11 best Netflix movies that are 90% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes
Let’s be frank, Netflix movies don’t have the best reputation. Rather than seal of quality, that little red “N” logo on a movie poster is often a warning to skip rather than stream. But that doesn’t mean the streamer never gets it right. In fact, there are plenty of Netflix movies that aren’t just good, but downright great — a few can even be classed as legit masterpieces.
Here at Tom’s Guide, putting together a list of our favorite Netflix movies involves days of arguing as our staffers disagree on many picks. And while that’s a debate we relish, sometimes it’s good to look at the bigger picture. In this case, that means taking a look at the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes (opens in new tab), which offers a broad critical consensus to help us pick the Netflix movies that truly deserve top billing.
Now we’re not suggesting these are the only Netflix movies worth watching. For starters, I think crime thriller Windfall is hugely underrated (and it scored only 59% on RT). However, if you’re looking for something new to watch on Netflix you really can’t go wrong with any of these 11 options. So without any more preamble, these are the best Netflix movies with a high Rotten Tomatoes score that you watch right now.
Marriage Story (2019)
Inspired by the breakup of his own marriage, director/writer Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story is sort of like Kramer vs Kramer for the modern age. Carried by towering leading performances from Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver, this emotionally charged film follows a theater director and his leading lady as their relationship dissolves. The filmmaking on display is excellent throughout, but it’s the nearly flawless screenplay that holds the whole picture together.
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95% (opens in new tab)
Stream it on Netflix (opens in new tab)
Da 5 Bloods (2020)
Spike Lee doesn’t do half-measures, and he goes all in on Da 5 Bloods. The film focuses on a group of Vietnam vets who return to the country in search of the remains of their fallen squad leader. The central foursome — Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters and Norm Lewis — are excellent, as is the late Chadwick Boseman as the leader of the Bloods in several flashback sequences. Commenting on both the past and the present, Da 5 Bloods is a gripping post-war movie that will have you laughing and crying throughout its lengthy 156 minute runtime.
Genre: War
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92% (opens in new tab)
Stream it on Netflix (opens in new tab)
The Irishman (2019)
Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman spent years in development hell and at one point it looked as if the project was destined to never see the light of day. Thankfully all that waiting, and perseverance from the famed director, was worth it. It may be almost three and a half hours long but The Irishman holds your attention throughout. Reuniting Scorsese with Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci, The Irishman tells the tale of a truck driver turned mobster with focus on his swift rise and inevitable fall. Although the digital de-aging tech is a mixed bag, it’s a gangster movie that hits hard.
Genre: Crime
Rotten Tomaotes score: 95% (opens in new tab)
Stream on Netflix (opens in new tab)
Roma (2018)
A passion project for director Alfonso Cuarón, Roma is a semi-autobiographical recount of his own upbringing in Mexico City. Cuarón rightly won Best Director at the Academy Awards for this deeply personal film about family, loss and growing up. Actress Yalitza Aparicio is truly phenomenal as Cleo, a maid helping a mother take care of her four children in the 1970s. If one film on this list is going to make you tear up, it’ll almost certainly be Roma.
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96% (opens in new tab)
Stream it on Netflix (opens in new tab)
The Two Popes (2019)
Based on true events, The Two Popes is a real actors movie giving legends of the screen Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce the chance to shine. The film sees Hopkin’s play Pope Benedict XVI as he seeks to convince Jorge Mario Bergoglio (who is now the serving Pope) to reconsider his decision to resign as an archbishop. It might not sound the most thrilling concept on paper, but the interplay between Hopkin and Pryce keeps the film comfortably ticking along across its entire two-hour runtime.
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90% (opens in new tab)
Stream on Netflix (opens in new tab)
Beasts of No Nation (2015)
One of the first Netflix Original movies to make waves on the awards circuit, Beasts of No Nation sees Idris Elba play a fierce African warlord who takes in a young boy named Agu (Abraham Attah) in order to train him to fight in his guerrilla army. Director Cary Joji Fukunaga has since gone on to helm Daniel Craig’s last Bond outing, No Time to Die, and directed and produced the first season of HBO’s True Detective, but Beasts of No Nation arguably remains his best work.
Genre: War
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91% (opens in new tab)
Stream on Netflix (opens in new tab)
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019)
We definitely didn’t need a follow-up to Breaking Bad in the form of a feature-length movie, but El Camino proved there was another story worth telling in this universe. Serving as an epilogue to the original series, El Camino follows Jesse Pinkman as he seeks to evade the cops and leave New Mexico behind forever. The film’s narrative does spin its wheels a little, but the strength of the performances from Aaron Paul and Jesse Plemons are once again top-notch. And necessary or not, it’s nice to get some closure after Breaking Bad’s slightly ambiguous ending.
Genre: Thriller
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92% (opens in new tab)
Stream it on Netflix (opens in new tab)
Dolemite is My Name (2019)
Dolemite is My Name sees Eddie Murphy play Rudy Ray Moore, the larger-than-life performer better known under his stage name, you guessed it, Dolemite. Murphy completely loses himself in the role and was rightly nominated for a Golden Globe for his work. The film’s unique comedy styling also helps set it apart. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself needing to pause Dolemite is My Name in order to compose yourself after some of its best gags.
Genre: Comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97% (opens in new tab)
Stream it on Netflix (opens in new tab)
All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)
Did we need another feature-film adaptation of the 1929 novel All Quiet on the Western Front? Probably not, the 1930 Best Picture-winning original is still a hugely powerful watch. Netflix’s effort from last year just about stands shoulder to shoulder with the older versions of this film. The movie follows an idealistic 17-year-old named Paul who enlists in the Imperial German Army during the First World War. His head stuffed full of propaganda and believing his set to become a war hero, the brutal realities of the harrowing conflict soon rock the schoolboy to his core. This staunchly anti-war picture is a hard watch, but it’s also a timely reminder that in war there are no real winners.
Genre: War
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91% (opens in new tab)
Stream it on Netflix (opens in new tab)
Uncorked (2020)
Strained family relationships are something that many of us can relate to, and it’s those dynamics that Uncorked plays with. Mamoudou Athie plays Elijah, a wannabe sommelier struggling to deal with the expectations of his demanding father (Courtney B. Vance) who insists that Elijah will take over the family barbecue business. A deeply tender film about personal aspirations and growing into the person you want to be, much like a fine wine, Uncorked should be savored.
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
(opens in new tab)Stream it on Netflix (opens in new tab)
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (2020)
Crip Camp is a Netflix documentary film that focuses on a summer camp in New York named Camp Jened. Described as a “loose, free-spirited camp designed for teens with disabilities,” the film focuses on the loveable cast of campers and their fight for stronger accessibility laws. Regardless of whether you’ve been to summer camp or not, Crip Camp is sure to strike a chord with you. And frankly there’s something refreshing about a Netflix doc that isn’t in the true crime genre.
Genre: Documentary
Rotten Tomatoes score: 100% (opens in new tab)
Stream it on Netflix (opens in new tab)
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