Top 10 Directorial Debuts – The 00’s

Article by Terry Plucknett

Posted - 11/6/09

Go to Top 10 Directorial Debuts List

It takes a special talent in a filmmaker to emerge from obscurity and bust out of the gates with an amazing movie.  Looking at this decade, there were some impressive and noteworthy directorial debuts.  However, which ones will jumpstart a career like Reservoir Dogs did for Quentin Tarantino, or American Beauty did for Sam Mendes?  Time will only tell.

Honorable Mentions – (500) Days of Summer (2009; Marc Webb), Hard Candy (2006; David Slade), V for Vendetta (2006; James McTeigue), Hollywoodland (2006; Allen Coulter), Lars and the Real Girl (2007; Craig Gillespie, Away From Her (2007; Sarah Polley)

10.  Love Actually (2003; Richard Curtis).  In what might be the best Christmas movie, Richard Curtis made his directorial debut with this heartfelt film.  Before directing this, Curtis was an accomplished writer, penning screenplays like Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill.  However, this interlocking storyline with an all-star cast was the first time Curtis stepped behind the camera.  Accomplished writers taking a shot at directing is a recurring theme of this list, most likely because it gives them the respectability to undertake a major project with their debut.  Curtis is one that fits this description.  What has he done since?  This year his follow-up film, Pirate Radio, is due to come out which does not look to be a letdown.

9.  Michael Clayton (2007; Tony Gilroy).  Gilroy is another accomplished writer (most notably, the Bourne trilogy) turned director in this film of corruption and fighting against the system.  Gilroy is on a shortlist of directors to have their directorial debut nominated for Best Picture.  He was also nominated for Best Director, had three performances from this movie nominated, with Tilda Swinton winning Best Supporting Actress.  It was a very decorated film, and for good reason.  This one film single-handedly shot Tony Gilroy into the elite directors in the industry.  Earlier this year, Gilroy came out with his sophomore film, Duplicity, and although his next project has not been announced yet, I will be happy to hear what it is.

8.  Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002; George Clooney).  If I had to come up with a personality of the decade, I would be hard-pressed to find a better answer than George Clooney.  From the Ocean’s trilogy, to his Oscar-nominated role in the previously mentioned Michael Clayton, to his Oscar-winning role in Syriana, one could say Clooney could be the most accomplished actor of the decade.  However, Clooney added to his accomplishments by starting a directing career as well with this story of a game show host turned CIA agent that is loosely based on a true story.  This great film was then followed up by the Oscar-nominated Good Night, and Good Luck, which was then followed up by the classic football comedy, Leatherheads.  With this great start to his directorial career, along with his amazing acting career as well, George Clooney has emerged as the top man in Hollywood.

7.  Pride & Prejudice (2005; Joe Wright).  Before 2005, no one had ever heard of Joe Wright.  However, in the second half of this decade, he turned one of the more impressive filmographies of the decade for a director, and it all started with this directorial debut adaptation of the classic novel.  He brought a fresh new look to this classic story, with Keira Knightley as his star.  He also became one of the few people on this list to follow up this strong debut with an even more impressive sophomore effort with his adaptation of Atonement, which was nominated for Best Picture.  This year, he came out with the not-quite-as-impressive The Soloist, but it was a strong enough effort to show that his failures are still worthy to see and that he has the staying power to be a great director for many years.

6.  Chicago (2002; Rob Marshall).  The only directorial debut of the decade to win the Best Picture Oscar, Rob Marshall’s adaptation of the classic musical revived the musical as a relevant movie genre.  Chicago brought a unique look to a musical, making it feel real and believable, as all musical numbers were figments of different characters’ imaginations.  With such a strong and highly acclaimed debut, it was easy for Marshall to let up in his follow-ups.  However, with his second film being the critically-acclaimed Memoirs of a Geisha and with the highly anticipated musical Nine coming out later this year, Rob Marshall has shown that he may not work often, but he puts forth great effort and quality when he does.

5.  The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005; Judd Apatow).  Judd Apatow did the same thing for comedies that rob Marshall did for musicals: he reinvented the genre.  This film not only brought about a new era in comedies, but it also launched the careers of some of the biggest names in comedy today: Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, etc.  Not only did this film preface his latest directorial efforts (Knocked Up and Funny People), but it also helped films like Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and I Love You, Man be made because the emergence of Apatow led to these films, and their stars, to be relevant.

4.  Towelhead (2008; Alan Ball).  The highest writer-turned-director on this list, Alan Ball was most known for writing Best Picture winner American Beauty and for creating the highly acclaimed TV series Six Feet Under.  However, with Towelhead, Alan Ball made his debut behind the camera with another one of his outstanding screenplays backing it up.  The setting is similar to American Beauty; a typical middle-class American suburb.  This time, the focus of the story is an Arab-American girl trying to fit in and find her way in this culture.  Such a strong story and script behind the debut made it easy for Ball to have such success with his first effort.  Although he currently has not announced any more directorial projects, it seems anything Alan Ball touches turns to gold.

3.  Gone Baby Gone (2007; Ben Affleck).  His first screenplay won an Oscar.  He has shown tremendous skill as a character actor in a wide array of roles.  Now, Ben Affleck has also shown his great skill as a director as well.  This tremendous story of an investigation behind a missing girl not only launched Ben’s directing career, but also helped jumpstart the careers of Oscar-nominated Amy Ryan as well as Ben’s younger brother Casey Affleck in the leading role.  Gone Baby Gone is a very realistically shot film that will stick with you for quite some time after watching.  With such a well made movie in his first try, I cannot wait to see his next one.

2.  The Lives of Others (2007; Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck).  The only foreign film on my list also might have been the surprise of the decade as well.  The first time I heard of The Lives of Others, it was the film made by the guy with the funny name that stole Guillermo del Toro’s foreign film Oscar for Pan’s Labyrinth.  After seeing the film, I am ashamed I ever questioned its brilliance.  This film, set in 1980’s Germany during the Cold War, tells a story of deception and invasion of privacy that drives some to desperate acts.  Von Donnersmarck not only ends up making one of the best directorial debuts, but one of the best films, of the last decade.

1.  In the Bedroom (Todd Field; 2001).  Amazingly, possibly the best film of the decade just so happened to be a directorial debut for Todd Field.  In the Bedroom told an unforgettable story of a family dealing with the death of a family member and the fallout from it.  It is a subtle, yet powerful story from start to finish.  This might be the smallest film on this list, however Todd Field’s directorial debut is the best.  Field’s follow-up did not come until six years later with Little Children, another amazing film.  With several more projects in the works, it looks like the rest of Hollywood is starting to catch on to the brilliance of Todd Field, and hopefully in the next decade his name will one of the top names sought after in Hollywood.