The 19 best movies on Peacock

From animated romps to pulse-pounding thrillers, there’s something on the streamer for everyone.

In case its branding mascot and rainbow palate weren't a dead giveaway, Peacock is the streaming service owned and operated by NBCUniversal, which means it has access to a trove of titles that draw from Universal Studios' deep well of content. But what does that mean for you? Well, alongside its TV series and live sports offerings, Peacock features classic movies such as Django and Night of the Living Dead alongside contemporary favorites like The Holdovers and Oppenheimer. As with any streamer, its wealth of options can feel overwhelming, so allow EW to point you in the right direction.

Here are the best movies on Peacock right now.

American Psycho (2000)

Meet the carefully curated facade of Patrick Bateman — a man who not only slays a morning skincare routine but also, well, slays. Adapted from Bret Easton Ellis' controversial 1991 novel, American Psycho follows Bateman as he leads a double life, hobnobbing with his narcissistic co-workers as a slick N.Y.C. investment banker while moonlighting as a serial killer. This satirical horror brilliantly dissects the soulless '80s capitalist culture, where materialism reigns supreme and vanity is a virtue, while Christian Bale conjures a monumental character study with his mordant and monstrous Bateman. EW's critic writes, "Funny, pungent, and weirdly gripping, American Psycho is a satire that feels like a hallucination" draped in a "tone of rambunctious, light-fingered malevolence." —James Mercadante

Where to watch American Psycho: Peacock

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Director: Mary Harron

Cast: Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Josh Lucas, Chloë Sevigny, Samantha Mathis, Cara Seymour, Justin Theroux, Reese Witherspoon

Related content: American Psycho cast: Where are they now?

The Big Lebowski (1998)

This slacker favorite only gets better with age. Jeff Bridges cemented his legacy in film history for his portrayal of Jeffrey "the Dude" Lebowski, a bowling aficionado who is targeted by enforcers who ultimately have the wrong guy. He goes to the intended mark, also named Jeffrey Lebowski, hoping for compensation, only to stumble into a chaotic series of events. With a comedic style that is unmistakably Coen brothers, The Big Lebowski is a wild ride with instantly iconic characters. As EW's critic writes, "Like Fargo and Raising Arizona, The Big Lebowski poses as a cracked tribute to middle America, whose denizens, in the Coens’ view, are sanctified by their knuckleball eccentricity." —Kevin Jacobsen

Where to watch The Big Lebowski: Peacock

EW grade: B– (read the review)

Director: Joel Coen

Cast: Jeff Bridges, Julianne Moore, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, John Turturro, Sam Elliott

Related content: How The Big Lebowski changed costar Sam Elliott's career

Black Christmas (1974)

This slasher classic still holds up as one of the most chilling horror films of all time. A group of sorority sisters' good tidings of comfort and joy are interrupted by repeated profane phone calls, leading to one of them being murdered in the attic. This kicks off a horrifying series of events as they try in vain to get the police to determine the source of the call while they are picked off one by one. There have been two attempts at remaking Black Christmas in the 21st century, but neither has approached the level of paranoia and dread of the '70s original. —K.J.

Where to watch Black Christmas: Peacock

Director: Bob Clark

Cast: Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, John Saxon

Related content: The 15 best Christmas horror movies

Bridesmaids (2011)

When Annie (Kristen Wiig) learns that her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) is getting married, what's already wrong in her life goes even more haywire — and the comic hijinks surrounding Lillian's bridal party become the stuff of legend. What kind of stuff? Well, how about the ladies trying on their dresses for the ceremony, only to be collectively struck by explosive diarrhea? Or Annie nervously combining sedatives with whiskey to create an outrageous midair incident that gets the entire crew booted from the plane taking them to Lillian's Vegas bachelorette? Throughout, Bridesmaids balances its gross-out laughs with a sentimental streak and commentary on what friendship is really about, particularly between women. "Wiig never lets you forget that Annie is crumbling inside," writes EW's critic, "so the comedy has a painful bite." Now, cue the Wilson Phillips! —Johnny Loftus

Where to watch Bridesmaids: Peacock

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: Paul Feig

Cast: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper, Melissa McCarthy, Chris O'Dowd

Related content: Kristen Wiig took the Bridesmaids cast to a strip club and Rebel Wilson got a tank top to prove it

Creed (2015)

A spinoff of the long-in-the-tooth Rocky franchise shouldn't have worked, but director Ryan Coogler helped revitalize it for a whole new generation. Following his breakthrough on Friday Night Lights and in the 2013 indie drama Fruitvale Station, Michael B. Jordan elevated to a new level with his star turn as Adonis Creed, son of Apollo Creed. Adonis seeks to follow in the footsteps of his legendary boxer father, enlisting Apollo's former rival, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) as his trainer. Creed does what all great legacy sequels should do, honoring the fighting underdog spirit of the original while charting its own path. The film earned rave reviews and even earned Stallone an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, 39 years after his nomination for 1976's Rocky. —K.J.

Where to watch Creed: Peacock

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Ryan Coogler

Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Anthony Bellew

Related content: Creed: Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler talk father-son story

Dazed and Confused (1993)

Rated by EW as the third-best high school movie of all time, Dazed and Confused is a seminal film, not only for Generation X but for generations to come. Richard Linklater's Texas-set hangout comedy follows various soon-to-be seniors and first-year students on the last day of high school in 1976, from hazings to ragers, humiliations to revelations. It also gave rise to future A-lister Matthew McConaughey, cementing his "All right, all right, all right" persona here as a guy who's probably a little too old to be hanging out with teenagers. The cult classic may be light on plot, but the vibes still have us livin', man. L-I-V-I-N. As EW writes, "Few other films say as much about starting, sticking around in, and leaving high school." —K.J.

Where to watch Dazed and Confused: Peacock

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Director: Richard Linklater

Cast: Jason London, Joey Lauren Adams, Milla Jovovich, Rory Cochrane, Adam Goldberg, Cole Hauser, Parker Posey, Matthew McConaughey, Ben Affleck

Related content: Richard Linklater says he 'didn't make any money' from directing Dazed and Confused

Django (1966)

Once you've surrendered to its magnificent soundtrack (scored by the brilliant Luis Bacalov), you'll be randomly belting out Rocky Roberts' infectious "Djangooooo." Sergio Corbucci's quintessential spaghetti Western follows its namesake, an ex-Union soldier who roams the arid Mexico and U.S. borderlands, and his fugitive companion, Maria. Together, they tumble into a cutthroat feud between the Ku Klux Klan and Mexican revolutionaries. The film's unapologetic brutality led to bans in several countries and kept it from the U.K. until 1993, a testament to its visceral impact. It's no wonder Quentin Tarantino drew inspiration here for his own revisionist Western, Django Unchained (2012). —J.M.

Where to watch Django: Peacock

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Sergio Corbucci

Cast: Franco Nero, Loredana Nusciak, José Bódalo, Ángel Álvarez, Eduardo Fajardo

Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)

Michael Moore, known for his award-winning documentaries Roger & Me (1989) and Bowling for Columbine (2002), delivered another cinematic juggernaut with this audacious and controversial documentary. Fahrenheit 9/11 — crowned with the Palme d'Or and holding the title of America's highest-grossing documentary — fearlessly scrutinizes the Bush administration's exploitation of post-9/11 paranoia to advance unjust wars in Afghanistan and Iraq instead of seeking the terrorist attack's true perpetrators. As EW's critic notes, "Fahrenheit 9/11 offers a catharsis for the audience. Dazzlingly assembled, at once reckless and insightful, the movie filters the actions of the Bush administration through a nose-thumbing outrage that might have been irresponsible if Moore's own words weren't girded by images that spoke 1,000 more." —J.M.

Where to watch Fahrenheit 9/11: Peacock

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Michael Moore

Related content: Fahrenheit 9/11 paves the way for documentaries

The Godfather (1972)

A film that hardly needs introduction, The Godfather is one of the seminal classics of cinematic history, a saga about family, legacy, and the American dream. It follows the powerful Corleone family, from aging mob boss Vito (Marlon Brando) to the son looking to succeed him, Michael (Al Pacino). After an assassination attempt against his father, Michael seeks to prove his worth and plots revenge against those who ordered the hit. Sweeping and absorbing even all these years later, The Godfather is a Shakespearean epic for modern times, rightfully earning the Oscar for Best Picture and inspiring filmmakers for generations to come. —K.J.

Where to watch The Godfather: Peacock

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Cast: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte, Diane Keaton

Related content: Robert Duvall reflects on The Godfather mooning contest, working with Marlon Brando

Half Nelson (2006)

Amid the wellspring of heartwarming student-teacher tales where educators often shepherd their scholars (think 1989's Dead Poets Society or 2017's The Edge of Seventeen), Half Nelson flips the script. Earning his first Oscar nod, Ryan Gosling shines as Dan Dunne, an adored history teacher and girls' basketball coach bottling up a life of vices. When troubled student Drey catches him using drugs, an unexpected bond forms as they navigate their tumultuous lives together. To quote EW's critic, "Half Nelson conspicuously offers no tidy resolution or concluding uplift, which only makes the movie that much more trustworthy, and the unflashy, documentary-style filmmaking more artful." —J.M.

Where to watch Half Nelson: Peacock

EW grade: A (read the review)

Directors: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Shareeka Epps, Anthony Mackie, Monique Gabriela Curnen, Denis O'Hare, Starla Benford

Related content: The 15 best Ryan Gosling roles

The Holdovers (2023)

Evoking the bittersweet character-driven comedies of '70s cinema (Harold and Maude; Paper Moon, etc.), The Holdovers transports us back to a very specific time and place. The setting is a 1970 New England boarding school, where cantankerous teacher Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) is tasked with looking after students who have nowhere to go during the Christmas holiday break. He develops a bond with one of the students, Angus (Dominic Sessa), who has a difficult family situation, as well as Mary (Da'Vine Joy Randolph), the school's head cook who just lost her son in the Vietnam War. Together, the three muddle through the holidays, somehow, finding commonalities in their shared loneliness. "The Holdovers is a warm hug of a movie and the closest thing we've had to a new holiday classic in quite some time," writes EW's critic. "Perhaps largely because it reinvigorates the message of another beloved Christmas film with its poignant reminder that no man is a failure who has friends." —K.J.

Where to watch The Holdovers: Peacock

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Alexander Payne

Cast: Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa

Related content: Alexander Payne sent The Holdovers star Da'Vine Joy Randolph 'two big boxes of cigarettes' to prepare for role

Meet the Patels (2014)

Ravi Patel is a thirtysomething Indian American actor who recently parted ways with his white girlfriend, Audrey. Now single (much to the dismay of his family), Ravi feels the pressure to find a wife from his first-gen immigrant parents, who've mastered both the art of traditional matchmaking and ragging on his lack of love life. Struggling to scale the towering walls of cultural expectations while nursing the wounds of a romance gone sour, Ravi embarks on a quest to decipher his heart's desires. Along for the ride is his sister and partner in singlehood, Geeta, who serves as co-pilot in this lighthearted documentary. Sure, it might take some conventional routes via your favorite rom-coms, but Meet the Patels is nonetheless a side-splitting yet profound exploration of love, family, and sheer chaos mixed in a cross-cultural blender. —J.M.

Where to watch Meet the Patels: Peacock

Directors: Geeta V. Patel, Ravi V. Patel

Cast: Ravi V. Patel, Geeta V. Patel, Champa V. Patel, Vasant K. Patel, Audrey Wauchope, Chandar Abboy, Chirag Patel, Renita Abboy, Rali Amin, Sunkrish Bala

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

With a budget just over $100,000, George Romero's indie horror masterpiece transformed the zombie genre, reshaping these once-subjugated creatures into autonomous, flesh-craving fiends while forever etching them into pop culture (and paving the way for future undead favorites like The Walking Dead). Revolving around a group of unlikely survivors holed up in an abandoned farmhouse, this film unravels as they fend off an onslaught of ravenous ghouls storming the area. Night of the Living Dead didn't just make cinematic history; it gnawed its way into the collective consciousness, birthing a thriving franchise with five sequels from 1978 to 2009, which all carry Romero's iconic directorial touch. —J.M.

Where to watch Night of the Living Dead: Peacock

EW grade: A+ (read the review)

Director: George Romero

Cast: Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman, Judith Ridley, Keith Wayne, Kyra Schon

Related content: Night of the Living Dead made our countdown of the 13 scariest movies of all time

Oppenheimer (2023)

Hollywood produces numerous biopics every year, but none compare in this modern era to the seismic event that was Oppenheimer. Christopher Nolan's three-hour epic is an engrossing journey through the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy), the theoretical physicist who successfully developed the atomic bomb. The film skillfully balances multiple timelines as we follow Oppenheimer's involvement with the Manhattan Project in the 1940s alongside Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.) of the Atomic Energy Commission hoping to limit Oppenheimer's political influence in the 1950s. "Though they may seem disparate," EW's critic writes, "the many elements of Oppenheimer refract and reflect each other, like a bunch of atoms creating a chain reaction or a group of scientists building off each other's ideas to forge something new." The film has since grossed nearly $1 billion worldwide and earned 13 Oscar nominations. —K.J.

Where to watch Oppenheimer: Peacock

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: Christopher Nolan

Cast: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh

Related content: Christopher Nolan takes us inside creating Oppenheimer's atomic bomb explosion

Reality Bites (1994)

Craving a '90s nostalgia trip? Look no further than this slacker rom-com, a delightful time capsule of the era. Ben Stiller's feature directorial debut captures the post-college meandering of a group of graduates as they navigate adulthood and love in Houston. Aspiring videographer Lelaina (Winona Ryder) documents her friends' and roommates' disillusionment, echoing the quandaries of the era. As EW's critic sagely observes, "Reality Bites is the first Generation X movie to view its characters from the inside out, not simply as media-age confections but as intricate human beings.... Yearning, hilarious, lost within their precocious self-awareness, these slackers have soul." Rooted in the Gen X perspective, this movie's tale of post-grad aimlessness remains universally relatable, ensuring its timelessness across generations. —J.M.

Where to watch Reality Bites: Peacock

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: Ben Stiller

Cast: Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, Ben Stiller, Janeane Garofalo, Steve Zahn, Swoosie Kurtz, Renée Zellweger, Joe Don Baker, John Mahoney

Related content: Reality Bites cast reunites for 25th anniversary at Tribeca Film Festival

Short Term 12 (2013)

Penned and helmed by Destin Daniel Cretton (who drew from his own experience working at a teen group facility), Short Term 12 unfolds within the titular foster home for troubled youth. Grace, a supervisor harboring her own hidden wounds, sees herself in Jayden, a newcomer grappling with self-harm, which catalyzes a reckoning with her past. Though anchored by standout performances from then-rising stars like Rami Malek and LaKeith Stanfield, it's Brie Larson's first leading film role as Grace that leaps off the screen, radiating an acting wisdom beyond her years as she embodies raw vulnerability and understated strength. With dialogue as realistic as the characters themselves, this indie gem — which snagged SXSW's Grand Jury and Audience Awards for a Narrative Feature — immerses you so deeply that you'll briefly forget you are merely a spectator. —J.M.

Where to watch Short Term 12: Peacock

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: Destin Daniel Cretton

Cast: Brie Larson, John Gallagher Jr., Kaitlyn Dever, Rami Malek, LaKeith Stanfield, Kevin Hernandez, Melora Walters, Stephanie Beatriz

Related content: After Captain Marvel and Bohemian Rhapsody, it's time to revisit Short Term 12

Shrek (2001)

Once upon a time, in a swamp far, far away, Mike Myers graced us by voicing DreamWorks' misanthropic ogre. He was living the dream, basking in the solitude of his boggy sanctuary, until a horde of storybook creatures — a talking donkey, three little pigs, seven dwarves, and more — decide to crash the party after being ousted from the kingdom by Lord Farquaad. To reclaim his peace and quiet, Shrek must rescue a certain red-haired princess, all for the sake of Farquaad's romantic fantasies. A fairy tale that brims with unexpected friendships, laugh-out-loud moments, and enough layers to rival an onion, Shrek is an animated delight you just can't ogre-look. —J.M.

Where to watch Shrek: Peacock

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Directors: Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson

Cast: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow, Vincent Cassel, Conrad Vernon

Related content: Eddie Murphy would bring back Donkey for potential Shrek 5: 'I'd do it in 2 seconds'

Spider-Man 2 (2004)

All three films in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy are streaming on Peacock, but the middle entry is the best one and one of the top-tier superhero films ever made. After two years of inhabiting the web-slinging superhero Spider-Man, Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) faces difficulties in his personal life while also trying to protect his beloved Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) and the city of New York from a new villain, Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina), whose body is fused with four mechanical tentacles operated with artificial intelligence. What separates Spider-Man 2 from other superhero films is its investment in its characters, not only exploring Peter's struggles but giving us a morally complex villain in Dr. Octavius and a moving emotional throughline with Aunt May (Rosemary Harris), and, thus, providing genuine stakes to one visually stunning action sequence after another. —K.J.

Where to watch Spider-Man 2: Peacock

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Director: Sam Raimi

Cast: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Alfred Molina, Rosemary Harris, Donna Murphy

Related content: What all 7 live-action Spider-Man movies got right — and painfully wrong

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

This epic retelling of stockbroker Jordan Belfort's rise and fall was the subject of public discourse when it was released in 2013. Some believed it to be a complex, morally ambiguous cautionary tale, while others accused it of glamorizing greed and indulging in debauchery. The Wolf of Wall Street will get a rise out of you either way, as director Martin Scorsese is unafraid of pushing the limits of sex, drugs, and profanity to immerse you in Belfort's money- and power-hungry mentality, trusting you to draw your own conclusions. But few would debate the merits of Leonardo DiCaprio's full-throated performance as Belfort, delivering what some would argue is the best of his career. As EW's critic writes, "He gives a hell of a performance that’s electrifyingly loose, perversely funny, and dripping with jerk charisma." —K.J.

Where to watch The Wolf of Wall Street: Peacock

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Martin Scorsese

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaughey, Kyle Chandler, Rob Reiner, Jon Favreau, Jean Dujardin

Related content: Does Wolf of Wall Street scorn bad behavior or revel in it? Or both?

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Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.