No Coin Toss: How to Watch All the Best Picture Winners of the 2000s

As the 98th Academy Awards come up on March 15, movie fans the world over have all their film favorites on their minds. Sometimes the best movies don’t actually win Best Picture, but other times they do—and the 2000s were full of controversial picks as well as well-earned Oscar slam dunks. On the silver screen, it was a decade when hobbits, vaudeville anti-heroines, Irish gangsters, and other unique characters ruled supreme. Without further ado, here’s our guide on how to watch the Best Picture winners of the 2000s.

“Gladiator” (2000)

Set in A.D. 180 and based on the reign of Emperor Commodus—the hilariously-named son of Marcus Aurelius—this Ridley Scott-helmed swords-and-sandals epic has all the sex, bloodshed, and gloriously overwrought speeches that a fan of modern-day Roman colosseum theatrics could ever need. Joaquin Phoenix plays the evil son usurping the throne and he really pulls it off. Russell Crowe nabbed an Oscar for Best Actor—the first of two back-to-back nominations in the category—for his role as the fittingly-named Maximus Decimus Meridius, a badass general who gets betrayed and enslaved before returning to Rome as a champion gladiator.

Where to watch “Gladiator”

You can strap on your sandals and stream “Gladiator” on Paramount+, MGM+, Kanopy, or Pluto TV. Alternatively, you can rent it from video-on-demand (VOD) outlets like Prime Video or Apple TV.

“A Beautiful Mind” (2001)

Russell Crowe showed he could be an action-adventure hero in “Gladiator,” and in “A Beautiful Mind,” he proves he can play a sensitive tortured genius as well. Directed by Ron Howard, this biopic about the Nobel Prize-winning mathematician John Nash provides a fascinating and redemptive look into the struggles of schizophrenia—how it impacts both the afflicted as well as their friends and loved ones. The movie takes unsettling twists and turns while offering a view into the hallowed halls of the Ivy League in a way that is enthralling even if you don’t know anything about math.

Where to watch “A Beautiful Mind”

“A Beautiful Mind” doesn’t appear to be available for streaming on any platforms as of the writing of this guide. But you can rent it from video-on-demand (VOD) outlets like Prime Video or Apple TV.

“Chicago” (2002)

Building on the success of “Moulin Rouge,” this glossy remake of a hit Broadway musical plunges headfirst into Jazz Age Chicago with a song-and-dance take on lurid crimes and celebrity drama. Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones play rival murderers hoping to hype up their stories to win public approval and avoid the death penalty, and Richard Gere steps in as the cunning lawyer to manipulate the situation to Zellweger’s advantage. “Chicago” was the first musical to win Best Picture since “Oliver!” in 1968 and the golden statue is well earned, with enough catchy music, glamorous choreography, and showbiz razzle dazzle to power a dozen chorus lines.

Where to watch “Chicago”

You can stream “Chicago” on Paramount+ or MGM+. Alternatively, you can rent it from video-on-demand (VOD) outlets like Prime Video or Apple TV.

“The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003)

As the final installment of Peter Jackson’s much-beloved “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “The Return of the King” stands among the most engrossing feats in movie history with its high-tech special effects, humongous battle scenes, and nail-biting (or should I say finger-chomping?) suspense at the Cracks of Mount Doom. It won all 11 Oscars for which it was nominated and the 4-hour-plus extended version is jam-packed with even more stuff. But does Frodo really not know Legolas’s name, though?

Where to watch “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”

“The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” is available for streaming on HBO Max. Alternatively, you can rent it from video-on-demand (VOD) outlets like Prime Video or Apple TV.

“Million Dollar Baby” (2004)

Clint Eastwood earned almost universal acclaim for this brutal saga about the relationship between a determined amateur boxer, played by Hilary Swank, and her trainer. “Rocky” this is not, considering how unrelenting and painful it is, and the ending sparked a lot of controversy, but it’s nonetheless a moving portrait about what it takes to be the best in a sport that’s all about getting your daylights knocked out.

Where to watch “Million Dollar Baby”

You can find “Million Dollar Baby” available to stream on The Roku Channel. Alternatively, you can rent it from video-on-demand (VOD) outlets like Prime Video or Apple TV.

“Crash” (2005)

This 2005 crime drama directed by Paul Haggis is a premier piece of Oscar bait with a marquee ensemble cast, contrived plotting, and heavy-handed messaging about race relations in post-9/11 Los Angeles. It’s about several characters, including both law enforcement authorities and criminals, and how the tensions of the day come to the fore during an everyday traffic stop, a carjacking, and other incidents. Though lauded at first as a masterpiece, “Crash” in more recent years has come to be known as an overwrought statement piece with little substance. But you’ll have to watch the movie yourself to make the call!

Where to watch “Crash”

You will find “Crash” available to stream on The Roku Channel, Hoopla (with a library card) or Plex. Alternatively, you can rent it from video-on-demand (VOD) outlets like Prime Video or Apple TV.

“The Departed” (2006)

One of Martin Scorsese’s most intricate and cunning crime dramas, “The Departed” concerns dueling moles—a cop who infiltrates Boston’s Irish mob and a mobster who infiltrates the Boston police—and the rising tensions and mounting bloodshed as each tries to pursue the other. Jack Nicholson does a landmark turn as a charmingly nasty mob boss inspired by real Irish-American gangster Whitey Bulger. On the streets of Southie, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, and Vera Farmiga also put in remarkable performances.

Where to watch “The Departed”

“The Departed” is unfortunately not available to stream on any platforms right now. But you can rent it from video-on-demand (VOD) outlets like Prime Video or Apple TV.

“No Country for Old Men” (2007)

When a Texas hunter walks away with $2 million in a briefcase after stumbling across the bloody aftermath of an ill-fated drug deal, he inadvertently sets off a tide of cold-blooded killing in this stunning Coen brothers thriller based on the Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name. Javier Bardem’s take on the bolt gun-toting hitman Anton Chigurh makes for one of the most potent personifications of evil ever caught on screen, while Tommy Lee Jones’s small-town sheriff anchors the story with a moral world-weariness.

Where to watch “No Country for Old Men”

You can stream “No Country for Old Men” with ease as it’s available on Paramount+, Fubo TV, and Kanopy. Alternatively, you can rent it from video-on-demand (VOD) outlets like Prime Video or Apple TV.

“Slumdog Millionaire” (2008)

Danny Boyle of “Trainspotting” fame delivers a similarly gritty, stylish tale of an orphan from a Mumbai slum who draws on his life of poverty to make it to the top in India’s take on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” Filmed on location in India, “Slumdog Millionaire” marks the silver-screen debut of Dev Patel and features a killer soundtrack from veteran Bollywood composer A. R. Rahman.

Where to watch “Slumdog Millionaire”

At the time of writing, “Slumdog Millionaire” is not available to stream on any platform but you can rent it from video-on-demand (VOD) outlet Apple TV.

“The Hurt Locker” (2009)

Military experts have criticized “The Hurt Locker” relentlessly for its dubious take on U.S. Army protocol, but accuracy seems to be beside the point in Kathryn Bigelow’s brilliant commentary on the Iraq War. Jeremy Renner is at his steely, dead-eyed best as a bomb removal specialist who lives for his work on the battlefield. While “The Hurt Locker” offers an unflinching look at the horrors of war, it also digs into the paradoxical allure of being a soldier and the inescapable after-effects that leave some feeling adrift and without purpose after they’ve gone home.

Where to watch “The Hurt Locker”

You can find “The Hurt Locker” available to stream on Netflix. Alternatively, you can rent it from video-on-demand (VOD) outlets like Prime Video or Apple TV.

FAQs about Best Picture winners of the 2000s