May has come, and as the outdoors blossom, our list of the best movies to stream on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Max (HBO), and other services continues to flourish as well! With new originals and recent theatrical releases hitting the streamers all year long, we’re keeping tabs on all the new arrivals worth your time.
This week is a big one, as four streaming services add films. Netflix serves up the Kellogg/Post rivalry comedy Unfrosted, starring Jerry Seinfeld. Peacock adds recent hit The American Society of Magical Negroes. Prime Video adds the Anne Hathaway romance The Idea of You. And Max has remastered and re-released Jonathan Demme’s seminal concert film Stop Making Sense.
We also have guides to the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, and the best movies on HBO.
New movies to stream at a glance
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Unfrosted2024 -
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Stop Making Sense1984
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The Idea of You2024
Netflix
Unfrosted (2024) new
93m
Genre
Comedy, History
Stars
Jerry Seinfeld, Melissa McCarthy, Jim Gaffigan
Directed by
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld directs and stars in this based-on-real-events comedy about the invention of the Pop-Tart. In Michigan in 1963, sworn rivals Kellogg’s and Post get into a race to create a pastry that will forever change breakfast. Between ambition, greed, and lots and lots of sugar, it’s a high-stakes battle to become the kings of breakfast.
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) new
140m
Genre
Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
Stars
Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan
Directed by
Daniel Scheinert, Daniel Kwan
A recent Best Picture winner, Everything Everywhere All at Once is finally available to stream on Netflix. Michelle Yeoh won Best Actress for her portrayal of Evelyn Wang, an immigrant mother who runs a laundromat with her somewhat ineffectual but sweet husband, Waymond (Ke Huy Quan). Facing an IRS audit and her daughter pulling away, the weight of the world seems to be crushing Evelyn until, suddenly, she’s contacted from a parallel universe and told she’s the only person who can save the world. Now, she must tap into powers she never knew she had to reconcile splintering timelines and save her family and herself.
Anyone But You (2023)
104m
Genre
Romance, Comedy
Stars
Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell, Mia Artemis
Directed by
Will Gluck
Two of this generation’s fastest-rising stars, Glen Powell (Top Gun: Maverick) and Sydney Sweeney (Madame Web), team up for this R-rated romantic comedy. Ben (Powell) and Bea (Sweeney) had an amazing first date, but the spark quickly fizzles. But when they find themselves together again at a small destination wedding in Australia, they decide to pretend to be a couple to keep everyone else off their backs.
Miller's Girl (2024)
93m
Genre
Mystery, Thriller, Drama
Stars
Martin Freeman, Jenna Ortega, Bashir Salahuddin
Directed by
Jade Halley Bartlett
Something of a twisted Dead Poets Society, Wednesday star Jenna Ortega stars in Miller’s Girl as talented young writer Cairo, who embarks on a creative odyssey after her teacher (Martin Freeman) gives her a unique assignment. Soon, the lines between project and reality, professor and protégé, begin to blur as the assignment becomes something of an obsession for both.
Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver (2024)
123m
Genre
Action, Science Fiction, Drama
Stars
Sofia Boutella, Michiel Huisman, Ed Skrein
Directed by
Zack Snyder
Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon series continues with Part Two: The Scargiver. Kora (Sofia Boutella) continues her battle to defend the people of Veldt and her newfound homeland in their war against the Motherworld. As an existential battle looms, each warrior must reconcile their pasts and remind themselves and one another why they fight.
Peacock
The American Society of Magical Negroes (2024) new
105m
Genre
Fantasy, Comedy
Stars
Justice Smith, Gillian Vigman, David Alan Grier
Directed by
Kobi Libii
Justice Smith stars in this satire as Aren, a young man recruited into a secret society of magical Black people who have dedicated their lives to making white people’s lives easier. If you like a satire that isn’t afraid to punch hard on race, this might be up your alley.
Migration (2023)
83m
Genre
Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Family
Stars
Kumail Nanjiani, Elizabeth Banks, Caspar Jennings
Directed by
Benjamin Renner
Illumination’s Migration was a family-friendly hit at the beginning of the year. While Mallard family patriarch Mack (Kumail Nanjiani) is content to keep paddling safely in their New England pond forever, mom Pam (Elizabeth Banks) wants to show the kids just how big and exciting the world really is. So when a migrating duck family regales them of thrilling travel tales, Pam talks Mack into going on a family trip to Jamaica, via New York City. But even the best-laid plans can go awry when you’ve never migrated before.
Drive-Away Dolls (2024)
84m
Genre
Comedy, Crime
Stars
Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan, Beanie Feldstein
Directed by
Ethan Coen
Ethan Coen directs the crime caper Drive-Away Dolls, which is about Jamie (Margaret Qualley), an uninhibited free spirit griping about yet another breakup, and her dour friend Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan). Desperately needing to unwind and find a fresh start, the two women decide to take an impromptu road trip to Tallahassee. But when they run afoul of a group of inept criminals, things take a turn for the wacky.
Max (formerly HBO and HBO Max)
Stop Making Sense (1984) new
88m
Genre
Documentary, Music
Stars
David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison
Directed by
Jonathan Demme
Considered one of the best concert films ever made, Jonathan Demme’s Stop Making Sense has been remastered for streaming release on Max. Demme’s film depicts a Talking Heads concert at the height of their popularity, touring for their 1983 album Speaking in Tongues. The remarkably cinematic performance is filled with guest performances, creative choreography, and captivating visuals that helped change ideas of what concerts could be.
The Zone of Interest (2023)
105m
Genre
History, Drama, War
Stars
Christian Friedel, Sandra Hüller, Johann Karthaus
Directed by
Jonathan Glazer
Winner of Best International Film at the 2024 Oscars, The Zone of Interest is one of the best movies of 2023. The film examines the efforts of Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss and his wife Hedwig to build an idyllic little dream home directly next to the camp. The stark contrast between the life of their garden and the genocidal mayhem happening next door is just the start of the deep discomfort of this drama.
Dream Scenario (2023)
102m
Genre
Comedy, Fantasy
Stars
Nicolas Cage, Julianne Nicholson, Lily Bird
Directed by
Kristoffer Borgli
In Dream Scenario, Nicolas Cage stars as hapless family man Paul Matthews, who finds his life dramatically changed when millions of people all over the world start seeing him in their dreams. But when what was a weird, but more or less charming phenomenon turns nightmarish, Paul has to deal with the international fallout.
Wonka (2023)
117m
Genre
Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Stars
Timothée Chalamet, Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key
Directed by
Paul King
A family-friendly hit of 2023, Wonka stars Timothée Chalamet as the extraordinary character at the center of Roald Dahl’s iconic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Willy Wonka. This prequel to that story tells how Wonka rose as a young man to become the world’s greatest inventor, magician, and chocolate maker. Featuring musical performances, dancing kids, fireworks galore, and Hugh Grant as a grumpy Oompa Loompa, Wonka is a charming movie that could only come from the director who made Paddington 2.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)
124m
Genre
Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Stars
Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
Directed by
James Wan
The superhero genre may be struggling, but that won’t stop Jason Momoa from giving his best effort. In the second Aquaman film, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) seeks to avenge his father’s death by taking down Aquaman (Momoa) once and for all. Armed with the mythic Black Trident, which unleashes an ancient and malevolent force, Black Manta is more formidable than ever, forcing Aquaman to turn to his imprisoned brother, the former King Orm of Atlantis (Patrick Wilson), to help save the family and the world.
Amazon Prime Video
The Idea of You (2024) new
116m
Genre
Romance, Comedy, Music
Stars
Anne Hathaway, Nicholas Galitzine, Ella Rubin
Directed by
Michael Showalter
The hot new romantic comedy on the streamers, The Idea of You stars Anne Hathaway (Eileen) as Solène, a 40-year-old single mother chaperoning her teenage daughter’s trip to Coachella. But when she meets 24-year-old Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), the leader singer of the planet’s hottest boy band, an unexpected and very real semi-intergenerational relationship emerges.
Música (2024)
91m
Genre
Comedy, Romance, Music
Stars
Camila Mendes, Rudy Mancuso, J.B. Smoove
Directed by
Rudy Mancuso
Rudy (Rudy Mancuso) is continually plagued by the music in his head and the uncertainty of his future. As a Brazilian man in Newark, New Jersey, he’s trying to balance love, family, and culture — sometimes more successfully than others. Camila Mendes and JB Smoove also star in this Amazon Original.
Road House (2024)
121m
Genre
Action, Thriller
Stars
Jake Gyllenhaal, Daniela Melchior, Billy Magnussen
Directed by
Doug Liman
Jake Gyllenhaal and Conor McGregor square off in the Prime Original remake of the Patrick Swayze cult classic, Road House. Gyllenhaal plays Dalton, an ex-UFC fighter trying to escape his dark past and violent reputation. When he’s spotted by Frankie (Jessica Williams), the owner of a notoriously dangerous and rowdy roadhouse in the Florida Keys, she brings him in to help defend her business from a violent gang set on destroying her bar at the command of crime boss Brandt (Billy Magnussen). Dalton makes quick work of Brandy’s five-man crew, but when Brandt calls in a gun-for-hire, Knox (McGregor), the stakes and bloodshed ratchet up.
Frida (2024)
87m
Genre
Documentary
Stars
Frida Kahlo
Directed by
Carla Gutierrez
This powerful Amazon original documentary dives deep into the life, mind, and heart of iconic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Using her own words drawn from her diary, letters, essays, and print interviews, Frida is a magical documentary, brought to life by lyrical animation inspired by her artwork.
Ricky Stanicky (2024)
113m
Genre
Comedy
Stars
Zac Efron, John Cena, Andrew Santino
Directed by
Peter Farrelly
Childhood best friends Dean, JT, and Wes (Zac Efron, Andrew Santino, and Jermaine Fowler) loved to get into trouble as kids, and they always blamed it on the imaginary Ricky Stanicky. Twenty years later, they’re still invoking Ricky when they get up to no good. But when their spouses and partners finally get suspicious, they demand to meet Ricky. So, the gang hires washed-up actor and celebrity impersonator “Rock Hard” Rod (John Cena) to portray the fabled friend. But when Rod takes the role too far, the boys begin to wish they didn’t invent Ricky at all.
Shudder
Humane (2024)
93m
Genre
Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller
Stars
Jay Baruchel, Emily Hampshire, Peter Gallagher
Directed by
Caitlin Cronenberg
The directorial debut of Caitlin Cronenberg — David Cronenberg’s daughter — Humane picks up in the wake of an environmental collapse that has seen humanity euthanize 20% of its population. At a family dinner, a father’s (Peter Gallagher) plan to voluntarily enlist in the government’s new euthanasia program sets off a chaotic evening that will forever change everyone involved.
Late Night with the Devil (2024)
93m
Genre
Horror
Stars
David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss
Directed by
Cameron Cairnes, Colin Cairnes
David Dastmalchian stars in Late Night with the Devil, a film that basically covers what its title says. Billed as part found footage, part documentary, this clever horror film focuses on a fateful Halloween night in 1977 when ambitious late night host Jack Delroy (Dastmalchian) invites a purportedly possessed girl onto the show as a publicity stunt. But when things go horribly wrong, an unimaginable evil is released into living rooms all over the country.
Paramount+
Bob Marley: One Love (2024)
104m
Genre
Music, History, Drama
Stars
Kingsley Ben-Adir, Lashana Lynch, James Norton
Directed by
Reinaldo Marcus Green
Celebrate the music of reggae icon and social justice activist Bob Marley! The story of Marley (Secret Invasion‘s Kingsley Ben-Adir) from underground aspiring artist on the island nation of Jamaica to captivating the entire world with his revolutionary sound and protest music, Bob Marley: One Love is a biopic for all music lovers.
Mean Girls (2024)
113m
Genre
Comedy
Stars
Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Auli'i Cravalho
Directed by
Samantha Jayne, Arturo Perez Jr.
The film adaptation of the Broadway musical adaptation of the 2004 hit film (what a mouthful), Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) is a new student once again! Despite making quick friends with outcasts Janis (Auli’i Cravalho) and Damian (Jaquel Spivey), she’s soon lured into “The Plastics,” the top tier of the social hierarchy, ruled by conniving queen bee Regina George (Reneé Rapp). Caught between wanting to take down the cruel queen and a desire to become the queen herself, Cady must navigate the high school gauntlet and try to remain true to herself.
Apple TV+
Argylle (2024)
139m
Genre
Action, Adventure, Comedy
Stars
Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston
Directed by
Matthew Vaughn
Firmly embedded in the stylistic vein of Matthew Vaughn’s Kingsman franchise, Argylle feels almost like a spinoff. However, it features all new characters as we meet Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard), the reclusive author of a bestselling series of spy novels starring secret agent Argylle (The Witcher‘s Henry Cavill). Conway leads the exact opposite life of Argylle, but when the plots of her fictional books begin to mirror the covert actions of a real-world spy organization, Conway is roped into the center of the action to help take down an evil spy syndicate.
Girls State (2024)
95m
Genre
Documentary
Directed by
Jesse Moss, Amanda McBaine
This original Apple documentary chronicles an ambitious, immersive experiment in Missouri tasking teenage girls with building a government from the ground up. Asking what American democracy would look like in the hands of teenage girls, the team gathered female leaders from very different backgrounds and placed them together with the task of building a country. The results are interesting.
Disney+
Wish (2023)
95m
Genre
Animation, Family, Fantasy, Adventure
Stars
Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine, Alan Tudyk
Directed by
Chris Buck, Fawn Veerasunthorn
Widely panned as one of Disney’s laziest efforts in years, Wish is nonetheless the most significant release of the last year from Disney Animation Studios, so it makes this list. Young idealist Asha (Ariana DeBose) makes a wish so powerful that it’s actually answered by a little ball of energy called Star. Armed with this new power and friendship, Asha and Star must confront King Magnifico (Dungeons & Dragons star Chris Pine) to save Asha’s kingdom from doom.
The Marvels (2023)
105m
Genre
Science Fiction, Adventure, Action
Stars
Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani
Directed by
Nia DaCosta
One of Marvel’s biggest releases of 2023, The Marvels sees the return of Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), after she reclaims her identity from the Kree and avenges herself on the Supreme Intelligence. But now, she’s forced to deal with the burden of a destabilized universe. When she travels through a wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, Carol finds her powers entangled with Jersey City superfan Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), as well as her estranged niece, S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris). Together, they must join their powers to save the universe as The Marvels.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
155m
Genre
Adventure, Action
Stars
Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen
Directed by
James Mangold
Indy is back for the final(?) adventure in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. In a new age and close to retirement, Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is struggling to fit into a world that seems to have passed him by. But when a familiar evil returns in the form of an old rival, the world calls on Indy once again to pick up the whip and keep an ancient, powerful artifact from falling into the hands of the bad guys. After teaming up with Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), Indy is off on yet another adventure.
Hulu
Anatomy of a Fall (2023)
152m
Genre
Thriller, Mystery, Crime
Stars
Sandra Hüller, Swann Arlaud, Milo Machado-Graner
Directed by
Justine Triet
The latest foreign film to crack the Best Picture nominees at the Oscars, Anatomy of a Fall is a French film directed by Justine Triet. German expat Sandra (Sandra Hüller), her husband Samuel (Samuel Theis), and their 11-year-old son Daniel (Milo Machado-Graner) live a quiet life in a remote French Alps town. But when Samuel is found dead below their chalet, the mysterious circumstances lead the police to determine he was murdered with Sandra as their main suspect. Anatomy of a Fall poignantly and provocatively examines Sandra and Samuel’s tumultuous relationship, teasing the viewer to decide the circumstances of Samuel’s death for themselves.
The Stones and Brian Jones (2023)
93m
Genre
Documentary
Stars
Nick Broomfield, Brian Jones, Freddie Fox
Directed by
Nick Broomfield
Brian Jones was a founding member and original leader of iconic band The Rolling Stones, but his legend is largely lost to history due to the band’s sustained success after his untimely death. The Stones and Brian Jones seeks to restore credit to Jones, one of the key secrets to the band’s success, through interviews with all of The Stones’ performers and new archival footage.
Poor Things (2023)
141m
Genre
Science Fiction, Romance, Comedy
Stars
Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe
Directed by
Yorgos Lanthimos
A 2024 Best Picture nominee, Poor Things is a sadistic twist on the Frankenstein story. Brought back to life by the brilliant Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe), Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) is eager to learn of the world she has been resurrected into. Free from the prejudices of her now-distant times, she runs off with the slick, debauched lawyer Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) on an adventure across the continents. The more she learns, the more steadfast Bella becomes in her commitment to stand for equality and liberation.
The Marsh King's Daughter (2023)
109m
Genre
Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Stars
Daisy Ridley, Ben Mendelsohn, Garrett Hedlund
Directed by
Neil Burger
Helena (Daisy Ridley) leads a seemingly ordinary life, except for one dark truth. Her father is the infamous Marsh King (Ben Mendelsohn), the man who kept her and her mother captive in the wilderness for years. When he escapes from prison, Helena knows he’s coming for her and her family, gearing up to face the demons of her past and outwit the monster who taught her about wilderness survival.
Dreamin' Wild (2023)
110m
Genre
Music, Drama
Stars
Casey Affleck, Walton Goggins, Zooey Deschanel
Directed by
Bill Pohlad
Casey Affleck and Zooey Deschanel star in Dreamin’ Wild, the true story of singer/songwriter Donnie Emerson (Affleck) and his family after the album Donnie and his brother Joe (Walton Goggins) recorded as teens emerges after 30 years of obscurity and is deemed a last masterpiece. The sudden rediscovery launches Donnie and Joe to stardom and offers the hope of second chances, but it also presents new challenges as Donnie, Joe, their father Don Sr. (Beau Bridges), and Donnie’s wife Nancy (New Girl‘s Zooey Deschanel) must all come to terms with the past and navigate a new future in the spotlight.
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