Finding a good movie to watch on Amazon Prime Video can be difficult to say the least. While Amazon’s robust library of titles is available to every Amazon Prime subscriber, they don’t exactly make it easy to find what you’re looking for. That’s where we come in. Below, we’ve assembled a growing list of the best movies on Amazon Prime right now. Our carefully curated selection runs the gamut from crowd-pleasing blockbusters to Oscar-winning dramas to delightful rom-coms and beyond. There’s a little something for everyone, so stop the endless scrolling and simply choose one of these great movies to watch.
Check out our list of the best movies on Amazon Prime video below. The list will be updated weekly with new titles.
Licorice Pizza
Every new Paul Thomas Anderson movie is reason to celebrate, but his 2021 film “Licorice Pizza” is truly one from the heart. The coming-of-age dramedy takes place in 1973 in the San Fernando Valley and follows a cocksure 15-year-old actor (Cooper Hoffman) who strikes up a friendship with a girl in her 20s (Alana Haim). The film navigates their nebulous relationship as well as the anxieties felt by each as they stare down young adulthood, and it’s all wrapped up in PTA’s hilarious and heartbreaking chronicle of life as a kid in 1970s Los Angeles. Come for the time capsule, stay for Bradley Cooper’s hilariously unhinged performance as producer Jon Peters.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
If it’s been awhile since you saw Steven Spielberg’s “A.I. Artificial Intelligence,” it’s well worth giving another shot. Originally conceived by Stanley Kubrick, Spielberg revived the project after Kubrick’s death and wrote and directed this tale of a young boy A.I. who is programmed to love and then abandoned by his adopted family. One part fairy tale and one part nightmare, this is one of Spielberg’s darkest films, with the director maintaining a heartbreaking emotional core throughout the young boy’s journey. Fair warning: If you’re a parent, have tissues at the ready.
The Devil Wears Prada
A feel-good movie if there ever was one, “The Devil Wears Prada” also boasts one of Meryl Streep’s most delicious performances. Set in the world of high fashion, Anne Hathaway stars as a young woman who lands a coveted job as an assistant to Miranda Priestly (Streep), a powerful fashion magazine editor with a knack for tearing people down. Emily Blunt co-stars as Hathaway’s jealous co-worker in what would be a breakout role for the actress, and like so many feel-good movies it’s hard to quantify exactly why this film is so rewatchable, but it is.
The Exorcism of Emily Rose
Before director Scott Derrickson made “Doctor Strange” or “Sinister,” he combined the worlds of a legal thriller with an exorcism horror movie in “The Exorcism of Emily Rose.” The 2005 film is loosely based on a true story and stars Tom Wilkinson as a priest standing trial for negligent homicide after performing an exorcism on a young girl (Jennifer Carpenter). The film flashes back and forth between the young girl’s supposed possession and the trial, adding an additional layer of tension to the whole proceedings. Scary and thrilling, watch this one with the lights out.
Clueless
One of the best Jane Austen adaptations ever made and a 90s classic all wrapped up in one film. “Clueless” is loosely inspired by Austen’s “Emma,” except transported to a 1990s high school. Alicia Silverstone is popular (and rich) matchmaker Cher, while Brittany Murphy plays new student Tai who Cher takes under her wing as her “project.” Written and directed by Amy Heckerling, “Clueless” spawned a bevy of buzzwords and catchphrases that are still in the lexicon today, but the film also endures thanks to its winning cast (a young Paul Rudd is aces) and timeless themes – despite the very time capsule-y aesthetic and soundtrack.
No Time to Die
Daniel Craig’s final Bond film is at once epic and intimate. “No Time to Die” puts an emotional button on what’s been an emotional ride, as Craig finally infused 007 with a license to feel through his largely acclaimed series of films. In his final go-around, we begin with an extended prologue that puts a button (for now) on his relationship with Dr. Madeleine Swan (played by Lea Seydoux) following her debut in “Spectre.” But when a figure from Swan’s past resurfaces (played by Rami Malek), Bond gets swept back into a game of cat-and-mouse with the highest stakes he’s ever faced before. Swell supporting turns by Lashana Lynch and Ana de Armas as well as a refreshing visual palate from director Cary Joji Fukunaga ensure that with “No Time to Die,” Bond goes out on a high note.
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Matt Damon delivers what may be his best performance in filmmaker Anthony Minghella’s 1999 Patricia Highsmith adaptation “The Talented Mr. Ripley.” Damon stars as a sociopathic young man who becomes obsessed with another wealthy young man (played by Jude Law) while on holiday in Italy. So obsessed that he decides to try and steal his life. Richly drawn characters and a standout Philip Seymour Hoffman performance (though when is a PSH performance not a standout?) make this a must-see.
Top Gun
Is “Top Gun” cheesy? Yes. Is it a little dated? Absolutely. But does it still rule? Unequivocally. The film that catapulted Tom Cruise to movie star status is streaming just in time to catch up before you watch the incredible sequel “Top Gun: Maverick.” Cruise plays a cocky pilot who gets the chance to train at an elite Navy school, where he makes friends, enemies and lovers. Tony Scott directs this thing with gusto – you can practically feel the summer heat coming off the frame, and Cruise is dynamite in the lead role.
Office Space
If you’re in the mood for a great zone-out comedy, 1999’s “Office Space” quite literally never gets old. Writer/director Mike Judge’s satire about the workplace stars Ron Livingston as an unhappy man working a dead-end job who, after a hypnosis session gone wrong, suddenly hasn’t a care in the world. It completely upends his approach to work-life, inspiring his colleagues as well as a potential flame (a waitress played by Jennifer Aniston) to start living their lives a bit differently. Endlessly quotable, this one has a lot to say about the “work-life balance.”
Tangerine
Before “The Florida Project” or “Red Rocket,” filmmaker Sean Baker burst onto the scene with his 2015 comedy “Tangerine” – shot entirely on an iPhone. Kitana Kiki Rodriguez stars as a trans sex worker living in Los Angeles who finds out that her boyfriend and pimp has been cheating on her. While it looks like an indie and tackles some heavy material at times, the film has the tone and pacing of a raucous comedy, and is all the better for it.
Courage Under Fire
If you’re into legal thriller mysteries like “A Few Good Men,” check out “Courage Under Fire.” Released in 1996, the film stars Denzel Washington as a Lieutenant Colonel serving in the Gulf War who is assigned to determine if Captain Karen Walden (played by Meg Ryan) deserves to be the first woman to posthumously receive the Medal of Honor. Washington’s character conducts a series of interviews with service men and women who served under Walden, but receives conflicting stories that play out in flashback as to what happened on the fateful night she died. Directed by Edward Zwick, the film also stars Lou Diamond Phillips, Scott Glenn and a young Matt Damon, and was shot by Oscar-winning DP Roger Deakins.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Director David Fincher described his 2008 film “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” as a love story about death, and yet it’s the most emotional and sincere film he’s ever made. Based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Brad Pitt stars as a man who was born old and ages backward. The story traces his life from 1918 up through the 1990s, deploying then-cutting edge digital technology to allow Pitt to play the character at every stage of his life. Cate Blanchett plays his love interest, but with Button’s disorder comes the looming specter of death over every interaction.
What If
If you can look past the forgettable title, “What If” is actually a wonderfully charming romantic comedy gem that flew entirely under the radar. Daniel Radcliffe stars as a medical school dropout who meets a young woman (played by Zoe Kazan) during his first night out in a year. At the end of the night, he finds out the woman is in a relationship, and the two subsequently become best friends as the story charts their close relationship and whether Radcliffe’s character will summon the courage to tell her how he really feels. While the premise feels familiar, the 2014 film is executed in a sweet, hilarious and charming manner (it was originally titled “The F Word”) and boasts a pair of supporting performances by then up-and-comers Adam Driver and Mackenzie Davis that are delightful.
The Lost City of Z
A Tom Holland adventure movie of a very different sort, “The Lost City of Z” is based on the David Grann book of the same name and follows a British explorer in the early 1900s who is sent to Brazil to search for a supposed lost city in the Amazon. Charlie Hunnam plays the explorer Percy Fawcett, Robert Pattinson plays fellow explorer Henry Costin and Tom Holland plays Percy’s son Jack. As directed and written by James Gray, “The Lost City of Z” is an enthralling story about colonialism and the relationship between a father and a son.
Lucy and Desi
If you’ve already seen Aaron Sorkin’s fictional account of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in “Being the Ricardos,” check out the Amy Poehler-directed documentary “Lucy and Desi.” The film explores the partnership between the “I Love Lucy” stars, offering an insightful and candid look at the relationship between the two buoyed by interviews with Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill, Norman Lear, Desi Arnaz Jr, Carol Burnett and Bette Midler.
Paper Moon
If you’re in the mood for a classic, 1973’s road trip comedy “Paper Moon” holds up tremendously well. Directed by Peter Bogdanovich, the film takes place during the Great Depression and stars real-life father and daughter Ryan and Tatum O’Neal as a con man and orphan who team up when the con man agrees to take the young girl from Gotham, Kansas to St. Joseph, Missouri. Heartwarming, hilarious and rich in character, “Paper Moon” is a classic for a reason.
(500) Days of Summer
Before Marc Webb directed “The Amazing Spider-Man” movies, he burst onto the scene with 2009’s romantic dramedy “(500) Days of Summer.” The film chronicles a relationship in a fractured narrative, flashing forward and backward to follow a man named Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and his 500-day relationship with a girl named Summer (Zooey Deschanel). While seeing different stages of their relationship out of order, the audience gets deeper into Tom’s point of view, and the film ends with a smart reversal of the “boy pines for girl” trope.
The Courier
“The Courier” is a great “dad movie,” and that’s pejorative. This Cold War thriller is based on a true story and stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Greville Wynne, a British businessman who was recruited by the Secret Intelligence Service to serve as a messenger between a Russian spy source and the British government in the 1960s. What begins as an exciting romp turns deadly serious, and Cumberbatch commands the screen in the lead role (flanked by Rachel Brosnahan as his wife and Jessie Buckley as his handler). This one’s taut, compelling and surprisingly emotional.
The Lighthouse
The 2019 film “The Lighthouse” absolutely will not be for everyone, but if it’s up your alley there’s much to love here. An esoteric and atmospheric thriller that’s wildly ambiguous – to the point that even the plot of the movie is up for interpretation – the film takes place in the 1890s and stars Robert Pattinson as a young man who reports for duty as a lighthouse keeper on a small island with another man, played by Willem Dafoe. Strange goings-on ensue, and the film evolves into a horror picture, dark comedy or psychological thriller depending on what you think is actually happening. It hails from the mind of “The Witch” filmmaker Robert Eggers.
Brittany Runs a Marathon
The 2019 comedy “Brittany Runs a Marathon” manages to be both hilarious and inspiring at the same time, as Jillian Bell stars as a twentysomething woman living in New York City named Brittany who decides to try and get her life together – and to start, she’s going to train to run the New York Marathon. But as Brittany gets deeper and deeper into running, making new friends along the way, she discovers that a change on the inside may be what’s most prudent to pointing her life in the right direction. Bell is fantastic in the lead role, and writer/director Paul Downs Colaizzo’s script is pleasantly surprising in where it takes Brittany’s story.
Suspiria
After he made the Oscar-winning romance “Call Me by Your Name,” filmmaker Luca Guadagnino took on a horror classic with 2018’s “Suspiria.” Set in 1988 Berlin, the film stars Dakota Johnson as a young woman leaving her Mennonite family in Ohio to audition for and train as a dancer at an esteemed academy. But as her training continues, it becomes clear that perhaps this dance troupe has something more sinister, more witchy going on. The brilliance of Guadagnino’s take on the story is how it uses the supernatural horror to tell a real-life horror story about fascism, and the festering wound of evil. Tilda Swinton is mesmerizing pulling double duty here as the dance troupe’s leader and a male doctor curious about the goings-on at the school.
The Report
If a real-life investigative thriller in the vein of “All the President’s Men” is more your speed, check out “The Report.” Released in 2019, the true-story drama stars Adam Driver as Daniel Jones, a staffer for Senator Dianne Feinstein (played by Annette Bening) who is tasked with investigating the CIA’s use of torture following the 9/11 attacks. Writer/director Scott Z. Burns crafts a film that is taught with tension, but also powerful in its pursuit of the truth. The ensemble includes Jon Hamm, Michael C. Hall, Corey Stoll, Ted Levine and Maura Tierney.
Late Night
Screenwriter Mindy Kaling pulled from the world of late night television for her 2019 comedy “Late Night,” which stars Emma Thompson as a veteran late night TV personality who is in danger of being pushed out by the network, and enlists the help of a new (and inexperienced) writer (played by Kaling) to bring some diversity to her all-male writing staff. The comedy has shades of a mismatched buddy film, behind-the-scenes Hollywood tale and middle-aged drama, and it’s anchored by a terrific performance from Thompson as a woman struggling to keep up with the times.
Inside Llewyn Davis
Oscar Isaac embodies the life of a soulful and melancholic folk singer in the 2013 Coen Brothers film “Inside Llewyn Davis.” Set in 1961 just before Bob Dylan took folk mainstream, the story follows a week in the life of Llewyn Davis, a struggling folk musician who can’t keep his life in order. The film features a tremendous soundtrack with Isaac doing his own performing and singing, and a robust ensemble that includes Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, F. Murray Abraham and Adam Driver. This is the Coen Brothers at their saddest.
It’s a Wonderful Life
If you’re looking to get into the holiday spirit, you can’t go wrong with Frank Capra’s 1946 classic “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The film stars James Stewart as George Bailey, a man extremely down on his luck who, after attempting to take his own life, is shown what life in his small town would look like had he never existed. While the film is ultimately uplifting, it’s far darker than many remember, and is a brilliant tale about life and the relationships we make (and take for granted) along the way.
Cold War
If you’re into period dramas, the 2018 film “Cold War” is a must-see. Directed and co-written by Pawel Pawlikowski, the Polish-language drama takes place in Poland and France and begins in the 1940s before ending in the 1960s as it follows the relationship between a musical director and a young singer he discovers. Against the backdrop of their love affair, the war rages on.
The Big Sick
A romantic comedy straight from the heart, the based-on-a-true-story “The Big Sick” is delightful and emotional all at once. Written by Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, the film is based on the origins of their relationship as Gordon slipped into a coma soon after they started dating, and Nanjiani was forced to confront his own fears and contend with Gordon’s parents all with the uncertainty of her condition looming large. Zoe Kazan portrays Gordon in the film with a hearty dose of moxie, and Nanjiani delivers a complex performance that clearly pulls from the depths of his personal life – not just his relationship with Kazan’s character, but his own relationship to his family.
The Handmaiden
“Oldboy” filmmaker Park Chan-wook’s 2016 epic erotic drama “The Handmaiden” is absolutely one of his best films, and is a blast from start to finish. The psychological thriller plays out in three parts chock full of twists and turns, but begins as the story of a con man who conspires with a pickpocket to hatch a plan that would involve marrying a Japanese heiress and committing her to an asylum, thus stealing her wealth. But the film takes a number of turns as various romantic and sexual entanglements ensue. This one’s for adults only.
Manchester by the Sea
“Manchester by the Sea” is a brilliant film, but fair warning it’s also a significant bummer. This 2016 film won Oscars for Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay and stars Casey Affleck as a janitor living in Massachusetts who is suddenly tasked with caring for his nephew following his brother’s abrupt death. The event triggers substantial trauma that Affleck’s character has yet to process, and what follows is a somber, sometimes darkly funny and ultimately touching meditation on grief and guilt.
One Night in Miami
Regina King’s 2020 drama “One Night in Miami” is an excellent snapshot of a moment in time, and how four of the most famous African-Americans in history each approached the changing societal landscape of the 1960s. Set over the course of one night in 1964, the story follows four friends – Cassius Clay (Eli Goree), Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge) and Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) – as a night of celebrating soon turns into a night of lively conversation about their roles and responsibilities to the African-American community. The film is cleverly drawn and tremendously compelling, and provides much food for thought as it connects the struggles of the 1960s to today.
The Vast of Night
If you like hidden gems, 2020’s “The Vast of Night” is one of the most exciting indies of the last few years. Set in 1950s New Mexico, the story takes place over the course of one evening where a young switchboard operator and a radio DJ pick up a mysterious audio frequency that may or may not be inhuman in nature. This small-scale sci-fi mystery is light on effects but heavy on evocative filmmaking, intrigue and dimensional characters. It’s so good, a scene with a man talking about his experience with aliens over the radio will have you on the edge of your seat.
2019’s “Sound of Metal” is an indie with a heart of gold – and an Oscar-winning one at that. The film stars Riz Ahmed as a metal drummer named Ruben who begins to lose his hearing. He leaves his bandmate to go to a facility for Deaf recovering addicts, where he begins to learn how to live his life differently but also struggles with his own demons. Ahmed gives a powerhouse performance, and the film’s sound design puts you right in Ruben’s headspace.
Love and Friendship
If it’s a lovely costume dramedy you’re in the mood for, 2016’s “Love and Friendship” is an absolute delight. Based on the Jane Austen novel “Lady Susan,” the film is written and directed by Whit Stillman and stars Kate Beckinsale as a recently widowed woman who sets out to secure wealthy husbands for herself and her daughter. A comedy of errors ensues, with Beckinsale and Chloe Sevigny sharply leading an ensemble that also includes Stephen Fry, Tom Bennett and Xavier Samuel.
Midsommar
“Midsommar” is a film that will churn your stomach in the best way. The A24 horror movie hails from “Hereditary” writer/director Ari Aster and stars Florence Pugh as a young woman grieving the death of her family who follows her boyfriend and his friends to Sweden to attend a festival that only occurs once every 90 years. But once they arrive, the group finds themselves in the midst of a deadly pagan ritual. The terror of the film comes not from jump scares but from the palpable tension and horrific visuals that Aster conjures, with Pugh serving as the film’s emotional center. This is a deeply upsetting film, but a great one. You’ve been warned.
