From Oscar winners to classic comedies, there are plenty of quality films available to stream for free. The 9 best movies on YouTube

From Oscar winners to classic comedies, there are plenty of quality films available to stream for free.

The 9 best movies on YouTube

From Oscar winners to classic comedies, there are plenty of quality films available to stream for free.

By Kevin Jacobsen

on October 17, 2025 12:41 p.m. ET

Megan Fox as Jennifer Check in 'Jennifer's Body'; Greta Gerwig as Frances Halladay in 'Frances Ha'; Mads Mikkelsen as Martin in 'Another Round'. Credit:

Doane Gregory; IFC; Samuel Goldwyn Films

YouTube has been a one-stop shop for cute animal videos and niche video essays since 2005. But in recent years, this gargantuan media hub has more to offer than snack-sized bites of digital entertainment. In fact, you can now watch entire films on the platform for free (with ads, of course), making for a great way to dabble in streaming without paying subscription fees.

There are plenty of options to choose from, but which ones are worth your time? To help you out, EW has rounded up the nine best movies on YouTube right now.

Another Round (2020)

Mads Mikkelsen as Martin in 'Another Round'. Samuel Goldwyn Films

A potent cocktail of comedy and tragedy, Thomas Vinterberg's *Another Round* takes place in modern-day Copenhagen as four dissatisfied friends and teachers decide to embark on an experiment: maintain a state of buzz from alcohol to unlock their creative potential. Results are positive to start, with all four finding their moods raised and teaching methods more fruitful for their students. But things take an unfortunate turn as the friends decide to take their alcohol consumption to the next level.**** Featuring a stunning lead performance by Mads Mikkelsen, the Danish film received widespread critical acclaim for its depiction of men of a certain age as they try to quell their midlife crises. Vinterberg received a Best Director Oscar nomination in 2021 for the film, which won the award for Best International Feature.

Where to watch *Another Round*: YouTube

**EW grade:** B

**Director:** Thomas Vinterberg

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

Donnie Darko (2001)

Jake Gyllenhaal as Donnie Darko in 'Donnie Darko'.

Mary Evans/Pandora Cinema/Flower Films/Adam Fields Productions/GA/Ronald Grant/Courtesy Everett Collection

This cult-favorite sci-fi thriller is still evocative more than 20 years later. Jake Gyllenhaal, in one of his early breakout roles, stars as Donnie, an angsty teenager who sleepwalks outside his house where he is met with a terrifying human-sized rabbit who informs him the world will end in 28 days. That night, a plane crashes into Donnie's house, after which he continues to see the sinister rabbit. It's a concept that could've gone off the rails if not for Richard Kelly's deft direction. As EW's critic writes, "He swings big — with flair."

Where to watch *Donnie Darko*: YouTube

**Director:** Richard Kelly

**Cast:** Jake Gyllenhaal, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Seth Rogen, Jena Malone, Patrick Swayze, Ashley Tisdale

Frances Ha (2013)

Greta Gerwig as Frances Halladay in 'Frances Ha'.

IFC Films/Courtesy Everett

Greta Gerwig, now an acclaimed writer-director and frequent Oscar nominee, became a true indie darling with *Frances Ha*, which she starred in and co-wrote with her partner, Noah Baumbach. Gerwig plays Frances Halladay, a millennial dancer living in Brooklyn whose best friend/roommate decides to move to Tribeca, forcing Frances to find a more affordable living arrangement.

As Frances struggles to make ends meet, she grapples with the changing nature of her relationship with her best friend. Infused with quirky, observational humor and its main character's wayward spirit, *Frances Ha* is a film about reckoning with young adulthood in all of its messy, beautiful complications.**

Where to watch *Frances Ha*: YouTube

**Director: **Noah Baumbach

**Cast: **Greta Gerwig, Mickey Sumner, Adam Driver, Michael Zegen

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Jennifer's Body (2009)

Megan Fox as Jennifer Check in 'Jennifer's Body'. Everett Collection

Misunderstood at the time, Karyn Kusama's horror comedy has aged remarkably well since its release. Amanda Seyfried stars as Needy, a high school student whose popular best friend, Jennifer (a never-better Megan Fox), becomes possessed by a demon. After Jennifer kills multiple male classmates, Needy hopes to put an end to the violence, while also trying to get to the bottom of what exactly happened to her BFF.**** Though critics largely dismissed *Jennifer's Body* as disposable in 2009 (and audiences weren't much kinder), it has since earned cult classic status for its feminist themes. What was marketed at the time as a sexy dark comedy for teen boys to ogle at is actually an ahead-of-its-time revenge thriller.

Where to watch *Jennifer's Body*: YouTube

**Director:** Karyn Kusama

**Cast:** Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Simmons, J.K. Simmons, Amy Sedaris, Adam Brody

L.A. Confidential (1997)

Kim Basinger as Lynn Bracken and Guy Pearce as Det. Lieut. Edmund 'Shotgun Ed' Exley in 'L.A. Confidential'. Everett Collection

Like the best crime novels, *L.A. Confidential* unfurls like a yarn as it depicts a crime-riddled Los Angeles in the 1950s. This neo-noir favorite tells the intricate story of detectives whose investigation into a robbery and homicide at a coffee shop leads to revelation after revelation of the corruption that interconnects the self-proclaimed City of Angels.

Featuring an all-star cast including Guy Pearce and Russell Crowe in breakout roles and Kim Basinger, who won an Oscar for her performance as a sex worker/Veronica Lake lookalike, *L.A. Confidential* crackles with style and well-earned plot twists. "Like *Chinatown*, the 1974 classic of Los Angeles depravity," writes EW's critic, "this is the rare night-world thriller that understands what bad impulses can do to good men. Even the heroes have to get down in the muck to take on the devil."

Where to watch *L.A. Confidential*: YouTube

**EW grade:** A

**Director:** Curtis Hanson

**Cast:** Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, James Cromwell, David Strathairn, Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito**

Moonstruck (1987)

Cher as Loretta Castorini and Nicolas Cage as Ronny Cammareri in 'Moonstruck'.

Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty

There are few romantic comedies as well-written as *Moonstruck*, John Patrick Shanley's warm-hearted ode to finding unexpected love in New York City. Cher, in one of her most luminous performances, plays Loretta Castorini, an Italian American woman who falls in love with her fiancé's animalistic younger brother, Ronny (Nicolas Cage). Meanwhile, Loretta's parents go through their own romantic journeys, leading to a hilariously chaotic final scene. Winning three Oscars (including Best Actress for Cher), EW's critic calls *Moonstruck* a "tiramisu-sweet romantic comedy" that is both "passionate and profound."

Where to watch *Moonstruck*: YouTube

**EW grade:** A–

**Director:** Norman Jewison

**Cast:** Cher, Nicolas Cage, Vincent Gardenia, Olympia Dukakis, Danny Aiello

Nosferatu (1922)

Max Schreck as Count Orlok in 'Nosferatu'.

ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty

With the 2024 release of Robert Eggers' *Nosferatu*, you no longer have an excuse to put off catching up on the horror-genre-defining original. An unauthorized German adaptation of Bram Stoker's *Dracula*, *Nosferatu*'s version of the iconic vampire is Count Orlok (Max Schreck), who takes a special interest in his estate agent's wife, Ellen (Greta Schröder). Filled with haunting imagery (particularly Count Orlok's appearance), the silent horror drama "conjures and then sustains, for its entire running time, the feeling of being a child, up late at night channel-surfing, and coming across a film that is so alarming, so out-of-this-world, you have to hope it was only a dream," writes EW's critic.**

Where to watch *Nosferatu*: YouTube

**Director:** F.W. Murnau

**Cast:** Max Schreck, Gustav von Wangenheim, Greta Schröder, Alexander Granach, Ruth Landshoff, Wolfgang Heinz

Paprika (2006)

Still from 'Paprika'.

Madhouse/Sony/Kobal/Shutterstock

This thought-provoking Japanese anime film from visionary director Satoshi Kon will weave into your subconscious. The film centers on a psychologist who uses innovative dream technology to help her patients, using the alter ego Paprika. After the technology is stolen, the psychologist and her fellow scientists try to prevent catastrophic consequences. Dizzying and dazzling all at once, *Paprika* finds Kon mixing strong visuals with trippy perspectives, resulting in a message of seeming forewarning.**

Where to watch *Paprika*: YouTube

**Director: **Satoshi Kon

**Cast: **Megumi Hayashibara, Tōru Emori, Katsunosuke Hori, Tōru Furuya, Akio Ōtsuka, Kōichi Yamadera, Hideyuki Tanaka

Signs (2002)

Rory Culkin as Morgan Hess, Mel Gibson as Graham Hess, Abigail Breslin as Bo Hess, and Joaquin Phoenix as Merrill Hess in 'Signs'. Everett Collection

The works of M. Night Shyamalan have proven divisive since the early-2000s, but this sci-fi horror hybrid has arguably aged the best from that time — perhaps because he forsakes his trademark twist ending on which so many of his other films hinge. After a series of crop circles mysteriously appear in his cornfield, former priest Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) investigates and comes to discover that extraterrestrials may be responsible. Shyamalan expertly builds tension as Graham and his family try to ward off their alien invaders, while Graham also grieves the death of his wife six months earlier. As EW's critic writes, "*Signs*, with its floating unease and pseudo-amazement, turns out to be a parable of rediscovered faith and the hidden unity of events."

Where to watch *Signs*: YouTube

**Director:** M. Night Shyamalan

**Cast:** Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin, Cherry Jones

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Source: "AOL Movies"

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