The 20 best movies on Tubi to watch (for free!)

12 Angry Men (1957)

Widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, 12 Angry Men hardly needs an introduction. Yet, it’s remarkable how relevant this courtroom drama remains in its portrayal of debate, confirmation bias, and morality. The film takes place almost entirely in one location, a jury deliberation room, where 12 jurors must decide on a verdict in a case involving an 18-year-old accused of murdering his father. While 11 of the 12 men come to a quick agreement on the teen’s guilt, Juror 8 (Henry Fonda) isn’t so sure, leading to a riveting debate enhanced by director Sidney Lumet’s genius camerawork. —Kevin Jacobsen

Where to watch 12 Angry Men: Tubi

Director: Sidney Lumet

Cast: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Ed Begley, E.G. Marshall, Jack Warden

All That Jazz (1979)

Many of cinema’s most celebrated auteurs have a semi-autobiographical entry in their filmography, from Federico Fellini’s 8½ (1963) to Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans (2022). Rarely have they reached the level of technical precision and panache as Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz, in which Roy Scheider plays a Fosse-like theater director overexerting himself to balance work commitments, personal relationships, and his health. Unafraid to be self-critical, Fosse crafts a shockingly complex portrait of an artist whose perfectionism drives him to the brink. —K.J.

Where to watch All That Jazz: Tubi

Director: Bob Fosse

Cast: Roy Scheider, Jessica Lange, Ann Reinking, Leland Palmer, Ben Vereen

Another Round (2020)

We’ve seen numerous movies explore male midlife crises, but this Oscar-winning dramedy from writer-director Thomas Vinterberg provides a fresh perspective. The Danish film follows four teacher friends who add flavor to their listless lives with an odd experiment: try to maintain a blood alcohol level of 0.05% at all times for maximum creativity and relaxation. While the colleagues commit to the same drinking schedule, the results vary as one of them develops a troubling addiction. EW’s critic calls Another Round “an intoxicated tale of midlife angst and catharsis,” anchored by Mads Mikkelsen in one of his best performances. —K.J.

Where to watch Another Round: Tubi

EW grade: B

Director: Thomas Vinterberg

Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang, Lars Ranthe

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 Valentine is 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: Tubi

EW grade: A

Director: Derek Cianfrance

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams

Boiling Point (2021)

The 2025 British series Adolescence has wowed critics and audiences with its conceit of each episode comprising a single take, but star Stephen Graham was already quite familiar with this approach thanks to Boiling Point. This anxiety-riddled drama is set in an upscale restaurant, as head chef Andy Jones (Graham) juggles various personal and professional responsibilities — including a devastating audit — over the course of a chaotic night. The use of only one take makes for a highly immersive experience that will resonate with anyone who’s ever had a particularly bad day at work. —K.J.

Where to watch Boiling Point: Tubi

Director: Philip Barantini

Cast: Stephen Graham, Vinette Robinson, Alice Feetham, Hannah Walters, Malachi Kirby, Taz Skylar, Lauryn Ajufo, Daniel Larkai, Lourdes Faberes, Jason Flemyng, Ray Panthaki

Charade (1963)

This genre-bending classic pairs two of the most charismatic stars of their era, Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant, in a twisty thrill ride. Hepburn plays Reggie, an American in Paris who learns her husband has been murdered. What follows is a complex web of mistrust and deception as she discovers he was involved in a shady business deal, and a group of criminals is after his money. And can she rely on the fellow American (Grant) she just met, who wants to help her? Charade raises the question of who Reggie can trust, but also who the audience should as well. —K.J.

Where to watch Charade: Tubi

Director: Stanley Donen

Cast: Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau, George Kennedy, James Coburn

Coffy (1973)

Pam Grier became a cinematic icon with her badass performance in this cult favorite from the Blaxploitation era. The actress plays Flower Child Coffin, a.k.a. Coffy, an ER nurse who becomes a vigilante to take revenge on the men who got her young sister hooked on heroin. After succeeding in her mission, Coffy continues to use her particular set of skills by targeting other dangerous men in her community, kicking butt and taking names along the way. It’s an electrifying star turn and a fun time capsule for the early ’70s. —K.J.

Where to watch Coffy: Tubi

Director: Jack Hill

Cast: Pam Grier, Booker Bradshaw, Sid Haig, Lisa Farringer, Robert DoQui

Heathers (1989)

The OG razor-sharp teen comedy, Heathers is the poisoned apple tree from which films like Clueless (1995), Jawbreaker (1999), and Mean Girls (2004) would later blossom. Winona Ryder stars as Veronica, one of the popular girls at a suburban high school where suicide has suddenly become the hottest new fad. Originally a box-office flop, this 1987 comedy has since become a completely quotable cult classic. —Katie Rife

Where to watch Heathers: Tubi

Director: Michael Lehmann

Cast: Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty

It Happened One Night (1934)

If you want to trace back the winning formula for a romantic comedy to one film, look no further than It Happened One Night. This classic centers on Ellie (Claudette Colbert), a pampered heiress who defies her father’s riches by eloping with a pilot who’s only after her money. Hitching a Greyhound to reunite with her husband, she meets Peter (Clark Gable), a newspaper reporter looking for a scoop, and the pair soon develop feelings for each other.

Filled with memorable sequences (Ellie’s iconic leg display to attract a ride while hitchhiking; Peter going bare-chested), It Happened One Night is a masterpiece of its genre, winning the „Big 5“ Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay. —K.J.

Where to watch It Happened One Night: Tubi

Director: Frank Capra

Cast: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert

Marjoe (1972)

This Oscar-winning documentary was decades ahead of its time, bravely exposing the manipulation tactics used by religious leaders. Centering on the charismatic Marjoe Gortner, the film chronicles his early life as a child preacher and his eventual disillusionment in adulthood when he returned to the revivalist circuit. „Part of what makes Marjoe such a knockout of a movie is not knowing exactly how to feel about it when its end credits come up,“ writes EW’s critic. „And when was the last time a movie made you feel something as complicated as that?“ —K.J.

Where to watch Marjoe: Tubi

Directors: Howard Smith, Sarah Kernochan

Cast: Marjoe Gortner

Memento (2001)

Oscar-winning director Christopher Nolan burst onto the scene with his intricate, intellectual style already fully developed in Memento, his second feature film. Guy Pearce stars as Leonard, a broken man out for revenge for the murder of his wife — a mission that’s made more difficult by the fact that he has an untreatable condition that resets his short-term memory every 15 minutes. „Memento has a spooky repetitive urgency that takes on the clarity of a dream,“ writes EW’s critic. „It’s like an Oliver Sacks case study played as malevolent film noir.“ —K.R.

Where to watch Memento: Tubi

EW grade: A

Director: Christopher Nolan

Cast: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano

Memories of Murder (2003)

Four years before David Fincher directed Zodiac (2007), Bong Joon Ho played with similar themes about an unsolved series of killings (based on a true story) and the dogged pursuit of detectives obsessed with the case.

Memories of Murder stars Song Kang-ho and Kim Sang-kyung as investigators looking into the Hwaesong serial murders in late-’80s South Korea. Their pursuit leads them down a highly unusual path with no easy answers, and Bong masterfully balances tonal shifts from bleak tragedy to absurdist humor to highlight why the case remains so compelling. EW’s critic calls the film „a supremely suspenseful thriller that displays an exquisite command of tension.“ —K.J.

Where to watch Memories of Murder: Tubi

Director: Bong Joon Ho

Cast: Song Kang-ho, Kim Sang-kyung

On the Waterfront (1954)

This cinematic classic stars Marlon Brando in one of his most iconic roles as fighter-turned-longshoreman Terry Malloy. After Terry witnesses a murder orchestrated by his corrupt boss, he reckons with the implications of testifying against him while developing a relationship with the murder victim’s sister. On the Waterfront is a riveting morality tale that remains relevant decades later, and Brando’s performance as the conflicted Terry rightfully earned him his first Academy Award, with the film also winning Best Picture and six other Oscars. —K.J.

Where to watch On the Waterfront: Tubi

Director: Elia Kazan

Cast: Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Pat Henning, Eva Marie Saint

Party Girl (1995)

With the renewed appreciation of Parker Posey thanks to her scene-stealing role in season 3 of The White Lotus, there’s no better time to go back and watch her breakthrough performance in this quirky ’90s comedy. Posey stars as Mary, a young, carefree woman who frequents the New York City nightlife. After her godmother bails her out of jail, Mary begrudgingly takes a job as a librarian to get the money to pay her back, which helps her grow as a person. It’s easy to see why Posey would become an indie darling after Party Girl‘s release; her winning yet eccentric screen presence is already evident, and the role allows her to display her full comedic and dramatic range. —K.J.

Where to watch Party Girl: Tubi

Director: Daisy von Scherler Mayer

Cast: Parker Posey, Anthony DeSando, Guillermo Díaz, Donna Mitchell, Liev Schreiber, Omar Townsend, Sasha von Scherler

Secretary (2002)

This BDSM-themed rom-com stars Maggie Gyllenhaal as Lee, an emotionally unbalanced young woman who finds her purpose when she takes a job as a secretary for Mr. Grey (James Spader), a strict and demanding attorney. What starts as sexual tension soon turns into an elaborate, kinky role-playing game that consumes both boss and assistant. Could true love be far behind? —K.R.

Where to watch Secretary: Tubi

EW grade: A

Director: Steven Shainberg

Cast: James Spader, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jeremy Davies, Patrick Bauchau, Stephen McHattie, Lesley Ann Warren

Short Term 12 (2013)

Destin Daniel Cretton’s acclaimed indie drama is among the most significant launching pads for future 21st-century movie stars. The film, about the residents and staff of a group home for troubled teenagers, marked the feature debuts of LaKeith Stanfield (Sorry to Bother You) and Stephanie Beatriz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), as well as early roles for Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart) and Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody, Mr. Robot). It was also the first lead movie role for future Captain Marvel Brie Larson, who reunited with the director in a mid-credits scene in 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. —K.R.

Where to watch Short Term 12: Tubi

Director: Destin Daniel Cretton

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

Tangerine (2015)

This exuberant indie dramedy centers on the chaotic lives of two transgender friends trying to find peace of mind in Los Angeles. Sin-Dee Rella (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) and Alexandra (Mya Taylor), both sex workers, ramble across Santa Monica Boulevard hunting down the former’s boyfriend/pimp, who has been cheating on her.

Hilarious yet humanistic, Tangerine is a testament to the value of independent cinema, not only for its focus on characters not often seen in leading roles but also for the story behind its production; co-writer-director Sean Baker shot the whole film with iPhone 5S smartphones. —K.J.

Where to watch Tangerine: Tubi

Director: Sean Baker

Cast: Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, Karren Karagulian, Mickey O’Hagan, Alla Tumanian, James Ransone

Titane (2021)

You’ve (probably) never seen anything like Titane, Julia Ducournau’s body horror thriller that miraculously won the top prize at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. The film centers on Alexia (Agathe Rousselle), a woman who was in a car accident as a child that led to a titanium plate being implanted in her head. Years later, Alexia has become a serial killer with a highly sexual obsession with motor vehicles, leading her down an increasingly dangerous path. Ducournau’s audacious commitment to her vision is refreshing in its lack of compromise; as EW’s critic writes, she „forges something sensational from nerve and pure metal, and makes it new.“ —K.J.

Where to watch Titane: Tubi

EW grade: B+

Director: Julia Ducournau

Cast: Agathe Rousselle, Vincent Lindon, Garance Marillier, Laïs Salameh

Tokyo Sonata (2008)

The everyday struggles of an ordinary Tokyo family are woven together with a sometimes uncomfortable honesty in this affecting psychological drama from Kiyoshi Kurosawa. A father grapples with the loss of his job; his wife lives an unsatisfying existence as a housewife; their eldest son leaves home to join the U.S. military; their youngest son secretly takes piano lessons against his father’s wishes. All must go on a journey of self-discovery to find their place in the world, with Kurosawa exploring each character’s inner conflict with bracing realism before deftly shifting into something more expressionistic as he pushes them out of their comfort zones. —K.J.

Where to watch Tokyo Sonata: Tubi

Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Cast: Teruyuki Kagawa, Kyōko Koizumi, Yū Koyanagi, Kai Inowaki, Kanji Tsuda, Kōji Yakusho

The Visitor (2007)

Richard Jenkins gives the performance of a lifetime in this small, unassuming drama as an economics professor who discovers an immigrant couple (Haaz Sleiman and Danai Gurira) squatting in his little-used NYC apartment. Rather than evicting them, he befriends them, bearing witness to the harsh inequalities of post-9/11 America when one of them is arrested and detained on immigration charges. What follows is a touching drama anchored by its Oscar-nominated leading man. —K.R.

Where to watch The Visitor: Tubi

Director: Tom McCarthy

Cast: Richard Jenkins, Hiam Abbass, Haaz Sleiman, Danai Gurira