The 66 Best Movies on Netflix Right Now

To help you make your next streaming selection at home, we've rounded up the best movies on Netflix.

For this list, all feature films are fair game. Here there are classic dramas and comedies; powerful small-budget fare you've probably never heard of; kids' movies; lots of scary horror, pulse-pounding action flicks and thrillers; illuminating documentaries—there's a lot of sexy stuff, guilty pleasures, some foreign-language offerings, and so much more. We've included Netflix original films, and the movies they've acquired.

This list is regularly updated as films come and go from Netflix's library.

These are the best movies on Netflix right now to stream and binge-watch. 

Best Movies on Netflix to watch right now

1. The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

Oscar-winning The Social Network and West Wing scribe Aaron Sorkin wrote and directed this uncommonly entertaining legal drama, drawing parallels between 1968 and today. Strong performances from an ensemble cast including Yahya Abdul Mateen II, Michael Keaton, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and more benefit a film that earned serious Oscar attention.

2. Alex Strangelove (2018)

All at once joyous, raunchy and disarmingly poignant, this Netflix original movie stars Daniel Doheny as Alex Truelove, a deeply closeted high-school senior who loves his girlfriend Claire (Madeline Weinstein), but is overwhelmed with confusion when he falls for a handsome, comfortably out boy named Elliot (Antonio Marziale).

Related: The Best Patriotic Movies of All Time

3. Always Be My Maybe (2019)

Co-writers Ali Wong and Randall Park star in this charming rom-com about childhood friends reunited years after a disastrous fling. A loose and nimble Keanu Reeves, playing himself, can’t help but steal every scene he’s in.

Related: Inspiring, Uplifting Movies on Netflix

4. Before I Wake (2016)

Horror master Mike Flanagan (binge the incredible Midnight Mass on Netflix if you're a fan of the genre) directs Thomas Jane, Kate Bosworth and Jacob Tremblay in this supernatural thriller about an adopted boy with a deathly imagination.

5. Berlin Syndrome (2017)

So abundant we might as well make them their own genre, movies about kidnapped females generally go one of two ways: It’s either all about the suspense, figuring out how and if she will get out—or there’s the nastier route, the low road, when some movies focus on a woman’s torture and humiliation, turning it into a spectacle.

Though Australian director Cate Shortland‘s adaptation of Melanie Joosten‘s novel, about a tourist imprisoned by a handsome teacher after a passionate one-night-stand, is a thriller (quite heart-pounding at times), and much of the woman’s mistreatment is extremely hard to watch, this highly absorbing psychological drama stands out because it’s all about the characters and what’s going on in their heads.

6. Bird Box (2018) 

Sandra Bullock stars in Bird Box as expectant mother Malorie, who’s forced to become a survivalist when supernatural forces decimate the world’s population. One look at these creatures—who we never see—causes your eyes to glaze over and moisten, then you go insane and commit suicide, by whatever means is handy. After surviving a chaotic early set piece of carnage and destruction on a massive scale, Malorie and her unborn child make it to a house where several strangers who’ve also evaded the outbreak have found shelter. Bird Box broke Netflix records and remains one of the streaming giant's biggest hits ever.

Related: We Ranked the Entire James Bond Movie Series, Worst to Best

7. Blonde (2022)

Based on Joyce Carol Oates' fictionalized account of the life of Marilyn Monroe, Andrew Dominik's much-hyped drama stars Ana De Armas as one of classic Hollywood's foremost icons. The biggest headlines surrounding Blonde's release were due to the picture's NC-17 rating; it's the highest-profile film released with the infamous stamp in some time.

Dominik's three-hour film is occasionally riveting, alternately bloated, self-indulgent, often unpleasant, even cruel. De Armas' performance is genuinely astonishing, deserving of major awards attention. 

8. The Boys in the Band (2020) 

Helmed by award-winning Broadway director Joe Mantello, Ryan Murphy's co-produced adaptation of Mart Crowley's iconic play stars an all-star cast of out gay actors including Jim Parsons, Matt Bomer and Zachary Quinto. It's set on a gathering of gay friends in 1968 NYC.

9. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019)

The feature filmmaking debut of Oscar nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor is about the inspiring true story of William Kamkwamba (based on his memoir), a Malawian who ingeniously built a windmill to save his village from famine. Official British entry for Best International Feature at the 92nd Academy Awards.

Related: The Best, Scariest Horror Movies on Netflix

10. Maestro (2023) 

One of the buzziest (and already most controversial) films of 2023 is Bradley Cooper's follow-up to A Star Is Born, Maestro. Heading back to the musical well, he'll now be playing Leonard Bernstein in a biopic about the famed composer. He's joined on screen by Carey Mulligan, who will be playing Bernstein's wife, Felicia Montealegre. Neither Mulligan nor Cooper have ever won an Oscar and both roles here are meaty not only because of their characters' professional lives, but also due to the romantic element and Bernstein's affairs with men. These are performances you won't want to miss. 

11. Cam (2018)

Directed by Daniel Goldhaber, this Netflix original is about an adult webcam performer who discovers a sinister presence has taken her place on the internet. Cam has some truly frightening moments, and it examines the subject matter of sex work with appropriate care and thought. Most notably, it showcases a head-turning lead performance by The Handmaid‘s Tale‘s Madeline Brewer, often playing multiple entities on-screen at the same time. Thanks to a perceptive script by real-life former cam girl Isa Mazzei, Cam is often an examination of fractured identity, something that’s definitely not limited to the world of adult entertainment. Cam stumbles a bit at the ending, but it’s full of provocative ideas, and Brewer just floors you.

12. Yes Day (2021)

Always-luminous Jennifer Garner elevates Miguel Arteta's family comedy about parents who give their kids 24 hours to make the house rules. A sequel is on the way.

13-14. The Christmas Chronicles (2018) and The Christmas Chronicles 2 (2020)

In this Netflix original, Kurt Russell is an uncommonly cool, handsome and wise-talking Santa Claus, who helps a brother and sister (Judah Lewis and Darby Camp) rediscover the magic of Christmas after the loss of their father. The Christmas Chronicles was directed by Clay Kaytis (The Angry Birds Movie), and produced by Chris Columbus (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone). The big draw here is Russell’s performance, and he does not disappoint. This isn’t really like any Santa you’ve seen before. Two years later, Russell's longtime real-life partner Goldie Hawn took a break from retirement for a turn as Mrs. Claus in the highly-rated sequel, also on Netflix. 

15. We Can Be Heroes (2020)

Spy Kids helmer Robert Rodriguez wrote and directed this Netflix original family-friendly superhero movie, a follow-up to The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3D. The picture received a mostly warm reception from critics, and broke all kinds of viewership records for Netflix. A sequel has been announced.

16. Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)

From Oscar winner Morgan Neville, this is a documentary about the legacy of Fred Rogers and the Peabody Award-winning children's program Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, which ran on public television from 1968-2001.

Won't You Be My Neighbor? isn't Fred Rogers' biography; it's a lively cinematic tribute to his work and message. This is one of the most inspiring docs in memory, a highly emotional experience worthy of its iconic subject, capturing the essence of a man whose spirit of kindness, patience and respect inspires millions to this day.