The 30 best movies of 1989

Ranked by weighted audience rating: among 95 movies with at least 300 votes on TMDb, the formula balances the score with the vote count, so a barely-rated title cannot leap past a classic. Sociedade dos Poetas Mortos leads, rated 8.2 (1989). The average release year on the list is 1989. The list is recalculated weekly; each title links to its full page, including where to watch in Brazil.

Page updated on 09/20/2026.

1

Dead Poets Society (1989)

directed by Peter Weir · 128 min · 8.3 12,930 votes
2

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

directed by Steven Spielberg · 127 min · 7.9 11,323 votes
3

Back to the Future Part II (1989)

directed by Robert Zemeckis · 108 min · 7.8 14,245 votes
4

Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)

directed by Hayao Miyazaki · 103 min · 7.8 4,715 votes
5

Twin Peaks (1989)

directed by David Lynch · 116 min · 8.5 673 votes
6

Do the Right Thing (1989)

directed by Spike Lee · 120 min · 7.8 2,067 votes
7

The Little Mermaid (1989)

directed by Ron Clements · 83 min · 7.4 8,549 votes
8

When Harry Met Sally... (1989)

directed by Rob Reiner · 96 min · 7.4 4,727 votes
9

The Abyss (1989)

directed by James Cameron · 138 min · 7.4 3,581 votes
10

Glory (1989)

directed by Edward Zwick · 122 min · 7.5 1,860 votes
11

The Killer (1989)

directed by John Woo · 111 min · 7.6 935 votes
12

My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown (1989)

directed by Jim Sheridan · 103 min · 7.5 1,059 votes
13

Batman (1989)

directed by Tim Burton · 126 min · 7.2 8,763 votes
14

Heathers (1989)

directed by Michael Lehmann · 103 min · 7.3 1,928 votes
15

Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)

directed by Woody Allen · 104 min · 7.4 972 votes
16

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)

directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik · 97 min · 7.2 2,786 votes
17

Driving Miss Daisy (1989)

directed by Bruce Beresford · 99 min · 7.2 1,854 votes
18

The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989)

directed by Peter Greenaway · 124 min · 7.3 740 votes
19

Casualties of War (1989)

directed by Brian De Palma · 113 min · 7.2 1,043 votes
20

Field of Dreams (1989)

directed by Phil Alden Robinson · 105 min · 7.1 1,747 votes
21

The Seventh Continent (1989)

directed by Michael Haneke · 107 min · 7.5 372 votes
22

Steel Magnolias (1989)

directed by Herbert Ross · 119 min · 7.2 762 votes
23

Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)

directed by Richard Donner · 113 min · 7.0 3,858 votes
24

Mystery Train (1989)

directed by Jim Jarmusch · 106 min · 7.3 531 votes
25

Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

directed by Oliver Stone · 145 min · 7.0 1,940 votes
26

Santa Sangre (1989)

directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky · 122 min · 7.2 520 votes
27

Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989)

directed by Kazuki Ōmori · 105 min · 7.4 312 votes
28

Lean On Me (1989)

directed by John G. Avildsen · 108 min · 7.3 355 votes
29

Say Anything... (1989)

directed by Cameron Crowe · 100 min · 7.0 1,159 votes
30

Drugstore Cowboy (1989)

directed by Gus Van Sant · 98 min · 7.1 635 votes