39 Netflix Original Movies Actually Worth Watching
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Netflix makes a lot of content. It's not secret the streaming giant can be frustrating to navigate when you're not quite sure what you want to watch. The endless scroll we all suffer from comes from content of varying degrees of quality. There's a lot of great stuff out there, but we have to be willing to trek through a lot of average to just plain bad television shows and movies to find what's actually worth watching.
That's where we come in. Netflix is chock full of award-winning and entertaining movies, if you can find them. The streaming service has become a distributor of some of the most talked about films in recent years, like The Power of the Dog, Roma, and Bird Box. Netflix is a far cry away from its humble beginnings as a platform people primarily used to watch The Office. The platform has become a major player in producing and distributing action, romance, comedies, and more. Netflix has worked with names you've definitely heard of, like Bong Joon-Ho, Guillermo Del Toro, and Martin Scorsese. And they're interested in creating content for every type of viewer. Fans of rom-coms will love Do Revenge or Always Be My Maybe, and people who look for action and thriller will enjoy The Old Guard or Extraction.
So to avoid spending more time looking for a movie than actually watching one, we've got a list of the absolute best original movies Netflix has to offer. Here are our picks.
Roma (2018)
This critically acclaimed film follows a Mexican housekeeper's life (while also serving as an autobiographical look at director Alfonso Cuarón's life). Lauded as one of the best films of the past decade, Roma is a must-watch for anyone who wants the best of Netflix's filmography.
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Bird Box (2018)
Sandra Bullock stars in this book adaptation (not to be confused with A Quiet Place) about a woman who has to protect two children in a world where there are monsters who cause someone to kill themselves if they see them.
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To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018)
For people who love coming-of-age romances, To All the Boys I've Loved Before is one of the more successful young adult book adaptations in recent years. Lana Condor stars as Lara Jean Covey, a shy high schooler who writes private letters to boys she has crushes on. When her little sister has mailed out all the letters, Lara has to deal with the fallout.
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The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
The Coen brothers wrote, produced, and directed this Western anthology film starring Tim Blake Nelson and others. At the 91st Academy Awards, the film was nominated for three awards, including Best Original Song, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Costume Design.
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Okja (2017)
Bong Joon-Ho (who would later receive several Academy Awards for Parasite) co-wrote and directed this film about a young girl who grows up with a genetically modified pig. But once she moves to the United States, she has to save it from mistreatment. Tilda Swinton, Steven Yeun, Paul Dano, and others star in this sci-fi tale.
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Marriage Story (2019)
Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver star as a divorced couple in this drama written and directed by Noah Baumbach. When Nicole moves to Los Angeles to live with her mother and tells her husband she's divorcing him, she takes her son with her. She then undergoes emotional divorce proceedings with her ex, who lives in New York.
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The Irishman (2019)
Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino star in this Martin Scorsese film based on a 2004 nonfiction book. The film follows a truck driver who becomes a hitman for a mobster and also ends up working with famed teamster Jimmy Hoffa.
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Da 5 Bloods (2020)
Spike Lee helms this film which follows aging Vietnam war veterans who return to the country to find the remains of their fallen squad leader and retrieve treasure they buried there years ago.
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I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020)
For a mind-bending tale, check out Charlie Kaufman's I'm Thinking of Ending Things. The film follows a young woman and her boyfriend as she meets his parents. The film is worth watching to experience what is essentially a very long WTF moment.
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Mank (2020)
David Fincher directs this film based on a screenplay by his late father. The film follows the screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz and the development of the screenplay for Citizen Kane.
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Army of the Dead (2021)
Zack Snyder directs this zombie heist film starring Dave Bautista. When the zombie apocalypse becomes contained in Las Vegas, a rich businessman tasks a team of mercenaries with breaking open a safe and retrieving the money inside.
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The Harder They Fall (2021)
Starring Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Regina King, Zazie Beetz, and LaKeith Stanfield, this loosely based-on-a-true-story film follows a group of Black cowboys and their involvement with a heist.
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Passing (2021)
Ruth Negga and Tessa Thompson star in Passing, based on a Nella Larsen book of the same name. The story chronicles the friendship between two Black women, one of whom passes as white and hides her ancestry.
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Tick, Tick...Boom! (2021)
Based on the biographical musical film by Jonathan Larsen, chronicling his journey to write a musical and enter the theater industry, the film version stars Andrew Garfield as Larsen. For fans who love musicals and want to enjoy one at home, you'll appreciate this Oscar-nominated film.
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The Power of the Dog (2021)
Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons, Kirsten Dunst, and Kodi Smit-McPhee star in this Western drama about two brothers and their ongoing tension. The film received a number of Oscar nominations, and Jane Campion won for Best Director.
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Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio (2022)
Del Toro reimagines the classic fantasy character in his impressive film. Starring Ewan McGregor, Tim Blake Nelson, Tilda Swinton and others, Pinocchio finds the wooden boy in fascist Italy in the time between World War I and II. After its release, the film received a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the 95th Academy Awards.
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Do Revenge (2022)
If there's any kind of film that's lacking in modern media, it's the teen comedy. Do Revenge is one of the best teen comedies in years, and worth a watch for all ages. Starring Camila Mendes, Maya Hawke, and Austin Abrams, the film follows Drea, a popular student whose boyfriend leaks her nudes. When she makes friends with a new girl at school, Drea decides to get revenge on her boyfriend no matter the cost.
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The Gray Man (2022)
Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans star in this cat-and-mouse thriller about a CIA operative and a mercenary who puts a bounty on the operative to kill him and retrieve an important drive.
Read More: What We Know About 'The Gray Man 2'
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Extraction (2020)
Based on a graphic novel, Extraction stars Chris Hemsworth as an Australian mercenary tasked with recovering an Indian crime lord's son. The mission is jeopardized, however, when he's double-crossed. On its release, Extraction became Netflix's most-watched original film of all time, according to the platform's metrics.
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What Happened to Monday? (2017)
Noomi Rapace, Glenn Close, and Willem Dafoe star in this dystopian thriller about a group of septuplets, forced into hiding as overpopulation has made by the government instill a one-child policy. As children, the girls are named after days of the week and only leave the house on their assigned days. When Monday goes missing, the other women must come together and save her.
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Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
Rian Johnson's popular mystery franchise returns in its second installment, now a Netflix-first release. Daniel Craig returns as the private detective Benoit Blanc, who is invited to a billionaire's private island by an anonymous person.
Read More: 'Glass Onion' Ending Explained
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The Swimmers (2022)
This biographical film chronicles the lives of two sisters who go from displaced Syrian refugees to swimming in the 2016 Olympics (the other is now a humanitarian activist and lifeguard). Check out this film if you want to shed a few tears.
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Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020)
This musical comedy stars Rachel McAdams and Will Ferrell as two Icelandic best friends determined to win the Eurovision song contest. The film was nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards, so you'll probably walk away from the film with an earworm or two.
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The Old Guard (2020)
Charlize Theron stars in this action thriller about a centuries-old warrior with regenerative abilities. After she and her team are thwarted by an ex-CIA operative, they embark on a revenge mission.
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Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)
Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman star in a dramatized film adapted from 1982 play of the same name by August Wilson. The story follows the real-life famous singer Ma Rainey (famous for the original "Hound Dog") and chronicles a frustrating recording session with her band.
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Always Be My Maybe (2019)
Ali Wong and Randall Park star in this romantic comedy about childhood friends who attempt to make a relationship work, but find dating in adulthood has its own set of challenges.
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The Two Popes (2019)
Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins play two real-life religious figures in this biographical drama. In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI attempts to convince an archbishop to rethink his decision to resign as he also considers abdicating from the papacy.
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Gerald's Game (2017)
Mike Flanagan directs and edits this thriller based on a Stephen King book of the same name. Carla Gugino stars as a woman whose husband dies while they're on a romantic getaway. Handcuffed to the bed, she must find a way to survive while also fighting her own hallucinations.
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Tramps (2016)
For a straight-up romance, check out Tramps, a 2017 Netflix film about a man tasked with delivering a mysterious package and a woman who's his driver. When the two lose the package, they team up to recover it.
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I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017)
Melanie Lynskey and Elijah Wood star in this hilarious movie about two neighbors who team up to retrieve the woman's stolen goods after her house is robbed.
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The King (2019)
This historical film, based on real world events and works from William Shakespeare, follows a young Henry V as he must take on the role of king after his father dies, taking on an ongoing war, politics, and his personal life.
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Set It Up (2018)
This 2018 rom-com stars Glen Powell and Zoey Deutch alongside Taye Diggs and Lucy Liu. The film follows two assistants who attempt to set their overworked bosses up on a date.
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Mudbound (2017)
Based on a 2008 novel of the same name, Mudbound follows two World War II veterans, one Black and one white, as they return to rural Mississippi.
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The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)
Aaron Sorkin directs this historical drama about a group of anti-Vietnam protestors charged with inciting riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
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El Conde (2023)
This black comedy film portrays Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet as a 250-year old vampire, who goes up against his children when they hire a nun to kill him.
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Beasts of No Nation (2015)
Idris Elba stars in this harrowing film about a child soldier who must survive a civil war in his country.
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The Fundamentals of Caring (2016)
Paul Rudd, Craig Roberts, and Selena Gomez star in this roadtrip comedy about a caretaker who takes the teenager he's watching on a roadtrip to see the world's deepest pit. Along the way, they pick up a hitchhiker and the three grow close over the course of their journey.
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The Good Nurse (2022)
Based on a real true crime story, The Good Nurse follows a nurse who suspects her colleague, Charlie Cullen, is a serial killer. When the authorities begin to investigate mysterious deaths at their hospital, the nurse offers to help detectives to catch her colleague.
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You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (2023)
Adam Sandler (along with his family) star in this hilarious coming-of-age comedy about a girl who dreams of an epic bat mitzvah, but becomes at odds with her best friend when she realizes they're going after the same boy.
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