With a seemingly unlimited library of films at your fingertips, combing through the full Netflix catalog can feel like a full-time job. If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed, take a look at our picks for the 50 best movies currently streaming on the service.
1. Field of Dreams (1989)
Kevin Costner builds a baseball field on his farm, which invites some long-gone players to come out for another inning in this Capra-esque classic. Costner was initially reluctant to make another baseball movie following 1988’s Bull Durham, but had a change of heart when he read the script.
2. Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022)
With Mark Gustafson, Guillermo del Toro co-directed one of three Pinocchio adaptations that were released in 2022—and the one widely considered the best since Disney’s animated 1940 feature.
3. Wind River (2017)
Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan wrote and directed this murder mystery about a body found on Wyoming’s Wind River Indian Reservation. An FBI agent (Elizabeth Olsen) and a wildlife official (Jeremy Renner) attempt to track down the killer.
4. Groundhog Day (1993)
Bill Murray stars as a broadcaster who finds himself repeating each day over and over again in this comedy classic. The weather-predicting groundhog apparently bit Murray several times during filming.
5. The Woman King (2022)
Viola Davis stars in this tale inspired by true events of a warrior who leads an all-women’s army in 1820s West Africa.
6. Jaws (1975)
Steven Spielberg helped usher in the modern blockbuster with this adaptation of the Peter Benchley novel about a shark with a taste for tourists. Benchley has a cameo as a news reporter.
7. The Nice Guys (2016)
Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe co-star in this buddy comedy from Shane Black, who helped pioneer the genre with 1987’s Lethal Weapon. PI Gosling and enforcer Crowe team up to find a missing girl in the seedy underbelly of 1970s Los Angeles.
8. All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)
This sobering look at life in the German trenches during World War I is based on the 1929 novel by Erich Maria Remarque. The 1930 film adaptation won two Academy Awards for Best Director (Lewis Milestone) and Outstanding Production, the precursor to Best Picture.
9. I Care a Lot (2021)
Rosamund Pike and Peter Dinklage co-star in this razor-sharp black comedy about a grifter (Pike) who fleeces the elderly. Complications arise when she picks the relative of a mob boss (Dinklage) as a target. Director and writer J Blakeson said Quentin Tarantino’s adaptation of Jackie Brown (1997) and its heroine Pam Grier were one major inspiration for the movie.
10. In the Line of Fire (1993)
Clint Eastwood delivers a career-best thriller in this exciting tale of a Secret Service agent who failed to prevent John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963. Thirty years later, he’s up against another killer (John Malkovich) with his sights set on the current Commander-in-Chief. At one point, studio executives were hoping to rewrite it for Tom Cruise—which would have removed the JFK connection by making the character much younger—but cooler heads prevailed.
11. Arrival (2016)
Amy Adams tries to find a way to communicate with aliens before a lack of understanding leads to war in this gripping thriller directed by Denis Villeneuve.
12. Moxie (2021)
Amy Poehler co-stars in this dramedy about a teen (Hadley Robinson) who expresses herself—and voices her anger at gender imbalances—in an anonymous zine she circulates around her school.
13. The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)
Aaron Sorkin wrote and directed this look back at the true story of the Chicago Seven—anti-Vietnam protestors, including Abbie Hoffman, who were arrested at the 1968 Democratic National Convention and charged with conspiracy and inciting riots. While there is some dramatic license taken, Hoffman and Jerry Rubin really did wear judicial robes into the courtroom one day.
14. La La Land (2016)
Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone star as two aspiring entertainers who find Los Angeles alternately fulfilling and heartbreaking.
15. The Irishman (2019)
Martin Scorsese’s long-in-the-making epic brings together three of the mob genre’s heaviest hitters in Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci. But the story of Frank Sheeran (De Niro), who alleged he befriended and then betrayed union leader Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino), isn’t your typical organized crime movie. It takes its time to examine the toll of a criminal life, from the alienation of Sheeran’s family to the fate that awaits old men no longer capable of resolving their problems with violence. The de-aging effects aren’t always convincing, but Scorsese’s ability to weave a captivating gangster tale remains timeless.
16.The Firm (1993)
Tom Cruise stars as Mitch McDeere, an up-and-coming lawyer who discovers his new firm isn’t on the right side of the legal system. Gene Hackman co-stars.
17. Marriage Story (2019)
Director Noah Baumbach drew rave reviews for this deeply emotional drama about a couple (Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson) whose uncoupling takes a heavy emotional and psychological toll on their family. Baumbach has said that his own divorce (from Jennifer Jason Leigh) did not directly inspire the movie, though it’s also not completely far off from it, either. “This movie is not autobiographical,” he said. “It’s personal, and there’s a true distinction in that.”
18. High Flying Bird (2019)
Steven Soderbergh directs this amiable and offbeat comedy-drama about a basketball pro and his agent (André Holland) who decide to upend the status quo during an NBA lockout and start up their own league.
19. Dolemite Is My Name (2019)
Eddie Murphy ended a brief sabbatical from acting following a mixed reception to 2016’s Mr. Church with this winning biopic about Rudy Ray Moore, a flailing comedian who finds success when he reinvents himself as Dolemite, a wisecracking pimp. When the character takes off, Moore produces a big-screen feature with a crew of inept collaborators.
20. Gladiator (2000)
Russell Crowe stars as Maximus, an enslaved combatant who seeks vengeance on Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). A sequel (minus Crowe) is due out in 2024.
21. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
Fans of the Coen brothers get a trail mix of stories in this anthology set in the Old West. A gunslinger (Tim Blake Nelson) proves to be a little too arrogant when it comes to his skills; an armless and legless man (Harry Melling) who recites Shakespeare for awed onlookers begins to grow suspicious of his caretaker’s motives; a dog causes unexpected grief while following a wagon train. Knitted together, the six stories are probably the closest we’ll get to the serialized Coen television series that this feature was once rumored to be.
22. Roma (2018)
Alfonso Cuarón’s tribute to his upbringing in 1970s Mexico City tells the story of a housekeeper (Yalitza Aparicio) watching over the children of her employers after their father runs off with his mistress. Cuarón’s film is a living photograph, an intensely personal story that holds no major surprises aside from the sheer craft it took to make it a reality.
23. Small Crimes (2017)
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones) stars in this lean thriller about an ex-cop recently released from prison who finds that his past isn’t quite done with him.
24. Spider-Man (2002)
Sam Raimi helped usher in the superhero era with his take on Marvel’s famous Webhead. The director kept at least one idea from James Cameron, who was developing a movie in the 1980s: organic webbing. “He sticks to walls; he can leap; why does he then have to invent a web fluid?” Raimi said. “Why not just mutate him far enough into a spider to produce webbing?”
25. Heat (1995)
Robert De Niro and Al Pacino are on opposite sides of the law in this '90s action classic from Michael Mann. The director originally explored the idea in a TV movie, L.A. Takedown.
26. Loving (2016)
Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga star in this true story about an interracial couple in 1950s Virginia who run into the state’s oppressive anti-miscegenation laws. What should have been a simple union between two people who love each other turns into a fight for personal liberty before the Supreme Court.
27. Legends of the Fall (1994)
Brad Pitt scored an early hit with this period epic about a family of Montana ranchers who navigate sibling rivalries, love, and World War I.
28. RRR (2022)
In pre-independent India, a police officer (Ram Charan) and a freedom fighter (Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao Jr.) form an unlikely friendship. Rao is seeking a young girl kidnapped from the Gond tribe by the malicious Governor Scott Buxton and his wife; Charan has sworn to the governor he’ll locate his pursuer, unaware it’s his new bromance partner. One of the highest-grossing movies in India, RRR throws the kitchen sink at viewers, from man vs. tiger face-offs to set pieces worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster.
29. The Power of the Dog (2021)
Benedict Cumberbatch headlines this slow-burning Western about a rancher who disapproves of his brother’s new wife—a distaste that threatens to undermine everything he and his sibling have worked for. Jane Campion, who co-wrote and directed the movie, made Oscar history by becoming the first woman to ever be twice-nominated for a Best Director Academy Award; in March 2022, she became the third woman ever to take home the award (following The Hurt Locker's Kathryn Bigelow and Nomadland's Chloe Zhao).
30. The Harder They Fall (2021)
Jonathan Majors is an outlaw seeking revenge against Idris Elba in this kinetic western that co-stars LaKeith Stanfield and Regina King.
31. Okja (2017)
Bong Joon-ho (Parasite) directs this fable poking at consumer culture: a beast on the run from an evil corporation attempts to hide with the help of his human friend Mija (Ahn Seo-hyun). Jake Gyllenhaal and Tilda Swinton co-star.
32. Worth (2021)
Michael Keaton stars in this intense drama about an attorney responsible for the legal and emotional burden of placing a monetary value on the lives lost during the September 11 attacks.
33. The Wonder (2022)
Florence Pugh stars in this atmospheric drama about the true story of a nurse in 1860s Ireland who investigates a woman claiming to be thriving despite a prolonged fast.
34. The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021)
The minds behind 2019’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse have another winningly irreverent animated film on tap. The slightly dysfunctional Mitchell family has to contend with technology gone awry. To save the human race, they’ll have to interrupt their vacation. The movie was such a critical hit that Netflix decided to offer it as a limited theatrical release six months after it began streaming.
35. Passing (2021)
Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga star in this acclaimed feature about two Black women in 1920s New York City who explore their racial identities when they discover they can “pass” as white.
36. Lost in Translation (2003)
Bill Murray stars as an actor taking a paycheck gig for a commercial in Japan; Scarlett Johansson is a woman in a decaying marriage. Their resulting dynamic goes places you wouldn't necessarily expect. Director Sofia Coppola was able to shoot at the Park Hyatt Tokyo Hotel, though only at night so as not to disturb guests.
37. The House (2022)
A single home is the site of three stories in this strange yet compelling stop-motion animated feature.
38. Troll (2022)
A formidable monster of Norwegian lore terrorizes a small town, leaving a paleontologist and her estranged father to try and find a way to vanquish it.
39. Prisoners (2013)
Hugh Jackman plays the father of two kidnapped girls who suspects a man (Paul Dano) is behind their disappearance and takes matters into his own hands. Director Denis Villenueve went on to make 2021’s Dune.
40. Carol (2015)
Cate Blanchett stars in this character study of a woman who explores her sexuality in a highly conservative 1950s America.
41. The Highwaymen (2019)
Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson team up for this fact-based action drama about the Texas Rangers assigned to capture notorious outlaws Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker.
42. The Informer (2019)
Joel Kinnaman is an FBI agent who finds his undercover work doesn’t end in prison. Rosamund Pike and Clive Owen co-star.
43. The Fundamentals of Caring (2016)
Paul Rudd and Craig Roberts star in this amiable road trip comedy about a man who takes a job as a caregiver for a teen with muscular dystrophy.
44. Frances Ha (2012)
Greta Gerwig is an aspiring dancer with troubles of the indie-movie variety.
45. Nocturnal Animals (2016)
Fashion designer Tom Ford directed this thriller about a woman (Amy Adams) who believes her ex-husband’s book holds the secret to a double life better left uncovered. Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Shannon co-star.
46. The Imitation Game (2014)
Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Alan Turing, the math genius who helped crack the Enigma Code and ensure an Allied victory in World War II.
47. Synchronic (2020)
A new designer drug hitting the streets changes the lives of two EMT workers (Jamie Dornan and Anthony Mackie) who have the misfortune of running across it in this surprising thriller.
48. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
The Monty Python team delivers their best-known work, a silly and sharply satirical feature that uses the King Arthur legend as a springboard for sequences that feature brave-but-armless knights and highly aggressive rabbits. Though it opened to mixed reviews, it has since become a perennial entry in lists of the best comedies ever made.
49. Love Actually (2003)
Hugh Grant and Colin Firth are among the many stars in this ensemble romantic comedy that’s become a holiday staple. Director Richard Curtis originally planned on 14 plotlines but four were cut for time.
50. Scarface (1983)
Al Pacino’s iconic role as a Cuban refugee bent on a twisted American dream—conquering the drug market—remains a staple. The film drops about 207 F-bombs throughout its 3-hour running time.
A version of this story ran in 2019; it has been updated for 2023.
This article was originally published on www.mentalfloss.com as The 50 Best Movies to Stream on Netflix Right Now.
