The 101 best movies to watch on Netflix right now

This is the movie that made Jim Carrey into a huge star. Known mostly for being part of the "In Living Color" cast, after this movie where he plays an outlandish pet detective, he was suddenly the hit of Hollywood.

Harrison Ford plays the president who has to save the day when a terrorist (played by Gary Oldman) takes control of his plane.

This is the spoof movie of all spoof movies. Every line is a classic thanks to the expert delivery of actors like Leslie Nielsen, Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Peter Graves, and Lloyd Bridges who said every outlandish and silly line with straight faces and gravitas.

Will Smith embodies Muhammad Ali in this powerful biopic from director Michael Mann that only gets better with age.

Smith's performance, which was Oscar-nominated, is one of the best of his career and Mann's boxing ring camera work in unlike most in the genre as its shaky feel portrays the rawness of the sport.

This Oscar-winning documentary gives an unfiltered look at the life and career of Amy Winehouse.

This powerful documentary looks at the Indianapolis Star reporters who break the story of the abuse going on by USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar.

You got to give it to Netflix, the popularity of this original from the streamer helped revive the dormant rom-com genre.

A big reason is director Susan Johnson did one heck of a casting for her leads with Lana Condor (Lara Jean) and Noah Centineo (Peter).

This documentary takes an inside look at the headline-grabbing frenzy that surrounded the murder case an American exchange student was entangled in back in the early 2000s.

But for the first time ever, that student, Amanda Knox, goes in front of the camera and tells her side of the story.

Winner of this year's Oscar for best documentary, directors Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert look at a General Motors plant in Ohio that's taken over by a Chinese billionaire.

Though it breathes life and hope into a community that needs it, the thousands of Americans hired gradually begin to clash with their new boss.

Sasha Lane gives a fantastic performance as Star, a teenager who gets caught up with a group of kids who travel the midwest selling magazine subscriptions. Star also begins to fall for one of the group's leaders, Jake (played with scummy perfection by Shia LaBeouf).

Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt both won Oscars for playing an unlikely couple in this James L. Brooks comedy. It also features one of the best dog performances in movie history.

Here's a little trivia for you. Cary Fukunaga's "Beasts of No Nation" was the first-ever original Netflix movie. And it is definitely worth a watch.

Idris Elba is amazing as the twisted leader of child soldiers fighting for their lives during a civil war in Africa.

This glimpse inside the world of professional wrestling shines a light on legends like Terry Funk, The Rock, and Mankind, but also navigates through the dark side of the business. Like tracking down Jake "The Snake" Roberts, who during the time this documentary was made was battling drug addiction (he has since gotten sober).

Emma Watson leads a group of teens who use the web to find the homes of celebrities and then rob them when they are out. Oh, by the way, this is based on a true story.

Written and directed by Angelina Jolie (back when she went by Angelina Jolie Pitt), this moody drama stars Jolie and her then-husband Brad Pitt as they play a married couple who take a trip to France in the hopes of saving their marriage.

Does Netflix have a lot of Christmas movies? Yes, they do. But this is one that is so fun it can be seen any time of the year (or that's how my kids watch it, at least).

It's probably because Kurt Russell is so entertaining as St. Nick (it's not because of the weird CGI elves that show up later in the movie).

Before CGI took over big movies, stop-motion animation was used a lot and Ray Harryhausen was the go-to guy.

Some of his greatest creatures are showcased here in this movie loosely based on the Greek myth of Perseus (played by Harry Hamlin).

This one never gets old no matter how many times you watch it. Bill Hader is great in the role of aspiring inventor Flint Lockwood, and the comedic talents of directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are on full display here.

Spike Lee's latest movie is a powerful look at a group of Vietnam Vets who return back to the country in search of gold and the remains of their fallen squad leader.

Delroy Lindo is the standout among the ensemble with a performance that's Oscar-worthy.

Keanu Reeves plays a hotshot Florida attorney who is hired by a big New York City firm. He and his wife (Charlize Theron) are suddenly thrown into an elite world of power and wealth. But soon they realize the head of the firm (Al Pacino) is more than what he seems.

Quentin Tarantino's Western follows Jamie Foxx as a freed slave who sets out to rescue his wife from a plantation owner (played by Leonardo DiCaprio).

Eddie Murphy gives one of his best performances in years playing Rudy Ray Moore, the entertainer who unable to find steady work decides to create the alter ego Dolemite and have him star in a movie. It led to the character becoming a blaxploitation legend in the 1970s.

Its fantastic soundtrack, beautiful cinematography of Los Angeles, and stoic performance by Ryan Gosling all make for a special kind of crime movie.

Steven Spielberg captivated audiences in the late 1980s (honestly, still to this day) with this touching story about a boy who sets out to help his alien friend get back home.

If the comedy in this stand-up movie doesn't wow you then Eddie Murphy's all red leather attire will. This is one of the funniest stand-up acts you will ever see.

Director Petra Costa gives a personal touch to this political documentary that explores her home country of Brazil as it deals with the rise and fall of two presidents which led to a socio-political crisis in 2014. The film earned an Oscar nomination this year.

Hailee Steinfeld gives a great performance as an unpopular high schooler whose life gets even more complicated when her best friend (Haley Lu Richardson) starts dating her brother (Blake Jenner).

Before director David Ayer went off and made big-budget movies like "Fury" and "Suicide Squad," he wrote and directed this gritty police drama starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña.

Shot as a faux documentary to elevate the high stakes, the movie follows the two as they patrol the streets of Los Angeles and eventually get in way over their heads.

Sam Raimi's classic horror movie didn't just launch a career for he and star Bruce Campbell, but inspired a generation of filmmakers.

Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, and Alicia Vikander give top-flight performances in this great sci-fi movie from Alex Garland that follows a programmer (Gleeson) who has been chosen by his boss (Isaac) to evaluate his A.I. creation (Vikander).

As you could imagine, things go terribly wrong.

Penned by director Noah Baumbach and star Greta Gerwig, we follow free-spirit Frances (Gerwig) as she navigates through New York City with few cares in the world.

Starring a great ensemble that includes Armie Hammer, Cillian Murphy, Brie Larson, Sharlto Copley, and Sam Riley, the movie has a simple premise that turns out to be deadly.

Set in 1978 Boston, two gangs meet up to exchange guns for money, things go wrong and it leads to a bloody (and often funny) shoot out between everyone.

Salma Hayek earned an Oscar nomination for her performance as iconic artist Frida Kahlo.

Director Ron Howard takes the popular stage play and turns it into a fascinating movie about the interview special in which talk show host David Frost (Michael Sheen) interviews former President Richard Nixon (Frank Langella), who speaks candidly about his presidency for the first time since Watergate.

Veteran documentary filmmaker Chris Smith unravels the insanity behind the Fyre Festival in this great documentary.

I don't care how many times you've seen this, it's not enough.

Joel Edgerton writes, directs, and stars in this twisted horror in which he plays a man who tries to rebuild a friendship with someone from his past (Jason Bateman).

Need a thriller in your life? This is the one.

Why are big stars like Adam Sandler going off to work with Josh and Benny Safdie ("Uncut Gems")? It's because they want to put on their filmography the kind of work Robert Pattinson did with the brothers.

In "Good Time," Pattinson gives one of the best performances of his career so far as he plays a small-time crook who scrambles to get his brother out of jail after the pair botches a bank robbery.

The animation company behind the "Despicable Me" and "Secret Life of Pets" movies take on a Christmas classic and pulls off an impressive adaptation of the Dr. Seuss tale, led by Benedict Cumberbatch as the voice of the Grinch.

Steven Soderbergh's action-packed revenge tale follows Gina Carano, hot off her MMA career, taking on all comers, including Channing Tatum and Michael Fassbender.

It's hard to believe this is the last feature film Spike Jonze has made, but that's how it's turned out. However, it's kind of hard to top this one.

Joaquin Phoenix plays a lonely writer who falls for his operating system (voiced by Scarlett Johansson). Seriously, some of the "futuristic" stuff is so on point it's wild.

It's one of the best rom-coms ever made. There, I said it.

Will Smith and Eva Mendes have incredible chemistry and Kevin James as a guy who is going after someone way out of his league, even with Smith's help, is a lot of fun.

This dark comedy highlights the great talents of character actress Melanie Lynskey, as she gets the chance to be the lead in a movie.

She plays a woman battling depression who after being robbed finds purpose in her life. Along with her neighbor (Elijah Wood), the two seek out revenge.

Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg were already pretty big deals when they made this action movie about an archaeologist who battles Nazis to find the Ark. But the incredible success of this movie made them legends.

You can binge the whole franchise, as all the titles are available on Netflix (yes, even "Crystal Skull").

Featuring the talents of Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster, Clive Owen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Christopher Plummer, and Willem Dafoe, Spike Lee crafts a very impressive heist movie.

Remember back in the day when all we had to worry about was if North Korea hacked us because of this movie? Boy, those were the days.

Nothing is what it seems in this movie. Logan Marshall-Green plays a guy who goes to a party being thrown by his ex-wife, but their past combined with new drama leads to a tension-filled evening. And then the ending just goes next level shocking.

Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro spent decades trying to get this movie off the ground about the life of hitman Frank Sheeran (played by De Niro). But it wasn't until Netflix came around that the making of the movie finally became a reality.

Also starring Al Pacino and Joe Pesci, it's time to watch (or finish) "The Irishman."

Before Chris Smith made the "Fyre" doc for Netflix, he compiled the hours of footage Jim Carrey shot while playing Andy Kaufman in the biopic, "Man on the Moon," and created a fascinating behind-the-scenes doc on Carrey's insane process to play the comic genius (Carrey was in character as Kaufman even when they weren't shooting the movie).

Greta Gerwig uses elements of her own life growing up in Sacramento to craft this beautifully realistic look at high school life for Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson (Saoirse Ronan).

You can now binge the entire 10-part docuseries that was a sensation when it aired on ESPN earlier this year. We don't just get a deep dive into the Chicago Bulls dynasty, but into the mind and soul of its leader Michael Jordan.

Steven Soderbergh nabs Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman, and Antonio Banderas to lead this story that looks at the swindlers and swindled that surrounded the "Panama Papers" scandal.

From the creative mind of Yorgos Lanthimos ("Dogtooth," "The Favourite"), he gives us his version of a love story.

Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, and John C. Reilly round out the cast in this movie set in a dystopian near-future where single people are required to stay at "The Hotel" where they must find a romantic partner in 45 days or are transformed into an animal of their choosing.

This adaptation of a Dr. Seuss tale isn't just funny and entertaining but also has a powerful message about the need to protect the planet.

Noah Baumbach writes and directs one of the most honest looks at a relationship that's ever been put on screen. Stars Adam Driver and Scarlet Johansson are perfectly cast as the couple.

Partly inspired by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard (with other inspirations thrown in), Paul Thomas Anderson delivers yet another riveting and deep look at the human condition with this movie.

It's topped by Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman who deliver excellent performances acting across one another.

Winner of best picture and Oscars for Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman, and Clint Eastwood for directing, this powerful movie follows a woman (Swank) and her grizzled trainer (Eastwood) as they rise up the professional boxing ranks.

The legendary comedy troupe Monty Python take their antics back to the dark ages for this classic big-screen movie.

Want to know how great it is? The movie was released 45 years ago and lines from the movie are still quoted today.

Barry Jenkins' touching look at an African-American trying to figure out his life is required viewing.

From the performances to the cinematography and score, the movie is special.

This documentary delves into the amazing life of Walter Mercado, the iconic astrologer who for decades mesmerized millions of Latino viewers.

Garrett Hedlund and Jason Mitchell play two men who return from World War II and try to figure out their life back home in racially-charged Mississippi.

Michelle Williams gives an incredible performance playing Marilyn Monroe in this movie that gives a glimpse at the iconic sex symbol behind the scenes while struggling to make the movie "The Prince and the Showgirl" alongside one of the greatest actors ever, Sir Laurence Olivier.

After honing their material on the TV show "Police Squad!," David Zucker, Jerry Zucker, and Jim Abrams took Detective Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) to the big screen and it's some of the funniest stuff you'll ever see.

Can't get enough? Watch "Naked Gun 2 1/2" on Netflix.

What makes this movie so timeless is the chemistry between Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams. You just can't turn away from their performances on screen.

Charlize Theron plays the leader of a group of immortal mercenaries who have spent centuries trying to do good in the world. But when a new member joins the group, and an evil pharma bro tries to obtain their powers, things get very complicated (and bloody).

Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg take the buddy cop genre in a different direction for this comedy where they play two cops who are completely opposite and also not that great at their jobs.

Before Netflix made Martin Scorsese's "The Irishman," it used its deep pockets to make Orson Welles' final movie a reality.

Made on and off by Welles from the 1970s into the 1980s, he was still trying to complete it when he died in 1985. Then after decades of legal disputes over who actually owned the movie, it finally was sorted out a few years ago and Netflix bankrolled its completion.

I honestly cannot tell you definitively what the movie is about, but it is worth a watch.

Guillermo del Toro creates a gothic fairy tale as we follow a Spanish girl who escapes her troubled life and finds a fantasy world of creatures and hope.

If you need a good scare tonight, you have to watch this "found footage" thriller about a couple who try to figure out if their house is haunted.

Paul Reubens returns to play his legendary man child character in a new adventure.

This time he's trying to get to New York City to attend the big birthday bash of his good friend (checks notes) Joe Manganiello.

Roman Polanski adapts this holocaust memoir, and also uses memories of his time as a boy in the Kraków Ghetto before escaping after his mother's death there, to make a gripping story of survival.

Adrian Brody earned a best actor Oscar win for his role of a Polish Jewish musician who struggles to survive the Warsaw ghetto during World War II.

This great Disney animated movie based on the Brothers Grimm tale follows a waitress and aspiring restaurant owner named Tiana as she finds herself turned into a frog after kissing a frog who happens to be a prince.

Brian De Palma's psychological thriller stars John Lithgow as a respected child psychologist who suffers from multiple personality disorder and has a strange obsession with his daughter.

A landmark work as it was the first-ever feature-length movie of a stand-up act, Pryor's 1979 performance in Long Beach, California, would go on to inspire other comedians like Eddie Murphy and Dave Chappelle. And man is this stand-up movie funny.

Netflix began to really go after the major Oscar award categories when it made Alfonso Cuarón's semi-autobiographical look at a family in 1970s Mexico City.

The movie would go on to win three Oscars, including best director and cinematography for Cuarón.

Known best for his "Cocaine Cowboys" movies, documentary filmmaker Billy Corben changes things up in his latest project as he looks at the man behind the Major League Baseball doping scandal.

But to show the absurdity of the whole thing, Corben enlists child actors to reenact moments from this shameful moment in sports history.

If you are stuck at home with the kids and need something for them to do outside of jumping all over the furniture, may I suggest this great movie.

I mean, what kid doesn't love talking animals? Especially when Harrison Ford is voicing one of them.

This Oscar-winning documentary follows the journey to find out what happened to a 1970s rocker simply known as Rodriguez, who seemed to have vanished off the face of the Earth right when he was starting to make a name for himself.

A hero for many in the early 1970s, this character was one of the few Black leading men on the big screen. Richard Roundtree stars in the role of John Shaft, who would become the face of the blaxploitation genre that was building in the country at the time.

If you're looking for a love story with a little bit of edge to it, you can't go wrong with this one. Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence play two troubled people who fall for each other.

A criminally underrated rom-com, Jason Sudeikis and Alison Brie play friends who form a platonic relationship that builds into something more. Though things are complicated because he's a womanizer and she's a serial cheater.

Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan would solidify themselves as rom-com legends thanks to this movie in which they play two people on different sides of the country who find one another.

Making a good western has become a lost art, but director John Maclean wrote and directed a real gem here.

Kodi Smit-McPhee plays a Scottish man traveling America to find the love of his life. Michael Fassbender plays a slick cowboy who is willing to be his guide to find her. But the highlight is Ben Mendelsohn as the movie's villain. He's perfect in every scene.

Before Bong Joon-ho amazed audiences with "Parasite" and dominated this year's Oscars, he made this thrilling sci-fi movie that touches on class and privilege.

Set in a future where the humanity that's left is aboard a fast-moving train, it's split up with the poor staying in the back and the rich in the front.

But that all changes when Curtis (Chris Evans) decides to lead a revolt to the front of the train.

Mel Brooks spoofs everything we love about sci-fi space movies to create this fantastic comedy that includes John Candy playing a creature that's half-human and half-dog, a flying Winnebago, and Pizza the Hut.

One of the best movies of 2018, this Oscar winner brings to the screen many versions of Spider-Man. Not only Peter Parker wears the iconic mask.

With an all-star cast made up of Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo, John Slattery, and Liev Schreiber, this best picture Oscar winner looks at the Spotlight investigative division of the Boston Globe as it reports on child molestation within the Catholic Church.

"Marriage Story" wasn't the only time Noah Baumbach has explored how a family copes with divorce. In this acclaimed movie, he explores the impact it has on the kids, with Jesse Eisenberg leading the way in a top-notch performance.

Director Paul Verhoeven ("Total Recall") brings his unique style of big action and dark laughs for this adaptation of the sci-fi novel.

If none of these titles so far sound interesting, well, I give up after this one.

Daniel Radcliffe plays a dead body who befriends a man stranded on an island (Paul Dano) and helps him get home. In doing so, Radcliffe's character uses his farts to power his body as a boat, uses his limbs to break fallen trees in their way, and uses his erection as a compass to guide them back home.

Now go forth and watch.

One of the classic collaborations between Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, the duo takes a twisted script from Paul Schrader and creates a movie that shines a light on the hopeless feeling many had in the nation in the late 1970s.

This is Paul Thomas Anderson's greatest work to date. An epic look at one man's drive to rule the oil industry.

Daniel Day-Lewis' performance in the role is perfect, and everything from the cinematography to the production design to the score is incredible.

This Netflix docuseries has captivated audiences as it gives us a glimpse inside the wild world of big cat conservationists.

Dustin Hoffman is great as a struggling (and egotistical) actor who can't get any work so he decides to begin auditioning while dressed as a woman. Before he knows it, he's the scene-stealing star of a soap opera.

Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a guy who just wanted a nice vacation in Mars and suddenly he has people trying to kill him. This sci-fi must-see never gets old.

This solid heist movie stars Ben Affleck (who also directed the movie) as a crook planning his next job while falling for a hostage (Rebecca Hall) from his last one.

If you feel the need to be scared in these interesting times, here's one. A zombie virus breaks out in South Korea and passengers on a train going from Seoul to Busan fight to survive.

A special-effects high water mark when it was released, this movie that stars Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt as storm chasers is still a good time.

Directors Josh and Benny Safdie have taken their anxiety-filled raw storytelling and placed in the talents of Adam Sandler to create a fantastic tale about a jeweler (Sandler) who is also a degenerate gambler. The movie also features a breakout performance by Julia Fox.

Forget that Tim Burton version, this is the "Wonka" movie you want. The songs are fantastic, the comedy is perfect, and Gene Wilder as Wonka shows why he was a comic genius.

Adam Sandler gives out lots of laughs in this comedy where he plays an Israeli Special Forces soldier who fakes his own death to start a new life as a hairstylist in New York City.