The Best Movies on Netflix to Stream Now
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With thousands of films available, an intended movie night can easily turn into an evening of scrolling through Netflix's library trying to pick the perfect film. From Netflix Originals to cult classics to more modern releases, it can definitely be difficult to choose a movie before the popcorn gets cold.
Luckily, we rounded up the best movies on Netflix that you can stream right now. Whether you're looking for a fun family movie to watch with the kids, a classic romantic comedy to enjoy with a glass of wine (and tissues!) or a spooky horror flick that will keep you up all night, we've got you covered.
Here are the best films on Netflix to consider for your next movie night.
The Woman King
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She fears no one, and she fears no pain. In Gina Prince-Bythewood's 2022 warrior thriller, Viola Davis commands the screen as a merciless leader of the legendary Agojie, an all-women fighting force in West Africa. When European colonization begins to infiltrate the kingdom of Dahomey, General Nanisca (Davis) drills a new generation of recruits to take up arms and protect their home.
Watch The Woman King on Netflix
Luther: The Fallen Sun
John Wilson/Netflix
In the cinematic extension of the BBC crime thriller series, Idris Elba returns to his Golden Globe-winning role of John Luther. When the titular detective chief inspector escapes prison, he makes it his mission to catch a wealthy serial killer (played by The Lord of the Rings' Andy Serkis) who's terrorizing London with state-of-the-art technology. This film also stars Cynthia Erivo and Dermot Crowley.
Watch Luther: The Fallen Sun on Netflix
Murder Mystery 2
Scott Yamano/Netflix
Years after they solved their first murder as husband and wife, this 2023 sequel finds Nick and Audrey Spitz (Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston) as working detectives running their private agency with little to no credit. When attending the Maharajah's (Adeel Akhtar) private island wedding, they get an opportunity to kickstart their careers when their friend is abducted for ransom and they have to crack the case.
Watch Murder Mystery 2 on Netflix on March 31
The Hunger Games, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 and Part 2
Lionsgate
For the month of March, Netflix is streaming the entire Hunger Games film franchise for your viewing. Based on the best-selling YA series, these adaptations all star Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, a young woman living in the dystopian country of Panem. In the first two films, Katniss has to take part in a televised survival competition, whereas the Mockingjay movies focus on an underground rebellion.
Watch The Hunger Games series on Netflix
Your Place or Mine
Erin Simkin / Netflix
Rom-com veterans Ashton Kutcher and Reese Witherspoon are still helping audiences believe in love. This 2023 Netflix Original follows two best friends who swap homes for a week, stumbling upon previously unexplored insights into their own lives and possible new feelings about each other.
Watch Your Place or Mine on Netflix
La La Land
Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone put their singing abilities on display in this Oscar-winning musical. Watch the 2016 film, which tells the story of two aspiring artists who fall in love while following their dreams in Los Angeles, before it's adapted for the Broadway stage.
Do Revenge
Kim Simms/Netflix Do Revenge (2022)
This Gen-Z comedy took a seat and learned from its teen film predecessors while also giving the genre a modern, pastel-infused spin. In this 2022 Netflix Original, Riverdale star Camila Mendes plays Drea, a recently-outcasted student who teams up with new girl Eleanor — played by Stranger Things' Maya Hawke — to take down the people who've wronged them.
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile
Sarah Shatz / © Sony Pictures Entertainment / Courtesy Everett
There's nothing holding Shawn Mendes back from playing a singing crocodile. Based on the beloved children's book series, this 2022 musical comedy follows a young boy (Winslow Fegley) who meets a talking crocodile, Lyle (Mendes), in his attic. Family-friendly adventures set to Pasek and Paul songs (La La Land, The Greatest Showman) ensue.
Watch Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile on Netflix
It
Warner Bros. /Courtesy Everett
Based on Stephen King's novel of the same name, this 2017 horror flick follows a group of kids who try to take down a murderous clown named Pennywise, played to creepy perfection by Bill Skarsgård. Watch this one with the lights on.
Julie & Julia
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If you don't have too much on your plate, Nora Ephron's 2009 biographical film is a perfect main course for your movie palette. Meryl Streep plays celebrated TV chef Julia Child in the early stages of her career while Amy Adams plays Julie Powell, a N.Y.C. blogger who strives to make every recipe in Julia's Mastering the Art of French Cooking cookbook.
Watch Julie & Julia on Netflix
Bullet Train
Sony Pictures Entertainment
David Leitch's action-comedy follows Ladybug (Brad Pitt), an assassin who is returning to his high-stakes job. He and competing assassins end up fighting to the death on the world's fastest train. Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Sandra Bullock are also featured.
Where the Crawdads Sing
Michele K Short/Columbia Pictures
This 2022 film is an adaptation of Delia Owens' bestselling 2018 novel. The story follows Kya, played by Daisy Edgar-Jones, who is abandoned by her family as a young girl and is later suspected of murder.
Watch Where the Crawdads Sing on Netflix
White Noise
Wilson Webb/Netflix © 2022
When a nearby chemical leak causes "The Airborne Toxic Event," a family needs to evacuate their Ohio town. Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig play a 1980s suburban couple in this dark comedy from Noah Baumbach.
Forrest Gump
Sunset Boulevard/Getty Images Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump in the 1994 film
If you haven't seen Tom Hanks compare life to a box of chocolates in this Oscar-winning film ... maybe it's time. This iconic movie follows the adventures of the kind titular character (Hanks) as he becomes a college football star, fights in Vietnam, runs across the United States and falls in love.
Grease
PARAMOUNT PICTURES / Album Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta in Grease (1978)
John Travolta and the late Olivia Newton-John star in this rom-com musical, set in the 1950s. The plot follows Sandy, a wholesome exchange student (Newton-John), and teenage troublemaker Danny (Travolta) who are surprised to meet at school after enjoying a summer romance.
Jerry Maguire
Courtesy Everett Collection
In this 1996 classic, Tom Cruise plays a sports agent who gets fired and hopes to start his own management firm. Single mother Dorothy Boyd (Renée Zellweger) joins him on the risky venture and the two soon fall in love. Don't miss Cruise's memorable "You complete me" line and Cuba Gooding Jr.'s iconic "Show me the money!" scene.
Watch Jerry Maguire on Netflix
This Is 40
Universal
Judd Apatow's 2012 comedy follows a couple, played by Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann, who struggle to keep their marriage together as they both turn 40.
Top Gun
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This 1986 classic follows Navy pilot Maverick (Tom Cruise) as he competes to be the top fighter pilot in an elite fighter weapons school. This action film features incredible stunt flying, romance and a memorable beach volleyball scene ... what more do you need?
Reservoir Dogs
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This iconic 1992 crime thriller follows a group of colorful criminals who turn on each other after a jewelry heist goes wrong. The film was written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, marking his feature-length debut.
Watch Reservoir Dogs on Netflix
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
John Wilson/Netflix
This sequel to 2019's Knives Out follows detective Benoit Blanc, played by Daniel Craig, who works to solve a murder after a group of frenemies meet on a private Greek island. Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Janelle Monáe and Kathryn Hahn also star in this whodunit.
Watch Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery on Netflix
Brokeback Mountain
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This 2005 romance follows two sheepherders, played by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, who fall in love in Wyoming. Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway also star.
Watch Brokeback Mountain on Netflix
Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV and Rocky V
Everett Collection
This iconic franchise centers on the boxing career of Rocky Balboa, played by Sylvester Stallone. The five-part series begins with 1976's Rocky, which won three Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director.
Notting Hill
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In this romantic classic, a Hollywood actress and a shy bookshop owner form an unlikely relationship. Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant bring this charming British comedy to life.
Enola Holmes
Netflix Millie Bobby Brown in Enola Holmes
Millie Bobbie Brown plays Sherlock Holmes' teenage sister, Enola, in this 2020 Netflix Original film. Enola heads to London in search of her missing mother but winds up helping a runaway lord and outsmarting her older brother. Henry Cavill and Helena Bonham Carter also star.
Enola Holmes 2
Netflix
Sherlock Holmes' teen sister Enola is back in Netflix's second installment of the series. This time, the spunky detective must solve the mystery of a girl who's gone missing. The 2022 film also stars Henry Cavill, David Thewlis, Louis Partridge and Helena Bonham Carter.
Watch Enola Holmes 2 on Netflix
Hustle
Netflix
This 2022 Netflix Original follows a struggling basketball talent scout (Adam Sandler) and a promising young baller (real-life pro Juancho Hernangómez) as they team up to prove themselves in the NBA. This sports film also stars Queen Latifah.
Jobs
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Steve Jobs was a complex man. This 2013 film captures his rise from college dropout to Silicon Valley pioneer after founding Apple and how his eccentric behavior alienated those around him. This movie stars Ashton Kutcher, John Getz and Ahna O'Reilly.
Molly's Game
Michael Gibson/STX
This highly acclaimed film follows a former professional skier who becomes an underground poker magnate after an injury ends her athletic career. Things get complicated when the FBI begins paying attention. This true crime film stars Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba and Kevin Costner.
The Imitation Game
Jack English/© Weinstein Company/courtesy Everett
Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley star in this intense historical drama about mathematician Alan Turing desperately trying to break the Germans' Enigma code during World War II. The suspenseful movie won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, a Writers Guild of America Award and a GLAAD Media Award, among others.
Watch The Imitation Game on Netflix
Paddington
©TWC-Dimension/courtesy Everett
It doesn't get much cuter than this movie about the marmalade-loving bear in a red hat and raincoat. The sweet 2014 flick stars Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins, with Ben Whishaw providing the voice of the titular talking traveler from "Darkest Peru."
A Knight's Tale
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In this romantic comedy, a young squire (Heath Ledger) pretends to be a legitimate knight and finds himself falling in love with a princess (Shannyn Sossamon) and in a jousting competition with a wealthy, experienced adversary (Rufus Sewell).
Watch A Knight's Tale on Netflix
The Pink Panther
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The goofy Inspector Jacques Clouseau, played by comedy icon Steve Martin, works to solve the murder of a famous soccer coach and discover who stole his diamond ring. Kevin Kline, Emily Mortimer and Beyoncé also star.
Watch The Pink Panther on Netflix
Don't Look Up
Netflix
This Netflix Original made waves when it was released in 2021. This apocalyptic comedy stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence and Meryl Streep and follows two astronomers (DiCaprio and Lawrence) trying to warn an unconcerned world about a planet-destroying comet.
Watch Don't Look Up on Netflix
Seven Pounds
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In this dramatic Will Smith vehicle, an IRS agent tries to help seven struggling strangers. Also featuring Rosario Dawson and Woody Harrelson, the emotional film won Smith an NAACP award for outstanding actor.
Labyrinth
Jim Henson Productions/Kobal/Shutterstock David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly in Labyrinth
This cult classic 1986 film from Jim Henson and George Lucas follows a young girl on a mission to save her little brother after he is stolen by goblins. David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly star in this iconic family film.
