Presented by SkinnyPop
Well, you did it. Over the last year-plus of pandemic living, as you got more and more desperate for stimulation, you gradually caved and subscribed to every possible streaming service. Somehow, these monthly fees actually do add up, but while you’re busy being too lazy to cancel any of them, you might as well make the most of your plethora of options. The only problem is, sometimes getting to the good sh*t on these streaming libraries takes way more effort than it seems like it should. To kickstart your viewing, I’ve made this list of the best (read: my favorite) movies currently available on seven of the top streaming services. Go!
Netflix – ‘Lady Bird’
These days, I mostly just use Netflix to watch the same three seasons of Grey’s Anatomy (I miss George, sue me), but they still have a solid movie selection if you do a little digging. Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig’s hilarious-yet-painful coming of age story, is an evergreen rewatch option, and I’m honestly thinking about watching it right now before I write the rest of this article.
Hulu – ‘Nomadland’
Somehow it’s only been two months since the Oscars, but we all know time isn’t real. Nomadland won several top prizes during this year’s award season, but if you weren’t in a movie mood at the time, you may have missed it. Well, it’s streaming on Hulu, and it really lives up to the hype. I’ll warn you, the beautiful Southwestern scenery will probably make you want to plan a trip, but now that you’re all vaxxed up, you actually can!
HBO Max – ‘In The Heights’
One of my favorite movies of the year so far, In The Heights is probably best seen in theaters, but if you’re feeling lazy, it’s also available to stream on HBO Max. In The Heights is the musical that put Lin-Manuel Miranda on the map, so if you or a loved one won’t shut up about Hamilton, this is an absolute must-see. Hot take: personally, I prefer In The Heights over Hamilton, but you can decide for yourself after watching.
Amazon Prime – ‘Sound of Metal’
Like Nomadland, Sound of Metal is a 2020 award season favorite that you can stream right now. Riz Ahmed is incredible in this movie about a drummer who struggles to figure out how to live his life after losing his hearing. It sounds super depressing, and I guess it kind of is, but in a good way?
Peacock – ‘Jurassic Park’
Even if you’re the kind of person who rolls your eyes at big blockbuster movies, there’s no denying that the original Jurassic Park is a classic. This movie has everything: giant dinosaurs, a sweeping score and scenery, and Laura Dern! I dare you not to enjoy it. Peacock also has the second and third movies, which are not nearly as good, but sometimes you just need to watch all three.
Paramount+ – ‘Spontaneous’
Paramount+ has only been around for a few months, but the service has a lot more to offer than just reboots of iCarly and Rugrats. They’re adding a lot of great movies from the Paramount catalog, and one of my personal favorites is Spontaneous. It has many of the trappings of your typical high school rom-com, but things get real very quickly when members of the senior class start spontaneously combusting. It sounds dumb, but it works, I promise.
Disney+ – ‘Hidden Figures’
With a wide assortment of classics from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars, it’s usually not difficult to find something to watch on Disney+, but there are some surprising titles in the mix if you dig a little deeper. Like, who knew that Hidden Figures was on there? This true story about three Black women working as NASA mathematicians during the Space Race works for whatever mood you’re in, and whomever you’re watching with.
Images: Surface/Unsplash; Giphy (3); Searchlight Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, Amazon Prime Video, Paramount Movies / YouTube