The write stuff: The 25 best film scripts

A cocktail of emotions. This movie stirs romance, heartbreak, warmth and sadness into a very smooth drink. It's a masterclass in dialogue, with some of the most quotable lines in movie history, and a masterclass in character development, with two of the most nuanced lovers in movie history. Here's to looking at this one, again. 

I mean, come on. This is film studies 101. I wrote multiple papers on Citizen Kane in film class, which would be tedious if it weren't such a deep well of ideas. The story of a newspaper tycoon is full of meta moments, inside references and deep Freudian insights, culminating in that famous "Rosebud" ending. 

Can you name a better noir than this one? Forget it, it's Chinatown. Robert Towne's script is just too darn good. The story of a detective (Jack Nicholson) getting caught up in a conspiracy is like an orange being peeled: It reveals juicy secrets under that rough exterior. 

Sure, it's a Soviet movie with long monologues about the meaning of life and other heady subjects. But it might also be the greatest movie ever made. Find me another film that is this mesmerizingly poetic — and poetically mesmerizing — and I'll gladly watch it. Andrei Tarkovsky's script takes elements of his childhood and spins them into something that cannot be described in words. 

Let me make you an offer you can't refuse: Watch The Godfather again, but pay close attention to how Coppola's script is working. Notice how he introduces all the characters at the wedding without it feeling like exposition. It's just one subtle detail in a screenplay full of them. 

The Naked Gun has more great jokes than any other movie ever made. There, I said it. You can argue all you want, but this isn't up for debate. It's impossible to come up with another character who has more hilarious one-liners than Leslie Nielsen's Frank Drebin.

There's a reason this is considered one of the best movies of all time. Spike Lee's screenplay is full of quotable lines, lovable characters and incendiary social commentary. Its story of a suburb dealing with racial tension still simmers to this today. 

A classic French farce, Children of Paradise sees four men fight over one woman. To be fair, she's gorgeous, and everything else in this period piece is pretty on the eyes, too. It's the dialogue that is especially beautiful, with enough colorful lines to make you question whether this is the greatest display of dialogue in cinema.

A war movie without battles? That's like making a heist movie without heists. Jean Renoir made the ultimate anti-war movie with almost no death. Instead, he humanizes people on both sides of the prison camps with warmth.

We could have put any number of Hitchcock movies on this list. For suspense, check out Psycho. For mystery, check out his early stuff. For a mix of the two, check out this classic that sees Cary Grant on the run from a sinister group of spies.  

We could have put any number of Coen Brothers movies on this list, too. Their screenplays may be the best part of their work. They have a way with dialogue and character that makes their stuff stand out, none more so than this mystery in a small town. 

No, that's not a typo. Most people seem to discount great comedies these days. They laugh all the way through and then say, "well, that was okay." Okay? If you laugh hysterically throughout this comedy about grown men moving in with their parents, then it's done its job. It's a movie that people quote constantly, which is more than can be said for almost any other movie out there. 

How can a movie this big be so intimate? David Lean, that's how. The man is a master at making historical epics feel human. 

Woody Allen might not be the guy everyone is praising right now, but when it comes to a list of great screenplays, it would be hard to leave him off. His wit is just too darn...witty. Annie Hall remains one of the smartest, funniest romances ever made. 

Steven Spielberg has given us some of the best blockbusters ever made, starting with this tale of a shark ravaging a small town. The genius of its screenplay hides in the shadows, literally, as Spielberg only shows the shark's shadow until the explosive ending. 

If you like action, explosions, meet-cutes or endlessly quotable jokes, you won't find them here. Instead, you'll find a story about a family going about their daily lives. That might sound boring, but Yasujiro Ozu finds profound insights about the way people grow, change and develop that won't be relatable to everyone, but will connect with everyone on an emotional level. Even if you don't look or act like these people, you will find yourself overwhelmed by their personalities.

Hey, maybe being a fascist isn't such a good idea. It takes an entire runtime for our protagonist to figure that out, but Bernardo Bertolucci milks every scene for lyrical grandeur. It's a political conspiracy that unfolds against some of the most atmospheric images ever created, and the script adds to that vibe as much as anything else. 

Daniel Day-Lewis drinks milkshakes and the entire scenery as an oil tycoon, but the script is just as vivid. The story unfolds like an epic, but is often carried out in confined spaces that clash with the desert. Paul Thomas Anderson has many things clash in his screenplay, which is what gives this movie its many layers.  

A perfect movie from start to finish. Some Like it Hot sees two dudes dress up as girls so they can get a job, which gets them into all sorts of wacky antics. Hilarity ensues. 

But there's no dialogue? Doesn't matter. The gags alone are worthy of our list, which is to say nothing of the romance between a blind girl and a tramp. 

Considered one of the best thrillers of all time, The Third Man is a masterclass in how to build mystery while still giving audiences something to chew on. It's not easy keeping audiences waiting for a twist without having them checking their watches, which is what makes Carol Reed's thriller so special. There's always something new and interesting on screen. 

8 1/2 can fit into many Best Movie lists, from best direction, to best score, to best acting, to best production, to best costume, to best cinematography, to best story, to best opening, to best ending. And the same goes for best screenplay. Its story of a director trying to make his next movie is a meta masterpiece. 

Most people would put Breathless on this list. But if we're going to include one French New Wave classic, it's going to be this one. A bromance flick that follows two besties over the years, this film is packed with joyous energy. 

It's Jules and Jim with guns! Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is another bromance with a woman who follows them everywhere. There are some key differences (mainly that the woman doesn't cheat on her boyfriend, along with the shootouts), but there are lots of parallels in the bank robbers who stick with each other until the final shot. 

Great action? Check. Great romance? Check. Great adventure? Check? Great characters? Check. One of the greatest screenplays ever written? Check. This story of a kidnapped princess and her true love has a lot going for it, which is why we can watch it so many times.