If you’re a movie buff seeking a solid selection of movies on-demand, look no further than the Roku Channel. The free platform offers a unique selection of titles to choose from, including modern classics and arthouse picks alike. To guide you through the vast movie catalog, here’s our round-up of the top movies to stream right now on the Roku Channel.
20 Best Movies on Roku Channel Right Now
Read also:
- Netflix Calendar: New & Expiring on Netflix This Month
- 30 Best Streaming Services That Still Offer Free Trial
20.
99 Homes (2015)
Andrew Garfield is a single father living with his own single mother in their family home. In the aftermath of the financial crisis, they find themselves evicted from their home by a businessman - Michael Shannon in a role as intriguing as Gordon Gekko in Wall Street, if not more. Desperate for work, Garfield’s character starts working for the same businessman, ultimately evicting other people. A star-packed, gritty and sobering tale on capitalism and our the lengths to which we’re ready to go to save face - while at the same time risking our most important relationships.
Genre: Drama
Actor: Andrew Garfield, Ann Mahoney, Clancy Brown, Cullen Moss, David Maldonado, Deneen Tyler, Elton LeBlanc, Garrett Kruithof, Gretchen Koerner, J.D. Evermore, Jayson Warner Smith, Juan Gaspard, Judd Lormand, Laura Dern, Liann Pattison, Manu Narayan, Michael Shannon, Nicole Barré, Noah Lomax, Tim Guinee, Wayne Pére
Director: Ramin Bahrani
Go to Roku Channel
19.
Rosie (2019)
This emotional and moving story is about a mother of four who is forced into homelessness in Dublin. With her husband working in a demanding restaurant job, Rosie is left to take care of the children while trying to find anything resembling accommodation. She starts by seeking the help of the city council, but every facility she calls is full or refuses to welcome them.
As a viewer, the heartbreaking reality of the situation sinks in quickly: Rosie and her husband are priced out and there are too many people in their condition. Their car doesn't fit them. But to her children, relatives, and school officials, Rosie keeps up appearances and doesn't compromise on her overwhelming child care tasks.
Genre: Drama
Actor: Lochlann O'Mearáin, Moe Dunford, Molly McCann, Natalia Kostrzewa, Sarah Greene
Director: Paddy Breathnach
Go to Roku Channel
18.
The Whistleblower (2010)
Based on a true story, The Whistleblower is the biography of a once Nebraskan police officer who volunteers for the U.N. peacekeeping mission in post-war Bosnia. Once there, she uncovers a human trafficking scandal involving peacekeeping officials, and finds herself alone against a hostile system in a devastated country. Rachel Weisz plays the whistleblower in a powerful lead role, but the true star of the movie is its director, Larysa Kondracki, who thanks to near documentary-style film-making delivers a perfectly executed political thriller with utmost authenticity.
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Actor: Alexandru Potocean, Alin Panc, Benedict Cumberbatch, Danny John-Jules, David Hewlett, David Strathairn, Jeanette Hain, Liam Cunningham, Luke Treadaway, Monica Bellucci, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Paula Schramm, Pilou Asbæk, Rachel Weisz, Rayisa Kondracki, Sergej Trifunović, Stuart Graham, Vanessa Redgrave, Vlad Ivanov, William Hope
Director: Larysa Kondracki
Go to Roku Channel
17.
The Believer (2001)
Ryan Gosling plays a Jewish Neo-Nazi in this extremely riveting window into the definition of inner conflict. It is a prime example of how character development should be done and it put Gosling on the map for me. He starts out as an exemplary student in Hebrew school until he starts questioning his teachings and exploring alternative ideologies, leading him to the neo-Nazi movement. Won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance
Genre: Drama
Actor: A.D. Miles, Billy Zane, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Elizabeth Reaser, Garret Dillahunt, Glenn Fitzgerald, Heather Goldenhersh, Joel Garland, Jordan Lage, Joshua Harto, Peter Meadows, Ronald Guttman, Ryan Gosling, Summer Phoenix, Theresa Russell, Tibor Feldman
Director: Henry Bean
Go to Roku Channel
16.
Four Lions (2010)
Four Lions is as black and as dark as a movie can ever get, mixing cultural relevancy with humor and ridiculousness. It is insensitive to Islam, insensitive to terrorism and insensitive to the viewer. But it is hilarious. The director spent three years talking to Imams, terrorism experts and basically everyone. The result? A legit 97 minutes that will dazzle even extremists with its knowledge of Islam and the accuracy of its lines. Needless to say that it will upset quite a few people, but that is always a good sign for black comedy movies, right?
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Actor: Adeel Akhtar, Alex MacQueen, Arsher Ali, Benedict Cumberbatch, Craig Parkinson, Darren Boyd, Julia Davis, Kayvan Novak, Kevin Eldon, Nigel Lindsay, Riz Ahmed, Waleed Elgadi, Will Adamsdale
Director: Chris Morris, Christopher Morris
Go to Roku Channel
15.
Laurence Anyways (2012)
This is a gorgeous French-Canadian movie with out-of-this-world sound work.
Laurence is deeply in love with his girlfriend, Fred. On his birthday, he announces to her that he wants to restart his life as a woman, having always hated his male body. Fred doesn't know how to take the news: “everything I love about you is everything you hate about yourself”.
Laurence Anyways is about how their romance continues after this revelation. There are so many reasons to watch this movie: the story, the acting, the cinematography; but trust me, the soundtrack alone is reason enough.
Genre: Drama, Romance
Actor: Anne Dorval, Antoine-Olivier Pilon, Denise Filiatrault, Emmanuel Schwartz, Éric Bruneau, Magalie Lepine Blondeau, Manuel Tadros, Melvil Poupaud, Monia Chokri, Monique Spaziani, Mylène Jampanoï, Nathalie Baye, Patricia Tulasne, Sophie Faucher, Susan Almgren, Suzanne Clément, Violette Chauveau, Xavier Dolan, Yves Jacques
Director: Xavier Dolan
Go to Roku Channel
14.
1985 (2018)
1985, a movie from 2018, was made like it was filmed during the year it’s about: it’s shot on gorgeous black-and-white Super 16mm film.
Not that it would be needed, but this minimalist setting puts a spotlight on the ensemble cast of this well-acted drama based on an award-winning short film.
In particular, the central one by Cory Michael Smith (Gotham, Camp X-Ray). He plays Adrian, a man visiting his conservative family in Texas from New York, so gently at times and explosively at others, it’s a sight to behold.
Adrian, estranged from his family for three years, visits them to find a way to tell them that he has AIDS.
Genre: Drama
Actor: Aidan Langford, Bill Heck, Cory Michael Smith, Jamie Chung, Michael Chiklis, Tina Parker, Virginia Madsen
Director: Yen Tan
Go to Roku Channel
13.
Eve’s Bayou (1997)
Eve’s Bayou is a Southern Gothic tale of spirituality, family, secrets, and the ties that bind them together. The story follows the awakening, both spiritual and emotional, of young Eve Baptiste. The middle sibling of the Baptiste family, 10-year-old Eve, navigates childhood while enduring the tumultuous relationship between her mother and father.
What lurks beneath a seemingly ordinary marital conflict is an insidious betrayal that could tear her entire family apart. Eve’s Bayou should be considered one of the greatest Black American epics of the past 25 years. I adore this film because it is unflinchingly real - and honest about the sometimes rocky reality of familial bonds.
Genre: Drama
Actor: Branford Marsalis, Carol Sutton, Debbi Morgan, Diahann Carroll, Jurnee Smollett, Leonard L. Thomas, Lisa Nicole Carson, Lynn Whitfield, Marcus Lyle Brown, Meagan Good, Roger Guenveur Smith, Samuel L. Jackson, Tamara Tunie, Victoria Rowell, Vondie Curtis-Hall
Director: Kasi Lemmons
Go to Roku Channel
12.
Submarine (2011)
Awkward. That is how Oliver Tate can be described, and generally the whole movie. But it is professionally and scrutinizingly awkward. Submarine is a realistic teen comedy, one that makes sense and in which not everyone looks gorgeous and pretends to have a tough time. It is hilarious and sad, dark and touching. It is awesome and it's embarrassing, and it's the kind of movie that gets nearly everything about being a teen right, no matter where you grew up.
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Actor: Ben Stiller, Craig Roberts, Darren Evans, Elinor Crawley, Gemma Chan, Lynn Hunter, Melanie Walters, Noah Taylor, Paddy Considine, Sally Hawkins, Steffan Rhodri, Yasmin Paige
Director: Richard Ayoade
Go to Roku Channel
11.
Headhunters (2012)
Fasten your seatbelts because this nasty little chase film will jerk the wheel when you least expect it, featuring balls-to-the-wall action and lots of Norwegian humor – dark humor that is. Based on a novel from the country's most famous crime writer, Jo Nesbø, Headhunters is brutal, insane, and incredibly good. This twisting, turning thriller tells the story of a corporate recruiter (Aksel Hennie), who has a secret side hustle as a nightly art thief. He ends up being pursued by the charismatic Clas Greve, a Dutch businessman played by none other than GoT-star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. And this plot summary is as far as you will get without the whole thing swerving into another direction. Headhunters does not slow down unless it wants to destabilise you further with simmering suspense. Like a Lars von Trier on speed, expect all the raw colors, emotion, and slightly off-kilter characters you want from a Norwegian production – and brilliant entertainment!
Genre: Action, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Actor: Aksel Hennie, Baard Owe, Eivind Sander, Joachim Rafaelsen, Julie R. Ølgaard, Julie R. Olgaard, Kyrre Haugen Sydness, Mats Mogeland, Mattis Herman Nyquist, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Nils Jørgen Kaalstad, Nils Jorgen Kaalstad, Reidar Sørensen, Reidar Sorensen, Synnøve Macody Lund, Synnøve Macody Lund, Valentina Alexeeva
Director: Morten Tyldum
Go to Roku Channel
More lists
Lists on how to save money by cutting the cord.