Keep this article handy as we list the Top 40 Best and Highest Rated Movies on Netflix of All Time. We’ll be keeping this list updated every month.
Netflix has been the go-to streaming service since the earliest days of streaming, and it continues to have one of the most impressive collections of any site. It consistently turns out the best original content of any of the streaming studios. Here’s our list of the best Netflix original movies of all time, as determined by Rotten Tomatoes scores.
Also, before you read this list, you may be interested in our Top 50 Highest Rated Netflix Series of All Time too!
Last Update: August 5th, 2023
Top 40 Best and Highest Rated Movies on Netflix of All Time
40. The Kindergarten Teacher (2018)
Written and directed by Sara Colangelo, the American remake The Kindergarten Teacher features a career-best performance by Maggie Gyllenhaal.
Official Premise: “A devoted teacher takes interest in a young student’s creative potential after hearing his poetry. But she soon crosses the line into obsession.”
Cast: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Parker Sevak, Gael García Bernal
RT Score: 90%
39. The Two Popes (2019)
Directed by Fernando Meirelles and written by Anthony McCarten, The Two Popes offers a fascinating glimpse into the mindsets of the two most recent Popes. Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce both give excellent performances.
Official Premise: “At a key turning point for the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI forms a surprising friendship with the future Pope Francis. Inspired by true events.”
Cast: Jonathan Pryce, Anthony Hopkins
RT Score: 90%
38. 1922 (2017)
Zak Hilditch’s adaptation of the Stephen King novella features a strong lead performance and some genuine thrills.
Official Premise: “A farmer pens a confession admitting to his wife’s murder, but her death is just the beginning of a macabre tale.”
Cast: Thomas Jane, Molly Parker, Dylan Schmid, Brian d’Arcy James
RT Score: 91%
37. The Willoughbys (2020)
This quirky animated film, directed by Kris Pearn, is both heartfelt and silly, making it a fun watch for children and adults alike.
Official Premise: “Four siblings with horribly selfish parents hatch a plan to get rid of them for good and form a perfectly imperfect family of their own”
Cast: Will Forte, Maya Rudolph, Ricky Gervais, Alessia Cara, Terry Crews, Jane Krakowski, Martin Short
RT Score: 91%
36. Gerald’s Game (2017)
This thriller, directed by Mike Flanagan, is worth watching just for Carla Gugino’s fantastic lead performance.
Official Premise: “When her husband’s sex game goes wrong, Jessie – handcuffed to a bed in a remote lake house – faces warped visions, dark secrets, and a dire choice.”
Cast: Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Henry Thomas
RT Score: 91%
35. Happy as Lazzaro (2018)
Directed by Alice Rohrwacher, this Italian film is a masterpiece of filmmaking and a sweet look at friendship.
Official Premise: “Purehearted teen Lazzaro is content living as a sharecropper in rural Italy, but an unlikely friendship with the marquise’s son will change his world.”
Cast: Adriano Tardiolo, Agnese Graziani, Alba Rohrwacher, Luca Chikovani
RT Score: 91%
34. Apollo 10 ½ (2022)
A very personal film from Richard Linklater, Apollo 10 ½ is nostalgic for the early days of space exploration and the way that it inspired the children on Earth.
Official Premise: “Houston, Texas, 1969. The triumphant moment of the first moon landing comes to life through the eyes of a boy with intergalactic dreams of his own.”
Cast: Jack Black, Bill Wise, Lee Eddy, Natalie L’Amoreaux, Glen Powell
RT Score: 91%
33. High Flying Bird (2019)
Steven Soderbergh’s High Flying Bird is an examination of professional sports while also representing impressive technical work in film.
Official Premise: “When an NBA lockout sidelines his big rookie client, an agent hatches a bold plan to save their careers – and disrupt the league’s power structure.”
Cast: André Holland, Zazie Beetz, Bill Duke, Kyle MacLachlan
RT Score: 91%
32. Beasts of No Nation (2015)
Cary Fukunga directs this challenging, but touching film about the way that war ruins young lives.
Official Premise: “When civil war tears his family apart, a young West African boy is forced to join a unit of mercenary fighters and transform into a child soldier.”
Cast: Idris Elba, Abraham Attah, Kurt Egyiawan, Jude Akuwudike
RT Score: 91%
31. The White Tiger (2021)
Ramin Bahrani’s The White Tiger is an adaptation of the 2008 novel of the same name by Aravind Adiga. It was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars.
Official Premise: “The ambitious driver for a rich Indian family uses his wit and cunning to escape from poverty and become an entrepreneur. Based on the bestselling novel.”
Cast: Adarsh Gourav, Rajkummar Rao, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Mahesh Manjrekar, Vijay Maurya
RT Score: 91%
30. They Cloned Tyrone (2023)
Critic Lori C. said, “The Cloned Tyrone is stylish satire mixes several genres and will likely remind you of 70s Blaxploitation movies with a touch of Tarantino thrown in for good measure.”
Official Premise: A series of eerie events thrusts an unlikely trio onto the trail of a nefarious government conspiracy in this pulpy mystery caper.
Cast: John Boyega, Jamie Foxx, Teyonah Parris
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
29. All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)
Edward Berger’s new adaptation of the famous anti-war novel marks the first time a major German film has been made of the work that famously shows the German perspective of World War I. The film, a masterpiece of acting and craft work, has been nominated for nine Academy Awards.
Official Premise: “When 17-year-old Paul joins the Western Front in World War I, his initial excitement is soon shattered by the grim reality of life in the trenches.”
Cast: Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, Daniel Brühl, Aaron Hilmer, Moritz Klaus
RT Score: 92%
28. Uncorked (2020)
Written and directed by Prentice Penny, Uncorked received praise for its character work.
Official Premise: “A young man feels torn between his dreams of becoming a master sommelier and his father’s expectations that he’ll take over the family barbecue business.”
Cast: Mamoudou Athie, Courtney B. Vance, Niecy Nash-Betts, Sasha Compère
RT Score: 92%
27. Mindhorn (2017)
This British indie slipped past a lot of people when it was released, but it has a great performance by Julian Barratt and some genuinely funny moments.
Official Premise: “When a twisted killer tells the police he’ll only speak to a fictional 1980s TV detective, the washed-up actor who played him takes the gig.”
Cast: Julian Barratt, Andrea Riseborough, Essie Davis, Russell Tovey
RT Score: 92%
26. Set It Up (2018)
Claire Scanlon’s Set It Up might be the savior of the rom-com genre. Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell are the epitome of what you need in great leads for a rom-com and have fantastic chemistry.
Official Premise: “In desperate need of a break from the office, two beleaguered assistants team up to trick their workaholic bosses into falling in love.”
Cast: Zoey Deutch, Glen Powell, Lucy Liu, Taye Diggs, Meredith Hagner, Pete Davidson, Tituss Burgess
RT Score: 92%
25. Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical (2022)
This adaptation of the popular stage musical based on Roald Dahl’s book brings the songs to life on the screen. While Emma Thompson and Lashana Lynch shine, it’s also a fantastic showcase of the young Alisha Weir’s talents.
Official Premise: “An extraordinary girl with a sharp mind and a vivid imagination takes a daring stand to change her story – with miraculous results. Meet Matilda.”
Cast: Alisha Weir, Emma Thompson, Lashana Lynch, Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough, Sindhu Vee
RT Score: 92%
24. El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019)
This follow-up to the Breaking Bad TV series delighted fans, even if it wasn’t a necessary addition to the full narrative. Aaron Paul gives a great performance.
Official Premise: “Fugitive Jesse Pinkman attempts to outrun his past. Written and directed by ‘Breaking Bad’ creator Vince Gilligan, starring Aaron Paul.”
Cast: Aaron Paul, Jesse Plemons, Robert Forster, Bryan Cranston
RT Score: 92%
23. Da 5 Bloods (2020)
Spike Lee’s gritty Vietnam film is notable for its numerous great performances, especially that of the late Chadwick Boseman.
Official Premise: Four African American veterans return to Vietnam decades after the war to find their squad leader’s remains – and a stash of buried gold. From Spike Lee.
Cast: Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters, Chadwick Boseman, Norm Lewis
RT Score: 92%
22. Sand Storm (2016)
Elite Zexer’s impressive directorial debut won the Grand Jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival. The Israeli film investigates how life functions for its female characters in a patriarchal society.
Official Premise: “When a Bedouin patriarch takes a second bride, his first wife chafes against her changing status while his daughter chases her own dreams of autonomy.”
Cast: Lamis Ammar, Ruba Blal, Haitham Omari, Khadija Alakel, Jalal Masarwa
RT Score: 93%
21. Cam (2018)
Cam is a techno-thriller with a unique premise and a great leading role for Madeline Brewer. It’s exactly the sort of film that’s a great match for Netflix where it might lure in more people than would have splurged to see it in the theater.
Official Premise: “After a look-alike takes over her account, a cam girl with a growing fan base sets out to identify the mysterious culprit and reclaim her own identity.”
Cast: Madeline Brewer, Patch Darragh, Melora Walters, Devin Druid
RT Score: 93%
20. Private Life (2018)
It feels like the last few years have had a renaissance of roles for Kathryn Hahn – from Netflix’s Glass Onion to Marvel’s WandaVision – and the lead in Tamara Jenkins’s Private Life is one of the best.
Official Premise: “Struggling to conceive, a couple in their 40s are almost out of options – until a sliver of hope arrives in the form of their visiting step-niece.”
Cast: Paul Giamatti, Kathryn Hahn, Kayli Carter, Molly Shannon
RT Score: 94%
19. Hustle (2022)
There’s a whole genre of ‘defeated sports guy proves he still has it and turns his life around by helping younger sports guy’ genre and this is a worthy entry, mostly due to Adam Sandler’s lead performance.
Official Premise: “When a down-on-his-luck basketball scout finds a potential superstar in Spain, he sets out to prove they both have what it takes to make it in the NBA.”
Cast: Adam Sandler, Queen Latifah, Juancho Hernangómez, Ben Foster, Robert Duvall
RT Score: 94%
18. The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (2017)
Written and directed by Noah Baumbach, this bittersweet film is a great vehicle for its cast and boasts exactly the great screenplay you’d expect from Baumbach.
Official Premise: “Grudges and rivalries abound as three adult siblings converge in New York to contend with their prickly artist father – and his fading legacy.”
Cast: Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson
RT Score: 94%
17. Enola Holmes 2 (2022)
Between the Benoit Blanc films and the Enola Holmes series, Netflix has cornered the market on detective film series. Millie Bobby Brown is precociously charming as Enola Holmes, making a return to this character engaging.
Official Premise: “Enola takes on her first official case as a detective, but to solve the mystery of a missing girl, she’ll need help from friends – and brother Sherlock.”
Cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, David Thewlis, Louis Partridge, Helena Bonham Carter
RT Score: 94%
16. The Sea Beast (2022)
This feel-good animated film by Chris Williams is nominated for this year’s Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. It’s proof that Netflix’s studio is carving out a niche for itself in the world of animation.
Official Premise: “When a young girl stows away on the ship of a legendary sea monster hunter, they launch an epic journey into uncharted waters – and make history to boot.”
Cast: Karl Urban, Zaris-Angel Hator, Jared Harris, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Dan Stevens
RT Score: 94%
15. The Lost Daughter (2021)
This uncomfortable watch, directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, has an interesting perspective on motherhood and a fascinating, yet unlikable main character.
Official Premise: “A woman’s quiet seaside vacation takes an unsettling turn when her fixation on a young mother staying at a nearby villa awakens memories from her past.”
Cast: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson, Ed Harris, Paul Mescal
RT Score: 94%
14. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
Rian Johnson’s follow-up to Knives Out proves that the Benoit Blanc Cinematic Universe is one that people can’t get enough of. Daniel Craig returns as the detective with the southern drawl to solve a new case in Greece with an all-star ensemble.
Official Premise: “World-famous detective Benoit Blanc heads to Greece to peel back the layers of a mystery surrounding a tech billionaire and his eclectic crew of friends.”
Cast: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Dave Bautista, Kate Hudson, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline
RT Score: 92%
13. The Power of the Dog (2021)
Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog is one of those films that almost won Best Picture at the Oscars and seemed every bit the type of film that the Academy loves. Ultimately, the film lost to CODA, but Benedict Cumberbatch gives one of his best performances in the movie.
Official Premise: “A domineering but charismatic rancher wages a war of intimidation on his brother’s new wife and her teen son – until long-hidden secrets come to light.”
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemmons, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Thomasin McKenzie
RT Score: 94%
12. Klaus (2019)
This charming traditionally-animated Christmas film presents a new origin story for Santa Claus and was the first animated Netflix film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Official Premise: “A selfish postman and a reclusive toymaker form an unlikely friendship, delivering joy to a cold, dark town that desperately needs it.”
Cast: Jason Schwartzman, J.K. Simmons, Rashida Jones, Will Sasso, Joan Cusack
RT Score: 95%
11. Marriage Story (2019)
The film that should have won Adam Driver his first Oscar, Marriage Story, is a very intimate movie by Noah Baumbach with beautiful performances all around – and Adam Driver singing “Being Alive” from the musical, Company.
Official Premise: “Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Noah Baumbach directs this incisive and compassionate look at a marriage coming apart and a family staying together.”
Cast: Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Laura Dern, Alan Alda, Ray Liotta, Julie Hagerty, Merritt Wever
RT Score: 95%
10. The Irishman (2019)
While it might be best remembered for its three-and-a-half-hour runtime or the de-aging technology it used on Robert De Niro, The Irishman feels like a fascinating culmination of the work of many of the men who worked on it, from Martin Scorsese to Al Pacino.
Official Premise: “Hitman Frank Sheeran looks back at the secrets he kept as a loyal member of the Bufalino crime family in this acclaimed film from Martin Scorsese.”
Cast: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano, Bobby Cannavale, Anna Paquin
RT Score: 95%
9. To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)
Based on Jenny Han’s book, Susan Johnson’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before has everything you could ever hope for in a teen rom-com: a great family dynamic, a quirky best friend, electric chemistry between its leads, and fake dating.
Official Premise: “When her secret love letters somehow get mailed to each of her five crushes, Lara Jean finds her quiet high school experience turned upside down.
Cast: Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Anna Cathcart, Israel Broussard, John Corbett
RT Score: 96%
8. Atlantics (2019)
French-Senegalese filmmaker Mati Diop was the first Black female director to compete for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival with her directorial debut, Atlantics.
Official Premise: “Arranged to marry a rich man, young Ada is crushed when her true love goes missing a sea during a migration attempt – until a miracle reunites them.”
Cast: Mama Sane, Amadou Mbow, Ibrahima Traore, Nicole Sougou
RT Score: 96%
7. Roma (2018)
This incredibly personal tale from writer-director Alfonso Cuarón was the first Mexican film to win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It also took home Oscars for Best Cinematography and Best Director.
Official Premise: “Oscar winner Alfonso Cuarón delivers a vivid, emotional portrait of a domestic worker’s journey set against domestic and political turmoil in 1970s Mexico.”
Cast: Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira, Fernando Grediaga, Nancy García García
RT Score: 96%
6. I Lost My Body (2019)
This is the sort of animated film that proves that it’s not only a medium for family entertainment. This strange film is utterly unlike anything you’ve seen before.
Official Premise: “Romance, mystery, and adventure intertwine as a young man falls in love and a severed hand scours Paris for its owner in this mesmerizing animated film.”
Cast: Hakim Faris, Victoire Du Bois, Patrick d’Assumçao, Dev Patel, Alia Shawkat
RT Score: 97%
5. Mudbound (2017)
Even as a historian myself, I had never learned much about the plight of Black soldiers who had served in Europe during WWII and returned to the Jim Crow South to discover that the people there had little regard for the service they’d rendered their country. Dee Rees does an excellent job of dramatizing this and much more in Mudbound.
Official Premise: “Two Mississippi families – one Black, one white – confront the brutal realities of prejudice, farming, and friendship in a divided World War II era.”
Cast: Carey Mulligan, Jason Clarke, Mary J. Blige, Garrett Hedlung, Jason Mitchell, Rob Morgan, Jonathan Banks
RT Score: 97%
4. Dolemite is My Name (2019)
This raunchy comedy, directed by Craig Brewer, is based on the real-life story of filmmaker Rudy Ray Moore, best known for his stand-up and blaxploitation films.
Official Premise: “In 1970s LA, struggling comedian Rudy Ray Moore hits it big with his raunchy alter ego, Dolemite, then risks it all to take his act to the big screen.”
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Wesley Snipes, Keegan-Michael Key, Mike Epps, Tituss Burgess, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Kodi Smit-McPhee
RT Score: 97%
3. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020)
There is so much to be admired in George C. Wolfe’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, from the music to the costume design to Viola Davis’s performance in the titular role. But it’s also worth seeing to witness the role that earned Chadwick Boseman his posthumous Oscar nomination.
Official Premise: “Tensions and temperatures rise at a Chicago music studio in 1927 when fiery, fearless blues singer Ma Rainey joins her band for a recording session.”
Cast: Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Colman Domingo
RT Score: 97%
2. The Forty-Year-Old Version (2020)
This movie would be worth watching for Radha Blank’s performance alone, but the fact that she also wrote and directed it is astounding.
Official Premise: “Desperate for a breakthrough as she nears the big 4-0, struggling New York City playwright Radha finds inspiration by reinventing herself as a rapper.”
Cast: Radha Blank, Peter Kim, Oswin Benjamin, Reed Birney
RT Score: 99%
2. How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
This movie would be worth watching for Radha Blank’s performance alone, but the fact that she also wrote and directed it is astounding.
Official Premise: “Desperate for a breakthrough as she nears the big 4-0, struggling New York City playwright Radha finds inspiration by reinventing herself as a rapper.”
Cast: Radha Blank, Peter Kim, Oswin Benjamin, Reed Birney
RT Score: 99%
1. His House (2020)
Both a thoughtful look at the refugee experience and a terrifying horror film, His House is a fantastic directorial debut by Remi Weekes – but definitely not a movie for the faint of heart.
Official Premise: “As a young couple from war-torn South Sudan seeks asylum and a fresh start in England, they’re tormented by a sinister force living in their new home.”
Cast: Sope Dìrísù, Wumni Mosaku, Matt Smith, Malaika Wakoli-Abigaba
RT Score: 100%
And that completes our Top 40 Best and Highest Rated Movies on Netflix of All Time list. What’s your favorite movie on Netflix? Comment below.
