We pick the 10 best movies we saw at this year’s edition of the Toronto International Film Festival.
The 2024 edition of TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) is officially in the books, with it proving to be the biggest edition of the fest since back in 2019. You see, like many other festivals, TIFF was hard hit by a variety of things, including the pandemic, which made the 2020 a stay-at-home edition and the 2021 one a hybrid, while in 2022, folks were still somewhat wary of being at a festival in person. 2023 was almost a big year until the SAG-AFTRA/ WGA Strikes meant there was very little talent on the red carpet, greatly affecting their usual star-studded lineup.
However, this year TIFF seemed to be back and stronger than ever, with no shorter of star power and movies you’ll no doubt be hearing about in the months to come. While Mike Flanagan’s The Life of Chuck won the prestigious TIFF People’s Choice Award, now is the time for us here at JoBlo to give our own picks for the best of the fest (and check out all our reviews HERE)!
The Brutalist
Former actor turned director Brady Corbet has put himself in the higher echelon of working directors with The Brutalist, his 3.5-hour post-WWII epic shot in 70mm. It stars Adrien Brody in his best role since The Pianist. A24 picked this one up for theatrical distribution, and it seems like a sure-fire Oscar contender for Best Picture, Director, Actor (Brody), Supporting Actor (Guy Pearce), and Supporting Actress (Felicity Jones).
The Wild Robot
Our own Steve Seigh was lucky enough to attend the world premiere of this at the Roy Thompson Hall gala screening, and he hasn’t stopped raving about it since, with him saying that it’s the finest movie Dreamworks Animation has ever been involved in.
The Apprentice
This wasn’t an official part of the TIFF lineup, with it an eleventh-hour addition at a special private screening arranged for critics and “tastemakers.” I was lucky enough to attend for JoBlo, and found this to be a highly entertaining account of how Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan) rose to power in the seventies and eighties. Jeremy Strong is awards-worthy in his depiction of infamous Trump fixer Roy Cohn.
Saturday Night
This frenzied account of the chaotic ninety minutes just before the airing of the first-ever episode of Saturday Night Live ranks as director Jason Reitman’s best movie since Up in Air. Made by (and for) SNL super fans, the amazing young cast helped make this one of the most purely entertaining movies I saw at the festival this year.
Conclave
Ralph Fiennes stars in this drama about a papal election in the Vatican and all the backstabbing done by seemingly pious men of God to achieve perhaps the most powerful position in the world. Fiennes is incredible as the driven Cardinal who, despite his own crisis of faith, is determined to make sure only the most worthy candidate becomes Pope.
The Substance
This wild body horror movie won TIFF’s Midnight Madness top prize, and I’m not a bit surprised. Despite a lengthy 150-minute running time, you likely won’t see a faster-paced, more effective (and gory) horror flick any time soon, with Demi Moore having the best role of her career as an aging starlet who makes a Faustian bargain to become young again.
Better Man
A unique biopic of the legendary UK pop star Robbie Williams. How unique is it? Well, Robbie Williams is actually played by a WETA-designed CGI chimpanzee. Sound crazy? It is, but what’s even crazier is how well the gimmick works with this one of the most entertaining biopics I’ve ever seen.
The Order
The fact-based thriller, revolving around the rise of a right wing militia bent on domestic terrorism in the 1980s went under-the-radar a bit at TIFF. That’s too bad because Jude Law gives one of the best performances of his career as a heroic, determined FBI agent looking to take down the organization before it’s too late.
Friendship
I Think You Should Leave star Tim Robinson makes his big-screen debut with his potential cult classic starring him as a suburbanite who develops the bro-crush to end all bro-crushes on his new neighbour, played by the always great Paul Rudd. I haven’t laughed so hard during a movie in a long, long time.
The Life of Chuck
While I don’t think Mike Flanagan’s Stephen King adaptation is quite the masterpiece some are saying it is, it’s still a very affectionate, sweet-natured movie, with this very much in line with the feel-good side of King’s work. This is much more like Stand By Me or The Shawshank Redemption than The Shining or Carrie.