The best movies on streaming

Bridesmaids (2011)

Get ready to party because Paul Feig's lady-led comedy is 125 minutes of nonstop brilliance. Single and down-on-her-luck Annie (Kristen Wiig) is tasked with being her best friend's (Maya Rudolph) maid of honor, but wanting to give the bride-to-be a perfect experience leads her and the bridal party through a disastrous chain of events. With its sharp-witted, slapstick humor, quotable one-liners, and relatable characters who are enjoyable despite their flaws, it's hard not fall head over heels for Bridesmaids. —James Mercadante

Watch Bridesmaids on Amazon Prime Video

EW Grade: A (Read the review)

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

Related: 'We didn't want to wallow in grossness': An oral history of Bridesmaids

Licorice Pizza (2021)

For those on a nostalgia kick, this '70-set romantic dramedy is jam packed with tokens of the past and evokes the intense feelings typically faced with a first love. Paul Thomas Anderson's Licorice Pizza centers on the relationship between Alana Kain (Haim member Alana Haim) and Gary Valentine (Philip Seymour Hoffman's son, Cooper Hoffman) as they experience two different stages of life in California's San Fernando Valley. EW's Leah Greenblatt called the film "a love letter to an era, and more than that a feeling: a tender, funny ramble forged in all the hope and absurdity of adolescence, one wild poly-blend rumpus at a time." —J.M.

Watch Licorice Pizza on Amazon Prime Video

EW Grade: A– (Read the review)

Talent: Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn, Bradley Cooper, Tom Waits

Related: Watch Elizabeth Olsen get caught in a lie praising Danielle Haim's acting in Licorice Pizza

Master (2022)

In her directorial debut, Mariama Diallo's 2022 psychological horror centers on three Black women cementing their place at a reputable New England university that willingly ignores its deep-rooted past by fostering a false illusion of diversity. When Gail Bishop (Regina Hall) takes on a new role as Ancaster's first Black master, she strives to protect a first-year student named Jasmine Moore (Zoe Renee), who's a target of anonymous racist pranks — as well as a professor (Amber Gray) — that she believes to be from an evil spirit. With nightmarish, surreal imagery, Master is part ghost story and part social commentary, which studies the insidiousness of racism and its uncomfortable history that demands to be acknowledged. —J.M.

Watch Master on Amazon Prime Video

EW Grade: A– (Read the review here)

Talent: Regina Hall, Zoe Renee, Amber Gray, Ella Hunt, Talia Ryder

Related: Regina Hall on fame, endurance, and coming into her own in the acclaimed new thriller Master

Nope (2022)

The social thrillers Get Out (2017) and Us (2019) quickly proved Jordan Peele's eminence as a visionary filmmaker in Hollywood. With his third feature, Peele broadened his horizons with vast landscapes and monstrous atmospheres, producing a sci-fi Western horror about two horse-wrangling siblings (Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer) and their journey to digitally capture a bloodthirsty UFO on camera. Fusing forward-thinking visual storytelling and nuanced critiques on the horrors of the spectacle, Nope contains the horsepower to unleash fears that may priorly be foreign to you. —J.M.

Watch Nope on Amazon Prime Video on March 21

EW Grade: B+ (Read the review here)

Talent: Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun, Brandon Perea, Michael Wincott, Barbie Ferreira, Wrenn Schmidt

Related: Jordan Peele teases more from Nope universe: 'We're not over telling all of these stories'

HBO Max

The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

Costarring in Martin McDonagh's directorial debut, In Bruges (2008), the odd-couple pairing of Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson reunite for the filmmaker's award-winning tragicomedy filmed on the coast of Ireland. Taking place shortly after the Irish Civil War, The Banshees of Inisherin follows nice, run-of-the-mill Pádraic (Farrell), who, after abruptly being shut out by his longtime best friend Colm (Gleeson), struggles to face the music of their severed relationship. With comically grim performances and themes surrounding toxic masculinity and war, Banshees of Inisherin is a deftly-written folk tale that cuts deep. —J.M.

Watch The Banshees of Inisherin on HBO Max

EW Grade: A– (Read the review)

Talent: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Barry Keoghan, Kerry Condon, Pat Shortt, Sheila Flitton

Related: Banshees of Inisherin cinematographer: 'Let's make it a John Ford Western'

Barbarian (2022)

Appearing as an extremely effective smear campaign against homestay services, Barbarian will make you think twice about renting someone else's place for the night. The 2022 horror flick follows a young woman (Georgina Campbell) discovering the rental house she booked is already occupied by another tenant (Bill Skarsgård), unaware of the sinister presence that's lurking underground. If you think you can predict what will happen next, I can already tell you you're wrong. —J.M.

Watch Barbarian on HBO Max

EW Grade: N/A

Talent: Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, Justin Long

Related: Barbarian star Justin Long has the worst meal ever in utterly disgusting NSFW deleted scene

Elvis (2022)

From award-winning director Baz Luhrmann comes a biopic about the lionized rock & roll singer Elvis Presley told from the perspective of his manager, Col. Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). Golden Globe winner Austin Butler breathes new life into the King, as he perfectly masters Presley's voice (maybe a little too well) and successfully emulates his vibrant stage presence for the big screen. Capturing the complexity of the famed figure and his story, Elvis also operates as a cautionary tale: one about the prices some have paid for fame. —J.M.

Watch Elvis on HBO Max

EW Grade: A– (Read the review)

Talent: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Olivia DeJonge, Helen Thomson, Richard Roxburgh, Kelvin Harrison Jr., David Wenham

Related: Austin Butler didn't see his family for three years while dedicating himself to Elvis

Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)

Winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, Daniel Kaluuya puts on the emblematic black beret as Illinois' Black Panther Party chairman Fred Hampton, who was betrayed by an undercover FBI informant named William O'Neal (LaKeith Stanfield, who was also nominated for the same category as Kaluuya). Shedding light on an overlooked yet pivotal story in U.S. history, Judas and the Black Messiah is a critically acclaimed biopic that places Chairman Fred's activism back into the forefront of America's collective memory. —J.M.

Watch Judas and the Black Messiah on HBO Max

EW Grade: A– (Read the review here)

Talent: Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback, Ashton Sanders, Algee Smith, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Lil Rel Howery, Dominique Thorne, Martin Sheen

Related: Judas and the Black Messiah makes history as first Best Picture nominee with all Black producers

The Menu (2022)

Blending the typical ingredients used in films like The Invitation (2015), Mark Mylod's The Menu cooks up a unique horror recipe that requires its guests to eat what they are. When celebrity chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) invites a group of wealthy socialites for a lavish tasting menu based on their checkered lives, unexpected guest Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) is determined to escape what transpires into a nauseating nightmare. With delicious performances from its ensemble cast and conversations surrounding class, this horror comedy brings new meaning to getting your just desserts. —J.M.

Watch The Menu on HBO Max

EW Grade: B+ (Read the review)

Talent: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Fiennes, Nicholas Hoult, Hong Chau, Janet McTeer, John Leguizamo, Aimee Carrero, Paul Adelstein, Judith Light, Rob Yang, Mark St. Cyr, Arturo Castro

Related: Potatoes as scallops and Magic Foam: The secrets behind the authentically pretentious food in The Menu

Hulu

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (2022)

This sex dramedy will have you craving more after your first tryst. Nancy Stokes (Emma Thompson), a retired religious school teacher who's never had an orgasm, hires a young yet experienced male escort named Leo Grande (Darryl McCormick) to teach her the ins and outs of sexual pleasure. Confined to the setting of a luxuriantly bland hotel room, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande is a poignantly sensual portrayal of middle-age sexuality and self-acceptance, subverting the idea of there being any timeline when trying out new, unexplored realms in life. —J.M.

Watch Good Luck to You, Leo Grande on Hulu

EW Grade: B+ (Read the review)

Talent: Emma Thompson, Darryl McCormick

Related: Emma Thompson and Daryl McCormack on the nude scene (and snacks) of Good Luck to You, Leo Grande

Nomadland (2020)

Based on Jessica Bruder's nonfiction book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century,Chloé Zhao's Academy Award-winning drama stars Frances McDormand as a recently-unemployed widow, who takes up a nomadic lifestyle after the 2008 economic recession and travels around the country in her van looking for work. Breaking award records — like Zhao becoming the second woman (and first woman of color) to ever win the Oscar for Best Director and McDormand as the first person to win both acting and producing awards for the same film —Nomadland, showcasing America's natural beauty and capitalism's ugly underbelly, innovatively redefines what it means to foster a home. —J.M.

Watch Nomadland on Hulu

EW Grade: A (Read the review)

Talent: Frances McDormand, David Strathairn, Linda May, Gay DeForest

Related: With Nomadland, Chloé Zhao is on the road to Oscars history

Parasite (2020)

Making Oscar History as the first South Korean film (and the first non-English feature) to win Best Picture, Bong Joon Ho's powerful piece of cinema explores the grim inequalities of neoliberal capitalism with a heady bite. The satirical thriller follows the Kim family as they aim to escape poverty by slyly infiltrating a rich family's home to get a taste of their opulent lifestyle. Subverting expectations with its off-kilter tone and plot twists, Parasite leaves you vulnerable to its jarring portrait of wealth and its parasitic effects. —J.M.

Watch Parasite on Hulu

EW grade: A- (Read the review here)

Talent: Cho Yeo-jeong, Park So-dam, Choi Woo-shik, Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Lee Jung-eun, Jang Hye-jin

Related reading: Bong Joon Ho returns to South Korea to great fanfare after winning four Oscars for Parasite

The Proposal (2009)

If you're looking to cozy up to a perfectly pleasant, enemies-to-lovers flick, The Proposal is the movie of your rom-com dreams. When her visa renewal application is denied and she faces deportation from the U.S., Canadian editor-in-chief Margaret (Sandra Bullock) coerces her hard-pressed assistant Andrew (Ryan Reynolds) into faking an engagement to maintain her position. However, the two have to keep up the act for Andrew's family in his hometown of Sitka, Alaska, which only forces them to face what festers underneath their disdain for each other. —J.M.

Watch The Proposal on Hulu

EW Grade: B+ (Read the review)

Talent: Sandra Bullock, Ryand Reynolds, Betty White, Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson, Oscar Nuñez, Malin Åkerman

Related: Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock serenade The Proposal costar Betty White on her 98th birthday

Spencer (2021)

In a career-defining performances, Kristen Stewart trades in vampires for the Royal family and dazzles as Princess Diana, echoing the illustrious figure's inflections with an impressive English accent and her renowned style with Chanel ensembles and opulent pearls. From the director who brought you 2016's Jackie comes another "fable formed from a true tragedy" about "the People's Princess," who's at a crossroads about whether she divorces Prince Charles or stays in a place where feels mentally and physically stifled. Filled with metaphor-heavy dialogue, nightmarish sequences, and jarring performances, Spencer is a spell-binding, haunting film that will linger with you long afterward. —J.M.

Watch Spencer on Hulu

EW Grade: A– (Read the review)

Talent: Kristen Stewart, Jack Farthing, Sally Hawkins, Timothy Spall, Stella Gonet, Sean Harris

Related: Kristen Stewart reveals the secret behind eating those giant pearls in Spencer

Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021)

Winning the Academy Award for Best Documentary and being overshadowed by the infamous "slap heard around the world" is eerily similar to how 1969's Harlem Cultural Festival was outshined by Woodstock. Making his directorial debut with Summer of Soul, the Roots drummer Questlove dug up forgotten footage to recount the historically neglected celebration — which hosted notable performers such as Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone, the 5th Dimension, and Gladys Knight & the Pips, among others, over several weekends of that summer — and highlighted its cultural significance and how music possesses the power to heal. —J.M.

Watch Summer of Soul on Hulu

EW Grade: B+ (Read the review)

Talent: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Chris Rock, Mahalia Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Abbey Lincoln, B.B. King, Nina Simone, Jesse Jackson

Related: Questlove on making Summer of Soul 'in the middle of a revolution'

Netflix

Call Me by Your Name (2017)

In Luca Guadagnino's sun-drenched, idyllic masterpiece comes a '80s star-crossed romance between a clever 17-year-old boy named Elio (Timotheé Chalamet) and his father's striking graduate assistant, Oliver (Armie Hammer), who stays at Elio's 16th-century villa in Northern Italy for the summer. With its lush scenery, the palpable chemistry between Chalamet and Hammer, and the intoxicating sensations of a first love, Call Me by Your Name is an inflammation of the soul that will also have you booking your ticket to Europe upon watching (and will most definitely give you a new perspective on eating peaches). —J.M.

Watch Call Me by Your Name on Netflix

EW Grade: A– (Read the review)

Talent: Timotheé Chalamet, Armie Hammer, Michael Stuhlbarg, Amira Casar, Esther Garrel

Related: Call Me by Your Name director still wants to make a sequel with Timothée Chalamet

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

Instead of the mystery being "a donut hole in another donut hole," it's staring right at you inside a glass onion in Rian Johnson's standalone sequel to 2019's Knives Out. Glass Onion follows Det. Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) among a group of public figures financially anchored to tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton), who invites them all on his private Grecian Island for a murder mystery party that ultimately makes life-threatening waves. The stellar ensemble cast is worth watching alone, but Johnson's ability to masterfully craft a whodunnit, with cryptic layers that constantly peel to unveil other ones, is similar to the likes of Agatha Christie, yet is repurposed with his unique signature flare, which is all the more reason why you should have this flick in your queue. —J.M.

Watch Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery on Netflix

EW Grade: B+ (Read the review)

Talent: Daniel Craig, Janelle Monáe, Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Kathryn Hahn, Dave Bautista, Leslie Odom Jr., Madelyn Cline

Related: Through the looking glass: Inside Knives Out sequel Glass Onion

The Hunger Games (2012)

May the odds be ever in your favor when watching this one. Based on the first book of Suzanne Collins' YA dystopian trilogy, the Gary Ross-directed adaptation follows 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) participating in the Hunger Games: a nationally televised event where two Tributes from each of the 12 Districts (children ages 12–18 ) are put into a artificially volatile arena and forced to kill each other until one victor remains. It's a brutal yet stirring film that sparks critical conversations about the sensationalization of violence and inequalities of a caste system while also setting your heart on fire with its beloved characters and their fates. —J.M.

Watch The Hunger Games on Netflix

EW Grade: A (Read the review)

Talent: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland

Related: Jennifer Lawrence says she'd 'drink whiskey and get stoned' with Hunger Games costars after events

La La Land (2016)

One of the biggest markers of an extraordinary movie musical is producing unforgettable original songs along with an equally enchanting score. Damien Chazelle's musical dramedy follows the relationship between an aspiring actress (Emma Stone) and a harrowing jazz artist (Ryan Gosling) as they try to pursue their dreams in Los Angeles. Portraying a campy Technicolor Hollywood fantasy alongside some heart-rending notes of reality, La La Land is a cinematic tour de force that demands to be experienced, especially before it's adapted into a Broadway musical. —J.M.

Watch La La Land on Netflix

EW Grade: A (Read the review)

Talent: Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, J.K. Simmons, John Legend, Sonoya Mizuno, Finn Wittrock, Rosemarie DeWitt, Jessica Rothe

Related: Ryan Gosling reunites with La La Land star Emma Stone to remind everyone how they 'saved jazz'

RRR (2022)

S. Rajamouli's RRR unexpectedly burst into the U.S. box office with roaring success, showing beyond doubt that Indian cinema rightfully deserves its flowers in Hollywood. Set in 1920s pre-independent India, the Oscar-nominated Tollywood action drama is a quasi-historical story about the unlikely friendship between two illustrious rebel fighters, Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (N.T. Rama Rao Jr.), who band together for an epic battle against British colonial rule. Crammed with campy, overblown action sequences — such as fighting unleashed tigers and battling villains in a forest fire — this feature will leave you wanting more despite its running time of three hours. —J.M.

Watch RRR on Netflix

EW grade: N/A

Talent: N.T. Rama Rao Jr., Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Shriya Saran, Samuthirakani, Ray Stevenson, Alison Doody, Olivia Morris

Related reading: RRR director S.S. Rajamouli on why he makes films

Tick, Tick... Boom! (2021)

In his feature directorial debut, Lin-Manuel Miranda brought Rent creator Jonathan Larson's first musical — itself a semi-autobiographical show about a composer trying to write and stage one of his projects — and how he wrote it to the big screen. In his first (but hopefully not last) musical role, Andrew Garfield trained his pipes before playing Larson, later earning himself an Oscar nomination and the hearts of audiences and critics alike with his vulnerable vocals and raw emotion of a man whose life tragically ended before his career took off. (Larson famously died the night before what was to be the first Off Broadway preview performance of Rent, having never gotten to see the show's success and its impact on modern musical theater.) Tick, Tick… Boom! is a love letter to the performing arts and the artists who dedicate their lives to them. Added bonus: Theater fans are treated to cameos galore by stage legends of the past and present. —J.M.

Watch Tick, Tick... Boom! on Netflix

EW Grade: A– (Read the review)

Talent: Andrew Garfield, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexandra Shipp, Robin de Jesús, Joshua Henry, MJ Rodriguez, Jonathan Marc Sherman, Ben Levi Ross, Judith Light, Bradley Whitford

Related: Why Lin-Manuel Miranda gave Tick, Tick... Boom! a frame story about the real Jonathan Larson

Paramount+

Serendipity (2001)

Not a Christmas movie per se, this charming rom-com of the early aughts nevertheless has its pivotal meet-cute during Christmastime in New York City. Jonathan (John Cusack) and Sara (Kate Beckinsale) meet at Bloomingdales and tussle over buying the same gloves as a gift. They end up spending a romantic day together in the city, but eventually part, determined that if they are to be together, then fate will make it happen. Boosted by its delightful script and performances from its lead actors, Serendipity uses its romantic magic to worm its way into our hearts.

Watch Serendipity on Paramount+

EW grade: N/A (Read the review)

Talent: Kate Beckinsale, John Cusack, Jeremy Piven, Bridget Moynahan, John Corbett

Related reading: Jennifer Aniston passed on Serendipity because Friends felt like doing a rom-com every week

Showtime

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

One thing's for certain: Cherish the few specks of time used while watching this 11-time Oscar-nominated masterpiece. In her award-winning role, Michelle Yeoh stars as a dissatisfied Chinese American immigrant named Evelyn who must hurtle through the multiverse to defeat a threatening force and reach her full potential. The delightfully over-the-top A24 feature echoes its title's message by being jam-packed with nonstop martial arts fights, absurd punchlines, heartwrenching romance, cycles of intergenerational trauma, and familial love — all wrapped in a beautiful, googly-eyed bow. —J.M.

Watch Everything Everywhere All at Once on Showtime

EW Grade: B– (Read the review)

Talent: Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Jamie Lee Curtis, Stephanie Hsu, James Hong, Jenny Slate, Harry Shum Jr.

Related: Michelle Yeoh stuns with emotional SAG Awards speech 'for every little girl who looks like me'