Another streaming service means another vast library of titles to sift through to find what you want to watch. HBO Max is the new streaming service from WarnerMedia, hosting not just titles from the pay cable channel HBO, but a bevy of films from the Warner Bros. library and other studios. In truth, the HBO Max movies that are available at launch are actually pretty terrific. There’s a great selection of classics, fairly new releases, quirky indies, and yes, superhero movies. The studio behind The Dark Knight and Man of Steel has a solid number of DC films available to stream.
But if you’re daunted by the over 600 movies available to stream, we’ve got your back. Below, we’ve put together a curated list of the absolute best movies on HBO Max. Films that will be well worth your time, with our writers making the case for why each film is special. Some you may have heard of but haven’t gotten around to seeing yet, and some you may have already seen countless times. Whatever the case, we guarantee you'll find something you enjoy.
So check out our list of the best movies on HBO Max streaming below.
Editor's note: Last updated July 9th to add No Sudden Move, Elf, Scream, and Pleasantville.
No Sudden Move
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: Ed Solomon
Cast: Don Cheadle, Benicio Del Toro, David Harbour, Amy Seimetz, Kieran Culkin, Ray Liotta, Julia Fox, Frankie Shaw, and Bill Duke
Filmmaker Steven Soderbergh’s second original film for HBO Max, No Sudden Move, is one of the Ocean’s Eleven and Traffic director’s best. The 1950s-set crime thriller revolves around a heist gone wrong, and specifically follows two criminals played by Don Cheadle and Benicio Del Toro who must not only deal with the fallout, but try to figure out why they were hired and by whom before they get killed. This is a twist-filled heist thriller that also has much to say about the world we live in, as the 50s Detroit setting offers a backdrop in which Black neighborhoods were being dismantled in the name of “progress.” It’s thrilling, funny, surprising, and smart, and it builds to a finale you do not see coming. — Adam Chitwood
Pleasantville
Director/Writer: Gary Ross
Cast: Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon, Joan Allen, William H. Macy, Jeff Daniels, and Paul Walker
Have you ever dreamed of stepping inside your favorite television show and living alongside your favorite characters? That’s essentially the premise of the excellent 1998 film Pleasantville, in which two present day teenagers played by Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon are magically transported into the world of a black-and-white 50s sitcom called Pleasantville. Maguire’s character is thrilled, as he loves the show, while his sister is decidedly not. But while exploring the black-and-white world of Pleasantville the two begin inspiring its residents (both on purpose and accidentally) to be more inquisitive about their lives, and the film reveals itself to be an impactful story about repression and progress. It’s also just a ton of fun and wildly inventive. – Adam Chitwood
Scream
Director: Wes Craven
Writer: Kevin Williamson
Cast: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard, David Arquette, Jamie Kennedy, and Drew Barrymore
Scream is a horror classic for a reason. By 1996, filmmaker Wes Craven had already solidified himself as an excellent horror director, but Scream did something few movies ever do: it offered a truly unique spin on a well known genre/story. The film starts like any slasher, but right off the bat tells audiences to expect the unexpected. Drew Barrymore is terrifyingly killed off in the first few minutes, as the rest of the film follows a group of high schoolers in a sleepy town that’s being tormented by a masked killer. The twist is that the characters have seen all the scary movies the audience has, and so Kevin Williamson’s brilliant script sidesteps clichés and tired tropes in favor of exciting new narrative twists and turns. The characters are deeply memorable, the kills are thrilling, and the script is wickedly funny. – Adam Chitwood
Elf
Director: Jon Favreau
Writer: David Berenbaum
Cast: Will Ferrell, Zoey Deschanel, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, Edward Asner, and Bob Newhart
A Christmas classic if there ever was one, the 2003 comedy Elf is charming and funny in equal measure. Will Ferrell plays Buddy the Elf, a human who’s been raised by elves in the North Pole and now sets out to find his biological father in New York City. He understandably has trouble adjusting, and hijinks ensue. Director Jon Favreau knows exactly when to let Ferrell loose and when to dial his broad comedy in to maintain the emotional stakes, as the film tonally hits just the right note. It’s also just tremendously rewatchable. – Adam Chitwood
Clueless
Director/Writer: Amy Heckerling
Cast: Alicia Silverstone, Brittany Murphy, Paul Rudd, Donald Faison, Breckin Meyer, Stacey Dash, and Dan Hedaya
It’s a testament to the strength of Clueless’ story and characters that it is as funny, compelling, and relevant today as it was in 1995, especially given how steeped in 90s culture it is. Filmmaker Amy Heckerling’s film is a riff on the Jane Austen novel Emma but with a modern teen sensibility, as Alicia Silverstone plays a beautiful and privileged girl named Cher who decides to give new student Tai (Brittany Murphy) a makeover. The film speaks directly to teens in an almost supernatural way, and the cast is absolutely perfect. Trust me, this one holds up. - Adam Chitwood
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
Directed by: Judd Apatow
Written by: Steve Carell and Judd Apatow
Cast: Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen, Romany Malco, Jane Lynch, Elizabeth Banks, Kat Dennings, and Mindy Kaling
When The 40-Year-Old-Virgin was released in 2005, it was a huge hit. But in hindsight we can clearly see this was also a game-changer for the comedy genre. Judd Apatow’s heavily improvised style led to a looseness from scene to scene, and the film’s tone—which was equal parts raunchy and heartwarming—felt unique. You usually had your sex comedies and your emotional romantic comedies separate, but here Apatow combined the two sensibilities and had the perfect actor for the titular lead: Steve Carell. The result is a hilarious, very R-rated, but also oddly sweet and sensitive story of a mild-mannered 40-year-old man looking to get laid who ends up finding love, complete with outstanding supporting performances by folks like Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen. – Adam Chitwood
Stoker
Director: Park Chan-wook
Writer: Wentworth Miller
Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman, Matthew Goode, Dermot Mulroney, and Jackie Weaver
If you’re looking to watch something that’s a bit off the beaten path, a bit weird, but also exciting, I highly recommend Stoker. Released in 2013, the film marked Oldboy and The Handmaiden director Park Chan-wook’s English-language debut, and it’s a spicy Gothic romance that blends sex and violence in a really poetic way. Loosely inspired by Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt, the story revolves around an 18-year-old girl (Mia Wasikowska) living with her unstable mother (Nicole Kidman) in the immediate aftermath of her father’s death. A mysterious uncle (Matthew Goode) enters the frame, but the question is whether he’s just charismatic or is actually dangerous. The film blends various genres and plays out like a dramatic, Gothic psychological thriller, but it’s also just gorgeous to look at. Give it a whirl. – Adam Chitwood
The Mummy
Director/Writer: Stephen Sommers
Cast: Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, Arnold Vosloo, John Hannah, and Kevin J. O’Connor
The Mummy is quite possibly one of the most purely fun blockbusters ever made. Not the 2017 Tom Cruise version, mind you. I’m talking about Stephen Sommers’ 1999 movie, which took the iconic Universal monster and built a swashbuckling adventure story around him. Set in 1926, Brendan Fraser plays an American adventurer who is wrapped up in a search for a lost city, led by a librarian and aspiring archaeologist played by Rachel Weisz. They and other treasure hunters end up awaking a terrifying monster, who unleashes a series of plagues on those who dared enter his tomb. With thrills, spills, and chills in equal measure – plus more than a few belly laughs – The Mummy is nothing but a good time. – Adam Chitwood
Doctor Sleep (Director's Cut)
Director/Writer: Mike Flanagan
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran, and Cliff Curtis
This sequel to The Shining is certainly scary, but it’s more of a horror-drama than your average horror film. The extended director’s cut of Doctor Sleep is the superior version of this story, which picks up with young Danny Torrance as a grown man (played by Ewan McGregor) struggling with alcoholism and PTSD from his time at the Overlook Hotel. Meanwhile, a cult led by Rebecca Ferguson is murdering and sucking the lifeforces out of children, and Danny makes a connection with a bright and “shining” young girl named Abra who just might be next. The film is tremendously effective and it builds to a fantastic finale at the Overlook Hotel that will make fans of The Shining extremely happy. – Adam Chitwood
Dunkirk
Director/Writer: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Fionn Whitehead, Jack Lowden, Harry Styles, Tom Hardy, James D’Arcy, Barry Keoghan, Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, and Mark Rylance
Dunkirk is one of Christopher Nolan’s best and most structurally ambitions films. The movie chronicles the evacuation of Dunkirk during World War II, as Allied soldiers found themselves pushed up against the beach and anxiously awaiting safe travel through the sea. Nolan tells the story from three perspectives – soldiers on the ground, pilots in the air, and citizens who traveled by boat across the channel to safely transport soldiers back to England. These three perspectives play out simultaneously on different timelines, but are interwoven brilliantly as Nolan crafts a wholly experiential film that puts the audience in the shoes of the brave men portrayed onscreen. It’s a hopeful yet nail-biting thriller that won three Oscars including Best Film Editing. – Adam Chitwood
Pitch Perfect
Director: Jason Moore
Writer: Kay Cannon
Cast: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Skylar Astin, Adam DeVine, Anna Camp, Brittany Snow, John Michael Higgins, and Elizabeth Banks
One of the most pleasant surprises of the last decade, Pitch Perfect burst onto the scene in 2012 and became a pretty instant hit. While the sequels don’t come close to touching the comedic and musical heights of the first film, this initial movie still holds up as a terrifically entertaining and funny story of friendship. Anna Kendrick plays a young college student who decides to join an a capella group, only to become wrapped up in the fierceness of competitive a capella while challenging the traditions of the group she’s joined. The music is great, the performances are endearing, and the comedy is on point. – Adam Chitwood
Jerry Maguire
Director/Writer: Cameron Crowe
Cast: Tom Cruise, Renee Zellweger, Cuba Gooding Jr., Bonnie Hunt, Regina King, and Jonathan Lipnicki
“You complete me” took the world by storm for a reason. Writer/director Cameron Crowe’s uniquely structured 1996 romantic drama Jerry Maguire doesn’t really follow your typical “opposites attract, fall in love, the end” formula, as the story instead is far more interested in seeing what happens after two very different characters get together. Tom Cruise is the titular sports agent who throws away his career and finds himself left with only one client. Renee Zellweger is the only one at his agency who agrees to leave with him. The two strike up an unlikely romance, with both characters navigating periods of significant change in each other’s lives. Your mileage may vary on whether you believe these two are really MFEO, but if that “you complete me” scene doesn’t get you, you’re dead inside. – Adam Chitwood
Dumb and Dumber
Directors: Peter and Bobby Farrell
Writers: Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly, and Bennett Yellin
Cast: Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Lauren Holly, Karen Duffy, Mike Starr, Charles Rocket, and Teri Garr
A comedy classic if there ever was one, Dumb and Dumber remains one of the funniest movies ever made. Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels star as a pair of fools who decide to return a lost briefcase to a woman Carrey drove to the airport, all the way in Aspen. Along the way, they get mistaken for criminal masterminds as the briefcase actually contains ransom money for the woman’s husband. That’s it. That’s the plot. Dumb and Dumber succeeds largely because of the buffoonery of Carrey and Daniels, who deliver a pair of go-for-broke performances. And yes, the Peter Farrelly who wrote and directed Dumb and Dumber is the same Peter Farrelly who co-wrote and directed Best Picture winner Green Book. – Adam Chitwood
A Star Is Born
Director: Bradley Cooper
Writers: Eric Roth, Bradley Cooper, and Will Fetters
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, Andrew Dice Clay, Dave Chappelle, and Sam Elliott
Straight-up, A Star Is Born is maybe one of the best films of the last 10 years. An assured directorial debut from Bradley Cooper, this remake follows a famous country rock singer spiraling into alcoholism and despair who crosses paths with a wildly talented up-and-comer named Ally (Lady Gaga). He shepherds her career from the ground up, but as she takes off he declines deeper and deeper, as the tragedy of this story begins to truly unfold. The music is absolutely stellar, with cinematographer Matthew Libatique capturing each performance in wonderfully intimate fashion. But it’s the performances by Cooper and Gaga at the heart of the film that really make A Star Is Born special. You’ll be thinking about what Cooper accomplishes here in particular long after the credits have rolled. – Adam Chitwood
Jackie Brown
Director/Writer: Quentin Tarantino
Cast: Pam Grier, Robert Forster, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Keaton, Robert De Niro, Bridget Fonda, and Chris Tucker
Jackie Brown is the closest Quentin Tarantino has ever come to making a straight “Oscar movie,” and even then it’s very specifically a Tarantino film. Adapting Elmore Leonard’s novel Rum Punch was a surprising choice for Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction follow-up, but Jackie Brown is one of the most character-rich films QT has ever made. Pam Grier stars as a flight attendant who gets wrapped up in a money smuggling scheme, tangling with gangsters, the ATF, and the FBI alike. But at heart, Jackie Brown is a love story between Grier and Robert Forster, and the film shows a refreshingly softer side to Tarantino. There’s violence to be sure, but Jackie Brown remains one of Tarantino’s best—and slightly underrated—films. – Adam Chitwood
The American President
Director: Rob Reiner
Writer: Aaron Sorkin
Cast: Michael Douglas, Annette Bening, Michael J. Fox, Richard Dreyfuss, and Martin Sheen
Before Aaron Sorkin made The West Wing, he entered the political realm with the delightful romantic comedy The American President. The 1995 film stars Michael Douglas as the widowed U.S. president who strikes up a relationship with a lobbyist, played by Annette Bening. The film delights in chronicling how standard courtship behavior is complicated when you’re the President of the United States, and Douglas and Bening are tremendously charming. You’ll also see the origins of the material that would become the backbone of The West Wing, as the film delves into the inner-workings of the President and his staff. If you want a reminder of a simpler time, or just a breezy romcom set in the world of U.S. politics, you can’t go wrong with this one. – Adam Chitwood
The Aviator
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Written by: John Logan
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Alec Baldwin, Alan Alda, Kate Beckinsale, John C. Reilly, and Jude Law
Legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese had wanted to make a film about iconic aviator and filmmaker Howard Hughes for a long time, and he finally saw that dream become a reality with The Aviator. The film finds Leonardo DiCaprio stepping into the role of Hughes, who went from pioneer to filmmaker to recluse over the course of a lengthy career. As the title suggests, Scorsese’s film sees Hughes through the lens of his passion for aviation, and DiCaprio delivers a towering performance that spans decades. Moreover, in a nod to his love of film, Scorsese and cinematographer Robert Richardson present each section of the film in the manner in which it would’ve been presented at the time. The result is a vibrant and engaging affair, even as the film stretches on for nearly three hours. – Adam Chitwood
Speed
Director: Jan de Bont
Writer: Graham Yost
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, and Dennis Hopper
Speed is not just one of the best Die Hard knock-offs of the 90s, it’s one of the best action movies ever made. The premise is simple: There’s a bomb on a public transportation bus in Los Angeles, and it will go off if the bus goes below 50 miles per hour. LAPD SWAT officer Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves) makes it his mission to board the bus as he has a personal vendetta against the bomber (played by Dennis Hopper), and when the bus driver becomes injured, a passenger played by Sandra Bullock is forced to take over driving duties. It’s absolutely thrilling from beginning to end and the chemistry between Reeves and Bullock is palpable. Moreover, it came at a time when CG technology was just starting to arrive, so the practical effects and miniature work for all the big action scenes feels tangible and unique compared to today’s CG-filled blockbusters. With character, heart, and high-octane in equal measure, Speed is a must-see. – Adam Chitwood
Ocean’s Eleven
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: Ted Griffin
Cast: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Carl Reiner, Elliot Gould, Bernie Mac, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Eddie Jemison, and Shaobo Qin
There’s an effortlessly cool vibe to Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Eleven that makes it one of the most rewatchable movies ever made, and while it’s certainly a heist film, it’s also hilarious. Soderbergh’s cast plays the whole thing with a dryness that suits the suave con men looking to rob a Las Vegas casino, and clearly George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, etc. are having a blast. So yes, while Ocean’s Eleven is a thrilling heist movie all its own, it’s also sneakily one of the best comedies of the 21st century. – Adam Chitwood
Ocean’s Twelve
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: George Nolfi
Cast: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle, Casey Affleck, Bernie Mac, Scott Caan, Vincent Cassel, Eddie Jemison, Carl Reiner, and Elliott Gould
Yes, really. When it was released, Ocean’s Twelve was not nearly as warmly received as its predecessor, but that’s because Soderbergh opted to try something entirely different. The plot is purposefully convoluted, and if you read Ocean’s Twelve’s story as a metaphor for how hard it is to make a good sequel, it is immensely more satisfying. The story mirrors Soderbergh’s task of following up a huge hit film with a movie that’s the same but different: Benedict (the studio) demands Ocean’s Eleven (Soderbergh and his cast) form once again to pay him back his money. Hilarity ensues, and the film never takes itself too seriously as the cast is all in on the joke. It’s divisive to be sure, but give the film another shot. It may surprise you. – Adam Chitwood
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By: Collider Staff
Title: The Best Movies on HBO Max Right Now
Sourced From: collider.com/best-movies-on-hbo-max/
Published Date: Fri, 09 Jul 2021 19:08:00 GMT
