now this is how you pass a film welcome
to watchmojo.com ballasts in movies ever
for this list we're looking at the best
ensemble casts in film based on their
chemistry performances and how much they
bring to the movies in general this one
commonly asked me if I'm that fast
number 20 Inception this film tells the
mind-bending story of a group of people
trying to implant an idea in a man's
head by entering his dreams we need to
find a way to translate this into an
emotional concept how do you translate a
business strategy into an emotion with a
premise like that
inception could have very easily wound
up a confusing mess in the hands of a
less competent director or had he been
armed with a lesser caste it's never
just a dream as a face full of glass
hurts like hell when you're in it feels
real and while some argue that it's
still rather confusing at least those
who struggle to keep up can still enjoy
the performances of these great actors
inception is definitely the story of
Cobb played by Leonardo DiCaprio but he
is surrounded by a talented ensemble
including Michael Caine Killian Murphy
Ellen Page Tom Hardy and Joseph
gordon-levitt whose interpersonal
dynamics while not the focus are still
wonderfully entertaining to watch number
19 Murder on the Orient Express there
have been a couple of adaptations of
Agatha Christie's murder mystery novels
set on a train but we ultimately went
with this Academy award-nominated
version from 1974 with Albert Finney as
Inspector plot oh and passengers played
by big names like Lauren Bacall Sean
Connery Ingrid Bergman and Michael York
this whodunit certainly boasts a killer
cast forgive me ladies and gentlemen
only God's forgiveness is important he
may be the minor princess and benign
together together these talented actors
bring to life characters who at once
entertain and arouse suspicion
Wilde Poirot in the audience try to
unravel the mystery there's no bloody
irregular question I know but I asked
mr. debonair is not a woman
she's a lady which concludes of him
being a man many get their own time to
shine individually but the scenes in
which they're gathered together in the
same room are particularly brilliant
with accusations and revelations coming
fast and heavy ladies we now come to my
own reconstruction of the night of the
murder heading number 18 bridesmaids
jealousy and disaster have rarely been
so funny yeah yeah yeah she's so happy
no not when Annie is tasked with being
maid of honor at her best friend's
wedding
she and the other bridesmaids become
involved in an increasingly outlandish
and embarrassing series of events
led by Kristen Wiig this comedy features
some fantastic comedic performances from
mainstays like Maya Rudolph Melissa
McCarthy and Ellie Kemper two actresses
like Rose Byrne who up to this point was
better known for her dramatic roles
suffice it to say she rose to the
occasion together they play off one
another to help make each new
gut-busting scene all the funnier you
will certainly never think of airplanes
or bridal shops the same way again
number 17 it's a mad mad mad mad world
when a group of strangers learns from a
dying man that 350 grand in stolen cash
is buried in a state park a mad dash
ensues to see who can claim it first
let's see now as I understand it I got
one share for being one person one share
for going down the hill one share for
the truck and one share for being a
person in the truck but no matter how
you figure it out I still don't get as
much as anybody else the madcap
misadventures that disparate characters
get into along the way are often absurd
but they are sold by the performances of
this star-studded cast this is a film
jam-packed with big names of classic
Hollywood including Spencer Tracy Edie
Adams Buddy Hackett and Jonathan winters
and that's just the main cast the film
also features cameos from seemingly
every big name of the time whoever's
idea it was must have been mad
themselves in the best way yeah but if
we find all the money first when we turn
it in then we'll all be in the clear so
let's just get the dough and worry about
the rest later number 16 anchorman The
Legend of Ron Burgundy if there's a
funnier movie about immature news
anchors in the 1970s we have not seen it
it's Channel 4 News at 6 o'clock
[Music]
good evening I'm Ron Burgundy and this
is what's happening in your world
tonight starring Will Ferrell as the
titular anchorman the film follows the
misadventures of Ron and his news team
with a particular focus on Ron's
turbulent romantic life which inevitably
up ends his career I know that one day
Veronica and I are gonna get married on
top of a mountain and there's going to
be flutes playing and trombones and
flowers and Garland's of fresh herbs the
core cast is made up of comedic
powerhouses including Paul Rudd
Christina Applegate and a then
relatively unknown Steve Carell there
are also a ton of cameos in one of
cinema's most memorably bizarre fight
scenes rule number one no touching of
the hair or face chock-full of more
quotable lines than you can throw a
trident at anchorman is a comedy for the
ages and it wouldn't be half as funny
without its hilarious cast number 15
Magnolia while we consider choosing
director Paul Thomas Anderson's other
ensemble film set in LA Boogie Nights we
ultimately went with his later work
Magnolia instead yeah okay well that is
what I wait for I wait for those powers
wait and I pray and sometimes Jesus says
Jim I got a surprise for you today the
film follows the lives of interconnected
people as they undergo trying events
although at times strange and bizarre
there is a scene where frogs fall from
the sky after all Magnolia is still a
film about humanity and it succeeds in
no small part thanks to its cast
standout performances I don't want him
to die I didn't love him we met and I
I did so many bad things to him that he
doesn't know I think that I want to
confess to him but now I do I love him
between Philip Seymour Hoffman Julianne
Moore and what may be a career-best from
Tom Cruise this is a film that's worth
watching for the acting alone
number 14 The Breakfast Club while this
film might have the smallest cast on our
list it does have quality over quantity
going for it you have exactly eight
hours and 54 minutes to think about why
you're here to ponder the error of your
ways you may not talk The Breakfast Club
follows a group of five teenage students
into tension as they butt heads with
each other over their own preconceptions
before ultimately coming together and I
could see you guys my friends Judd
Nelson Emilio Estevez Molly Ringwald
Ally Sheedy and Anthony Michael Hall are
all fantastically relatable as teenagers
struggling with expectations others have
for them while Paul Gleason as the
assistant principal is the
quintessential authority figure together
this cast embodies characters that
nearly anyone can connect to number 13
The Royal Tenenbaums
Wes Anderson is a director known for
bringing together great ensembles and
while the grand Budapest hotel was in
the running The Royal Tenenbaums remains
the bar by which his other casts are
judged the film depicts the eponymous
extended family whose three children
struggle with failure as well as their
complicated relationships with their
father
what are you proposed to do I can't say
really make up for lost time I suppose
first thing I want to do is take out to
see your grandmother at some point
I've been out there since I was six I'm
have been out there at all I was never
invited well she wasn't your real
grandmother the cast is a star-studded
one including Gene Hackman Danny Glover
Ben Stiller Gweneth Paltrow Owen Wilson
Angelica Huston
Bill Murray and narration from Alec
Baldwin he was a prominent litigator
until the mid 80s when he was disbarred
and briefly imprisoned no one in his
family had spoken to him in three years
but what really makes the cast so
remarkable is how much like a real
dysfunctional family they seem even if
their squabbles are larger than life
number 12
Chicago though it's sadly the only
musical to make our list
Chicago definitely deserves the honor
it's just a noisy Hall where there's a
nightly brawl
Velma finds herself in need of the
assistance of defense attorney Billy
Flynn after she murders her cheating
husband soon enough however her place in
the spotlight is challenged by Roxy
played by Renee Zellweger who lends
herself in prison for a similar crime
Flynn winds up taking on her case as
well and an unlikely competition ensues
as they battle for headlines the big
names in the cast such as Richard Gere
Renee Zellweger Catherine zeta-jones and
john c reilly all drew Award nominations
and the film helped to revive movie
musicals in general with its
show-stopping toe-tapping performances
number eleven Goodfellas although
director Martin Scorsese has worked with
some great ensemble cast two recently
for films like the Irishman and the
departed for Armani his best group of
actors has to be in Goodfellas depicting
the rise and fall of gangster Henry Hill
as well as the lives of his family and
fellow gangsters Goodfellas is one of
cinema's most celebrated crime films you
know we always called each other
Goodfellas like you'd say to us somebody
you're gonna like this guy he's alright
he's a good fella he's one of us you
understand we were Goodfellas wiseguys
in while Scorsese's masterful direction
is a large part as to why the stellar
actors bring it all together from the
iconic trio of Robert DeNiro Joe Pesci
and Ray Liotta to supporting players
like Lorraine Bracco Paul Sorvino and
even samuel l.jackson number 10 Avengers
infinity war the Marvel Cinematic
Universe has changed movies forever with
its unprecedented crossovers however it
did a new high with this film
is often disappointing and his it was
now reality can be whatever when the
Galactic Conqueror Thanos seeks to
acquire stones of cosmic power that will
enable him to commit genocide on an
unimaginable scale he rose from Earth
and elsewhere band together to combat
him dozens of stars from Marvel's
biggest franchises are brought together
for a superhero film of a scale unseen
prior to its release although not every
character gets their due
there are several standout performances
and simply seeing Marvel's massive cast
of characters come together in a single
film is mind-boggling
[Music]
number nine twelve Angry Men
unquestionably the definitive drama
about a jury twelve Angry Men depicts
the deliberations of a dozen jurors in a
murder trial testimony you've had a law
read to you and interpreted as it
applies in this case it's now your duty
to sit down and try and separate the
facts from the fancy one man is dead
another man's life is at stake
nearly the entire runtime is focused on
the arguments between the characters
about the defendants potential guilt or
innocence since we don't even learn most
of the jurors names the actors
performances or how they distinguish
themselves and it's their perspectives
and body language that make the
characters feel so real aren't you
asking us to accept a pretty incredible
coincidence I'm just saying a
coincidence is possible and I say it's
not possible with heavyweights of the
time like Henry Fonda Jack Klugman and
Lee J Cobb in the cast sure enough they
deliver timeless performances that
people still reference many decades
later I'm telling you I've got all the
facts here all right that's the whole
case number 8 Saving Private Ryan there
were plenty of war movies that could
have made this list but while some of
them might be superior films we would
argue that Saving Private Ryan has the
most impressive cast
the story of a squads attempts to rescue
a single private during world war two
the movie features big names for the
time like Tom Hanks but also character
actors like Adam Goldberg and Tom
Sizemore others would go on to make
their mark in the future like Bryan
Cranston and Nathan Fillion and let's
not forget Matt Damon in the title role
one year after the release of Good Will
Hunting
it doesn't make any sense sir why why me
why do I deserve to go
why not any of these guys they all
fought just as hard as me Steven
Spielberg probably could have made this
an epic movie without this cast but it
was all the grandeur for having them
number seven the Harry Potter franchise
the tale of the titular teenage Wizards
school years and his fight against evil
has enchanted fans the world over you're
a wizard Harry I'm a lot a wizard and
that's something good and I'd wager once
you trade up a little
and while the filmmakers did an
incredible job of capturing the magic of
JK Rowling's world visually what truly
drew people in were the characters and
the actors who brought them to life when
it comes to the cast it's probably
easier to list the British actors who
aren't in the Harry Potter movies the
franchise jump-started the careers of
its young stars and paired them with
some of the most acclaimed thespians
Britain's ever seen identification sorry
the involvement of these talented
performers gave tremendous weight to an
already inspiring story and helped even
more people connect with it hers hot-dip
a first for all of us
number six The Godfather
one of the Titans of cinema The
Godfather is a natural pick for just
about any list on the best of anything
in movies you know an awful friendship
you don't even think to call me
Godfather said you'd come into my house
depicting the end of Vito Corleone's
reign as the Godfather of his crime
family and the rise of his son Michael
is the new one it's a tale of family and
corruption led by powerful performances
from Marlon Brando and Al Pacino the
cast also features actors who are now
veterans such as Robert Duvall James
Caan and Diane Keaton in important
supporting roles how long have you been
back a year long
it's good to see you Kay The Godfather
changed movies and these actors change
the way a lot of us see acting you're my
older brother and I love you but don't
ever take sides with anyone against the
family again number five the oceans
trilogy Ocean's eleven may be a remake
but it's cast is even more stellar than
the original that's two and you're gonna
need a crew as nuts as you are who do
you got in mind a heist film that
follows Danny ocean's crew attempting to
rob three casinos in one night
Ocean's eleven has an ensemble cast of
colorful actors playing even more
colorful criminals we're just supposed
to walk out of there with a hundred and
fifty million dollars in cash on us
without getting stopped
yeah George Clooney Matt Damon Brad Pitt
Julia Roberts Carl Reiner Bernie Mac Don
Cheadle we could go on all these
fantastic actors come together to
deliver one of the most entertaining and
rewatchable movies ever made through
their great performances and excellent
chemistry it's really no wonder the
first film received two sequels number
four Pulp Fiction Quentin Tarantino is
another director famous for his
fantastic ensembles and Pulp Fiction is
possibly his finest ever chronicling
several disastrous and often bloody
events in the lives of interconnected
criminals in la pope fiction is blessed
with a phenomenal cast that includes
Bruce Willis John Travolta samuel
l.jackson uma Thurman Harvey Keitel and
Christopher Walken to name a few alright
are you certain now watching such a
talented group of performers delivering
Tarantino's trademark heightened
dialogue is an absolute delight and it's
part of what makes some fans consider
the film his masterpiece this day number
three Seven Samurai as tempted as we
were to include the Magnificent Seven on
this list ultimately we decided to
choose the film upon which it's based
Seven Samurai
the epic tale of seven rogue samurai
hired to protect a village from bandits
this film has spawned countless
imitators but none can match the
original while the exceptional direction
by Akira Kurosawa is a large part of it
his cast which includes some of the most
prolific and accomplished actors in
Japanese cinema deserves plenty of
credit to the samurai and villagers
relationships that grow over the
impressive runtime are all played to
perfection
and we'll have you feeling very
emotional by the movie's conclusion
number two the Star Wars franchise come
on it's Star Wars
this epic space offer franchise about
the battle between good and evil has an
equally impressive ensemble of actors
whether they appeared in it a long long
time ago or in a time far far more
recent the boy will not pass the
council's test master is too old Anakin
will become a Jedi I promise you it's
launched the careers of young stars like
Harrison Ford Mark Hamill and Daisy
Ridley and featured experienced actors
like Alec Guinness Liam Neeson and
Forest Whitaker throughout its various
sagas the Star Wars universe is vast but
it's the people in it and the actors who
portray them that will be with us always
[Music]
you know it's an impressive list when
star wars is only number two so any clue
what could beat it I figure there's
about a 50/50 chance it's one of your
favorites so let's look through the very
honorable mentions and then we'll see
the most impressive ensemble movie cast
ever in action the green one okay what's
this one's name
well not Wanda anyway Harlan was
cleaning house everyone in the family
has possible motive was halt and
planning on could not join did he play
the fire Walter
[Applause]
[Music]
so brave knights if you do doubt your
courage or your strengths come there
further for death awaits you are with
nasty big 20d well next century performs
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notifications number one the Lord of the
Rings trilogy the epic fantasy trilogy
to rule them all the Lord of the Rings
follows a band of heroes as they attempt
to destroy a magical ring by venturing
right into a lion's den one of you must
do this simply walk into Mordor boasting
an ensemble cast from across the globe
these films made careers for many of its
stars but the fact that the actors
managed to ground such fantastical
characters with emotive and passionate
performances is what makes them truly
special furthermore that so many of them
became friends during the long shoot
with some even getting matching tattoos
is a true testament to just how much of
themselves they put into this fellowship
what about side-by-side with a friend
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[Music]