The 19 Best Ensemble Cast Movies of All Time (and Where You Can Watch Them Right Now)

• IMDB Rating: 7.1/10

Alright, we’re kicking it off with the 2008 film Tropic Thunder, which stars Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, and Tom Cruise. Seeing as though this movie turns 15-years-old this year, it might be worth doing a deeper dive into the film altogether as we believe it’s one of the funniest to come from the 2000s. Here’s the deal, four actors (Stiller, Downey Jr., Black, and Cruise) are in the middle of filming a war film, when the director decides to drop them off in the middle of a real jungle to “liven up" their performances a bit.

Since the principal actors are actually in a real jungle, well, they are dealing with everything a real jungle has to offer including rare animals and slightly weird individuals. Needless to say, it’s one unfortunate event after the other, making Tropic Thunder absolutely hilarious.

• IMDB Rating: 8.8/10

In the words of the famous Pitbull, “I’m Like Inception I’ll Play With Your Brain.” Inception stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cillian Murphy, and Tom Hardy in a futuristic action flick about a thief named Dom Cobb (DiCaprio), who has the ability to enter into people’s dreams and steal their subconscious secrets. Since it’s a rare skill, Dom Cobb (which honestly sounds like the name of a genius thief) is a hot commodity in the world of corporate criminals, but the skill isn’t all fine and dandy as it has cost him everything he loves.

However, there is a chance at redemption—if Dom Cobb can succeed at planting an idea in somebody’s mind, he’ll commit the perfect crime. That is if he isn’t stopped. Many consider Inception to be Christopher Nolan’s best film, and upon watching it’s not hard to see why.

• IMDB Rating: 7.1/10

Starring Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Steve Carrell, and Paul Rudd long before he became Ant-Man, Anchorman is the tale of a hotshot television anchor (Ferrell) who unknowingly becomes envious of his new competition when a rising female anchor (Applegate) joins the station. With this being the 1970s, and news station/television jobs being even more competitive than what it is now (especially for women), the new anchor is shining and the hotshot veteran is…jealous. So jealous that he purposely starts a feud with her that ultimately leads to him making a vulgar statement on air which gets him fired.

Now the previously jealous former anchorman is without a job, but he gets a second chance when a crazy story unexpectedly breaks at the San Diego Zoo.

• IMDB Rating: 7.9/10

Is it still too early to put Knives Out on an all-time list? Oh well, time to get a little bit controversial. With a cast list that has many big names such as Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Jaime Lee Curtis, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Knives Out is a mystery, and a very good one at that. Let us refresh your memory or give you a brief rundown if you haven’t already seen the film. A crime novelist dies a very suspicious death, and his dysfunctional family is at the center of the investigation. Somebody in that family is most certainly responsible (or knows more than what they are telling), and Detective Benoit Blanc (Craig) is determined to get to the bottom of it. And if you want to check out some flicks like Knives Out, we've got you covered.

• IMDB Rating: 7.9/10

When you put Mark Wahlberg, Don Cheadle, Julianne Moore, and Burt Reynold in a film together, you get magic, which is exactly what Boogie Nights is. Set in late 1970s Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley to be exact, a teenage busboy (Wahlburg) gets discovered by a porn director (Reynolds) who transforms him into an adult superstar (adult as in…well you get it) known as Dirk Diggler. It doesn’t take Diggler long to form a connection with his co-stars and fellow industry mates, but it also doesn’t take him long to get pulled into the world of drugs, money, and sex which leaves him struggling.

And if you're looking to watch some more PTA, check out our ranking of all of Paul Thomas Anderson's movies.

• IMDB Rating: 8.1/10

The Grand Budapest Hotel stars Ralph Fiennes, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, and Edward Norton amongst others, and is set in 1930s Budapest where The Grand Budapest Hotel is one of the most popular ski resorts in the nation. The resort is presided over by concierge Gustave H. (Fiennes), whose goal is to provide first class service to any and every guest who walks through the resort, which also includes romantically entertaining some of the women that visit as well. Gustave appears to be living the good life until one of his lovers dies mysteriously, leaving him the main suspect in her murder.

• IMDB Rating: 6.8/10

We all know Bob Dylan is one of the all time great music legends of our time, but in 2007 director Todd Haynes decided to make a rather unconventional biographical film about the artist where six actors—Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Julianne Moore, Heath Ledger, Richard Gere, and Ben Whishaw—each portrayed a different version of Bob Dylan from different stages of personal life and professional career starting from the late 1950s to pretty much Bob Dylan in the year 2006/2007.

Looking back, it was a unique way to approach a biography/biopic about a legend, but perhaps it would be an interesting approach to future biopics down the line.

• IMDB Rating: 7.3/10

Let’s take a look at some of the cast here. Off the top of our heads we’ve got Michael Keaton, Kate Beckinsale, and Denzel Washington, but upon doing a little refresher, we also realized that the film starred a young Christian Bale, while having Emma Thompson, and Kenneth Branagh who also directed the flick. Obviously Much Ado About Nothing drew inspiration from Shakespeare, but instead of doing a complete retelling, the film went the opposite direction of being a farce centered around a matchmaking scheme.

Early 1990s comedies have a fun purity to them, so if you are looking for a simple weekend afternoon movie to watch while relaxing, this is one to check out.

• IMDB Rating: 7.7/10

First of all—the 7.7 IMDB rating is one that we disagree with because in our opinion the rating is much higher. Second of all—let’s do another rundown of the cast list because this might be as ensemble as it gets right here. We’ve got Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Bernie Mac, Matt Damon, Andy Garcy, Don Cheadle, and Casey Affleck. Like…what a cast. Then, there was the overall storyline which consisted of eleven thieves aiming to steal three Las Vegas casinos in one night (which would make it the most elaborate casino heist in history). Yeah, this might be the movie we’re rewatching tonight.

• IMDB Rating: 8.3/10

Heat stars Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Val Kimmer, and Ashley Judd, and centers around a master criminal named Neil McCauley (De Niro) dead set on trying to control the actions of one of his men along with planning one final heist before retirement. His coup de grace if you will. What he doesn't realize though, is that there’s a lieutenant (Pacino) that’s on to him. In the midst of trying to track down McCauley, the lieutenant is dealing with a mess of a personal life as his wife is cheating, and his daughter is dealing with mental health issues. Through the cat and mouse chase, both McCauley and the lieutenant develop something close to a mutual respect of one another and their respective skills.

• IMDB Rating: 7.7/10

What’s with the 7.7 ratings IMDB? Anyway, Glengarry Glen Ross stars Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, Alan Arkin, and Kevin Spacey in a real estate drama film when a New York City Real Estate office is given the bad news that all but two team members will be laid off at the end of the week. As expected, the tension heats up with one employee in particular (Lemmon) desperate to try and find leads as he has a sick daughter. Unsuccessful, his co-worker comes up with a plan to steal the leads, and things get quite complicated from there.

• IMDB Rating: 8.1/10

Okay, next up we’ve got Michael Keaton, Liev Schreiber, Mark Ruffalo, and Rachel McAdams in 2015’s Spotlight which is set in the year 2001. Spotlight is about journalist named Marty Baron (Schreiber) of The Boston Globe who assigns a team of journalists to uncover child abuse allegations about a priest. The team of editors try to unseal documents and interview the victims, while making it a mission to prove that cover-ups have been taking place within The Roman Catholic Church.

• IMDB Rating: 7.2/10

A black comedy mystery film set in 1930s England, Gosford Park is about Robert Altman journeying to England for the first time to create a unique film mosaic with an ensemble cast. Gosford Park is known as the top hangout spot amongst the rich and famous to relax and hunt, but when a murder occurs, every single member of the ensemble cast finds themselves as a potential suspect in the investigation.

• IMDB Rating: 8.6/10

Saving Private Ryan is a must-watch for both film enthusiasts and casual movie lovers. Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Matt Damon, and Vin Diesel are among a few of the names you’ll recognize in this film, which is about Captain John Miller (Hanks) taking his men behind the enemy lines to find Private James Ryan, who has just lost three brothers in combat. As each man searches for Ryan, they embark on their own personal journeys which lead to a road of self-discovery, triumph, and courage.

• IMDB Rating: 6.5/10

Ocean’s Twelve features pretty much the same cast as the first film with the addition of Catherine Zeta-Jones to the ensemble list, and follows up on the adventures of the first film as the crew did indeed successfully pull off the most elaborate casino heist in history, but the DJ scratch comes in when it’s realized that they’ve already spent the bulk of the money they stole. On top of that, the casino owner is demanding that they return the money (which they can’t do because the money is gone). So now they’ve gotta do it all over again, but this time around they take their stealing escapades to Europe.

• IMDB Rating: 7.6/10

Dazed and Confused is another classic film celebrating a major anniversary this year, as the movie turns 30 in September. Matthew McConaughey and Ben Affleck are two of the names you’ll recognize in this film as in 1993 they were rising actors but are now A-List. Set in the year 1976, a bunch of rowdy teenagers are celebrating the last day of high school in Austin, Texas, with the graduating senior class throwing the mother of all parties.

We all know the upperclassmen aren’t exactly all that nice to the incoming freshman, who spend a good portion of their day trying to avoid being hazed by the sadistic bully (Ben Affleck). All’s fair in love and war.

• IMDB Rating: 8/10

The least confusing way to describe Magnolia is that it is a film with a lot of moving pieces, as it focuses on the stories of multiple characters. Each character has their own individual thing going on, but somehow they all end up together on the same day in San Fernando Valley. Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore, and Philip Seymour Hoffman are some of the standout names involved in this film, and nearly twenty-five years later, Magnolia remains something of a cult-classic.

• IMDB Rating: 7/10

Another movie celebrating a birthday as this classic turns 40 this year. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, The Outsiders stars Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, and C. Thomas Howell in a film about a teen gang in rural Oklahoma called the Greasers who are at odds with another rival group called the Socials. When one of the Greasers gets into a brawl with one of the Socials, it ultimately ends with a Socials member which forces some to go into hiding. As the plot progresses, we see how some of the gang members' lives turn out as some try to turn things around, while others meet tragic endings.

• IMDB Rating: 8.9/10

And lastly, Pulp Fiction. A Quentin Tarantino legendary classic that has gone to become one of the greatest films of all time. One of those movies where it doesn’t make sense, but it does. In addition to Tarantino, you’ve also got Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, and Christopher Walken in the film. If you haven't seen it already, your assignment from us is to watch it as soon as possible.