Let’s face it. As amazing as Netflix may be, sometimes it’s a little difficult to find good movies to watch there. However, as quarantine rages on, I can only rewatch Star Wars and the Marvel Spider-Man films so many times (though it will never be enough), so I’m turning to Netflix to find entertainment. I’ve scoured the internet for countless “Best of Netflix” lists, and I’ve decided to make my own so you don’t have to sort through half of Google to find good movie recommendations. This is simply based on the order in which I watched them and thus saw them on my Letterboxd “films of 2020” list.
Marriage Story (2019)
Alright, so we’re starting this list off with a movie that made me sob. I watched this after watching the Golden Globes when I saw that it had Adam Driver in it (for context, I love him), and I can say that it is just as amazing as everyone says it is. Noah Baumbach’s writing is incredible, and each character gets their chance to shine, from Charlie (Adam Driver) to Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) to Nora (Laura Dern). The Academy Award-nominated score meshes so well with the movie, and makes the dissolution of this marriage that was so obviously built on a basis of great love all the more heartbreaking. Be warned, however--though there aren’t too many big action points, it’s still an anxiety-inducing movie, and I’d recommend having something lighter lined up to watch afterward to calm yourself down.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)
I’ll admit, I was a little late to the party on this one. I thought Susan Johnson’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before was going to be a sappy rom-com and that I wasn’t going to enjoy it. I was partially right--it was a sappy rom-com. However, I genuinely thought it was a good movie. Sure, it’s corny and the watcher can guess almost every plot point before it happens, but it’s also cute with characters you find yourself genuinely hoping end up together. I really enjoyed it, and if you’re a fan of rom-coms, I think you will too.
About Time (2013)
Like the Star Wars fan I am, I only decided to watch this movie because it stars Domhnall Gleeson. However, I am beyond happy I did. Was it cheesy? Absolutely. Did it make me cry? Double absolutely. Did I love every second of it? Triple absolutely. Gleeson and Rachel McAdams, who plays his romantic interest, had incredible chemistry. With incredible characters played by a star-studded supporting cast including Bill Nighy and Margot Robbie, I found myself swept into the time-travel filled love story of About Time. The writing, though a bit corny at times, made me genuinely smile, and I instantly added this movie to my favorites list. Though it may not be ‘high-brow’ cinema, About Time is soft, sweet, and perfect for rainy afternoons when you feel positively lonely.
Hail, Caesar! (2016)
I’m not going to sugarcoat it. This Coen Brothers movie is as goofy as they come. Josh Brolin’s Eddie Mannix is a Hollywood fixer in the 1950s trying to keep his studio’s stars from doing anything too crazy. The main plot concerns George Clooney, who plays the studio’s most popular actor, getting abducted by a Communist writing group, though there’s a tangled web of subplots featuring a massively talented group of actors, from Alden Ehrenreich (who should’ve been nominated for an Oscar for this) to Scarlett Johansson to Tilda Swinton. All the characters leap off the screen and feel real, something the Coen Brothers have never struggled with. I don’t want to say too much about it, as this movie is best experienced when you have no clue what you’re getting yourself into. All you need to know is that, though this may not be the Coens’ best movie, Hail, Caesar! is pretty darn great.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
If you go into this movie thinking it’s any less good than the live-action Spider-Man films simply because it’s animated, you’re wrong. Sony’s Into the Spider-Verse is incredible. Now, I’m a bit biased because I love all incarnations of the character, but this movie brings so much joy into the world. The main premise is that the multiverse has opened up thanks to Kingpin, leading to spider-people from different dimensions all ending up in the world of Miles Morales, a New York teen, who is, as you might guess, bitten by a radioactive spider. It falls to him to get all the other spider-people home, and thus begins his epic quest alongside a group of fellow spiders including Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson), a washed-up, somewhat jaded 38-year-old man; Gwen Stacy “Spider-Gwen” (Hailee Steinfeld), a spunky teenager, and a whole slew of others that I don’t want to spoil because they’re truly the best part of the movie. If you love superhero movies, I definitely recommend Into the Spider-Verse.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
Most people have probably seen this movie by now, but I hadn’t watched it until very recently, mostly because I didn’t know it was on Netflix. And honestly, I don’t know why I put it off as much as I did. It’s witty, lovable, and deserves its spot on every list of classic 80s movies. The plot is fairly simple: a teenage boy (Matthew Broderick’s Ferris Bueller) with a major case of senioritis skips school with his best friend Cameron (Alan Ruck) and girlfriend Sloane (Mia Sara), and they go on a wild adventure while being pursued by their principal (Jeffrey Jones). It’s widely regarded as one of the best films of all time, even being selected to the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry, thus solidifying its place in history as a culturally significant film.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
I’m not going to lie to you. I think comedy movies set in medieval times are some of the funniest things ever created, and I can’t explain that. That being said, I absolutely adore Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Something about it just gets me every time, whether it’s how hilariously quotable every line is or how sheerly absurd the plot is. I don’t think I’ll ever know. Whatever it is, this comedy is one of my favorite movies of all time, and it’s endlessly rewatchable, as one watch is not nearly enough to truly get all the humor. Sure, it’s a little ridiculous, but what good movie isn’t? If you haven’t seen it yet, I would advise that you watch it as soon as possible.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
Honestly, I don’t know why this movie hit me as hard as it did. I read the book and wasn’t a huge fan of it, but something about seeing Charlie’s struggles with finding his place in the world made them feel so much more real to me. Logan Lerman shines as Charlie, a freshman who finds himself friends with a pack of seniors, most notably Sam (Emma Watson) and Patrick (Ezra Miller), who are the real stars of the film in my opinion. This movie is best experienced with a few close friends, as it’ll make you long for the closeness of knowing you have people to rely on when things get difficult. It’s not for everybody, but if you’re a teenager who hasn’t seen The Perks of Being a Wallflower, I think you should do so as soon as possible.
Of course, there are countless other movies on Netflix, and there’s probably a second part of this coming when I watch more movies. Until then, what are your favorite Netflix movies? Let me know, and I’ll give them a watch!