Netflix might just be the most popular streaming platform out there, and it’s not just because of the staggering subscriber count it boasts. The direct-to-consumer service hosts a wide variety of films and television shows, from rom-coms to thrillers and everything in between.
There’s so much on Netflix at any one time that it can be difficult deciding what to watch; it’s the ultimate home of decision fatigue. And with the service adding new content on a monthly basis, it can be equally difficult keeping track of everything on offer. So, we did the hard part for you and compiled a list of what you should definitely consider putting on your Watch List for this month.
Looking for more streaming recommendations? Check out our guides to the best TV shows available on Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, and HBO Max, plus the best movies on Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, Disney+, and Tubi.
Director: Lawrence Lamont
Cast: SZA, Keke Palmer, Maude Apatow
Genre: Comedy
Rating: R
Runtime: 1hr 37m
Rotten Tomatoes: 93% (Critics), 90% (Audience)
If you love a wild, fast-paced comedy packed with hilarious mishaps, unforgettable characters, and a whole lot of heart, One of Them Days is the perfect movie for you. Written by Rap Sh!t’s Syreeta Singleton, this buddy comedy stars Keke Palmer and SZA as two best friends scrambling to come up with their rent money after a reckless boyfriend blows through it—leading to a chaotic, laugh-out-loud adventure filled with loan sharks and one very angry gangster. With its mix of over-the-top hijinks and real heart, One of Them Days is a can’t-miss.
Directors: Yemi Bamiro, Hannah Poulter
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 1h 20m
If you’re drawn to gripping, real-life dramas, Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy is a must-watch. This powerful documentary dissects the 2021 Houston music festival where a crowd surge during Travis Scott’s performance led to the tragic deaths of 10 fans. Through chilling firsthand footage, expert analysis, and emotional interviews with survivors and victims’ families, the film paints a haunting portrait of a preventable disaster. With its careful examination of what went wrong—and why—it’s a sobering, vital watch that raises important questions about safety, responsibility, and the future of live events.
Director: F. Gary Gray
Cast: Ice Cube, Chris Tucker, Nia Long
Genre: Comedy
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 31m
Rotten Tomatoes: 77% (Critics), 91% (Audience)
Friday is a cult-classic buddy comedy that flips the script on ’90s hood films, following a wild day in the life of Craig (Ice Cube) and his fast-talking best friend Smokey (Chris Tucker). As they scramble to pay back a ruthless drug dealer, they also have to dodge the neighborhood bully, deal with nosy neighbors, and navigate relationship drama—all while trying to keep their chill.
Packed with quotable lines, breakout performances (especially Tucker’s), and an effortless blend of humor and social commentary, Friday is a cultural touchstone that has spawned sequels and countless internet memes.
Director: F. Gary Gray
Cast: Ice Cube, Chris Tucker, Nia Long
Genre: Comedy
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 31m
Rotten Tomatoes: 54% (Critics), 88% (Audience)
The film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel has sparked intense conversation, not just for its story, but for the controversy surrounding its production. The lead actors, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, became embroiled in a highly publicized legal battle, with Lively accusing Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath of sexual harassment and retaliation on set. The plot follows Lily Bloom, a young woman who navigates a complicated relationship with a charming neurosurgeon while confronting her own past and the cycle of abuse that threatens to repeat. Beyond the film’s narrative, this real-life drama highlights ongoing issues around workplace conduct and consent in Hollywood, making It Ends With Us a significant cultural moment as well as a cinematic one.
Directors: Mark Monroe
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 1h 51m
Rotten Tomatoes: 75% (Critics), 63% (Audience)
If you’re drawn to real-life stories that explore the fine line between ambition and recklessness, Titan: The OceanGate Disaster is a must-watch. This gripping documentary delves into the 2023 implosion of the Titan submersible during a deep-sea expedition to the Titanic wreck, resulting in the deaths of all five passengers, including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush. Through exclusive whistleblower accounts, internal audio recordings, and archival footage, the film reveals how cost-cutting decisions, ignored safety warnings, and a culture of unchecked ambition led to the tragedy. With its meticulous examination of the events and decisions that culminated in disaster, Titan offers a sobering reflection on the perils of pushing technological boundaries without regard for safety.
Director: Jason Reitman
Cast: Gabriel LeBelle, Dylan O’Brien, Cory Michael Smith, Rachel Sennott
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 49m
Rotten Tomatoes: 78% (Critics), 84% (Audience)
In honor of the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live, the film Saturday Night chronicles the disastrous, behind-the-scenes lead-up to the storied sketch comedy series’s first-ever broadcast. As a tense comedy about show business, it’s hard not to get swept up in the anxiety and exhilaration that comes from producing a live event — even high school theater kids know the feeling. Featuring some uncanny performances from Gabriel LeBelle as Lorne Michaels, Cory Michael Smith as Chevy Chase, and Nicholas Braun as Jim Henson, long-time fans of SNL will have plenty to giggle over with this comedy/drama.
Director: Anna Kendrick
Cast: Anna Kendrick, Tony Hale, Kelley Jakle
Genre: Crime/Drama/Mystery/Thriller
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 29m
Rotten Tomatoes: 91% (Critics), 67% (Audience)
Based on a true story, Woman of the Hour is a thrilling film about an aspiring actress (played by Kendrick) who is cast in an episode of The Dating Game alongside a serial killer. Doing double-duty in front of and behind the camera in her directorial debut, Kendrick proves herself a real talent;, capturing the insidious sexism of Los Angeles’s entertainment industry in the 1970s in a way that is both true to the period and still very current. Alongside a game cast, including an unnerving performance by Tony Hale, fans of true crime and horror will find themselves eagerly awaiting Kendrick’s next film after experiencing the psychological tension of this movie.
Director: Mark Mylod
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult
Genre: Horror, Comedy, Thriller
Rating: R
Runtime: 1hr 47m
Rotten Tomatoes: 88% (Critics), 76% (Audience)
From Top Chef and Chef’s Table to Hell’s Kitchen, fine dining has had no shortage of representation on screen in recent years. Even so, you’ve probably never seen food the way it appears in The Menu. In this satirical thriller, a couple heads to a secluded island restaurant with an exclusive tasting menu. Even when things start to get bloody, a perfectly dead pan performance from Ralph Fiennes keeps the entire film tons of fun. A cheeseburger has never looked so good on film.
Director: Spike Lee
Cast: Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee
Genre: Dark Comedy
Rating: R
Runtime: 2h
Rotten Tomatoes: 92% (Critics), 89% (Audience)
Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing is a portrait of a Brooklyn neighborhood where racial tensions boil over on the hottest day of the summer. Featuring an all-star cast—including Lee, Danny Aiello, Samuel L. Jackson, and the film debuts of Martin Lawrence and Rosie Perez—it blends humor and social commentary before culminating in an unforgettable explosion of violence and tragedy. A critical and commercial hit, it earned Oscar nominations and a place in the National Film Registry, cementing its status as one of the must-watch films of all time.
Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Cast: Aaron Pierre, Don Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb
Genre: Action/Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 2hr 11m
Rotten Tomatoes: 96% (Critics), 73% (Audience)
Need evidence that Aaron Pierre (Old, The Underground Railroad) has the goods? Look no further than his star-making turn as Terry Richmond in Rebel Ridge, a film about a former Marine trying to post bail for his cousin who goes toe-to-toe with small-town law enforcement when his money is seized. Pierre is an absolute bad-ass, making this tense action drama sing even if it is less action-packed than other revenge thrillers like Rambo or John Wick. It looks like others are paying attention to the actor’s promise, too — Pierre voices a young Mufasa in Disney’s upcoming live-action-CGI-prequel, Mufasa: The Lion King. Mark our words: this is an actor you’ll be seeing a lot more of in the coming years.
Director: Michael Philippou, Danny Philippou
Cast: Sophie Wilde, Miranda Otto, Otis Dhanji
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Rating: R
Runtime: 1hr 35m
Rotten Tomatoes: 94% (Critics), 83% (Audience)
A24 has been killing it with artful horror movies lately, and Talk to Me is yet another entry in their impressive catalog of chilling, stylish horror flicks. The film tells the story of a group of friends who discover how to conjure spirits with the help of a creepy embalmed hand, one of the film’s many thrilling practical special effects.
Featuring well-drawn characters and a great premise, Talk to Me combines A24’s new-school sensibilities with some old-school horror concepts to deliver an effective, engrossing supernatural thriller. Good news: a sequel’s already in the works.
Director: Mark Molloy
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Taylour Paige, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul Reiser, Bronson Pinchot, and Kevin Bacon
Genre: Action Comedy
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 58m
Rotten Tomatoes: 66% (Critics), 77% (Audience)
Thirty years after Beverly Hills Cop III, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F arrived on Netflix in 2024 as the fourth installment in the Beverly Hills Cop film franchise. Eddie Murphy reprises his role as Axel Foley, with Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul Reiser, and Bronson Pinchot returning to their roles from the previous films in the franchise while adding Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Taylour Paige, and Kevin Bacon to the cast.
This time around, Detective Axel Foley (Murphy) is back on the beat in Beverly Hills. After his daughter’s life is threatened, she (Paige) and Foley team up with a new partner (Gordon-Levitt) and old pals Billy Rosewood (Reinhold) and John Taggart (Ashton) to turn up the heat and uncover a conspiracy. A lot has changed since Murphy gave life to this iconic character, but having this franchise live on Netflix is sure to introduce it to a whole new wave of fans.
A stranger has found his way to London’s Paddington Station. He is all alone. He is looking for somebody who will take him home. Did we mention this stranger is a bear? The beloved tale of the marmalade-loving mammal comes to life. He finds a home with the Brown family who decide to call him Paddington, of course. Despite the joy he brings all who cross paths with him, a museum collector (Nicole Kidman) isn’t too fond of him… alive. She wants him stuffed for her display and she’ll stop at nothing to have him.
Director: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
Cast: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Vélez, Jake Johnson, Issa Rae, Daniel Kaluuya, Mahershala Ali, and Oscar Isaac
Genre: Action/Animation
Rating: PG
Runtime: 2h 20m
Rotten Tomatoes: 95% (Critics), 94% (Audience)
Miles Morales returned for the next chapter of the Oscar-winning Spider-Verse saga. The epic adventure transports Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man across the Multiverse to join forces with Gwen Stacy and a new team of Spider-People to go against a villain more powerful than anything they have ever encountered. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was released in 2018, and it introduced Miles as a novice superhero finding his footing. In Across the Spider-Verse, Miles is ready for what the role requires and more.
Director: Elegance Bratton
Cast: Jeremy Pope, Raúl Castillo, McCaul Lombardi, Aaron Dominguez, Bokeem Woodbine, and Gabrielle Union
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 34m
Rotten Tomatoes: 88% (Critics), 91% (Audience)
In Elegance Bratton’s deeply moving film inspired by his own story, a young, gay Black man named Ellis French (Jeremy Pope) is rejected by his homophobic mother Inez (Gabrielle Union), who kicks French out of their home, leaving him homeless since he was 16. With few options for his future, he enlists in the Marines as a last-ditch effort for him to do whatever it takes to succeed in a system that would cast him aside.
But even as he battles deep-seated prejudice and the grueling routines of basic training, he finds unexpected camaraderie, strength, and support in this new militant community, giving him a hard-earned sense of belonging that will shape his identity and change his life forever. The A24 film spotlights Pope as an actor to watch, while Union gives the most powerful and most memorable performance of her career
Director: Malcolm Washington
Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, Danielle Deadwyler
Genre: Drama/Music
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2hr 5m
Rotten Tomatoes: 88% (Critics), 67% (Audience)
Adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning stage play by theatre’s celebrated “poet of Black America,” August Wilson, The Piano Lesson is a film that gives an absolutely stacked ensemble plenty of room to show off their dramatic chops. Set in Pittsburgh in the years following the Great Depression, the film charts the lives of the Charles family and their heirloom piano, which has their family’s history carved into it be an enslaved ancestor. While some film adaptations of theatre get stuck in the wordiness of their source material, Wilson’s language sings in The Piano Lesson, thanks to strong visual imagery from director Malcolm Washington and an impressive cast led by Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington. Even if you don’t like plays, it’s a movie worth watching.
Director: Jeymes Samuel
Cast: LaKeith Stanfield, Omar Sy, RJ Cyler, David Oyelowo, Teyana Taylor, Caleb McLaughlin, James McAvoy, and Benedict Cumberbatch
Genre: Comedy
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2h 9m
Rotten Tomatoes: 67% (Critics), 80% (Audience)
The Harder They Fall director Jeymes Samuel once again puts together a stellar cast of actors to tell yet another larger-than-life story with his second film, The Book of Clarence. The film follows a down-on-his-luck man named Clarence (LaKeith Stanfield), who struggles to find a better life for his family as he fights to free himself of debt. While he is living a life of crime, he becomes captivated by the power and glory of the rising Messiah, so Clarence concocts a plan to ride on the coattails of the Messiah’s popularity and leads people to believe he is also a chosen one. Alongside his best friend Elijah (RJ Cyler), Clarence becomes convincing enough that he creates his own following and starts changing his luck, only to discover that the redemptive power of faith may be his only way out. It doesn’t matter if you are a believer or not, LaKeith’s performance is powerful enough to make you reconsider.
Director: Craig Gillespie
Cast: Paul Dano, Pete Davidson, Vincent D’Onofrio, America Ferrera, Nick Offerman, Anthony Ramos, Sebastian Stan, and Shailene Woodley
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 45m
Rotten Tomatoes: 84% (Critics), 85% (Audience)
Dumb Money is perhaps some of the most fun you can have right from the comfort of your home. The film is based on the riveting true story of everyday people who flipped the script on Wall Street and got rich by turning GameStop into the world’s hottest company on the stock market. In the middle of everything is regular guy Keith Gill, incredibly well played by Paul Dano, who starts it all by sinking his life savings into the stock and livestreaming about it. When his social media posts start blowing up, so too does his life and the lives of everyone following him. As a stock tip becomes a movement, everyone gets rich until the billionaires fight back, and both sides find their worlds turned upside down. The story gives you so many people to root for, all played by an exciting and extremely fun cast that includes Pete Davidson, America Ferrera, Nick Offerman, Seth Rogen, Anthony Ramos, and more
Director: George C. Wolfe
Cast: Colman Domingo, Chris Rock, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Jeffrey Wright, and Audra McDonald
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1h 48m
Rotten Tomatoes: 84% (Critics), 83% (Audience)
Bayard Rustin, the man behind 1963’s March on Washington, was one of the greatest activists and organizers the world has ever known. But due to homophobia, he was almost forgotten. Rustin follows the activist, who was an advisor to Martin Luther King Jr. and dedicated his life to the quest for racial equality, human rights, and worldwide democracy. As an openly gay Black man in the 1960s (in politics, of all fields), he was nearly erased from the civil rights movement he helped build.
Colman Domingo, who nabbed the Best Actor nomination for the role at the 96th Academy Awards, helps shed an overdue spotlight on the man who, alongside giants like the Reverend King, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., and Ella Baker, dared to fight to make the world better for all. Rustin’s story is one everyone can learn from, and Domingo’s Oscar-nominated performance takes it to an even higher level.
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Cast: Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Eugenio Mastrandrea, David Denman, and Gaia Scodellaro
Genre: Action, Mystery & Thriller
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 49m
Rotten Tomatoes: 76% (Critics), 94% (Audience)
The Equalizer 3 was a hit with fans when it arrived in theaters, and now it’s available on Netflix. While the first two are not on the streamer, fans of the franchise can find them on other platforms before sinking their teeth into the third installment. In 3, Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) has struggled to reconcile with the horrific things he’s done in the past after giving up his life as a government assassin and finds a strange peace in serving justice on behalf of the oppressed. Now at his new home in Southern Italy, he discovers his new friends are under the control of local crime bosses. McCall vows to stop the Italian crime syndicate from brutalizing and extorting the residents of a small coastal town who have won over his heart and his trust. As events turn deadly, McCall becomes his friends’ protector in ways only he can.
Director: Julio Quintana
Cast: Jay Hernandez, Gregory Diaz IV, Cheech Marin, Oscar Nuñez, Paulina Chávez, José Julián,, Dennis Quaid, Julian Works, Jaina Lee Ortiz, and Brett Cullen
Genre: History/Drama
Rating: PG
Runtime: 1h 52m
Rotten Tomatoes: 82% (Critics), 97% (Audience)
Based on Humberto G. Garcia’s Mustang Miracle, The Long Game is an inspiring movie that will make you root for the underdog. In 1956, JB Peña (Jay Hernandez) and his wife moved to the small town of Del Rio, Texas, partly for a job as a school superintendent, but mostly to pursue JB’s dream of joining the prestigious, all-white Del Rio Country Club. So, when JB is rejected because of his skin color, he is devastated. But he soon encounters a group of young Latino golf caddies who work at the country club, lighting a fire in his spirit. JB is inspired by the handmade course the boys built in the country to teach themselves golf. With little experience and even fewer resources, JB convinces the boys to start their own high school golf team, starting them all on a journey where they learn it takes more than just golf skills to make history.
Director: Paul Feig
Cast: Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Henry Golding
Genre: Mystery, Comedy
Rating: R
Runtime: 1hr 57m
Rotten Tomatoes: 84% (Critics), 73% (Audience)
Even if you haven’t seen A Simple Favor, you’ve probably heard about the Blake Lively/Anna Kendrick drama surrounding it and its sequel, Another Simple Favor. A mystery surrounding a widowed vlogger and her successful friend, the Paul Feig-directed comedy is twisty, funny, and completely entertaining.
For all the drama surrounding the series, it’s worth noting that Kendrick and Lively have great on-screen chemistry in this movie. If you can separate the drama offscreen from the drama onscreen, A Simple Favor is a deadly fun time.
Director: Rian Johnson
Cast: Daniel Craig, Ed Norton, Kate Hudson, and Dave Bautista
Genre: Thriller
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2h 20m
Rotten Tomatoes: 91% (Critics), 92% (Audience)
The world-renowned detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) returns in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Blanc receives an invitation to join tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) on his private island. The retreat with his close friends happen to include a controversial starlet (Kate Hudson), an MRA Twitch streamer (Dave Bautista), and the governor of Connecticut (Kathryn Hahn)—just to name a few. Despite his reputation, Bron does not know who invited the sleuth but welcomes him anyway. The reunion turns deadly when one of them is killed, leading to the unraveling of long-held secrets. It’s up to Blanc to peel back the layers to figure out which one of the attendees it is before the killer can claim another victim.
Director(s): J.C. Chandor
Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger
Genre: Action/Adventure
Rating: R
Runtime: 2hr 7m
Rotten Tomatoes: 15% (Critics), 73% (Audience)
For fans of the Spider-Man universe, the chance to delve into the world of Kraven’s mind is well worth two hours of your time. He may be less well-known than villains like Venom or Green Goblin, but his ruthlessness and competitive nature make him one of the most compelling.
In Kraven the Hunter, viewers are treated to big-screen action and a healthy dose of vengeance as we learn more about the ruthless hunter and the impact his mobster father had on his villainous path. Aaron Taylor-Johnson brings a certain animal magnetism to the role of Kraven, proving that he continues to be an actor to watch.
Director: Tate Taylor
Cast: Octavia Spencer, Diana Silvers, Juliette Lewis
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 39m
Rotten Tomatoes: 55% (Critics), 64% (Audience)
Ma is a twisted psychological horror film that turns a small-town party spot into a nightmare. Octavia Spencer delivers a chilling performance as Sue Ann, a lonely woman who befriends a group of teens and lets them party in her basement—until her obsession with them takes a dark and deadly turn. Fueled by past trauma and revenge, she descends into madness, leading to a shocking climax.
A mix of campy thrills and unsettling horror, Ma is somewhat of a cult favorite. Sometimes, the scariest people aren’t the ones lurking in the dark—they’re the ones who invite you in.