The Best Movies And TV Shows You Didn't Realize Were On Amazon Prime
Keep these Amazon Prime movies and TV shows in mind for a rainy day.
Fun fact: Amazon Prime is taking over the world. We're not mad at it, especially since this means an Amazon Prime membership now opens up a new world of streaming possibilities. As Amazon begins to compete with streaming services like Netflix, look for it to produce more and more Amazon Prime Original movie and TV shows in addition to offering a more attractive rotating lineup of small- and big-screen gems.
The good news for you is you get to pick the perfect movie or TV show that best suits your mood or situation. But with so much content out there, how do you decide what to push straight to the top of your must-watch list? Well, we got you and are here to make life easier.
In this roundup, we've gathered the best Amazon Prime movies and TV shows you'll be surprised to know are available on its video streaming platform, including must-see or underrated classics, adventures, comedies, and dramas. Yup, get ready to get your movie marathon or TV binge-watch on.
And now a quick note: We've omitted Amazon Prime Original movies and TV shows like Kumail Nanjiani's Oscar-nominated The Big Sick, the Emmy-winning series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and other Amazon Prime hits likes The Man in the High Castle, Sneaky Pete, Mozart in the Jungle, and Transparent because, well, you know you'll always be able to find them on Amazon Prime. Instead, we'll focus on Amazon Prime movies and TV shows you may be surprised to know are available to watch right now. So use this trusted guide, watch at your own convenience, and then impress your friends with your stellar movie and TV knowledge.
Oh, and last thing. Amazon Prime movies and TV shows featured are all free (yay) and are included with your Amazon Prime membership. This is different than the movies and TV shows you can rent or buy on Amazon Prime without one. Now, let's get to it.
1. Goldfinger (1964)
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Starring: Sean Connery, Gert Fröbe, Honor Blackman
Considered one of the greatest Bond films of all time, Goldfinger is a classic and an essential watch for any self-proclaimed movie buff. This time around, Sean Connery portrays the famous secret agent who must prevent gold magnate Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe) from carrying out his plans to contaminate the gold reserve at Fort Knox. Goldfinger also stars Honor Blackman as one of the most memorable bond girls ever Pussy Galore.
2. The Usual Suspects (1995)
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio Del Toro, Kevin Pollack, Chazz Palminteri
Bryan Singer's Oscar-nominated film offers up suspense, humor, and masterful storytelling as the mystery of mob boss Keyser Söze begins to unravel. The film features one of the most quotable lines in movie history ("They say the greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist") and one of the greatest plot twists to date.
3. Westworld (1973)
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
Starring: Yul Brynner, Richard Benjamin, James Brolin
For fans gripped by HBO's mind-bending series of the same name, the sci-fi Western written and directed by Michael Crichton is an obvious watch. In 1983, Delos' adult-themed amusement park begins to degrade as robot malfunctions wreak havoc on its unsuspecting park guests. The '70s special effects may seem dated today, but finding connections between the film and the HBO series more than makes up for it.
4. Lars and the Real Girl (2007)
Rotten Tomatoes: 81%
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, Kelli Garner, Patricia Clarkson
Lars and the Real Girl may not be the best film, or Ryan Gosling's greatest movie moment for that matter, but the comedy is certainly amusing. The Gos is brilliant as a socially-awkward shut-in who starts dating a life-size sex doll he finds on the internet. His family and friends are told to go along with it, which they do to hilarious effect.
5. Bullitt (1968)
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Starring: Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, Jacqueline Bisset
Iconic cars and an iconic car chase that brings exciting, high-octane drama to the hilly streets of San Francisco... What more could you want? Steve McQueen is true to form as a maverick city cop who's more concerned with taking action than he is talking things through.
6. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey, John Rhys-Davies, Denholm Elliott
Raiders of the Lost Ark is considered the best Indiana Jones film, hands-down. Director George Lucas's action-adventure stars Harrison Ford as the infamous archaeologist who goes up against a group of Nazis searching for the Ark of the Covenant. For those who need help getting their Indiana stories straight, this is the one with the giant, menacing boulder.
7. The Handmaiden (2016)
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
Starring: Kim Min-hee, Kim Tae-ri, Ha Jung-woo, Cho Jin-woong
The director behind the original Oldboy and Stoker helms this erotic psychological thriller based loosely on a 1930s Victorian crime novel. Set in Korea under Japanese colonial rule, The Handmaiden tells the tale of one man's elaborate plot to cheat a Japanese heiress out of her inheritance. Look out for director Park Chan-wook's carefully-planned set pieces in this idiosyncratic thriller.
8. Winter's Bone (2010)
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Kevin Breznahan, Dale Dickey
Winter's Bone is also known as the 2010 independent film that earned breakout star Jennifer Lawrence an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Lawrence gives a stellar performance as a teenager living in the rural Ozarks who sets out to find her missing father or else risk getting evicted.
9. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Starring: Steve Martin, Michael Caine, Glenne Headly
What can we say except Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is just plain funny. Steve Martin and Michael Caine are brilliant as two charming con men who try to swindle an American heiress out of her money in the French Riviera. Martin and Caine's chemistry alone makes this cheery comedy a must watch.
10. Moonlight (2016)
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
Starring: Trevante Rhodes, Jharrel Jerome, Naomie Harris, Mahershala Ali, André Holland, Janelle Monáe, Ashton Sanders
Told in three parts, Moonlight is gorgeous and heartbreaking and telling in its exploration of masculinity, sexual identity, and class. Barry Jenkins's coming-of-age drama scored an Oscar for Best Picture, and was dubbed one of the best films of the 21st century thus far by the New York Times.
11. Psych (Season 1 to 8)
Starring: James Roday, Dulé Hill, Corbin Bernsen
All eight seasons of this cult TV show will have you screaming "c'mon, son!" at the top of your lungs. Since its premiere in 2006, the detective comedy-drama has built an impressive loyal following. The antics of a crime consultant (James Roday) with "heightened observational skills" and his smart partner in crime (Dulé Hill) are as memorable as they are beloved. Also, there are pineapples on Psych, lots of them.
12. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, William Redfield, Will Sampson, Brad Dourif
Do yourself a favor and finally take a moment to watch one of the greatest movies of all time. It tells the tale of McMurphy (Nicholson), a crazy con man institutionalized against his will who wants to prove he can never be tamed. Based on a Ken Kesey novel of the same name, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a drama with biting, comedic moments you'll find yourself laughing at.
13. Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
Starring: Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Patricia Neal, Buddy Ebsen, Martin Balsam, Mickey Rooney
Movie history is filled with iconic performances, and Audrey Hepburn as offbeat socialite Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's is one of them. The '60s-era rom-com is so iconic, the US Library of Congress dubbed it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
14. Cool Hand Luke (1967)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Starring: Paul Newman, George Kennedy, Strother Martin, Jo Van Fleet, Joy Harmon
Paul Newman takes on the prison system as a rebellious and laid-back Southern inmate who refuses to conform. The classic prison drama proved Newman had box-office-hit-making power, and earned tons of award nominations. Newman received an Oscar nod for Best Actor, while George Kennedy went home with the Best Supporting Actor Oscar.
15. Orphan Black (Season 1 to 4)
Starring: Tatiana Maslany Dylan Bruce, Jordan Gavaris, Kevin Hanchard, Michael Mando, Maria Doyle Kennedy
We're really not sure what took so long for Tatiana Maslany to finally win a dang Emmy. During its five-season run, the Canadian actress was tasked with portraying not just one, but five clones with different personalities. No easy feat. The sci-fi series garnered critical acclaim, and also brought up larger ideas about the ethics of cloning and controlling the creation of human life.
16. Groundhog Day (1993)
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
Starring: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott
Groundhog Day is up there with Caddyshack and Ghostbusters as Bill Murray's best works. The 1993 comedy stars the funnyman as a weatherman who travels to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to cover the town's Groundhog Day festivities only to find himself repeating the same day over and over again. Prepare for lots of Sonny & Cher's "I Got You Babe."
17. Mr Robot (Season 1 and 2)
Starring: Rami Malek, Carly Chaikin, Portia Doubleday, Christian Slater, BD Wong, Bobby Cannavale
Rami Malek found breakout success as Elliot Alderson, a mentally unstable security engineer at a New York cyber security company who is recruited by a mysterious anarchist known as Mr. Robot. The USA series is lauded for its technical accuracy, compelling performance by Malek (he earned himself an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series), and commentary on the internet, capitalism, and consumerism. If you're a fan of Fight Club, you'll want to make time for this one.
18. Enlightened (Season 1 and 2)
Starring: Laura Dern, Luke Wilson, Diane Ladd, Sarah Burns, Timm Sharp, Mike White
Before Laura Dern found more recent success as the high-strung Renata in HBO's Big Little Lies, she starred in this under-appreciated HBO comedy. As Amy Jellicoe, Dern finds herself on the brink of a nervous breakdown after her personal and professional life run amok and is forced to pull herself back together. The series is wonderfully written and Dern's performance is empowering to watch.
19. The Birdcage (1996)
Rotten Tomatoes: 79%
Starring: Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Dan Futterman, Gene Hackman, Dianne Wiest
The Birdcage, a remake of the French-Italian comedy La Cage aux Folles, was ahead of its time when released in 1996. The comedy stars Robin William and Nathan Lane as a gay couple who adopt a straight front to appease their son's fiancée's conservative parents. Behind the madcap antics of trying to keep up the charade, however, is a deeper message about love and acceptance.
20. My Girl (1991)
Rotten Tomatoes: 56%
Starring: Anna Chlumsky, Dan Aykroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis, Macaulay Culkin
My Girl may not be on the top of anyone's Best Movies of All Time list, but it's here for the nostalgia factor. Sorry, critics on Rotten Tomatoes, but we'll always find a reason to watch this coming-of-age film whenever we want to laugh-cry ourselves to sleep and relive the oh-so heartbreaking, painful, and joyously sweet memories of growing up in suburban America.
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