MTV Names ‘Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’ Best Movie of 2011; Rooney Mara to Accept Honor On-Air (Exclusive)

With the year’s end upon us, MTV looks back at the best films of 2011 with its first ever top 10 list — and the film claiming the top honor comes just in the nick of time.

David Fincher’s U.S. adaptation of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, slated to hit theaters Dec. 20, has been named the best movie of the year by MTV Movies and NextMovie. Throughout the week, the trend-setting network has revealed its picks from the bottom up, with live on-air coverage scheduled for Friday, Dec. 16. At 4:59 p.m. ET, Girl With the Dragon Tattoo star Rooney Mara will appear to accept the award for best movie.

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“We all fell in love with this movie from the moment we saw it,” MTV News’ Josh Horowitz tells The Hollywood Reporter. “We all love the work of David Fincher, we all were blown away by Rooney Mara, in this amazing performance of this iconic character, and thrilled by the kind of world that David Fincher created.”

“We feel like this is a movie that is the best of what the thriller-crime drama can be,” he added.

FILM REVIEW: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Find the complete list below:

1. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
2. Drive
3. Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part 2
4. Bridesmaids
5. Hugo
6. X-Men: First Class
7. The Muppets
8. 50/50
9. The Descendents
10. Attack the Block

The films were selected by a group of five people representing editorial leadership within MTV News and NextMovie. Each person compiled a list of their favorite films throughout the year, and spirited debates ensued. The group aimed to choose movies that would resonate with the MTV audience, making it different than many critics’ year-end lists.

“Movies that you’ve seen on our list reflect blockbusters, but the blockbusters that are really great,” Horowitz says. “Also, they reflect smaller films that we’ve really enjoyed.”

“I think the great thing like a list we put together is it’s hard for a film like The Muppets or Bridesmaids or something like that – which are real people-pleasers – to find their way in the more serious season of film that we’re in right now,” adds NextMovie’s Scott Robson. “It’s an opportunity for us to give a little shout-out, that these films are loved and appreciated even if they don’t get statuettes at the end of the day.”

Looking ahead to the new year, Robson and Horowitz also shared their most anticipated films of 2012, with The Avengers, Spiderman, The Hunger Games, The Hobbit and, of course, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises all earning mentions.

Beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET on Friday, MTV.com and NextMovie.com will host a live stream debate leading up to Mara’s taped acceptance speech. To hear more from Horowitz and Robson about the list, and the rigorous task of selecting 10 films to make the cut, tune in.