The 20 best movies on Freevee
Freevee — Amazon's free, ad-supported streaming platform formerly known as IMdB TV — launched in 2019 and has been a welcome alternative to the company's paid service, Amazon Prime Video. Aside from Tubi, there are few other streamers that boast the quantity and quality of material Freevee does at no charge. In addition to original shows and movies, there's also a multitude of classic films available to stream.
For your viewing pleasure, EW has compiled the 20 best movies on Freevee right now.
<i>But I'm a Cheerleader</i> (1999)
Jamie Babbit's cult classic may have received some heat upon its release, but that's just because it was ahead of its time. Natasha Lyonne heads a superb cast in the gleefully queer dark comedy, as her soft-mannered, do-gooder cheerleader is sent to a candy-colored conversion therapy program that holds a mirror up to society's most absurdly binary stereotypes. Given how revolutionary the film comes across in 2023, one struggles to grasp how radical it must have felt in 1999.
Where to watch But I'm a Cheerleader: Freevee
Director: Jamie Babbit
Cast: Natasha Lyonne, Clea DuVall, RuPaul, Melanie Lynskey, Michelle Williams
Related content: Meet Your Maker: High School creator Clea DuVall on her pop culture inspirations
<i>Charade</i> (1963)
Stanley Donen's playful comedic thriller stars Audrey Hepburn as a widow pursued by the gang of violent thieves who murdered her husband. In the face of danger, she's aided by Cary Grant in prime late-era form. Often dismissed as a Hitchcock wannabe, Charade is, in reality, a very knowing and well-plotted nail-biter, featuring gorgeous international locations and some terrific chemistry between Hepburn and Grant. The film was remade in 2002 as The Truth About Charlie, with Mark Wahlberg in Grant's role and Thandiwe Newton standing in for Hepburn, though it doesn't hold a candle to the classic original work.
Where to watch Charade: Freevee
EW grade: B+ (read the review)
Director: Stanley Donen
Cast: Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Mathau, George Kennedy, James Coburn
Related content: Legacy: Audrey Hepburn
<i>Death Becomes Her</i> (1992)
Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn headline this macabre horror-comedy from director Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future). Hawn stars as Helen Sharp, an ugly duckling who has her doctor fiancé (Bruce Willis) stolen out from under her by the seductive Off Broadway star Madeline Ashton (Streep). Years later, Helen returns for a homicidal revenge that finds the two women battling from beyond the grave. Chock-full of brilliant gallows humor, the film caps with a wonderful mic-drop ending (of the sort that rarely gets made nowadays).
Where to watch Death Becomes Her: Freevee
EW grade: N/A (read the review)
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Cast: Goldie Hawn, Meryl Streep, Bruce Willis, Isabella Rossellini, Mary Ellen Trainor
Related content: Meryl Streep's 22 best performances
<i>Dressed to Kill</i> (1980)
One of Brian De Palma's best movies is this pared-down exercise in slasher theatrics following a razor-killer in Manhattan. Released at the height of the sub-genres popularity, Dressed to Kill spurred protests condemning its treatment of both women and the trans community. Certainly, many of the film's twists don't hold up in today's political climate, but as a (then) modern riff on Psycho, context is key to some otherwise regrettable creative liberties. Regardless, there are a handful of show-stopping suspense sequences, but none more than Nancy Allen's midnight subway ride as she's stalked by the murderer.
Where to watch Dressed to Kill: Freevee
Director: Brian De Palma
Cast: Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson, Nancy Allen, Keith Gordon, Susanna Clemm
Related content: Angie Dickinson reflects on her best roles, from Rio Bravo to Ocean's 11 to Dressed to Kill
<i>Escape from New York</I> (1981)
John Carpenter's actioner stars Kurt Russell as prison inmate Snake Plissken, who's tasked with saving the president (Donald Pleasence) from infidels in an apocalyptic 1997. One of the director's last films from his most furtive period, Escape from New York is an assured blend of sci-fi thriller and the Howard Hawks westerns he grew up loving as a kid.
Where to watch Escape from New York: Freevee
EW grade: B (read the review)
Director: John Carpenter
Cast: Kurt Russell, Adrienne Barbeau, Lee Van Cleef, Donald Pleasence, Isaac Hayes
Related content: Radio Silence filmmakers say new Escape From New York film will not be a remake
<i>Fast Times at Ridgemont High</i> (1982)
Almost Famous-helmer Cameron Crowe scripted this indispensable high school dramedy, directed by Amy Heckerling (Clueless). What sets Fast Times at Ridgemont High apart is its tone, which flirts with raunchy comedy but fully embraces the inane melancholy of high school, taking its characters seriously while also acknowledging that life has more in store for (most of) them. Much is said of Sean Penn's turn as Spicoli, but the standout here is Jennifer Jason Leigh in one of her earliest roles.
Where to watch Fast Times at Ridgemont High: Freevee
Director: Amy Heckerling
Cast: Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Forest Whitaker
Related content: Fast Times at Ridgemont High cast: Where are they now?
<i>Four Weddings and a Funeral</i> (1994)
Richard Curtis' seminal rom com sees Charles (Hugh Grant, in the role which made him a star) and Carrie (Andie MacDowell, never not radiant) encounter each other at — you guessed it — four weddings and a funeral. It's one of the classic '90s romance films, and with good reason. Curtis' writing is as sharp as ever, and the cast has rarely had a better opportunity to charm the pants off of everyone in sight.
Where to watch Four Weddings and a Funeral: Freevee
EW grade: A- (read the review)
Director: Richard Curtis
Cast: Hugh Grant, Andie McDowell, Kristin Scott Thomas, Rowan Atkinson, John Hannah
Related content: Read about Mindy Kaling's Hulu reboot of the film
<i>Half Nelson</i> (2006)
Ryan Gosling earned an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of a drug-addicted teacher in this affecting social drama from Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (co-directors of Captain Marvel). After a student (Shareeka Epps) catches him getting high, the two form an unlikely bond. The pat screenplay falls prey to indulgences synonymous with this era of indie filmmaking, but the two performances at its center keep Half Nelson consistently electric.
Where to watch Half Nelson: Freevee
EW grade: N/A (read the review)
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Shareeka Epps, Anthony Mackie, Nathan Corbett, Deborah Rush
Related content: The 15 best Ryan Gosling roles
<i>Insomnia</i> (1997)
Erik Skjoldbjærg's Norwegian thriller about a cop (Stellan Skarsgård) investigating a murder in an Alaskan town that never sees nighttime was remade by Christopher Nolan under the same title in 2002. Nolan's effort is quite good, but it doesn't capture the same moral ambiguity as Skjoldbjærg's original, nor does it have the same creeping dread or inimitable atmosphere. Indeed, Insomnia gets into your bones like a vicious chill.
Where to watch Insomnia: Freevee
EW grade: A- (read the review)
Director: Erik Skjoldbjærg
Cast: Stellan Skarsgård, Maria Mathiesen, Bjørn Floberg, Marianne O. Ulrichsen, Sverre Anker Ousdal
<i>Madagascar</i> (2005)
The Concrete Jungle has nothing on the actual jungle — or so says the premise of DreamWorks Animation's 2005 comedy, Madagascar. When four Central Park Zoo animals escape for a night on the town, they find themselves on a boat headed for a wildlife preserve in Kenya, only to shipwreck on the titular island and find that their luxurious lifestyle has ill-prepared them for a life spent in nature. Beyond touting a stellar voice cast, this animated film also features one of the catchiest versions of "I Like to Move It" in cinema history.
Where to watch Madagascar: Freevee
EW grade: A- (read the review)
Director: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath
Cast: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Andy Richter, Cedric the Entertainer
Related content: Madagascar animated series welcomes a nonbinary character in Pride episode sneak peek
<i>O Brother, Where Art Thou?</i> (2000)
It's hard to pick the best Coen Brothers movie, but O Brother, Where Art Thou? made EW's top five. A loose update of Homer's The Odyssey, the film features a trio of dim-witted prisoners who escape and go in search of buried treasure. This being the Coens, they meet a variety of odd characters and extreme circumstances along the way. In addition to a stellar folk soundtrack, there's an expert juggling of immense tragedy and slapstick comedy, though the work never once confuses the two tones or bogs itself down with pieties.
Where to watch O Brother, Where Art Thou: Freevee
EW grade: N/A (read the review)
Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Cast: George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman, Holly Hunter
Related content: Read about how O Brother, Where Art Thou resurrected classic country music
<i>Open Your Eyes</i> (1997)
A man (Eduardo Noriega) who ostensibly has it all meets the perfect woman (Penelope Cruz). He's then plunged into a bizarre psychological realm after suffering a car accident and winding up in prison. Alejandro Amenábar's genre-bending odyssey is an impressive blend of horror, romance, drama, and intrigue. Brilliantly, the mystery is genuinely confounding — and when the revelations come, they escalate the suspense rather than deflate it.
Where to watch Open Your Eyes: Freevee
Director: Alejandro Amenábar
Cast: Eduardo Noriega, Penelope Cruz, Fele Martínez, Chete Lera, Najwa Nimri
<i>The Passion of the Christ</i> (2004)
Is Mel Gibson's depiction of the most famous crucifixion of all time a balanced vision of the story? No, of course not. Is it inherently controversial? Absolutely! (Look no further than the casting of current QAnon spokesperson Jim Caviezel as Jesus Christ himself, a decision that apparently imbued no one with delusions of grandeur.) Yet it's undeniable that Gibson is a director of tremendous visceral skill. The Passion of the Christ, while regrettable in some arenas, is a wonderful religious horror movie. (There are things in here that make the Saw movies look like an episode of The Wiggles.)
Where to watch The Passion of the Christ: Freevee
EW grade: B (read the review)
Director: Mel Gibson
Cast: Jim Caviezel, Monica Bellucci, Maia Morgenstern
Related content: Mel Gibson on Passion of the Christ sequel: 'It's a big subject'
<i>Point Break</i> (1991)
Kathryn Bigelow cemented her status as one of the best blockbuster directors in town with this breezy, iconic thriller about an FBI agent (Keanu Reeves) set to infiltrate a gang of bank robbers led by Patrick Swayze. A 2016 remake tried and failed to recapture the singular extreme sports meets heist smoothie that Bigelow concocted here, complete with surfing scenes that leave you longing for the coast.
Where to watch Point Break: Freevee
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze, Lori Petty, Gary Busey, James Le Gros
Related content: How Dennis Jarvis taught Point Break's cast how to ride the waves
<i>Prom Night</i> (1980)
Jamie Lee Curtis gives a predictably committed performance in the peak-era slasher Prom Night. As her father, Leslie Nielsen also assumes a straight-faced, red herring role on the heels of his comedy rebirth in Airplane. The pacing is deliberate, but as a mix of Halloween's tension and Friday the 13th's outlandish gore, you can hardly do better. We don't want to sound sick or anything, but this has one of the nastiest decapitations of all time.
Where to watch Prom Night: Freevee
Director: Paul Lynch
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Leslie Nielsen, Michael Tough, Eddie Benton, Casey Stevens
Related content: Jamie Lee Curtis recalls her most famous roles, from Halloween to Everything Everywhere All at Once
<i>Promising Young Woman</i> (2020)
Emerald Fennell (who recently appeared in Barbie as the pregnant, forgotten doll Midge) wrote and directed this searing black comedy. Carrie Mulligan is superb as the eponymous character, who dropped out of medical school after a traumatic incident and now serves coffee all day. When she meets a handsome doctor (comedian and Eighth Grade director Bo Burnham), her past and future are set on a violent collision course.
Promising Young Woman is an angry film which provides no easy answers and little catharsis, but it's also tremendously entertaining and often laugh-out-loud funny. (And the orchestral use of a classic Britney Spears track is nothing short of revolutionary.) Fennell won a much-deserved Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay here, and judging from her confident, stylish direction, it won't be the last Oscar in her pocket.
Where to watch Promising Young Woman: Freevee
EW grade: B+ (read the review)
Director: Emerald Fennell
Cast: Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Jennifer Coolidge, Connie Britton, Alfred Molina
Related content: Why Emerald Fennell cast sweet men to do bad things in Promising Young Woman
<i>The Revenant</i> (2015)
Leonardo DiCaprio finally earned his Oscar for this startling, nauseating revisionist western. He stars as adventurer Hugh Glass, who's left for dead by his tribe after enduring a horrific bear attack. When his son is killed by one of his own men (a sneering Tom Hardy), Glass goes on a life or death journey of revenge. More of an action blockbuster than anyone could've anticipated from Birdman-director Alejandro González Iñárritu, The Revenant is one of the most unrelenting and visceral adventure pictures in modern memory. It's not for the faint of heart (or stomach), but those who can sit for its duration will be well-rewarded.
Where to watch The Revenant: Freevee
EW grade: B (read the review)
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Cast: Leonard DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter, Lukas Haas
Related content: The Revenant: Leonardo DiCaprio, Alejandro G. Iñárritu talk survivalist themes in featurette
<i>Road Games</i> (1981)
Another Jamie Lee Curtis thriller from the legend's early horror tenure, this expert Australian thriller is less slasher and more Hitchcock. It concerns a long-haul trucker (Stacey Keach) and a mysterious hitchhiker (Curtis) who run afoul of a killer in the outback. The DNA of Road Games is highly evident in both Joy Ride, John Dahl's white-knuckle modern classic, and Jeepers Creepers (both 2001), two films worth revisiting if you enjoyed this one.
Where to watch Road Games: Freevee
Director: Richard Franklin
Cast: Stacey Keach, Jamie Lee Curtis, Grant Page
Related content: The 14 best Jamie Lee Curtis movie and TV roles, ranked
<i>Secretary</i> (2002)
In recent years, Secretary's marketing campaign (or whatever you call it 20 years later) has rebranded it as the original 50 Shades of Grey. Unfortunately, that is both a hack assessment and a wholly accurate one. The difference is that Secretary has crackling dialogue, is gorgeously shot, and actually works as a story. You care about the two lost souls — James Spader as the deviant boss literally named Mr. Grey, and Maggie Gyllenhaal as his submissive assistant — at the center, and root for them to connect rather than wonder if you should call the authorities to report what you're seeing. It's kinky, but it isn't empty.
Where to watch Secretary: Freevee
EW grade: A- (read the review)
Director: Steven Shainberg
Cast: James Spader, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Lesley Ann Warren, Jeremy Davies, Amy Locane
Related content: Secretary and other films which have pushed the boundaries of on-screen sex
<i>They Came Together</i> (2014)
Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd star in this luminously silly parody of generic rom coms from Wet Hot American Summer director David Wain. Though a broader target than the summer camp comedies of his previous films, They Came Together hits an uncommon number of bull's eyes with its succession of Airplane-style gags. It limps to its conclusion, but that may be interpreted as a meta wink. After all, how many romance flicks peter out by the 75-minute mark?
Where to watch They Came Together: Freevee
EW grade: B (read the review)
Director: David Waine
Cast: Amy Poehler, Paul Rudd, Michael Shannon, Jason Mantzoukas, Christopher Meloni
Related content: Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler give rom coms an Airplane! twist: Sundance
