Streaming Right Now: The Most Compelling Movies of the Last 20 Years

For those films that are cut-to-the-core, no-holds-barred works of emotional mastery, look no further than these streaming options! With so many streaming services out there today, at least one of these should help you find an exciting watch for your next movie night.

Told over twelve years of a boy’s life (and filmed over twelve years), Richard Linklater’s Boyhood is one of the most perfectly encapsulated views of its title subject.

Streaming on: the Criterion Channel, AMC+

Sideways follows two men using a trip to California’s wine country as an excuse to evaluate (or perhaps forget about) their current lives. Though this film sounds like the set-up to a sophomoric buddy movie, Sideways is excellently acted and maturely comedic.

Streaming on: Hulu, Tubi

The divorce proceedings of two creatives weigh harshly on their work and relationship with their child. This sympathetic portrait of two individuals was heralded as indie director Noah Baumbach’s best work.

Streaming on: Netflix

Jeremy Renner stars as a soldier on an explosives team in Baghdad, illuminating the human story behind real Americans at war and the psychological toll that their job takes.

Streaming on: Peacock, Roku, Starz

After an injury that keeps him from riding, a rodeo cowboy turns to the profession of training wild horses but struggles to find purpose in his new direction in life. Writer/director Chloé Zhao would later win Best Picture at the Academy Awards for her next feature Nomadland.

Streaming on: Starz

Acclaimed director Darren Aronofsky directs Mickey Rourke as a former star wrestler dealing with the difficult decision of either retirement or a nearly-impossible comeback.

Streaming on: HBO Max

The second entry of the “Before” trilogy finds the characters played by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy meeting in Paris nine years after the first film, seeing if their love will pick up where it left off.

Streaming on: Everywhere for $2.99 rental

Check back for more streaming suggestions every week!