The 30 Best Movies You Can Watch on Max Right Now
HBO isn't just about prestige television.
We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process.
Mostly, HBO gets credit for its original, prestige series — people's opinions about the ending of Game of Thrones notwithstanding. (Is anyone else completely obsessed with Run right now?) It's almost easy to forget that, in addition to marquee titles like The Last of Us, True Detective, House of the Dragon, Hacks, and Succession, that HBO subscription gets you access to a huge library of movies. Next time you've got a couple of hours to kill — and don't feel like committing to starting a new series — plug in one of the best movies on HBO’s streaming service Max instead.
The good thing about the Max library is that, while many streaming services focus on either very-new or original-to-the-platform films, HBO gets you access to some of those older titles. If you're looking to revisit a classic action franchise from the '70s or '80s or one of the films that came out of the indie boom in the '90s, HBO might be a good place to start. But that doesn't mean there are no recent movies on the site, either: You can catch up lots of movies from last year, too, from romantic comedies to indie flicks.
The Notebook (2004)
If you haven’t seen this classic romantic drama, it’s a sentimental period piece that could tug on your heartstrings more than you might expect. Told as a nostalgic recollection of summer love, Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling do great work as on-and-off paramours Noah and Allie.
Spirited Away (2001)
Spirited Away is still regarded as one of the best-animated movies of all time, with director Hayao Miyazaki crafting a compelling story in a lush and fascinating setting. While moving to a new neighborhood, ten-year-old Chihiro stumbles into a strange spirit world and has to work at the witch Yubaba’s bathhouse after her parents are turned into pigs.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Fans of nail-biters and action will delight in this return to George Miller’s post-apocalyptic action franchise. Tom Hardy confidently steps into the role of Max Rockatansky, but Charlize Theron is the real scene-stealer and drives the film’s action forward as Imperator Furiosa, who betrays the warlord Immortan Joe by helping his five wives flee in a massive war rig.
Barbie (2023)
Who would’ve thought that a Barbie movie would be one of the best movies of 2023? Greta Gerwig’s colorful depiction of Barbieland is a visual treat even while watching from home, and the film’s sharp script with Margot Robbie’s Stereotypical Barbie suddenly facing an existential crisis in the matriarchal society of Barbieland is constantly delightful and stays unpredictable throughout the whole runtime.
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
One of Wes Anderson’s few forays into animation, Fantastic Mr. Fox breathed new life into this classic Roald Dahl story with beautiful stop-motion visuals and perfectly dry voice performances from its stars like George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray, and Jason Schwartzman.
Fargo (1996)
Juxtaposing moments of shocking violence with quirky characters and funny dialogue, Fargo is a great story with an even better ensemble cast. It follows William H. Macy’s desperate used car salesman Jerry Lundegaard as he hires a pair of criminals to kidnap his wife and extort a ransom payment from his wealthy father-in-law, and obviously, the scheme goes smoothly and perfectly to plan.
Aquaman (2018)
Aquaman manages to be fun without tipping too far into utter silliness, which is a hard needle to thread. Jason Momoa helps, making the King of Atlantis a strong, serious presence.
Midsommar (2019)
An anxiety-inducing but beautifully surreal nightmare, Midsommar from director Ari Aster is an energizing folk horror film following a group of friends visiting a cult in rural Sweden that get lured into a sinister ritual. Florence Pugh’s lead performance as Dani is particularly memorable, losing her grip as the group is slowly separated, plied with psychedelic drugs, and manipulated by the cult members.
Spy (2015)
Melissa McCarthy always delivers a magnetic performance, and she commits 100% to the part of CIA deskworker Susan Cooper who has to take the role of field agent when they need an unknown operative to track a stolen suitcase nuke. McCarthy and Spy’s writer/director Paul Feig are clearly a match made in heaven, as their previous collaboration Bridesmaids is another great watch.
Teen Titans Go! to the Movies (2018)
If you dig the zany comedy of the Teen Titans Go! TV show, the feature film version only gets more meta and exaggerated. Bonus: Nicolas Cage cameos as Superman.
I Love You, Man (2009)
The ultimate bromantic comedy, this film follows Paul Rudd’s character Peter Klaven as he seeks a male best man for his wedding after realizing he doesn’t have any close guy friends, meeting Jason Segal’s Sidney Fife and bonding over their love of the band Rush just as he’s ready to give up looking. Rudd and Segal’s chemistry keeps this silly premise floating, and you’ll love watching their bromance blossom.
Seven (1995)
A twisting and intriguing crime movie, Seven from director David Fincher is a chilling mystery, where detectives are set with locating a killer who is modeling his murders after the seven deadly sins. A perfect mix of film noir and gritty crime thriller, definitely give this a watch if you somehow don’t know the bleak, devastating twist at the end.
The Devil Wears Prada (2004)
A sharp satire of the fashion industry, Anne Hathaway plays a recent college graduate who becomes an assistant to the editor-in-chief of a prestigious fashion magazine but has trouble adjusting to the demanding environment and fitting in with her coworkers. Meryl Streep’s performance as the powerful and icy fashion editor Miranda Priestly is one of the greatest of her incredible career.
American Gangster (2007)
An underappreciated entry in the filmography of Alien director Ridley Scott, American Gangster is a slick and confident crime thriller very loosely based on the life of the Harlem gangster Frank Lucas. Denzel Washington plays a young Lucas as he establishes himself in the New York criminal underground by smuggling heroin from Thailand through returning Vietnam War servicemen.
Dr Strangelove (1964)
While writing Dr. Strangelove, Stanley Kubrick reportedly only began with the vague concept of writing a dramatic thriller about nuclear war, but it slowly became a comedy as he was toying with the absurdity of mutually-assured destruction. The resulting film is still hilarious and feels like an accurate portrayal of government dysfunction even now. The late, great Peter Sellers is an obvious highlight here, playing three ridiculous roles with equal energy.
Aniara (2018)
Aniara is an incredibly ambitious and beautiful adaptation of the Swedish epic poem of the same name by Harry Martinson. It follows a passenger ship that is knocked off its course transporting people from a ravaged Earth to Mars, sending the passengers into an existential crisis. While certainly not an easy watch, it’s a profoundly moving work that’ll stay with you long after the credits.
Winter's Bone (2010)
The movie that put Jennifer Lawrence on the map, Winter's Bone tells the story of a teenage girl growing up in the Ozarks who goes off in search of her missing father. Of course, in the process, she uncovers a lot more about her family and the area where she lives.
Some Like It Hot (1959)
This goofy gender-bending crime comedy holds up beautifully all these years later, with masterful direction from Billy Wilder and hilarious performances from Golden Age stars like Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, George Raft, and of course Marilyn Monroe. After they witness mafia gangsters killing an associate, two musicians have to go on the lam and disguise themselves from the goons by dressing up as women.
Everest (2016)
Everest is a biographical survival drama based on the 1996 Mount Everest Disaster, where 12 people died while attempting to reach the summit after a blizzard hit the mountain. An ensemble cast including Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Keira Knightley all took on these performances of real people seriously and helped make the film feel both authentic and thriller at the same time.
Under The Skin (2014)
Not your typical alien invasion movie, Under the Skin is a sparse slow-burn science fiction film where Scarlett Johansson plays an otherworldly being who appears in Scotland and starts preying on men. Without any War of the Worlds-esque blockbuster moments, The Zone of Interest director Jonathan Glazer crafts a disturbing alien story that’ll certainly linger in your mind.
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; previously, she wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her toy-collecting husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found helping out her team at bar trivia or posting about movies on Twitter and Bluesky.
Jacob is a Temporary Partnerships Editor at Hearst based in Queens, New York with his partner and cat Tiger. He loves learning and writing about Film and TV, Video Games, and the weird histories of unexpected subjects.
Here's Why Gwen Stefani Won't Be on 'The Voice'
Hallmark Fans Rejoice Over Lacey Chabert's News
'Fire Country' Fans React to Streaming News
'Sullivan's Crossing' Reveals Major Streaming News
