This year, we have an interesting mix of movies contending for the Fresh Tomato Award. Crouching Tiger (96%) and Yi Yi (93%) both hail from Taiwan. Interestingly enough, they are both subtitled and one is even a martial arts movie. When was the last time you saw a subtitled martial arts movie contending with the likes of Traffic (92%) or Almost Famous (87%) for the best-reviewed movie of the year? Almost unheard of. Another finalist, Billy Elliot (89%), hails from England. Not only that, a comedy about a dog show threatens to run away with it all.

While some may argue that this year’s Fresh Tomato Award should go to Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Traffic or Gladiator (which barely made the top 25 list with 78%), the numbers don’t lie. Yes, those others are good movies, but out of 62 rated reviews, Chicken Run did not have a single rotten review. This makes Chicken Run the best-reviewed movie of 2000.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise because with its simplistic themes and lovable characters, Chicken Run, as with last year’s winner Toy Story 2, is able to cross the age barrier and is enjoyable for both the young and the old. This will mark the second year in a row where an animated feature won over its live-action counterparts. Will next year be the same? Read on for the rest of the finalists.

Please note that since the time of the RT Awards, the scores may have fluctuated due to new reviews being posted.

Number of Movies: 25    Average Tomatometer: 86 %

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