Entertainment
Although Netflix is everyone's go-to streaming site, Amazon Prime is also proving its staying power in the world of marathoning. On the television side, Amazon regularly serves up quality original programming such as The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Transparent. But don't sleep on Amazon's movie selection, as the streaming service is home to a limitless library of film classics, from nostalgic family flicks to modern blockbusters. In the words of SNL's Stefon, "This place has everything." Whether you've got a soft spot for Indiana Jones, a tendency towards rom coms, or a lover of all things Oscar-y, there is something to check out. Here are the 38 best movies you can stream on Amazon while shopping for weird knick knacks all in one pace.
This list spans decades, genres, and subject matter, but the movies featured have all won a form of critical, box office or awards acclaim. Some are must-sees for any cinephile worth their salt and others are smaller indies that transport viewers on a more intimate scale. All are available on Amazon Prime, to make streaming as easy as possible. So, grab your shopping list and movie bucket list for your next low-key weekend and check out the great films below.
1'Arrival'
The arrival of a strange alien species to Earth calls upon Amy Adams' linguist Louise to uncover their purpose through language. Nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, it has one of the trippiest movie twists ever.
2'Superbad'
A who's who of the modern comedic film landscape shows up in this coming of age classic including Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Emma Stone, Seth Rogen, and Bill Hader.
3'Dirty Dancing'
Slacking on your hot summer romance goals? It doesn't get more iconic than Patrick Swaye, Jennifer Grey, and the time of your life. Suspend realistic expectations and watch away.
4'Gone With The Wind'
Don't be daunted by the nearly four hour running time: this film is worth the investment and one of the most oft-referenced classics of all time.
5'The Big Sick'
A delightful love story (based on real life), starring comedian Kumail Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan as a young couple who fall in love in spite, and in some ways, because of her unexpected coma.
6'Lady Bird'
In her directorial debut, Greta Gerwig delivered a film full of heart, teen angst, and the national treasure that is Beanie Feldstein in a tale about the complexity between mothers and daughters.
7'Nightcrawler'
Practically any Jake Gyllenhaal performance is worth watching, but none may be creepier and yet more magnetizing than his portrayal of crime scene camera man Louis Bloom. Also worth checking out on Amazon: the underrated thriller Brothers, which fulfills the ultimate casting destiny of making Gyllenhaal and Tobey Maguire siblings.
8'Saturday Night Fever'
Why miss an opportunity to watch John Travolta dance and dress his way through the '70s like only he can?
9'Breakfast At Tiffany's'
Perhaps Audrey Hepburn's most iconic role came in the form of this Truman Capote adaptation that culminates in the be all end all kissing-in-the-rain sequence.
10'Moonlight'
There's a reason this 2016 indie won Best Picture (after somehow briefly losing to La La Land). Experience one character's journey from boy to man as he struggles with issues of identity and family.
11'His Girl Friday'
One of the founding films of the modern romantic comedy, His Girl Friday has influenced nearly every boy-meets-girl story you love.
12The Indiana Jones Trilogy
This action-adventure trilogy makes for an idyllic marathon that proves the fifth installment has its work cut out for it.
13'A Christmas Story'
Indulge the Christmas in July movement by re-watching a holiday staple that admittedly never gets old.
14'The Graduate'
Dustin Hoffman's breakout came in this 1967 dramedy about a recent college graduate wandering aimlessly towards his future. Sound familiar?
15'Election'
Even if the topic of corrupt elections feels a little sensitive right now, the discomfort will be worth it to watch Reese Witherspoon play Tracy Flick, a high school student hell bent on a student body presidency.
16'Short Term 12'
This underrated indie about a treatment facility for troubled youth gives all of the feels and a typically impeccable Brie Larson performance.
17'Sophie's Choice'
Warning: watch only if prepared to seek help for emotional trauma after watching. Give Streep all of the Oscars.
18'Jaws'
Da da da dum.
19'Pretty In Pink'
The John Hughes canon of teen films is ripe with content and characters to love, but Jon Cryer's Duckie gives them all a run for their money as Molly Ringwald's friend-zoned confidant.
20'The Addams Family'
If loving this family of baddies is wrong, you don't want to be right.
21'Bull Durham'
Sports lovers and the athletically challenged alike can enjoy this Susan Sarandon-Kevin Costner romance set against a baseball diamond backdrop.
22'Florence Foster Jenkins'
Meryl Streep doing anything "badly" is perhaps her biggest acting challenge yet, which she does effortlessly as real-life aspiring opera singer and socialite Florence Foster Jenkins.
23'The Wizard Of Oz'
Click your Amazon Prime account three times and take a trip to Oz.
24'Winter's Bone'
Jennifer Lawrence gained her first Oscar nomination and big break pre-Hunger Games in this hard-broiled indie about a fiercely independent girl fighting for her family's future in the Ozarks.
25'Baby Boom'
Watching Diane Keaton's J.C., a work-obsessed businesswoman inherit an infant never gets old.
26'Skyfall'
This film is regarded as one of the best Bond movies in recent memory. Come for Daniel Craig, stay for Adele's Oscar-winning theme song and Javier Bardem's excellent villain.
27'The Florida Project'
Watch only if you're prepared to have a six-year-old actor make you wonder what you've been doing with your life.
28'There Will Be Blood'
Now that Daniel Day-Lewis has reportedly retired from acting, every one of his performances feels like a treasure found in a time capsule. He won his second Oscar for this Paul Thomas Anderson-directed drama.
29'Manchester By The Sea'
Watch with a box of tissues and a comedy lined up next on your queue.
30'The Elephant Man'
Before it was an inventive Broadway play starring the likes of Bradley Cooper, this heartbreaking story based on a true story was a gripping film starring John Hurt and Anthony Hopkins.
31'Charlotte's Web'
Salutations, childhood nostalgia.
32'Blazing Saddles'
Part-western, part-Mel Brooks spoof, Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder make for the ultimate film duo.
33'Monster'
Charlize Theron continues to show her varied acting abilities in her Oscar-winning turn as serial killer Aileen Wuornos.
34'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'
Watching a con orchestrated by Steve Martin and Michael Caine is nothing short of a comedy lover's dream.
35'The September Issue'
If documentaries speak to your soul, being a fly on the wall of the Vogue offices as they prepare their famed September issue is sure to entertain.
36'Chef'
A touching father-son tale and major food truck goals abound. Don't watch on an empty stomach.
37'The Disaster Artist'
It's a movie about the making of what some have argued is the worst movie of all time. Luckily, this one fared much better.
38'Fences'
Viola Davis and Denzel Washington perform a theatrical masterpiece in this adaptation of August Wilson's seminal play.
These movies are so good.
