Critically acclaimed movies that are oscar winners or nominees in writing (adapted screenplay) category

The Descendants(2011)

Combined Rating:
90
Combined Critics Rating: 87

A land baron tries to reconnect with his two daughters after his wife is seriously injured in a boating accident.



Captain Phillips(2013)

Combined Rating:
91
Combined Critics Rating: 87

The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the U.S.-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years.



The Big Short(2015)

Combined Rating:
91
Combined Critics Rating: 87

Four denizens in the world of high-finance predict the credit and housing bubble collapse of the mid-2000s, and decide to take on the big banks for their greed and lack of foresight.





Before Sunset(2004)

Combined Rating:
90
Combined Critics Rating: 86

Nine years after Jesse and Celine first met, they encounter each other again on the French leg of Jesse's book tour.



Atonement(2007)

Combined Rating:
90
Combined Critics Rating: 86

Fledgling writer Briony Tallis, as a thirteen-year-old, irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit.



True Grit(2010)

Combined Rating:
90
Combined Critics Rating: 86

A stubborn teenager enlists the help of a tough U.S. Marshal to track down her father's murderer.



Hugo(2011)

Combined Rating:
90
Combined Critics Rating: 86

In Paris in 1931, an orphan named Hugo Cabret who lives in the walls of a train station is wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton.



Silver Linings Playbook(2012)

Combined Rating:
90
Combined Critics Rating: 86

After a stint in a mental institution, former teacher Pat Solitano moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own.



Beasts of the Southern Wild(2012)

Combined Rating:
88
Combined Critics Rating: 86

Faced with both her hot-tempered father's fading health and melting ice-caps that flood her ramshackle bayou community and unleash ancient aurochs, six-year-old Hushpuppy must learn the ways of courage and love.



Dune(2021)

Combined Rating:
90
Combined Critics Rating: 86

Feature adaptation of Frank Herbert's science fiction novel about the son of a noble family entrusted with the protection of the most valuable asset and most vital element in the galaxy.



The Disaster Artist(2017)

Combined Rating:
86
Combined Critics Rating: 85

When Greg Sestero, an aspiring film actor, meets the weird and mysterious Tommy Wiseau in an acting class, they form a unique friendship and travel to Hollywood to make their dreams come true.



Mudbound(2017)

Combined Rating:
80
Combined Critics Rating: 85

Two men return home from World War II to work on a farm in rural Mississippi, where they struggle to deal with racism and adjusting to life after war.



Mystic River(2003)

Combined Rating:
90
Combined Critics Rating: 85

With a childhood tragedy that overshadowed their lives, three men are reunited by circumstance when one has a family tragedy.



Frost/Nixon(2008)

Combined Rating:
88
Combined Critics Rating: 85

A dramatic retelling of the post-Watergate television interviews between British talk-show host David Frost and former president Richard Nixon.



An Education(2009)

Combined Rating:
88
Combined Critics Rating: 85

A coming-of-age story about a teenage girl in 1960s suburban London, and how her life changes with the arrival of a playboy nearly twice her age.



127 Hours(2010)

Combined Rating:
89
Combined Critics Rating: 85

An adventurous mountain climber becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone near Moab, Utah and resorts to desperate measures in order to survive.



Inherent Vice(2014)

Combined Rating:
87
Combined Critics Rating: 85

In 1970, drug-fueled Los Angeles private investigator Larry "Doc" Sportello investigates the disappearance of a former girlfriend.



Fences(2016)

Combined Rating:
86
Combined Critics Rating: 85

A working-class African-American father tries to raise his family in the 1950s, while coming to terms with the events of his life.



The Pianist(2002)

Combined Rating:
89
Combined Critics Rating: 84

A Polish Jewish musician struggles to survive the destruction of the Warsaw ghetto of World War II.




2
3
4