The Best Amazon Prime Movies for Your Parents

The Best Amazon Prime Movies for Your Parents

April 1, 2025

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It can be a real challenge to get your parents to break from their existing movie-watching habits. Maybe they sit passively through a disappointing film on TV, or maybe they’re swayed too much by whatever popular content the algorithms show them. Luckily, our job here at agoodmovietowatch is to recommend high-quality movies that your parents won’t just have to tolerate, that are under-the-radar enough to give them a unique and hopefully more substantial viewing experience. And thanks to Amazon Prime Video’s extensive library of films—old and new, challenging and accessible—available for streaming, rent of purchase, your folks should always have something new to check out.

21. Kita Kita (2017)

7.2

Genres

Comedy, Drama, Romance

Director

Female director, Sigrid Andrea Bernardo

Actors

Alessandra de Rossi, Carolle Urbano, Empoy Marquez, Junpei Yamamoto

Moods

Dramatic, Romantic, Sweet

It’s uncanny how innocent love can resemble stalking and obsessiveness. We first see Lea’s (Alessandra de Rossi) perspective as she meets funny-man and friendly neighbor Tonyo (Empoy Marquez) out of the blue. Later, we see Tonyo’s perspective and follow his pathetic journey through the heartbreak that led to him shadowing and eventually speaking to Lea. By the time we see both perspectives, it’s too late to judge the surprising events that unfold. The premise seems simple: it follows a relationship that feels comically wrong as it involves a temporarily blind woman and a man who only develops his confidence from not being seen. But it comes alive thanks to the playful chemistry and casting of de Rossi and Marquez, who charm in this brilliantly self-aware Pinoy rom-com.

22. End of Sentence (2020)

7.1

Genres

Adventure, Drama

Director

Elfar Adalsteins

Actors

Aine Ni Mhuiri, Amy De Bhrún, Andrea Irvine, Aoibhin Murphy

Moods

Easy, Feel-Good, Sunday

Logan Lerman (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) and John Hawkes (The Sessions) star in this easy road drama about a father who tries to rekindle with his son. After the mother passes away, they try to execute her dying wishes of spreading her ashes in her home country of Ireland. The son, Lerman’s character, is freshly released from jail and accepts to take the trip on the one condition that he never sees his father again. This premise makes for a fun mix between a family drama and an adventure movie. Both characters have a lot to discover in Ireland: about the country, each other, and themselves.

23. Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom (2019)

7.1

Genres

Drama, Family

Director

Pawo Choyning Dorji

Actors

Kelden Lhamo Gurung, Kunzang Wangdi, Sherab Dorji, Ugyen Norbu Lhendup

Moods

Character-driven, Discussion-sparking, Dramatic

On his first day of class in the remote village of Lunana, the city teacher Ugyen asks his students what they want to be when they grow up. One of the children, a young boy named Sangay, answers that he aspires to be a teacher “because a teacher touches the future.” Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom, however, subverts this thematic by spending most of its runtime showing how the villagers touch Ugyen’s heart through genuine acts of kindness, forcing him to rethink his long-term dream of becoming a singer in Australia.

Not only does Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom succeed in its heartfelt dramatization of a Gen Z finding his place in the highlands, it also serves as a propagandistic validation of Bhutan’s “happiest country in the world” epithet. In doing so, the film presents the Bhutanese mountains in as breathtakingly picturesque a manner as possible, limning a paradise through the grassy meadows and children’s faces.

24. Hoosiers (1986)

7.1

Genres

Drama, Family

Director

David Anspaugh

Actors

Barbara Hershey, Chelcie Ross, David Neidorf, Dennis Hopper

Moods

Easy, Feel-Good, Heart-warming

Bearing pretty much every trademark you’ve come to expect from a sports drama, Hoosiers might not bring as many surprises to the formula but it still makes all its moves with a surplus of heart. Elevating the already entertaining basketball footage is Gene Hackman’s uncommonly hotheaded coach and (Oscar-nominated) Dennis Hopper’s town drunk—both of whom deepen this film’s story of hometown pride into one of midlife redemption. Hickory, Indiana comes to life as a character in itself, where local sports are treated with as much reverence as politics and religion, which makes every basket feel that much more like a victory lap.

25. Be with You (2018)

7.1

Genres

Drama, Fantasy, Romance

Director

Jang-Hoon Lee, Lee Jang-hoon

Actors

Bae Yoo-ram, Gong Hyo-jin, Hyeon-soo Kim, Ji-seob So

Moods

Character-driven, Emotional, Heart-warming

When a woman that looks like the love of your life randomly shows up at an empty train station, but strangely has no memory of you, maybe you should try to confirm their identity first– doppelgangers do exist, after all. But aside from this detail, there’s a certain charm in the way Be With You unfolds, as the family gets a second chance to cherish a loved one, and as Woo-jin indulges in sharing their love story, a story that Woo-jin understandably doesn’t want to forget. Be With You doesn’t reinvent the entire genre, and it would inevitably be compared to the 2004 Japanese original, but this Korean remake does it so well, celebrating the way love transcends lifetimes.

26. Give Me Liberty (2019)

7.0

Genres

Comedy, Drama

Director

Kirill Mikhanovsky

Actors

Chris Galust, Darya Ekamasova, Lauren 'Lolo' Spencer, Lauren Spencer

Moods

Funny

This movie is a wild ride, literally, since it mostly takes place on a bus driving really fast. It’s about one Russian-American social worker who gets hung-up between helping his community driving a group of elderly Russians to a funeral or helping the people he’s hired to help.

In its essence, Give Me Liberty is a comedy where the chaos doesn’t stop escalating, but thanks to impeccable character work and excellent acting, it’s a relevant and poignant movie. You will find yourself in the same position as the social worker, trying to decide who needs his help more.

27. The Resurrection of Jake The Snake (2015)

7.0

Genres

Documentary

Director

Steve Yu

Actors

Adam Copeland, Aurelian Smith Jr., Chris Irvine, Chris Jericho

Moods

Discussion-sparking, Dramatic, Inspiring

This journey is as much about Jake Roberts overcoming his addiction and damaged self-outlook, as it is about the heroic, life-changing efforts that DDP made to get him there. DDP’s brand of aggressive wholesomeness and belief in Roberts is palpable, and the rawness of the presentation only accentuates how real this friendship is, and how urgent DDP’s mission is—he will do this himself because no one else can. The documentary is inspiring with its vulnerability alone, as the underlying story is of men renouncing toxic behaviors that keep them looped into destructive habits. It doesn’t waste time with fluff minutes or details, just straight to your heart from start to finish.

28. World’s Greatest Dad (2009)

6.9

Genres

Comedy, Drama, Romance

Director

Bobcat Goldthwait

Actors

Alexie Gilmore, Bobcat Goldthwait, Bruce Hornsby, Cheri Minns

Moods

Dark, Dramatic, Funny

Summary: it’s a really unusual movie, especially for a star like Robin Williams. It’s almost an indie film actually. Robin Williams plays Lance Clayton, the father of a typical rude teenage boy Kyle Clayton (Daryl Sabara) wherein Sabara’s character meets an unusual demise, and out of embarrassment of the situation the father ghost-writes a suicide note from his son. This white lie leads to another and another and so on until his lies spread further than anticipated. The movie definitely earns points for making the film that was set out to be made. They wanted to make a dark comedy and a dark comedy was what they made. It’s even uncomfortable to watch at times. Between Lance’s love life and Kyle’s non-existent one there’s enough awkwardness that you feel like you can’t wait to get to the next scene just so this one can be over. All in all the actors did a truly fantastic job. Each character seemed well developed by the individual actor to the point where every gesture, line delivery, and awkward silence seemed too natural and organic. Additionally, the writing was exceptional for this movie, as no dialogue was ever wasted. Each and every little detail in each and every shot of each and every scene was very carefully designed to continually push the aesthetics, this film is a big success.

29. The World’s Fastest Indian (2005)

6.9

Genres

Adventure, Drama, History

Director

Roger Donaldson

Actors

Aaron Murphy, Alison Bruce, Annie Whittle, Anthony Hopkins

Moods

Character-driven, Easy, Feel-Good

You know Anthony Hopkins as the evil Hannibal Lecter, but in this film he gives a warm and heartfelt performance portraying real life New Zealand motorcycle legend Burt Munro who set a land speed record in 1967 on a hand-built 1920 Indian. It’s a story of never giving up on your dream even in the face of ridicule and opposition. Hopkins’ performance turns what could have been just another schmaltzy formulaic story line into true gold. You’ll be cheering for Burt/Anthony by the end!

30. Escape from Mogadishu (2021)

6.9

Genres

Action, Drama, History

Director

Ryoo Seung-wan

Actors

Ahn Se-ho, Han Chul-woo, Heo Joon-ho, Jeong Man-sik

Moods

Action-packed, Dramatic, Suspenseful

Escape from Mogadishu follows diplomats from the North and South Korean embassies as they put aside their differences and work together to escape from an outbreak of civil war in Mogadishu, Somalia. Director Ryoo Seung-wan provides thrilling, high-budget action, especially intense car chases and suspenseful escape scenes that pump you with adrenaline and leave you on the edge of your seat. However, the Somali side of the story leaves much to be desired. Only existing to kill or be killed, the depiction of the Somalians is distasteful, and the country it’s set in seen as nothing more than a senseless warzone.

It’s in crafting a political thriller where Ryoo strikes a chord, following the tradition of South Korean films and dramas that question the current South/North relations. It’s also the aspect that pushed this film to win awards, given that it’s based on a true story from the 1991 civil war in Somalia, albeit with blockbuster flair. Sure, it’s a highly fictionalized story, but the political tensions and heightened atmosphere make good entertainment. And, as with all Korean thrillers, you’ll have to get on a certain wavelength of melodrama to be fully on board with the bonkers yet emotional escape.

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