The Best Netflix Original Movies

Even though Netflix is beset on all sides by competition both old (Hulu, Amazon) and new (Disney+, Apple TV+), it's still the barely untouchable emperor of all things streaming. Thanks, in large part, to the fact that it out-spends its rivals by more than double - upwards of $15 to $18 billion a year on original content. Given that massive sum, and the sheer volume of Originals it has (most of which arrive on the site with no advance warning or fanfare), it stands to reason there's going to be some truly excellent content among the thousands of titles being offered up. But sometimes all the choices can be overwhelming, so let us help you with some suggestions! Cowboys, gangsters, maids, and farmers - these are some of Netflix's best original films. And when you're done here, have a look at the best movies of the last decade. Or find out what's new to Netflix this month. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-netflix-original-movies-and-tv-shows&captions=true"] Best Movies on Netflix by Genre:

• Best action movies on Netflix
• Best comedy movies on Netflix
• Best horror movies on Netflix
• Best drama movies on Netflix
• Best horror TV shows on Netflix
• Best anime series on Netflix
• Best superhero movies and TV shows on Netflix
• Best sci fi movies on Netflix

Please note: This list pertains to U.S. Netflix subscribers. Some titles may not currently be available on international platforms. This article is frequently amended to remove films no longer on Netflix and to include more original films that are now available on the service.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, from the Coen Bros, was, until recently, Netflix's biggest "grab a big name director(s) for our small screen empire" success story. Scruggs -- starring Tim Blake Nelson, Liam Neeson, James Franco, and more -- is a funny, sentimental, exciting, and blistering Western spotlighting the theme of ironic, untimely death.

The Irishman

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/09/30/the-irishman-review"] Despite being taken to task for more than a month over what he said about the MCU, director Martin Scorsese has triumphed with The Irishman, a late-career magnum opus. An all-star lineup of Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino fill this revisionist take on the gangster genre, creating an introspective, somber film about tragedy and mortality.

Roma

Alfonso Cuarón's personal and visually stunning Roma is a must-watch. It stands as a gorgeous quasi-autobiographical tale of his youth in Mexico, told through the eyes of a housekeeper (Yalitza Aparicio). Cuarón, always a master craftsman, managed to get Netflix its first ever Oscar nomination for Best Picture.

Always Be My Maybe

There's a larger, separate discussion to be had about how mid-budget movies are all but gone from the multiplex. Adult dramas meandered over to TV, creating the much-lauded "Golden Era," while rom-coms seem to have bustled over to streaming. And most of them are pretty bad. Except for Always Be My Maybe, written by, and starring, Ali Wong and Randall Park. Which is freakin' delightful as hell. Clever, emotional, and timely, this film features not only some badass songs by Park and producer Dan the Automator, but Keanu Reeves playing himself in a classic couple of scenes.

Dolemite Is My Name

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/09/09/dolemite-is-my-name-trailer"] Eddie Murphy stars in this spectacular dramatizing of comedian Rudy Ray Moore's stranger-than-fiction story. Hailed as a long-awaited comeback for Murphy, who hadn't been in critics' good graces since 2006's Dreamgirls, Dolemite Is My Name is an irresistible, brash chronicle of performance art pushed to the pinnacle of greatness. It also stars Titus Burgess, Mike Epps, Craig Robinson, Keegan-Michael Key, and Wesley Snipes.

Mudbound

Before Roma became Netflix's darling at the Academy Awards, 2017's Mudbound, based on Hillary Jordan's novel, was the site's first original drama to dip its toe into the Oscar nomination pool. Dee Rees’s lyrical American tragedy tells the story of two farming families - the McAllans and the Jacksons - whose lives are intertwined. Mary J. Blige received nominations for Best Supporting Actress and Best Song. It was also nominated for Best Screenplay and Best Cinematography.

How We Choose the Best Netflix Original Movies

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/netflixs-oscar-worthy-original-films-you-need-to-watch"] Netflix's Originals have become a force to be reckoned with in recent years, with the service going from a collection of other studios' films and popular TV shows to a genuine content-churning machine. We try to focus on the Netflix Originals that have proven to be popular favorites as well as those movies that scored well on aggregate sites like Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic. In some cases, we may pick more surprising titles that aren't as "buzzy" as some others on this list. The one common thread is that all these movies are truly worth your time. [widget path="ign/modules/recirc" parameters="title=Best%20of%20Netflix%20Right%20Now&type=articles%2Cvideos&tags=recirc-netflix-genre&count=3&columnCount=3&theme=article"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.