8 Best Movies of 2009

By Vlad Zakh · July 1, 2026

2009 was great for heartfelt animation and dogs. Hachi: A Dog’s Tale has a loyal dog waiting at the station for years, Mary and Max has an unlikely pen-pal friendship between a lonely Australian girl and a New Yorker, and Coraline has a girl finding a sinister alternate family. Fantastic Mr. Fox, 3 Idiots, The Secret in Their Eyes, Up and Inglourious Basterds round out the eight.

Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 64%

A loyal dog goes on waiting at the train station for his dead owner's return, year after year.

Directed by Lasse Hallström · 1h 33m · Rated G

1 nomination

Where to watch

Stream: Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Mary and Max (2009)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 96% Metacritic 72

An unlikely pen-pal friendship blossoms between a lonely Australian girl and an obese New Yorker with Asperger's.

Directed by Adam Elliot · 1h 32m · Rated NR

6 wins & 9 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

IMDb ★ 7.9 RT 93% Metacritic 83

A reformed chicken thief's one last heist puts his whole animal community at risk.

Directed by Wes Anderson · 1h 27m · Rated PG

Nominated for 2 Oscars32 wins & 63 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Coraline (2009)

IMDb ★ 7.8 RT 91% Metacritic 80

A girl discovers an alternate version of her family that turns out to want to keep her forever.

Directed by Henry Selick · 1h 40m · Rated PG

Nominated for 1 Oscar8 wins & 46 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Hulu, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Peacock Premium, HBO Max, Peacock Premium Plus · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

3 Idiots (2009)

IMDb ★ 8.4 RT 94% Metacritic 67

Two friends go looking for their old free-spirited college roommate, who defied a rigid education system.

Directed by Rajkumar Hirani · 2h 51m · Rated PG-13

64 wins & 30 nominations

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Google Play Movies, YouTube

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Secret in Their Eyes (2009)

IMDb ★ 8.2 RT 89% Metacritic 80

A retired legal counsellor reopens the investigation into a decades-old rape and murder case.

Directed by Juan José Campanella · 2h 10m · Rated R

Won 1 Oscar53 wins & 43 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Hulu · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Up (2009)

IMDb ★ 8.3 RT 98% Metacritic 88

A grieving widower ties thousands of balloons to his house to fulfil a lifelong promise of adventure.

Directed by Pete Docter · 1h 36m · Rated PG

Won 2 Oscars81 wins & 88 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

IMDb ★ 8.4 RT 89% Metacritic 69

A team of Jewish-American soldiers and a vengeful cinema owner plot to assassinate Nazi leaders.

Directed by Quentin Tarantino · 2h 33m · Rated R

Won 1 Oscar134 wins & 173 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Hulu, MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

8 Best Movies of 2009

Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009)

Mary and Max (2009)

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Coraline (2009)

3 Idiots (2009)

The Secret in Their Eyes (2009)

Up (2009)

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

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