Best. Movie. Year. Ever.: How 1999 Blew up the Big Screen – Brian Raftery
“Best” is the kind of book that exists for a very specific type of person. You know, the person that has decades worth of inconsequential pop culture details stored away for no other reason than to be a ringer in bar trivia.
In other words, it’s for people like me.
Checking box office results, Billboard charts and appointment television with “At the Movies,” was a weekly occurrence even before I read my first issue of Entertainment Weekly magazine (circa 1997, thanks to “Scream 2” spoilers). But that magazine was a gateway to fellow compatriots that liked the business side of entertainment as much as the fandom.
Brian Raftery, a former Entertainment Weekly reporter, clearly loves the movies, and he’s written the perfect love letter for nostalgia seekers that may have lived through a golden age of Hollywood but didn’t know it at the time.
I was in my late-teens in 1999, so old enough to seek out — and willingly engage with — specific content. It was a lot of fun to revisit some of my favorite movies from that year with behind-the-scenes details from the artists and the retrospective analysis that Raftery provided.
Nostalgia aside, I was most struck by Raftery’s approach to the book. Acting as part journalist and part historian, he effectively broke down the zeitgeist of 1999 by placing it firmly in context: early years of the internet, Y2K hysteria, pre-9/11 gilded world view, economic growth, and the beginning of partisan politics.
These macro experiences shaped the artists that made many of the 30 modern classics — blockbusters and art house alike — presented in “Best.” And, Raftery’s engaging writing style, skill at transitions and dot-connecting made this anything but a dry read.
With hundreds of personal interviews, as well as 40-pages of references, he did the work to bring a comprehensive view to a year that brought us everything from “The Matrix,” “The Blair Witch Project” and “The Sixth Sense” to “American Beauty,” “American Pie” and “Boys Don’t Cry.”
My favorite sections:
“The Blair Witch Project” — Recently, I tried to explain to my 13-year-old nephew why this movie was such a big deal, and it’s hard to convey because most viral moments since owe a debt of gratitude to “Blair Witch.” Raftery does a fantastic job of explaining why this was such a divisive cultural phenomenon.
“Office Space” — Many of the movies of 1999 that are so beloved today were not hits upon release. Raftery explains the frustrations Mike Judge had with the studio in bringing his vision to life and the mis-marketing that made it D.O.A. upon release.
The Teen Films — 100 percent in my wheelhouse at the time, I loved the retrospective on “Cruel Intentions,” “American Pie,” “She’s All That” and “Varsity Blues,” among others. Plus, Raftery included the fun fact that M. Night Shyamalan did a polish of the “She’s All That” script to get out of a contract with Miramax and the Weinstein brothers.
In each chapter, Raftery also never lost the hindsight view. Allowing artists to respond to criticism (or failed box office) 20-years later, while also providing an anthropological assessment of a films’ staying power and impact.
Simply put: the whole thing was nearly pitch perfect.
My only complaint? The chapters dedicated to films I didn’t care for, specifically “Rushmore,” “Fight Club,” “Three Kings” and “Magnolia.” There were still interesting tidbits that make me want to revisit these films, but these chapters also didn’t hold my attention in the same way as others.
Which is to say, this book is only for those that want to dive deep into pop culture history. But, if you spend time with “Best,” I can guarantee it will bring a smile to your face. Especially if you remember experiencing many of the groundbreaking cinematic moments Raftery describes in a theater in 1999.
Rating (story): 4.5/5 stars
Rating (narration): N/A
Formats: Hardcover (personal library)
Dates read: September 30 – October 12, 2021
Multi-tasking: N/A
