In a landscape filled with streaming services you have to pay for, there’s some comfort in knowing that there are some free options out there. Services like Tubi may not have the same name recognition as something like Netflix, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of great content worth exploring on Tubi.
Below, we’ve identified three underrated titles that you may have scrolled by as you explored the service, but are definitely worth checking out. From classics to documentaries and other more recent titles, these are three underrated Tubi movies that are perfect to watch this winter.
The Lighthouse (2019)
If you’re in for something deeply weird and a bit spooky, The Lighthouse might be right up your alley. Telling the story of two lighthouse keepers who slowly lose their mind in the 19th century as they begin to suspect that the lighthouse they’re tending might be haunted, The Lighthouse features incredible, often deeply funny performances from Willem Dafoe (Poor Things) and Robert Pattinson, who are basically the only two people in the movie.
Although The Lighthouse is neither a conventional comedy nor a conventional horror movie, if you’re willing to ride along with its various twists and turns, you might find yourself riveted by it in spite of, or maybe even because of, its many oddities.
Citizenfour (2014)
A thrilling documentary about a documentarian’s search to discover who sent her information on secret government programs, Citizenfour is still just as fascinating more than a decade after its release.
Although the politics of some of the movie’s central figures (namely Glenn Greenwald) have become much more vexing and complicated in the years since the documentary was released, the revelations in Citizenfour feel as timely as ever, as do the conversations with Edward Snowden, who still looms large in American defense communities. This may not seem like the kind of documentary that could appeal to anyone, but because so much of it feels like a tense thriller, it winds up being much more exciting than you might expect.
Stalag 17 (1953)
A brilliant World War II movie from Billy Wilder, one of the best directors in Hollywood history, Stalag 17 is set at a German prisoner camp. The film follows the aftermath of a failed escape attempt as the remaining prisoners begin to suspect that there’s a German spy in their midst.
When one of the men comes under particularly harsh suspicion, he becomes determined to root out the real spy in order to save himself. Carefully crafted and featuring a dynamic William Holden performance (it won him the Oscar for Best Actor in 1954), Stalag 17 isn’t widely considered to be one of Wilder’s best movies, but it’s one of his most entertaining. And, on top of that, it will keep you guessing throughout.
