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Even though every fan of well-established, popular directors is happy to see their favorite's newest movie, it would be a mistake to underestimate a movie just because its creator hasn't directed a feature film before. Just like in all previous decades, as well as the subsequent ones, the 2000s saw the directorial debut of multiple directors who haven't worked on feature films before and instead focused on TV work or short movies.
While many of the directorial movie debuts of the 2000s faded into oblivion soon after their release, others have become unexpected hits and proved that even a debuting director can create a movie the viewers will be happy to return to over and over again.
5 Billy Elliot (2000)
Before directing Billy Elliot, the British director Stephen Daldry hadn't worked on a feature film before, only a short one. Despite that, Billy Elliot went on to become one of the best-accepted movies of the 2000s, and it inspired other works, most notably a musical of the same name. As its title suggests, the movie centers on a young boy Billy (Jamie Bell). Billy falls in love with ballet dancing, but the problem is that his father wants him to do boxing instead. So even though Billy starts dancing instead and is talented, he still has to figure out how to persuade his dad that ballet is the right way for him.
The movie is very civil and what Billy is going through makes him relatable. Jamie Bell is excellent in the titular role, but the movie has a strong cast overall. It also stars Julie Walters as Billy's ballet teacher and Gary Lewis as Billy's dad. Billy Elliot was nominated for three Oscars but didn't win any of them, however, it won three prestigious British BAFTA awards.
4 Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)
To this day, Sharon Maguire's Bridget Jones's Diary remains one of the most popular British romantic comedies, and for good reason. Renée Zellweger sports a convincing British accent as the relatable Bridget who struggles both in work and in her personal life. Even when two men enter her life, her handsome but unreliable boss Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant), and the seemingly arrogant Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), Bridget doesn't seem to be any closer to a happy relationship than before. The movie shows that sometimes love is just difficult, especially when people have the tendency to think the worst about others.
It has a strong Christmas atmosphere, which makes it ideal to watch during the holidays but thanks to the intelligent story and talented cast, Bridget Jones's Diary is one of the romcoms that doesn't disappoint regardless of what time of year it is. The movie spawned two sequels, in 2004 and 2016, but the first movie tends to be the most popular one among fans.
3 Shrek (2001)
Each year sees the premiere of multiple animated movies but not every one of them can say they became a new classic. Shrek managed just that and spawned multiple sequels since then, including a solo movie for one of the supporting characters, Puss in Boots (2011). The film saw the directorial debuts of Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson.
Shrek took the well-established fairytale storytelling patterns and changed them, making for a refreshingly original story that continues to captivate the audience to this day. The movie proves that just because the main hero isn't a handsome prince, it doesn't mean he can't find love and success. Shrek won an Oscar for the best-animated picture, further cementing its position as something extraordinary, a movie that will entertain both children and adults.
2 V For Vendetta (2005)
When somebody says a comic-book movie, most people immediately think about superhero movies these days thanks to the prevalence of the MCU and the DCEU. However, V for Vendetta, based on Alan Moore's iconic graphic novel, belongs to the dystopian genre instead. Set in England, the movie focuses on a tightly controlled society that is disrupted by the mysterious V (played by Hugo Weaving) and his unexpected ally Evey (Natalie Portman). The movie takes the time to characterize the main heroes and the developing bond between them, which makes it easy for the audience to care about them. V for Vendetta builds a strong atmosphere as nobody is safe in the world it creates.
It stars multiple well-known British actors, most notably John Hurt in a role that works as a clever nod to Hurt's other role in a dystopian movie, 1984 (1984). Even though V for Vendetta doesn't have a traditional happy ending, it doesn't lack the power to make the audience think by way of Weaving's and Portman's strong performances, made even more impressive by the fact that Weaving acts only by using his voice and body language, not his face, since it's always covered. The movie marked the directorial debut of James McTeigue.
1 Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Family road trips can be demanding even in the most united and peaceful families. And the heroes of this movie are far from leading a calm life. When they go on a journey so that the young Olive (Abigail Breslin) could attend a beauty pageant, they have no idea that many challenges await them, including death.
The movie combines both drama and humor, and each character it works with is unique, so it's impossible to pick just one that the viewers will find most relatable. The ensemble cast is filled with names such as Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Alan Arkin, Paul Dano, and the above-mentioned Abigail Breslin. All of them are relatable in their roles, if not always sympathetic. Little Miss Sunshine became one of the indie darlings of the 2000s, was nominated for four Oscars and won two of them, including an Oscar for the best original screenplay. The film was directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris.