43 of the Best Movies on Netflix Right Now
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Raise your hand if you've ever spent more time picking out a movie to watch on Netflix than the length of the actual movie you ended up choosing (🙋♀️). There are so many amazing options to stream for your next binge-watching — or Netflix and chill, wink wink — session. But sometimes life would be easier if you had a short-ish list of great films to choose from, instead of just endlessly scrolling on the app until your eyes glaze over.
Ta-da! Ask and you shall receive. We've compiled a list of the best movies on Netflix right now, being sure to include both Netflix originals and theatrical releases. In the mood to swoon? Check out About Last Night or La La Land. Or, maybe you want to be on the edge of your seat for movie night? Missing or Peppermint will have you biting your nails from opening to closing credits. In need of a good cry? The Pursuit of Happyness can help with that.
Whatever genre you're in the mood for right now, we've got you covered. We'll be updating this list each month with new additions, so be sure to bookmark this article so you can spend less time deciding on what to watch, and more time actually enjoying the movie.
Missing (2023)
When a mom doesn't return home from a trip, her savvy daughter uses all different kinds of social media resources to find her.
Euphoria's Storm Reid stars in this edge-of-your-seat thriller that'll leave you guessing until the very last moment.
The Mother (2023)
Jennifer Lopez stars in this Netflix original as an assassin who comes out of hiding to save the child she had to give up.
Unlocked (2023)
Get ready to never let your phone leave your sight after watching this Korean thriller about a girl's lost smartphone falling into the hands of someone with malicious intentions. Imagine someone having access to all of your personal data? Terrifying, right? Exactly.
MORE: Amazing Korean Movies on Netflix to Watch Right Now
The Adam Project (2022)
In this sci-fi coming-of-age movie, a man from the year 2050 travels back in time to 2022 to team up with his 12-year-old self to help save the future.
Fun fact: This movie reunites 13 Going on 30 stars Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo.
Bullet Train (2022)
A bullet train is a passenger train that can go super fast — like 200 mph and higher fast. Most of this movie takes place on a bullet train, following the exploits of five assassins who all learn their missions share a common thread.
The movie is adapted from Kōtarō Isaka's book, Maria Beetle.
Do Revenge (2022)
Camila Mendes and Maya Hawke co-star in this Gen Z movie of the century about two teens who work together to get back at their tormentors.
Emily the Criminal (2022)
Parks and Recreation star Aubrey Plaza plays Emily, a woman drowning in student loan debt and having a hard time finding steady work. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so Emily turns to a life of crime to make ends meet.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
Though it's called "A Knives Out Mystery," Glass Onion is a standalone sequel to Knives Out, meaning you don't need to see Knives Out to understand what's going on in Glass Onion.
Detective Benoit Blanc is back for a whole new mystery, this time in Greece. While hanging out with a group of old friends as part of their annual reunion, Benoit is quickly caught up in a whodunnit when one of the guests winds up dead.
A Man Called Otto (2022)
Otto, the neighborhood grouch who is ready to end it all, gets a new take on life when a young family moves in nearby and turns his world upside down.
Where the Crawdads Sing (2022)
Based on Delia Owens's novel of the same name, this movie follows a social outcast named Kya who becomes the prime suspect in the murder of the popular and well-off Chase Andrews. But as evidence piles up and secrets are unearthed, it's clear this isn't just a cut and dry homicide.
Don't Look Up (2021)
Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence lead an all-star cast in this satirical look at humanity.
When two astronomers realize a comet is hurtling towards Earth with the power to wipe it out completely, they go on a media tour to try and warn everyone. Unfortunately, no one seems to take it seriously — or even care.
Enola Holmes (2020)
Move over, Sherlock. There's a new detective in town — your little sister!
After Enola's mother goes missing, the spunky teen uses her sleuthing skills to find her, uncovering a big conspiracy in the process.
In 2022, a sequel premiered on Netflix called Enola Holmes 2.
The Half of It (2020)
After she agrees to write a jock's crush a love letter in exchange for cash, Ellie begins falling for the girl she's trying to set the jock up with. Awkward.
His House (2020)
One of the many amazing horror movies on Netflix right now, His House isn't your typical monster or slasher film; the horror is much more subtle than a crazed killer stalking teens or a vampire lurking in the shadows.
A refugee couple who fled South Sudan try to adjust to their new life in England. However, they soon realize something evil has permeated their town.
If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
This romantic drama follows a couple who are forced apart when the man is accused of a heinous crime he did not commit. Taking place in Harlem in the 1970s, the man's lover fights to clear him.
It's based on James Baldwin's book of the same name.
Peppermint (2018)
If you're a fan of Law Abiding Citizen, this is basically the female-led version of that thriller.
After her husband and daughter's murderers get off scot-free, Riley disappears for five years. When she returns home, she begins killing every single person who let her family down and helped the system keep killers out on the street.
To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018)
When her secret letters to boys she's crushed on are accidentally mailed out to them, Lara Jean's love life is quickly turned upside down.
This the first in a trilogy, based on Jenny Han's books. The other two movies are called To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You and To All the Boys: Always and Forever.
The Boss Baby (2017)
This movie holds a special place in Finn Wolfhard's heart, and soon it will in yours, too.
A 7-year-old's new baby brother is a business tycoon who's on a secret mission to thwart the plans the CEO of Puppy Co. has brewing. It's a bonkers movie that will make you want to binge the whole franchise.
Call Me By Your Name (2017)
This LGBT coming-of-age movie put Timothée Chalamet on the map and got him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in this film adaptation of André Aciman's book.
In the summer of 1983 in Italy, teenager Elio falls hard for the older man helping his dad with archaeology research. The duo eventually develop a relationship, platonically at first, but then it develops into something more.
The Glass Castle (2017)
Based on Jeannette Walls's memoir, The Glass Castle is a coming-of-age story about a girl growing up in a nomadic, dysfunctional family with an artistic mother and alcoholic father.
La La Land (2016)
Everyone in L.A. has a dream — but making that dream a reality is no easy feat. Just ask Mia and Sebastian, an aspiring actress and pianist, respectively. Together, they navigate their difficult careers while falling in love in this romantic musical.
Burnt (2015)
Adam had it all as a top chef in Paris... until drugs and alcohol helped torpedo his career. Now, he's desperately trying to regain his former glory by working in a London restaurant and getting three Michelin stars, one of the biggest badges of honor.
Circle (2015)
This underrated thriller has no connection to Netflix's reality series, The Circle, nor is it related to the 2017 Emma Watson movie, The Circle.
This movie is about a group of 50 strangers who all wake up in a windowless room, standing in a circle. They are forced to choose people in their group to be executed, with the promise of only one person supposedly coming out alive.
Dope (2015)
Three friends get invited to a drug dealer's birthday party, but things soon go haywire when one of them ends up with drugs in his backpack that armed thugs want to take.
No Escape (2015)
An overseas trip turns into an international nightmare when an American family must run for their lives after the country they're in forms a coup and starts killing all foreigners.
You'll be on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Funnyman Owen Wilson stars in this movie, but he ditches his comedic talents for this thriller film.
About Last Night (2014)
In this remake of the 1986 rom-com of the same name, two couples are forced to put their relationships to the test and see how they thrive (or not) in the real world.
Captain Phillips (2013)
If you've ever seen/heard a meme with the words "I'm the Captain now," it's from this movie.
Based on an incredible true story, Tom Hanks stars as Captain Richard Phillips, whose American cargo shipped was hijacked by Somali pirates in 2009.
Prisoners (2013)
Keller experiences every parent's worst nightmare when his young daughter and her friend go missing. Clashing with the detective assigned to the case, Keller quickly takes matter into his own hands to uncover the truth.
We're the Millers (2013)
You've seen the "you guys are getting paid?" meme for years, so now it's time to watch the movie that inspired it!
In this comedy, a low-level drug dealer gets his stash stolen and is now in debt to his boss. To make things even, he, along with three random strangers he knows from the neighborhood, pretend to be a clean-cut family on a roadtrip to Mexico. While there, they have to somehow smuggle a ton of drugs back into the U.S.
Pitch Perfect (2012)
The first in a trilogy, Pitch Perfect is a musical comedy about an all-girls a cappella group called the Bellas who take on their male rivals in their college competition. A new girl to the group is the much-needed boost the Bellas need to realize their full potential.
The last day to watch this is June 30.
Ted (2012)
Who knew a movie about a talking teddy bear could be so hilariously raunchy?
After making a wish as a kid that his stuffed animal would come to life, a now-adult John lives life with his childhood teddy bear. Together, they get drunk, high, and into some serious shenanigans.
Tower Heist (2011)
This movie is like Ocean's Eleven, but with the target being an upscale NYC apartment complex instead of three Las Vegas casinos.
After employees who work at a fancy apartment building lose their pensions in a Ponzi scheme by one of the building's wealthy residents, they team up to break into his penthouse apartment and get their money back.
The last day to watch this is June 30.
Easy A (2010)
After lying about losing her virginity, Olive becomes the talk of the school's rumor mill. Deciding to use what's happening to her advantage, Olive pretends to have sex with unpopular guys in exchange for gifts.
The Mist (2007)
This horror movie is adapted from a Stephen King novella about a group of strangers trapped in a grocery store after a mysterious mist overtakes the town. While the danger outside is terrifying, the danger inside the store is just as lethal.
The last day to watch this is June 21.
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
Will and Jaden Smith play onscreen dad and son in this heartbreaking movie about the resilience one father has to provide a better life for him and his kid.
Red Dragon (2002)
Red Dragon is the prequel to The Silence of the Lambs, and shows us what went down with Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter before he met Clarice Starling.
Years after Hannibal was thrown in prison for murder, the former FBI agent who helped put him there asks for assistance in catching a new serial killer dubbed the Tooth Fairy.
The last day to watch this is June 30.
The Ring (2002)
After her niece mysteriously dies, a journalist investigates her death and how it relates to a supposedly cursed videotape that kills people who watch it after seven days.
I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
What if you and your best friends accidentally killed someone with a car, but managed to dispose of the body without anyone else finding out, would you do it? That's what one tight-knit group of high school seniors tries, but a year after the tragedy, they begin to receive threats from someone who knows what they did.
The last day to watch this is June 30.
Matilda (1996)
A lonely girl from a neglectful home develops telekinetic powers and uses them to help her kind teacher and classmates against an evil headmistress.
In 2022, a film adaptation of the Matilda Broadway musical premiered on Netflix.
The last day to watch this is June 30.
A League of Their Own (1992)
During World War II, men are leaving the baseball field to fight, so a professional all-female baseball league is established to keep Major League Baseball in business. This movie is based on the incredible true story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
In 2022, a TV series of the same name premiered on Prime Video.
The Land Before Time (1988)
When a baby Apatosaurus is orphaned, he sets out on a journey to Great Valley, hoping to reunite with more of his kind. Along the way, other young dinosaurs join him on his quest. What the dinosaurs don't know is a T-Rex is hot on their trail.
The Birds (1963)
One bird pecking you isn't terrifying, but hundreds of them attacking you at once is pure nightmare fuel. Alfred Hitchcock's classic horror film will leave you side-eyeing every bird you pass on the street.
The last day to watch this is June 30.
Psycho (1960)
Two words: Norman. Bates.
After embezzling money, a secretary on the run checks into the Bates Motel, but soon learns she won't be checking out anytime soon.
The last day to watch this is June 30.
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