We’ve all been there: we want to watch a new movie on Netflix but can’t find any good options. This list will solve your problem! These are some of my favorite movies on Netflix. While some may be less underrated than others, much to my frustration, most people have never heard of  these great movies. Hopefully, you’ll be able to find one or more movies that peak your interest to add to your watch-list! 

Magnolia

Magnolia is a drama which tells the seemingly unrelated stories of multiple characters in search of happiness, redemption and meaning. It stars Tom Cruise (who won a Golden Globe for his role), Julianne Moore, and William H Macy. This movie is for people who don’t like conventional plot lines, or in the case of this movie, the absence of a concrete plot. 

The Nice Guys 

Every single time someone asks for a movie recommendation, I tell them to watch this. By far the most underrated movie of 2016, The Nice Guys seems straight out of the 70’s. The film, starring Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe, brings back the beloved buddy-cop dynamic and does not care about political correctness. The film is centered around the unlikely pairing of a private detective (Gosling) and a hired enforcer (Crowe) and the murder of an adult actress. It has great acting, cinematography, comedy, and plot-twists. 

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

This mockumentary is Andy Sandberg’s best work. Imagine a documentary about Justin Bieber circa 2013, and you have this movie. Sandberg plays a famous popstar who, as a teenager, got his fame from his old band with his childhood best friends. Now an adult, Sandberg is a solo artist and a complete jerk. Sandberg calls on his SNL colleagues such as Maya Rudolph, who brilliantly plays Deborah, and Jimmy Fallon, for cameos in the movie. Other celebrity cameos include Adam Levine, Mariah Carey, and Snoop Dogg. 

Sing Street

If Nice Guys is the most underrated movie of 2016, then Sing Street is the second. I will never get over how Justin Timberlake’s song for Trolls won the Oscar for Best Original Score while “Drive it Like You Stole It” wasn’t even nominated. This film is the perfect example of ‘less is more’. Set in London in the 80’s, this movie tells the simple yet beautiful story of a teenage boy who decides to start a band to impress a girl. With great acting, a touching screenplay and amazing soundtrack, Sing Street became one of the best movies of 2016. 

13th

I would like to first thank Maggie for recommending this amazing documentary to me. 13th, which won a well deserved Oscar for Best Documentary, was extremely eye-opening for me. If you are interested in social causes, history, and politics, then this is the movie for you. This documentary explores racial inequality, both from the past (such as slavery and Jim Crow laws) and the present in the US, with a focus on the prison system, racial profiling, and mass incarceration. 

At the end of the day, these are simply some of my favorite movies, not just on Netflix, but of all time. I hope you watch some of these and that you enjoy them!