Yahoo LifestyleThe 52 Best Black Movies on Netflix Right Now
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The 52 Best Black Movies on Netflix Right Now
Editor's Note: This article is updated monthly according to Netflix's regular film additions and removals.
Every month, Netflix releases a new batch of iconic Black films, that stream for 30 days. The latest? The enlightening documentary The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson, This Christmas, and Spike Lee's newest work, Da 5 Bloods.
But, if you're really looking to flex your binge-watching muscles, Netflix is already home to tons of great Black movies, from comedies to dramas that don't appear to be budging from the platform anytime soon. Take Tyler Perry's first-ever original film for the streaming service, A Fall From Grace, Will Smith's biggest blockbusters, Netflix's Uncorked—which has an amazing soundtrack, and former First Lady Michelle Obama's Becoming. And those are just a few streaming now. Read on for a wide selection of our other picks.
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Hard Lessons
Denzel Washington plays George McKenna, a man who accepts a job as principal at a tough L.A. high school in an effort to reverse its bad reputation.
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Da 5 Bloods
In the latest Spike Lee Joint, four war veterans return to Vietnam to recover the remains of their fallen squad leader, along with gold they all buried years before.
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This Christmas
With a stacked ensemble cast, this holiday favorite follows the drama of the Whitfield family as they come together for Christmas for the first time in four years.
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I Am Not Your Negro
Inspired by the unfinished James Baldwin book of the same name, I Am Not Your Negro uses his words to examine racism in America through the stories of Malcolm X, Medgar Evers, and Malcolm X.
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A Kid From Coney Island
This sports documentary takes a look at the life and career of former NBA player Stephon Marbury, who is currently the head coach of the Beijing Royal Fighters of the Chinese Basketball Association.
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Fatal Affair
Nia Long and Omar Epps reunite for this thriller that tells the oh-so-familiar (but irresistible) story of a woman who encounters a seemingly innocent man from her past who turns out to be much more dangerous than he appears.
Premiere Date: July 16
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The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson
A Netflix original documentary chronicles the life and mysterious death of celebrated LGBTQ rights activist Marsha P. Johnson, who was a pioneer of the gay liberation movement and held a leading role in the 1969 Stonewall Riots.
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The Help
This acclaimed film takes place in 1960s Mississippi, following Black women who serve as maids to prominent white families. Though the historical drama is beloved to this day and earned Octavia Spencer a supporting actress Oscar, in 2018 Viola Davis admitted she regretted making the film. "I just felt that at the end of the day that it wasn’t the voices of the maids that were heard," she told The New York Times. "I know that if you do a movie where the whole premise is, I want to know what it feels like to work for white people and to bring up children in 1963, I want to hear how you really feel about it. I never heard that in the course of the movie."
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Becoming
This exclusive documentary follows former first lady Michelle Obama on her sold out book tour Becoming, inspired by her best-selling memoir. Not only does it bring the words of her inspiring story to life, but we also get a few cameos from her hubby President Barack Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha.
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13th
Ava DuVernay holds nothing back in this eye-opening documentary about institutionalized racism in the United States, which focuses on the disproportionate placement of African Americans in prison. Along with a slew of activists and scholars, featured contributors include Van Jones, Cory Booker, and Angela Davis.
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L.A. '92
This documentary showcases the social unrest and turmoil that followed the Rodney King ruling in 1992, resulting in the infamous Los Angeles riots.
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For Colored Girls
Adapted from Ntozake Shange's 1975 choreopoem, Tyler Perry's For Colored Girls follows the interconnected lives of 10 Black women in Harlem.
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All Day and a Night
While serving life in prison in the same corrections facility as his father, a young man reflects on the life choices that led him there.
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Get on the Bus
In this film directed by Spike Lee, a group of Black men board a bus headed to Washington, D.C.'s Million Man March. And while they started out the trip as strangers, their shared life experiences as African Americans bond them for life.
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Uncorked
A Memphis man is determined to fulfill his dream of becoming a master sommelier, but he's at odds with his unsupportive father, who'd much rather him take over the family barbecue business.
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School Daze
At the historically Black Mission College, the student body is divided over two competing ideals: the activists and politically minded led by Dep (Laurence Fishburne) and the rigid social order that comes with Greek life headed by Julian (Giancarlo Esposito). This iconic Black musical/comedy/drama was one of Spike Lee's earliest films.
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Django Unchained
In this Oscar-winning Quentin Tarantino film, Jamie Foxx plays a former slave named Django who along with a German bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) set out to hunt the south's most-wanted criminals.
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Soul Plane
In this raunchy comedy cult classic—starring Snoop Dogg, Method Man, and Kevin Hart—a young wins millions after winning a lawsuit against a major airline, so of course he sets out to create his own.
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Scary Movie 1 & 2
The first two movies of the wildly popular horror comedy film series follow a group of friends as they navigate frightening events in these farcical tales.
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A Fall From Grace
In Tyler Perry's first film for Netflix, a woman named Grace works to overcome her woes in life when she meets a charming younger man. She falls in-love and marries him, but he soon reveals his true, sinister intentions. Grace snaps, and soon finds herself on trial for his murder.
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American Son
Adapted from the acclaimed Broadway play that also stars Kerry Washington, American Son follows an estranged couple as they await news on their missing teen son in a Florida police station.
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Barry
This Barack Obama biopic follows number 44 as he navigates his junior year at Columbia University, struggling to stay connected to his parents and schoolmates.
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Dolemite Is My Name
Eddie Murphy returns to the big screen as 1970s comedian Rudy Ray Moore, as he creates his beloved raunchy alter ego "Dolemite," one of the stars of the Blaxpoitation film era.
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Bad Boys I & II
In this cult classic action comedy franchise, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are two Miami narcotics cops who find themselves in the midst of drug wars that must be stopped.
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Step Sisters
With her dream of attending Harvard's law school at risk, a leader of a Black sorority is tasked with secretly leading a white sorority to victory for an upcoming step dance championship.
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The Wedding Party I & II
The success of a couple's over-the-top wedding is threatened by warring parents, univited guests, and exes. Fun fact? This Nollywood rom-com had the biggest-ever opening of any Nigerian film to date.
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Sextuplets
As he's expecting his own child, Alan (Marlon Wayans) discovers he's a sextuplet and sets out to find his five siblings—all played by Wayans.
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Lionheart
In this Nollywood film, after her father becomes sick, Adaeze must step-up and take over the family business despite it being a male-dominated industry.
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Moonlight
In this Oscar-winning, incredibly emotional drama you see a young boy named Chiron grow up in a crime ridden Miami neighborhood, grappling with the troubles around him as he comes to terms with his own sexuality.
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Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
In this critically acclaimed, Oscar-nominated animated film, a Brooklyn teen named Miles is bitten by a radioactive spider, in-turn meeting his five counterparts from alternate dimensions.
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The Black Godfather
In this eye-opening documentary, you're let into the untold story of Clarence Avant, known as "The Black Godfather" amongst Hollywood's elite, in the music industry, and politics. You soon learn that his mentorship and connection is so powerful, he's influenced the likes of Bill Withers, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Jim Brown, and P. Diddy. (And that's just brushing the surface).
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Beats
A struggling music producer and a teenage musical prodigy (who's also ridden with anxiety) find each other, hoping to break into the Chicago music scene.
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See You Yesterday
Two teen geniuses invent time travel-enabling backpacks. But when one of their brother's killed in a police shooting, they attempt to use their new device to save him.
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Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé
As the one and only Queen Bey could do, the songstress announced her groundbreaking documentary just days before it was set to stream on Netflix. Dubbed "Beychella," the film chronicled Beyoncé's celebrated 2018 Coachella performance, not only showing the entire concert, but going behind the scenes to reveal the hours of rehearsals, HBCU influences, and its importance for Black culture.
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Juanita
In this Netflix original drama, Alfre Woodard plays a woman who uproots her life to take a trip to Montana, leaving her three grown children behind in order to better herself. And fun fact: Woodard's husband, Roderick Spencer, wrote the film just for her at her personal request.
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High Flying Bird
Shot completely on an iPhone, this Steven Soderbergh drama follows a sports agent who concocts a risky plan in order to end an NBA lockout.
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The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
The directorial debut of actor Chiwetel Ejiofor—who also stars in the film—follows a 13-year-old Malawian boy who teaches himself to build a windmill in order to save his village from starvation.
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ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke
This documentary delves into the events surrounding the mysterious murder of Sam Cooke, the musician and activist who died in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement in 1964.
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Roxanne Roxanne
A 2017 Sundance Film Festival favorite, Roxanne, Roxanne is a biopic that tells the story of Queens-born emcee Roxanne Shanté, who rose to fame at the age of 14 following the release of her 1984 single "Roxanne's Revenge." While she's considered one of hip-hop's first female rappers, the film depicts her struggle to succeed in the male-dominated music industry of the 1980s.
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Quincy
Finally, a long-overdue documentary about Quincy Jones, the music legend who produced hits like Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and "Billie Jean," plus the soundtrack to the 1977 TV mini-series Roots. Quincy follows the life of a great who counted celebrities like Marlon Brando, Ray Charles, and Frank Sinatra as friends. His daughter, Rashida Jones, co-directed the film.
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Zion
This Netflix original chronicles the life of Zion Clark, a young wrestler from Ohio with caudal regression syndrome, a condition that left him without legs. Though this documentary short is only 11 minutes long, Clark's inspiring story is worth every second of your time.
Watch It Now - 43 / 53
Nappily Ever After
Remember when Sanaa Lathan shocked us all and shaved her head? This movie is the reason why. Based on the novel of the same name by Trisha R. Thomas, the film follows the story of a woman who has it all (the perfect house, boyfriend, and job) but decides to cut her hair off after her life begins to crumble. Her drastic move ultimately leads to a "Live Your Best Life" moment that Oprah would be proud of.
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First Match
First Match is about a teenage girl who grows up in Brooklyn's Brownsville foster care system. She joins a boys' wrestling team in an effort to get the attention of her father, an ex-prisoner who was a star wrestler at her age.
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Beasts of No Nation
This 2015 war drama earned Idris Elba a SAG award for his portrayal of a vicious West African warlord who takes a young boy under his wing, recruiting him into an army of child soldiers.
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She's Gotta Have It
A rom-com from 1986, She's Gotta Have It is referred to as the first "Spike Lee joint," launching the iconic director's decades-spanning career. The film follows the love life of leading lady Lola Darling as she shamelessly juggles three men from the comfort of her sacred "loving bed." In 2017, Lee premiered a Netflix remake, which was met with mixed reviews.
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Burning Sands
Directed by Gerard McMurray, a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, Burning Sands takes a controversial look at the intense hazing practices of Black Greek organizations. After the 2011 hazing death of Florida A&M's Robert Champion, McMurray made the drama to serve as a call for pledging process reform.
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Been So Long
In Netflix's first movie musical, Chewing Gum's Michaela Coel stars opposite leading man Arinzé Kene as a single mom who falls in love with a man who is newly released from prison. The pair sings their way through energetic and soulful melodies as they make their way across North London.
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The Holiday Calendar
Kat Graham plays a struggling photographer who doesn't have the best luck—until she acquires an old advent calendar that can predict the future. Just in time for the holidays, she also finds a cute love interest played by Star's Quincy Brown.
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The 52 Best Black Movies on Netflix Right Now
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The 52 Best Black Movies on Netflix Right Now
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The 52 Best Black Movies on Netflix Right Now
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The 52 Best Black Movies on Netflix Right Now
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