For 23 years, Rotten Tomatoes has been the go-to platform for movie reviews, using its 'Tomatometer' system to calculate critical reception. A film is deemed 'Fresh' if 60% of reviews are positive, but a rare 100% score means every single review from critics was positive. Close to 480 films with at least 20 reviews have achieved this perfect score, though some have later lost it due to a single negative review.
Among the films that have maintained a 100% rating with the highest number of reviews is 'The Philadelphia Story' (1940). Directed by George Cukor and starring Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, James Stewart and Ruth Hussey, the film follows a socialite whose wedding plans are complicated by her ex-husband and a tabloid journalist. Variety praised it as 'a picture every suburban mamma and poppa must see'.
Another perfect scorer is 'Meet Me in St. Louis' (1944), a Christmas musical directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Judy Garland. The film depicts a year in the life of the Smith family leading up to the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. Variety noted that 'Garland achieves true stature with her deeply understanding performance'.
'Singin' In the Rain' (1952), a musical romantic comedy starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor, also holds a 100% score. The film follows Hollywood stars transitioning from silent films to talkies and was one of the first 25 films selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry. Variety called it 'a fancy package of musical entertainment with wide appeal'.
Other films with perfect scores include Akira Kurosawa's epic samurai action film 'Seven Samurai' (1954), which was the most expensive movie made in Japan at the time, and James Cameron's sci-fi action film 'The Terminator' (1984), which grossed $78.3 million at the box office. Variety described 'Seven Samurai' as 'a virile mounting' and 'The Terminator' as 'a B-movie with flair'.
