15 Best Movies On Paramount+ Right Now

Though it’s a relative newcomer in the streaming landscape, Paramount+ has already built up an extensive library of movies to choose from, offering up some great selections for movie lovers. Paramount’s streaming platform is arguably better known for its original TV shows, such as the Yellowstone and Star Trek franchises, but its movie selection shouldn’t be overlooked. Thanks to its deep library of titles, Paramount+ has an impressive range.

Someone looking for a new movie to watch can find plenty of classics, along with brand-new releases they may have missed in theaters. However, there’s so much choice that it can be a little overwhelming for those uninitiated with the Paramount+ streaming platform. Here are the 10 best movies currently on Paramount+.

Related: The 20 Best Original Series On Paramount Plus

15 The Addams Family (1991)

Releasing in 1991, The Addams Family marks the big-screen debut of the creepy and kooky clan based on the cartoons by Charles Addams. The comedy sees the Addamses reconnect with family member Fester (Christopher Lloyd) after he had a falling out with his brother, the family patriarch Gomez Addams (Raul Julia). However, “Fester” isn’t actually who he says he is, as he’s actually a con artist behind an elaborate scheme to steal the Addams family’s riches.

The Addams Family had a notoriously troubled production but was a box-office smash, likely thanks to the performances of its talented cast led by Julia, Lloyd, Anjelica Huston as Morticia, and a young Christina Ricci in a star-marking turn as Wednesday Addams. The film spawned another sequel, Addams Family Values (also available on Paramount+) and the Addams Family legacy didn’t stop there, as Wednesday, starring Jenna Oretga as the titular anti-heroine, became a hit show for Netflix — and even features an appearance from Ricci.

RELATED: How Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday Compares To Ricci’s Version

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14 Arrival (2016)

While Dune is inarguably director Denis Villeneuve’s greatest triumph, Arrival is his greatest film, and it’s one of the hidden gems of the 2010s on Paramount+. Based on the short story “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang, there is truly no movie like Arrival, not just in the sci-fi genre, but in any genre. Rather than adopting the usual negative bent taken by so many sci-fi stories about aliens arriving on Earth, Arrival does the opposite, turning it into a beautiful narrative about connection, language, time, and loss. The time-twisting, drama all leads to a haunting revelation that lingers indefinitely with the viewer. It’s a movie that asks big questions about life and the universe, and, for the most part, does a brilliant job of answering them without being heavy-handed.

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13 American History X (1998)

Run Time: 1 hr 58 min Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84% (Critics) / 96% (Audience)

Cast: Edward Norton (Derek Vinyard), Edward Furlong (Danny Vinyard), Beverly D’Angelo (Doris Vinyard), Jennifer Lien (Davina Vinyard), Ethan Suplee (Seth Ryan), Fairuza Balk (Stacey), Avery Brooks (Dr. Bob Sweeney), Elliot Gould (Murray), Stacy Keach (Cameron Alexander), William Russ (Dennis Vinyard)

It’s rare that a movie by a first-time filmmaker comes out swinging as hard as Tony Kaye’s feature directorial debut, but that’s exactly what American History X does. Edward Norton’s performance as a reformed neo-Nazi desperately trying to keep his little brother from going down the same path is one of the most powerful he’s ever turned in, even as it’s all darkened with a fatalistic sense of doom that hangs over every scene. It’s an unflinching look at how familial influence, socioeconomic status, violence, and indoctrination create generational damage that sucks everyone into its maelstrom, regardless of whether they’re merely on the fringes or not. American History X also holds one of the most horrifying and shocking scenes ever put to film, and an ending that starkly underscores the ultimate futility of hateful ideology.

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12 Mission: Impossible (1996)

Run Time: 1 hr 50 min Rotten Tomatoes Score: 66% (Critics) / 71% (Audience)

Cast: Tom Cruise (Ethan Hunt), Jon Voight (Jim Phelps), Emmanuelle Béart (Claire Phelps), Henry Czerny (Eugene Kittridge), Jean Reno (Franz Krieger), Ving Rhames (Luther Stickell), Vanessa Redgrave (Max), Kristin Scott Thomas (Sarah Davies), Ingeborga Dapkūnaitė (Hannah Williams), Emilio Estevez (Jack Harmon), Rolf Saxon (William Donloe), Marcel Iureş (Alexander Golitsyn)

The Mission: Impossible series is one of the rare action series that has just gotten better and better with each installment, but it’s well worth revisiting the first movie that started it all almost 30 years ago. Brian De Palma’s spy thriller doesn’t rewrite the genre, but what it does do is make Tom Cruise a bona fide action star. While Cruise had been in action movies prior to this one, it could be argued that Mission: Impossible‘s still-iconic scene of Ethan Hunt breaking into a high-security vault on a zipline is what solidified Cruise as a practical stunt junkie–stunts he’s henceforth made sure he does himself. Since then, the Mission: Impossible movies have only gotten bigger and more eye-popping with the stunt work.

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11 Selma (2014)

Ava DuVernay masterfully tells the story of one of the most important moments in American history with Selma. This is of course the 1965 march for equal voting rights from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo). Oyelowo delivers an impassioned performance as the legendary activist, and the racial injustice in the film is resonant and heartbreaking, as it is still sadly prevalent today. Though John Legend’s “Glory” took home Best Original Song at the Oscars, Selma was shockingly shut out of prominent categories, like Best Actor for Oyelowo and Best Director for DuVernay. But even without the awards it deserves, Selma is a powerful film and one of the best movies on Paramount+.

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10 Blazing Saddles (1974)

There isn’t a film in Mel Brooks’ oeuvre that isn’t a beloved comedy, but Blazing Saddles is right at the top of the best of his best. Upon release, critics and audiences were somewhat mixed on his edgy, satirical, blackly comedic Western, but today, it’s considered a classic. Gene Wilder and Cleavon Little are a historically great comedic duo, with Little’s cocky, enthusiastic Bart helping to buoy Wilder’s world-weary Jim. In between the many, many Brooksian gags and jokes, however, is a sly commentary on bigotry and the backward thinking of small towns set in their ways. Blazing Saddles skewers the stupidity of racism, showing it’s just as dumb and shortsighted now as it was then.

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9 Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)

Audrey Hepburn captured the timeless elegance of mid-century movies, and Breakfast at Tiffany‘s is one of her most beloved films, both for her work and also for her instantly iconic costume design. It’s a much happier spin on Truman Capote’s 1958 novella of the same name. Where, in the original story, Holly Golighty’s narrative read as a cautionary tale of little girls being lost in the big city, the movie version of Breakfast at Tiffany‘s celebrates Holly’s adventurous free spirit. The story is a wholly implausible confection of comedy, romance, and coincidences, but Hepburn is never more charming than as the airy, captivating Holly. Perhaps the fact that it’s such a sweet palate cleanser is why it’s withstood the test of time whereas other romantic comedies have been forgotten.

Related: The 10 Best Classic Movies On Paramount+, Ranked By IMDb

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8 Chaplin (1992)

To modern audiences, Robert Downey Jr. has been so long associated with playing Tony Stark/Iron Man in the MCU that it’s hard to think of him in meaty dramatic roles. But Chaplin is a movie that proves just what a phenomenal talent Downey is, pulling off a masterful performance as Charlie Chaplin when Downey was just 26 years old. The biographical dramedy is the perfect vehicle for Downey, allowing his comedic timing and serious dramatic power to shine in equal measure. It’s an astonishing bit of work; Downey all but becomes the legendary Charlie Chaplin when he’s on screen. The movie takes certain liberties with the exact facts of Chaplin’s life, but there has never been anything that’s better captured the essence of Charlie Chaplin than Charlie Chaplin himself.

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7 The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)

With Killers of the Flower Moon shaping up to be a major awards contender for the 2023-2024 season, Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese’s collaborative partnership continues to thrive. And one of their best films together is The Wolf of Wall Street, based on Jordan Belfort’s memoir of the same name. DiCaprio stars as Belfort, a notoriously unscrupulous penny stock broker who takes Wall Street by storm. Despite its three-hour runtime, The Wolf of Wall Street goes by like a fever dream of debauchery, excess, and corruption. It also features strong supporting performances from Jonah Hill and Margot Robbie, and is widely considered Robbie’s breakout Hollywood role. The Wolf of Wall Street may have gone home empty-handed at the Oscars but it cashed in on an everlasting legacy.

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6 Schindler’s List (1993)

When Steven Spielberg does history, he does it better than any other living filmmaker. Schindler’s List is inarguably the most resonant and lasting movie ever made about the Holocaust. It’s not an over-exaggeration to say the film is a staggering achievement; its legacy is such that it’s hard to think another film about the Holocaust and the plight of Jews under Nazi occupation will ever do them the same justice. Schindler’s List is by no means an easy watch–in fact, it has been a one and done film for many. Spielberg does not flinch away from the atrocities of war, with a shower scene at Auschwitz being particularly disturbing. But throughout the horrors of reality, Spielberg manages to weave a story of humanity and beauty, creating a balanced tale that is as harrowing as it is beautiful.

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5 Clue: The Movie (1985)

Long before modern Hollywood was taking games and turning them into movies, there was Jonathan Lynn’s wacky black comedy murder mystery Clue, based on the classic board game of the same name. Like many now-beloved movies, Clue only saw middling critical reception upon its release and did less well with audiences, but today is considered a cult classic thanks to the sly dark humor and incredible casting. Tim Curry is inspired as the butler Wadsworth, and his manic third-act explanation of how he had deduced the crimes unfolding is particularly memorable. Helping him are the wacky characters, a rambling old mansion, conspiracies and secrets, and more twists and turns than are possible to keep up with. If looking for a perfect example of a whodunit perfectly executed, Clue is it.

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4 The Crow (1994)

As the saying goes, they don’t make them like The Crow anymore – literally and figuratively. Alex Proyas’ comic book adaptation kickstarted the era of dark, gothic-tinged supernatural action movies with dark rock soundtracks to match. While already a sleeper hit at the box office at the time of its release, The Crow has still gained a cult classic status for the fervency of its following and almost mythical status among fans of genre movies. It’s a mythologized status that was, in part, cemented by the tragic and untimely death of Brandon Lee, son of Bruce Lee, during the filming of the movie. Lee’s breakout role and final film is a tantalizing glimpse of what might have been, with the late actor’s powerful on-screen presence undeniable in the role. The Crow is a genuinely great ’90s action movie, with slick, stylish action and a dark tone that sets it well apart from the over-the-top testosterone-driven, musclebound action movies of the era.

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3 Mean Girls (2004)

Teen comedies are often looked down on, but Mean Girls bypassed “so fetch” and went straight to pop culture icon status. From the brilliant mind of Tina Fey, Mean Girls sees the homeschooled Cady Heron experience public high school for the first time. Beautiful and sweet, Cady is quickly snapped up by the most popular girls in school, the Plastics, only to be immediately betrayed by Queen Bee Regina George (Rachel McAdams in her breakout role). With the aid of a couple of misfits, Cady enacts her revenge and learns just what being a mean girl is.

The moviestands out for its hilariously exaggerated yet shockingly realistic portrayal of high school girl politics, and Mean Girls‘ most iconic quotes — “She doesn’t even go here!”, “You go, Glen Coco!”, etc. — are still spoken to this day. Thanks to its success, Mean Girls spawned a successful Broadway musical that itself is getting a movie adaptation in 2024. Until then, fans can tide themselves over streaming Mean Girls on Paramount+.

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2 There Will Be Blood (2007)

Paul Thomas Anderson’s parable of American greed, There Will Be Blood is one of the acclaimed director’s greatest works. It stars the great Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview, an oilman who gets into an embittered battle with young preacher Eli Sunday (Paul Dano) over land during the Southern California oil boom of the early 1900s. There Will Be Blood was praised for its haunting cinematography, which it won an Oscar for, along with a Best Actor award for Day-Lewis, who gives the best performance of his already staggeringly impressive career. There Will Be Blood has been hailed by many critics as a modern-day masterpiece, and its themes of the ugliness of capitalism still resonate today.

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1 Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

James Cameron’s Terminator franchise has stuck around for decades, but it could be argued it didn’t truly begin until the 1991 sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The first Terminator was a prescient bit of sci-fi that predicted a dystopian future where A.I. had turned on humanity. Terminator 2 ups the stakes by injecting the sci-fi action story with a heaping dose of heart, humanizing the cold and emotionless Terminator: even humanity’s worst enemy is capable of change. The mousy, scared Sarah Connor of the first film is completely gone; Linda Hamilton’s character is a force to be reckoned with. However, it’s then-newcomer Edward Furlong whose performance grounds the movie. As the future savior of humanity, the 10-year-old John is still full of empathy and compassion, and it’s the bond he forges with the robotic Terminator that binds the movie and elevates it into one of the greatest sci-fi action films, not just on Paramount+, but ever.

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