It took a few years of streaming before Netflix realized that producing and commissioning exclusive content — alongside its licensed shows and movies — could prove to be lucrative while dominating the streaming marketplace. Netflix wasn’t satisfied with just creating TV series, so it began to produce and acquire movies like crazy.
The list of originals is now extensive, and it can be hard to judge what’s worth watching. We’ve picked the best Netflix original movies for your perusal. Chill on, Netflixers.
Further reading
- Best Netflix original series
- Best movies on Netflix
- Best shows on Netflix
- How to download movies from Netflix
Extraction (2020)
Chris Hemsworth as a mercenary with a heart? Sign us up! Hemsworth plays Tyler Rake, a mercenary with nothing to lose when he’s hired to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord. However, there’s much more than meets the eye to this “simple” rescue mission. In the murky underworld of weapons dealing and drug trafficking, Rake and the boy find themselves caught in the middle of something significantly larger, forever altering both of their lives. With awesome stunt work, electric fight choreography, and Hemsworth’s endless charm, Extraction is a great watch if you’re looking for an explosive time.
Rotten Tomatoes: 68%
Genre: Drama, Action & Adventure
Stars: Chris Hemsworth, David Harbour, Derek Luke
Director: Sam Hargrave
Rating: R
Runtime: 116 minutes
Dolemite Is My Name (2019)
Though it was surprisingly left out of the Oscars race, this biographical comedy starring Eddie Murphy as the late Rudy Ray Moore has received near-universal praise. Murphy’s first R-rated movie since 1999’s Life, the film was nominated for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy at the 77th Golden Globe Awards. Murphy, who plays the singing/filmmaking/acting/kung-fu fighting personality Dolemite with immense precision, was also nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Genre: Drama
Stars: Eddie Murphy, Wesley Snipes, Keegan Michael-Key
Director: Craig Brewer
Rating: R
Runtime: 118 minutes
Marriage Story (2019)
Directed by Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story follows Charlie (Adam Driver) and Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) as they grapple with a crumbling marriage while raising a young son. It features a pair of memorable performances by Driver and Johansson, and garnered plenty of awards and attention as a result. That attention brought this Netflix movie six Academy Awards nominations (and one win for Laura Dern), six Golden Globes Awards nominations, and three Academy Film Awards nominations.
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
Genre: Drama
Stars: Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Laura Dern
Director: Noah Baumbach
Rating: R
Runtime: 136 minutes
The Two Popes
One of three Netflix originals nominated for multiple awards at the 2019 Oscars, The Two Popes is nevertheless something of the black sheep in terms of media coverage between Marriage Story and The Irishman. It makes sense because The Two Popes isn’t exactly pop cinema. Rather, it’s primarily two legendary actors at the pinnacle of their craft depicting an oft-overlooked tradition that is centuries old. Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce portray the conservative Pope Benedict XVI and the liberal incoming Pope Francis as they discuss the future of the Catholic Church. Director Fernando Meirelles brilliantly captures the real tension between these two men while providing air for Hopkins and Pryce (who were both Oscar-nominated for these roles) to build a relationship that ultimately feels sustainable and hopeful.
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Genre: Drama
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Pryce
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 125 minutes
The Babysitter (2017)
The 2010s were a great era for comedic horror. From 2010’s Tucker and Dale Battle Evil to Blumhouse’s Happy Death Day franchise, laughing was never so en vogue. Netflix entered the fray with 2017’s The Babysitter, a bloody twist on the familiar Home Alone tropes we all know. Instead of Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern as robbers, however, The Babysitter features a delightfully sadistic Bella Thorne as a teenage babysitter who just so happens to be a maniacal Satanist in her spare time. When 12-year-old Cole Johnson (Judah Lewis) snoops on what his babysitter, Bee (Thorne), gets up to when he’s supposed to be asleep, he gets swept up into a sick, psychotic murder fantasy. And yes, it’s funny!
Rotten Tomatoes: 72%
Genre: Horror
Stars: Bella Thorne, Judah Lewis, Hana Mae Lee
Director: Brian Duffield
Rating: NR
Runtime: 90 minutes
Between Two Ferns: The Movie (2019)
A starring vehicle for Zach Galifianakis’s meta-portrayal of himself as a talk show host, Between Two Ferns: The Movie takes the gags found in the popular Funny or Die series to new heights. It begins with Matthew McConaughey’s accidental death, which forces Galifianakis’s boss, Will Ferrell, to demand that he generate enough clicks with his videos to justify earning a late-night talk show. Cue a road trip across the country to interview as many celebrities as possible! The film is as wacky as its source material and rarely makes sense, which is sort of the point. John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Peter Dinklage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Rudd, and many more make cameos.
Rotten Tomatoes: 74%
Genre: Comedy
Stars: Zach Galifianakis, Lauren Lapkus, Ryan Gaul
Director: Scott Aukerman
Rating: NR
Runtime: 82 minutes
Triple Frontier (2019)
Netflix probably isn’t the first place you’d look to find an action movie starring some of Hollywood’s hottest leading men, and yet, Triple Frontier exists. Directed by J.C. Chandor (A Most Violent Year) and starring Ben Affleck, Charlie Hunnam, Oscar Isaac, and Pedro Pascal, Triple Frontier follows five former Special Forces operatives who reunite to stage a heist in a small border zone in South America. It’s a personal mission — a far cry from their patriotic pasts — so when things take an unexpected turn, their skills, loyalties, and morality are all pushed to the limits. Action-packed and thrilling to the end, Triple Frontier is a Netflix heat check, proving it can make big-time blockbusters.
Rotten Tomatoes: 72%
Genre: Drama, Action & Adventure
Stars: Ben Affleck, Charlie Hunnam, Oscar Isaac
Director: J.C. Chandor
Rating: R
Runtime: 125 minutes
Always Be My Maybe (2019)
Netflix has been making rom-coms for as long as it’s been making original content, but it didn’t strike gold until Always Be My Maybe. Starring Ali Wong and Randall Park (with hilarious support from Keanu Reeves and Daniel Dae Kim), the film explores the evolution of friendship across a lifetime. Marcus (Park) and Sasha (Wong) are lifelong friends who have never been romantic. Marcus, however, has been in love with Sasha for many years and when she’s finally single, he musters up the courage to ask her out. Naturally, she met someone the night before. Missed connections and what-ifs characterize this feel-good romp about the boundaries of love and friendship.
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Genre: Comedy
Stars: Ali Wong, Randall Park, Keanu Reeves
Director: Nahnatchka Khan
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 102 minutes
Private Life (2018)
Netflix ventures into R-rated prestige territory with Tamara Jenkins’ Private Life. Paul Giamatti and Kathryn Hahn star as a middle-aged couple desperate to start a family who just can’t seem to get it right no matter how hard they try. With hope dwindling, they turn to a niece as a final home run swing. The film debuted at Sundance and received rave reviews before Netflix acquired and repackaged it for streaming. With outstanding performances from Giamatti and former SNL-er Hahn, it’s a roller coaster of emotions that will make you both laugh and cry.
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Genre: Drama
Stars: Paul Giamatti, Kathryn Hahn
Director: Tamara Jenkins
Rating: R
Runtime: 123 minutes
Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018)
Although Disney and Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book got more attention, there were actually two live-action adaptations of Rudyard Kipling’s famous book between 2016 and 2018. And, believe it or not, Netflix’s Mowgli is worth your time. Directed by CGI wizard Andy Serkis and featuring an all-star cast of Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Naomie Harris, and Serkis himself, Mowgli doesn’t shy away from some of the scarier, darker elements of The Jungle Book. A more PG-13 approach to the source material, the Tiger Shere Khan is genuinely terrifying and Serkis’s deft handling of the animation makes for an intense, high-octane thrill ride that’s as beautiful as it is violent.
Rotten Tomatoes: 53%
Genre: Action & Adventure
Stars: Rohan Chand, Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale
Director: Andy Serkis
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 104 minutes
The King (2019)
David Michod’s prestige drama, The King, depicts Hal, the Prince of Wales (Timothee Chalamet) as he is reluctantly hoisted to the English throne. Having chosen to live among the people, Hal has no interest in assuming the throne but, after the death of his tyrannical father, King Henry IV, Hal is nonetheless crowned and forced to embrace the life he tried to escape. Of course, this being 16th-century England, there are murky, dangerous waters of war and politics to navigate. An adaptation of the Henriad plays, this visually-profound film is dripping with intrigue and action, keeping you on the edge of your seat throughout.
Rotten Tomatoes: 72%
Genre: Comedy
Stars: Timothee Chalamet, Joel Edgerton, Ben Mendelsohn, Sean Harris, Robert Pattinson
Director: David Michôd
Rating: R
Runtime: 133 minutes
The Irishman (2019)
It may take a few sittings to get through the entirety of The Irishman given the length, but it’s worth the investment. Unlike some Netflix films, this one also made a theatrical run, a clear gambit to earn recognition from the Academy during awards season. Given the people involved, however, you’d have to be mad not to go for awards recognition. Directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, and Joe Pesci — all de-aged using bleeding-edge CGI — this film is like an acting class on steroids. De Niro plays Frank Sheeran, a truck driver in Philadelphia who gets involved with the mob only to work his way up to becoming legendary gangster Jimmy Hoffa’s (Pacino) right-hand man. Part gangster epic, part historical expose on the influence of the Teamsters union and the mob on American politics, The Irishman is yet another extraordinary bullet on Scorsese’s resume.
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
Genre: Drama
Stars: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci
Director: Martin Scorsese
Rating: R
Runtime: 209 minutes
Beasts of No Nation (2015)
Cary Fukunaga (True Detective) wrote, co-produced, and directed this drama based on the 2005 novel of the same name by Uzodinma Iweala. The film follows Agu (Abraham Attah), a young West African boy who finds himself unwillingly conscripted into an army of children under the fist of a ruthless Commandant (Idris Elba). Beasts pulls no punches, depicting horrific scenes of violence unflinchingly, and does an incredible job making us empathize with Agu — even as he and his contemporaries are murdering their own countrymen in cold blood.
Elba conveys a sense of quiet intensity, channeling religious fanaticism and calm determination in equal measure for a masterful performance (one which earned him a SAG award), and Fukunaga’s sharply contrasting direction effectively mirror’s Agu’s descent into militaristic hedonism. Beasts qualifies as Netflix’s first big feature hit, forecasting many more to come.
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Genre: Drama
Stars: Idris Elba, Abraham Attah
Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga
Rating: R
Runtime: 120 minutes
Tallulah (2016)
Tallulah is a low-stakes dramedy carried by an impressive cast who imbue the film with a sense of authenticity. When petty thief Tallulah (Ellen Page) finds her partner in crime has gone missing, she heads to New York in pursuit, but ends up impulsively abducting a small child before ending up at the apartment of her partner’s mother, Margo (Allison Janney). The movie focuses primarily on the relationship between ‘Lu’ and Margo, as both women work to overcome their personal problems while Lu tries to hide the child’s true identity.
Meanwhile, Tammy Blanchard is excellent as the child’s mother, who’s too concerned with herself to truly feel worried about her missing kid. The movie never quite feels as lived-in as some of our favorite indie films, but Tallulah is full of heart, and its two leads are phenomenal.
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Genre: Drama
Stars: Ellen Page, Allison Janney, Uzo Aduba
Director: Sian Heder
Rating: NR
Runtime: 111 minutes
Imperial Dreams (2014)
Imperial Dreams premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, winning the Audience Award, but didn’t see the light of day until appearing on Netflix’s digital shelves in early 2017. John Boyega (Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi) plays Bambi, a young felon who returns to the treacherous Imperial Courts apartments of Watts, Los Angeles after being released from prison. Bambi must care for his son Daytone, whose life has fallen into chaos after Bambi’s girlfriend (Keke Palmer) is sent to jail. Meanwhile, Bambi must balance his own passions to be a writer against the demands of his old crew, who want his services as a drug mule.
Director Malik Vitthal, born and raised in L.A., wanted to contrast the life of a father against the life of a gangster to show that the two lifestyles are not mutually exclusive. For Star Wars fans, it’s just fun to see Boyega in a much different, more nuanced role.
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Genre: Drama
Stars: John Boyega, Keke Palmer, Glenn Plummer
Director: Mark Vitthal
Rating: NR
Runtime: 87 minutes
Gerald’s Game (2017)
There’s nothing hotter than Stephen King books getting adaptations right now. Compared to big-budget blockbusters It and The Dark Tower, Gerald’s Game might be easy to overlook — especially as a Netflix production which never even saw the inside of a theater. Still, it’s one of the best of the bunch, eschewing set-piece action and CGI scares in favor of more psychological horror. In the film, based on King’s eponymous novel, middle-aged couple Gerald and Jessie Burlingame retreat to a remote Maine cabin to rekindle their relationship.
When Gerald (Bruce Greenwood) handcuffs Jessie (Carla Gugino) to the bed and then dies of a heart attack, Jessie begins to hallucinate, unable to free herself from shackles both physical and otherwise. Gugino’s performance is extraordinary, a career-defining turn loaded with emotion and genuinely unsettling realism.
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Genre: Drama, Horror
Stars: Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood
Director: Mike Flanagan
Rating: NR
Runtime: 103 minutes
First They Killed My Father (2017)
Rogerebert.com’s Matt Zoller Seitz has reviewed countless movies, so when he calls First They Killed My Father “as fine a war movie as has ever been made,” you know it’s worth watching. Directed by Angelina Jolie, the film — set in 1975 Cambodia — follows 7-year-old Ung (Sreymoch Sareum), who is forced into service as a child soldier for the Khmer Rouge while the rest of her family are imprisoned or killed. Jolie’s work behind the camera is sparkling, with serene, rose-tinted scenes of dreams or flashbacks in sharp contrast against the brutal reality that Ung suffers through.
First They Killed My Father is a somber affair, one with more concern for the actions on screen than the greater political implications of the conflict. That reduced sense of scale helps to vivify Ung’s story and effectively hone in on the emotions and (horrifying) events which shaped her experience.
Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
Genre: Drama
Stars: Sreymoch Sareum, Phoeung Kompheak, Sveng Socheata
Director: Angelina Jolie
Rating: NR
Runtime: 100 minutes
The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (2017)
If you browse Netflix often (and we’re betting you do, because who doesn’t?), you’ve no doubt found yourself confronted by several new Adam Sandler projects like The Ridiculous Six or Sandy Wexler, which are classic Sandler vehicles reliant on goofy, lowbrow humor. The Meyerowitz Stories is far different, an understated, thoughtful dramedy which explores the relationship between a retired artist (Dustin Hoffman) and his dysfunctional children (Sandler, Ben Stiller, Elizabeth Marvel).
When unemployed, recently separated Danny (Sandler) moves back in with his dad, he must contend with his frustrating whims amidst increasingly strained family dynamics. Noah Baumbach (The Squid and The Whale) imbues the film with an almost Royal Tenenbaums-esque sense of surrealism, but weighs it back down with the all-too-real stresses and issues its characters face.
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Stars: Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman
Director: Noah Baumbach
Rating: NR
Runtime: 100 minutes
Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond (2017)
You might at first feel skeptical about the idea of a Netflix documentary about a documentary, but trust us: Jim & Andy manages to be just as engrossing as Man on the Moon, and perhaps even more so. Like Andy Kaufman’s manically method performances as Tony Clifton, Carrey relates his experience during the filming of Man on the Moon as one of complete and total immersion, which is shown to be true in the many hilarious (and often uncomfortable) backstage videos depicting Carrey in character as Kaufman or Clifton.
Carrey’s dedication was such that his portrayal of Kaufman became even more absurd and odd than Kaufman himself, and he was curiously far more combative than Kaufman, especially while interacting with wrestler Jerry “The King” Lawler. Director Chris Smith excellently cuts footage of Carrey’s on-set antics against modern-day interviews, showing the great lengths to which Carrey went for the film.
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Genre: Documentary
Stars: Jim Carrey, Andy Kaufman
Director: Chris Smith
Rating: NR
Runtime: 94 minutes
Icarus (2017)
Director Bryan Fogel (Jewtopia) set out to make a unique film about the world of cycling, then ended up with something completely different. In an effort to learn more about doping in sports, Fogel began taking cycling steroids and performance-enhancing drugs to improve his ability while trying to avoid discovery by sport officials. Then, Fogel’s star interviewee — Russian doctor Grigory Rodchenkov — reveals his part in a program designed to hide Russian athletes’ drug use from the Olympic committee and other governing bodies. Thereafter, Rodchenkov makes some bold claims about Russian leadership’s involvement in the program, and even fears for his life after a colleague dies mysteriously.
Icarus morphs seamlessly from a doping doc into a thriller, with Fogel sliding knowingly out of the spotlight in order to push Rodchenkov as the story’s centerpiece. The whole film operates in morally gray areas, and Fogel smartly hides his hand there, avoiding any grand claims to the moral high (or low) ground.
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Genre: Documentary
Stars: Bryan Fogel, Grigory Rodchenkov
Director: Bryan Fogel
Rating: NR
Runtime: 110 minutes
I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore (2017)
In I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore (snappy title, right?), Ruth (Melanie Lynskey) is having a rough go of things. She’s had to deal with racist old people, insensitive drivers, and home invaders, and she’s finally decided enough is enough. So, Ruth recruits her eccentric neighbor (Elijah Wood) and sets out to find the jerks who broke into her house for some good, old-fashioned revenge.
The movie is a diverse mash-up of genres and film styles, veering from comedy to drama to thriller in the span of a few minutes, but thanks to Lynskey’s impressively relatable performance and consistent presence throughout, it never becomes confusing or disjointed. When I Don’t Feel At Home is at its darkest, it’s also at its best, but it never gets too depressing to enjoy.
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Suspense
Stars: Elijah Wood, Melanie Lynskey
Director: Macon Blair
Rating: NR
Runtime: 96 minutes
The Battered Bastards of Baseball (2014)
One of the first feature-length films released as a Netflix original, The Battered Bastards of Baseball tells the story of the Portland Mavericks, a unique minor-league baseball team which played independently — that is, not affiliated with any major league franchise — during the 1970s. Bing Russell (father of Kurt and a huge baseball fan) bought the team in 1973 for pennies on the dollar, and proceeded to hold open tryouts, hiring Kurt on as both VP and designated hitter.
Somehow, the ragtag team managed to stay competitive while leading a collective lifestyle reminiscent of Bull Durham, led in part by ex-Yankee Jim Bouton, whose 1970 tell-all book Ball Four laid bare many dugout tales and engineered his exile from the major leagues. A combination of interviews, archival footage, and training films produced by the Russells help to make this one of the most entertaining and unique sports documentaries you’ll ever see.
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Genre: Documentary
Stars: Maclain Way, Chapman Way
Director: Chris Smith
Rating: NR
Runtime: 80 minutes
Okja (2017)
Kid-focused pet movies are a dime a dozen, but Okja offers a little more in the way of grown-up themes; in fact, we wouldn’t recommend it for small children at all. In the face of overpopulation and dwindling resource pools, the Mirando corporation — led by neurotic CEO Lucy Mirando (Tilda Swinton) — develops a “super pig,” sending these huge hippo-like creatures to farmers across the world for a ten-year maturation process, at the end of which a Best Pig will be named. One of these pigs, Okja, is sent to the South Korean countryside, where young Mija (the excellent Ahn Seo-hyun) has grown up alongside it.
When the ten years are up, Mirando arrives to collect Okja, and Mija takes off with the animal. On the way to New York, Mija encounters a varied, colorful cast of characters including a crazy Steve Irwin-type (Jake Gyllenhaal) and some odd animal rights activists (Paul Dano, Steven Yeung). The film is at times both horrifying and heartwarming, underscoring the serious chops of director Bong Joon-ho (The Host).
Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
Genre: Drama, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Stars: An Seo Hyun, Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano
Director: Bong Joon-ho
Rating: NR
Runtime: 118 minutes
What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015)
Before her death in 2003, Nina Simone was one of the most iconic voices of the 20th century, a supremely talented vocalist capable of adjusting to fit many genres, from blues to R&B to pop. Veteran biopic documentarian Liz Garbus (Love, Marilyn, Bobby Fischer Against The World) uses every tool in her arsenal — interview recordings, diary excerpts, performance footage, and more — to paint an accurate picture of Simone, who is a cultural icon because of both her contributions to the arts and her contributions to the fight for racial equality.
The movie tracks Simone from her upbringing in North Carolina, where her prodigal musical gifts were overlooked and marginalized thanks to her gender and skin color. Rather than collecting present-day musicians to wax poetic about Simone’s legacy (which likely would have drummed up bigger interest and viewership), Garbus is content to allow Nina to stay at the center of her own story. Even if you have no idea who Nina Simone is, you should watch this documentary.
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Genre: Documentary
Stars: Nina Simone
Director: Liz Garbus
Rating: NR
Runtime: 102 minutes
Virunga (2014)
Virunga is a gripping documentary about a group of people who are risking their lives to protect and build a better future in a part of Africa that has been forgotten. Throughout the documentary, the filmmakers — and executive producer Leonardo Dicaprio — explore the forested depths of the Virunga National Park in eastern Congo, home to the planet’s last remaining mountain gorillas. The park is also home to a small team of individuals who are trying to protect it from armed militia, poachers, and greedy parties looking to control the Congo’s natural resources. When the rebel group M23 declares war, everyone, including the filmmakers, is caught in the crossfire. Virunga is an incredible true story of the fearless people who are risking everything to protect this National Park, and doubles as an in-depth look at the realities of life in the Congo.
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Genre: Documentary
Director: Orlando Von Einsiedel
Rating: NR
Runtime: 90 minutes
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