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The best free movies on YouTube right now (November 2024)

YouTube is typically used for podcasts, movie trailers, cooking demonstrations, vlogs, and comedy specials. However, did you know the service offers movies and television shows for free? When you click on “Movies & TV” on the sidebar, you’ll see an entire section dedicated to films and shows ready to be streamed.

If you’re worried about YouTube’s selection, think again. These programs are popular and widely recognized, from blockbusters and sequels to franchises and award winners. These movies are ad-supported — short commercials will air during your presentation — but that seems fair considering it will not cost you a dime to watch. Below, explore our November guide for the best free movies on YouTube.

Looking for more stuff you can watch for free? Check out our guides to the best free shows on YouTube and the best sites for watching free movies online. If you’re willing to pay, read these guides on the best new movies to stream and the best movies on Netflix.

Recently added to YouTube

Interstellar (2014)

Interstellar
74%
8.7/10
pg-13
169m
Genre
Adventure, Drama, Science Fiction
Stars
Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine
Directed by
Christopher Nolan
Watch on YouTube

In his lifelong attempt to better understand time, Christopher Nolan tackled wormholes and space travel in the sci-fi adventure film Interstellar. Humanity is slowly going extinct in a dystopian future due to a global crop blight. The only way to solve their problems is to find a new planet to inhabit. Former NASA pilot Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) is recruited to explore a wormhole near Saturn. The belief is that one of the three planets on the other side of the wormhole can be the next home for the people of Earth.

Joined by Amelia Brand (Anne Hathaway) and a team of scientists, Cooper leaves his family on Earth to pilot the mission. The journey is treacherous and challenging, from giant waves and unstable conditions to unruly astronauts and mechanical issues. Yet, Cooper and the team venture out into the unknown, and what they discover will change the course of humanity forever.

The Waterboy (1998)

The Waterboy
41%
6.2/10
pg-13
90m
Genre
Comedy
Stars
Adam Sandler, Kathy Bates, Henry Winkler
Directed by
Frank Coraci
Watch on YouTube

After the success of Billy Madison, Adam Sandler continued his ascent to 1990s comedy movie stardom with another classic, The Waterboy. Bobby Boucher Jr. (Adam Sandler) is a 31-year-old stuttering man with two passions: water and his overbearing mother, Helen (Kathy Bates). Bobby becomes the water boy for the South Central Louisiana State University Mud Dogs football team.

Under Coach Klein (Henry Winkler), the Mud Dogs have lost 40 straight games. After being teased by one of the players, Bobby attacks the quarterback and knocks him out. Impressed by his brutality, Coach Klein recruits Bobby to play linebacker. The gamble works, as the Mud Dogs become a winning football team. Is it a flash in the pan, or can Bobby lead the Mud Dogs to the top of college football?

She's the Man (2006)

She's the Man
45%
6.4/10
pg-13
105m
Genre
Comedy, Romance
Stars
Amanda Bynes, Channing Tatum, Laura Ramsey
Directed by
Andy Fickman
Watch on YouTube

William Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night serves as inspiration for She’s the Man, Andy Fickman’s unorthodox sports rom-com. Viola Hastings (Amanda Bynes) is a high school soccer star at Cornwall Prep. After the school cuts the team, Viola’s attempt to make the boys’ team fails. Refusing to let her soccer dreams die, Viola poses as her twin brother Sebastian (James Kirk) at his boarding school, Illyria.

With the help of her stylist friend, Viola dresses like Sebastian and tries out for Illyria’s boys soccer team. Making the soccer team was only the first obstacle. Now, Viola must keep up the ruse long enough so she gets a chance to play Cornwall Prep. That means it’s time to bring out her inner “man.”

Furious 7 (2015)

Furious 7
67%
7.1/10
pg-13
137m
Genre
Action, Thriller, Crime
Stars
Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jason Statham
Directed by
James Wan
Watch on YouTube

In Furious 7, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), Brian O’Connor (Paul Walker), and the rest of the crew are finally free after receiving pardons for their past crimes. However, their return to normalcy is cut short by Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), the brother of Owen (Luke Evans), whom Dom defeated in Furious 6. Deckard wants revenge for what happened to his brother and sets out to make Dom pay for his sins.

To get to Deckard, Dom must help Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell), the leader of a special covert ops team. If Dom retrieves a surveillance computer program called God’s Eye, Mr. Nobody will help take down Deckard. The action-packed sequel is best known for its emotional tribute to Walker, who died two years before the film’s release.

Legally Blonde (2001)

Legally Blonde
59%
6.5/10
pg-13
96m
Genre
Comedy, Romance
Stars
Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair
Directed by
Robert Luketic
Watch on YouTube

Reese Witherspoon set out to show you how valuable Elle Woods can be in Legally Blonde. Elle (Witherspoon) is the queen bee at her school. She’s pretty, rich, and popular. Elle dreams of marrying her boyfriend, Warner Huntington III (Matthew Davis). However, Warner doesn’t believe Elle is a serious woman, so he breaks up with her. Motivated to win Warner back, Elle decides to apply to law school.

Elle is much smarter than she appears, and after vigorously studying for the admission test, she passes and gets accepted to Harvard Law School. Upon arrival, many of her peers judge Elle because of her it-girl personality. However, don’t judge a book by its cover, as Elle works on proving her doubters wrong.

Point Break (1991)

Point Break
59%
7.3/10
r
122m
Genre
Action, Thriller, Crime
Stars
Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze, Lori Petty
Directed by
Kathryn Bigelow
Watch on YouTube

Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze square off in Kathryn Bigelow’s excellent action thriller, Point Break. Former college quarterback Johnny Utah (Reeves) is a hot-shot FBI agent who teams with veteran agent Angelo Pappas (Gary Busey) to catch a group of bank robbers known as the “Ex-Presidents.” The duo hypothesizes that the robbers are surfers, so Utah goes undercover within the beach community, searching for more information.

While posing as a surfer, Utah meets Bodhi (Swayze), the eccentric leader of a group of surfers. As Utah spends more time with the surfers, he develops a genuine bond with the free-spirited Bodhi. However, this complicates Utah’s mission, blurring the lines between his new friends and his job.

I Kill Giants (2018)

I Kill Giants
74%
6.1/10
pg-13
106m
Genre
Fantasy, Drama
Stars
Madison Wolfe, Imogen Poots, Sydney Wade
Directed by
Anders Walter
Watch on YouTube
This fantasy film follows Barbara Thorson (Madison Wolfe), a young girl who finds solace from the realities of her difficult family life by retreating into a magical world where she is the greatest giant fighter the world has ever seen. But as the giants’ threat to her world grows, Barbara finds help from her new friend Sophia (Sydney Wade) and her school counselor, Mrs. Mollé (Avatar: The Way of Water‘s Zoe Saldana).

My Friend Dahmer (2017)

My Friend Dahmer
68%
6.2/10
r
107m
Genre
Drama, History, Crime
Stars
Ross Lynch, Alex Wolff, Anne Heche
Directed by
Marc Meyers
Watch on YouTube

Someone at YouTube has very deftly picked up on the renewed interest in Jeffrey Dahmer by getting the rights to stream My Friend Dahmer. This serial killer movie is based upon the true story of John “Derf” Backderf (Alex Wolff), a cartoonist who was the closest friend that Jeffrey Dahmer (Ross Lynch) had in high school. In this adaptation of Backderf’s graphic novel, he and his fellow outcasts befriend Dahmer, but they aren’t blind to his bizarre behavior.

However, they couldn’t have predicted that the awkward young man that they knew would go on to become one of the most infamous serial killers of the last century. It’s also a tragic tale, as no one notices how monstrous Dahmer has become until it’s far too late to stop him.

The Illusionist (2006)

The Illusionist
68%
7.6/10
pg-13
110m
Genre
Fantasy, Drama, Thriller, Romance
Stars
Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel
Directed by
Neil Burger
Watch on YouTube

The Illusionist beat the similarly themed film, The Prestige, to theaters by about two months, but Christopher Nolan’s movie is the superior of the two. Regardless, The Illusionist has its charms, largely in the core trio of Edward Norton, Jessica Biel, and Paul Giamatti. When they were young, Eduard Abramovich (Norton) and Duchess Sophie Von Teschen (Biel) had a passion for each other that her parents forbade.

Upon adulthood, Edward reinvented himself as Eisenheim The Illusionist and reunited with Sophie before she could be married to the malevolent Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell). When Sophie is murdered, Chief Inspector Walter Uhl (Giamatti) is unnerved when Eisenheim appears to be able to summon Sophie’s spirit at will.

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Night of the Living Dead
89%
7.9/10
96m
Genre
Horror, Thriller
Stars
Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman
Directed by
George A. Romero
Watch on YouTube

A seminal entry for American horror cinema, George A. Romero’s classic horror movie follows seven people who find themselves trapped in Pennsylvania as the terrifying walking dead surround them. They have to try to survive without understanding the terror that lurks outside.

The movie has been noted as the first zombie film, and its influences can be seen in everything from 28 Days Later to Shaun of the Dead. Romero’s debut — he wrote, directed, edited, and acted in the film — made him into a superstar, quickly revolutionizing the genre on a budget of a mere $114,000.

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Blair Marnell has been an entertainment journalist for over 15 years. His bylines have appeared in Wizard Magazine, Geek Monthly, SYFY Wire, Superhero Hype, Collider, DC Universe, and the official sites for Star Trek and Marvel. He also lends his pop culture expertise to Digital Trends on a variety of TV, movie, and streaming features.

Dan Girolamo

Dan is a passionate and multitalented content creator with experience in pop culture, entertainment, and sports. Throughout his career, Dan has been a writer, broadcaster, podcaster, editor, and social media manager. At Digital Trends, Dan covers film and television, from reviewing upcoming projects to interviewing actors and directors. Outside of Digital Trends, he has been an Oscar prognosticator since 2016 as well as a sportswriter with a special concentration in New York professional sports. Dan is still waiting for the New York Knicks to win a championship, but unfortunately, he will have to wait a lot longer for this dream to become a reality.

The best fantasy movies on Netflix right now
Kate Beckinsale and Hugh Jackman in Van Helsing.

Finding great fantasy movies on Netflix is a bit of a fantasy in and of itself. The king of the streamers neglects this category, and it also relies heavily on Universal Pictures' catalog to bail out its shortcomings. That's why it's The Scorpion King and Van Helsing's turn to be on this list while Conan the Barbarian waits for yet another Netflix return.

The Scorpion King and Van Helsing aren't bad movies, but fantasy fans deserve a better selection from Netflix than films that are two decades old. Even this month's third addition, The Covenant, is closing in on 20 years. Netflix has made some original fantasy movies of its own, but not lately. For the most part, the best fantasy movies on Netflix are pretty stagnant. But when something new arrives, we'll be here to add it to the list.
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Whether you're just trying to make it through the next few weeks or you're already thinking about Thanksgiving, it's good to know the best kids movies on Netflix right now. Whether you need a distraction or you're hosting friends and family, Netflix offers a host of quality kid-friendly flicks. Of course, you want to know that your kid isn't watching garbage, which is why we made this Cliff Notes-esque list for you. Every month, we scan the collection and highlight the most worthwhile kids' movies.

Although it's a slow month, Netflix does add new family-friendly originals in Spellbound, as well as Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie. Read on for our picks of the best kids movies on Netflix now.

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Spooky season is over, which means we are entering the entertainment industry's favorite time of the year: the holidays. And with it comes awards season. What better time to check out the best dramas on Netflix, many of which will hope to make a splash in the 2024-2025 Oscar season? This month alone, Netflix has the Oscar hopefuls Emilia Pérez and The Piano Lessen scheduled, meaning many surprises await Netflix subscribers in the drama department. Netflix caters to all tastes and ensures quality by recruiting some of modern Hollywood's most acclaimed auteurs. On any given day, you can find masterpieces from Scorsese and Cuarón while browsing Netflix.

Beyond the new arrivals and awards fare, the best dramatic movies on Netflix offer a mix of searing romantic tales, intense family dramas, passionate romances, tragic tales of woe, and a few small-scale, yet no less worthy movies. Although Netflix has a wide and diverse collection of quality films, it might be difficult for you to choose just one. Some are not as high in quality as others. To save you some time and effort, we've compiled a list of the best dramas on Netflix right now.
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