With over 1,500 original titles, Netflix continues to stay atop the streaming wars pyramid thanks to its exclusive content offerings. Netflix has something for everyone, covering every genre and target demographic imaginable. Sure, everyone knows about popular series like Stranger Things, Squid Games, or The Witcher, but when it comes to film, Netflix has some genuinely good original movies on the platform. With so many titles to choose from, it’s difficult sometimes to make heads or tails of what’s available, let alone what’s actually worth the sit down and stream. We’ve done the heavy lifting so you don’t have to and figured out the very best Netflix movies ready for your viewing pleasure in September 2023.
Check out our list of the best movies leaving Netflix in August to stream the films before their gone.
Please note: This list pertains to U.S. Netflix subscribers. Some titles may not currently be available on international platforms. This article is frequently amended to remove films no longer on Netflix and to include more original films that are now available on the service.
Arrival (2016)
When aliens suddenly and mysteriously arrive on Earth, linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is tasked with finding a way to communicate with them. Tensions begin to rise as the military struggles to determine if the alien attempts at communication are sinister or benevolent, and the very essence of time becomes destabilized as the humans learn more about their language. Arrival is a thought-provoking and intellectually compelling science fiction film, with strong performances from its lead cast, especially Adams, who operates at the heart of the production.
Read our review of Arrival.
The Deer Hunter (1978)
There are movies from the 1970s that are critical of the Vietnam War, and then there’s The Deer Hunter. The film by Michael Cimino revolves around a group of friends from a Pennsylvania steel town who are enjoying their last day at home before shipping out, unprepared to have their entire worlds turned upside down when they are faced with the reality of war. The friends are emotionally and physically devastated by their experiences, and their return home – if they even return at all – is far from easy. The Deer Hunter was nominated for nine Academy Awards, ultimately winning five, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor (Christopher Walken).
Groundhog Day (1993)
What would you do if you could relive one specific day? What if you could relive ten times? One hundred times? One thousand times? This is the plight of Phil (Bill Murray) in Harold Ramis’s Groundhog Day. The arrogant weatherman is sent to cover Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, only to discover when he wakes up the following morning that it’s Groundhog Day all over again. At first, he has a little bit of fun with it, but after having spent an indeterminate amount of time reliving the same day over and over and over again, the bloom is a bit off the rose. The only thing keeping him sane is the promise of eventually wooing his coworker Rita, played by Andie McDowell. The spiritual grandfather of the now popular time loop subgenre, Groundhog Day is a pitch perfect comedy.
La La Land (2016)
So what if this one didn’t end up winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards? It’s still a delight, if only for the impeccable chemistry between stars Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. Stone plays an aspiring actress in Los Angeles, while Gosling is a somewhat emotionally stunted jazz enthusiast. Sparks fly after they run into each other multiple times, and although they find ways to support each other through their most difficult experiences, their relationship may not be strong enough to last – as we see in the finale sequence, which is delivered like a gut punch. With classic Hollywood glamor and plenty of odes to the old-school movie musical, La La Land works as both an homage and an original work in its own right.
Read our review of La La Land.
They Cloned Tyrone (2023)
While everyone was busy watching Barbie and Oppenheimer, Netflix sneakily released They Cloned Tyrone the same weekend. And although it was overshadowed by the collective power of Barbenheimer, They Cloned Tyrone desires a second look. In it, Jamie Foxx, John Boyega, and Teyonah Parris are forced to team up to investigate what appears to be a wide-ranging government conspiracy. Part mystery, part comedy, with just a touch of sci-fi flair, They Cloned Tyrone is a stylish and well-acted thriller that never takes itself too seriously. If you liked Sorry to Bother You, They Cloned Tyrone might be just up your alley.
Read our review of They Cloned Tyrone.
White Noise (2022)
Directed by Barbie co-writer Noah Baumbach, White Noise is an attempt at adapting Don DeLillo’s 1985 novel by the same name, which many have long considered to be unadaptable. It’s a dense book, full of meditative and philosophical asides that have little to do with its meandering, often abstract narrative. And yet, here it is, a stubborn little movie released on Netflix that tries to accomplish the impossible. Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig star as a pair of parents raising an unruly, hyper-talkative group of children. He’s a college professor, she’s an aerobics instructor with near-constant ruminations about death – they’re a match made in heaven. But their life gets a little more complicated when a nearby train crash unleashes what is called an Airborne Toxic Event, forcing them to flee their homes to escape the poisonous chemicals. More than a little weird but engaging enough if you’re willing to give it a chance, White Noise is the perfect choice if you want to try out something a little bit different.
Read our review of White Noise.
The Woman King (2022)
Set amidst the 19th-century African kingdom of Dahomey (located in present-day Benin), The Woman King revolves around the Agojie, a group of female warriors who have pledged to protect their people and their king (played by John Boyega). This army is led by the fierce Nanisca (Viola Davis) as she trains a new cohort of soldiers, including the strong-willed Nawi (Thuso Mbedu). The Woman King examines the power dynamics of African empires before European colonization, and it does so without sacrificing an ounce of thrilling action along the way. The fight sequences are bold and energetic, aided by vivid costumes and a powerful score. Viola Davis may have missed out on an Academy Award nomination for her performance in The Woman King, but that doesn’t make this film any less worthy of praise.
The Wonder (2022)
Science and religion are two warring philosophies, and they come into abrupt conflict in The Wonder, when a young nurse, Lib Wright, (played by Florence Pugh) is sent to Ireland to observe a bona fide miracle. Anna O’Donnell, an Irish child, allegedly hasn’t had a bite to eat in months, yet she still survives. A local board has been assembled to assess whether or not this little girl is a saint in the making, and to that end, they’ve hired the nurse and a local nun to watch her every hour of the day and report back on their findings. Lib expects to find a reasonable explanation for the girl’s strange behavior, her faith in science and medicine flying in the face of the religious fervor that otherwise grips the small rural community. Gorgeously shot by cinematographer Ari Wegner, The Wonder is a fascinating historical drama that examines the tensions between conflicting belief systems in 1860s Irelan
Crimson Peak (2015)
Guillermo del Toro has made his directorial career by bringing to life nightmarish visions, but with Crimson Peak, he sets his sights on a gothic story that is as much based in romance as it is in horror. Tom Hiddleston stars as an English nobleman with a crumbling estate and a too-close relationship with his sister (Jessica Chastain) who marries Buffalo heiress Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) for less than honorable reasons. Blending ghostly elements, an atmospheric manor house, and a tragic love story, Crimson Peak may not be Guillermo del Toro’s most famous film (and its middling reception reflects an audience expecting something more in line with his other, more horror-focused projects), but it is one of his most beautiful.
RRR (2022)
One of the biggest global hits to come out of India in decades, RRR is an over-the-top extravaganza of violence, nationalism, and of course, epic dance numbers. It stars N.T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan as a pair of best friends who will do anything for one another. But their relationship becomes more complicated when it becomes clear that neither is being completely honest with each other.
Their conflict amidst their individual efforts to stay true to themselves provides the backbone of RRR, as duty tears them apart. The film is a little over three hours long, but it hardly feels it: When would you even have time to look at the time, when there are fight sequences with actual tigers and endlessly charming dance battles to watch instead?
See more of the best action movies on Netflix.
The King (2019)
Set in England during the 15th century, The King is the most recent film to explore the life of King Henry V. A story first dramatized by William Shakespeare in the late 1500s, we are given a glimpse of the king not as a proud and noble leader, but as a young man who still has some serious maturing to do.
Timothee Chalamet stars as Hal, the hard-partying son of King Henry IV who ascends to the throne reluctantly, uneager to take on the responsibilities of all of England. But he can’t hide from his fate, and he will be given an opportunity to prove himself at the now-legendary Battle of Agincourt. With strong performances from Chalamet and Joel Edgerton as the part-buffonish, part-wise Sir John Falstaff, The King is a respectable period drama that doesn’t fail to engage.
The Power of the Dog (2021)
The Power of the Dog is a meditative exploration of masculinity amidst the Old West. Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Phil Burbank, a grizzled Montana cowboy who runs a ranch alongside his soft-spoken brother George (Jesse Plemons), but has little patience for George’s new wife Rose (Kirsten Dunst) or her seemingly delicate teenage son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee).
As the story progresses, an aura of tension fills the ranch as Phil plays subtle mind games with Rose, upsetting the fragile balance of the homestead. Filled with top-tier performances from the entire cast and the stunning cinematography of traditional western landscapes from Ari Wegner, The Power of the Dog is a slow-burning visual feast that challenges conventional stereotypes of manliness, especially within the western genre.
tick, tick … Boom! (2021)
Up-and-coming Broadway playwright Jonathan Larson tragically died the night before RENT, the show that would redefine musical theater in the 1990s, premiered on Broadway. But before that, he was just another struggling artist in New York. Tick, tick … Boom! is the musical he wrote while grappling with his fear of growing older without having achieved his dreams.
Although Andrew Garfield has a background in theater, his performance here is nonetheless a huge leap of faith, as he showcases hitherto unexplored musical abilities in the lead role of Jonathan Larson himself. Directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, tick, tick … Boom! is a love letter to theater fans everywhere, with more cameos from Broadway legends than you can shake a stick at.
13th (2016)
From groundbreaking director Ava DuVernay, 13th is a documentary analyzing the connection between the 13th Amendment which abolished slavery throughout the United States and ended involuntary servitude except as a punishment for conviction of a crime, and the mass incarceration of Black citizens in America.
13th is a gripping documentary showcasing how despite the “abolishment” of slavery, that the continued systemic oppression of Black Americans through things like Jim Crow laws, the school-to-prison pipeline, the war on drugs, and the prison industrial complex have all contributed to what is essentially “slavery with extra steps.” The film was later nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 89th Academy Awards, and won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)
We certainly have plenty of dreamy World War II-era romances floating around in film – but at this point, what’s the harm in one more? In The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (what a mouthful), Lily James stars as Juliet Ashton, a young writer who becomes fascinated by the war experiences of the inhabitants of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands that was occupied by the Germans. When she travels to the island, she discovers the horrors and small rebellions of people whose lives have been turned upside down. And in the process, she becomes drawn to one inhabitant in particular – Dawsey Adams, played by the always delightful Michiel Huisman. Their chemistry is undeniable, and goes a long way in helping The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society stand out in a crowded field.
I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020)
The inside of Charlie Kaufman’s mind must be a fascinating and terrifying place to be. Based on Iain Reid’s novel of the same name, I’m Thinking of Ending Things feels like a waking fever dream of emotional duress and psychological torment. The story centers on a woman considering ending her relationship on the way to meet her boyfriend’s family, but that surface level synopsis does the film no justice.
Kaufman has a history of making idiosyncratic cinema, with films like Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Synecdoche, New York, but this feels like his least accessible venture yet, and that’s not a bad thing. This is one that you’ll be thinking about and over analyzing long after the credits roll, and possibly find yourself wandering into your own personal struggles of existential instability in a way that only Kaufman movies can.
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)
It seems impossible to make a romantic comedy these days now that the commonly accepted romcom tropes have all gone the way of the dodo, but Netflix’s film adaptation of Jenny Han's 2014 novel of the same name was so successful, it lead to a trilogy of films and an upcoming spin-off. The film centers on teenage Lara Jean Covey (Lana Condor) who writes secret, soul-baring letters to her five crushes, but never intends to send them.
After the letters get out (because of course they do), her entire world is thrown upside down and she must learn to navigate life, love, and being honest about her feelings. It’s a genuinely heartfelt look at teenage love in a way that never feels like it's talking down to its intended audience, and brings to life relatable characters you won’t regret cheering for in a decade. Lara Jean is the newest teen movie queen.
Marriage Story (2019)
The memes of Adam Driver punching a wall and crying are good, but the source material, Marriage Story, is great. If you’ve ever been in a relationship that has fallen apart, married or not, Marriage Story is downright gutting. Driver and co-star Scarlett Johansson star as a stage director and his actor wife as they struggle through a gruelling, coast-to-coast divorce that pushes them to their personal and creative extremes.
Laura Dern won the Best Supporting Actress Award at the 92nd Academy Awards for her performance as lawyer Nora Fanshaw, and although the film is not autobiographical, the personal touch Noah Baumbach brought after his own divorce from Jennifer Jason Leigh is downright palpable.
To Leslie (2022)
After premiering at Sundance in 2022, To Leslie seemed like it would join the extensive catalog of independent films that are well-received by critics but never get the kind of distribution deal that allows it to be seen by mainstream audiences. That is, of course, until Andrea Riseborough pulled off the ultimate Cinderella story, earning an Oscar nomination through a tiny (and to some, suspiciously executed) grassroots campaign. She plays the titular Leslie, a drug addict in recovery attempting to reconcile with her son (Owen Teague) and begin a new life with the help of a grumpy but soft-hearted motel owner (Marc Maron). Her performance is transformative, creating a character who is unlikeable but somehow sympathetic at the same time.
Da 5 Bloods (2020)
Spike Lee really never misses, huh? In what is arguably his most ambitious film, Da 5 Bloods focuses on four Black veterans forced to battle the forces of man and nature when they return to Vietnam looking for the remains of their fallen squad leader and the gold fortune he helped them hide.
Part historical drama, part heist movie, and part political thriller, Lee weaves an intersectional masterpiece topped with an all-star cast featuring Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters, Johnny Trí Nguyễn, Norm Lewis, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Mélanie Thierry, Paul Walter Hauser, Jasper Pääkkönen, Jean Reno, and Chadwick Boseman.
The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021)
Netflix’s main competitor in the streaming wars is Disney+, and the juggernaut company feels almost untouchable when it comes to animated fare … that is until Netflix and Sony released the best animated film of 2021, The Mitchells vs. the Machines. The Mitchells seem like your average, slightly dysfunctional American family, but they must put their strife aside when AI assistance robots begin to take over the world.
The premise sounds silly, but The Mitchells vs. the Machines is filled with so much heart it’s impossible not to fall in love with this family. Danny McBride, Abbi Jacobson, Alex Hirsch, Maya Rudolph, Michael Rianda, Olivia Colman, Fred Armisen, Eric Andre, and Doug the Pug all thrive in their voiceover roles, and this film proves that Netflix is a true contender in original animated programming.
If you're looking for more like this you can take a look at our list of the best sci-fi movies on Netflix right now.
Okja (2017)
Before Bong Joon-ho took home Oscars for Parasite, the South Korean director delivered Okja for Netflix. The film centers on a young girl named Mija, who has served as a caretaker and companion to the massive “super-pig” named Okja in the mountains of South Korea.
After a massive conglomerate takes Okja for themselves and transports the creature to New York City, Mija sets out on a rescue mission to find her friend, and stop the nefarious plans of the corporation’s image-obsessed CEO played by Tilda Swinton. Okja is easily one of Joon-ho’s best films, but there’s been little attention paid to it since its release in 2017. That needs to change. All hail the super-pig.
Pride & Prejudice (2005)
One of Jane Austen’s most beloved romance novels, Pride & Prejudice has been blessed with several different film and television adaptations. The 2005 version from director Joe Wright stars Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen as the unlikely romantic leads who embody the enemies-to-lovers trope. When Elizabeth Bennet (Knightley) meets Mr. Darcy (Macfadyen), she considers him to be stuck-up and rude, while he dubs her “tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me.” Ouch. But inevitably, it isn’t long before sparks fly in this period romance, and they begin to realize that perhaps they’ve misjudged one another. Gorgeously shot and faithfully bringing to life two fan-favorite characters, this Pride & Prejudice stands up favorably against the popular 1995 version with Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth (you know, the one with the pond scene).
Star Trek (2009)
With the Star Trek franchise experiencing something of a renaissance (modern fans have a handful of different spinoff shows currently on the air to choose from, after all), it’s worth taking a look at the 2009 film that brought the iconic series into the 21st century. Directed by J.J. Abrams, Star Trek is a rush of nostalgia with characters that feel simultaneously fresh and faithful to their origins. Chris Pine is a delight as the brash, impetuous James T. Kirk, determined to make an impression (sometimes positive, often otherwise) on his superiors and climb the chain of command. Zachary Quinto gets the opportunity to take the legendary Spock in a different direction, as he experiences the destruction of Vulcan, Princess Leia-style. Despite the lens flares that were mercilessly mocked at the time of the film’s release, the 2009 film addition to the franchise is exactly what Star Trek should be – a lot of fun.
Titanic (1997)
With the famous maritime disaster back in the public eye under less-than-ideal circumstances, as a group of individuals aboard a submersible were sadly killed attempting to explore the wreckage of the Titanic, it’s unexpectedly auspicious timing for James Cameron’s epic romance/disaster movie to be returning to Netflix. We all know the story: Debutante Rose (Kate Winslet) is stifling against the expectations of her exacting mother and her controlling fiance, until she begins an ill-fated romance with the poor but charming Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio). Their love is powerful but tragically brief, as the Titanic hits an iceberg and begins to sink, rapidly descending into the icy North Atlantic waters. Regardless of all the memes surrounding the film – and whether or not Rose and Jack could have shared the door that saved Rose’s life – Titanic is an unironically wonderful film, combining romance and heart-pounding action set pieces into a cinematic experience that won over generations of fans.
How We Choose the Best Netflix Original Movies
Netflix's Originals have become a force to be reckoned with in recent years, with the service going from a collection of other studios' films and popular TV shows to a genuine content-churning machine. We try to focus on the Netflix Originals that have proven to be popular favorites as well as those movies that scored well on aggregate sites like Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic. In some cases, we may pick more surprising titles that aren't as "buzzy" as some others on this list. The one common thread is that all these movies are truly worth your time.
