Far too often, cinematic masterpieces get overlooked –– and it’s us cinema lovers who suffer the loss. While some can’t seem to draw crowds upon their box office release, others simply don’t get the critical attention they merit. Whatever the reason, the result is that the streaming landscape is overflowing with hidden treasures that deserve to be unearthed, enjoyed, and duly celebrated. From political thrillers to quirky romances and everything in between, we’ve rounded up the top 100 underrated movies that are on their way to becoming cult classics.
The 100 Must-Watch Movies You Haven’t Yet Seen
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80.
Never Look Away (2018)
It's impossible to describe this incredible movie as one thing or the other. It's an epic three-hour saga that takes you through the Nazi era, the communist era, the rise of capitalism, and the East and West German divide. But more than its historic value, it's a coming-of-age story, one that is based on the experiences of famed German artist Gerhard Richter. It's also a romance, following his experiences finding love and being hit with loss (in no particular order). If you liked the director's other work, the Oscar-winning The Lives of Others, you're sure to love this too.
(agoodmovietowatch)Genre: Drama, Romance, Thriller
Actor: Andreas Nickl, Anton Rubtsov, Bastian Trost, Ben Becker, David Schütter, Evgeniy Sidikhin, Florian Bartholomäi, Hannes Hellmann, Hanno Koffler, Hans-Uwe Bauer, Hinnerk Schönemann, Ina Weisse, Jörg Schüttauf, Jacob Matschenz, Jeanette Hain, Johanna Gastdorf, Johannes Allmayer, Jonas Dassler, Jorg Schuttauf, Lars Eidinger, Luc Feit, Manfred Möck, Mark Zak, Michaela Caspar, Oliver Masucci, Paula Beer, Pit Bukowski, Rainer Bock, Rainer Reiners, Saskia Rosendahl, Sebastian Koch, Tom Schilling, Ulrike C. Tscharre
Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
79.
Honey Boy (2019)
There is so much power to this story based actor Shia Laboeuf’s life. As a kid, he lived with his father on the road during the filming of Even Stevens and other star-making roles. His dad was a war veteran who goes to bikers’ AA meetings and who had a brief acting career himself. He was full of anger that made Laboeuf later suffer from PTSD, but which he was able to perceive in a fascinating way.
Putting Laboeuf’s fame aside, this is an incredible movie on emotionally abusive parent-child relationships. It’s a universal story. With Shia Laboeuf as his father and Lucas Hedges as current-day Laboeuf.
(agoodmovietowatch)
Genre: Drama
Actor: Byron Bowers, Clifton Collins Jr., Dorian Brown Pham, FKA Twigs, Graham Clarke, Laura San Giacomo, Lucas Hedges, Maika Monroe, Martin Starr, Natasha Lyonne, Noah Jupe, Sandra Rosko, Shia LaBeouf
Director: Alma Har'el, Alma Har'el
Free Watching Options:
Watch Honey Boy (2019) on Amazon Prime for free
78.
Diego Maradona (2019)
Asif Kapadia, the genius of biopics who gave us Senna, is back with this documentary on an even bigger sports personality: Argentinian soccer player Diego Armando Maradona. Considered as possibly the best soccer player of all time, Maradona's footage on the pitch is pure wizardry, and you'll feel that way whether you are a soccer fan or not. But that's not the focus of this documentary. What happens outside the pitch is more interesting: from Maradona's modest beginnings to the passionate hatred (and love) that entire countries develop of him. And it doesn't make his story less interesting that during his time in Naples he was affiliated with the mafia.
This is an excellent documentary that distills 500 hours of footage into 2, giving you all you need to know about a character who captured the imagination of a big part of the world for decades.
(agoodmovietowatch)Genre: Documentary
Actor: Claudia Villafane, Dalma Maradona, Diego Armando Maradona, Diego Maradona, Pele
Director: Asif Kapadia
77.
The Rider (2018)
This is quite the movie. It’s based on the true story of Brady Jandereau, an ex-rodeo star who suffered from an injury that took him away from riding horses. This is the best part, in the movie, he actually plays himself. His friends in the movie are his real-life friends. And the horse taming scenes are real wild horses being trained (by him). The line between reality and the filmmaking process is so thin here. An absolutely mesmerizing movie, directed by Chinese filmmaker Chloe Zhao. The Rider. Don’t miss it.
(agoodmovietowatch)Genre: Drama, Western
Actor: Brady Jandreau, Mooney, Tim Jandreau
Director: Chloé Zhao
76.
The Hate U Give (2018)
Such a good movie. The start is reminiscent of great, funny coming-of-age stories. However, a violent event quickly takes place and The Hate U Give becomes a powerful comment on police brutality in America, institutional oppression, and what it's like to be from a marginalized community but try to find your place in the world. But at the end, it's a 'movie' movie, directed by George Tillman Jr. who made the Barbershop movies and Men of Honor (with De Niro).
(agoodmovietowatch)Genre: Crime, Drama
Actor: Algee Smith, Amandla Stenberg, Andrene Ward-Hammond, Anthony Mackie, Common, Dominique Fishback, Drew Starkey, Dustin Lewis, Issa Rae, K.J. Apa, Karan Kendrick, Lamar Johnson, Milton Saul, Rayven Symone Ferrell, Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, Sabrina Carpenter, Tanya Christiansen
Director: George Tillman Jr.
Free Watching Options:
Watch The Hate U Give (2018) on Hulu for free
75.
Our Little Sister (2016)
Hirokazu Koreeda can do no wrong. The director of Shoplifters and Still Walking is a master of dissecting complex family dynamics through a handful of events. In Our Little Sister, three close sisters who live at their grandmother's house learn that their absent father has passed. They travel to the mountains to attend his funeral and meet their half-sister, Suzu, for the first time. Suzu is invited to live with the sisters and join their bond.
This movie is a true-to-the-form slice of life, it's almost drama-free. This absence of plot is an absence of distractions: the sisters are all that matters to Koreeda. His only focus is on how this family becomes bigger, sees past grief, and how the group of close-knit sisters that grew up together can make room for a new addition.
(agoodmovietowatch)Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family
Actor: Haruka Ayase, Ichirō Ogura, Jun Fubuki, Kaho, Kaoru Hirata, Kentaro Sakaguchi, Kirin Kiki, Lily Franky, Masami Nagasawa, Midoriko Kimura, Oshiro Maeda, Ryō Kase, Ryohei Suzuki, Shinichi Tsutsumi, Shinobu Otake, Suzu Hirose, Yuko Nakamura
Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda, Hirokazu Koreeda
74.
Winter Sleep (2014)
An absolutely beautiful film about superficiality, arrogance, and heartbreak. It focuses on the life of Aydin, a retired actor who now lives very comfortably managing a small hotel and a number of other small properties. Throughout the film Aydin's image shifts as he tackles the problems of his rather typical life. Having said this, there is nothing else typical about this film. It captures human relationships with an almost frightening precision. It almost feels as though you have an inside view into someone's actual life as Aydin battles it out with his sister Necla and his young wife Nihal. To me this is easily one of the best dramas of the decade, and if you so much as like movies that focus on humans and their interactions, it will be that for you too. Nuri Bilge Ceylan will make 3 hours pass more quickly than they ever have before.
(Gastón Quiroga)Genre: Drama
Actor: Ayberk Pekcan, Demet Akbag, Ekrem İlhan, Emirhan Doruktutan, Haluk Bilginer, Mehmet Ali Nuroğlu, Melisa Sözen, Nadir Sarıbacak, Nejat İşler, Nejat İşler, Serhat Mustafa Kılıç, Tamer Levent
Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
73.
Margin Call (2011)
A thoughtful drama about the financial crisis, Margin Call is gripping. Seriously, even something as convoluted as the 2008 global economic meltdown is not only accessible and understandable, but it's gripping. Margin Call transports you to the heart of Wall Street, both the financial institutions and the street, literally. It is exciting, well-acted and informative. Uh, also: Kevin Spacey.
(agoodmovietowatch)Genre: Drama, Thriller
Actor: Aasif Mandvi, Al Sapienza, Ashley Williams, Demi Moore, Grace Gummer, Jeremy Irons, Jimmy Palumbo, Kevin Spacey, Maria Dizzia, Mary McDonnell, Paul Bettany, Penn Badgley, Peter Y. Kim, Simon Baker, Stanley Tucci, Susan Blackwell, Zachary Quinto
Director: J. C. Chandor
72.
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.
(agoodmovietowatch)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
71.
The Disaster Artist (2017)
A hilarious and smart comedy that is almost impossible to hate. It doesn’t matter if you liked The Room or not; or if you’ve even heard of it, you will find The Disaster Artist extremely enjoyable. Same applies for James Franco, it’s irrelevant if you think he’s the hottest man walking or a complete waste of screen-time - this movie is better approached without any preconceived ideas. It follows the true events surrounding Tommy Wiseau’s making of The Room, a movie so bad it actually became a worldwide hit. Tommy’s character, played by Franco, is 100% mystery. He pops out of nowhere and does and says things that contain little to no logic. Capitalizing on this, the movie is both absolutely hilarious and intriguing from beginning to end.
(agoodmovietowatch)Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Adam Scott, Adwin Brown, Alison Brie, Amechi Okocha, Andrew Santino, Ari Graynor, Bob Odenkirk, Brett Gelman, Brian Huskey, Bryan Cranston, Casey Wilson, Charlyne Yi, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Danny McBride, Dave Franco, David DeCoteau, Dree Hemingway, Dylan Minnette, Eliza Coupe, Erin Cummings, Frederick Keeve, Greg Sestero, Hannibal Buress, Ike Barinholtz, J.J. Abrams, Jacki Weaver, James Franco, Jason Mantzoukas, Jason Mitchell, Jerrod Carmichael, Jessie Ennis, John Early, Josh Hutcherson, Judd Apatow, June Diane Raphael, Kara Gibson, Kate Upton, Keegan-Michael Key, Kether Donohue, Kevin Smith, Kristen Bell, Lauren Ash, Lizzy Caplan, Megan Ferguson, Megan Mullally, Melanie Griffith, Nathan Fielder, Paul Scheer, Peter Gilroy, Randall Park, Ricky Mabe, Seth Rogen, Sharon Stone, Slim Khezri, Sugar Lyn Beard, Tamzin Brown, Tom Franco, Tommy Wiseau, Xosha Roquemore, Zac Efron, Zach Braff, Zoey Deutch
Director: James Franco
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