10 nostalgic movies from the year 2000 to help turn off your brain

Anne-iversaries is a bi-weekly column by writer Anne T. Donahue that explores and celebrates the pop culture that defined the '90s and 2000s and the way it affects us now (with, of course, a few personal anecdotes along the way).

Provided you're keeping everybody's best interests at heart, all of us are doing the exact same thing: we're holed up at home, likely wearing jogging pants, and hunkering down with either our families, roommates, or selves. We're inching closer and closer to a full month in quarantine, and while we are grown-ups who've long learned how to compartmentalize, it's easier to do it when distracted.

Which is where I come in! As a millennial freak who's obsessed with nostalgia, I've chosen to dive deep into the world of movies released in the year 2000 and come up with ten that are ideal for avoiding reality just long enough to return to it a little lighter and recharged.

The good news? I have been given creative freedom so as to push my own, selfish agenda. The bad? I have been reminded several times by my dear editors that I can't make Center Stage choices one through nine. (We'll see about that.)

Cue up those DVD players and let's get this at-home party started.

1. Erin Brockovich

Of all the movies I clung onto in youth, Steven Soderbergh's telling of real-life crusader Erin Brockovich (played by Julia Roberts) fighting for a small Californian community whose water had been knowingly poisoned is the one I'm most proud of. Roberts's portrayal of a single mother who's trying her hardest to bring about justice while keeping her children happy, healthy, and looked after earned her an Oscar, and Susannah Grant's writing is biting, witty, and perfectly delivered. Between you and I, this movie is the reason I grew up believing that I was allowed to get angry and say exactly what I think (even if I was sometimes wrong in that understanding). It's also the reason I will always love the late Albert Finney, why I hate myself for not going to law school, and why I'm waiting for the day I can finally tell somebody that all they have is two wrong feet and "fucking ugly shoes."

2. High Fidelity

Based on the 1995 novel by Nick Hornby, High Fidelity dares to ask us the question few seem to be willing: do we cheer on John Cusack as a naval-gazing record store clerk who prioritizes musical tastes over the women he interacts with? And reader, who knows. In truth, Cusack's character is largely insufferable, particularly as he laments over his romantic choices like he's some victim while clearly harbouring an obsession with vinyl and cultural currency (which doesn't exist). But despite all of this, the movie also gives us charming and iconic performances by Jack Black and Lisa Bonet (whose daughter Zoe Kravitz is currently starring in the reboot on Hulu). And the soundtrack is wonderful. And then Bruce Springsteen shows up. So, I mean, why wouldn't you watch?

3. The Skulls

I know it sounds ridiculous to suggest spending any time watching a sensationalized teen drama about two college boys (played by Joshua Jackson and Paul Walker) who find themselves entrenched in a corrupt secret society at an ivy league school. But those who oppose my choice have obviously never found themselves lost in this plot that also involves Craig T. Nelson — while stuck in bed with the stomach flu, desperate for any distraction whatsoever. Ultimately, distractions come in many forms, and ones that manage to include over-the-top acting, chaotic plot developments, and ridiculous big reveals are the best. If I wanted to pay attention to the real world, I would absolutely do that. But for two hours, may I suggest a film that evokes the splendour of going to the movies at the mall on a Friday night with your best friend, simply because they're obsessed with Pacey Witter (and you don't have the heart to tell them that should you meet him, he'd choose you).

4. American Psycho

In 2001, my best pal and I rented American Psycho because we thought it was a movie about a killer like Ghostface in Scream who, instead of wearing a plastic mask, looked like Christian Bale. (And Christian Bale was cute, and we felt that seeing him in a suit would be nice.) Evidently, this was only half true. The retelling of Bret Easton Ellis's 1991 novel of the same name is a disturbing, violent, often-very-funny cinematic depiction that remarks on the dangers of capitalism and the void it creates. Did I understand that at 15? I absolutely did not, and I was very confused as to why this film swung so far away from anything by Wes Craven. But as long as you know what you're about to watch, you'll be relieved that at least your life doesn't look anything like that of Patrick Bateman's. (Unless you really do value business cards...and if you do, heaven help you.)

5. Miss Congeniality

Imagine you needing me to explain the splendour of a movie that stars Sandra Bullock as an undercover FBI agent posing as a beauty queen. Imagine I had to tell you about the chemistry between Benjamin Bratt (where did he go?!) and our leading queen, and about the swift, gorgeous comedic deliveries by William Shatner and Candice Bergena and Michael Cane — as well as the glory of Bullock's pageant mates who put every other supporting cast in the history of cinema to shame. Imagine you read this description and didn't want to know how Sandra Bullock (her character's name is irrelevant) catches the perp threatening the pageant and all involved. Imagine you hadn't already seen it several (thousand) times already, and could almost perform the water-in-glass routine from memory.

Just imagine.

6. The Emperor's New Groove

Of all the animated Disney movies released, The Emperor's New Groove is the most underrated, the most ridiculous, and the most hilarious, especially thanks to Eartha Kitt's turn as Yzma, the evil (kind of) queen who tries to kill Emperor Kuzco so she can replace him on the throne. Does it work? Clearly not, as the entire premise of this movie is that Kuzco is turned into a llama. And so to save himself and his kingdom, he must team up with the peasant named Pacha (John Goodman) and make his way back to the palace for one final showdown. Also, Patrick Warburton plays a gentle idiot named Kronk whose dialogue is quotable to the point that two decades later, my friends and I still recite it and then I weep before bed because I know I will never, ever write anything as good.

7. Almost Famous

A teen boy named William Miller (based on Cameron Crowe, who directs this masterpiece, thank you very much) joins the fictional rock band Stillwater on the road for a Rolling Stone feature in the early 70s. He falls for the band aid Penny Lane (Kate Hudson), which proves to be upsetting because she's in love with the lead guitarist (named Russell, played by Billy Crudup) who is absolutely the worst. But you know this. Everyone knows this. It is a rite of passage for anyone who likes music and the arts to watch Almost Famous several times over the course of their lives, especially since it's essential in calming your brain down when you feel like the present decade is just too much. (Plus, you will probably cry. And that's okay, because life is hard.)

8. Gone In 60 Seconds

There are movies in this world that mean everything and then somehow deliver even more. Is Gone in 60 Seconds one of those movies? Absolutely not. But it is fun, and it is dumb, and it involves Nicholas Cage and Angelina Jolie stealing cars to appease a crime boss. Or something. Who knows! The plot doesn't matter. What does matter is that this heist film seems to have been modelled by the type of plots you come up with when you're playing with Hot Wheels on your friend's driveway growing up. And considering real life feels like the absolute opposite of that right now, I am fine with — and suggest you try — watching a film that boasts a killer soundtrack, a lot of very pretty cars, and countless depictions of said cars being stolen. Vroom.

9. Center Stage

I want to talk briefly about the importance of Center Stage. Touted as the Fame for a new generation, it was released in May of 2000 and quickly became one of the most essential dance films to exist on the planet — at least according to me as a teen girl who saw it three times in theatre with her best friend and convinced herself that she could also dance professionally if only she could find somewhere to learn and practice and if she could learn to touch her toes. (I still cannot.) There are montages. There's a love triangle. There is acting so bad that a bunch of us could get together right now and re-enact it and somehow it would be better. And then, there's the finale: a nearly ten minute-long dance scene in which our lead (Jodie Sawyer, played by Amanda Schull) performs to songs by Michael Jackson and Jamiroquai (among others) and somehow manages to change her hair, makeup, and costume within minutes. It defines art. It defines teen drama. And it also defines the way I will always see Zoe Saldona, whose character's attitude was one I desperately wish I could pull off.

10. Bring It On

But of course. Of course the majority of the movies on this list are light, and of course I included the only film that could fill the void Cheer has left behind. Starring Kirsten Dunst and Gabrielle Union, Bring It On is not just about cheerleading, but about privilege, plagiarism, and spirit fingers. Also, there's a love story, but it's weak and weird and it takes away from the real plot: Kirsten and Gabrielle's duelling squads...and eventual friendship. But I'm not going to spoil anything, because that's not what me, an aspiring cheerleader, would ever do.

Runner up: Coyote Ugly

Ooohhh! It's unbelievable.