As much as I love a trip to the theater to check out the 2024 movie calendar’s best offerings on the big screen, there’s really no beating the convenience of being able to watch things in my own home via one of the best streaming services. Netflix in particular has really answered the call in that department, so as the year comes to an end, I’ve compiled a list of what I consider to be 5 of the best Netflix movies I’ve streamed this year, as well as 3 you can feel free to skip.
I’ve really taken advantage of my Netflix subscription in 2024, streaming dozens of the original movies, documentaries and comedy specials released over the past 12 months. Some were surprisingly enjoyable, like Adam Sandler’s Spaceman or Glen Powell's Hit Man, while others — looking at you, Hot Frosty — left me unfulfilled. The movies that follow on this list are the highs and lows of my 2024 experience — the stories that I became obsessed with, as well as those that felt physically painful to get through. Without further ado:
2024 Netflix Movies I'm Obsessed With
His Three Daughters
His Three Daughters started making waves on the festival circuit, and it’s not hard to see why. Start with an exceptional trio of stars in Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyonne and Elizabeth Olsen and add in the emotional story of three estranged sisters reuniting ahead of their father’s death. Despite the unique dynamic between the women and the very specific life event they were going through, the family conflict in His Three Sisters was so relatable. As someone who’s had some experience with end-of-life care, I was also unable to shake how real some of those aspects of this movie were.
It's What's Inside
There were unquestionably some great horror movies released in 2024, and Netflix is home to at least one. It’s What’s Inside might have flown under your radar, and it’s hard to understand why more people weren’t spreading the word. In the classic party-game-gone-wrong trope that Talk To Me did so well last year, It’s What’s Inside sees a group of friends introduced to a device that allowed them to temporarily switch bodies. There are quite a few characters, and it gets a little confusing once the swapping starts, but the drama is super juicy, and when things go awry, get ready for some horrifying twists.
Will & Harper
Will Ferrell has been making people laugh for decades in funny movies like Step Brothers and Anchorman. Will & Harper, however, shows a completely different, tender side of the comedian as he accompanies his friend Harper Steele on a road trip across America. When they begin their trek, Steele — a longtime writer for Saturday Night Live — has recently completed her gender transition. Neither is sure if or how their friendship will be affected, and they dive into raw and honest conversations that can only be had between people who love and trust each other.
As you can imagine from this duo, there are plenty of laughs and heartwarming conversations with the people they encounter. There are some tough moments, too — particularly when they hit Texas — that left me practically shaking with rage and sorrow. Will Ferrell’s protectiveness and unwavering acceptance of his friend will make you cry. Harper Steele’s vulnerability will make you wonder why we can’t all just be kinder to each other.
Scoop
As a veteran of the newspaper industry, I absolutely love a good journalism movie, and Scoop really checks all the boxes. It certainly doesn’t hurt that it’s based on real events — the interview that BBC’s Newsnight secured with Prince Andrew in 2019 about his relationship to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell that ultimately led to Andrew being stripped of his royal titles. Billie Piper and Gillian Anderson star that doesn't linger too much on the deplorable crimes in question and chooses instead to focus on the events that led Queen Elizabeth's favorite son to agree to the now-infamous sit-down.
Shirley
Regina King beautifully captured the trailblazing spirit of political icon Shirley Chisholm in Netflix’s Shirley. With an impressive cast that included Lance Riddick, Brian Stokes Mitchell, André Holland and Terrence Howard, the biographical drama centered around the first Black woman elected to Congress as she decided to run for president in 1972. This passion project for King was in the works for years, and it’s impossible to ignore the prescience of its release coming just months before Kamala Harris announced her own presidential campaign.
2024 Netflix Movies To Skip
Mother Of The Bride
I’m always down for a good rom-com, but unfortunately, Netflix’s Mother of the Bride starring Brooke Shields cannot be classified as such. Shields’ Lana is insufferable, pouting over the revelation that her daughter Emma (Miranda Cosgrove) is marrying the son of her ex-boyfriend Will (Benjamin Bratt). It's unfortunate that Lana is so unlikeable, because Bratt and Rachael Harris as Lana’s BFF Janice aren’t half bad, but the script doesn’t do Shields any favors, making this 90-minute flick a pretty painful venture. Save yourself the trouble.
Uglies
The premise of Uglies is actually pretty interesting, which is no surprise given the popularity of Scott Westerfeld’s YA dystopian novel series. However, the depiction of that world by director McG — in which citizens undergo a surgical procedure at age 16 to turn them from “Uglies” to “Pretties” — falls flat. One of my biggest issues (aside from mind-numbing dialogue and lackluster action) was that I couldn't suspend reality enough to even pretend that Joey King and Chase Stokes were ugly. Those “Pretties” were actually “Pretty Damn Scaries,” if you ask me. Maybe that’s the point, but either way, my interest in this series’ adaptations has been extinguished.
Lonely Planet
Age-gap romances have been all the rage in 2024 with movies like The Idea of You and A Family Affair. Some might say that latter option earned its place on this list, but I can only pick on Joey King so much, and I actually found plenty to like about the Nicole Kidman/Zac Efron love story. Lonely Planet, not so much.
Look, Laura Dern and Liam Hemsworth are all caps HOT, but I wasn’t feeling the chemistry between them — especially considering Owen was at the retreat with his girlfriend. Way too early in this movie, I began wondering how they were going to justify Owen sleeping with Katherine without making him look like a cheating monster, and sure enough, he got off on a technicality. Speaking of cop-outs (and we were), the ending also feels completely unearned.
While I think the above movies are among the best to binge on Netflix right now, they certainly aren't the only 2024 flicks worth checking out. Give these a try as we prepare to look forward to more streaming greats on the 2025 Netflix schedule.
