Top 11 Movies with a Number in the Title
- CJ Tiernan
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
By CJ Tiernan
Fun fact: You can actually do a countdown from 11 to 1 using movie titles as the numbers (you can actually go all the way through number 146, but I won't waste your time). Please enjoy as I demonstrate:
Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
District 9 (2009)
8 Mile (2002)
Seven (1995)
Six Degrees of Separation (1993)
Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023)
Fantastic Four (2005)
¡Three Amigos! (1986)
Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
Ah, now wasn’t that satisfying. The point is, there are a lot of movies that feature a numeral in the title. I have crafted a list of my Top 11 Favorite Movies I’ve ever seen with a Number in the Title. As a note, I did not include any sequel or prequel movies that feature a number as a representation of their standing in the series.
1. Super 8 (2011)
If you’re like me than, not only do you have facial hair, but you also partnered with your friends in your youth to film little movies. There are few things more exhilarating that being able to edit a movie such that two non-consecutive moments sit end to end, creating an entirely new reality. The characters in this movie are varying levels of determined to finish their movie when they are rudely interrupted by a train crash and a government coverup. Is that not how all home videos end?
2. Ocean's Eleven (2001)
To have George Clooney, Don Cheadle, and Brad Pitt all in the same movie, is to produce something so utterly steeped in charisma it can charm the pants off a lawn gnome. While the sequels were fine, this is the crown jewel of the collection (although they don’t steal an actual jewel, just lots of money). If you’re a heist movie type of person, this is the movie for you.
3. Seven (1995)
David Fincher is one of the most prolific directors of our time. He is famously meticulous in his efforts, often squeezing incredibly large numbers of takes out of his actors. The framing and the blocking have to be just perfect. While I can sympathize with those who would find that hard to work with, the results speak for themselves. This is my second favorite Fincher Flick (behind Zodiac), and is an incredible ride from start to finish. There is a sensory level in this movie that doesn’t exist in most, as though he managed to squeeze a 4D experience out of a 2D film. I’m now realizing that either Fincher leans hard into murder in his movies or my two favorite Flincher Flicks (patent pending) are about investigating murders and following serial killers. I’m sure if Freud were still alive, he’d have no comment on the matter.
4. District 9 (2009)
It surprises me to note that this is not the only movie I’ve seen that takes place in South Africa. The country (which boasts the most on-the-nose naming convention since Iceland) was also the setting for a scene in Avengers: Age of Ultron, basically the entirety of Invictus, and for a few other movies like Safe House and The Gods Must Be Crazy. However, District 9 is the best of the bunch. It features some racial commentary that probably feels familiar to those denizens who survived the reign of Apartheid. It also features some aliens that may look familiar if you work at Area 51 (let me know in the comments if you work at Area 51. I gots ta know).
5. The Whole Nine Yards (2000)
Bruce Willis, Matthew Perry, and Amanda Peet are an unexpectedly charming three-headed monster in this one. Featuring mobsters, mistaken identities, marital swaps, and money problems, this movie is well worth your time. And in case you are worried or confused, it’s not a golf movie, just a reference to the classic idiom.
6. 21 Jump Street (2012)
I’ve never seen the ‘80s TV show upon which this movie is based. Irrelevant! It’s a great movie. What do you get when you throw Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Dave Franco, and Brie Larson in a glass and add Ice Cube(s)? A delicious cocktail of irreverent comedy. For the record, I one-strapped my way through High School but I’m two-strapping my way through life now.
7. 12 Monkeys (1995)
Dude! Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt both make another appearance on the list. One could argue their days are numbered. This movie is a mind-bending thriller involving time travel and a post-apocalyptic existence. It is the most unhinged Brad Pitt you will ever see (he earned his first of four acting Academy Award nominations for the role) and it’s directed by Terry Gilliam. For the uninitiated, Gilliam is the American representative of the hallowed comedy sextet Monty Python. Now stop monkeying around and go watch this movie (I’m embarrassed).
8. The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)
Fun fact: this is the only movie on the list in which the number in the title denotes a person’s age (am I using the word “fun” correctly? Maybe I should have just gone with “Observation:”). This is the first in an incredible run of movies produced and/or directed by Judd Apatow. The run also included Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006), Knocked Up (2007), Superbad (2007), Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007), Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), Step Brothers (2008), Pineapple Express (2008), Funny People (2009), Get Him to the Greek (2010), and Bridesmaids (2011). It was an unbelievable run that led to a swath of actors being branded members of the “Frat Pack,” which followed the “Brat Pack” of the ‘80s and the “Rat Pack” of the ‘60s. By my math, it’s the 2020s and we’re due for another “(word that rhymes with rat) Pack.” Some nominees: a bunch of overweight movie stars (the “Fat Pack”), a bunch of nerdy movie stars (the “Stat Pack”), a bunch of texting movie stars (the “Chat Pack”), or a bunch of guys named Matt get famous.
9. Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes (2020)
A Japanese time-travel movie in which there is a constantly flowing time loop two minutes into the future? Yes, please. It is unique and clever and endlessly entertaining. Plus, if you’re someone who is constantly raging against the ever-inflated runtime of modern cinema, there are a skimpy 70 minutes of this movie.
10. 12 Angry Men (1957)
It’s old and it’s in black and white. Now that we’ve got the negatives out of the way, let’s dig in to the good stuff. A jury that is very loosely comprised of a young man’s peers (12 old white dudes) spends the whole movie deliberating in a room on his innocence (or lack thereof). Why are they angry? Because it’s apparently a billion degrees in the jury room and they want to leave but there is one lone holdout unconvinced of the young man’s guilt. I wonder how many wrongful imprisonments are due to the uncomfortable conditions of a jury room (hopefully zero-ish).
11. Apollo 13 (1995)
What a year for Tom Hanks. Not only did he get close enough to the moon to wave as he slingshot (slingshotted? Slingshate?) around it but he also voiced a child’s cowboy plaything in Toy Story. While “Houston, we have a problem” is the most enduring of the Apollo 13 quotes, I feel the gut punch of his “we just lost the moon” realization to hit even harder. In fact, “Lost Moon” is the title of the book the real human his character is based on, Jim Lovell, wrote describing the story in a first-hand account. Also, the movie has Clint Howard in it so you know it was directed by Ron Howard.
Final Thoughts
Since the Sumerians first developed a numbering system over 5000 years ago (using base 60! Wrap your mind around that!), we have had numbers in our movie titles (citation needed). There are tons to choose from. Again, I did not include any of the movies that used their numbers to signal their status as a sequel. As such, I’m sure your list differs from mine. Please let me know what you think in the comments. Thanks! Have a great day!
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