heartfelt analysis of the best films, with personal reflections, critical debates, and plenty of inside industry perspective. As always, the episode blends sharp cultural criticism, deep cinephilia, and the crew's trademark banter.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Industry Turbulence and News
- Warner Bros. Sale Saga (01:54–04:46)
The episode begins with analysis of the Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) sale, raising concerns about studio consolidation, creative autonomy, and industry shake-ups.- Amanda laments: "We're in hell. We're in hell on many levels...consolidation, job loss, and more people I don't respect in charge of artistic decisions. So, thumb down." [02:31]
- Chris jokes about media moguls and quips on Big Brian Roberts, CEO of Comcast: "At the bars across Philly, we pray at the altar of Big Brian." [04:06]
- Sean reflects: "This is all unfortunate...but we have to talk about it because it is really consequential to what we do." [04:54]
- Highs for Disney / "Zootopia 2" Breakout (06:02–11:13)
- "Zootopia 2" crushed box office expectations, highlighting Disney’s stronghold and the power of family/IP franchises.
- Sean: "This movie made $570 million in one weekend...and guess what, the movie's also good. I was delighted to go see it with my child." [06:12]
- Amanda and Chris reminisce about kids loving the original, the clever anthropomorphic world, and movie references peppered throughout.
2. Upcoming Blockbusters and Castings (11:45–16:38)
-
Leonardo DiCaprio in "Heat 2" with Michael Mann
- Confirmation of DiCaprio starring in Mann's sequel triggers excitement, anticipation, and speculation about casting and franchise legacy.
- Chris (ecstatic): "Kind of like finding out God's real, you know what I mean?...he is very careful about when he is like, I am going to be in this movie." [12:37],[13:01]
- Amanda: "I'm here solely for Chris. I want what Chris wants. I feel protective." [14:05]
- Conversation turns to dream casting, Mann's late-career ambitions, and what this means for studio filmmaking at scale.
-
Leo/Scorsese’s Next Project
- Discussion of DiCaprio’s next Scorsese collaboration, where he's encouraged to watch "Vertigo," bringing in genre allusions and influences.
3. Awards Season Analysis (17:14–25:37)
- Oscars Race, Critical Precursors, and Momentum Movies
- Reflection on the early dominance of "One Battle After Another," international film upsets, and a changing awards landscape.
- Amanda (cautious): "It's early December, the Oscars are in mid-March...I don't trust the Academy." [18:02]
- Talk of the surprising strength of Jafar Panahi’s "It Was Just An Accident" as an awards challenger.
- Industry inside-baseball (screeners, voting, smaller films gaining traction).
4. The State of Movies and Year in Review
(26:00–44:00)
- "Was this a good movie year?"
- The hosts each weigh in on the health and vitality of cinema in 2025.
- Amanda: “...Do you want one five-star all-time classic masterpiece and then a lot of other really interesting cool movies...or a year where you had three or four four-and-a-half star cinema feels alive masterpieces?” [28:18–29:56]
- Adam: "...any year you can have two Osgood Perkins movies...I think it was a good year for the festival hangover movies from 2024..." [29:58–31:46]
- Chris: Felt split between professional obligation viewing and personal moviegoing habit; comments on "the bottom falling out of B-movies."
- Sean: “It just felt like a very high ceiling, low floor kind of year for me…” [34:40]
- Reflections on pandemic/strike hangover, theatrical experience vs. streaming, and the increasingly event-like nature of moviegoing.
5. Personal and Emotional Connection to Cinema
(40:02–44:00)
- Discussions turn introspective as hosts and guests share how the year’s movies reflected and informed their personal lives—especially as parents, partners, and evolving cinephiles.
- Amanda: “I learned a lot about moms and dads...and how they're different and how they're the same…” [40:11]
- Highlighting "parenthood" as a dominant theme in many top films.
The Top Five Movies of 2025 – Panel Picks and Deep Dives
Each panelist shares their ranked lists, discussing what moved them, surprised them, or exemplified the year's best. Below are highlights for each round, including quotes and timestamps for major segments.
1. #5 Picks (44:38–57:59)
- Adam: The Secret Agent (dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho)
“It’s the best movie about moviegoing I've seen in a long time…floating on air watching it.” [44:38] - Amanda: Train Dreams
“Kept thinking about specific scenes. It's lovely.” [49:56] - Chris: Etës
“About the passage of time and watching your life kind of pass before your eyes…rocked me, made me feel like I was 17 again.” [53:22] - Sean: Sinners
“The prime example of what Hollywood filmmaking can be specifically...tremendously personal and gratifying and deep.” [55:29]
2. #4 Picks (58:01–67:15)
- Adam: Cloud (dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa)
“…Very funny, sinister thriller...it’s an excellent gateway backwards into the filmography…” [58:01] - Amanda: If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You
“Absolutely the most nauseous I've been in a movie theater all year...hard, ugly, mean shit—(complimentary).” [61:50],[63:54] - Chris: Sinners
“I think this movie in my mind almost is now underrated...most physically engaged in a film outside of maybe F1.” [66:31] - Sean: Marty Stupid Supreme (Josh Safdie)
“Aspirational, ambitious, at times hard-hearted and extremely difficult...feels like the highest that they had gotten to the feeling they wanted to convey.” [67:15]
3. #3 Picks (69:30–83:57)
- Adam: One Battle After Another
Reflections as a PTA scholar, wrestling with its reception (“...it's a function of how big the movie is...”). [69:30] - Amanda: Die My Love (dir. Lynne Ramsay)
“Electric...the most I've laughed in a theater this year." [73:04] - Chris: Weapons (Zach Cregger)
“A rock and roll movie that is just an absolute blast to watch...lasting memories of film in 2025 are going to be from Weapons.” [77:24] - Sean: No Other Choice (Park Chan-wook)
“An absolute blast...so assured and so conceived and realized.” [82:41]
4. #2 Picks (84:33–95:35)
- Adam: The Shrouds (David Cronenberg)
“There is such a reservoir of grief in this movie, personal grief from the filmmaker...he just cannot be bumped, judged from his style...it's brilliant.” [85:16] - Amanda: Marty Stupid Supreme
“To quote Stefan, this movie has everything…people going for it.” [90:27] - Chris: One Battle After Another
“It was the cinematic experience of the year for me...I'm obsessed with how he [PTA] went about making this as a screenplay.” [93:18] - Sean: Eddington (Ari Aster)
“It's his best movie...never seen a film attempt to be simultaneously a docudrama and a satire, a movie that pokes you and bothers you.” [95:35]
5. #1 Picks (98:42–119:51)
- Adam: It Was Just an Accident (Jafar Panahi)
“Terrific, brutal, funny, possible mistaken identity thriller…a real move back to the films he made before the period where he was making films illegally under house arrest…best last scenes of the year.” [98:42],[103:43] - Amanda & Sean: One Battle After Another (Paul Thomas Anderson)
- Amanda: “…How often do we go to the movies with this level of expectation…and just walk out and be like they did it?...from that opening scene…the performances, the set piece…” [103:50]
- Sean: “All five of my movies are about two things: thwarted male ambition…and the signal to noise confusion that comes with being a parent—this was very obviously going to be my number one movie of the year.” [111:00],[113:46]
- Chris: 28 Years Later (Danny Boyle)
- “Dazzling...I did not expect to find that in a zombie movie by Danny Boyle...profoundly moving...just never left me, been thinking about it all year.” [106:16]
- Adam, co-signing: “This movie rules...it’s a very moving film...I didn't think this team had it in them to make something that good together again.” [109:12]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On Industry Realities:
- Amanda: "We're in hell...consolidation, job loss, and more people I don't respect in charge of artistic decisions." [02:31]
- On "Zootopia 2":
- Sean: "This movie made $570 million in one weekend...and guess what, the movie's also good." [06:12]
- On "Heat 2" News:
- Chris: "Kind of like finding out God's real..." [12:40]
- On "One Battle After Another":
- Amanda: "How often do we go to the movies with this level of expectation and just walk out and be like, they did it?" [103:50]
- Chris: "It was the cinematic experience of the year for me." [93:18]
- On "28 Years Later":
- Chris: "Just never left me, I've been thinking about it all year." [107:05]
- On Streaming vs. Theatrical:
- Chris: "...The bottom was kind of falling out on B movies a little bit and they were borderline unwatchable...that shouldn't have been released and I'm watching it." [35:22]
- On Parenthood Cinema:
- Amanda: "I learned a lot about moms and dads...how they're different and how they're the same." [40:11]
- Sean: "The signal to noise confusion that comes with being a parent. When you actually are in charge of someone..." [111:00]
Timestamps for Important Segments
- WBD Sale & Industry News: 01:54–06:02
- "Zootopia 2" and Box Office: 06:02–11:13
- "Heat 2" Casting: 11:45–16:38
- Awards Season Trends: 17:14–25:37
- Year in Film Reflections: 26:00–44:00
- Top 5 Movie Picks Begin: 44:38
- #5 Picks: 44:38–57:59
- #4 Picks: 58:01–67:15
- #3 Picks: 69:30–83:57
- #2 Picks: 84:33–95:35
- #1 Picks: 98:42–119:51
- Honorable Mentions & Wrap-Up: 119:51–end
Honorable Mentions & Recommendations
- Secret Agent, Weapons, Blue Moon, Kelly Reichardt's The Mastermind, Linklater double-feature (still pro-Sentimental Value), Radu Jude's Draco*, Paddington in Peru, Megadock (doc), Final Destination: Bloodlines, and others.
Takeaways and Overall Tone
- Enthusiastic, introspective, sometimes wistful: The hosts acknowledge 2025 as a year of transition—strong highlights, but concerns about the moviegoing ecosystem and the decline of reliable, middle-budget movies.
- Personal and emotional anchors: Top films resonated directly with the panelists’ lives, particularly those dealing with parenthood, mortality, resilience, and cultural anxiety.
- Cinephile spirit persists: Despite industrial and cultural headwinds, the depth of love for movies and the ritual of ranking, discussing, and sharing them remains undiminished.
Closing Thoughts
A signature “Big Picture” send-off: jokes, mutual admiration, Ben Affleck Criterion closet stanning, and promises to return soon for deeper dives into awards season and the next round of cinematic conversation.
For more on these films and additional deep dives (including exclusive director interviews), listeners are encouraged to check previous and upcoming "The Big Picture" episodes.
Summary by: The Podcast Summarizer GPT