Top 10 Hipster Movies

#10: “Frances Ha” (2012)

Any millennial twenty-something trying to make it in the big city and grow up will identify with Frances Halladay. Played by Greta Gerwig, Frances can’t find steady work as a professional dancer. Unable to pay the bills or rent, she often crashes with friends and maxes out credit cards. Shot in black and white, “Frances Ha” explores the grim side of being an artist. Frances herself may be an irresponsible and naïve protagonist; but at the same time, the audience admires her unrelenting passion to live out her dream.

#9: “Garden State” (2004)

Zach Braff has directed, written, and starred in more than one hipster movie over the years, but “Garden State” remains his magnum opus. This charming dra-medy is packed with evident hipster trademarks, such as a shy wallflower leading man, a manic pixie dream girl love interest, and a slew of peculiar supporting players. What really distinguishes “Garden State” is its Grammy-winning soundtrack, which includes songs from indie acts like Cary Brothers, Iron & Wine and the Shins. It’s the definitive hipster playlist that every coming-of-age movie since has been attempting to recreate.

#8: “Her” (2013)

“Her” takes place in a not too distant future where hipsters seem to have completely taken over the world. Just look at the film’s architecture, fashion, and technology and tell us that hipsters didn’t design them. Of course, if Theodore Twombly were a true hipster, he’d have a much more old school computer and tablet with which to communicate with operating system Samantha. What a poser. Nevertheless, this timely film’s themes regarding communication, isolation, and trendy dating methods have the hipster essence written all over them.

#7: “Inside Llewyn Davis” (2013)

Llewyn Davis may have been born a few decades before the Hipster Movement, but he speaks to every pretentious artist that criticizes others for selling out while they themselves struggle at the bottom. A wannabe folk singer, Llewyn has no idea what he’s doing, where he’s going, and pretty much ends up back where he started. Life simply won’t throw this meandering bum a bone, but it does throw him a cat. This is a brutally honest, if not disheartening, movie about ego, purpose, and the cruel nature of show business.

#6: “(500) Days of Summer” (2009)

With her adorkable wardrobe and unusual charm, there’s no doubt that Zooey Deschanel is the queen of hipsters. She was born to play the title character in “(500) Days of Summer,” who naturally attracts fellow hipster Tom. When Summer shines down on Tom, his life is as spirited as an indie rock album. When storm clouds block out Summer, however, Tom’s life is murkier than an emo haircut. It just goes to show that love is harder to find than a hipster without vintage headphones, satchels, and sweater vests.

#5: “Submarine” (2010)

Like many other hipster movies, “Submarine” focuses on a fifteen-year-old boy that often finds himself in socially uncomfortable situations, aspires to win the affection of a complicated girl, and talks more like he’s thirty. As Oliver, Craig Roberts hits just the right note between awkward and disturbed, yet he remains surprisingly relatable. While many of Oliver’s inner monologues may seem too witty and advanced for a young adult, director Richard Ayoade does a stellar job at capturing that transitioning age of uncertainty as kids emerge above the surface to face maturity.

#4: “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” (2004)

Jim Carrey’s Joel and Kate Winslet’s Clementine embody the two most common lovers found in hipster flicks: a lonely, depressed outcast and the eccentric free-spirit who helps him come out of his shell. Their relationship takes several unique turns, though, as the two endure heartbreak and attempt to erase one another from their memories. With the offbeat Michel Gondry behind the camera and the even more offbeat Charlie Kaufman penning the script, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” is an unconventional romance for the ages that’s stranger than love itself.

#3: “The Royal Tenenbaums” (2001)

With movies like “Rushmore,” Wes Anderson mastered the hipster art of being whimsical and bizarre while also being totally ironic and deadpan. The colorful people in “The Royal Tenenbaums” could only come from an artsy hipster’s wonderful imagination. Just to name a few, the film brings together a suicidal tennis player, a neurotic single father, and a stone-faced playwright with nine-and-a-half fingers. They’re a dysfunctional, weird, and gloomy bunch, but if there’s even a little bit of the hipster gene in your DNA, you’ll wanna be part of this family.

#2: “Juno” (2007)

Jason Reitman’s known for making movies that epitomize today’s world. “Juno” is destined to become a time capsule for Generation Y, preserving a period where teen pregnancy was trendy and hipsters dominated indie movies. Juno herself may be an exaggerated hipster with her over-the-top dialogue, hamburger phone, and crush on Michael Cera. At the same time, Juno encompasses all the insecurities teenagers endure and the journey of self-discovery they must take to grow up. Thus, “Juno” is both a product of its time and a movie for generations to come.

Before we ironically like our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

“Breathless” (1960)


“Brick” (2005)


“Frank” (2014)


“Amélie” (2001)


“Synecdoche, New York” (2008)

#1: “Lost in Translation” (2003)

“Lost in Translation” is the quintessential hipster movie, centered on two lost souls that find each other and themselves in an unfamiliar setting. The film covers virtually everything on the hipster checklist, such as alternative rock music, the search for one’s identity, and an ambiguous final note that all the self-proclaimed intellectuals in the audience will claim to understand. This isn’t a movie purely for the hipster demographic, however. It’s for anybody going through a state of alienation and is looking for a helping hand to get back on track.

Do you agree with our list? What’s your favorite hipster movie? For more rad top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.