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If you find yourself thumbing through the Netflix queue and saying “I’ve seen that” over and over again, we’ve got you covered. Our list of the most underrated movies on Netflix focuses on hidden gems and films that maybe didn’t hit big when they were initially released, but are well worth watching regardless. These range from little-seen horror movies to splashy, star-driven vehicles that for one reason or another didn’t find their audience. But all of these movies have one thing in common: they’re very, very good.
So peruse our list of the best hidden gems and underrated movies on Netflix below.
Don’t see what you’re looking for here? Check out our list of the best hidden gems on Disney+, HBO Max, and Prime Video.
Editor’s note: This article was updated June 2022 to include Candy Jar and I’m Thinking of Ending Things.
Barry (2016)
Director: Vikram Gandhi
Writer: Adam Mansbach
Cast: Devon Terrell, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jason Mitchell, Ashley Judd, Jenna Elfman
Run Time: 1 hr 44 min
Barry perhaps isn’t a standard biopic of the future President of the United States Barack Obama. Instead of focusing on his early political career or his achievements as commander-in-chief, this coming-of-age story focuses on Barack’s college years, where he builds the skills and charisma that would later launch him to success. Devon Terrell gives a breakout performance and transforms a larger-than-life figure into a relatable teenage kid discovering who he is. Barry has a lot more in common with the films of John Hughes than it does the work of Oliver Stone. Anya Taylor-Joy fans may also want to check out one of her early performances. — Liam Gaughan
Candy Jar (2018)
Director: Ben Shelton
Writer: Chad Klitzman
Cast: Sami Gayle, Jacob Latimore, Christina Hendricks, Uzo Aduba, Tom Bergeron, Helen Hunt
Run Time: 1 hr 32 min
Candy Jar is the best teen rom-com you’ve never seen. The film centers around Lona (Sami Gayle) and Bennett (Jacob Latimore), who begin as rivals on the debate team. However, circumstances eventually force them to compete together. The two of them learn that, despite their differences, they have a lot in common – and may even have feelings for each other. Candy Jar is enemies-to-lovers excellence. Christina Hendricks and Uzo Aduba are also highlights as Lona and Bennett’s sometimes wacky but loving moms. – Taylor Gates
I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020)
Director/Writer: Charlie Kaufman
Cast: Jesse Plemons, Jessie Buckley, Toni Collette, David Thewlis
Run Time: 2 hr 14 min
I’m Thinking of Ending Things is one of the most unsettling movies you’ll ever see. The film centers around a young woman (Jessie Buckley) who goes to meet her boyfriend’s parents at their farm despite considering breaking up with him. The film is a difficult one to explain, packed to the brim with symbolism and more focused on emotion than plot. It evokes an uncomfortable feeling, but that’s the point, and it’s well worth the watch for the masterful direction and performances. – Taylor Gates
Wheelman (2017)
Director/ Writer: Jeremy Rush
Cast: Frank Grillo, Garret Dillahunt, Caitlin Carmichael, Wendy Moniz
Run Time: 1 hr 22 min
Netflix has a remarkable ability to produce the exact type of grindhouse genre films that studios don’t make anymore. Jeremy Rush’s underrated thriller Wheelman is essentially Drive meets Locke; the action-packed car chase thriller is set entirely behind the driver’s seat. This could have been a stretch to the concept if Frank Grillowasn’t so darn charismatic. Best known for his role as Crossbones in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Grillo gives a much more heroic performance as a grizzled getaway driver who discovers he’s been set up. If you’re looking for a tight pulpy thriller under 90 minutes, Wheelman has you covered. — Liam Gaughan
Mindhorn (2016)
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Director: Sean Foley
Writer: Julian Barratt and Simon Farnaby
Cast: Julian Barratt, Essie Davis, Kenneth Branagh, Andrea Riseborough, Steve Coogan, and Russell Tovey
Run Time: 1 hr 29 min
If you enjoy a British comedy that mixes the best of Steve Coogan and Monty Python, Mindhorn is a super fun mix of action and Hollywood satire. Julian Barratt delivers a rousing performance as the titular character, the former star of a cult action television series who is now washed up. Mindhorn has to become an actual hero when he becomes intertwined in a real murder mystery involving some of the biggest fans of his show. Mindhorn doesn’t take things too seriously, but director Sean Foley inserts enough intrigue to keep the story afloat. Make sure to check out the great set of cameos from some of the most beloved British actors working today. — Liam Gaughan
The Kindergarten Teacher (2018)
Director/Writer: Sara Colangelo
Cast: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gael García Bernal, Parker Sevak, Anna Baryshnikov, Rosa Salazar, Michael Chernus
Run Time: 1 hr 36 min
Remakes of international films for an American market are not uncommon, but it’s very rare that the newer projects accomplish just what their predecessors were gunning for, and Sara Colangelo’s directorial debut is one of them. Asking the question of what we’re willing to do for a little notoriety, The Kindergarten Teacherfollows Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Lisa, a struggling elementary school teacher who wants nothing more than to escape her dull, difficult life by way of her poetry. Her life takes a turn for the chaotic when one of her students, Jimmy (Parker Sevak), displays a remarkable talent for poetry — something she seems to lack. Using the boy’s talent to her advantage, she adopts his poetry as her own to impress her writing tutor (Gael García Bernal), but soon escalates her behavior, isolating the boy from his own family and friends and attempting to use his talent for her own personal gain. Lisa is unsettling in a way that goes against type for Gyllenhaal, rivaling her brother’s performances in films like Velvet Buzzsaw, forcing audiences to question how much trust we put in others, and what the idea of fame is capable of doing to us. — Maggie Boccella
The Two Popes (2019)
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Writer: Anthony McCarten
Cast: Jonathan Pryce, Anthony Hopkins
Run Time: 2 hr 5 min
Who would have guessed that the story of papal succession would be such a fun, endearing buddy comedy? City of God director Fernando Meirelles adds a vibrant energy to the relationship between the incumbent Pope Benedict (Anthony Hopkins) and his eventual successor, Pope Francis (Jonathan Pryce). The two men bond over their shared faith, compassion, and concern for the future of the Catholic Church, despite their wildly different points-of-view. They also listen to ABBA, watch sports, and eat pizza together. While the film certainly doesn’t shy away from the controversial period within the Church’s history, it’s remarkably empathetic and enjoyable. — Liam Gaughan
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
Director/writer: Joel and Ethan Coen
Cast: Tim Blake Nelson, James Franco, Liam Neeson, Zoe Kazan, Brendan Gleeson, Tom Waits, Henry Melling
Run Time: 2 hr 12 min
There’s a very distinct possibility that The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is the last film that Joel and Ethan Coen will ever work on together. Ethan is currently working on the stage in New York, and Joel directed A24’s The Tragedy of Macbeth without his brother. If The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is their last collaboration together, it’s an appropriate conclusion to one of the most fruitful partnerships in cinema history. An anthology collection of six stories centering on death and finality, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a darkly amusing combination of everything the Coens do best. Longtime fans of their work have debated which of the sections is the strongest, but you really can’t go wrong with the titular opening story “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” starring Tim Blake Nelson as a singing gunslinger. — Liam Gaughan
Okja (2017)
Director/Writer: Bong Joon-Ho
Writer: Jon Ronson
Cast: Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano, Ahn Seo-hyun, Byun Hee-bong, Steven Yeun, Lily Collins, Yoon Je-moon, Shirley Henderson, Daniel Henshall, Devon Bostick, Choi Woo-shik, Giancarlo Esposito and Jake Gyllenhaal
Run Time: 2 hr
Eclectic and emotional, Okja is an imaginative film that both excites and invigorates, as well as pulls at the heartstrings. The film follows the journey of a young girl, Mija (Ahn Seo-hyun), as she attempts to save Okja, the genetically modified pig that she has raised since piglet-hood, who has been taken to the United States to be processed for food. The film challenges modern views on the larger meat industry and large corporations, and does not shy away from the disturbing realities of both that many shy away from. Yet, this film is also filled with a wonderful balance of action, intrigue, and drama. Director Bong Joon-Ho, also known for his films Snowpiercer and Parasite, once again creates a story that delights in its defiance of expectations, with an ending that’s as bitter as it is sweet. — Olivia Fitzpatrick
The Fundamentals of Caring (2016)
Director/Writer: Rob Burnett
Cast: Paul Rudd, Craig Roberts, Selena Gomez, Jennifer Ehle
Run Time: 1 hr 37 min
Pack your bags, we’re going on a road trip. Based on Jonathan Evison’s novel The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving, the heartwarming hidden gem The Fundamentals of Caring follows Ben (Paul Rudd), a grieving, but upbeat man looking for direction in his life. He signs up for a care-giving class and is hired to care for Trevor (Craig Roberts), a hard-to-please, pessimistic, 18-year-old who suffers from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Trevor, whose father left him and his mother when he was three, resents the unfortunate hand he was dealt and craves to live a normal life as a teenager. Determined to give Trevor the exciting life he deserves, Ben takes him on a cross-country roadtrip where they pick up Dot (Selena Gomez), a fellow frustrated teenager, and bond on their sweet (mis)adventures. Ben reminds us that life is meant to be lived, warts and all. — Emily Bernard
His House (2020)
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Director: Remi Weekes
Writers: Remi Weekes, Felicity Evans, Toby Venables
Cast: Sope Dirisu, Wunmi Mosaku, Matt Smith
Run Time: 1 hr 33 min
An incredible feature debut from director Remi Weekes, His House is a work of unflinching social horror where the terror is found not just in the supernatural but in the struggles that face an immigrant couple just trying to survive. It stars Sope Dirisu and Wunmi Mosaku as Bol and Rial Majur, who have just narrowly escaped war in South Sudan to try to make a new life in a small English town. What they find there is that this town is not only not built for them but often actively hostile to them. They experience resentment from others and endless pressure to assimilate that only makes their difficult adjustment all that much harder. To make matters worse, there is an evil force that is lurking in their house and a dark secret the two share that is coming back to haunt them with terrifying visions. It may sound like a haunting house story you have heard before but it is so much more than that. Yes, the use of sound and visual terror is perfect though it is the strong emotional undercurrent that makes this film such a memorable one. — Chase Hutchinson
Berlin Syndrome (2017)
Director: Cate Shortland
Writers: Shaun Grant, Melanie Joosten, and Cate Shortland
Cast: Theresa Palmer, Max Riemelt
Run Time: 1 hr 56 min
Before she brought Black Widow’s story to the screen in her long-overdue solo film, Cate Shortland directed the criminally underrated thriller Berlin Syndrome. When Australian backpacker Clare (Theresa Palmer) meets a cute, nice guy while on holiday in Berlin, she spends the day with him. Things are great at first – he shows her around the city on her last day, they sleep together, and she spends the night at his place. At first, their relationship has the makings of a sweet, harmless, vacation fling until Andi (Max Riemelt) locks her in his apartment when he goes to work the next day and won’t let her leave when he returns home. From this moment on, Berlin Syndrome builds tension slowly and deliberately. Every interaction between the pair feels critical, as though Andi could snap at any moment and kill her. You can’t help but wonder how much time Clare has left, and if she’ll ever escape Andi’s apartment alive. – Brynna Arens
Rush (2013)
Director: Ron Howard
Writer: Peter Morgan
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Bruhl, Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara, and Pierfrancesco Favino
Run Time: 2 hr 3 min
While Chris Hemsworth has certainly become one of the shining stars of the MCU, he’s had trouble breaking out in roles outside Thor. One of his most valiant efforts is in Ron Howard‘s criminally underseen 2013 racing drama Rush, in which he plays daring Formula One driver James Hunt. The film chronicles Hunt’s rivalry with Austrian driver Nikki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl), with each actor getting pretty even screentime as Howard crafts a story of two very different men who were driven to be the best at what they do. The 1970s aesthetic is tangibly conjured by cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, and the racing scenes are wildly exciting. I’m not quite sure why no one saw this movie, but it’s well worth checking out. – Adam Chitwood
Private Life (2018)
Director/Writer: Tamara Jenkins
Cast: Kathryn Hahn, Paul Giamatti, Kayli Carter, Molly Shannon, John Carroll Lynch, and Denis O’Hare
Run Time: 2 hr 7 min
If you’ve suddenly become obsessed with Kathryn Hahn thanks to WandaVision, you simply must check out Private Life. This 2018 drama/comedy flew kind of under the radar after its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, but really exemplifies Hahn’s range as it tells the story of a middle-aged couple struggling to have a child through any means possible. The pressure of trying to have a baby puts pressure on their marriage, but the film doesn’t drown itself in doom and gloom and instead feels deeply human as it finds the humor in such a personal struggle. The story was based on writer/director Tamara Jenkins‘ own experience in trying to have a baby, and Hahn and Paul Giamatti deliver a pair of knockout performances as the central couple. — Adam Chitwood
Nocturnal Animals (2016)
Director/Writer: Tom Ford
Cast: Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Isla Fisher, Armie Hammer, Laura Linney, Andrea Riseborough, and Michael Sheen
Run Time: 1 hr 56 min
Writer/director Tom Ford gained immense acclaim for his first feature A Single Man, but his second film flew pretty heavily under the radar despite being a gorgeous, taut thriller all its own. Nocturnal Animals is a twisty thriller that follows an art gallery owner (Amy Adams) as she reads the new novel written by her first husband (Jake Gyllenhaal). As she reads the novel, the events of the book play out on the screen and you begin to connect the dots between this supposedly fictional story and the gallery owner’s real-life – and the reason her marriage fractured in the first place. It’s haunting and surprising in equal measure, leading to an incredibly ambitious ending that should spark some lively discussion. — Adam Chitwood
Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)
Director/Writer: Taika Waititi
Cast: Sam Neill, Julian Dennison, Rhys Darby, Rima Te Wiata, and Rachel House
Run Time: 1 hr 41 min
If you’ve only ever seen Taika Waititi‘s Thor: Ragnarok and Jojo Rabbit, you must seek out Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Released in 2016, this delightfully whimiscal story follows an unlikely duo — a grumpy man played by Sam Neill and a delinquent child played by Julian Dennison — as they go on the run in the New Zealand bush. It’s zany and hilarious and sweet all at once, and it’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face. – Adam Chitwood
The Ritual (2017)
Director: David Bruckner
Writer: Joe Barton
Cast: Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, Robert James-Collier, Sam Troughton
Run Time: 1 hr 34 min
If you’re into cult movies — that is, movies about cults — you should absolutely check out The Ritual. The story revolves around four friends who go on a hiking trip in Sweden to honor their friend Rob, who was killed six months earlier during a convenience store robbery. But when they take a shortcut through some woods, they find themselves haunted by a malevolent creature. It’s the kind of horror movie that’s really scary but also has a strong thematic core, so that the external pressures reflect the internal struggles of the characters. Plus the creature design is terrific. – Adam Chitwood
Hail, Caesar! (2016)
Directors/Writers: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Cast: George Clooney, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes, Channing Tatum, Scarlett Johansson, Jonah Hill, and Frances McDormand
Run Time: 1 hr 46 min
Can a Coen Brothers movie be underrated? If it’s Hail, Caesar! the answer is yes. This movie doesn’t get the love it deserves, because it’s an absolute delight from start to finish. Set in 1951, the story follows a day in the life of Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin), a “fixer” for a movie studio called Capital Pictures who spends the day trying to stave off various scandals, put out fires, and track down a missing movie star. The Coens draw from their wealth of knowledge, inject a ton of humor, and add a touch of existential despair for good measure. – Adam Chitwood
Steve Jobs (2015)
Director: Danny Boyle
Writer: Aaron Sorkin
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Jeff Daniels
Run Time: 2 hr 2 min
Man, Steve Jobs is great, and it is not the movie you’re expecting it to be. Most wrote this off as a simple biopic heralding the Apple genius, but in the hands of writer Aaron Sorkin you get a uniquely structured father-daughter drama that just happens to revolve around one of the most influential human beings in history. The story is structured in three acts that play out in real time, focusing on three major Apple events, so there are really only three major sequences. The first takes place during the launch of the Macintosh computer, the second revolves around the launch of NeXT and finds Jobs looking back on his ouster from Apple, and the third is the launch of the iMac where he must confront his past and his daughter as he revolutionizes personal computing once again. Michael Fassbender is brilliant in the lead role and, honestly, deserved an Oscar for this performance. – Adam Chitwood
Creep 2 (2017)
Director: Patrick Brice
Writers: Mark Duplass, Patrick Brice
Cast: Mark Duplass, Desiree Akhavan, Karan Soni
Run Time: 1 hr 20 min
The original Creep, also available on Netflix, is a skin-crawlingly icky found footage horror-comedy about the perils of masculinity, obsession, and storytelling. It is well worth your time. And yet, it’s bested handily by its sequel, a true horror masterpiece for the 21st century. Mark Duplass returns as our identity-hopping serial killer, keen on documenting his crimes as a kind of voyeuristic look into the soul masquerading as an attempt at fostering friendship (the murder portrayed in the cold open is… harrowing). But this time, he’s paired with Desiree Akhavan, the fiercely talented filmmaker/actor who plays a fiercely talented filmmaker interested in documenting odd folks with odd requests. And when Creep 2 locks into its two-handed structure, unsettling sparks fly and ricochet. Duplass and Akhavan are perfect sparring partners, generating the film’s queasy moments of suspense, humor, and even genuine connection. Like many of the best pieces of 21st century horror, Creep 2 sneakily has a lot to say about our modern foibles — all while scaring the ever-living stuffing out of you. – Greg Smith
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