The best movies on Apple TV+ form an impressive collection of streaming content for subscribers. From documentaries about renowned performers to awards season darlings — including a Best Picture Oscar winner — the catalog of great films on Apple TV+ is only expanding. Martin Scorsese and Ridley Scott are just two of several acclaimed directors whose movies are currently streaming on the online service. Apple TV+ has plenty of solid movies to watch right now across every genre, though when it comes to drama few streaming platforms can rival its impressive and high-quality content.
While Apple TV+ is popular for its streaming series such as Ted Lasso, Severance, and Schmigadoon!, its movie roster is definitely worthy of consideration. Just as the best TV shows on Apple TV+ showcase a diverse range of talent, so do the best Apple TV+ movies. What's more, the lineup of movies on Apple TV+ doesn't change as much as other streaming services, and in November 2024, subscribers can look forward to the likes of Blitz and documentary Bread & Roses arriving (though whether they'll be among the best films on the platform remains to be seen).
Fingernails(2023) [Sci-Fi Drama] - Fingernails is a relatively slow-burn sci-fi drama that explores the nature of romance and human connection, with a cast that contains many recognizable names, including Jeremy Allen White of The Bear and Shameless fame, Riz Ahmed (known mostly for 2019's Sound of Metal), comedy veteran Luke Wilson.
Palmer(2021) [Action Drama] - Palmer sees Justin Timberlake star as Eddie Palmer, a college football star recently out of prison after a 12-year sentence for attempted murder and theft. It's an incredibly emotional movie, and one whose plot can't really be summarized in a few sentences without doing it significant injustice (like all good dramas).
Fancy Dance(2023) [Crime Thriller] - Starring Lily Gladstone, Fancy Dance focuses on the Senecya-Cayuga reservation in Oklahoma. The movie deftly juggles exploration of the treatment of Native Americans by the federal government with a gripping crime-thriller narrative.
The Banker (2020) [Historic Drama] - The Banker is a period drama set in the 1950s, and tells the story of real-life historical figures Bernard Garrett (played by Anthony Mackie) and Joe Morris (Samuel L. Jackson), two of the first Black bankers in the United States who had to fight to establish themselves in the industry despite the incredible amount of racism and prejudice they faced.
Finch(2021) [Sci-Fi Drama] - Finch stars Tom Hanks as Finch Weinberg, a man living in a world that was all-but-destroyed fifteen years earlier when a solar flare wiped out the ozone layer. It's incredibly emotional as far as post-apocalyptic science-fiction goes, avoiding the action of franchises like Mad Maxor movies like The Book of Eli to instead focus on a more emotionally-driven and heartwarming tale.
CODA(2021) [Drama] - Perhaps the most celebrated original movie on Apple TV+, CODA was the first film distributed by a streaming service to win the Oscar for Best Picture. The movie follows 17-year-old Ruby (Emilia Jones), the only hearing member of her family, who must navigate the difficulties of adolescence with the sense of responsibility she feels towards her nearest and dearest.
Killers of the Flower Moon(2023) [Crime Drama] - Killers of the Flower Moon is a film so harrowing and engrossing that viewers will forget its three-and-a-half-hour runtime, and director Martin Scorsese brings the story of the 1920s Oklahoma murders of Osage people after oil was discovered on their land to screen with a jarring level of realism.
Napoleon (2023) [Historic Drama] - Ridley Scott's 2023 epic Napoleon is available to stream on AppleTV+, and stars Joaquin Phoenix as the titular French general. With solid performances throughout and some truly breathtaking scenes, there are few new movies on AppleTV+that are quite as grand in scale or scope as Napoleon.
Tetris(2023) [Historic Drama] - Part biopic, part Cold War thriller, Tetris is more than a video game movie adaptation and tells the surprisingly dark story of how US-based entrepreneur and video game designer Henk Rogers (Taron Egerton) worked to obtain the rights to Tetris from its programmer Alexey Pajitnov (Nikita Yefremov).
The Greatest Beer Run Ever (2022) [Comedy Adventure] - Starring Zac Efron and Russell Crowe, Peter Farrelly's The Greatest Beer Run Ever is a biographical war dramedy that depicts the extraordinary true story of John “Chickie” Donahue, the young war veteran who snuck into the Vietnam War to deliver beer to his on-duty friends
Wolfs(2024) [Crime Comedy] - The 2024 action-comedy makes perfect use of stars Brad Pitt and George Clooney. Watts taps into the pairs experience in the Oceans movies especially, as the pair play rival fixers (think Winston Wolf in Pulp Fiction) who are forced to work together to get rid of a body.
The Instigators(2024) [Crime Comedy] - While The Instigators doesn't do much to break out of their regular narrative tropes of heist comedies, it still provides an incredibly solid viewing experience that's sure to appeal to viewers who enjoy a team of hilariously mismatched thieves fumbling their way through a grand plan.
On the Rocks(2020) [Comedy] - Lost in Translation director Sofia Coppola teamed up with Bill Murray once again in 2020 for the grounded father-daughter comedy On The Rocks, with the cast co-led by The Office and Parks and Recreation star Rashida Jones. Bill Murray plays Felix Keane, with Jones as his adult daughter Laura, and the two conspire to find out the truth about Laura's husband, Dean (Marlon Wayans).
The Family Plan(2023) [Comedy] - Mark Wahlberg stars in the original Apple TV+ action-comedy The Family Plan, playing a quiet car salesman and family man named Dan Morgan, who is seemingly a pacifist bordering on pushover. However, as the movie progresses, it emerges that Dan was once a highly skilled assassin.
Cha Cha Real Smooth (2020)(2022) [Comedy] - A gentle dramedy with a romantic heart, Cha Cha Real Smooth is a great showcase for director, producer, writer, and star Cooper Raiff. The Apple TV+ movie was praised for Raiff’s performance and direction, as well as the story’s touching premise and sincerity.
The Beanie Bubble(2023) [Comedy Biopic] - The Beanie Bubble centers on the toy manufacturer behind the bean-filled stuffies named Beanie Babies in the 1990s, Ty Warner (Zach Galifianakis), and the three women (Elizabeth Banks, Sarah Snook, Geraldine Viswanathan) who helped him become a billionaire.
Flora and Son(2023) [Musical Drama] - Flora and Son takes place in Dublin, Ireland andsees single mom Flora trying to find a hobby for her rebellious teenage son Max (Orén Kinlan) to keep him out of trouble. She comes across a discarded guitar, and through online guitar lessons with Jeff (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Flora and Max can rebuild a connection.
Come From Away(2021) [Musical] - Filmed live at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater in the city of New York during the COVID-19 pandemic for an audience of first responders and 9/11 survivors, Come From Away is a theatrical production about the 7,000 passengers who found themselves stranded in Newfoundland following the 9/11 attacks.
Argylle(2024) [Action Comedy] - Featuring an all-star cast led by Henry Cavill, Argylle focuses on spy novelist Elly Conway, whose books focus on the titular Argylle. An introvert, Elly is thrown wildly out of her comfort zone when she's targeted by a real-life spy organization whose novels apparently predict the future.
Ghosted(2023) [Action Romcom] -Ghosted on Apple TV+ mixes classic tropes of the rom-com and action-adventure genres into a slickly entertaining package. It sees Cole (Chris Evans) ghosted, despite forming a seemingly close bond with Sadie (Ana de Armas). Unable to take the rejection, Cole tries to see Sadie in London where she works, but is instead abducted by arms dealers who misidentify him as a legendary CIA operative.
Emancipation(2022) [Historic Drama] - The historical thriller Emancipation stars and was co-produced by Will Smith, is an incredibly tense and emotional watch that focuses on the 1860s shortly after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by Abraham Lincoln.
Sharper(2023) [Drama Thriller] - An edge-of-the-seat dramatic thriller, Sharper is a welcome addition to the neo-noir crime genre, with a plot revolves around a con artist who targets Manhattan billionaires, yet is inventively told through a series of non-linear vignettes from different perspectives.
Girls State (2024)(2024) [Documentary] - Released in 2024 to a resoundingly successful debut at the Sundance Film Festival, Girls State follows 500 girls from Missouri. Specifically, it dives into the American Legion Auxiliary Girls State program in which groups of high school juniors meet for a week at camp with the goal of attempting to build and run a hypothetical government from the ground up.
The Velvet Underground(2021) [Documentary] - Offering a comprehensive look into the formation, rise, cultural impact, and breakup of the original lineup of the titular alternative rock band from the '60s, The Velvet Underground is a must-watch documentary on Apple TV+ from both a social and musical perspective.
STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie(2023) [Documentary] - The 2023 winner of the Hope Award at the SXSW Film Festival, STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie shines a light on the life of the beloved actor and his life with Parkinson's disease, covering how Fox tried to keep his disease a secret at the height of his career in 1991 to how he lives with Parkinson's over two decades after being diagnosed.
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