The 101 best movies to watch on Netflix right now
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Here are the best movies on Netflix (listed alphabetically).
Watch "The Social Network," "Inception," and "My Best Friend's Wedding" right now.
Note: Numerous titles leave Netflix monthly, so the availability of films below may change.
1. "The 40 Year Old Version" (2020)
Radha Blank takes her real-life frustrations as a Black creative and channels them into this fantastic dramedy, which she starred in, wrote, and directed.
The film is about a playwright turning 40, who decides to reinvent herself as a rapper. Blank's chances at Oscar gold could come in several categories.
2. "50 First Dates" (2004)
Set in Hawaii, Adam Sander plays Henry, a womanizing Islander, who hits it off with Lucy (Drew Barrymore).
But when he realizes Lucy suffers from short term memory loss and has no recollection that the two have ever met, Henry becomes determined to win her heart.
3. "A Clockwork Orange" (1971)
Stanley Kubrick's unforgiving, ultraviolet dark comedy follows the antics of sadistic Alex (Malcolm McDowell) in a futuristic UK.
4. "A Monster Calls" (2016)
This touching story follows a young boy who seeks out the help of a magical tree monster to cope with his single mother's terminal illness.
5. "Amateur" (2018)
Ryan Koo's impressive feature debut looks at the life of a young basketball phenom.
6. "The Art of War" (2000)
Wesley Snipes is at his butt-kicking best playing an operative for the UN.
7. "Athlete A" (2020)
This powerful documentary looks at the Indianapolis Star reporters who break the story of the abuse going on by USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar.
8. "Amanda Knox" (2016)
This documentary takes an inside look at the headline-grabbing frenzy that surrounded the murder case an American exchange student was entangled in back in the early 2000s.
But for the first time ever, that student, Amanda Knox, goes in front of the camera and tells her side of the story.
9. "American Factory" (2019)
Winner of this year's Oscar for best documentary, directors Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert look at a General Motors plant in Ohio that's taken over by a Chinese billionaire.
Though it breathes life and hope into a community that needs it, the thousands of Americans hired gradually begin to clash with their new boss.
10. "American Honey" (2016)
Sasha Lane gives a fantastic performance as Star, a teenager who gets caught up with a group of kids who travel the midwest selling magazine subscriptions. Star also begins to fall for one of the group's leaders, Jake (played with scummy perfection by Shia LaBeouf).
Read more: 25 modern classic movies everyone should watch in their lifetime
11. "Beasts Of No Nation" (2015)
Here's a little trivia for you. Cary Fukunaga's "Beasts of No Nation" was the first-ever original Netflix movie. And it is definitely worth a watch.
Idris Elba is amazing as the twisted leader of child soldiers fighting for their lives during a civil war in Africa.
12. "Blackfish" (2013)
This captivating documentary looks at the controversial captivity of killer whales and how it led to dangers for both the whales and humans.
13. "The Blair Witch Project" (1999)
The legendary "found footage" horror movie is still creepy all these years later. It follows three film students in search of the Blair Witch legend in the woods of Maryland.
14. "The Bling Ring" (2013)
Emma Watson leads a group of teens who use the web to find the homes of celebrities and then rob them when they are out. Oh, by the way, this is based on a true story.
15. "Blue Ruin" (2013)
Dwight (Macon Blair) becomes fueled with revenge as he becomes an amateur assassin to kill the people responsible for the murder of his parents 20 years ago.
16. "Bonnie and Clyde" (1967)
Arthur Penn's classic starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway as the legendary bank robbers Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker is always an essential watch.
17. "By the Sea" (2015)
Written and directed by Angelina Jolie (back when she went by Angelina Jolie Pitt), this moody drama stars Jolie and her then-husband Brad Pitt as they play a married couple who take a trip to France in the hopes of saving their marriage.
18. "Can't Hardly Wait" (1998)
These late 1990s rising stars — Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ethan Embry, and Seth Green — are great in this high-school comedy set at a raging end-of-year party.
19. "Carol" (2015)
Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara are fantastic as two women who form a risqué relationship in 1950s New York.
20. "Casino Royale" (2006)
Looking for a James Bond fix? Try out Daniel Craig's first entry into the beloved franchise.
21. "Casting JonBenet" (2017)
This inventive documentary by director Kitty Green ("The Assistant") looks at the unsolved murder of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey and the mythology that's formed about the tabloid-crazed case.
22. "Chef" (2014)
Jon Favreau plays a Los Angeles chef (he also wrote and directed the movie) who loses his job after receiving a lousy review from a food critic and lashes out on Twitter.
Hitting rock bottom, he regains his love for cooking when he starts a food truck business and travels around with his son.
23. "The Christmas Chronicles" (2018)
Does Netflix have a lot of Christmas movies? Yes, they do. But this is one that is so fun it can be seen any time of the year (or that's how my kids watch it, at least).
It's probably because Kurt Russell is so entertaining as St. Nick (it's not because of the weird CGI elves that show up later in the movie).
24. "Cool Hand Luke" (1967)
Watch Paul Newman in one of his best roles as Luke, a convict who will not play by the prison's rules.
25. "Creep" (2014)
This popular indie horror stars Mark Duplass as a dying man who's hired a videographer to record a video diary for his unborn child.
But it gradually becomes apparent that everything about this situation is wrong.
26. "Crip Camp" (2020)
Executive produced by Barack and Michelle Obama, this inspiring documentary looks at Camp Jened, a summer camp for teens with disabilities.
We follow some of the campers who have turned into activists for the disability rights movement since attending the program.
27. "The Croods" (2013)
This family favorite follows a caveman family who treks through an unfamiliar land after their cave is destroyed.
Nicolas Cage, Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone, and Catherine Keener all lend their voices for the movie.
28. "Da 5 Bloods" (2020)
Spike Lee's latest movie is a powerful look at a group of Vietnam Vets who return back to the country in search of gold and the remains of their fallen squad leader.
Delroy Lindo is the standout among the ensemble with a performance that's Oscar-worthy.
29. "The Death of Stalin" (2017)
"Veep" creator Armando Iannucci writes and directs this dark comedy set around the death of Soviet dictator Joseph Vissarionovish Stalin.
30. "The Departed" (2006)
Martin Scorsese's Oscar-winning movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio as an undercover cop who infiltrates the Boston mob.
Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Mark Wahlberg also star.
31. "The Devil All the Time" (2020)
Antonio Campos' gothic tale looks at how a collection of people intersect in the backwoods post-World War II resulting in lots of death.
It includes great performances from Tom Holland, Riley Keough, Bill Skarsgård, Jason Clarke, and Robert Pattinson.
32. "Dick Johnson Is Dead" (2020)
Director Kirsten Johnson's father, Richard (who goes by "Dick"), is suffering from dementia. So she decides to create a movie that will prepare him for the end of his life.
33. "The Dig" (2021)
Based on the 2007 John Preston novel about the most famous archaeological dig in modern British times — the excavation of Sutton Hoo — the movie has great performances from Carey Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes.
34. "Django Unchained" (2012)
Quentin Tarantino's Western follows Jamie Foxx as a freed slave who sets out to rescue his wife from a plantation owner (played by Leonardo DiCaprio).
35. "Dolemite Is My Name" (2019)
Eddie Murphy gives one of his best performances in years playing Rudy Ray Moore, the entertainer who unable to find steady work decides to create the alter ego Dolemite and have him star in a movie. It led to the character becoming a blaxploitation legend in the 1970s.
36. "Double Jeopardy" (1999)
Ashley Judd plays a woman who was framed for her husband's murder, but believes he was behind it and is still alive.
Learning someone accused of a crime can't be prosecuted again for that same crime, she sets out for her revenge once she's let out of prison.
Tommy Lee Jones also stars as the parole officer who eventually believes she's innocent.
37. "Duck Butter" (2018)
This unique love story follows two women, Naima (Alia Shawkat) and Sergio (Laia Costa), who decide to build a relationship by having sex on the hour every hour for 24 hours.
38. "Eat Pray Love" (2010)
Julia Roberts plays a woman looking to find herself after a painful divorce by traveling the world.
39. "The Edge of Democracy" (2019)
Director Petra Costa gives a personal touch to this political documentary that explores her home country of Brazil as it deals with the rise and fall of two presidents, which led to a socio-political crisis in 2014.
The film earned an Oscar nomination this year.
40. "Enter the Dragon" (1973)
After several hit movies in Hong Kong, Bruce Lee got to show American audiences what he's been up to since playing Kato on the canceled TV show "The Green Hornet."
And he didn't disappoint playing a mix of a Shaolin martial artist and a secret agent.
41. "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga" (2020)
Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams are hilarious as a pair of aspiring musicians who have a chance for stardom by performing on Eurovision.
42. "The Florida Project" (2017)
Sean Baker's touching drama follows a young girl as she navigates life with her mother living in a rundown hotel just outside of Walt Disney World.
43. "Fruitvale Station" (2013)
Michael B. Jordan gives a powerful performance as Oscar Grant III, a 22-year-old who was killed by a police officer in 2009 in Oakland after getting into an altercation with another rider on the Bay Area Rapid Transit system.
The film follows the final day of Grant's life and the events leading up to his death.
44. "Fyre" (2019)
Veteran documentary filmmaker Chris Smith unravels the insanity behind the Fyre Festival in this great documentary.
I don't care how many times you've seen this, it's not enough.
45. "Ghost Rider" (2007)
Pre-Marvel Cinematic Universe, Nicolas Cage is great in this superhero movie as the devil's bounty hunter.
46. "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" (2011)
David Fincher's planned trilogy of the classic book series only led to one movie. But it's still a powerful work led by Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig.
47. "Good Time" (2017)
Why are big stars like Adam Sandler going off to work with Josh and Benny Safdie ("Uncut Gems")? It's because they want to put on their filmography the kind of work Robert Pattinson did with the brothers.
In "Good Time," Pattinson gives one of the best performances of his career so far as he plays a small-time crook who scrambles to get his brother out of jail after the pair botches a bank robbery.
48. "The Guest" (2014)
Dan Stevens is fantastic in his Adam Wingard-directed action-horror in which Stevens plays a soldier, who shows up at a house and tells the family he's a friend of their late son.
Now part of the family, strange things (and a few deaths) happen, which leads to a bloody climax at the high school's Halloween dance.
49. "Hardcore Henry" (2015)
In this unique action movie, Henry sets out on a bloody journey to save his wife, while we as viewers see everything play out from his point of view.
50. "The Hateful Eight" (2015)
Quentin Tarantino delivers an epic Western that follows a group of men stuck in the same place during a blizzard who all have different reasons to kill one another.
And if you really want the Tarantino experience, check out the extended-version option.
Read more: The 31 best gangter movies of all time, ranked
51. "His House" (2020)
A Sudanese couple, escaping the horrors of war-torn South Sudan, are now settling into a small English town far from their past.
But they soon learn that there is a very real evil in their new home.
52. "Hubie Halloween" (2020)
Adam Sandler plays Hubie Dubois, known in his town for his love of Halloween.
Because of his spooky delights, he's become a joke to everyone. But on this Halloween, the outcast will become the town's savior.
53. "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" (2016)
Taika Waititi delivers a great comedy about a kid (Julian Dennison) and his foster uncle (Sam Neill) as they go missing in the New Zealand bush leading to a national manhunt.
54. "I Don't Feel at Home in this World Anymore" (2017)
This dark comedy highlights the great talents of character actress Melanie Lynskey, as she gets the chance to be the lead in a movie.
She plays a woman battling depression who after being robbed finds purpose in her life. Along with her neighbor (Elijah Wood), the two seek out revenge.
55. "I Am Not Your Negro" (2016)
Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, this documentary explores the history of racism in the US through the unfinished James Baldwin manuscript, "Remember This House."
56. "Inception" (2010)
Leonardo DiCaprio is the leader of a group of thieves with a particular talent: going into a person's dreams and placing an idea.
57. "The Irishman" (2019)
Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro spent decades trying to get this movie off the ground about the life of hitman Frank Sheeran (played by De Niro). But it wasn't until Netflix came around that the making of the movie finally became a reality.
Also starring Al Pacino and Joe Pesci, it's time to watch (or finish) "The Irishman."
58. "Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond" (2017)
Before Chris Smith made the "Fyre" doc for Netflix, he compiled the hours of footage Jim Carrey shot while playing Andy Kaufman in the biopic, "Man on the Moon," and created a fascinating behind-the-scenes doc on Carrey's insane process to play the comic genius (Carrey was in character as Kaufman even when they weren't shooting the movie).
59. "Kill the Messenger" (2014)
Jeremy Renner gives one of the best performances of his career playing newspaper reporter Gary Webb, who discovers the CIA supported the smuggling of cocaine into the US and used the profits to support the Contras in the 1980s and early 1990s.
But things get complicated when rival papers try to discredit him.
60. "Knock Down The House" (2019)
This powerful documentary looks at four women running for congressional office in 2018, including the shocking win by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
61. "Knock Knock" (2015)
Eli Roth directs this thriller starring Keanu Reeves as a father who helps two young women who knock at his door, but later pays for letting them into his life.
62. "Lady Bird" (2017)
Greta Gerwig uses elements of her own life growing up in Sacramento to craft this beautifully realistic look at high school life for Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson (Saoirse Ronan).
63. "The Last Dance" (2020)
You can now binge the entire 10-part docuseries that was a sensation when it aired on ESPN earlier this year. We don't just get a deep dive into the Chicago Bulls dynasty, but into the mind and soul of its leader Michael Jordan.
64. "The Laundromat" (2019)
Steven Soderbergh nabs Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman, and Antonio Banderas to lead this story that looks at the swindlers and swindled that surrounded the "Panama Papers" scandal.
65. "Legend" (2015)
Tom Holland is great as identical twin gangsters Ronald and Reginald Kray, who terrorized London in the 1960s.
66. "The Lorax" (2012)
This adaptation of a Dr. Seuss tale isn't just funny and entertaining but also has a powerful message about the need to protect the planet.
67. "Machete Kills" (2013)
In the sequel to "Machete," we find Danny Trejo on a new adventure that's both twisted and bloody.
68. "Malcolm & Marie" (2021)
Director Sam Levinson (creator of "Euphoria") crafts an emotionally-charged drama starring John David Washington and Zendaya. The film centers on a director and his girlfriend, whose relationship is on the brink after returning from the premiere of his movie.
69. "Mank" (2020)
For David Fincher's latest movie he takes on the making of what many regard as the greatest movie ever made, Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane."
Gary Oldman stars as Herman J. Mankiewicz, who wrote the screenplay.
70. "Marriage Story" (2019)
Noah Baumbach writes and directs one of the most honest looks at a relationship that's ever been put on screen. Stars Adam Driver and Scarlet Johansson are perfectly cast as the couple.
71. "The Midnight Sky" (2020)
George Clooney directs and stars as a man who desperately tries to warn astronauts heading home that they are coming back to an Earth in peril.
72. "Moonlight" (2016)
Barry Jenkins' touching look at a young Black kid's life as he transitions from childhood, through adolescence, and into adulthood is required viewing.
From the performances to the cinematography and score, the movie is special.
73. "Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado" (2020)
This documentary delves into the amazing life of Walter Mercado, the iconic astrologer who for decades mesmerized millions of Latino viewers.
74. "Mudbound" (2017)
Garrett Hedlund and Jason Mitchell play two men who return from World War II and try to figure out their life back home in racially-charged Mississippi.
75. "My Best Friend's Wedding" (1997)
Julia Roberts plays a jealous woman who embarks on a mission to get her longtime friend (Dermot Mulroney) back before he marries his fiancée (Cameron Diaz).
76. "My Week with Marilyn" (2011)
Michelle Williams gives an incredible performance playing Marilyn Monroe in this movie that gives a glimpse at the iconic sex symbol behind the scenes while struggling to make the movie "The Prince and the Showgirl" alongside one of the greatest actors ever, Sir Laurence Olivier.
77. "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!" (1988)
After honing their material on the TV show "Police Squad!," David Zucker, Jerry Zucker, and Jim Abrams took Detective Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) to the big screen and it's some of the funniest stuff you'll ever see.
Can't get enough? Watch "Naked Gun 2 1/2" on Netflix.
78. "Nightcrawler" (2014)
Jake Gyllenhaal is scary good in this crime drama in which he plays an L.A. stringer, who captures gruesome accidents and sells them to the local news.
Rene Russo, Bill Paxton, and Riz Ahmed also star.
79. "The Old Guard" (2020)
Charlize Theron plays the leader of a group of immortal mercenaries who have spent centuries trying to do good in the world. But when a new member joins the group, and an evil pharma bro tries to obtain their powers, things get very complicated (and bloody).
80. "The Other Side of the Wind" (2018)
Before Netflix made Martin Scorsese's "The Irishman," it used its deep pockets to make Orson Welles' final movie a reality.
Made on and off by Welles from the 1970s into the 1980s, he was still trying to complete it when he died in 1985. Then after decades of legal disputes over who actually owned the movie, it finally was sorted out a few years ago and Netflix bankrolled its completion.
I honestly cannot tell you definitively what the movie is about, but it is worth a watch.
81. "Pan's Labyrinth" (2006)
Guillermo del Toro creates a gothic fairy tale as we follow a Spanish girl who escapes her troubled life and finds a fantasy world of creatures and hope.
82. "Pee-Wee's Big Holiday" (2016)
Paul Reubens returns to play his legendary man child character in a new adventure.
This time he's trying to get to New York City to attend the big birthday bash of his good friend (checks notes) Joe Manganiello.
83. "Pieces of a Woman" (2020)
Vanessa Kirby gives an Oscar-worthy performance as a woman suffering from the loss of her child during a home birth.
84. "Project Power" (2020)
This unique superhero movie stars Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as guys trying to stop the spread of a street drug that gives you superpowers for a limited time.
85. "Roma" (2018)
Netflix began to really go after the major Oscar award categories when it made Alfonso Cuarón's semi-autobiographical look at a family in 1970s Mexico City.
The movie would go on to win three Oscars, including best director and cinematography for Cuarón.
86. "Rust Creek" (2018)
College senior Sawyer Scott (Hermione Corfield) skips Thanksgiving with her family and drives to a job interview without telling anyone.
That leads to a big mistake.
Through her journey, she gets lost in the deep woods of Kentucky and finds herself being hunted by criminals who believe she witnessed their crimes.
87. "Safety Not Guaranteed" (2012)
This fun indie stars Aubrey Plaza as an intern at a magazine who helps a writer (Jake Johnson) investigate a strange newspaper classified ad: "Wanted: Somebody to go back in time with me. This is not a joke."
88. "The Secret Life of Pets 2" (2019)
If you are stuck at home with the kids and need something for them to do outside of jumping all over the furniture, may I suggest this great movie.
I mean, what kid doesn't love talking animals? Especially when Harrison Ford is voicing one of them.
89. "Shutter Island" (2010)
Marking Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese's most-twisted collaboration to date, the film follows DiCaprio playing a US Marshal investigating a murderer who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane.
90. "Silver Lining's Playbook" (2012)
If you're looking for a love story with a little bit of edge to it, you can't go wrong with this one. Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence play two troubled people who fall for each other.
Read more: Every actor who played Spider-Man in a movie, ranked from worst to best
91. "Snowpiercer" (2013)
Before Bong Joon-ho amazed audiences with "Parasite" and dominated this year's Oscars, he made this thrilling sci-fi movie that touches on class and privilege.
Set in a future where the humanity that's left is aboard a fast-moving train, it's split up with the poor staying in the back and the rich in the front.
But that all changes when Curtis (Chris Evans) decides to lead a revolt to the front of the train.
92. "The Social Network" (2010)
Mixing the craftsmanship of director David Fincher and the writing of Aaron Sorkin, we are given a modern-day classic that looks at the rise of Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook.
93. "Spotlight" (2015)
With an all-star cast made up of Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo, John Slattery, and Liev Schreiber, this best picture Oscar winner looks at the Spotlight investigative division of the Boston Globe as it reports on child molestation within the Catholic Church.
94. "Spring Breakers" (2012)
Director Harmony Korine took spring break, Disney Channel stars, and the music of Britney Spears, mixed it all together, and concocted a crime thriller unlike any other.
95. "Superbad" (2007)
Greg Mottola's comedy classic from the minds of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, who co-wrote the screenplay, follows the antics of two teens (Jonah Hill and Michael Cera) who plan to party hard as they graduate high school.
96. "Taxi Driver" (1976)
One of the classic collaborations between Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, the duo takes a twisted script from Paul Schrader and creates a movie that shines a light on the hopeless feeling many had in the nation in the late 1970s.
97. "There Will Be Blood" (2007)
This is Paul Thomas Anderson's greatest work to date. An epic look at one man's drive to rule the oil industry.
Daniel Day-Lewis' performance in the role is perfect, and everything from the cinematography to the production design to the score is incredible.
98. "Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness" (2020)
This Netflix docuseries has captivated audiences as it gives us a glimpse inside the wild world of big cat conservationists.
99. "Total Recall" (1990)
Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a guy who just wanted a nice vacation in Mars and suddenly he has people trying to kill him. This sci-fi must-see never gets old.
100. "The Trial of the Chicago 7" (2020)
Aaron Sorkin recounts the trial following the 1968 Democratic National Convention that made the likes of Abbie Hoffman and Bobby Seale into legends.
101. "Uncut Gems" (2019)
Directors Josh and Benny Safdie have taken their anxiety-filled raw storytelling and placed in the talents of Adam Sandler to create a fantastic tale about a jeweler (Sandler) who is also a degenerate gambler. The movie also features a breakout performance by Julia Fox.
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