The Best Netflix Streaming Movies To Watch Right Now

Updated: October 2017

How many times have you decided to stay at home and watch a movie with your other half, your buddies, and have had no clue of what to pick? With so many options available, it can be overwhelming to decide. If you’re not a regular movie watcher, picking a movie can be risky, as your favorite movie may not appeal to everyone. That’s why I’ve done the hard work for you by picking the best streaming movies to watch on Netflix. I’ve narrowed down the options by genre and mood, so it’s easy for you to find the perfect movie.

With the limited number of movies in Netflix’s streaming service (4,566 films from what I last saw), one’s option to choose great films over the mundane is a rarity but not impossible. For example, I pay $7.99 a month and I’m more than satisfied with what it offers. Why? I’ve plowed through their vast archives and have discovered a plethora of masterpiece classics and contemporary Oscar-winning films that you can view this instant. To facilitate the process, I’ve categorized the films into a variety of genres: Family, Thrillers, Action, Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi/Adventure, Romance, Drama, and Classics. I’ve also highlighted my top personal choices per genre and have given you an extra quality amount of “winning” options you should be more than satisfied with. If you don’t see a genre you’re particularly fond of, leave your comment below, and I’ll go ahead and add it.

HORROR

It Follows (2015, 94m, Director David Robert Mitchell / Maika Monroe, Jake Weary)

This is one of the highest-rated horror films on Rotten Tomatoes with an insane 97%. This is a modern horror film that manages to be stylish, and scary with a haunting musical score. It starts slow, but then it gets going, and the result is what you were looking for this Halloween Weekend.

Other Horror suggestions: The Babadook, The Human Centipede, Hush, V/H/S 1-2, SAW 1-7, Coraline, Starry Eyes, The Den, Hellraiser, The Awakening, Teeth

Horror Family: Goosebumps, Corpse Bride, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Scary Movie 2-3

THRILLERS

Nightcrawler (2014, 1hr 57m, Director: Dan Gilroy / Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo)

Dan Gilroy’s dark and twisted crime journalism film, Nightcrawler, is a creepy, uncomfortable watch, but one that sees Jake Gyllenhaal not only give us the best performance of his career but also embarks us on an extraordinary and morbid story that is both warped and mesmerizing. A young hustler gets sucked into the sordid but lucrative business of trolling the streets of Los Angeles to film fires, car crashes, and murders. Gilroy’s filmmaking skills are to be admired. He produces a well-paced, efficient film where no scenes are wasted. Every sequence pushes the story forward leading to a final third act which might be one of the best third act sequences of 2014. If you’re looking for a dose of the unexpected, you’re in for a treat!

Other Thriller suggestions: Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, Zodiac, The Invitation, The Hateful Eight, Following, Victoria, Exam, The Two Faces of January, Lucky Number Slevin, We Need To Talk About Kevin, Oldboy, The Sixth Sense, Basic Instinct, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Trilogy, All Good Things, The Road

SCIENCE FICTION / ADVENTURE

The Matrix (1999, 2hr 16m, Director: The Wachowski Brothers / Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss)

The Matrix Trilogy, the timeless movie franchise that changed the film industry, is now streaming on Netflix. Starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Hugo Weaving, a computer hacker searches for the truth behind the mysterious force known as the Matrix. In the film, he discovers that what most people perceive as reality is a simulation created by machines and joins a rebellion to break free. This Wachowski Brothers’ masterpiece created a plethora of copycats that still influence movies today. This classic has one of the greatest plots in film history. Many psychedelic fans today swear it holds a profound meaning of life after viewing it under the influence. Whatever its interpretation, The Matrix is the reason we love the movies.

Other Sci-Fi suggestions: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Donnie Darko, These Final Hours, Stake Land

COMEDY

While We’re Young (2014, 102m, Director Noah Baumbach / Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Adam Driver)

Noah Baumbach is known for being one hell of a clever and philosophical writer. His films usually explore some sort of existential change in a person’s life, and that notion is no more evident than in While We’re Young. A middle-aged couple’s career and marriage are overturned when they meet a disarming young couple who enters their lives. Apart from the wonderful performances from the cast, the script echoes the lives of many 40’ish adults who will see themselves reflected, even etched, into these characters who might be more proxies than fictional story characters.

Other Comedy suggestions in subgenres:

Action Comedies: Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Adventures in Babysitting, Hot Fuzz, I Love You, Man, Miss Congeniality, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, ‘The Good, The Bad, The Weird’, Silver Streak, License to Drive, Police Academy

Smart Comedies: Frances Ha, Best In Show, Tiny Furniture, The Trip to Italy, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, Adult World

LOL Comedies: Tropic Thunder, Mean Girls

Dark Comedies: Pulp Fiction, Catfight, The Beaver, Gremlins, Marguerite, Seeking A Friend For The End of the World, The Overnight, Moonrise Kingdom, The Double, Heathers, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, Heathers, John Dies at the End

ACTION

The Impossible (PG-13, 1hr 53m, 2012, Director JA Bayona / Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland)

The Impossible is the story of a tourist family in Thailand caught in the destruction and chaotic aftermath of 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

Other Action suggestions: Doctor Strange, V for Vendetta, Armageddon, Ong-Bak 2, The Legend of Drunken Master

ROMANCE

Carol (R, 1hr 58m, 2015, Director Todd Haynes / Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson)

Carol is set in the 1950s. A glamorous married woman and an aspiring photographer embark on a passionate, forbidden romance that will forever change their lives.

Other Romance suggestions: Southside with You, 5 to 7, Two Girls and a Guy, Twilight, Blue is the Warmest Color, Adore, Take This Waltz, Never Let Me Go, No Reservations, Barefoot in the Park

Romantic Comedies: Sleeping With Other People, 13 Going on 30, The Switch, Must Love Dogs, Can’t Buy Me Love, Bridget Jones Diary, Grease, Amelie, Drinking Buddies, Picture Perfect, The Heartbreak Kid, 2 Days In New York, Take Care

DRAMA

The Immigrant (R, 2 hr, 2014, Director James Gray / Joaquin Phoenix, Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Renner)

I can’t believe that this top-flight drama didn’t get the attention it deserves. Blame ‘The Weinstein Company’ for the bad marketing. Showcasing an Oscar cast, The Immigrant is another fantastic film from the adroit director James Gray. His natural skill to delve deep into a story and provide beautiful visuals and powerful performances from his actors makes this movie a richly rewarding period drama. A Polish immigrant in New York who must provide for her ill sister soon falls under the thumb of a charming thug who forces her into prostitution. The cinematography is stunning, a sublime old-fashioned melodrama played with superb naturalistic emotion. It is complex and nuanced and a deeply affecting tale of morality and survival in 1920s New York. You’ll be impressed that it is streaming on Netflix!

Other Drama suggestions: Eyes Wide Shut, Dangal, The Stanford Prison Experiment, Christine, Boyhood, Babel, Schindler’s List, Phenomenon, Milk, Quiz Show, Clouds of Sils Maria, The Five Heartbeats, Hoffa, Downfall, Yves Saint Laurent, The Place Beyond the Pines, Match, Waking Life,

Dramedies: The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected), Boogie Nights, Dear White People, Don’t Think Twice, The Big Short, Magic Mike, Begin Again, The Bucket List, Sing Street, Max Rose

FAMILY

The Mitchells vs. The Machines (R, 1hr 54m, 2021, Director Michael Rianda / Abbi Jacobson, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Olivia Colman)

The Mitchells vs. The Machines is about embracing the things that make us unique, learning what it means to be human in a world increasingly filled with technology, and holding tight to the people most important to you when the unexpected hits.

Other Family suggestions: Kubo and the Two Strings, Moana, Queen of Katwe, The Jungle Book (live-action), BFG, The Little Prince, Pete’s Dragon, HUGO, Dolphin Tale, Batteries Not Included, Chicken Run, Fantasia, Fantasia 2000, The Emperor’s New Groove

CLASSICS

Sunset Boulevard (1950, 1hr 50m, Directors Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder / William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim)

Whenever you see a list of the best movies ever made, most likely Sunset Boulevard will be on that list. Winner of 3 Academy Awards, legendary director Billy Wilder gave us the definitive look at the dark side of Hollywood. The disturbing portrayal of Gloria Swanson, as Norma Desmond, an aging silent-film queen, is almost unrivaled. The use of the word classic is for movies like this. A hack screenwriter writes a screenplay for a former Hollywood silent-film star who has become delusional. There are masterful performances here to enjoy, the script is intense, absorbing, and full of intrigue. If you’ve never seen this movie, you’re in for one hell of a treat.

Other Classic suggestions: Young Frankenstein, Metropolis, How to Steal a Million, To Kill a Mockingbird, Desk Set, White Christmas

If you are searching for Latino movies on Netflix, don’t miss our curated selection of The Best Spanish-Language Movies Streaming on Netflix.