Netflix is officially a bonafide force in original film production. The streaming service has been crushing it in series storytelling for years, but last year marked a definitive shift, seeing Netflix breakthrough to the prestige awards circuit with titles like Roma and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, while also helping to rekindle the rom-com genre with their originals, and doubling down on star power.
A year, later, the pendulum shifted even further and Netflix is poised to dominate come awards season, setting a new record with 17 Golden Globe nominations on the film side (34 total if you include the TV division)-- the first year the streamer toppled Hollywood studios, earning more nominations than any other distributor. With films like Marriage Story, The Irishman, and Dolemite Is My Name riding on mass critical claim to serious awards heat, while more populist films like Always Be My Maybe and In the Tall Grass continue to cater to crowds across the audience spectrum.
Basically, Netflix had a very good year, which made this year's Top 10 Netflix movies list particularly challenging. But we polled the Collider.com staff, voted for our favorites, and these are the winners. To be clear, this isn't a list of movies that were shown on or distributed on Netflix this year, these are only the movies stamped with the "Netflix Original" label. So without further ado, here are the Top 10 Netflix Movies of 2019, ranked.
10. Between Two Ferns: The Movie
Calling Between Two Ferns: The Movie a “movie” is easily one of the most generous ways I have ever seen the term used. It’s basically a handful of new episodes of the popular Funny or Die web series, in which Zach Galifianakis plays a fictionalized version of himself as the host of an interview show that asks insulting and abusive questions of its celebrity guests, connected together by the flimsiest excuse of a road trip plot. But the interview segments are hilarious, in particular the opening sequence with Matthew McConaughey and an extended bit involving Galifianakis enduring the protracted revenge of John Legend after a hotel encounter with Chrissy Teigen.
Each interview plays out like a miniature roast, with Galifianakis slinging some truly ferocious barbs at his guests. (For instance, he opens his interview with Keanu Reeves by asking, “On a scale of 1 to 100, how many words do you know?”) But he spends the time in between segments playing the kind of bristly sad sack loser his fans are used to seeing, so the movie makes it clear that he is ultimately the butt of every joke. The film boasts a truly impressive number of A-list cameos from stars like Brie Larson, Paul Rudd, David Letterman, Tessa Thompson, and Benedict Cumberbatch, and memorable supporting performances from comedians including Lauren Lapkis, Matt Besser, and Paul F. Tompkins. Between Two Ferns makes up for what it lacks in plot and ambition with expertly written jokes and Galifianakis’ trademark bizarreness, and the end result is a clunky film that is relentlessly, extremely funny. -- Tom Reimann
9. In the Tall Grass
In a time when Stephen King adaptations are getting more and more attention for being (gasp!) actually good, writer/director Vincenzo Natali's In the Tall Grass still seems a little under audiences' radar. Based on a short story King wrote with his equally talented son, Joe Hill, the film follows a pair of siblings, Becky (Laysla De Oliveira) and Cal (Avery Whitted), who venture into a roadside field of tall grass to investigate a child's cry for help. Because this is a father-son King joint, the duo finds everything except a way out of the ever-shifting greenery, including corpses, mind-altering space rocks, and a Patrick Wilson who has clearly gone quite insane. There's a lot of claustrophobic terror that can be wrung from an inescapable field, and Natali cleverly keeps the tension high and tight from beginning to end. --Vinnie Mancuso
8. Triple Frontier
Triple Frontier had a long and storied development process that lasted a decade and saw countless mega-stars filter in and out of the lead roles before it ultimately ended up at Netflix. Fortunately, the film we ended up with demonstrated why it was such a constant source of interest for talent. Directed by J.C. Chandor, Triple Frontier stars Ben Affleck, Charlie Hunnam, Oscar Isaac, Garrett Hedlund, and Pedro Pascal as five old friends who used to serve in the Special Forces together and reunite for a risky mission to take down down a drug lord that would also set them all up for life. Naturally, everything goes wrong, ever misstep has catastrophic consequences, and the crew winds up in the tightest spot of their storied history.
The film hits some familiar beats and never quite digs as deep as you'd like into its themes, but it's ambitious and engaging, and Chandor's script (co-credited with Mark Boal) sticks to the writing adage "put your characters at the top of a tree and make 'em hit every branch on the way down," and boy, Chandor hits them with some spiky branches. But as thrilling as the action-packed fiasco is, and Chandor really crafts some top-tier tension, it's the surprisingly tender portrayal of brotherhood forged in the heat of battle that makes Triple Frontier's impact last longer than its anxiety-fueled runtime. -- Haleigh Foutch
7. The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience
First things first, I can say for absolute, objective certainly that Song of the Summer 2019—and, arguably, the song of the year—was "IHOP Parking Lot" from The Lonely Island's Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience. Everything else about the project? Much, much harder to define. Is it even a movie? Kind of, but it's more of a hip-hop concept album short film tone poem that just happens to follow the rise and fall of Oakland A's legends Jose Canseco (Andy Samberg) and Mark McGwire (Akiva Schaffer) in the 1980s. Whatever it is, The Bash Brothers Experience—which Schaffer co-directed with Mike Diva—was one of the best gems of 2019. Incredibly earnest, endlessly funny, and surprisingly moving, it's one of those things you happen to discover during a 2 AM scroll and then never forget. --Vinnie Mancuso
6. Always Be My Maybe
Like manna from heaven, Netflix delivered unto us Always Be My Maybe starring Ali Wong and Randall Park as childhood besties Sasha and Marcus, who grow apart as they enter adulthood and after they lose their virginity to one another. Cut to years later and she's a massively successful chef while he's an adorable burnout living and working for his dad. The pair's reunion reignites some sparks and all would be well and good if they weren't in relationships with other people.
Now, listen, I'm not going to bloviate about how Always Be My Maybe is the much-needed addition to the rom-com canon because it features two Asian American leads. I'm also not going to tell you this movie features Keanu Reeves' best work in 2019 (sorry John Wick 3 - Parabellum) as he plays a version of himself who also happens to be Sasha's extremely in-touch, sensitive, sublime lover. Those are simply two great additions to the key reason Always Be My Maybe is one of the best Netflix movies: it's an unflinchingly adult romance wrapped up in some seriously funny and heartfelt moments. If you've ever wanted to watch a rom-com male lead woo someone through rapping or see female rom-com lead be unapologetically and relatably messy (yes, you actually do), this movie is for you. Even if some clichés of the genre abide, they don't feel stale or overdone. Also, Wong and Park have off-the-charts chemistry which makes them eminently watchable and crush-worthy and truly, isn't that what we all want from our rom-coms? -- Allie Gemmill
5. High Flying Bird
It checks all the “Things That Would Appeal Specifically to Me” boxes regarding good movies. Steven Soderbergh! Inventive iPhone cinematography! Narrative action furthered solely by crackling dialogue! An incredible screenwriter, Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight)! “Behind the game” sports drama! I knew High Flying Bird would work for me, but I am still surprised as to how well exactly it worked for me. André Holland dominates subtly as a fast-talking, always-working sports agent (think a chiller Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems) who tries to appease a new client (Melvin Gregg) during a vicious NBA lockout. The film is dense -- every scene nearly disorienting the mind not just with its packed, oft-discursive always-entertaining dialogue, but with Soderbergh’s oft-180-rule-breaking coverage (Soderbergh puts his phone camera everywhere). High Flying Bird has a ton going on, and if you watch the thing the way you might watch other Netflix programming (which is to say: half-checking your phone the entire time), you might walk away not knowing what the heck happened. Lock in, focus up, and play sharp, because High Flying Bird ain’t here to mess around. -- Gregory Lawrence
4. Marriage Story
What is there to say about Noah Baumbach's achingly tender and beautifully-wrought 2019 film (and awards season frontrunner) Marriage Story which hasn't already been said? Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson take the reins as Charlie and Nicole, respectively. After years spent together as two creative halves brought together (he's a theater director, she's an actress and his muse) before also taking on the mantles of spouses and parents, too, Nicole gets the opportunity of a lifetime: move back home to Los Angeles to star on a television series. Her professional dreams cause a rift with Charlie which proceeds to open such deep, scabbed-over wounds in their relationship it becomes irreparable to their point that Nicole serves Charlie with divorce papers.
Drawing on some personal life experiences to tell the story of a marriage dissolved, Baumbach doesn't pull punches but also creates space for sweetness in Marriage Story. It doesn't matter what side you pick (but really, don't pick a side at all) because the separate and shared journeys of Charlie and Nicole as they disentangle themselves from one another resonate so deeply. Even if you've never gone through or a divorce or had a relationship as deep as theirs, you will watch this movie and feel stunned, tested, moved, irritated, joyful, and everything in between because it is so well-directed, well-acted, and brutally fucking honest. -- Allie Gemmell
3. Velvet Buzzsaw
In Velvet Buzzsaw, writer/director Dan Gilroy offers up a sharp indictment of the Los Angeles art world - following a hyper-competitive group of critics and dealers who make their living off of art without actually creating any themselves. They’re all wholly insufferable and nakedly superficial, so you don’t feel the least bit sorry for them when a series of haunted art pieces starts killing them one by one.
Boasting an amazing ensemble cast featuring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Toni Collette, and John Malkovich, Velvet Buzzsaw is like a zany episode of The Twilight Zone, with a few scenes of bloody horror thrown in to punctuate its message. Gyllenhaal is especially delightful as art critic Morf Vandewalt, whose volcanic outbursts of indignant outrage at anyone who challenges his status or opinions are like solar flares of over-the-top comedic fury. There’s one glorious moment in which he renounces a previous good review of an artist’s work after discovering the artist has slept with a woman he’s interested in, and his brief self-important meltdown is a top-tier exercise in buffoonery. Malkovich is also great as an alcoholic has-been artist struggling to paint something marketable again, and Collette is similarly fun as a vapid curator trying to push her shitty clients on everyone. Gilroy obviously has an ax to grind with professional critics and the power they hold over the perceived value of art (the man did write Freejack), but the film still reads like sharp, fun satire rather than a bitter revenge fantasy. -- Tom Reimann
2. Dolemite Is My Name
I think that film-saturated folks who see every new release, religiously check sites like this one, and are eager to debate all things movies can sometimes feel cynical about the inherently childlike joy that comes from creation and sharing. Watching Dolemite Is My Name will rectify all that. The infectious true story showbiz comedy from director Craig Brewer and all-caps MOVIE STAR Eddie Murphy reminds us of the wonder and glee embedded in cinema’s DNA -- especially in a beautiful series of shots where Murphy stares at the light shining from a projector’s booth, then stares at the audience experiencing it all together.
Based on the improbably meteoric rise of comedian/singer/jack-of-all-trades Rudy Ray Moore, the film settles into a delectable “making of” groove that covers the cult classic Dolemite. If you haven’t seen that film, it’s a little like if Superfly was made by Tommy Wiseau, and I mean that as a sincere compliment. Dolemite Is My Name does not hide the fact that Dolemite is unintentionally funny, dripping with camp, and thrown together by inexperienced, under-trained folks with not much more than a dream. But it’s not here to criticize or poke fun. With performances oscillating perfectly between comedy and gut-punching pathos from Murphy, Wesley Snipes, and especially Da'Vine Joy Randolph, the film is here to say that dreaming matters. That seeing yourself on screen matters. That the strange practice of filming people pretending to recreate human experiences in order to shed light on human experiences matters. I guess what I’m saying is Dolemite Is My Name is a very good movie. -- Gregory Lawrence
1. The Irishman
If Goodfellas made gangsters cool, The Irishman makes them sad. It’s quieter, almost placid compared to Goodfellas’ manic brashness. In some ways, watching this film is like witnessing Martin Scorsese come of age and mature. He’s never glorified the lifestyle in the handful of mob movies he’s made, but the swagger pervading them is evident. The Mafia is about power, money, and whatever debased desires your heart could conceive. The Irishman takes those things and flips them upside-down. There’s nothing attractive about this way of life, nothing alluring. It’s a marathon of a movie—a condemnation of organized crime and the men who dabble in it. Ultimately, it’s about emptiness.
An octogenarian Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) is the only one left in the end, reflecting on his life and still senselessly looking over his shoulder. No, 36-year-old De Niro did not look like the one in the film, but he doesn’t look 76 either. Rather, he seems somewhere in between. Though it’s not the occasionally distracting de-aging effects that leave the biggest impression, but the themes of guilt and regret, and the complex mental war they wage against self-justification. -- Brendan Michael