Are you ready for 2025? I know I am. The last 12 months have been a bit stressful, and a fresh start is just what the doctor ordered. A great way to start the new year is to watch some great movies, and you can find a ton of them on Netflix.
But which ones are worth watching on New Year’s Day? Taste is subjective, but I think any of the following five films on this list will entertain you and start your year off on the right foot. Hey, it beats watching Kraven the Hunter in an empty movie theater, right?
We also have guides to the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney
Logan Lucky (2017)
When you think of heist films and Steven Soderbergh, you probably think of the Ocean’s Eleven/Twelve/Thirteen movies. That’s only natural, as those three films are all beloved hits that are still watched even today. But one movie stands tall over all of them, and it’s by the same director. Logan Lucky ranks as one of Soderbergh’s best films, and it’s one of the few movies to fully showcase the acting abilities of Magic Mike star Channing Tatum.
He plays Jimmy Logan, a construction worker who is laid off from his job working on the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Needing money to help raise his daughter, he enlists his one-armed brother Clyde (Adam Driver), his sister Mellie (Riley Keough), and safe-cracking pro Joe Bang (Daniel Craig) to help him steal enough money for all of them to live comfortably.
It wouldn’t be a heist film if things didn’t go haywire, but the beauty of Logan Lucky is how warm and funny it is. It’s not really about the heist; instead, it’s about getting to know and fall in love with these characters as they try to find a way to better their lives. Dubbed Ocean’s 7-11 by some, Logan Lucky is one of the best heist movies ever made, and after watching it, you won’t argue with that assessment.
Scoop (2024)
You wouldn’t think an interview between two people would make a good thriller, but after watching Scoop, you’ll be convinced. It helps that the material is so good to begin with: on November 19, 2019, BBC reporter Emily Maitlis (Gillian Anderson) interviewed Prince Andrew (Rufus Sewell) about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The interview was a disaster for the English royal, whose reputation still hasn’t recovered.
What went wrong? And why did he agree to be interviewed in the first place? Those are the questions Scoop seeks to answer as it chronicles the efforts of Maitlis and her BBC peers, which include booking agent Sam McAlister (former Doctor Who companion Billie Piper), to convince Andrew and Buckingham Palace that he has no choice but to speak about his friendship with Epstein and allegations he engaged in inappropriate behavior with underage girls.
It’s salacious stuff, but Scoop never feels too trashy. It’s a slick thriller tightly directed by Phillip Martin, and one that offers an opportunity for its lead actresses to shine. Anderson, Piper, and Keeley Hawes as Andrew’s advisor Amanda Thirsk all turn in great work here, and make what could’ve been a dry procedural into something more meaningful.
Easy A (2010)
Emma Stone has already won two Oscars (for La La Land and Poor Things) and been in a popular franchise (The Amazing Spider-Man movies), but she’s probably still best remembered for her role as Olive Penderghast in the high school comedy Easy A. And honestly, that’s not a bad thing as the Will Gluck movie is breezy and funny, and has only gotten better in the 15 years since it was released.
In this very loose adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic novel The Scarlet Letter, Olive has been branded a slut by her peers after she lies about sleeping with a non-existent boyfriend. Instead of being ashamed by her new reputation, Olive embraces it, and soon monetizes her bad rep by letting male classmates say they’ve slept with her in exchange for money and gifts. Things get complicated, however, when she reconnects with an old crush, Todd (Penn Badgley). Will the truth come out in time for Olive to secure her true love?
City Hunter (2024)
Action movies can be ridiculous; remember when the Fast & the Furious franchise went to space? But few action movies are as ridiculous, or as fun, as City Hunter. The 2024 Netflix movie has a good reason for why it’s so out-there, though; it’s based on a popular manga series from the ’80s, and it faithfully translates all the kinetic energy that the medium specializes in.
Private investigator Ryo Saeba has a doozy of a case. He’s investigating the disappearance of a young girl who is being pursued by a gang of criminals who have superhuman abilities due to a new drug that is taking over the streets of Tokyo. When his partner dies, and his sister Kaori joins him to find the killers, Ryo finds himself in over his head as he tries to find the missing girl, avenge his deceased partner, and keep himself and Kaori alive.
Throw in a completely gratuitous dance sequence in which Ryo strips down to his underwear to avoid capture, plus a fight at an anime convention that needs to be seen to be believed, and you got an action movie that’s as crazy as it is fun. City Hunter is loud, colorful nonsense, and if 2025 is anything like it, then we’re all in for a treat.
A Simple Favor (2018)
Blake Lively has been in the press lately and not for the right reasons. But The Gossip Girl actress had the best role of her career so far in the 2018 dark comedy A Simple Favor, which put a humorous spin on the thriller genre. Anna Kendrick (Woman of the Hour) stars as Stephanie Smothers, a lonely blogger who is looking for some excitement in her life between taking care of her kids and drinking wine by herself at night. Her wish is granted with the arrival of Emily Nelson (Lively), a glamorous wife and mother who seemingly has it all.
She doesn’t, of course, and as Stephanie investigates her friend’s sudden disappearance, she discovers Emily was hiding a lot more than her cookie recipes from her. The great pleasure of watching A Simple Favor is witnessing its twisty plot unfold with a wink and a nudge. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and you realize that quickly when Lively shows up at a cemetery wearing only a small blazer, no shirt, and wielding a cane and a martini. It’s absurd, and there’s no better way to welcome 2025.
