Are you looking for the best movies on amazon prime? Then you are in the right place. In recent years, the competition between streaming giants like Netflix and Apple TV+ has intensified, with both platforms striving to offer the most prestigious film selections. However, some of the finest cinematic gems are quietly residing on Amazon Prime Video. Amazon was one of the first companies to buy highly praised independent films and films that were popular at film festivals. They have put together an amazing library that you may not have known about. Right now is a great time to find these secret gems.
Here is a list of the 20 best movies on Amazon Prime. All of them are included with your Prime membership, so you don’t have to rent them separately. There are more great choices like these that you might like. Here are our picks for the best Netflix shows and Disney+ movies. If you want to watch more Prime video material, check out our list of the best Amazon shows. Have fun streaming!
Best Movies on Prime Right Now:
1. Brittany Runs a Marathon
“Brittany Runs a Marathon” is an inspiring comedy-drama about Brittany, played by Jillian Bell, who starts a trip that will change her life. In addition, Brittany decides to take charge of her life after her doctor wakes her up. She puts on her sneakers and sets a goal that seems easy: she will run one block. This small step takes her to a task she didn’t expect: training for the New York City Marathon. The movie, made by Paul Downs Colaizzo, is based on the real-life events of a friend and shows both the good and bad parts of growing up. It sends a strong message about strength by showing that no matter how hard things get, you can rise above them, start over, and accomplish something amazing.
2. American Fiction
In ‘American Fiction’, Jeffrey Wright plays Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, a literature professor who has trouble writing because people say his books aren’t “Black enough.” Monk writes a sarcastic book under a fake name that is full of over-the-top stereotypes because she is annoyed by how popular books like Sintara Golden’s (Issa Rae) are at playing to stereotypes. He is upset when the book becomes a huge hit, landing him a rich movie deal and praise from everyone, even his own family. The movie, which is based on Percival Everett’s book “Erasure,” is a sharp parody that criticizes how Black culture is turned into a commodity. Wright’s act is what holds this dark comedy together. It makes sharp comments about race, identity, and the literary world.
3. The Idea of You
“The Idea of You” gets the classic appeal of love comedies by accepting the ridiculous but charming parts of the genre. Solène Marchand is a famous gallery owner, played by Anne Hathaway, and Hayes Campbell is a world music superstar, played by Nicholas Galitzine. The movie is about their relationship. Hayes is 16 years younger than Solène, which makes their relationship more complicated and open to scandal in public. The movie goes beyond these shallow opinions, though, by focusing on how well the stars play off of each other. As they start a fast-paced, around-the-world romance, the story explores the delicate question of whether they should continue their relationship. Fans of the genre will find it fascinating and touching.
4. Road House
“Everybody’s Talking About Jamie” is a lively musical movie based on a play based on a true story. It’s about Jamie New, played by Max Harwood, a young gay kid in Sheffield, England, who is picked on at school and has a hard time getting along with his bigoted father. Even with these problems, Jamie wants to be a drag queen and gets advice and support from Hugo Battersby, a retired drag artist played by Richard E. Grant in a great performance. The movie does a great job of combining themes of self-expression, class, and culture. It shows Jamie’s road to accepting his drag character, “Mimi Me,” and it celebrates how living a true life can change things.
5. Bottoms
“Bottoms” is about two gay high school girls, PJ (Rachel Sennott) and Josie (Ayo Edebiri), who are at the bottom of their school’s social ladder. They come up with a crazy plan to get the attention of popular dancers Isabel (Havana Rose Liu) and Brittany (Kaia Gerber): they will start an all-girls fight club. The club’s goal is to give the girls confidence and teach them how to deal with cranky jock boyfriends. At first glance, the story may remind you of a campy exploitation movie from the 1970s, but “Bottoms” has a much smarter and more subversive take on it. It takes the high school comedy genre and gives it a queer, rebellious twist that is both surprising and delightfully brave. It does this by mixing wild humor with sharp social commentary.
6. Saltburn
“Saltburn” is about an Oxford student named Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) who is having a hard time fitting in. When he makes friends with Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), a rich and interesting student, his life changes. Felix asks Oliver to spend the summer at Saltburn, the big house that belongs to his family. As Oliver gets more involved with the Catton family, his interest in Felix becomes more and more obsessed, which has scary and dark results. Emerald Fennell, who directed “Promising Young Woman,” directed this movie, which is a mix of black comedy and psychological horror. The 2023 movie “Saltburn” caused a lot of discussion because of how it showed class and social relationships. It was one of the most talked-about and controversial movies of the year.
7. The Burial
“The Burial” is a unique legal drama based on the real-life case of Jeremiah O’Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones), who runs a funeral home, and Willie Gary (Jamie Foxx), who is his charming lawyer. They are going up against a big company in the “death care” business in the United States. The movie, which Maggie Betts directed, looks at the deep-seated unfairness in the funeral business, especially how Black communities are taken advantage of by paying higher prices. Tommy Lee Jones and Jamie Foxx give strong performances, but Jurnee Smollett really shines as Mame Downes, a tough lawyer who fights Gary at every turn. Even though it’s about a sad subject, “The Burial” manages to mix dark humor with a strong story, sending a message that makes you want to live.
8. A Million Miles Away
A moving story is told in “A Million Miles Away” about José Hernández, a migrant farm worker who beat all chances to become the first Mexican-American astronaut. The movie, which is based on Hernández’s book, shows how he never gave up on a dream that seemed impossible. Michael Peña gives a powerful performance as Hernández, showing how determined he is to get to space. Rosa Salazar, who plays his wife Adela, shines as someone who supports his goals without losing sight of her own. The movie’s director, Alejandra Márquez Abella, strikes a good mix between showing Hernández’s trip and showing the beautiful parts of everyday life. The movie brings together themes of persistence, family, and the search for the American Dream in a way that feels both hopeful and realistic.
9. Red, White, and Royal Blue
Based on Casey McQuiston’s famous book, “Red, White, and Royal Blue” is the perfect example of “gloriously cheesy trash.” During a time of political turmoil and media stories, their friendship goes from being competitive at first to being very close. There are some over-the-top scenes in the movie, like a wedding cake accident and a steamy hotel meeting. Uma Thurman’s performance as President Ellen Claremont has a very strange “Texan” accent. Even though it’s full of silly ideas, the movie is still sweet and happy, like a guilty pleasure pizza: not perfect but definitely fun.
10. Shin Masked Rider
“Shin Masked Rider” is a great movie to watch if you’re sick of predictable superhero movies. This movie reboots the 1971 TV show Kamen Rider and was directed by Hideaki Anno, who is known for “Evangelion,” “Shin Godzilla,” and “Shin Ultraman.” It’s about a biker named Takeshi Hongo (Sosuke Ikematsu) who is captured by the terrorist group S.H.O.C.K.E.R. and turned into a powerful robot.
Hongo runs away and uses his skills to fight the group instead of becoming one of them. Anno’s version goes deeper into body horror and looks at how hard it is to stay human when people are becoming less human. The movie is much bloodier than I thought it would be, showing what happens when superpowered people and regular people fight, but it only feels like a little. It’s a new way to tell superhero stories that will appeal to both old and new fans of the original.
11. Air
In 1984, Michael Jordan was starting, and Nike was about to shut down its basketball business. Matt Damon plays Sonny Vaccaro, a talent agent for Nike who thinks Jordan is the key to bringing the brand back to life. It’s not easy to get other people to support Jordan, but Vaccaro’s risk pays off. The movie “Air” isn’t just a long ad for sneakers; Matt Damon, Jason Bateman, and Chris Tucker all give great performances. Viola Davis as Michael Jordan’s mother, Deloris Jordan, really stands out. The writing by Alex Convery is more about the relationships between people than about business strategy. This makes “Air” a new, character-driven movie in a time when series and blockbusters are the norm.
12. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Sacha Baron Cohen plays the strange Kazakh journalist Borat Sagdiyev again in “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” which comes fourteen years after the first movie. This time, Borat sets out to give his teenage daughter to important American leaders as a “gift.” He first goes after Mike Pence and then Rudy Giuliani. The fake documentary follows Borat and his daughter on a crazy trip through America under Trump, recording honest moments with many people, such as QAnon members and Republican advocates. The coronavirus outbreak is also a part of the movie’s comedy. The sequel has some of Baron Cohen’s signature shock humor and criticism. However, it often focuses more on making people laugh nervously than on getting to the bottom of America’s social problems. Even with this change, it’s still funny and interesting to watch.
13. Shotgun Wedding
The movie Shotgun Wedding adds a fun touch to the typical romantic comedy. The movie starts with a wedding where family fights happen on a beautiful tropical island, which is a common plot device in romantic comedies. But things go in a strange direction when dangerous pirates take the wedding party hostage, forcing everyone to escape in a crazy, action-packed chase. The movie is funny and self-aware, but Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel really shine as Darcy and Tom, the bride and groom, giving the story life and charm. Jennifer Coolidge also does a great job as the groom’s mother, which adds to the comedy of the movie. Shotgun Wedding is a fun and exciting movie to watch because it has a mix of romance, comedy, and action.
14. Nanny
Nikyatu Jusu’s first full-length movie, “Nanny,” is about a Senegalese nanny named Aisha (Anna Diop) who works for a rich family in New York City. She wants to make enough money to get back together with her son and cousin, but her situation is getting worse because her bosses often don’t pay her on time and leave her to care for their daughter, Rose. Aisha’s fear of leaving her child grows as she deals with the imbalance of power and dreams of dying. The movie looks at what it’s like to be an immigrant from a psychological point of view; instead of telling a story of hope, it shows how much culture and community are lost. “Nanny” is a haunting look at Aisha’s problems, thanks to its slow-building drama, beautiful photography, and Diop’s outstanding acting.
15. Coming 2 America
By combining old and new elements, “Coming 2 America” shows how to bring back a famous movie series successfully. Eddie Murphy plays King Akeem again, a part he played for the first time in 1985’s “Coming to America.” Akeem goes back to America to find his long-lost son in this movie, which goes into new ground. The movie does a great job of bringing together the American setting of the original with a new adventure in Zamunda, giving the story a more global view. Craig Brewer, who directed “Hustle and Flow,” wrote and directed this movie. It has a smart story and fun character reunions that make it both a tribute to the original and a stand-alone comedy.
16. Thirteen Lives
Ron Howard directed “Thirteen Lives,” which has a great cast, including Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell, and Joel Edgerton. This movie makes the 2018 Tham Luang cave escape more exciting. As the story goes on, the global rescue effort gets tougher, showing how dangerous it is to go through underwater tunnels. Howard does a great job of making the tight spaces and high stakes of the task come across in his instructions. “Thirteen Lives” is a powerful movie that shows one of the hardest escape missions in history. It has intense tension and beautifully made underwater scenes.
17. One Night in Miami …
Malcolm X, Jim Brown, Sam Cooke, and Muhammad Ali are all important people in the Civil Rights Movement, and the movie “One Night in Miami,” which is based on the same-named play, puts them together at a crucial time. The movie takes place in a hotel room after Ali beat Sonny Liston in 1964. It shows how passionately they talked about how they had changed society and the cause. Regina King directed her first full-length movie, and the movie’s small setting shows how it was made for the theater while also bringing out the characters’ lively personalities. As Malcolm X, Kingsley Ben-Adir gives a powerful performance.Â
18. The Report
The Report, which Amazon made, gives a powerful account of the US Senate’s study into the CIA’s “enhanced interrogation” program. The movie looks at where the program came from, how much control it had, and how the CIA lied about things to support its actions. Adam Driver gives a great performance as Daniel Jones, the lead detective who had to deal with a lot of political and bureaucratic problems as he tried to find the truth. The movie’s 82 percent “fresh” rate on Rotten Tomatoes shows how well it tells a story.
19. Sound of Metal
In Sound of Metal, Ruben, a punk rock drummer and recovered junkie, starts to lose his hearing, which puts his life and job at risk. When Ruben has to decide between keeping his hearing and pursuing a job, his girlfriend Lou steps in and gets him into a deaf rehab center. This forces him to face both his problems and his future. As Ruben, Riz Ahmed gives an amazing performance, and Olivia Cooke’s turn as Lou, who has her problems, gives the movie more depth. People say that the movie is one of the best stories of the last few years and that it makes good use of music, or the lack of it.
Conclusion
The 20 best movies on amazon prime offer a rich and diverse selection for any film enthusiast. From gripping political dramas like The Report to emotionally charged narratives such as Sound of Metal, the platform boasts a range of films that cater to various tastes and interests. Whether you’re drawn to intense investigations, powerful personal stories, or innovative cinematic techniques, Amazon Prime’s lineup ensures that there’s something to captivate and engage you. With these top picks, you can explore compelling stories and outstanding performances from the comfort of your home.
