Most Underrated Movies of the 2010's (By Year): 2019

Honorable Mentions: Brittany Runs a Marathon, Child's Play, Triple Frontier 

Dolemite is My Name: In a really strong year for biopics that featured such unconventional triumphs as Rocketman, Honey Boy and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Dolemite is My Name managed to emerge as the clear leader in an elite clubhouse. Courtesy of Craig Brewer's energetic direction, Eddie Murphy's electrifying performance and a hilarious supporting cast (Wesley Snipes, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Keegan Michael-Key, Craig Robinson, Mike Epps), comedian/eventual Blaxploitation icon Rudy Ray Moore's long journey to fame that culminated in the release of the cult classic Dolemite is transformed into a warm, wildly entertaining story of perseverance and dreams coming true against all odds.    

Jumanji: The Next Level: Referring to a commercially successful blockbuster as "underrated" may see a little bit odd, but I believe that Jumanji: The Next Level doesn't get the level of credit it deserves for being a sequel that found creative ways to differentiate itself from its predecessor without losing sight of what made the original work. Bringing in new characters inside (Awkwafina) and outside (Danny DeVito, Danny Glover) of Jumanji allows for some inspired reshuffling of the body swap gimmick that drives the plot, the script adds some emotional depth by fleshing out the now college-aged kids (Alex Wolff, Morgan Turner, Ser'Darius Blain, Madison Iseman) that re-enter Jumanji and the avatar leads (Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black) seem to be enjoying playing these characters trapped inside of characters even more the second time around. It's just pure, massive-scale entertainment at its finest and I'd gladly watch 6,000 more of these contemporary Jumanji movies if they continued to be as fun as this.    

Long Shot: I'd like to believe that the title of Long Shot is a reference to the odds of a love story that's set in the mind-numbing cesspool otherwise known as modern American politics being so utterly god damn delightful. Seriously, this movie is so fucking charming, good-natured and sweetly funny that it feels like it was sent here from another universe. Jonathan Levine, Liz Hannah, Dan Sterling, O'Shea Jackson Jr., June Diane Raphael, Ravi Patel, Andy Serkis, Bob Odenkirk, Alexander Skarsgard, Lisa Kudrow, Randall Park and of course the power couple themselves: president Charlize Theron and first man Seth Rogen, you're all miracle workers, and thank you for your contributions to the most improbable romantic comedy masterpiece in the history of cinema.