The Oscar for adapted screenplay has been given to some of the most memorable movies over the years, and here are the best adapted screenplays of all time, according to Rotten Tomatoes.
There is a plethora of things that makes a movie the end product and most of the viewers do not even think about them. Those elements can be the production team, costume team, hair and makeup, sound mixers, etc. One of the main aspects of a movie that so often forgotten is the scrip written by a group of screenwriters. Most of the times, screenplays are based on literature and other previously established materials. Despite what source the production team chooses as the source material, all writers that have won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay had to go through the same complicated decision-making paths. Their ability to balance these decisions has made a significant role in their ranking. Without further ado, let’s dive into the list of the best must see adapted screenplays of all time.
Best Adapted Screenplays of All Time
We have narrowed down a list of the best adapted screenplays of all time and all of the movies on the list have won the Oscar award for best adapted screenplay. The order of the movies is based on their ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. So, let’s get to it.
13. The Descendants 2011
- Genre: Drama/Comedy Drama
- Director: Alexander Payne
- Stars: Shailene Woodley, George Clooney, Amara Miller, Nick Krause
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 87%, IMDb 7.3
One of the best adapted screenplays of all time is the Descendants, where Shailene Woodley shares the screen with George Clooney, Beau Bridges, Nick Krause, and many other amazing actors. Clooney plays the role of Matt King, and Shailene performs as Alexandra King. The story follows the two as some unexpected events happen in Matt King’s life. There is drama as well as laughter in this movie. Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash (the director and the writers) won at the Oscars for their adaptation of Kaui Hart Hemming’s novel of the same name.
Read more: Best Shailene Woodley Movies of All Time
12. The Big Short 2015
- Genre: Drama/Comedy drama
- Director: Adam McKay
- Stars: Steve Carell, Christian Bale, Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling, Margot Robbie
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 89%, IMDb 7.8
The Big Short is a comedic examination of the housing bubble of the U.S. that resulted in the economic crash that occurred in 2008. Wall Street guru Michael Burry finds out that some of subprime home loans might get default. Betting again the housing market, Burry puts more than $1 billion of his investors’ money in that. Jared Vennet, played by Ryan Gosling, and Steve Carell’s Mark Baum, who is a hedge-fund specialist, pay attention to him for his actions. The trio make a lot of money in this situation. The Big Short, written by Charles Randolph and Adam McKay, won Best Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars.
Read more: Best Christian Bale Movies of All Time
11. The Imitation Game 2014
- Genre: War/Drama
- Director: Morten Tyldum
- Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Mark Strong, Charles Dance
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 90%, IMDb 8
The Imitation Game follows the tale of Alan Turing, who is a mathematician that cracked the Enigma code of the Germans in WWII. However, because of his homosexuality, he was mistreated by his own country. The movie also showcases the tragedy of inequality and dives deep into the mind and tale of a man who is extraordinary and a hero of his time. Benedict Cumberbatch was able to bring some levels of arrogance and nervousness to the role, which is still one of his most captivating displays. Graham Moore won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for this movie. Therefore, it has made it to the list of the best adapted screenplays of all time.
Read more: Best Benedict Cumberbatch Movies of All Time
10. The Departed 2006
- Genre: Crime/Drama
- Director: Martin Scorsese
- Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Vera Farmiga, Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 91%, IMDb 8.5
The Departed is the tenth one on the list of the top adapted screenplays of all time. Leonardo DiCaprio featured in Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winning Best Picture as a Massachusetts cop. Named Billy Costigan, he is tasked to go undercover to infiltrate a group of Irish-American mob, with Frank Costello, played by Jack Nicholson, as their leader gangster. DiCaprio urges the audience to sympathize with him and get worried when he encounters Nicholson as he may slip up. He juggles the dangers of his work undercover because he could get caught and murdered. This movie also won at the Oscars in the Best Adapted Screenplay category.
9. No County for Old Men 2007
- Genre: Thriller/Crime
- Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
- Star: Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 93%, IMDb 8.2
The movie that won the Best Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars in 2008 and brought Javier Bardem his Oscar award is named No Country for Old Men, which is based on a novel of the same name, written by Cormac McCarthy. The movie takes place in Texas in 1980s and revolves around a savage hitman who is searching for a large sum of money that Llewelyn Moss happened upon. The Sherriff, played by Tommy Lee Jones, is investigating the crime. This is indeed one of the best adapted screenplays of all time. We highly recommend it.
8. Call Me by Your Name 2017
- Genre: Romance/Drama
- Director: Luca Guadagnino
- Stars: Timothee Chalamet, Armie Hammer
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 94%, IMDb 7.8
Call Me by Your Name is one of the best adapted screenplays of all time. This movie was a turning point for Timothee Chalamet as he performed as a leading man. This is an adaptation of a book with the same name, unveiling the story of a young man, Elio, who finds out his sexual identity when he meets a university student coming to help his father in Italy in the summer. His amazing performance depicts the heartache of turbulent love and the pain of teenage heartbreak. Unsurprisingly, he got his first Oscar nomination after his performance in this movie for Best Actor. The movie also won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Read more: Best Timothee Chalamet Movies of All Time
7. CODA 2021 94%, 8
- Genre: Drama/Romance
- Director: Sian Heder
- Stars: Emilia Jones, Daniel Durant, Troy Kotsur, Marlee Matlin, Eugenio Derbez
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 94%, IMDb 8
CODA is one of the best adapted screenplays of all time that came out in 2021 and won an Oscar (writer-director Sian Heder). The story revolves around a family with all the members being deaf, except for Ruby. At the age of 17, she has a job that starts before her school as she needs to support her family in order for them to keep their fishing business afloat. However, when she joins the choir club at her school, she realizes that she is attracted to not only singing, but also her duet partner. So, don’t miss this wonderful film.
6. 12 Years a Slave 2013
- Genre: Drama/History
- Director: Steve McQueen
- Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong’o, Brad Pitt
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 95%, IMDb 8.1
12 Years a Slave is a compelling adaptation of Solomon Northup’s memoir that has the same name. It revolves around a free black man’s kidnapping in New York. He then gets sold into slavery on Louisiana Plantation. Chiwetel Ejiofor portrays the character quite masterfully, showing the audience how terrible chattel slavery was. The film shows the day-to-day struggles of enslaved people as well as their resistance against the system. It is not easy to watch this, but this makes it a very good reason to do as it is quite necessary. 12 Years a Slave is among the best adapted screenplays of all time and it is another Oscar winner in this category.
Read more: Best History Movies of All Time
5. BlacKkKlansman 2019
- Genre: Crime/Drama
- Director: Spike Lee
- Stars: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Topher Grace, Laura Harrier
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 96%, IMDb 7.5
This is based on the true story of Ron Stallworth, the first African-American detective to serve in the Colorado Springs Police Department. And director Spike Lee depicted the struggle years of black people masterfully. He captured racist America in an incredible way while also adding a comedic twist. Ron Stalworth is keen on making a name for himself. Therefore, he embarks upon a dangerous mission. This has become one of the greatest adapted screenplays of all time that you need to watch. In addition, BlacKkKlansman won an Oscar for the Best Adapted Screenplay in 2020.
4. Argo 2012
- Genre: Thriller/Drama
- Director: Ben Affleck
- Star: Ben Affleck, John Goodman, Alan Arkin, Kerry Bishé, Bryan Cranston, Clea DuVall
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 96%, IMDb 7.7
Argo is the most recognizable best adapted screenplays of all time. The movie tells the story of Tony Mendez, a CIA agent who evacuated six US diplomats from Tehran in the hostage crisis. He disguised them, pretending to be the production team of a fake movie. Ben Affleck’s direction brings a lot of excitement to the story, keeping the audience at the edge of their seat throughout. Moreover, the movie is entertaining and has lots of suspense, humor, and pathos. Chris Terrio wrote the screenplay, which was adapted from The Master of Disguise by U.S Central Intelligence Agency, the 1999 memoir written by Antonio J. Mendez.
Read more: Best Ben Affleck Movies of All Time
3. The Social Network 2010
- Genre: Drama/History
- Director: David Fincher
- Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Dakota Johnson
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 96%, IMDb 7.8
This revolutionary drama, The Social Network, showcases Jesse Eisenberg’s talent in playing the real-life role of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg along with his co-founder Eduardo Saverin, played by Andrew Garfield. In addition, the duo’s relationship is one of the main aspects of the movie, and Garfield and Eisenberg were the perfect actors to display the complexity and difficulties the two partners shared. In addition, the dialogues are great, and the narrative is captivating, making it hard to think that The Social Network is based on facts. The Social Network won an Oscar for the best Adapted Screenplay for Aaron Sorkin, whose screenplay chronicles the Facebook’s creation. Therefore, we highly recommend this as one of the best adapted screenplays of all time.
Read more: Best Andrew Garfield Movies of All Time
2. Moonlight 2016
- Genre: Drama/Indie Film
- Director: Barry Jenkins
- Stars: Trevante Rhodes, Mahershala Ali, Alex R. Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, Naomie Harris
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 98%, IMDb 7.4
Moonlight follows the tale of a young black man who is trying to discover himself as he comes of age. The three actors that portray Chiron show off sensational performances as he takes a true emotional journey. Moreover, as one of the best adapted screenplays of all time, it reminds us what the art form is able to do, rolling out his life with style and grace.
Director Jenkins wrote the script and McCarney wrote the short script “In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue,” which was the movie’s inspiration. The two are now the third and the fourth black people to have won an Oscar for writing. Therefore, Moonlight is among the best adapted screenplays ever.
Read more: Best Drama Movies of All Time
1. The Father 2020
- Genre: Drama
- Director: Florian Zeller
- Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman, Imogen Poots, Rufus Sewell, Olivia Williams
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 98%, IMDb 8.2
One of the best adapted screenplays of all time that won the 2021 Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay is The Father. The movie is adapted from a play and veteran screenwriter Christopher Hampton helped playwright Florian Zeller adapt his stage production The Father. Florian Zeller’s The Father is an exquisite and unflinching story of an old man whose mind the slipping away. The 84-year-old Anthony Hopkins plays the role of Anthony and the audience are put inside his agonizingly malleable perspective. The movie became incredibly successful because of Anthony Hopkins’ all-time best performance as the story evokes his state of mind.
A lesser actor would not have been able to perform this well as he would be lost in the role, unlike Hopkins. After his extraordinary performance in the movie The Father, Anthony Hopkins got the 2020 Best Actor Oscar. We highly recommend this wonderful film.