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From new Netflix originals to classic films from decades past, we’ve got the best movies on Netflix for every taste.
Best movies on Netflix (August 2026): Stacey Dash and Alicia Silverstone in “Clueless,” now streaming on Netflix. Paramount Pictures/Handout
August 6, 2026 | 2:49 PM
20 minutes to read
With a library of more than 3,500 films and a labyrinth of oddly specific categories and recommendations, finding the best movies on Netflix can be a chore.
To help you with your streaming decisions, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best movies on Netflix right now, ranging from new Netflix originals to classic films from decades past.
To further assist your nightly watching decisions, we’ve sorted our best-of list into genres, so you can immediately navigate to the best horror movies on Netflix or the best comedies on Netflix using the links below. We’ll also be adding movies that are new on Netflix to the top of the article each month.
Think our list is missing something? Email [email protected] with suggestions, whether it’s about ways to make this list more user-friendly or your personal favorite best movies on Netflix that we overlooked.
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All the new movies and TV shows streaming now (August 2026)
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5 must-watch movies & TV shows streaming right now
Best new movies on Netflix (August 2026)
‘Clueless’ (1995)
Runtime: 97 min.
Starring: Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd, Brittany Murphy, Stacey Dash
Loosely based on Jane Austen’s 1815 novel “Emma,” “Clueless” is both distinctly of its time and place and reliably evergreen. Alicia Silverstone’s Cher Horowitz may seem like a prototypical ’90s kid in Beverly Hills, but her character — who, like Austen’s Emma, plays matchmaker for the thrill of it — is relatable to any generation. Throw in a killer supporting cast (Brittany Murphy, Dan Hedaya, Donald Faison, a baby-faced Paul Rudd) and you’ve got the recipe for a classic that is still being watched 31 years after its debut in the summer of 1995.
Watch “Clueless” streaming on Netflix
‘Eighth Grade’ (2018)
Elsie Fisher in the 2018 film “Eighth Grade,” directed by Bo Burnham.
Runtime: 94 min.
Starring: Elsie Fisher, Josh Hamilton, Emily Robinson, Jake Ryan
Hamilton, Mass. native Bo Burnham’s directorial debut is a strikingly honest portrayal of the anxiety that pervades many middle schooler’s daily lives, as seen through Kayla (Elsie Fisher), a 13-year-old in her final week of middle school whose peers have given her the backhanded superlative of “Most Quiet.” Though he wouldn’t outright admit it in an interview with Boston.com, Burnham’s own experiences as an awkward teen who rose to YouTube fame clearly come through in the funny, heartfelt film.
Watch “Eighth Grade” streaming on Netflix
‘Something’s Gotta Give’ (2003)
Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton in “Something’s Gotta Give.”
Runtime: 128 min.
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Keanu Reeves, Frances McDormand, Amanda Peet
Nancy Meyers’s romantic comedies are always elevated by the director’s larger budgets and her keen eye for gorgeous set design (think kitchens that would make Martha Stewart jealous). In “Something’s Gotta Give,” the central performances lift the film as well, with Jack Nicholson playing a serial dater who falls in love with the mother (Diane Keaton) of his latest age-inappropriate fling (Amanda Peet).
Watch “Something’s Gotta Give” streaming on Netflix
Best movies on Netflix: Drama
‘Creed’ (2015)
Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Creed and Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa in “Creed.” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Runtime: 133 min.
Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad
In 2006, Sylvester Stallone successfully righted the wrongs of “Rocky V” with “Rocky Balboa,” a fitting swan song for the aged Philly boxer. But the Rocky legacy was fully secured (and introduced to a new generation) nine years later when Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan joined Sly for “Creed.” Stallone gracefully pivots into trainer mode, mentoring Adonis Creed (Jordan) for his big fight and reminding us why the 1976 original remains a classic.
Watch “Creed” streaming on Netflix
‘Gone Girl’ (2014)
Rosamund Pike portrays Amy Dunne, whose mysterious disappearance turns her husband (Ben Affleck) into a possible murder suspect.
Runtime: 149 min.
Starring: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Carrie Coon
Ben Affleck is sublime in the role of Nick Dunne, a teacher whose wife Amy (an excellent Rosamund Pike) has gone missing. Mirroring Affleck’s real-life relationship with the press, Nick’s seeming apathy towards the case leads the true crime-obsessed media to all but convict him of Amy’s murder. But the story is more complicated than it seems.
Watch “Gone Girl” streaming on Netflix
‘His Three Daughters’ (2024)
Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olsen and Carrie Coon in “His Three Daughters.” (Netflix)
Runtime: 101 min.
Starring: Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olsen, Carrie Coon
“His Three Daughters” is a movie that will likely hit close to home for many of a certain age. Natasha Lyonne (“Poker Face”), Elizabeth Olsen (“WandaVision”), and Carrie Coon (“The Leftovers”) play three sisters whose lives followed different paths but are now forced to make nice in a cramped Manhattan apartment while caring for their ailing father. Lyonne (the stoned slacker), Coon (the uptight, judgmental mom), and Olsen (the conflict-averse yogi) speak to each other in a way that is both strangely stilted but also rooted in elemental truth about familial bonds. Watching them spar is heartbreaking, and watching them bond is hugely affirming.
Watch “His Three Daughters” streaming on Netflix
‘Inside Man’ (2006)
Runtime: 129 min.
Starring: Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer, Willem Dafoe, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Denzel Washington and Spike Lee have given us some iconic collaborations over the years, including “Malcom X” and the recent “Highest 2 Lowest.” But none are as re-watchable as “Inside Man,” a bank heist film in which Washington plays the lead negotiator, Clive Owen plays the robber who is clearly angling for something bigger, and Jodie Foster plays the high-powered fixer who shows up to make sure that “something bigger” in question remains a mystery.
Watch “Inside Man” streaming on Netflix
‘The Irishman’ (2019)
Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Ray Romano in “The Irishman.” (Netflix)
Runtime: 210 min.
Starring: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel
Martin Scorsese’s 210-minute crime saga follows the life of Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), who goes from driving trucks to leading a union, all while “painting houses” (killing people) for the likes of mobster Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci) and protecting the interests of infamous union boss Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino). Instead of simply rehashing “Goodfellas,” Martin Scorsese goes deeper and darker, examining the life of a gangster who lived the life and is contemplating what it was all for.
Watch “The Irishman” streaming on Netflix
‘The Lost Daughter’ (2021)
Olivia Colman in “The Lost Daughter.” (Netflix)
Runtime: 121 min.
Starring: Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson, Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal
Based on the Elena Ferrante novel of the same name, “The Lost Daughter” is yet another masterful performance from Olivia Colman, who won a Best Actress Oscar in 2019 for “The Favourite” and could have easily won a Supporting Actress award 2020’s “The Father.” In this psychological drama from actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, Colman plays a prickly college professor on vacation in Greece who inserts herself in the lives of a young mother (Dakota Johnson) and her 3-year-old daughter. “The Lost Daughter” may have missed out on a Best Picture nomination, but it’s certainly among 2021’s best.
Watch “The Lost Daughter” streaming on Netflix
‘Maestro’ (2023)
Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein in “Maestro.” (Netflix)
Runtime: 129 min.
Cast: Carey Mulligan, Bradley Cooper
From the moment he first steps on screen in “Maestro,” Bradley Cooper is utterly magnetic as composer Leonard Bernstein. The life of the party wherever he goes, “Lenny” quickly begins a courtship with Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan), each glance and one-liner delivered like he’s starring in his own sitcom. Even after decades of marriage, Bernstein still feels like he’s putting on a performance at all times, a function of both his gargantuan ego and the massive pressure of hiding his relationships with other men. As Montealegre, Mulligan sublimely captures a woman who willingly discards her own needs to support a generational talent. When Bernstein takes the stage to conduct Gustav Mahler’s “Resurrection Symphony,” with Montealegre watching in the wings, we understand why.
Watch “Maestro” streaming on Netflix
‘May December’ (2023)
Natalie Portman as Elizabeth Berry and Julianne Moore as Gracie Atherton-Yoo in “May December.” (Netflix)
Runtime: 117 min.
Cast: Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, Charles Melton
Director Todd Haynes walks an incredible tightrope act with “May December,” mixing dark comedy, melodrama, and psychological thrills to (unofficially) tell the lurid, ripped-from-the-headlines story of Mary Kay Letourneau. Actress Elizabeth Barry (Natalie Portman) shows up at the home of long-married couple Gracie (Julianne Moore) and Joe (Charles Melton, “Riverdale”) in order to shadow Gracie for a movie based on the couple’s tabloid-worthy romance. Moore and Portman have rarely been better, and Melton is a revelation — his child-like nature both amusing and heartbreaking. Not only does Haynes plumb the fragile psyche of the couple, but he also uses Portman’s Elizabeth to show how callous the Hollywood moviemaking factory can be in the pursuit of creating entertainment out of someone’s lived experiences. Portman, as it turns out, is better at playing a self-absorbed, talentless actress than most actors are at playing “real” people.
Watch “May December” streaming on Netflix
‘Moneyball’ (2011)
Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill in a scene from “Moneyball.”
Runtime: 133 min.
Starring: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright, Chris Pratt
“How can you not be romantic about baseball?” That’s just one of the memorable lines from this Oscar-nominated movie, in which Oakland Athletics GM Billy Beane (Brad Pitt, “Fight Club”) contends with the reality that there are rich teams, poor teams, then “fifty feet of crap, and then there’s us” by embracing advanced analytics and unheralded players flagged by his right-hand man (Jonah Hill). Stay to the end for scenes filmed in Fenway Park, when Beane meets with Red Sox owner John Henry (Arliss Howard) about a job.
Watch “Moneyball” streaming on Netflix
‘The Power of the Dog’ (2021)
Benedict Cumberbatch in “The Power of the Dog.” (Netflix)
Runtime: 126 min.
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee
Jane Campion’s Oscar-winning Western drama centers around two ranch-owning brothers, Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch, “Dr. Strange”) and George (Jesse Plemons, “The Irishman”). When George marries innkeeper Rose (Kirsten Dunst, “Bring It On”), Phil makes life difficult for her and her son, Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee, “The Road”). Smit-McPhee is a revelation in the role, and Campion’s film is dark, foreboding, depressing, and utterly unmissable.
Watch “The Power of the Dog” streaming on Netflix
Best movies on Netflix: Comedy
‘The Big Lebowski’ (1998)
Jeff Bridges, Steve Buscemi and John Goodman in “The Big Lebowski.”
Runtime: 117 min.
Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi
Upon its release in 1998, “The Big Lebowski” received mixed reviews from critics, with The Guardian calling it “infuriating” and The Chicago Reader calling it “underwitten” and “all over the map.” To quote The Dude (Jeff Bridges), whose shambolic quest to be compensated for his soiled rug leads him and Walter (John Goodman) through a world of pain: “That’s just, like, uh, your opinion, man.” In a filmography filled with masterpieces, it’s my favorite Coen Brothers film of all time.
Watch “The Big Lebowski” streaming on Netflix
‘The Breakfast Club’ (1985)
Runtime: 97 min.
Starring: Emilio Estevez, Paul Gleason, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy
Out of all the John Hughes “Brat Pack” films that filled multiplexes in the ’80s, none has stood the test of time as well as “The Breakfast Club,” which allowed generations of teenagers to see bits of themselves in the five high schoolers stuck in detention. All five actors transcend the reductive labels they’re given — “a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal” — and discover their shared humanity during a nine-hour Saturday detention. To this day, few screenwriters/directors have captured the voice of the youth like Hughes, who did it repeatedly (“Sixteen Candles,” “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “Pretty in Pink,” “Home Alone”) in his tragically short career.
Watch “The Breakfast Club” streaming on Netflix
‘Burn After Reading’ (2008)
Runtime: 96 min.
Starring: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, Richard Jenkins, J.K. Simmons
Back in 1998, the Coen Brothers caught flak from a faction of critics and fans when they followed up their Oscar-winning “Fargo” with “The Big Lebowski,” which some saw as a goofy, unserious film. The pattern repeated itself in 2008, when the brothers followed up their Best Picture winner “No Country For Old Men” with “Burn After Reading,” a daffy crime caper starring Frances McDormand and Brad Pitt as clueless gym employees who try to sell what they think are misplaced classified documents to the highest bidder. “Burn” is a lesser effort than those other three films, but it’s still a lot of fun, particularly whenever Pitt is onscreen.
Watch “Burn After Reading” streaming on Netflix
‘Frances Ha’ (2012)
Runtime: 86 min.
Starring: Greta Gerwig, Mickey Sumner, Adam Driver
Whether you’re currently a city-dwelling twentysomething or simply remember the terrifyingly infinite possibilities of that period of your life, Noah Baumbach’s comedy-drama will resonate. Frances (Baumbach’s wife, director Greta Gerwig) is eking out an existence in New York City as an aspiring dancer. When her roommate (Mickey Sumner) announces she’s moving in with her boyfriend, 27-year-old Frances loses her best friend, her apartment, and her sense of self in one fell swoop. Filmed in 2011 when Instagram was first surging in popularity, “Frances Ha” shows us how comparison is the thief of joy — and why buying a solo trip to Paris with money you don’t have won’t miraculously solve all your problems.
Watch “Frances Ha” streaming on Netflix
‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’ (2022)
Edward Norton, Madelyn Cline and Daniel Craig in “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.” (Netflix)
Runtime: 139 min.
Starring: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn
More madcap and funny than the 2019 original, the characters and locale of “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” shift from an old-money New England mansion to a new-money vacation compound, with Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig of James Bond fame) as the only holdover. This mystery concerns Elon Musk-esque tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton, “Fight Club”), who invites a group of his longtime friends to his private Greek island in the midst of the pandemic. As fashion entrepreneur Birdie Jay, Kate Hudson gets the most consistent laughs throughout the film, from insisting that everyone at her raucous 200-person apartment party is “in her pod” to her pathological desire to post career-ending tweets. Norton is a winner as well, playing the kind of billionaire who cultivates a worldly image that could nevertheless be deflated by a particularly clever child, a la “The Emperor’s New Clothes.”
Watch “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” streaming on Netflix
‘Hit Man’ (2024)
Adria Arjona and Glen Powell in “Hit Man.” (Netflix)
Runtime: 115 min.
Starring: Glen Powell, Adria Arjona
Starring the breakout actor from Richard Linklater’s 2016 film “Everybody Wants Some!!,” “Hit Man” is loosely based on a true story about a nebbish college professor named Gary (Glen Powell) who moonlights as a faux hit man for the New Orleans Police Department. Gary, so afraid of breaking his low-stakes routine, takes the undercover duties as a chance to be someone else. When he meets an alluring woman (Adria Arjona, “Andor”) while in his hit man persona (this time a tough guy named Rod), the id and the superego (also the names of Gary’s cats) collide. Powell, who co-wrote the screenplay with Linklater, carefully modulates his performance as the line between Gary and Rod blurs — though not necessarily in a bad way. “Hit Man” is sexy, thought-provoking, and funny. And for a film about a fake hit man in over his head, it’s surprisingly grounded in reality when it comes to contemplating the nature of love, hate, and self.
Watch “Hit Man” streaming on Netflix
‘A League of Their Own’ (1992)
Best movies on Netflix: Geena Davis in “A League of their Own.”
Runtime: 128 min.
Starring: Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Madonna, Lori Petty, Rosie O’Donnell
Wareham native Geena Davis is the heart and soul of this Penny Marshall film, a fictionalized account of a 1940s women’s pro baseball team that sprung up when MLB was threatened by World War II. The team of misfits overseen by initially cynical manager Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks) proves to be a hit, though the relationship between sisters Dottie (Davis) and Kit (Lori Petty) suffers.
Watch “A League of Their Own” streaming on Netflix
Best movies on Netflix: Horror
’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ (2026)
Ralph Fiennes in a scene from “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.” (Sony Pictures) – Sony Pictures
Runtime: 109 min.
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams, Erin Kellyman
Sony’s decision to release “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” in theaters less than seven months after “28 Years Later” was (pardon the pun) a boneheaded move. Multiple people I talked to thought the Nia DaCosta-directed sequel — one of the best movies of 2026 so far — was a re-release of Danny Boyle’s 2025 film with a few minutes of extra footage, and the box office seemingly reflected that. Spike (Alfie Williams) has fallen in with a tracksuit-clad gang of Satanists, while Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) has begun experimenting with ways to neutralize the rage-inducing virus that animates the film’s infected zombies. Regardless of where this film ends up in the year-end rankings, a show-stopping scene from Fiennes (pictured above) will undoubtedly rank among the best on-screen moments of 2026.
Watch “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” streaming on Netflix
‘Gerald’s Game’ (2017)
Best movies on Netflix: Carla Gugino in “Gerald’s Game.” (Netflix)
Runtime: 103 min.
Cast: Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood
Salem native Mike Flanagan (“Midnight Mass”) helms this Stephen King adaptation in which a handcuffed woman named Jessie (Carla Gugino) must escape a remote lake house after her husband suffers a fatal heart attack. This already daunting task is made tougher when Jessie begins to hallucinate, unlocking memories of her controlling husband’s behavior and a traumatizing incident from her youth. Flanagan’s deft touch and Gugino’s gutsy performance make “Gerald’s Game” stand out as a contemporary take on the survival horror genre.
Watch “Gerald’s Game” streaming on Netflix
‘Green Room’ (2015)
Alia Shawkat, Anton Yelchin, and Callum Turner in “Green Room.” (A24) – Scott Patrick Green/A24
Runtime: 95 min.
Starring: Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat, Callum Turner, Patrick Stewart
Before Netflix tapped him to direct 2024’s “Rebel Ridge” (also on this list), Jeremy Saulnier first broke into the mainstream with this harrowing 2015 drama about a punk band who end up trapped in the green room of a rural Oregon bar after witnessing a neo-Nazi murder. The late Anton Yelchin (“Star Trek”) is strong in one of his final performances, but the real surprise is a chilling turn from fellow Star Trek alum Patrick Stewart as the skinheads’ coldly calculating leader.
Watch “Green Room” streaming on Netflix
Best movies on Netflix: Action
‘Godzilla Minus One’ (2023)
Best movies on Netflix: A scene from “Godzilla Minus One.” (Toho Pictures)
Runtime: 125 min.
Starring: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada
Set in 1950s Tokyo, “Godzilla Minus One” follows the journey of former kamikaze pilot Koichi (Ryunosuke Kamiki), who, by failing to die at the hands of Godzilla during World War II, lives in shame and is seen as a coward. He’s part of a nontraditional nuclear family, raising an orphaned child (Minami Hamabe) with another woman who lost everyone during the war (and subsequent Godzilla rampage). When the government seeks volunteers to help stop Godzilla, Koichi sees a chance for redemption. “Godzilla Minus One” is so much more than a standard monster movie, telling a hero’s tale that doesn’t hew to Western standards while interrogating how Japanese social attitudes pre- and post-atom bomb shifted. Not to worry, though: Godzilla still smashes and roars with the best of them, and looks better than his American counterpart on a fraction of the budget.
Watch “Godzilla Minus One” streaming on Netflix
‘The Killer’ (2023)
Michael Fassbender in “The Killer.” (Netflix)
Runtime: 119 min.
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton
David Fincher subverts expectations with “The Killer,” in which Michael Fassbender at first seems to be playing the prototypical contract killer. He has a set of rules, a code, and high-tech weaponry to get the job done. But even before he makes a mistake that sends him on the run, you begin to suspect that Fassbender may not be nearly as suave as his self-image. Indeed, “The Killer” posits that even elite assassins are no different than Uber drivers in a gig economy, with both of them scarfing fast food in between jobs and doing whatever is needed to get a five-star rating.
Watch “The Killer” streaming on Netflix
‘The Northman’ (2022)
Alexander Skarsgård in a scene from “The Northman.” (Focus Features)
Runtime: 136 min.
Starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe
New Hampshire native Robert Eggers (“The Witch”) leveled up in budget and scale for his third film, about a Viking prince (Alexander Skarsgard, “True Blood”) hellbent on revenge after the murder of his father (Ethan Hawke, “Training Day”). Like “The Witch,” “The Northman” is full of mottled gray landscapes and hints of the supernatural lurking below the surface. And like 2019’s “The Lighthouse,” “The Northman” tells a tale of male ego and the inevitability of violence when men are reduced to their most primitive instincts.
Watch “The Northman” streaming on Netflix
‘Rebel Ridge’ (2024)
Aaron Pierre in “Rebel Ridge.” (Netflix)
Runtime: 131 min.
Starring: Aaron Pierre, Don Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb
Director Jeremy Saulnier’s “Rebel Ridge,” is a tale of revenge about a man named Terry (Aaron Pierre) who has his assets seized by corrupt local police on his way to post bail for his cousin. (If you haven’t read about civil asset forfeiture before, prepare to be outraged.) Unbowed and unbroken, Terry tries to handle things the right way, but Chief Sandy Burnne (Don Johnson, “Miami Vice”) won’t let him. Pierre is a magnetic leading man with action star written all over him, and you’ll be rooting for him to burn the whole force down by the time “Rebel Ridge” barrels toward its conclusion.
Watch “Rebel Ridge” streaming on Netflix
‘Starship Troopers’ (1997)
Runtime: 129 min.
Starring: Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Denise Richards, Jake Busey, Neil Patrick Harris
Paul Verhoeven movies have consistently been misunderstood in their time, perhaps none more so than this sci-fi action blockbuster that bombed at the box office in 1997. Critics claimed the film — about a group of 23rd century cadets training to invade an alien planet — glorified violence and authoritarian tendencies, somehow missing that the director of “RoboCop” and “Total Recall” might be satirizing, not endorsing unchecked fascism.
Watch “Starship Troopers” streaming on Netflix
Best movies on Netflix: Documentary
‘Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution’
A scene from “Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution.” (Netflix)
Runtime: 108 min.
Directors: Nicole Newnham, James Lebrecht
The 1960s were a time of political revolution in America, from the protests against the Vietnam War to landmark Civil Rights demonstrations. Less remembered but equally impactful were a series of protests held by Disabled in Action (DIA), an activist group that helped push reforms for the tens of millions of Americans with disabilities. The activist spirit is captured in “Crip Camp,” a documentary about a revolutionary summer camp that exposed disabled people to the free love and rock-‘n-roll lifestyle of the decade while, more importantly, treating them like human beings.
Watch “Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution” streaming on Netflix
‘Descendant’ (2022)
A scene from the documentary “Descendant.” (Netflix)
Runtime: 109 min.
Director: Margaret Brown
Produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions, “Descendant” follows members of an Alabama community known as Africatown whose ancestors were brought to America aboard the Clotilda, the last known slave ship to illegally transport slaves to the states shortly before the Civil War in 1860. The importation of slaves had been banned by Congress in 1807. After remnants of the ship were found in 2019, the film reveals how the residents of Africatown grapple with the implications the ship’s discovery has on their heritage and knowledge of self.
Watch “Descendant” streaming on Netflix
‘Dick Johnson Is Dead’ (2020)
A scene from the documentary “Dick Johnson Is Dead.” (Netflix)
Runtime: 90 min.
Director: Kirsten Johnson
Death is not an easy thing to approach, especially when it comes to those we love most. In “Dick Johnson Is Dead,” documentary filmmaker Kirsten Johnson confronts the cognitive and physical decline of her father in a darkly comic way, filming her father dying over and over again, often in hilariously macabre circumstances. While Kirsten uses stunt doubles for some of the more physically taxing deaths, her father is with her the whole way, smiling and laughing as he helps support his daughter’s vision. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll be reminded that everyone’s grieving process manifests itself in different ways.
Watch “Dick Johnson Is Dead” streaming on Netflix
‘Will & Harper’ (2024)
Will Ferrell (left) and Harper Steele in “Will & Harper.” (Netflix) – Netflix
Runtime: 114 minutes
Director: Josh Greenbaum
Will Ferrell and his longtime best friend, former “SNL” head writer Harper Steele, embark on a cross-country road trip with a dual purpose: Harper (who has recently transitioned to living as a woman) wants to find out whether she still feels comfortable in her favorite types of spaces (dive bars, sports arenas), while Will wants to support his friend and ask the kind of questions many Americans have. There are moments that feel a bit too scripted for the documentary conceit, but there are also genuinely harrowing moments of self-reflection for both Will and Harper as they crisscross the deep South. “Will & Harper” not only offers a path to understanding for Americans who know little about the lived trans experience, but reminds all of us that open and candid conversations with our friends, no matter how tough they might be, are always worth having.
Watch “Will & Harper” streaming on Netflix
Best movies on Netflix: For Kids
‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’
A scene from “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio.” (Netflix) – Netflix
Runtime: 114 min.
Starring: Ewan McGregor, David Bradley
“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” is so named not only as a marketing ploy, but also because the “Shape of Water” director’s take on the classic fairy tale is so wholly his own. There are still plenty of familiar elements, from a talking cricket (though not named Jiminy) to dodgy villains who lead Pinocchio astray. But the stop-motion visuals from co-director Mark Gustafson feel like Geppetto himself hand-crafted them, and the intriguing undercurrent of fascism makes the film a relevant watch for adults as well.
Watch “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” streaming on Netflix
‘The Mitchells vs. the Machines’
A scene from “The Mitchells vs. the Machines.” (Netflix)
Runtime: 114 min.
Starring: Abbi Jacobson, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph
Originally slated to be released in theaters by Sony Pictures under the title “Connected,” “The Mitchells vs. The Machines” ended up on Netflix instead due to the pandemic. After technophobic father Rick (Danny McBride, “Pineapple Express”) breaks his daughter Katie’s (Abbi Jacobson, “Broad City”) laptop before she leaves for college, he insists on canceling her flight to school and driving across the country together in order to repair their relationship. As they go, the family unwittingly becomes humanity’s last hope when a rogue AI begins to take over the world. Featuring a gorgeous animation style that evokes Sony’s “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” the film has the perfect mix of kid-friendly characters and laughs that will appeal to all ages.
Watch “The Mitchells vs. the Machines” streaming on Netflix
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (2018)
Peter Parker (Jake Johnson) and Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) in “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.” (Sony Pictures Animation)
Runtime: 117 min.
Starring: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Brian Tyree Henry
Before the MCU fully descended into a muddled multiverse of madness, Sony gave us a kid-friendly introduction to the concept in this visually stunning and highly entertaining animated film. The origin story of Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) gives the movie its poignant core, but his veritable village of spider-pals (voiced by the likes of Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, John Mulaney, and Nicolas Cage) keeps the film’s tone light and irreverent.
Watch “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” streaming on Netflix
Note: This list contains movies available to U.S. subscribers to Netflix’s Standard or Premium plans. Viewers outside of the U.S. or subscribers to Netflix’s ad-supported Basic plan may not have access to these titles.
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