If you’ve already blown through your Netflix and Hulu libraries, maybe it’s time to give Paramount+ a spin. Since Paramount has been making movies since 1916, its catalog of films is deep. Seriously. Imagine John Wayne Westerns on the same streamer as Sonic the Hedgehog! It’s madness, and we love it. And now that Showtime’s formidable library has been added to the catalog? Fuhgeddaboudit!
For all movie lovers, whether you prefer silly comedies or touching character studies, here are our favorite movies from Paramount’s prodigious vault to watch now on Paramount+.
1. Top Gun: Maverick
Credit: Paramount Pictures / Paramount+
Top Gun: Maverick could have flopped like so many of its fellow nostalgia-fueled reboots. But instead, it soars. Tom Cruise and company have done the impossible and made a sequel that honors what worked best about the original film while still telling a fresh story that never feels like a retread. It’s pure movie magic!
More than 30 years after graduating from the Top Gun Navy fighter pilot training program, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is called back to help prepare its newest recruits for a particularly dangerous mission. The catch? One of the recruits is the son of Pete’s late best friend and former fellow recruit, Goose. Only Maverick can push these young pilots to take the risks necessary for success, but is he willing to ask Goose’s son to put his life at risk?
Exciting, surprisingly touching, and guaranteed to have you looking up how much a pilot’s license costs, Top Gun: Maverick is peak entertainment.
How to watch: Top Gun: Maverick is now streaming on Paramount+.
2. The Talented Mr. Ripley
The Talented Mr. Ripley walked so Saltburn could run. This iconic psychological thriller features a young Matt Damon as Tom Ripley, a poor New Yorker who finds himself in the entourage of the rich and impossibly charismatic Dickie as he lounges and carouses his way across 1950s Europe. But is it luck that brought Tom into Dickie’s orbit, or something more sinister?
Jude Law is at his Jude-est Law-iest as Dickie, exuding the effortless grace of a young, handsome aristocrat who can’t help but charm everyone meets. Gwyneth Paltrow glows as Dickie’s girlfriend, Marge, and Philip Seymour Hoffman is pitch-perfect as another of Dickie’s rich friends, who mistrusts Tom from the get-go. Based on the Patricia Highsmith novel and directed by Anthony Minghella, The Talented Mr. Ripley is a suspenseful, captivating classic.
How to watch: The Talented Mr. Ripley is now streaming on Paramount+.
3. Clueless
Credit: Paramount / Kobal / Shutterstock
Clueless, first of all, is iconic. Nearly 30 years have passed, but it’s still a cultural touchstone for today’s teens. Perhaps its staying power comes from its plot, directly lifted from the literal founder of the romantic comedy, Jane Austen. Like Austen’s Emma Woodhouse, Clueless’s Cher (Alicia Silverstone) acts as a matchmaker to everyone around her but can’t seem to get her own love life in order. The story alone does not fully capture the movie’s charm. Clueless is both hilarious and sweet, features unforgettable costumes, and most importantly, is filled to the brim with memorable, quotable lines. Cinema has never heard a more cutting insult than “You’re a virgin who can’t drive.”
How to watch: Clueless is streaming on Paramount+.
4. Past Lives
Since its Sundance debut in January, writer/director Celine Song’s debut feature has been buzzed about as one of the best of the year. When the film finally hit theaters in June, those outside of the Park City festival bubble got to weigh in. And this romantic movie lives up to the hype!
Greta Lee, who also appeared in such buzzy 2023 gems as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Problemista, stars as Nora, a Korean-American playwright who reconnects with her childhood sweetheart from Seoul (Teo Yoo) over a couple of heady days in New York City. Long walks and long talks scratch at the scab of what could have been, as the two share an exciting chemistry. But life is complicated — specifically, Nora is already married to the rumpled but charming Arthur (John Magaro). So, will these long-lost lovers reignite their would-be romance? Or will they have to wait for another life?* — Kristy Puchko, Film Editor
How to watch: Past Lives is now streaming on Paramount+.
5. Everything Everywhere All at Once
Credit: A24 / Moviestore / Shutterstock
Want a movie with a little bit of everything? Then you can’t beat the 2023 Oscar winner for Best Picture. Academy Award–winner Michelle Yeoh stars as a disgruntled Laundromat owner who’s at her wit’s end between her obligations as a boss, wife, mother, and daughter. And just as she’s braced to deal with a tax auditor with a surly attitude (Academy Award–winner Jamie Lee Curtis), a dashing version of her husband (Academy Award–winner Ke Huy Quan) bursts onto the scene from a parallel universe to loop her into a quest to save all existence. Packed with absolutely bonkers action, outrageous jokes, dizzying style, and performances as silly as they are deeply poignant, The Daniels‘ Everything Everywhere All at Once is the kind of movie that’ll have you laughing, crying, gasping, and maybe even reconsidering your life up to now.* — K.P.
How to watch: Everything Everywhere All at Once is now streaming on Paramount+.
6. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
A fun family adventure that still hits some 40 years later, the original Indiana Jones films have been copied many times, but never surpassed. And the first of the bunch, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, is simply legendary. Harrison Ford is swashbuckling and swoon-worthy as the adventuresome archaeology professor who spends his free time tracking down lost, ancient treasures around the globe — a task that is never as straightforward as it seems.
How to watch: Indiana Jones is now streaming on Paramount+.
7. Carol
Credit: Wilson Webb / Killer / The Weinstein Company / Kobal / Shutterstock
Based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Price of Salt (republished as Carol in 1990), Todd Haynes’s Carol stars Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara as two forbidden lovers in 1950s New York. Therese (Mara) is an aspiring photographer working at a department store one Christmas when she meets Carol (Blanchett), who is shopping for a present for her daughter. The sparks fly immediately, but their blossoming love has a few roadblocks, such as Carol’s impending divorce from her crappy husband, Harge (Kyle Chandler, no!), not to mention that era’s attitude towards homosexuality.
If you’re in the mood for queer yearning, a tense slow-burn, and one of the best sapphic love stories ever, Carol is the perfect watch. You will feel all the feelings.* — Yasmeen Hamadeh, Freelance Contributor
How to watch: Carol is now streaming on Paramount+.
8. Galaxy Quest
Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell, and Daryl Mitchell are the fictional crew of a cult TV sci-fi series, Galaxy Quest. Years after the show’s been off the air, they float from convention to convention, signing autographs and wishing their careers had gone in a different direction. Until one day, they’re kidnapped by aliens who saw their TV broadcast from across the galaxy and thought it was real! Uh oh! Now the aliens hope Tim Allen and crew can defend their planet against an invading force, while the hapless band of actors just hopes they can keep up the ruse long enough to find a way home. Galaxy Quest is a deeply silly movie that packs a sneaky emotional punch. An absolute winner, through and through.
How to watch: Galaxy Quest is now streaming on Paramount+.
9. Bodies Bodies Bodies
Credit: A24 / Moviestore / Shutterstock
Like your comedy with a side of murder? Directed by Halina Reijn, this A24 thriller boasts a playful premise and a bevy of hot stars. Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Myha’la Herrold, Chase Sui Wonders, Rachel Sennott, Lee Pace, and Pete Davidson play a motley crew of friends who plan for a wild weekend in a remote mansion. But when a childish game of pretend murder leads to real bloodshed, these friends turn suspicious of each other faster than you can say party foul. Cleverly constructed, wickedly funny, and weirdly hot, Bodies Bodies Bodies is a demented delight.* — K.P.
How to watch: Bodies Bodies Bodies is now streaming on Paramount+.
10. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is the definition of a crowd-pleaser. Thrilling action sequences, ridiculous side characters, beloved actors playing gleefully against type, plenty of Easter eggs for the hardcore DnD fans — this is one adventure you don’t want to miss.
Chris Pine is Edgin Darvis, a bard and peacekeeper who turned to a life of thievery to support his daughter following the death of his wife — and was thrown in jail for it. After escaping with his friend Holga (Michelle Rodriguez), Edgin will stop at nothing to reunite with his daughter.
How to watch: Dungeons and Dragons is now streaming on Paramount+.
11. She’s All That
Credit: Claudette Barius / Miramax / Kobal / Shutterstock
A romantic comedy hall-of-famer, 1999’s She’s All That gives us one of the most iconic and absurd examples of nerdy-girl-isn’t-hot-until-you-take-her-glasses-off movie magic. Freddie Prinze Jr. is lovably smug as the high school top dawg who bets his bros he can turn any girl into the prom queen in six weeks, even social outcast Laney Boggs. That’s right, it’s a 1990s Pygmalion/My Fair Lady — and you already know how it ends!
This is a teen comedy that retains some of its edge; the teens were still allowed to be mean to each other in the ‘90s. Rachael Leigh Cook became a household name as the artsy high school misfit who was obviously cute long before she got contacts. Matthew Lillard, Paul Walker, Jodi Lyn O’Keefe, Kieran Culkin, Anna Paquin, Gabrielle Union, and more help cement She’s All That in the hallowed halls of rom-com history, and its soundtrack is a full-fledged nostalgia bomb. It’s time for a rewatch.*
How to watch: She’s All That is now streaming on Paramount+.
12. Hit the Road
At first, when we see this Iranian family on a road trip, it seems as though we’re settling in for a carefree vacation. But as time goes on, we realize there is more to this story, and the family is on a high-stakes journey to sneak their adult son out of the country.
Warm, thrilling, and completely fresh, Hit the Road is a stirring look at a family doing their best in an impossible situation. Writer/director Panah Panahi weaves from humor to tragedy and back again with sophistication and grace, incorporating silence as a meaningful player in his storytelling. Panahi knows the power of secrets and censorship all too well, as he is the son of acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, who himself was silenced by his government and banned from creating more films.
How to watch: Hit the Road is now streaming on Paramount+.
13. The Lost City
Credit: Kimberley French / Paramount Pictures
Does it ever feel like nothing will fix your problems but a Sanda Bullock romantic comedy? Enter 2022’s The Lost City. Is it a perfect movie? No. Is it a ridiculously fun adventure chock-full of charismatic actors and one iconic sequin jumpsuit? Heck yes, it is!
Bullock is Loretta Sage, a reclusive romance novelist who has given up on love in her own life after the death of her husband. Channing Tatum is simply perfect as the himbo cover model for her books who is secretly in love with her. When an unhinged billionaire kidnaps Loretta because her latest book recalls similar details to a lost treasure he’s hunting, Tatum takes it upon himself, and his zero useful skills, to rescue her.
How to watch: The Lost City is now streaming on Paramount+.
14. The Big Short
For those of us who are aware that the housing market crashed in 2007 but have no clue how or why it happened, there is hope in the form of The Big Short. Somehow, Adam McKay turned a devastating crisis that bankrupted millions of innocent Americans into a gripping, informative, and funny movie! Wee!
The film follows multiple disparate investors, hedge fund managers, and financial players as they each, on their own, begin to uncover the faulty foundation holding up the U.S. housing market: a lot of mortgage loans were simply backed by bullsh*t. And with the help of a star-studded cast — including Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, John Magaro. and more — alongside clever visuals and accessible explanations, The Big Short is mandatory viewing for anyone wanting to understand more about the ruthless power of the Big Banks. But, like, in a fun way.
How to watch: The Big Short is now streaming on Paramount+.
15. Aftersun
Credit: A24 / Moviestore / Shutterstock
Do we ever truly know our loved ones? Writer/director Charlotte Wells explores the desire to understand our family members in a stunning debut feature, Aftersun. Paul Mescal is captivating and enigmatic as Calum, a young father taking his 11-year-old daughter Sophie on a vacation to celebrate his birthday. As the film unfolds, and Sophie records their trip on a camcorder (this is the late ‘90s, afterall!), we see flashes of adult Sophie rewatching the footage, yearning to know more deeply the man hidden inside her dad. Aftersun is an astounding, empathetic character study that will stay with you for days.
How to watch: Aftersun is now streaming on Paramount+.
16. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Jenny Slate and her ex-husband Dean Fleischer Camp created the viral Marcel the Shell character while they were still together. Post-divorce, they worked alongside each other to bring the sweet little shell to the big screen with this very A24 movie. And while it probably was not fun to work as exes, we are grateful they took one for the team, because Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is a whimsical, heartwarming, mockumentary adventure that will make you laugh, cry, and want to talk in a teeny, tiny little voice.
How to watch: Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is now streaming on Paramount+.
17. A Quiet Place
Credit: Jonny Cournoyer / Paramount / Kobal / Shutterstock
John Krasinski went from actor to celebrated director with this spine-tingling 2018 hit. Starring opposite his real-life wife Emily Blunt, The Office star plays a farmer dedicated to protecting his family from killer creatures that hunt by sound. This clever premise means the movie’s characters can’t scream, because such a sound would definitely be their last. That means your own sounds of terror are weaponized while watching, crashing into the silent soundscape that’s suffocating in tension.
Ruthlessly paced and keenly realized, A Quiet Place is a superbly scary thrill ride. But what makes it top-tier are the poignant performances by Krasinski, Blunt, and their onscreen children, Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe. Together, they make a family-frightening feature that’s perfect for a quiet night at home. And if you dare to double-feature, the spooky sequel, A Quiet Place: Part II, is also available. — Kristy Puchko, Deputy Entertainment Editor *
How to watch: A Quiet Place is now streaming on Paramount+.
18. Saving Private Ryan
In 1944, after surviving the harrowing D-Day battle at Omaha beach, Captain John Miller and his team are tasked with taking a message across France to one Private James Ryan. Ryan’s three brothers have been killed in action, and the U.S. government, looking for a positive PR story, wants to bring Ryan home alive to his mother. Miller and his team resent this mission. Is all this effort worth saving one life?
Steven Spielberg’s moving masterpiece is a sobering rumination on the harsh reality of war. Deaths are senseless and shocking. The opening D-Day sequence has been heralded as one of the most accurate film depictions of the chaos, the confusion, the brutality of a battle. Against this backdrop of violence and impermanence, the characters struggle to hold on to their humanity — but perhaps a mission of goodwill will help them remember. Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, and more round out the cast of this unforgettable film.
How to watch: Saving Private Ryan is now streaming on Paramount+.
19. To Catch a Thief
Credit: Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
An Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece, To Catch a Thief is a half-suspense, half-romance whodunnit against a sparkling Mediterranean backdrop. Cary Grant is smooth as ever as John Robie, a reformed jewel thief now living a quiet life in the French Riviera. But when a string of new robberies puts him under suspicion, he’ll have to find the real culprit before he takes the blame.
Grace Kelly is literally glowing in this film, playing one of the rich tourists whose belongings were stolen, and her sumptuous Edith Head costumes are truly iconic. To Catch a Thief is one of those gorgeous classics where no one has a job and everyone speaks in witty double entendres. It’s a mischievous, flirtatious movie that makes you want to put on an enormous hat and move to Monaco — which is what Grace Kelly did: It was during the production of Thief that she met her future husband, the Prince of Monaco!
How to watch: To Catch a Thief is now streaming on Paramount+.
20. Titanic
Kate Winslet is Rose, a young, upper-class Brit aboard the RMS Titanic who soon finds herself in a whirlwind romance with the handsome, charming, and penniless Jack — Leonardo DiCaprio’s star-making role. Their class difference isn’t the only obstacle their love faces, as Rose’s wealthy fiancé Cal (Billy Zane) is also on the ship, and the ship is about to run into an enormous iceberg and become the world’s most famous maritime catastrophe.
James Cameron’s Titanic is an epic in every sense of the word. The love story is melodramatic and all-encompassing, made even more urgent by the impending doom we know is waiting for the lovers. When the action hits, it is visceral, harrowing, and breathtaking: an incomprehensible disaster seen through the eyes of its human victims. There’s also a whole bit about Rose in the present as an old woman and the team trying to find the ship’s wreckage — but no one really remembers that part.*
How to watch: Titanic is now streaming on Paramount+.
21. Arrival
Credit: Shutterstock
This isn’t your run-of-the-mill alien flick. Arrival is a moody, complex science fiction drama where 12 extraterrestrial ships land across the globe… and wait. Countries scramble to make contact, to decipher meaning from the aliens’ presence. Enter Amy Adams as Louise Banks, a linguist assigned to study the alien’s language from their USA parking spot in Montana. The closer she comes to understanding the visitors’ intentions, the more her perception of the world around her begins to change. Arrival is scenic and existential, pairing high-concept philosophical questions with sweeping shots of the Montana plains. It’s suspenseful, provocative, and atmospheric — a winning combination for science fiction. And it goes without saying, but we’ll say it anyway, Amy Adams is (as always!) at the top of her game here.
How to watch: Arrival is now streaming on Paramount+.
22. Minority Report
All the best science-fiction flicks are based on Philip K. Dick stories. First Blade Runner, then Total Recall, and in 2002, the mind-warping thriller Minority Report. The year is 2054, and America has won the war on crime by instituting the “Precrime” program, which utilizes future-telling technology to arrest people before they actually commit their foretold crime. Precrime Officer John Anderton (Tom Cruise) strongly believes in the power of his department, until his name appears on the arrest list for an upcoming murder. Directed by Steven Spielberg, Minority Report is a complex science fiction story, a gripping action movie, and a suspenseful mystery film all-in-one.
How to watch: Minority Report is now streaming on Paramount+.
23. Mean Girls
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There’s a reason why, over 15 years later, we’re still joking “You can’t sit with us!!!” when our friends meet us late for dinner. Mean Girls set the standard for teen comedies in the early 2000s. The Tina Fey-penned flick was a box office behemoth when it debuted in 2004, and it shows no signs of fading out of relevance any time soon. Lindsay Lohan is Cady Heron, a formerly home-schooled teenager with no clue how to navigate the strict and punishing social hierarchy of North Shore High School. Her new friends, themselves social misfits, push her to infiltrate the popular crowd so they can ultimately take down the Queen Bee, a flawless Rachel McAdams.
Mean Girls is hilarious, endlessly quotable, and a piercingly accurate take on the stakes of popularity in 2000s American high schools. Luckily, since “On Wednesdays, we wear pink” and “She doesn’t even go here!” have firmly taken root in our collective cultural consciousness, we can keep enjoying this gem for decades to come.
How to watch: Mean Girls is now streaming on Paramount+.
24. School of Rock
Before Mike White became the White Lotus king, he wrote Jack Black his most perfect role in School of Rock. Black plays an unsuccessful musician (who was kicked out of his band for rocking too hard!) hellbent on winning a local battle of the bands. In need of cash, he swipes his roommate’s substitute teaching gig at a fancy prep school and plans to ditch as soon as he gets a paycheck. But when he discovers these kids are fantastic little musicians, another plan takes shape. Can he and a group of middle schoolers win the battle of the bands?
Insane, silly, and good clean fun, School of Rock is a winner for the whole family with some truly unforgettable tunes!
How to watch: School of Rock is now streaming on Paramount+.
*Asterisks indicate the writeup is adapted from another Mashable article.
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UPDATE: Apr. 15, 2024, 3:27 p.m. EDT This article was updated to include the latest streaming options.
