For all of Netflix‘s faults, the streaming behemoth can’t be accused of not getting shows and films made— even if they’re pretty bad when it comes to properly compensating the people doing the making. Although it began as a DVD sharing service all the way back in 2007, over half of the tech company’s gargantuan catalogue now consists of Netflix Originals in its native America, showcasing just how glutonous the production boom has been for them. Hollywood might have turned up its nose at these movies at first, but as an increasing number of celebrated actors and directors continue to enter the Netflix family, they’ve become an impossible force to ignore in cinema. If you want to see the best of what the entertainment industry’s biggest and most powerful newcomer has made with the world’s brightest talent, then check out our list of the best Netflix movies with A-list Actors.
10. Don’t Look Up
A common criticism about this apocalyptic comedy is that it’s a little too on the nose, but when you have the Conservative British government agreeing on new oil and gas licenses during another year of flames, it’s hard not to feel the writer and director Adam McKay might have even been a little optimistic. The cast list is as astounding as the right-wing’s indifference and increasing outright rejection of the scientific reality that our climate is becoming dangerously unstable thanks to human activity. Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio star as two scientists who get the message out about a globe-ending event; Meryl Streep channels Trump in her role as a self-serving, self-obsessed president; Mark Rylance Bezoses-out as a tech-evangelist spoiled brat of a billionaire; star Timothée Chalamet shows his range as a stoned shoplifter, and screen legend Cate Blanchett is a cynical television host.
9. The Wonder
Florence Pugh has shown she’s both a serious actor and has real star power with powerful performances in indie and critical hits, while also entertaining brilliantly in the MCU. As always, she is incredible as the lead in this captivating period drama, which follows a young English nurse (Pugh) who goes to a remote town in Ireland to investigate a case of a “fasting girl.” These young women were a phenomenon in the 19th century, and claimed to be able to survive without eating over long periods of time thanks to magical or divine intervention. Set in the aftermath of the British-exacerbated genocidal famine that wiped out a third of Ireland’s population, the film is both delicate yet engrossing, and Pugh’s performance ties it all together.
8. The Irishman
At first look, The Irishman does have a “get the gang back together” feel about it thanks to its unbelievable ensemble cast (Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci, directed by Martin Scorsese), and its three-hour run-time does lead to some moments that drag more than flow, but there’s no doubting it’s a masterful epic of a film. De Niro plays the titular Irishman, a low-level driver who ends up working for Pesci’s crime family, where he runs into a famous face: Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino), the powerful, cult-like union figure who was as effective as he was corrupt. It might not have the energy of some of Scorsese’s earlier work, but instead of rawness you get much more depth.
7. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
The second entry into the crazy world of super detective Benoit Blanc, Rian Johnson’s standalone Knives Out sequel was originally greenlit by the same studio that made the original, but in the middle of the pandemic Netflix took over. Alongside the returning former Bond Daniel Craig (Blanc) is Golden Globe winner Edward Norton as a Musk-esque man-child billionaire, and Janelle Monáe as two twins at the center of the mystery. The incredible ensemble cast is completed by Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, Kate Hudson, and Dave Bautista, with additional cameos from Ethan Hawke, Jared Leto, and even Jeremy Renner.
6. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Despite his great track record with massaging the darkest elements out of fairy tales and folk stories, it was hard for acclaimed director Guillermo del Torro to get his version of Pinocchio made. Originally announced all the way back in 2008, it only came into being last year after being saved by Netflix. The gambit worked out pretty well for the streaming giant, with the film sweeping up awards, including an Oscar and Golden Globe. Child voice actor and singer Gregory Mann led the cast as the puppet turned real, and was supported by a galaxy of stars, with Ewan McGregor, Tilda Swinton, David Bradley, Christoph Waltz, Cate Blanchett, and Finn Wolfhard all voicing characters.
5. Dolemite is my Name
The legendary Eddie Murphy is joined by Chris Rock, Mike Epps, Snoop Dogg, Craig Robinson, Da’Vine Joy Randalph, Wesley Snipes, and even (an uncredited) Bob Odenkirk in this hilarious comedy biopic about Rudy Ray Moore. It chronicles the rise of the filmmaker and stand-up, who famously invented the character Dolemite — a crude stereotype of an inner-city pimp — for his stand-up routines, before hitting the bigtime starring in a series of Blaxploitation films in the seventies based on the character. Murphy is brilliant as the complex funnyman, who strangely enough ended up becoming one of rap music’s most influential figures.
4. The Meyerowitz Stories
Another film with a cast that’s packed full of A-list talent, The Meyerowitz Stories is further proof that lead actor Adam Sandler still has it. The roster of his castmates is enough to make any red carpet event a hit: Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, Adam Driver, and Sigorney Weaver are just some of the names that help turn this bitersweet comedy drama into an unbelievable watch that will make you laugh as well as stay with you for weeks after. Sandler plays the prodigal first son who has to move back in with his dad after a divorce, all the while rekindling relationships with his full and half-siblings under the looming shadow of the family patriarch. Succession vibes, but more subtle.
3. The Two Popes
There are few actors in the world as respected as the pair of leads in this absorbing biographical drama. Most of the action takes place in Vatican City in the shadow of the Vatican Leaks Scandal, which showed one of the oldest and most powerful institutions in the world was plagued with money-laundering, corruption, and in-fighting. Anthony Hopkins is magnificent as Pope Benedict XVI, and the movie mostly follows his attempts to stop Jorge Mario Cardinal Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce), an archbishop at the time and the future Pope Francis, from resigning from his position. Surprisingly humorous in parts, this film is a true masterclass in what the best actors can do.
2. Okja
This Korean-American sci-fi production is weird and wonderful, blending a heartwarming human-animal relationship with a sharp critique of capitalism and its effects on the environment. Okja follows a young South Korean girl as she travels across the world to save a genetically-modified “super pig” she and her family raised. With Jake Gyllenhaal, Tilda Swinton, and Giancarlo Esposito, there’s plenty of English-speaking A-list talent on the list, but the film also managed to snag Choi Woo-shik of Parasite fame for a role too, bolstering its international appeal. Imaginative, brave, and brilliant.
1. Marriage Story
Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver star as a divorcing couple who slowly become more and more antagonistic towards each other, ruining any semblance of a happy family in the process, before the audience gets a glimmer of redemption at the end. Laura Dern and Ray Liotta are just two other members of a well-established cast, but the blockbuster leads are the highlight of this tale, showing their ability with mesmerizing performances. Written and directed by Noah Baumbach, this might not be the most explosive film, but when the emotions rain down it truly pours. Subtle and smart, sweet and sad, and utterly relatable.
