The Best 2016 Movies You (Probably) Never Saw
Clear your calendar, pop some popcorn, and get ready to catch up on a sick amount of cinema.
We saw some pretty great movies this year, nearly half of which starred Allison Janney. But with so many releases vying for our attention, it was a given that several must-see titles slipped through unnoticed. Here are a few lesser-known notables we caught in 2016, from affecting teen dramas to sweetly moving comedies to sing-along-worthy musicals.
- After breaking up with his boyfriend, a successful-enough New York City comedy writer (played by *Fargo* star Jesse Plemons) returns to Sacramento to help take care of his cancer-stricken mother (Molly Shannon). That might sound like a set-up straight out of winsome-indie hell, or maybe a Fox Searchlight pitch meeting. But writer-director Chris Kelly's cagily funny gem never loses itself in mucky mawkishness or too-easy uplift, dwelling instead on the smaller, stranger, more sneakily beautiful moments that tend to accompany grief. And Plemons and Shannon— small-screen scene-stealers turned ace character-actors—have never been better. —*Brian Raftery*
- A breakout hit at Sundance, *Sing Street* sputtered when it was released in the US this spring—a shame, as it's the kind of good-cheer generator that most of us could have used at one point during the past year. Set in Dublin in 1985, the [newly Golden Globe-nominated](https://slim-weight.info/?p=2134374) musical-drama follows a group of working-class teenagers who attempt to irk their schoolmaster—and maybe win over a girl or two—by forming a Duran Duran-duplicating new-wave band and writing [one of this year's best songs](https://slim-weight.info/2016/12/best-albums-2016/). It's a little bit John Hughes, a wee bit [John Taylor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Taylor_(bass_guitarist)), and a whole lot of smile-stoking fun. —*Brian Raftery*
- Look, if you're the kind of person who keeps an eye out for dark, coming-of-age dramedies, this one probably isn't on your Missed list. But if you weren't looking for it, *Edge of Seventeen* definitely flew under the radar. And that's too bad; it's fantastic. Anchored by some note-perfect performances from [Hailee Steinfeld](https://slim-weight.info/2015/05/hailee-steinfeld-pitch-perfect-2/) and Woody Harrelson, writer/director Kelly Fremon Craig's film is serious without being bleak and funny without being goofy—both qualities that are rare in teen movies. It reminds you of what it's like to be in high school—in all the best and worst ways. *—Angela Watercutter*
- Honestly, it's kind of hard to explain *Krisha*, let alone explain why it's amazing. The movie is essentially set up like an emotional/psychological time-bomb. Krisha (Krisha Fairchild), a woman with some troubling substance abuse issues, goes home for Thanksgiving after being away from her famity for 10 years and from the second she walks up to the house, you just know this isn't going to go well. That may sound rote, but writer-director Trey Edward Shults (who [cast his own aunt](http://www.indiewire.com/2015/03/the-story-behind-krisha-the-family-affair-that-rocked-sxsw-248166/) in the title role) builds the family tension in a way that makes the movie hard to turn away from—and you won't be able to do so until the credits roll. *—Angela Watercutter*
- *The Fits* starts out as a movie about an 11-year-old girl named Toni who becomes fascinated with a local dance troupe. She's a tomboy and doesn't quite fit in with them, but she's determined. Then everything goes sideways when the other young women in the troupe start suffering from fainting spells and violent spasms. The mystery then becomes trying to decipher what's happening to all the girls Toni encounters. If you liked the strange vibe of *It Follows*, then *The Fits* is up your alley. And watching newcomer Royalty Hightower (Toni) carry the movie all the way through is magic. *—Angela Watercutter*
- For The Commune, an improv troupe in New York City whose members have worked and lived together for years, success is always just around the corner—at least until one of them (Keegan-Michael Key) nabs a spot on a network TV sketch show. That's when the joking stops and the tension finally boils over. Mike Birbiglia (*Sleepwalk With Me*), a standup comic with improv chops of his own, wrote and directed this love letter to failure, friendship, and the most reviled performance form since a cappella. Thanks to a cast of vets (Key, Chris Gethard, Tami Sagher) and regular funny-ass people (Kate Micucci, Gillian Jacobs), the improv rings as true as the scripted bits, and the ambition as palpable as the desperation. The best small-scale comedy of the year. —*Peter Rubin*
- If you lived in NYC in the ’90s, unsigned hype didn't get discovered in the pages of *The Source*, but in the cramped studio from which DJ Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Garcia broadcast their late-night hip-hop show on Columbia University's radio station. Nas, Jay Z, Biggie, and dozens of other rap legends all came on the show before they had deals—and they all left with buzz. Garcia himself wrote and directed this loving look back, full of jawdropping archival material that in some cases has gone unheard for more than 20 years. It hit a few festivals late last year, but came to Showtime in April, and is now on Netflix. Run, don't walk. —*Peter Rubin*
- *Christine* is based on the true (and tragic) story of Christine Chubbuck, a Florida TV reporter who killed herself on-air in the 1970s. If that makes Antonio Campos' movie sound heart-wrenching, it is. But it's also riveting, thanks largely to a wonderful performance by Rebecca Hall in the title role. At times darkly funny, and always gripping, *Christine* is hard to ignore. *—Angela Watercutter*
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