Unforgettable Movies About Society’s Outcasts

People have a natural desire to fit in with society. The desire to belong, the need to be accepted, is part of our basic human instinct where we were taught if we were outcasts from our tribes, chances for survival were slim. According to Psychologist Dr. Nathan DeWall , Humans have a fundamental need to belong that is deeply rooted in our evolutionary history. But not everyone belongs. Society can be brutally tough and has an unreachable set of standards that not all can attain. Even those that do aren’t able to maintain it. We typically root for the underdogs. Which is why we love these unforgettable movies about society’s outcasts.

An outcast is defined by Merriam-Webster as “one that is cast out or refused acceptance (as by society)”. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Society doesn’t always celebrate being an individual and often has a “follow the crowd” mentality. Being an individual, standing on your own and doing your own thing is more favorable. (Find more outcasts in The Most Hated TV Characters of the 1960s .)

To determine the unforgettable movies about society’s outcasts, 24/7 Tempo developed an index using average ratings on IMDb , an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes , an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of May 2024, weighting all ratings equally. Only movies with at least 1,000 reviews on IMDb were considered, and documentaries were not excluded. Director information is from IMDb.

Here are unforgettable movies about society’s outcasts:

49. The Outsiders (1983)

• IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (79,779 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (138,456 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 63% (41 reviews)
• Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola

48. Adventureland (2009)

• IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (156,258 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 61% (252,975 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (219 reviews)
• Directed by: Greg Mottola

47. About a Boy (2002)

• IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (178,824 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 55% (31,164,074 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (187 reviews)
• Directed by: Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz

46. The Darjeeling Limited (2007)

• IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (188,638 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (136,561 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 69% (193 reviews)
• Directed by: Wes Anderson

45. Mighty Aphrodite (1995)

• IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (39,290 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (21,107 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 78% (36 reviews)
• Directed by: Woody Allen

44. Elephant (2003)

• IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (92,824 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (59,193 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 73% (161 reviews)
• Directed by: Gus Van Sant

43. Clueless (1995)

• IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (197,848 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (556,160 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (116 reviews)
• Directed by: Amy Heckerling

42. Dumb and Dumber (1994)

• IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (366,415 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (1,028,448 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 68% (53 reviews)
• Directed by: Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly

41. School of Rock (2003)

• IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (290,076 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 64% (32,784,354 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (200 reviews)
• Directed by: Richard Linklater

40. We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)

• IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (144,732 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (35,418 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 75% (210 reviews)
• Directed by: Lynne Ramsay

39. Slacker (1990)

• IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (20,844 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (10,323 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (43 reviews)
• Directed by: Richard Linklater

38. Barfly (1987)

• IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (19,618 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (7,698 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 79% (24 reviews)
• Directed by: Barbet Schroeder

37. Let Me In (2010)

• IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (116,390 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (66,958 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (237 reviews)
• Directed by: Matt Reeves

36. The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)

• IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (413,205 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (102,540 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (189 reviews)
• Directed by: Judd Apatow

35. Knocked Up (2007)

• IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (358,939 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (2,085,028 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (252 reviews)
• Directed by: Judd Apatow

34. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)

• IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (401,541 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (142,303 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 82% (273 reviews)
• Directed by: Edgar Wright

33. Polyester (1981)

• IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (7,677 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (6,776 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (27 reviews)
• Directed by: John Waters

32. Female Trouble (1974)

• IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (8,882 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (7,387 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (26 reviews)
• Directed by: John Waters

31. Hairspray (1988)

• IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (20,835 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (64,169 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (42 reviews)
• Directed by: John Waters

30. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

• IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (276,644 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (256,148 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (211 reviews)
• Directed by: Wes Anderson

29. The Full Monty (1997)

• IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (102,609 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (180,151 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (50 reviews)
• Directed by: Peter Cattaneo

28. Happiness (1998)

• IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (68,366 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (41,756 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (48 reviews)
• Directed by: Todd Solondz

27. Raising Arizona (1987)

• IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (132,298 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (89,264 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (58 reviews)
• Directed by: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

26. Ghost World (2001)

• IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (117,647 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (73,554 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (162 reviews)
• Directed by: Terry Zwigoff

25. Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)

• IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (33,165 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (33,510 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (50 reviews)
• Directed by: Todd Solondz

24. Boys Don’t Cry (1999)

• IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (99,183 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (70,021 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (79 reviews)
• Directed by: Kimberly Peirce

23. Zombieland (2009)

• IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (541,908 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (643,581 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (257 reviews)
• Directed by: Ruben Fleischer

22. Superbad (2007)

• IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (543,101 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (634,860 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (209 reviews)
• Directed by: Greg Mottola

21. Adaptation. (2002)

• IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (194,759 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (188,786 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (211 reviews)
• Directed by: Spike Jonze

20. American Splendor (2003)

• IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (48,914 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (44,582 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (187 reviews)
• Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini

19. Clerks (1994)

• IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (216,399 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (285,512 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (57 reviews)
• Directed by: Kevin Smith

18. Juno (2007)

• IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (503,178 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (549,586 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (217 reviews)
• Directed by: Jason Reitman

17. High Fidelity (2000)

• IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (173,740 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (211,818 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (165 reviews)
• Directed by: Stephen Frears

16. Barton Fink (1991)

• IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (117,023 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (45,410 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (61 reviews)
• Directed by: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

15. Drugstore Cowboy (1989)

• IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (37,868 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (22,934 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (28 reviews)
• Directed by: Gus Van Sant

14. The Big Lebowski (1998)

• IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (766,228 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (356,600 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (109 reviews)
• Directed by: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

13. Rushmore (1998)

• IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (176,013 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (186,244 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (105 reviews)
• Directed by: Wes Anderson

12. The Breakfast Club (1985)

• IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (372,267 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (556,906 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (65 reviews)
• Directed by: John Hughes

11. The Social Network (2010)

• IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (708,395 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (204,423 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (329 reviews)
• Directed by: David Fincher

10. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

• IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (454,829 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (427,295 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (218 reviews)
• Directed by: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris

9. Edward Scissorhands (1990)

• IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (461,303 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (1,033,117 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (60 reviews)
• Directed by: Tim Burton

8. Shaun of the Dead (2004)

• IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (530,779 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (498,702 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (213 reviews)
• Directed by: Edgar Wright

7. American Beauty (1999)

• IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (1,104,561 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (660,797 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (190 reviews)
• Directed by: Sam Mendes

6. Groundhog Day (1993)

• IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (595,765 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (416,991 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (84 reviews)
• Directed by: Harold Ramis

5. Trainspotting (1996)

• IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (706,493 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (314,027 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (89 reviews)
• Directed by: Danny Boyle

4. Stand by Me (1986)

• IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (380,190 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (270,467 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (57 reviews)
• Directed by: Rob Reiner

3. The Elephant Man (1980)

• IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (243,632 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (64,618 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (53 reviews)
• Directed by: David Lynch

2. Paris, Texas (1984)

• IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (112,195 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (24,479 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (51 reviews)
• Directed by: Wim Wenders

1. Taxi Driver (1976)

• IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (761,825 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (260,919 votes)
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (94 reviews)
• Directed by: Martin Scorsese

The post Unforgettable Movies About Society’s Outcasts appeared first on 24/7 Tempo .