The 20 best movies on Peacock (2024)

Black Christmas (1974)

This slasher classic still holds up as one of the most chilling horror films of all time. A group of sorority sisters' good tidings of comfort and joy are interrupted by repeated profane phone calls, leading to one of them being murdered in the attic. This kicks off a horrifying series of events as they try in vain to get the police to determine the source of the call while they are picked off one by one. There have been two attempts at remaking Black Christmas in the 21st century, but neither has approached the level of paranoia and dread of the '70s original. —Kevin Jacobsen

Where to watch Black Christmas: Peacock

Director: Bob Clark

Cast: Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, John Saxon

Blue Valentine (2010)

There's depressing cinema, and then there's Blue Valentine, a bleak yet powerfully performed drama about the highs and lows of a marriage. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams star as Dean and Cindy, a couple raising their young daughter in New York while trying to reconcile their fractured relationship. Flashbacks to their courtship reveal the magnetic romantic charge that brought them together, while also demonstrating how that intensity would ultimately curdle into acrimony. As EW's critic writes, "Blue Valentineis lushly touching and gorgeously told. By the time the film is over, you may feel that you know every inch of these lives." —K.J.

Where to watch Blue Valentine: Peacock

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: Derek Cianfrance

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams

Bridesmaids (2011)

When Annie (Kristen Wiig) learns that her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) is getting married, what's already wrong in her life goes even more haywire — and the comic hijinks surrounding Lillian's bridal party become the stuff of legend. What kind of stuff? Well, how about the ladies trying on their dresses for the ceremony, only to be collectively struck by explosive diarrhea? Or Annie nervously combining sedatives with whiskey to create an outrageous midair incident that gets the entire crew booted from the plane taking them to Lillian's Vegas bachelorette?

Clueless (1995)

As if we wouldn't recommend this '90s favorite whenever it shows up on any streaming service. Amy Heckerling cleverly adapted the story structure of Jane Austen's classic novel Emma and updated it with a Beverly Hills high school setting. In her most iconic role, Alicia Silverstone plays Cher Horowitz, a fashion-forward popular student who enjoys tending to her projects, by which we mean playing with people's lives, from becoming a matchmaker for her teachers to giving new student Tai (Brittany Murphy) a makeover. But Cher's pampered world is thrown into chaos when Tai takes a liking to the boy she might be totally crushing on. While EW's critic initially gave Clueless a C+, the film has since been regarded as a modern classic and one of the best high school movies of all time. —K.J.

Where to watch Clueless: Peacock

EW grade: C+ (read the review)

Director: Amy Heckerling

Cast: Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy, Paul Rudd, Donald Faison

Dead Ringers (1988)

Django (1966)

Once you've surrendered to its magnificent soundtrack (scored by the brilliant Luis Bacalov), you'll be randomly belting out Rocky Roberts' infectious "Djangooooo." Sergio Corbucci's quintessential spaghetti Western follows its namesake, an ex-Union soldier who roams the arid Mexico and U.S. borderlands, and his fugitive companion, Maria. Together, they tumble into a cutthroat feud between the Ku Klux Klan and Mexican revolutionaries. The film's unapologetic brutality led to bans in several countries and kept it from the U.K. until 1993, a testament to its visceral impact. It's no wonder Quentin Tarantino drew inspiration here for his own revisionist Western, Django Unchained (2012). —James Mercadante

Where to watch Django: Peacock

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Sergio Corbucci

Cast: Franco Nero, Loredana Nusciak, José Bódalo, Ángel Álvarez, Eduardo Fajardo

Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)

Michael Moore, known for his award-winning documentaries Roger & Me (1989) and Bowling for Columbine (2002), delivered another cinematic juggernaut with this audacious and controversial documentary. Fahrenheit 9/11 — crowned with the Palme d'Or and holding the title of America's highest-grossing documentary — fearlessly scrutinizes the Bush administration's exploitation of post-9/11 paranoia to advance unjust wars in Afghanistan and Iraq instead of seeking the terrorist attack's true perpetrators.

As EW's critic notes, "Fahrenheit 9/11 offers a catharsis for the audience. Dazzlingly assembled, at once reckless and insightful, the movie filters the actions of the Bush administration through a nose-thumbing outrage that might have been irresponsible if Moore's own words weren't girded by images that spoke 1,000 more." —J.M.

Where to watch Fahrenheit 9/11: Peacock

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Michael Moore

Half Nelson (2006)

Amid the wellspring of heartwarming student-teacher tales where educators often shepherd their scholars (think 1989's Dead Poets Society or 2017's The Edge of Seventeen), Half Nelson flips the script. Earning his first Oscar nod, Ryan Gosling shines as Dan Dunne, an adored history teacher and girls' basketball coach bottling up a life of vices. When troubled student Drey catches him using drugs, an unexpected bond forms as they navigate their tumultuous lives together. To quote EW's critic, "Half Nelson conspicuously offers no tidy resolution or concluding uplift, which only makes the movie that much more trustworthy, and the unflashy, documentary-style filmmaking more artful." —J.M.

Where to watch Half Nelson: Peacock

EW grade: A (read the review)

Directors: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Shareeka Epps, Anthony Mackie, Monique Gabriela Curnen, Denis O'Hare, Starla Benford

Hell or High Water (2016)

As the mind behind Yellowstone, Taylor Sheridan has been hailed as one of the kings of modern Westerns, and this propulsive crime thriller is one of his essential watches. Written by Sheridan and directed by David Mackenzie, Hell or High Water centers on Texas brothers Toby (Chris Pine) and Tanner Howard (Ben Foster) whose family ranch is being threatened with foreclosure. Desperate, the brothers resort to going on a bank-robbing spree, which becomes a game of cat and mouse as they are tracked by a pair of Texas rangers (Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham). Entertaining in nature while also delving into themes of economic instability, Hell or High Water "has an undeniably resonant sense of small-scale justice," writes EW's critic. —K.J.

Where to watch Hell or High Water: Peacock

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: David Mackenzie

Cast: Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Gil Birmingham

M3GAN (2023)

This campy sci-fi spooker doesn't take itself too seriously, even if the titular doll is a serious threat to those who cross her owner. After robotics expert Gemma (Allison Williams) develops an artificial intelligence-powered doll named M3GAN for her grieving niece, Cady (Violet McGraw), the dangerously smart humanoid starts to exhibit possessive qualities. And God forbid anyone who poses even a minor threat to Cady.EW's critic callsM3GAN"a scampering Blumhouse caper that turns out to be blithely self-aware, negligibly jump-scary, and mostly very fun," and audiences seemed to agree — the film grossed nearly $100 million at the U.S. box office, leading to an announcement of a sequel,M3GAN 2.0, coming in 2025. —K.J.

Where to watchM3GAN: Peacock

EW grade:B+ (read the review)

Director:Gerard Johnstone

Cast:Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Ronny Chieng, Jenna Davis, Amie Donald

Meet the Patels (2014)

Ravi Patel is a thirtysomething Indian American actor who recently parted ways with his white girlfriend, Audrey. Now single (much to the dismay of his family), Ravi feels the pressure to find a wife from his first-gen immigrant parents, who've mastered both the art of traditional matchmaking and ragging on his lack of love life. Struggling to scale the towering walls of cultural expectations while nursing the wounds of a romance gone sour, Ravi embarks on a quest to decipher his heart's desires. Along for the ride is his sister and partner in singlehood, Geeta, who serves as co-pilot in this lighthearted documentary.

Sure, it might take some conventional routes via your favorite rom-coms, but Meet the Patels is nonetheless a side-splitting yet profound exploration of love, family, and sheer chaos mixed in a cross-cultural blender. —J.M.

Where to watch Meet the Patels: Peacock

Directors: Geeta V. Patel, Ravi V. Patel

Cast: Ravi V. Patel, Geeta V. Patel, Champa V. Patel, Vasant K. Patel, Audrey Wauchope, Chandar Abboy, Chirag Patel, Renita Abboy, Rali Amin, Sunkrish Bala

Monkey Man (2024)

Dev Patel's auspicious directorial debut is an ultraviolent action thriller with a lot on its mind. Patel stars as Kid, an underground fighter who sports a monkey mask in the ring. Haunted by his childhood, where he witnessed his mother's death by a police chief, Kid is determined to exact his revenge on the spiritual guru who ordered the hit. Gloriously stylized with a highly committed, John Wick-esque performance by Patel, Monkey Man also comments on India's caste system with refreshing directness. —K.J.

Where to watch Monkey Man: Peacock

Director: Dev Patel

Cast: Dev Patel, Sikander Kher, Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, Vipin Sharma

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

With a budget just over $100,000, George Romero's indie horror masterpiece transformed the zombie genre, reshaping these once-subjugated creatures into autonomous, flesh-craving fiends while forever etching them into pop culture (and paving the way for future undead favorites like The Walking Dead). Revolving around a group of unlikely survivors holed up in an abandoned farmhouse, this film unravels as they fend off an onslaught of ravenous ghouls storming the area. Night of the Living Dead didn't just make cinematic history; it gnawed its way into the collective consciousness, birthing a thriving franchise with five sequels from 1978 to 2009, which all carry Romero's iconic directorial touch. —J.M.

Where to watch Night of the Living Dead: Peacock

EW grade: A+ (read the review)

Director: George Romero

Cast: Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman, Judith Ridley, Keith Wayne, Kyra Schon

Office Space (1999)

The cultural success of Office Space all these years later is a great argument for why initial box office failure and mixed audience reception aren't everything. While the satirical comedy barely outgrossed its $10 million budget in 1999, it has since become a cult classic for its resonant perspective on how the average office worker relates to their job. Ron Livingston stars as Peter, a programmer bored with his job at a software company whose two co-worker friends are laid off, leading them to take revenge via a scheme that spirals out of control. With numerous memorable moments that have penetrated pop culture (Gary Cole's hilariously dry micromanager; Milton's red stapler), Office Space is one of the best comedies of the modern era. —K.J.

Where to watchOffice Space: Peacock

EW grade:C (read the review)

Director:Mike Judge

Cast:Ron Livingston,Jennifer Aniston, Stephen Root,Gary Cole

Other People (2016)

This underrated dramedy centers on David (Jesse Plemons), a writer working in the entertainment industry who comes back to his hometown to care for his mother (Molly Shannon), who is dying of cancer. As David copes with the impending loss of his mother, he is also reeling from a recent breakup with his boyfriend while his father still struggles to accept David's sexuality. Other People deftly balances the heaviness of David's situation with well-observed comedy, with EW's critic calling it "a cancer comedy that makes you both squirm and sniffle." —K.J.

Where to watch Other People: Peacock

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Chris Kelly

Cast: Jesse Plemons, Molly Shannon, Bradley Whitford, Maude Apatow, Madisen Beaty, John Early, Zach Woods, Josie Totah, June Squibb

Short Term 12 (2013)

Penned and helmed by Destin Daniel Cretton (who drew from his own experience working at a teen group facility), Short Term 12 unfolds within the titular foster home for troubled youth. Grace, a supervisor harboring her own hidden wounds, sees herself in Jayden, a newcomer grappling with self-harm, which catalyzes a reckoning with her past. Though anchored by standout performances from then-rising stars like Rami Malek and LaKeith Stanfield, it's Brie Larson's first leading film role as Grace that leaps off the screen, radiating an acting wisdom beyond her years as she embodies raw vulnerability and understated strength. With dialogue as realistic as the characters themselves, this indie gem — which snagged SXSW's Grand Jury and Audience Awards for a Narrative Feature — immerses you so deeply that you'll briefly forget you are merely a spectator. —J.M.

Where to watch Short Term 12: Peacock

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: Destin Daniel Cretton

Cast: Brie Larson, John Gallagher Jr., Kaitlyn Dever, Rami Malek, LaKeith Stanfield, Kevin Hernandez, Melora Walters, Stephanie Beatriz

Shrek (2001)

The Thing (1982)

John Carpenter's The Thing remains a treasured classic by horror enthusiasts, even if moviegoers at the time of its release in 1982 were turned off by its grotesque visuals. But, if anything, that initial audience rejection added to its legend. The film centers on a group of American researchers in Antarctica who discover a shapeshifting humanoid alien. Because of its ability to mutate, the men soon realize they can no longer trust each other and descend into paranoia.

Us (2019)

Jordan Peele's highly anticipated follow-up to the pop culture phenomenon Get Out was this ambitious horror saga that proved the writer-director was no one-hit-wonder. In perhaps her best performance to date, Lupita Nyong'o plays Adelaide, a woman whose vacation with her husband and kids is disturbed by the arrival of a family of four in red jumpsuits — all of which are doppelgängers for her and her family. The doppelgängers refer to themselves as the Tethered, inextricably bound to them; they now seek to untether and proceed to attack their counterparts.

Playing with themes of identity and class differences, Us has the kind of thought-provoking social commentary we expect from Peele, in addition to being even more frightening than Get Out. "What's so terrifying in Jordan Peele's new meta-horror opus," EW's critic raved, "is us — or at least some ghoulish version of ourselves, xeroxed and refracted through a (sometimes literal) fun-house mirror." —K.J.

Where to watch Us: Peacock

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Jordan Peele

Cast: Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Evan Alex, Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker

Zodiac (2007)

Who is the Zodiac Killer? It's a question that has haunted both professional detectives and amateur sleuths for decades, as depicted in this chilling masterpiece from director David Fincher. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Robert Graysmith, the real-life political cartoonist who attempted to decode the infamous serial killer's messages and went down numerous rabbit holes for years. Detectives eventually identify one man as a likely suspect, though he is ultimately not charged, resulting in ambiguity that continues to this day. "Explaining a mystery is an act of reassurance," writes EW's critic, noting that Zodiac "offers no such soothing closure, and that’s part of what’s haunting about it." —K.J.

Where to watch Zodiac: Peacock

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Director: David Fincher

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Edwards, Brian Cox, Elias Koteas, Donal Logue, John Carroll Lynch, Dermot Mulroney