Did you know that Mike Nichols once turned down major films like Chinatown and The Exorcist?Bold, sure, but when you’ve made The Graduate, you’ve already reshaped cinema. Nichols was a master of emotion and razor-sharp wit, blending laughter, heartbreak, and truth, often in the same breath. His films were cultural touchstones.So grab some popcorn (or a stiff drink—Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf might demand it) as we rank the nine best films from a filmmaker who entertained and left a mark.9 Best Mike Nichols Movies9. Wit (2001) - YouTube A witty scene from the brilliant and criminally forgotten Wit (2001). Vivian Bearing (Emma Thompson) is a brilliant but emotionally distant English professor dealing with terminal cancer with the same cerebral zeal she usually dedicates to John Donne’s poetry—except, this time, it’s laced with morphine and existential dread. As she undergoes rigorous chemotherapy, her cerebral shields begin to erode, revealing the emotional emptiness she has always avoided.Wit is a remarkable combination of comedy and emotion, particularly in Thompson’s (fourth-wall-breaking) monologues that mix clinical facts with poetic reflection. Nichols avoids dramatization, allowing Thompson’s performance to shine as Vivian grapples with grief, shame, and fleeting human connections. The film’s beauty is in its contrast of cold medical vocabulary and Donne’s lyrical metaphors, which leave you with bittersweet emotions. Fun fact: Thompson shaved her head herself. If that’s not a commitment, I don’t know what is.Nichols trusts the material and his actor enough to hold the frame steady, showing how much can be said...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Yesterday