Overwhelmed by all those new movies on Netflix this month? Not to worry! While it's definitely a wild time to try to keep up with all the new releases and old favorites arriving on streaming, we've got you covered with a handy, helpful list of the movies you'll want to watch on Netflix this month. You can find a list of everything that's new on Netflix in September here, but if you're looking for something a bit more curated to help you sort out the highlights, we've got you covered.
In terms of new releases, you're definitely going to want to add the new Sherlock riff Enola Holmes to your watchlist, starring Netflix favorites Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things) and Henry Cavill (The Witcher) in a fun revisionist romp featuring everyone's favorite stuffy investigator (and his sleuthing little sister). And if you're looking for a new orignal to get you in the right mood for spooky season, the Korean zombie thriller #Alive has proved to be one of September's surprise breakout hits. And then of course there's Charlie Kaufman's unnerving oddball I'm Thinking of Ending Things, which is one of those films that's best seen knowing as little as possible.
And those are just the new releases! There are plenty of old favorites hitting Netflix this month, as well as some undersung recent gems. Check out the details on all our picks below, and if you're in more of a binge-watching mood, you can see our picks for the Best New Shows on Netflix in September right here.
Not Another Teen Movie
Available: September 1
Director: Joel Gallen
Writers: Mike Bender, Adam Jay Epstein, Andrew Jacobson, Phil Beauman, Buddy Johnson
Cast: Chyler Leigh, Chris Evans, Jaime Pressly, Mia Kirshner, Eric Christian Olsen, Deon Richmond, Lacey Chabert
Of all the movie genres, spoof comedy might just be the one with the widest variable of quality. On one end, you've got the greats like Young Frankenstein and This is Spinal Tap, on the other end, you've got stuff like Meet the Spartans and Vampire Movie, and right in the middle is where you'll find Not Another Teen Movie. Directly inspired by the wave of teen comedies in the late 90s, but riffing on everything from Grease to the John Hughes classics, the 2001 comedy is sometimes quite clever and sometimes as stupid as it gets. But it will probably make you laugh, even if it's through a cringe. And without question, the casting department on this movie was bringing their A-game. Most famously with Chris Evans playing the school hotshot/leading man, but whipped cream bikini aside, everyone in this movie is giving their goofy-ass characters their all.
Wildlife
Available: September 1
Director: Paul Dano
Writers: Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan
Cast: Carey Mulligan, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ed Oxenbould, and Bill Camp
The 2018 directorial debut of actor Paul Dano is a handsomely crafted and emotionally overwhelming chronicle of a marriage falling apart, all seen through the eyes of the couple’s young boy. Based on the book of the same name by Richard Ford, Wildlife takes place in 1960 and follows a couple (Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal) and their teenage son as they move to Montana. Shortly after arriving, the father loses his job and is forced to take the only work he can – going off and fighting wildfires, leaving his wife and son behind to fend for themselves. Mulligan gives a quietly devastating performance as a single mother doing her best, and Gyllenhaal brings a seething intensity to the role of a man trying to hide his shame. Dano directs the whole thing with the care and confidence of a veteran auteur (his handle on shot composition is truly stunning), and the screenplay by Dano and Kazan is assured and poetic. This is a deeply emotional and mature family drama that proves Dano is the real-deal behind the camera, and it’s also lowkey one of the best films of the last few years. – Adam Chitwood
Magic Mike
Available: September 1
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: Reid Carolin
Cast: Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Cody Horn, Matt Bomer, Olivia Munn, Joe Manganiello, and Matthew McConaughey
Steven Soderbergh rarely makes the movie you think you're gonna get based on the synopsis, and never has than been more apparent than with Magic Mike, his 2012 dramedy about male strippers. Magic Mike XXL was the film most people thought we'd get with the first installment -- a riotous, sexy as hell wild ride through the world of male stripping -- and that film is a phenomenal joy in its own right, but Steven Soderbergh's 2012 original was a surprisingly thoughtful drama about a young man trying to make the American Dream happen by shaking what the good lord gave him. Partially inspired by Channing Tatum's experience as a stripper before his acting career took off, the film stars Tatum as Mike, yes the Magic Mike, and charts the bond between his stripping crew. There are lots of standouts in the beefy ensemble, including Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, and Kevin Nash, but it's Matthew McConaughey's grinning veteran dancer Dallas who walks away with the film. A classic Soderbergh film, Magic Mike a far more complex and nuanced character portrait than anyone expected from the logline, and it's all the better for it.
I'm Thinking of Ending Things
Available: September 4
Writer/Director: Charlie Kaufman
Cast: Jesse Plemons, Jessie Buckley, Toni Collette, David Thewlis
Charlie Kaufman unfolds another surreal, existential excavation of human psychology with I'm Thinking of Ending Things. That title probably prepares you for how dark things are about to get, but it might not brace you for the bizarre happening afoot when a young woman (Jessie Buckley) joins her boyfriend (Jesse Plemmons) on an icy road trip to meet his parents. That surface plot unwinds into a strange journey through loneliness, agency, and the strange way pop culture imprints on our minds and forges our sense of self-identity. It's a head-scratcher and a heart-breaker, and yet Strange Cinema standout on Kaufman's singular resume.
Midnight Special
Available: September 7
Writer/Director: Jeff Nichols
Cast: Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver, Jaeden Martell, Sam Shepard
First things first, look at that freaking cast. What a knockout lineup. With his first studio picture Mud and Take Shelter filmmaker Jeff Nichols once again turned to his regular leading man Michael Shannon and surrounded him with a knockout ensemble in Midnight Special. But that's just scratching the surface of what I love so much about this movie. Shannon stars as the father of a young boy (Jaeden Martell) born with strange abilities, who find themselves on the run after the boy is targetted by federal agencies and wonky cultists alike. But rather than epic chase-scenes or budget-breaking set-pieces, Nichols hones in on the human element of that story, building his thriller around a heartfelt father-son story and the often thankless, winding road to the right thing (especially as a parent). It's beautiful, understated, and emotional, giving Shannon the all-too-rare opportunity to play a normal guy with a good heart, and it's one of my favorite unsung sci-fi movies of the last decade.
#Alive
Available: September 8
Director: Cho Il-hyung
Writers: Cho Il-hyung and Matt Naylor
Cast: Yoo Ah-in and Park Shin-hye
Ready or not, spooky season is upon us! And while Netflix's lineup of Halloween classics may be underwhelming this year (streaming rights do their dirtiest work during the holidays), they've got plenty of original content coming up as part of their annual Netflix and Chills programming. One of the first releases on the lineup is #Alive, the new zombie survival thriller that feels firmly rooted in our internationally shared sense of isolation during the pandemic lockdowns. The Korean horror wastes no time getting to the action, centering on a young man (Yoo Ah-in) who finds himself trapped in his apartment alone after the rapid onset of a zombie plague and following his attempts to stay alive -- and sane -- from his newfound confinement. #Alive doesn't exactly break the mold of zombie thrillers, but it's a tightly-constructed thrilling treat with some of the best zombie transformation scenes in recent memory, and that despairing sense of isolation (along with the inner strength it takes to overcome it) makes it stand out as a unique entry in the zombie canon that feels pitched exactly to the anxieties of 2020.
Enola Holmes
Available On: September 23rd
Director: Harry Bradbeer
Writer: Jack Thorne
Cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Louis Partridge, Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin, and Helena Bonham Carter
Enola Holmes is one of the best and most charming Netflix original movies thus far. Based on the book series of the same name by Nancy Springer, the period film follows Millie Bobby Brown’s titular character, who is the youngest Holmes sibling and has been raised nearly in solitude by her single mother. But when she awakes one day to find her mother is missing, she takes matters into her own hands and sneaks into London to solve the case. The film is tremendously fun as Enola fearlessly follows leads and hunts for clues, but it’s also a surprisingly touching mother-daughter story with legitimately feminist themes. The script actually takes time to consider what it means to be a woman in a man’s world in a way that’s organic (and important) to the story at hand. It’s one of Brown’s best performances, but Henry Cavill is also a delight as Sherlock Holmes himself. Once the movie ends you’ll be begging for Netflix to make many more sequels. – Adam Chitwood