Paul Thomas Anderson is one of contemporary cinema’s most consistent, entertaining, and distinctive personalities in the industry. PTA is one of my all-time favorite directors, and with his new film, One Battle After Another, I figured now is as good a time as any to look back on and rank his illustrious career… so far.
We have ten films to review today, and each one is a beast, but this is PTA, and it is all worth it. Everything is ranked from lowest to highest, and there will be spoilers, so proceed with caution. Let’s kick things off with:
Ranking 10 Paul Thomas Anderson Movies
#10: Hard Eight
If you want to binge all of Anderson’s films, then you should start here. Hard Eight is Paul Thomas Anderson’s first-ever feature-length film, and, for better or worse, it shows. By no means is Hard Eight a bad movie. My “issue,” if you can call it that, is the pacing. The opening diner scene between John and Sydney is phenomenal, every moment with Phillip Seymour Hoffman is great, and the end is good, but in between all of that, my interest is minimal.
I am watching Hard Eight because the names Paul Thomas Anderson, John C. Reilly, Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Samuel L. Jackson are associated with this film. In each of Anderson’s movies, there is something unique about each one, and something that sticks out, but very little has stuck with me from Hard Eight.
I mentioned earlier, this is a good film to start your Paul Thomas Anderson binge with. This is Anderson with ideas, but not yet the master of his craft that he will become one full year after this film’s release. Hard Eight is technically solid, well-acted, and boasts a good script; however, the pacing and characters do not hold my attention. I respect this movie as a debut film, but if you took PTA’s name off of it, I do not think I would pay much mind to it.
#9: Inherent Vice
Oh man, this movie was weird. “Weird” is not typically a word I would use to describe PTA films, nor is this the same kind of films as Blue Velvet, Donnie Darko, or even Airplane! are, but if this is Anderson’s version of a screwball comedy, it certainly is screwy in the best way possible. Inherent Vice is a goofy, psychedelic, and unique film that stands out even among PTA’s diverse work.
The movie starts with a question that is anything but simple and only gets more complex, layered, and intricate from there. Murder, marijuana, and mysteries will always make for a great time, and Inherent Vice is that: a great time. This is Anderson’s funniest movie. Paul Thomas Anderson is funny. Several of the upcoming films are, in some way, comedies. Inherent Vice is a quirky comedy, mixed with a drug-fueled, sex-crazed, and groovy mystery that never loses its focus on being both funny and mysterious.
Inherent Vice is stylish, slick, goofy, complicated, and frankly, impressively intricate. The film blends a fantastic mix of trippy, hippie monologues delivered beautifully by Joanna Newsom, Joaquin Phoenix’s underrated physical comedy chops, PTA’s unique character writing, and a living, breathing atmosphere.
#8: Licorice Pizza
Licorice Pizza is a romantic comedy that stars Cooper Hoffman and Alana Haim. After recently rewatching this film, I enjoyed my experience with Inherent Vice more, given its unique style. When all was said, done, and all dust was settled, Licorice Pizza spoke to me more. This movie is far from perfect, but for whatever reason, PTA has a way of talking to my heart as well as piquing my interest in every genre he touches.
Am I in love with PTA? That is up for debate, but I do know for a fact that every time I hear David Bowie’s Life on Mars I immediately swoon for my girlfriend again. That is a phenomenal feeling to have if there was ever one feeling to have at all. Licorice Pizza is a stylish, funny, sweet, endearing, and charming movie.
Cooper Hoffman and Alaina Haim are terrific leads and have great chemistry. The supporting cast is strong and features numerous “hey, wait a minute, I know them” moments. Sean Penn, Bradley Cooper, Mary Elisabeth Ellis, Skylar Gisondo, Maya Rudolph, John Michael Higgins, Benny Safdie, and Tom Waits all have their moment that stick with you till the end.
Licorice Pizza is not the most perfect movie, nor is it the best of what Anderson is capable of, but there is so much of Paul’s charming imagination and the endearing feeling of falling in love on display here.
When I think of Licorice Pizza, I picture Gary and Alaina running side by side with only a fence separating them. I think of harsh, bright lights cutting through an intimate conversation between two people who just need to say they love each other. Licorice Pizza is a love story, and it makes me happy.
#7: Boogie Nights
There are few worlds where Paul Thomas Anderson’s wildly successful sophomore film Boogie Nights deserves to be anywhere below the top 5 of any movie list. If any of the movies above this never existed, or tanked hard, Boogie Nights would be king. Boogie Nights is stylish, funny, and tense in its sexual tones and disconnected second half. It is nearly impossible to separate this movie from this cast whenever discussing anyone’s best performance, because they are all here!
Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, Heather Graham, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, Luis Guzman, Don Cheadle, Alfred Molina, Thomas Jane, and John C. Reilly round out this absolutely stacked cast. There are no small parts in this movie, and every single character stands out. Boogie Nights put Anderson on the map, and there was no better film to do so. Hard Eight was a good start, but it wouldn’t necessarily draw you in unless you were interested in independent cinema from the ’90s.
Boogie Nights not only tackled a taboo topic – the adult film industry and pornography – with style, but it also told a very personal story, which allowed for some truly unique characters.
On the surface, this can be seen as a movie that alternates between being sexy and silly, and gloomy and intense; however, throughout all of this, the story of a nontraditional family remains constant. Surrogate families can come in any form at any time in anyone’s life, and in the case of Eddie Adams, Dirk Diggler opens the door to a family never thought possible.
Also, oh my god, that soundtrack is so killer! Brand New Key, Best of My Love, Afternoon Delight, Spill the Wine (my favorite), Fooled Around and Fell in Love, You Sexy Thing, Ain’t No Stopping us Now… the list goes on with this perfect soundtrack. I love this movie, and if you haven’t seen it, you should definitely watch it.
Boogie Nights does not aim to be scandalous or crude, but rather to be exciting, entertaining, and connect you to a world that may seem vastly different from our own. Amidst the funny, sweet, and charming first half and the tense, dramatic second half, there is a beating heart through every scene, which makes Boogie Nights so special.
#6: Magnolia
Once again, I find myself in a difficult situation, where I have to rank a movie I hold in such high regard much lower on a list than I would like to. Magnolia is a complex web of stories that begins in the most outlandish and fictional of ways, but by the end, there is something in everyone we can connect to, despite their circumstances. A dying millionaire, his caretaker, a soon-to-be widow, a motivational speaker, a child prodigy, an aging game-show host, a has-been child prodigy, a cop, and a vulnerable young woman all live their most interesting day in California.
Within the three-hour runtime, we get incredible performances across the board, a nonstop pace, and an unforgettable third act that solidified PTA as an undeniable force to be reckoned with. On the topic of performances, there are a handful that showcase the greatness of the respective actor, as well as PTA’s exceptional direction.
William H. Macy, Julianne Moore, Phillip Baker Hall, and John C. Reilly all make some real magic in their respective stories. The true power of this film comes from Melora Walters’ heartbreaking Claudia, Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s lovable dork Phil Parma, and the creme de la creme of the pack — the enigmatic, broken, and alluring Tom Cruise as Frank T.J. Mackey. When discussing PTA’s greatest characters, or Tom Cruise’s best performances for that matter, you have to talk about Frank Mackey.
Magnolia is a complex web of stories that showcase the very best of PTA’s brain, magnetic performances from everyone involved, and the sheer excitement of a great film. How can you not love Magnolia? It is long, yeah, but is it worth sitting through? I firmly believe so. It’s a PTA masterclass in writing, pacing, and ensemble performances.
#5: One Battle After Another
This is not solely a case of recency bias – it’s just that great! Anderson crafts an epic story of rebellion, combining an intense tale of reconnecting a father and daughter with a goofball comedy. This movie has everything – car chases, explosions, war, sabotage, Leonardo DiCaprio vaping, and Sean Penn in a comically tight shirt. One Battle After Another is simultaneously epic, intense, and hilarious.
PTA’s fingerprints and style are present, but to me, this feels so drastically different than everything else he has done thus far. The stories PTA crafted before this film centered on a single character navigating their world, but this time around, PTA brings the world into our protagonist’s story, and we witness their passage through it.
Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance as Bob and Sean Penn’s performance as the antithetical Colonel Lockjaw are the two best of 2025. The same goes for Teyana Taylor, who plays the unstoppable Perfidia Beverly Hills, and Chase Infiniti as Willa. The contender for performance of the year can also go to Benicio Del Toro as Sensei Sergio. Yes, every one of these actors gave the performance of the year. In each scene, you can pick whether the cinematography, the score, or the plot was your favorite part, but undeniably, the performances were strong from credit to credit.
Before I spend too much time discussing this movie, which I could do for hours, I want to truly emphasize that this is a cohesive banger that will remain relevant for a long time. PTA’s sharp direction, Michael Bauman’s gorgeous cinematography, Johny Greenwood’s exciting score, and the killer performances make One Battle After Another not only one of the best of 2025, but one of the best of the decade! Viva la revolucian!
#4: Phantom Thread
For my money, Phantom Thread is one of the most stunning films ever made. Daniel Day-Lewis’s final performance (before returning in his son’s 2025 directorial debut, Anemone) is quite possibly the greatest send-off an actor could have. Phantom Thread is a film of love, deceit, power, control, and elegance. On my first viewing, I was not terribly enthralled by the story, but it was easily one of the most visually appealing films I had seen. As I began writing this list, I realized I needed to rewatch this to see how I felt, and oh my god, I am in love with this film.
This film can only be described as beautiful. Even in its darkest moments, the score, the energy, the pacing- it is all so gorgeous. Jonny Greenwood (of Radiohead fame) has been a collaborative composer with Anderson since 2007 (more on that later). Greenwood’s score has so much sweeping elegance and quiet emotion that you can not find anywhere else.
This is a film that is so dense in all aspects, yet it manages to maintain a simple yet personal premise that can not be imitated. Phantom Thread is a special film that deserves your attention. Elegant, emotional, breathtaking, wonderful, and immersive are just a few of the many words I would use to describe Phantom Thread.
#3: Punch-Drunk Love
Punch-Drunk Love is my personal favorite film of Paul Thomas Anderson’s for a few reasons. In September of 2021, Adam Sandler filmed a scene from his movie, Hustle, at my Alma Mater. During that time, a group of us sang happy birthday to him since it was also his birthday (quick brag). I decided it was finally time to watch Punch-Drunk Love since it is so regularly lauded as his best dramatic performance. It took everything in me not to run to his trailer and hug him.
Punch-Drunk Love tells the story of an erratic plunger salesman, Barry Egan (Sandler), falling in love with Lena Leonard (Emily Watson), a woman he meets through multiple irregular encounters and tribulations. Wearing his iconic blue suit, Sandler’s performance ranges from a volatile and violent man to a helpless loner to a powerful and unstoppable man in love.
Although not to the fullest extent, my second reason for loving this movie is how relatable Barry is. Perhaps not through violence or erratic emotions, but the feeling you get when you are in love and feel unstoppable is universal.
Punch-Drunk Love is a movie that fantastically captures the piercing stress of loneliness, the unrelenting determination to be with someone you love, and the enveloping warmth of loving someone and being loved back in return. The score is pretty, Sandler’s Performance is one of the best of the decade and easily the best of his career, PTA’s direction is sharp, the dialogue is quotable, and each character is memorable.
Punch-Drunk Love is a perfect movie. I will never have enough time or space to talk about how much I adore this movie. I have not even touched on Shelley Duvall’s “He Needs Me,” which is the central track of the film, and it is the most adorable thing in this world. Quick shout-out to Phillip Seymour Hoffman, who is absolutely ridiculous in this film.
The following scene contains mature language, and all rights are reserved to their respective owners.
There is so much to this simple film about falling in love with someone you didn’t know you needed, and for that, I will always love PTA, Adam Sandler, and Punch-Drunk Love! To the point that I have this film in my top 3 favorites of all time.
Coincidentally, number 4 in my favorites is:
#2: There Will Be Blood
In a crazy moment of perfect timing, Quentin Tarantino recently said on Bret Easton Ellis’ podcast that this film would be the best of the 2000’s if not for supporting actor Paul Dano’s performance. This is your daily reminder to boo Quentin Tarantino. I digress. That was not how I intended to start this entry, because There Will Be Blood is perfect, and still one of the best films ever made.
There Will Be Blood tells the story of oil prospector Daniel Plainview and his dissension into madness and greed as he seizes control of California’s booming oil industry. Delivering one of the all-time great performances, Daniel Day-Lewis is both disturbing and fascinating, and magnetic as Plainview. Daniel is a man obsessed with victory from the opening shot to the closing credits of the film. Driven by one singular goal in mind- to control all of the oil production- Daniel Plainview is a scary man that I fear. When the film opens, we get a mere glimpse of the lengths Daniel is willing to go to get even the slightest bit of oil.
Day-Lewis’s performance is all the proof needed that he is the greatest ever to do it, but none of it gets off the ground without PTA’s direction and writing. Following Daniel’s trajectory from a decent man with some sense of morality to a depraved and gluttonous monster is unmatched. From start to finish, we witness the sheer dedication this man has to his own greed. The only use other people have for Daniel is his own benefits or profits, and, boy, do we see him discard a lot of people.
There Will Be Blood is a masterpiece in every facet of filmmaking. Anderson’s direction is strong. Daniel Day-Lewis’s performance is one of the greatest of all time. Robert Elswit’s cinematography is so clean and stunning, and is easily the best of any PTA film. Johny Greenwood’s score and compositions are absolute monsters.
This film marked the first collaboration between Anderson and Greenwood, and I am so glad they never stopped. Despite not being nominated for an Oscar, Greenwood’s score is a gargantuan and overwhelming mixture of harsh, haunting, and racing strings and pummeling, pulse-pounding percussion. I think without the score, Plainview is still a bad man, but Greenwood’s score creates this almost optimistic tone for Daniel’s journey.
The following scene may be intense for some viewers and contains violence. Viewer discretion is advised, and all rights are reserved to their respective owners.
There Will Be Blood is a perfect film. Much like Punch-Drunk Love, I will never have enough time, space, or words to describe how crazy good There Will Be Blood is. From start to finish, this film is dense, symbolic, well-crafted, entertaining, dark, cool, and amazing.
This is my personal favorite film in Anderson’s catalog, but there is another film in which PTA showcased his entire arsenal, and that would be
#1: The Master
Can we see Joaquin Phoenix being unhinged? Check. Does Phillip Seymour Hoffman swallow up every inch of every scene he is in? Confirmed. Is this Amy Adams’ best performance in a movie not titled Enchanted? Yes sir. Is there an all-star supporting cast of actors who have all grown into their own prominence? Absolutely, and hello Jesse Plemmons! Is Anderson’s direction good? It is the best.
A naval veteran (Phoenix) drifts through life battling addictions and aimlessness until he finds himself in the presence of, and enchanted by, a cult and their charismatic leader (Hoffman). The Master somehow walks the line of creating some of the stunning, beautiful, and amazing scenes of the decade, as well as some of the most emotionally intense moments in all of film.
The Master is a movie that absorbs you. Johny Greenwood’s score is sweeping, lush, alive, beautiful, cute, exciting, entrancing, curious, nostalgic, sad, lovely, sweet, and just about any other word you can think of to describe sound. Whatever may be happening on screen could be construed in an upsetting or disturbing way with any other kind of composition, but Johny’s score allows us to feel for our unsettled protagonist Freddie (Phoenix).
The incredible performances in this movie are unmatched anywhere else in film, but also in each actor’s respective career. Seymour Hoffman was a natural-born leader, and I can not even deny that I definitely would have succumbed to his energy too if I were in Freddie’s position. Phoenix plays the broken, aimless, and desperate Freddie Quell to absolute perfection. He does bad things and is a dangerous individual when provoked, but with the right guidance, he is a good man.
My favorite scene in this film is when Lancaster Dodd (Hoffman) indoctrinates Freddie into The Cause, because it is claustrophobic, intense, direct, and frankly, the best scene that Hoffman, Phoenix, and Anderson have all made in their careers. I will link it right here so that you can see just how powerful it is, but please watch with discretion, as there is some self-harm, mentions of illegal relations, smoking, drinking, and lots of strong language, but it is a powerful scene nonetheless.
It is, in a way, perfect that PTA’s best movie is called The Master. It feels a little tongue-in-cheek, as if it is Anderson saying that he himself is the master, and I am not going to disagree with him there. The Master is a perfect film in every aspect, and I cannot speak highly enough of every shot, line of dialogue, musical composition, or moment of this film.
Paul Thomas Anderson Ranked by Nolen Kelly
Well, that was rather long, wasn’t it? It is nearly impossible to discuss Paul Thomas Anderson movies without delving into a conversation about them. Anderson is truly a master of his craft, and One Battle After Another proves that he still has all the sauce and is always finding new ways to further his all-time great director status.
That is enough about me, I want to hear more from you!
Which of these movies is your favorite of Anderson’s?
Have you seen all of these films?
Have you seen One Battle After Another? What did you think?
Stick around and let me know, right here with Respect My Region.
