Watch 25 of the Best Movies on Netflix Right Now

Genre: Family movies
Rating: PG

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is the latest film from Aardman animation studio, starring the beloved dog and his hapless, cheese-loving master. The Netflix original film about a robotic garden gnome that wreaks havoc on the man and his best friend arrived to the platform recently and received an Oscar nomination this year for Best Animated Feature.

Watch Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl on Netflix

Genre: Documentary
Rating: G

The Only Girl in the Orchestra won an Oscar this year for Best Documentary Short, and you can catch the 35-minute film exclusively on Netflix. The film is the story of Orin O’Brien, the first woman hired to perform in the New York Philharmonic (by Leonard Bernstein, no less). Often ogled for her looks and singled out for attention because of her sex, she rose above it all, staying true to her creative principles to become one of the orchestra’s most renowned musicians for decades.

Watch The Only Girl in the Orchestra on Netflix

Genre: Drama
Rating: R

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is dedicated to the memory of Chadwick Boseman, who made his final screen appearance in the film before his death in 2020. The film stars Boseman as Levee Green, a member of blues singer Ma Rainey’s band (Viola Davis), and takes place amid one of the band’s conflict-ridden and turbulent recording sessions in 1920s Chicago. Taylour Paige, Colman Domingo and Glynn Turman all co-star in the film that was adapted from August Wilson’s 1982 play.

Watch Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom on Netflix

Genre: Drama/Comedy
Rating: R

You’ve likely heard of Michael Fassbender, known for the X-Men films and his portrayal of Steve Jobs, but he’s probably the only familiar name in the credits of the clever Irish musical comedy Kneecap. The rest of the cast — Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin, and JJ Ó Dochartaigh — are members of the real-life trio Kneecap, who perform Irish-language rap. 

The film is a cheeky, semi-fictional biopic about the performers reclaiming their heritage by leading a new music movement — all while embarking on a raucous adventure.

Watch Kneecap on Netflix

Genre: Drama
Rating: R

In His Three Daughters, Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyonne and Elizabeth Olsen star as three estranged sisters who come together in their dying father’s small New York apartment to care for him in his last days. Writer-director Azazel Jacobs coaxes some incredible performances out of each actress for this intimate, emotional, and often funny study of family dynamics.

Watch His Three Daughters on Netflix

Genre: Drama/Biopic
Rating: R

Colman Domingo earned an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of civil rights activist Bayard Rustin in this film about a man whose legacy has often been overlooked in civil rights history. Bayard Rustin fought alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and helped organize the 1963 March on Washington and the Freedom Rides, among other major historic events. 

Rustin’s outspoken activism and homosexuality made him a target — not just for political adversaries but sometimes even among his allies. The film explores the life of a man whose legacy has long been overlooked.

Watch Rustin on Netflix

Genre: Comedy
Rating: PG-13

Always Be My Maybe stars Ali Wong and Randall Park as Sasha and Marcus, childhood best friends who grew up next door to one another in San Francisco. The two fall out after attempting the whole “friends with benefits” thing as teens, but 15 years later, they reunite — uncomfortably — when Sasha returns to her hometown for work. 

As Marcus struggles with his feelings for Sasha, she goes off and dates Keanu Reeves (playing a hilariously over-the-top version of himself), as she tries to figure out how she feels about her old friend. Charming and sweet, the film is a rom-com that’s reliably funny thanks to its leads and excellent supporting performances from Michelle Buteau, Vivian Bang and Reeves.

Watch Always Be My Maybe on Netflix

Genre: Drama
Rating: R

This biographical film nabbed seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Picture. Maestro tells the story of conductor Leonard Bernstein (Bradley Cooper) and his relationship with actor Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan). In addition to starring in the romance drama, Cooper also directed and co-wrote the film, and produced it alongside Hollywood legends Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg.

Watch Maestro on Netflix

Genre: Action
Rating: PG-13

Godzilla Minus One is an Academy Award-winning Japanese-language movie written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki. Set in 1945, the story centers Kōichi Shikishima, a young pilot dealing with PTSD in a post-World War II era. After surviving an encounter with Godzilla, he and others realize the kaiju is gearing up to attack Tokyo. The Sony film is available to stream on Netflix now.

Watch Godzilla Minus One on Netflix

Genre: Drama
Rating: R

Based on the novel by Elena Ferrante, The Lost Daughter stars Olivia Colman as a woman traveling alone to a seaside resort where she observes a mother and daughter. They send her into a bit of a spiral, recalling her own experiences as a young mother. The screenplay was adapted and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal in her directorial debut.

Watch The Lost Daughter on Netflix

Genre: Drama
Rating: R

The award-winning film, Society of the Snow, is based on true events and adapted from the book of the same name. In 1972, a rugby team from Uruguay boarded a plane to Chile for a game. The plane crashed in the Andes mountains, leaving survivors to contend with injuries, illness, cold temperatures and death. Not everyone makes it, and those facing death make agonizing choices to live.

Watch Society of the Snow on Netflix

Genre: Documentary
Rating: PG-13

If you weren’t around at the time, it’s hard to explain just how huge We Are the World was. Recorded by a supergroup of popular musicians — assembled on the fly on the night of the 1985 American Music Awards — the charity single benefiting Ethiopian famine victims sold over 20 million copies and featured the likes of Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Diana Ross. (It feels impossible to imagine so many mega-stars assembling in one room for something like this today.) 

Luckily for us, there were cameras rolling the entire time as dozens of the world’s most famous musicians pulled the epic all-night recording session. The recently departed Quincy Jones proves to be the night’s true star, wrangling a studio full of nerves, egos, and a little too much wine to produce something genuinely special.

Watch The Greatest Night In Pop on Netflix

Genre: Mystery/Comedy
Rating: PG-13

A standalone sequel to 2019’s hit film Knives Out, Glass Onion follows detective Benoit Blanc’s (Daniel Craig) mission to uncover a mysterious death, after tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) invites friends to his private Greek island. The film features fun plot twists, and is broken up by lighthearted humor and aloof characters played by an all-star cast.

Watch Glass Onion on Netflix

Genre: Drama/Thriller
Rating: R

An absorbingly unsettling psychological thriller, Leave the World Behind chronicles the strange events that arise during a family’s getaway at an opulent rental home. A blackout renders their phones, TVs and other electronics useless, and two strangers show up at the door. TikTok has been flooded with clips and analyses of this apocalypse movie, with people reflecting on potential “hidden messages” and real-life parallels. Check it out and see what you make of it.

Watch Leave the World Behind on Netflix

Genre: Drama/Musicals
Rating: R

Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldaña and Karla Sofía Gascón star in Emilia Pérez, a film that earned a whopping 10 Golden Globe nominations this year and picked up four awards, including Best Picture Musical or Comedy and the Best Supporting Actress trophy for Saldaña. In the film, Gascón stars as Mexican cartel leader Emilia who hires a lawyer (Saldaña) to help fake her death so that Emilia can finally live authentically as her true self. The crime-comedy-musical that defies all labels was also named one of the 10 best films of 2024 by the American Film Institute.

Watch Emilia Pérez on Netflix

Genre: Family movies
Rating: PG

This animated drama, based on the graphic novel of the same name, is set in a futuristic medieval world, in which a knight (Riz Ahmed) is framed for a crime. A shapeshifting teenager named Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz) — whom he’s been trained to destroy — may be his only hope for proving his innocence.

Watch Nimona on Netflix

Genre: Drama
Rating: PG-13

This biographical film tells the story of two sisters, Yusra (Nathalie Issa) and Sarah Mardini (Manal Issa), who escape war-torn Syria. Amid all the strife and upheaval, Yusra works toward her dream of swimming in the Olympics. It’s a touching narrative of hope and survival.

Watch The Swimmers on Netflix

Genre: Drama
Rating: R

A World War I drama based on the classic novel of the same name, this epic depicts the horrors of war through the eyes of 17-year-old German soldier Paul Bäumer (Felix Kammerer). At first enthused about joining the army, in spite of his parents’ wishes, Bäumer gets a violent wake-up call. All Quiet on the Western Front was a dominating force at the 95th Annual Academy Awards, as it was nominated for nine Oscars and ultimately walked away with four, including Best International Feature Film.

Watch All Quiet on the Western Front on Netflix

Genre: Drama
Rating: PG-13

Annette Bening and Jodie Foster both scored Oscar nominations (for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress) for their roles in Nyad, the Netflix original film about marathon swimmer Diana Nyad and her devoted coach Bonnie Stoll. 

The remarkable true story is not a full biopic but a chapter of Nyad’s accomplished life when, at the age of 60, Nyad became obsessed with completing the arduous, near-impossible 110 mile swim from Cuba to Florida. Determined to become the first person to finish the swim without a shark cage, the film is a story of Nyad’s determination, ushered along by the support of those closest to her.

Watch Nyad on Netflix

Genre: Western
Rating: R

Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter One is the first of four planned films that Kevin Costner has been developing since the late 1980s. After a brief theatrical release, the film arrived to Netflix in late December. A 3-hour epic, Chapter One stars Kevin Costner (who also co-wrote and directed) alongside Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington and Giovanni Ribisi as settlers in Horizon, a town in the newly established Arizona Territory. 

The second chapter in the series has already been filmed and is awaiting theatrical release, supposedly later this year, while chapters three and four are still in production.

Watch Horizon: An American Saga Chapter One on Netflix

Genre: Action
Rating: PG

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was not just one of the best animated movies of 2023, it was one of the best films of the year, period. The animated superhero movie brings together various versions of Peter Parker/Spider-Man from across time and space, using a portal to connect their worlds as they battle the supervillain known as The Spot. 

Jam-packed with dozens of famous voices, from Shameik Moore to Jason Schwartzman and Hailee Steinfeld, the film is the first half of an epic saga that’ll conclude with Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, which may not arrive until 2027.

Watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix

Genre: Action
Rating: PG-13

The Netflix original Back in Action topped the Netflix Top Ten when it arrived in January, but it’s not too late to catch the buzz on this entertaining action romp. The film reunites Cameron Diaz, who has spent the last few years away from the spotlight, with Jamie Foxx for their third film. The duo star as former CIA agents who have attempted to get out of the spy business and raise a family, only to get pulled back into their old jobs.

Watch Back In Action on Netflix

Genre: Drama
Rating: R

Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma nabbed him the best director Oscar in 2018 (the film earned two other Oscars that year, too), a first for a foreign-language film. It’s inclusion in the award show marked the first time a film distributed by a streaming platform was eligible for major awards. The film, set in the early 1970s, stars Yalitza Aparicio as the live-in housekeeper for a wealthy Mexico City family as she deals with her own pregnancy, the troubles within the family she works for and the escalating political turmoil in the city around her.

Watch Roma on Netflix

Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-MA

Untold is Netflix’s answer to ESPN’s 30 For 30, and the documentary series features dozens of fascinating behind-the-scenes stories from the world of sports. One of the very best is the 2021 documentary called Crime & Penalties. It’s about a minor league hockey team that an alleged mob boss bought as a gift for his teenage son, who turned out to be a pretty good team manager. Even if some of the movie’s main players might be criminals, the story behind this ragtag team of brawling bros proves truth is often stranger than fiction.

Watch Untold: Crime & Penalties on Netflix