The 43 Best Movies on Amazon Prime Video Right Now (November 2024)

Amazon Prime Video and its associated studio Amazon MGM Studios are responsible for a nice mix of straight-to-streaming and theatrical movies. You'll find the best ones below, including the newest release, coming-of-age dramedy My Old Ass, which was a hit at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. The list also features Oscar winners, blockbusters, and whatever Saltburn is.

Just to let you know how we put this list together: In order to keep the list as relevant as possible, we're putting the most importance on new releases, Prime Video originals, and critics' favorites. But we're also adding our own personal spin on the list, with underrated gems we're recommending to our friends, classic favorites, and important selections that highlight diverse voices. We'll be updating the list regularly.

Last updated on Nov. 18; the most recent additions are at the top.

Disclaimer: When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

My Old Ass (2024) 

For fans of: Thinking about the advice you'd give your younger self, Aubrey Plaza's specific thing

Director: Megan Park
Stars: Maisy Stella, Aubrey Plaza, Percy Hynes White
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 74

This coming-of-age dramedy is just silly enough to make its profundity sneak up on you, so when it hits, it hits hard. Maisy Stella stars as Elliott, an 18-year-old in the summer between high school and college who, during a mushroom trip, is visited by her 39-year-old self (Aubrey Plaza), who advises her to spend time with her family and to not fall in love with anyone named Chad. But when young Elliott meets Chad (Percy Hynes White), she can't resist, and her life is changed as a result. It's a bittersweet and funny movie about love, loss, and how time speeds up the older you get. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

Dune (2021)

For fans of: Epic sci-fi worlds, delicious spice, Timmy

Director: Denis Villeneuve
Stars: Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgard, Dave Bautista, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem, Zendaya
Genre: Comedy, action
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 74

Dune moves from from service to service like a spaceship doing interstellar travel, and it recently landed on Prime Video. Now's the perfect time to watch brilliant director Denis Villeneuve's large-scale adaptation of Frank Herbert's legendary sci-fi novel, or to watch it again, as the spinoff prequel series Dune: Prophecy is coming to Max later this month. Dune will make you say, sincerely, "I wish the shots of spacecraft taking off and landing were even longer." They look and sound amazing, like they're real. It's blockbuster filmmaking at the highest level. Desert power! -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

Jackpot! (2024)

For fans of: Laughing at murder, other Paul Feig movies like Bridesmaids and Spy

Director: Paul Feig
Stars: Awkwafina, John Cena, Simu Liu, Machine Gun Kelly
Genre: Comedy, action
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 41

Awkwafina and John Cena (how often do co-star names rhyme?) star in Jackpot!, which is essentially a comedy version of The Purge — Awkwafina wins the lottery, but she'll have to survive until midnight in order to claim her winnings. And that's not gonna be easy, since in this story it's perfectly legal for anyone to murder her and take the money themselves. So she teams up with a protection agent, played by John Cena, who will try to save her life in return for a cut. Jackpot isn't director Paul Feig's best film — he set an impossible standard for himself with stuff like Bridesmaids and Spy — but it is another warmly funny little action movie that's filled with energetic performances. -Phil Owen [Trailer]

American Fiction (2023)

For fans of: Stories that break the fourth wall, quirky comedies with something to say, things that are good

Director: Cord Jefferson
Stars: Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, Erika Alexander, John Ortiz, Sterling K. Brown, Issa Rae
Genre: Comedy, drama, satire
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 81

American Fiction isn't the easiest movie to try to sum up in a blurb, but we'll do our best. Jeffrey Wright stars as a well-to-do Black author who attempts to satirize what he sees as stereotypcally acceptable "Black" literature, only for everybody to treat the result as a serious and sincere work that earns tons of acclaim — and from there, it gets weird. American Fiction plays like if Spike Lee's Bamboozled was given a Charlie Kaufman-esque, fourth-wall-breaking makeover, and it's impossible not to be enthralled by this Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay-winning flick. -Phil Owen [Trailer]

The Idea of You (2024)

For fans of: Swoony rom-coms with heart, Anne Hathaway mothering

Director: Michael Showalter
Stars: Anne Hathaway, Nicholas Galitzine
Genre: Romantic comedy
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 68

You may have first heard of The Idea of You because of its male lead Hayes Campbell's (Nicholas Galitzine) uncanny resemblance to Harry Styles. Hayes sings in a wildly popular boy band, just like Styles did, and he too has a penchant for dating older women. But the film, based on Robinne Lee's book of the same name, deserves to be recognized apart from that comparison. To start, the chemistry between Galitzine's Hayes and Anne Hathaway's Solène Marchand is undeniable. Solène is a 40-year-old single mom who never imagined attending Coachella but finds herself in the VIP lounge for a meet-and-greet with August Moon — Hayes' group —thanks to her teenage daughter. And after she serendipitously walks into the 24-year-old lead singer's trailer, the two begin a whirlwind romance. The Idea of You is a weightier film than some others in the genre because of how it dives into issues like the age-gap double standard and the obstacles to women in their 30s and 40s finding happiness. But for the most part, it feels like a light, breezy walk on the beach. -Kat Moon [Trailer]

Road House (2024)

For fans of: Fist fights, Jake Gyllenhaal, highly kinetic action sequences

Director: Doug Liman
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Daniela Melchior, Billy Magnusson, Joaquim de Almeida, Post Malone, Conor McGregor
Genre: Action
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 57

The original Road House (starring Patrick Swayze and also included with Prime Video) became a cult classic after circulating on cable for years — it did OK at the box office and not so OK with critics when it was released in theaters in 1989. So it's not really that big of a concern that the new Road House, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, only got mixed reviews. Like that original film leaned on Swayze's charm to function, the new Road House is a delightful little action flick that leans heavily on Gyllenhaal's immense charisma, and ole Jakey G. is just as much fun as he always is. And while Conor McGregor isn't quite on Gyllenhaal's level in terms of his acting chops, he's got the exact right amount of screen presence and general menace to pretty much rule as a bad guy enforcer. This movie just works, even if we might wish they'd cooled it on the CGI a little bit. -Phil Owen [Trailer]

Bottoms (2023)

For fans of: Fight clubs, high schools

Director: Emma Seligman
Stars: Ayo Edebiri, Rachel Sennott, Ruby Cruz, Havana Rose Liu, Nicholas Galitzine
Genre: Comedy
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 74

This indie film came out in theaters last August, but unless you are a subscriber to MGM+, which you are not, it hasn't been available on your streaming subscriptions until recently. The premise — a high school sex comedy mixed with... Fight Club!?!? — is truly deranged, but it somehow works as two teenage lesbians start a brutal women's self-defense club to give them the tools to beat up the football team. It satirizes as it pulverizes, challenging stereotypes while saying something meaningful between delivering haymakers. Bodies Bodies Bodies' Rachel Sennott and The Bear's Ayo Edebiri star. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

Fast X (2023)

For fans of: Action, cars, #family

Director: Louis Leterrier
Stars: Vin Diesel, Jason Momoa, Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Sung Kang, Nathalie Emmanuel
Genre: Action
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 56

The Fast & Furious movies have been a pop culture mainstay for two decades, but all good things must come to an end. And Fast X is the beginning of the end for this franchise, starting us down the home stretch that will presumably end with Vin Diesel riding off into the sunset to meet up with Paul Walker in car heaven at the end of the next movie. We're not there yet, though, and we're grateful for that, because Jason Momoa's man-child of a villain is the most fun baddie this franchise has ever had. -Phil Owen [Trailer]

Saltburn (2023)

For fans of: Lifestyles of the rich and eccentric

Director: Emerald Fennell
Stars: Barry Keoghan, Rosamund Pike, Jacob Elordi, Richard E. Grant
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Thriller
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 61

If you saw Promising Young Woman, Emerald Fennell's polarizing (and, nevertheless, Oscar-winning) 2020 directorial debut, you already know that she's the kind of director who really likes making people talk. She's done it again, and to an even greater degree, with Saltburn, her Talented Mr. Ripley-esque salute to the aughts. Barry Keoghan stars as Oliver Quick, a poor Oxford student who gets drawn into the alluring world of the wealthy when he buddies up to Felix (Jacob Elordi), a classmate from an aristocratic family who takes pity on his less fortunate friend by inviting Oliver to spend the summer at his eccentric family's estate. Or is Oliver less fortunate? Come to find out the answer to that question, stay for a deliciously clueless performance from Rosamund Pike. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]     

Totally Killer (2023)

For fans of: The '80s, time travel, maniacal masked murderers

Director: Nahnatchka Khan
Stars: Kiernan Shipka, Olivia Holt, Julie Bowen
Genre: Horror, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 63

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina's Kiernan Shipka sticks with humorous horror in this original film from the reliable Nahnatchka Khan, the creator of Don't Trust the B---- in Apt. 23, Always Be My Maybe, and Fresh Off the Boat. Shipka's Jamie is a young woman who time travels back to 1987, right around the time her mom's friends were stalked and murdered by a mask-wearing maniac. So what does she do? She tries — with the help of the teenage version of her mom (Olivia Holt) — to stop the murders, despite any potential Back to the Future erasure of her existence that may happen. -Tim Surette [Trailer] 

Sitting in Bars with Cake (2023)

For fans of: Tragi-friend-coms, bawling

Director: Trish Sie
Stars: Odessa A'zion, Yara Shahidi, Ron Livingston, Bette Midler, and Martha Kelly
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 66

A pair of friends (A'zion and Shahadi) take cakes into bars as a way to get out in the world and break the ice with strangers, but their lives change when one gets a tragic diagnosis. This one's based on a true story and is being called a Beaches for today's kids, so you know what to expect: female friendship, some romance, and a lot of crying. This is for a specific audience; you know who you are! -Tim Surette [Trailer]       

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

For fans of: Rooting for the creepy doll, satires on commercialism, Child's Play but better

Director: John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein
Stars: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Hugh Grant, Justice Smith, Regé-Jean Page, Sophia Lillis
Genre: Fantasy, Comedy, Action
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 72

Expecting a good time while watching the famous tabletop role-playing game come to life is hardly a roll of the dice. This movie is always entertaining, moving forward with a combination of adventure, action, humor, and decent special effects. Chris Pine plays a rogue on the run looking for some nerdy object (a magical helm, a tablet that can bring back the dead, some stuff like that, it doesn't matter), and he's accompanied by other D&D classes, like Michelle Rodriguez's barbarian, Justice Smith's sorcerer, Sophia Lillis' shapeshifting druid, and Regé-Jean Page's paladin. Its focus on fun means anyone can enjoy it, even those who don't know what a gelatinous cube is. -Tim Surette [Trailer]       

Creed III (2022)

For fans of: Boxing beefcakes

Director: Michael B. Jordan
Stars: Michael B. Jordan, Jonathan Majors, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 73

Michael B. Jordan stars in and directs the third movie to rise from the ashes of the Rocky franchise, this time following Adonis Creed (Jordan) as he prepares to fight his former childhood friend, Damian Anderson (Majors), years after an event changed both of their lives. Though not as acclaimed as the first two movies, it's still wildly entertaining, with bruising boxing sequences and a blistering performance from Jordan. -Tim Surette [Trailer]     

Air (2023)

For fans of: Sneakers, business deals, Michael Jordan's mom

Director: Ben Affleck
Stars: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Viola Davis, Jason Bateman, Chris Tucker, Chris Messina
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 73

Ben Affleck's film about Nike's seismic business decision to build a basketball shoe brand around some guy named Michael Jordan is a sharp look at the start of sports marketing and risky business endeavors that paid off. It's also kind of a Nike ad. But with a solid screenplay, some great acting by a tremendous cast, and Affleck's ability to blend comedy into corporate affairs, it's a... slam dunk. -Tim Surette [Trailer]     

Judy Blume Forever (2023)

For fans of: Superfudge, free speech

Director: Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok
Stars: Judy Blume
Genre: Documentary
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 79

Beloved author Judy Blume is the star and focus of this documentary about her life as one of the most popular young adult fiction writers ever. Speaking with fans like Molly Ringwald, Samantha Bee, and Lena Dunham, Judy Blume Forever explores the impact she had on young women's lives and the closed-minded controversy surrounding her openness in writing about teenage sexuality. -Tim Surette [Trailer]     

Shotgun Wedding (2023)

For fans of: J-Lo, J-Du, J-Cool

Director: Jason Moore
Stars: Jennifer Jopez, Josh Duhamel, Jennifer Coolidge
Genre: Action, Comedy, Romance
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 42

What makes a good movie anyway? Rave reviews from critics? Meaningful contributions to society? A talking dog? The Prime Video original movie Shotgun Wedding has none of that, but it does have Jennifer Lopez and the newest fan-favorite Jenny from the block, Jennifer Coolidge. And it has Jennifer Lopez fighting off pirates after they invade her wedding, leading to double crosses and comical violence. This isn't a good movie, but it is a Jennifer Lopez movie that can't be found anywhere else, so it's on the list. -Tim Surette [Trailer]     

Wildcat (2022)

For fans of: Tough guys and cute kittens, weeping

Director: Melissa Lesh and Trevor Frost
Stars: Harry Turner, Samantha Zwicker, an ocelot
Genre: Documentary
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 71

I don't have a bunch of tattoos, and I've never been to war, but I do love cats, which is enough for me to relate to this documentary about an Afghanistan War veteran whose PTSD drives him to the jungles of South America. There, he meets a nature conservationist running a wildlife refuge, where he bonds with an ocelot kitten. The young purr box helps him heal as he finds himself teaching it how to hunt, protecting it from humans threatening the environment, and finding something that doesn't judge him. This is for anyone who's ever had a furry friend. BRING A HANKIE! -Tim Surette [Trailer]     

Nanny (2022)

For fans of: Horror, the melting pot

Director: Nikyatu Jusu
Stars: Anna Diop, Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Spector
Genre: Horror
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 72

Thanks to new voices in Hollywood, we've become introduced a fresh, thrilling subgenre of film: immigrant horror stories. Most of them have been pretty good (Netflix's His House and No One Gets Out Alive use their unique perspective well), and that continues with Nanny, the debut film from writer/director Nikyatu Jusu about an undocumented West African nanny caring for a New York couple's child and preparing for the arrival of her own child, whom she left behind. The horror comes when a strange presence threatens her reality. It's a visually impressive debut about family, societal issues, and gender. -Tim Surette [Trailer]     

Your Christmas or Mine?(2022)

For fans of: Shlocky holiday films, wacky in-laws

Director: Jim O'Hanlon
Stars: Asa Butterfield, Cora Kirk, Daniel Mays, David Bradley
Genre: Rom-com, Christmas
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: n/a

Need some Christmas jolly? But also want some relationship folly? Try this British holiday film about a young man (Asa Butterfield) who can't bear to be apart from his girlfriend on Christmas, so he decides to surprise her at her family's house. Alas, she decided to do the same thing, so they end up spending the holiday with each other's families. It's not a Christmas classic, but it will do the trick if you're looking for a little tug of the heart. -Tim Surette [Trailer] 

Good Night Oppy (2022)

For fans of: Human accomplishments, human connections, robots

Director: Ryan White
Genre: Documentary
Rating: PG
Metacritic score: 65

The closest thing we have to a real-life Wall-E is the Mars rover Opportunity, which landed on the Red Planet in 2004 for a 90-day mission but ended up operating for almost 15 years. This documentary film tells its story and the bond that the NASA operators formed with it, and will leave you wondering why you're crying over a robot throughout its wondrous 105 minutes. It's already won the Critics Choice Documentary Award for best feature, and it's got a real shot at an Oscar nomination at the 2023 Academy Awards. -Tim Surette [Trailer]     

My Policeman (2022)

For fans of: Harry Styles

Director: Michael Grandage
Stars: Harry Styles, Emma Corrin, David Dawson, Linus Roache, Gina McKee, Rupert Everett
Genre: Drama, Romance
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 49

The British film My Policeman is getting a wide range of reviews from critics and audience members alike, but don't let that stop you from rummaging through this period romance for clues about Harry Styles' relationship with Olivia Wilde and who maybe spat on whom at the Don't Worry Darling movie premiere. Styles plays a British cop who is the pointy end in a love triangle that features his to-be wife (Emma Corrin) and a museum curator (David Dawson), with their messy love stuff played out over two timelines as they try to mend the past much later in life (with different actors). According to critics, the clandestine homosexual relationship in a time where we were far from progressive should be the fuel for this movie's engine, but the actors and woeful mood make this less enjoyable than your average sad love story. -Tim Surette [Trailer] 

Torn Hearts (2022)

For fans of: Country music, mind games

Director: Brea Grant
Stars: Katey Sagal, Abby Quinn, and Alexxis Lemire
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Rating: Not Rated
Metacritic score: 59

Brea Grant follows up her well-received 2022 black comedy horror 12 Hour Shift with this winky thriller about two aspiring female country music artists who see an opportunity to advance their careers with a visit to a reclusive music legend (Sagal). But what looks like a perfect match to record a new song turns into a series of mental and physical games that test just how far the two are willing to go for fame. Yep, a shotgun is involved. -Tim Surette [Trailer]       

Catherine Called Birdy (2022)

For fans of: Medieval teen dramedies, House Mormont

Director: Lena Dunham
Stars: Bella Ramsey, Andrew Scott, Billie Piper
Genre: YA Drama, Comedy
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 75

Did you get word from the raven? Period pieces no longer have to be stuffy, boring slogs, and can now feature today's pop hits and Gen Z lingo while still putting their main characters in elaborate gowns and powdered wigs. Lena Dunham takes her turn unstuffing the old times with this film about a young lady (Game of Thrones' Bella Ramsey) in 1290 England whose parents wish to marry her off in order to regain some medieval clout, so she schemes to sabotage their plans. She's precocious, see? Billie Piper and Andrew Scott, both always delightful, also star. -Tim Surette [Trailer]     

Dog (2022)

For fans of: Channing Tatum, dogs

Director: Channing Tatum and Reid Carolin
Stars: Channing Tatum and a Belgian Malinois
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 61

Putting Channing Tatum and a dog together in a road trip movie is all some people need to know to want to watch this movie, but it has the added surprise of sensitivity as it tells the story of an Army vet (Tatum) racing to his fallen friend's funeral with his friend's dog in tow. It's not a must-see, but it's an easy watch that will get your emotions going without taxing your brain too much. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

Thirteen Lives (2022)

For fans of: Ron Howard drama, real-life heroism, confined spaces

Director: Ron Howard
Stars: Viggo Mortenson, Collin Farrell, Joel Edgerton
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 66

Ron Howard directs this thriller film about the 2018 Tham Luang Thai cave rescue of a boys soccer team and its coach by an international group of cave divers. It's one of three projects about the rescue, including National Geographic's already released (and excellent) documentary The Rescue, which focused on the divers and the rescue efforts and is on Disney+, and Netflix's upcoming limited series Tham Luang, which focuses on the rescuees. This film covers the whole shebang, with Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell, and Joel Edgerton playing the heroes. -Tim Surette [Trailer]    

Don't Make Me Go (2022)

For fans of: Father-daughter tearjerkers, internet boyfriend John Cho

Director: Hannah Marks
Stars: John Cho, Mia Isaac, Kaya Scodelario, Jemaine Clement
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 60

If you have a condition that doesn't allow you to cry, this John Cho film may be the cure. Cho stars as a single dad who, after discovering he has a terminal illness (but not a terminal list), embarks on a road trip from California to New Orleans with his teenage daughter to attend his 20-year college reunion. Road trip movies are like totally metaphors, man. This one's about getting to the end and growing up. But be warned: A controversial twist ending has many beating their heads against the wall. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

No Time to Die (2021)

For fans of: Bond... James Bond

Director: Cary Fukunaga
Stars: Daniel Craig, Rami Malek, Léa Seydoux, Ana de Armas, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Lashana Lynch, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 68

No Time to Die is neither the best nor the worst Daniel Craig Bond movie, but it does mark his final appearance as the character, which makes it significant. It's a lengthy, stylish, occasionally inexplicable film that picks up after Bond has left active service with MI6 and is just trying to enjoy living a quiet life as a normal, extraordinarily handsome man. But you can't make a Bond movie about that, so it's all very quickly disrupted when the CIA recruits him to hunt down a mysterious and dangerous villain (Rami Malek). -Allison Picurro [Trailer] 

Book of Love (2022)

Director: Analeine Cal y Mayor
Stars: Sam Claflin, Verónica Echegui
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Metacritic score: 44 

In this silly, sweet romantic comedy, Sam Claflin plays the kind of character Hugh Grant would've played back in the '90s: an uptight British romance author who learns that his latest (and not very good) novel has become a huge hit in Mexico, spurring him to travel there for a book tour. He only realizes after he arrives that the Spanish version of his book has actually been rewritten into a much spicier story that's way more interesting than his original story, all thanks to Maria (Verónica Echegui), the woman who translated it. This is the kind of classic rom-com premise that I can't help being utterly endeared by. -Allison Picurro [Trailer] 

I Want You Back (2022)

For fans of: Jenny Slate, Charlie Day, ill-advised schemes

Director: Jason Orley
Stars: Charlie Day, Jenny Slate, Gina Rodriguez, Manny Jacinto, Scott Eastwood
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 62

It's a Jenny Slate rom-com; it's a Charlie Day rom-com; it's a combination Jenny Slate-Charlie Day rom-com! And that means it's actually funny. I Want You Back pairs up two of Hollywood's most reliable chaos agents as a pair of strangers who bond over being recently dumped, then team up to win back their exes by destroying their new relationships. It's a solid romantic comedy that actually feels fresh, and who doesn't love a messy scheme? -Kelly Connolly [Trailer]

A Hero (2021)

For fans of: International films, twisty morality tales

Director: Asghar Farhadi
Stars: Amir Jadidi, Mohsen Tanabandeh, Sahar Goldoost 
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 82

The latest movie from Iranian filmmaker and two-time Oscar-winner Asghar Farhadi is this tense morality tale that's getting rave reviews from critics. It follows a man (Amir Jadidi) whose debt has landed him in jail, but a chance discovery of some gold coins while on furlough turns him into a national hero when he decides to return the bag of coins to its rightful owner. But beneath this seeming act of altruism lie questions of the man's true intentions. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

Everybody's Talking About Jamie (2021)

For fans of: Musicals, sweet coming-of-age stories

Directors: Dan Gillespie Sells, Jonathan Butterell, and Tom MacRae
Stars: Max Harwood, Lauren Patel, Sarah Lancashire, Richard E. Grant, Ralph Ineson, Sharon Horgan
Genre: Biography, Drama, Comedy, Musical
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 62

This stage-to-screen musical film is destined to set your heart aflame -- provided you aren't a hateful malcontent -- as it tells the story of a 16-year-old high schooler's journey against bullying and toward realizing his dream to become a drag queen. It's been reviewed positively with critics likening it to Billy Elliott, and is exactly the feel-good salve you're desiring. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

The Big Sick (2017)

For fans of: Pre-Marvel Kumail Nanjiani, heartfelt rom-coms

Director: Michael Showalter
Stars: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Ray Romano, Holly Hunter
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Rating: R 
Metacritic score: 86

This romantic comedy is based on the actual love story between Kumail Nanjiani and his wife, Emily V. Gordon. Nanjiani plays the fictionalized version of himself while Zoe Kazan plays the fictionalized version of Emily, whose sudden diagnosis with adult-onset Still's disease — and the coma she falls into — throws a major wrench into their burgeoning relationship. While Kumail and Emily's story is undoubtedly the thing that drives The Big Sick, Ray Romano and Holly Hunter, who play Emily's parents, are the movie's grounding forces. You'll probably walk away from this mostly wishing they could adopt you. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]

Annette (2021)

For fans of: Adam Driver, creepy puppet babies, A Star Is Born

Director: Leos Carax
Stars: Adam Driver, Marion Cotillard, Simon Helberg, Devyn McDowell
Genre: Drama, Romance, Musical
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 67

If you care at all about film festivals, you've probably already heard of Annette, but if you haven't, listen carefully: This is a musical where Adam Driver, speaking in an even lower register than usual, plays Henry, a stand-up comedian who falls in love with Marion Cotillard's Ann, an opera singer. Their relationship declines after the birth of their mysteriously prodigious daughter Annette (who is played, confoundingly, by a puppet), and from there it becomes A Star Is Born by way of Marriage Story, but with a touch of surrealism. It's a fast-paced, hallucinatory rollercoaster that is certainly not for everyone, but will definitely have you walk away reeling. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]

Get Duked! (2019)

For fans of: Trainspotting, psychedelics

Director: Ninian Doff
Stars: Eddie Izzard, Kate Dickie, Samuel Bottomley, Viraj Juneja, Rian Gordon, Lewis Gribben
Genre: Action, Horror, Comedy, Music
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 69

This 2019 British black comedy film will easily remind you of Danny Boyle's bonkers classic Trainspotting, and it should: three Scottish teens with a knack for partying and doing drugs get into trouble. In Get Duked!, they're joined by a do-gooder and wander the Highlands to win the Duke of Edinborough Award, a survival challenge that turns boys into men, but they get stuck in the middle of a hunt-or-be-hunted situation with Eddie Izzard playing a psycho with a sniper rifle. Believe it or not, it gets weirder from there. Hilarious, ridiculous, and packed with social commentary, this would be regular viewing in weed smoke-filled dorm rooms of the late-'90s. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

The Handmaiden (2016)

For fans of: Deception, but in a sexy way

Director: Chan-wook Park
Stars: Kim Min-hee, Kim Tae-ri, Ha Jung-woo, Cho Jin-woong
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Romance
Rating: Not rated
Metacritic score: 84

The Handmaiden is one of those movies where every character is scamming another character, resulting in an exciting, dramatic thriller. It starts out as a film about a Korean con man (Ha Jung-woo) who devises a pan to seduce a Japanese heiress (Kim Min-hee) out of her inheritance. He enlists the help of a pickpocket (Kim Tae-ri) to act as the heiress' maid and confidant, tasking her with encouraging marriage between the two. Things begin to get more dangerous as deeper relationships develop in the messy, intertwined trio, which is all I want to say without actually spoiling the plot's genius twists. What you should know going in is that this movie was directed by Park Chan-wook, who gave us the brutal, bloody Oldboy, so you should expect some gruesome imagery. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]

One Child Nation (2019)

For fans of: Learning about history without opening a book

Directors: Nanfu Wang, Zhang Lynn
Genre: History, Documentary
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 85

This award-winning documentary will teach you all about a painful chapter in China's history via the one-child policy, which lasted from 1979 to 2015. Real people who lived through such a devastating period speak on their experiences, and the film delves into the damaging effects of government propaganda. Interestingly, One Child Nation is given a personal touch by co-director Nanfu Wang, who weaves stories of her own experience as a new mother in with the documentary's overall narrative. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]

One Night in Miami... (2020)

For fans of: Historical figures, monologues

Director: Regina King
Stars: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom Jr.
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 83

Directed by Regina King and based on a play by Kemp Powers, One Night in Miami... tells a dramatized account of a 1964 meeting between Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Muhammad Ali (Eli Goree), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.), and Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge). They spend the night in a Miami hotel room together and end up arguing for a good portion of it, about X's belief that Cooke has sold out by pandering to white audience with his music, and Ali's, referred to in the film as Cassius Clay, decision to convert to Islam and change his name. It's an interesting movie that succeeds in peeling back the curtain on four pretty untouchable cultural icons, revealing more about their anxieties, inner lives, and ambitions than the average biopic would. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]

Small Axe (2020)

For fans of: Social justice stories, period pieces

Director: Steve McQueen
Stars: John Boyega, Letitia Wright, Michael Ward, Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn, Sheyi Cole, Kenyah Sandy
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Metacritic scores: 90, 95, 84, 77, 87

Small Axe is peak prestige television in that it's not actually television at all, but instead it's an anthology collection of five films directed by Steve McQueen. Every installment focuses on London's West Indian community in the years between 1969 and 1982, and each stars a great group of actors that includes John Boyega, Letitia Wright, Jack Lowden, and more. The stories don't overlap, but they all do a beautiful job of building out the world, and deal with issues and themes that impact the community, like police brutality, education, and what it means to be part of British society as a person of West Indian descent. On one hand, yes, five films is a lot to ask of viewers, but on the other, it just so happens that McQueen is an incredible director with a strong vision and every one is worth your time. If you only want to try one, give "Lovers Rock," a romance centered around a reggae house party, a spin. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]

Sound of Metal (2020)

For fans of: Heavy metal band t-shirts, being emotional

Director: Darius Marder
Stars: Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Paul Raci
Genre: Drama, Music
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 82

I am of the opinion that Riz Ahmed gave the best performance of 2020 as a heavy metal drummer losing his hearing in Sound of Metal, and he very correctly earned an Oscar nomination for it. As Ruben, he explores the emotional trauma of sudden deafness — literally, as it plays out in the film, one minute he can hear perfectly, and the next everything is muffled — and the importance of finding community as he goes to live in a rural home for deaf recovering addicts in order, run by Joe (Paul Raci, also rightfully Oscar-nominated for his work). The way the film utilizes sound design is nothing short of incredible, and most notably, director Darius Marder cast many actual Deaf actors who help bring the story to life. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]

Suspiria (2018)

For fans of: Witches, dancers, witchy dancers, Tilda Swinton

Director: Luca Guadagnino
Stars: Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton, Mia Goth
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Fantasy, Horror
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 64

Luca Guadagnino directs this remake of the 1977 Dario Argento horror classic. Dakota Johnson stars as Susie, a seemingly fresh-faced dancer who travels from Ohio to Berlin to study at an elite dance academy and is quickly named head dancer. As Suspiria unfolds, and as more students and teachers are found dead or go missing entirely, and it becomes increasingly clear that something very sinister and supernatural is going on underneath the surface. Also, Tilda Swinton plays three roles, and for one of them she gets to dress up as an old man. It's kooky, it's campy, and it's also very, very scary. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]

Uncle Frank (2020)

For fans of: Road trips, Paul Bettany's American accent

Director: Alan Ball
Stars: Paul Bettany, Sophia Lillis, Peter Macdissi, Judy Greer, Steve Zahn
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 58

This movie is a little bit like if someone tried to update Little Miss Sunshine and focus primarily on Steve Carell's character, but in a good way. Beth (Sophia Lillis) moves from her small North Carolina hometown to good ol' New York City, and immediately crashes into her favorite uncle's life. She finds out that Frank (Paul Bettany) is gay and has been living with his boyfriend Wally (Peter Macdissi) for years, while successfully keeping it a secret from the rest of their family. And because this is a movie, the secret is of course put in jeopardy when Frank's father dies and he, Beth, and Wally embark on a road trip to attend the funeral. Uncle Frank balances its comedic and dramatic moments well, and your heart will ache during the flashbacks to Frank's adolescence, where he was first confronted with his family's homophobia. Plus, an always perfect Judy Greer co-stars. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]

Val (2021)

For fans of: Intimate portraits of '80s icons

Directors: Leo Scott, Ting Poo
Genre: Documentary
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 73

Val Kilmer gets the autobiographical treatment in this intimate documentary about his life and career. Kilmer lends his own home movies he's taken over the years to the film — which includes videos from the set of Batman Forever, and footage of younger versions of Sean Penn and Kevin Bacon just hanging out — and provides a look at his struggle with throat cancer, from which he's still recovering and has left him using a prosthesis in order to speak. It's more revealing than the standard celebrity doc. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]

The Vast of Night (2019)

For fans of: That '80s and '90s sci-fi feel, first-time directors making a huge splash

Director: Andrew Patterson
Stars: Sierra McCormick, Jake Horowitz
Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Fantasy
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 84

This 2019 science-fiction film from director Andrew Patterson is one of the best directorial debuts of the last decade, with Patterson's keen eye able to bring to life a small town experiencing strange phenomena from the sky. Featuring some truly incredible continuous shots featuring hundreds of extras and one of my favorite intimate cinematic scenes featuring just one person on screen, The Vast of Night is a film school student's dream that follows a young switchboard operator and a disc jockey in 1950s New Mexico trying to find the source of unidentified sounds, and it's an entrancing thriller from the opening shot to the closing seconds. -Tim Surette [Trailer]