Let’s be real, even though Netflix is one of the best streaming services, sometimes there’s so many new movies to scroll through, that one doesn’t even know where to start. But, if you happen to be looking to watch some of the best movies of the 2000s with your Netflix subscription, we’ve scoured the streaming service’s vast library for you! Check out what great films from the first decade of the 21st century you should add to your queue!
The current selection of 2000s movies can fit a number of moods that feature everything from critically-acclaimed hits, to memorable comedies and action-packed blockbusters. It’s time to fuel your 2000s nostalgia with our top picks from the decade.
The Notebook (2004)
The Notebook has become a modern classic from the early ‘00s that already feels timeless. It stars Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams as lovers from opposite sides of the track in 1940s South Carolina, who fall in love and then fall away from one another. But when McAdams’ Allie returns to her hometown, she and Gosling’s Noah reunite and resume a passionate affair. There’s no better time to watch it following the movie’s recent 20-year anniversary, to pay tribute to star Gena Rowlands, who recently passed away, and to gear up for the next Nicholas Sparks adaptation starring Alan Ritchson.
Stream The Notebook on Netflix.
8 Mile (2002)
Eminem was unmistakably one of the biggest rappers out there during the ‘00s, and 8 Mile was a big landmark from his career. In the movie loosely based on his life, Eminem plays a young blue collar worker living in Detroit with aspirations to be a rapper under the stage name B-Rabbit. The rapper also wrote “Lose Yourself” for the movie, which went on to win the Best Original Song at the Oscars along with being a top 10 hit for 16 weeks.
American Psycho (2000)
Christian Bale was a defining actor of the ‘00s, particularly for his portrayal of Batman in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. And he started this decade in a rather incredible way by starring in Mary Harron’s American Psycho. The satirical horror movie based on the 1991 novel has Bale playing a bone-chilling serial killer who has a double life as an investment banker. As you watch the bloody thriller, you’ll also be pointing to famous faces left and right from Reese Witherspoon to Willem Dafoe.
Stream American Psycho on Netflix.
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004)
One of the most critically-acclaimed and highly rated 2000s movies has got to be Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind starring Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey. The surreal drama imagines a procedure people can get that allows them to forget their ex. Twenty years later the movie is one of the best breakup movies and the inspiration of an Ariana Grande album!
Stream Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind on Netflix.
Zombieland (2009)
The 2000s was an awesome decade for zombie apocalypse movies, from 28 Weeks Later to Shaun of the Dead. But perhaps some of the most fun you’ll have watching zombies in a movie is through 2009’s Zombieland, starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin. The offbeat comedy follows Eisenberg’s Columbus as he goes on a road trip (two months after a freak mad cow disease outbreak) in search of his parents.
Friday Night Lights (2004)
Before the Friday Night Lights series became a popular series that was an early win for actors like Minka Kelly, Taylor Kitsch, Jesse Plemons and Michael B. Jordan (among others), it all started with the movie it was inspired from. The coming-of-age football movie stars Billy Bob Thornton as the coach of a high school football team in Odessa, Texas.
Stream Friday Night Lights on Netflix.
Ella Enchanted (2004)
Anne Hathaway’s career got started in a big way in this decade with The Princess Diaries release in 2001. The actress proceeded to have a lot of success with other starring roles like Ella Enchanted. This is a fun goofy take on the classic fairytale as Hathaway plays a young woman who gets caught in a spell where she has to obey any command she’s given. The comedy is also a jukebox musical and romantic comedy.
Stream Ella Enchanted on Netflix.
Mr. And Mrs. Smith (2005)
It’s no wonder Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were together for such a long time. The pair of Hollywood star’s chemistry is absolutely electric in Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and so is this awesome action comedy. The 2005 movie is about a married couple who not only suddenly find out that they’ve both been secretly undercover assassins who belong to competing agencies for years, their next hit is each other. It has since inspired an Amazon series of the same name that is already getting a second season.
Stream Mr. and Mrs. Smith on Netflix.
Troy (2004)
Brad Pitt was at the height of his heartthrob powers with this adaptation of The Iliad where he plays Achilles. This big blockbuster also features Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, Diane Kruger, Brian Cox, Brendan Gleeson, Rose Byrne, Peter O’Toole and Garrett Hedlund. If you’re in the mood for an almost three hour epic to sit on the couch with from the 00s, this is an excellent choice.
Ali (2001)
Another major star of the ‘00s was of course Will Smith, who made a ton of solid blockbusters then, including sequels to Bad Boys, Men In Black, The Pursuit of Happyness and I, Robot. But, one particularly powerful movie made during this time, is perhaps overlooked: Ali. The Muhammed Ali biopic has Smith in the boxing ring to tell the legend’s story from the ‘60s and ‘70s. It’s one of the best Will Smith movies.
The House Bunny (2008)
The ‘00s was a key moment in the Hollywood industry for the rise of more female-led comedies (even if they still weren’t as popular as male-led films). One favorite of the decade is The House Bunny starring Anna Faris, Emma Stone and Colin Hanks. The hilarious movie follows Faris’ Shelley, a 27-year-old Playboy bunny, who becomes orphaned from her home in the Playboy Mansion and takes up residence with an outcast sorority house who could use Shelley’s particular set of skills to help them attract college boys.
Stream The House Bunny on Netflix.
Oldboy (2003)
Lastly, one of the most cinema-altering movies of the 2000s is on Netflix, and is most definitely worth your time if you’re an action fan! Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy is about a man who breaks free from a 15-year imprisonment, only to remain ensnared in a web of conspiracy and violence as he seeks his revenge for the time he lost.
Enjoy streaming movies from the 2000s with these titles (and many more) now on Netflix.
