Best On Netflix

The 17 Netflix Original Movies With The Highest Rotten Tomatoes Scores

By Jade Budowski @jadebudowski

Published June 12, 2018, 8:30 a.m. ET

collage of: The Meyerowitz Stories, Mudbound, Team Foxcatcher — Photos: NETFLIX ; Illustration: Dillen Phelps

Two people arm wrestle. — **Cuba and the Cameraman**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 100%
Director Joe Alpert has followed Fidel Castro and three Cuban families affected by his rule for 42 years, and in this enlightening documentary, their stories are finally told. The intimate look at their growth and struggle through the constantly changing climate of Cuba is absolutely gripping.
[Stream Cuba and the Cameraman]Photo: Netflix

A group of women training to be astronauts. — **Mercury 13**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 100%
This breathtaking documentary tells the story of the women who trained to be astronauts in the 1960s, but never made it to the space. Directed by David Sington and Heather Walsh, the film combines archival footage with interviews with the people who lived through it all and creates something truly special in the process.
[Stream Mercury 13] Photo: Netflix

**Rodney King**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 100%
This powerful, unique film directed by Spike Lee retraces the series of events and devastating moments that led up to the police beating of Rodney King and the fatal riots that ensued. Delivered as a compelling one-man show in front of a live audience, this testament to Lee's storytelling skills will make you understand the harrowing events of 1992 in a new light.
[Stream Rodney King] ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collec

Gloria Allred. — **Seeing Allred**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 100%
This riveting documentary sees famous women's rights lawyer Gloria Allred forced to face the spotlight and everything that comes with as she takes on accused predators Bill Cosby and Donald Trump on the national stage.
[Stream Seeing Allred]Photo: Netflix

Artist Cai Guo-Qiang at work. — **Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo Qiang**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 100%
While this documentary might have best been seen in a theater, your couch will have to do. The film captures the life and work of artist Cai Guo-Qiang, an electrifying individual who sets out to create his most ambitious work yet - a 1,650-foot ladder of fire that reaches into the sky above his hometown. The stunning pyrotechnic techniques he employs throughout his work are a feat to be witnessed.
[Stream Sky Ladder] Photo: Netflix

**Team Foxcatcher**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 100%
While drama flick *Foxcatcher* may have earned well-deserved critical buzz and awards love, this unsettling documentary makes things unflinchingly real. The Netflix original film takes things one step further and examines the life of Dave Schultz, one of the members of Team Foxcatcher who eventually paid for his loyalty to the paranoid, unpredictable John DuPont with his life.
[Stream Team Foxcatcher] Photo: Netflix

**The Battered Bastards of Baseball**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 100%
A so-crazy-it's-hard-to-believe-it's-true underdog story, this documentary chronicles minor league baseball team the Portland Mavericks during their five season-run from 1973-1977. Beloved actor Kurt Russell's father Bing owned the team, and Kurt acted as vice president and also played for them. Delightful for both sports-lovers and film-lovers alike, this celebration of determination and spirit is one you won't want to miss.
[Stream The Battered Bastards of Baseball] Photo: Netflix

**Virunga**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 100%
Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, this film tells the story of a brave group of individuals who give up everything to protect the last mountain gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This suspenseful, compelling, heart-wrenching film tells an incredible story and acts as a crucial call to action.
[Stream Virunga] Netflix

Jim Carrey. — **Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond (Featuring a Very Special Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton)**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 100%
This behind-the-scenes look at Man on the Moon and Jim Carrey's awe-inspiring transformation into legendary comedian and performance artist Andy Kaufman sheds new light on what was only myth and rumor prior. A thrilling glimpse at the artistic process, this film is a stunning reminder of what makes Carrey and Kaufman great.
[Stream Jim & Andy] Photo: Netflix

**13th**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 96%
Ava DuVernay directs this stunning documentary that takes a deep dive into the history of racial inequality in the United States and how it plays a massive role in the prison system. The Academy Award-nominated film employs both archival footage and testimony from the most prominent activists, scholars, politicians, and formerly incarcerated individuals to tell the story of the disproportionate incarceration of African-Americans in the United States.
[Stream 13th] Netflix

Marsha P. Johnson. — **The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 96%
This riveting Netflix documentary tells the story of Marsha P. Johnson, the legendary transgender icon who fought at Stonewall and was found dead in the Hudson River in 1992. While her death was initially determined a suicide, the film investigates her death as a potentially unsolved murder with the use of new footage and interviews from the people that knew her best.
[Stream The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson]Netflix

Jason Mitchell in MUDBOUND. — **Mudbound**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 96%
Directed by Dee Rees, this riveting, sweeping drama follows two men as they return home to Mississippi from World War II and find themselves struggling with post-war life and the racism that surrounds them. Starring Carey Mulligan, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Mitchell, and a slew of other wildly talented stars, this stunning, timely film may very well be the best title Netflix has ever put out.
[Stream Mudbound] Photo: Netflix

**Tramps**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 94%
This modern take on old-school Hollywood rom-coms follows a good-natured teenager named Danny who gets roped into helping his incarcerated brother do a shady bag drop-off and the goose chase that ensues with the girl he encounters after he accidentally switches the bags. The breakout stars and honest summer setting will warm your heart and restore your faith in little movies.
[Stream Tramps] Netflix

**Icarus**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 93%
This insanely timely documentary from Bryan Fogel exposes the dark, doping underbelly of international sports - particularly in Russian Olympic athletes - and it does not disappoint. *Icarus* received rave reviews at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and follows Fogel as he interviews a slew of different high-profile figures within the scandal and discovers the terrifying truth behind these illegal methods. Netflix themselves calls the documentary an "international game of cat and mouse where a miscalculation can cost you your life," so it's bound to be thrilling in more ways than one.
[Stream Icarus]Photo: Netflix

**Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 93%
This inspiring true portrait of courage follows teenager Josh Wong as he decides to fight for Hong Kong after the Chinese Communist Party forgoes their promise of autonomy to the city. Joshua manages to rally thousands of kids to skip school and protest with him, and in the process becomes China's most unlikely hero.
[Stream Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower] Netflix

**The Little Prince**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 93%
This beautiful adaptation of the classic children's book does it justice in every way possible. Gorgeously animated and full of heart, the story of a pilot who crashes into the Sahara desert and encounters a little boy claiming to be an extraterrestrial prince is a total delight for the whole family.
[Stream The Little Prince]Photo: Everett Collection

Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller in THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES. — **The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)**
**Rotten Tomatoes Score:** 92%
Noah Baumbach, because Adam Sandler is good again. In what is perhaps his best performance since Paul Thomas Anderson's *Punch-Drunk Love*, Sandler shines as one of the three adult children of Harold Meyerowitz (Dustin Hoffman) alongside Ben Stiller and Elizabeth Marvel. Baumbach's dramedy perfectly captures all the bittersweet dysfunction of the family dynamic and acts as a showcase for its wildly talented stars in the process.
[Stream The Meyerowitz Stories] Photo: Netflix

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It’s easy to get lost in Netflix‘s seemingly endless cinematic offerings, and even easier to forget that beyond the classic flicks, blockbusters, and indie gems that they house, they also are home to a handful of incredible original films. This year alone they’re set to have some 700-plus original titles hit the platform, so there’s no reason for you to ever complain about a lack of content. There’s more than any human being can possibly have time to watch!

Enlightening documentaries like Cuba and the Cameraman, Mercury 13, Team Foxcatcher, 13th, and a slew of others are products of the platform’s stunning nonfiction endeavors, while Mudbound and The Meyerowitz Stories, are moving examples of the handle Netflix has on moving stories. Whether you’re looking to laugh, learn, or simply turn your brain off, the streaming service has reached across genres to create some of the best new films out there.

No clue where to start? We understand, and we’ve got you covered. We went through Netflix‘s quality original content to find the best of the best. These are the 17 best Netflix Original Films, ranked by their Rotten Tomatoes scores.