These Are The Most Perfect Movies On Netflix, According To Metacritic

It's hard to complain about the huge array of choices we have when it comes to movies these days. The days of renting movies on DVD are long gone — today, we can find just about anything we want to watch on one of the many streaming services, like Netflix. But with so many streaming options at our fingertips, it can sometimes be hard to find the perfect movie. If you're tired of scrolling for what feels like hours on Netflix in search of an amazing film, we've got you covered.

We've taken a look at the Metacritic charts to bring you the best movies of all time that are available on Netflix. These are award-nominated films like "Moonlight," "Pan's Labyrinth," and "Roma," that stunned both critics and audiences alike. Whether you're after a romantic classic like "My Fair Lady" for your next "Netflix and chill," or you'd prefer a hard-hitting drama like "There Will Be Blood," you're sure to find an (almost) perfect Netflix movie right here.

One of the best movies you can watch on Netflix is the 2016 Academy Award winner for Best Picture, "Moonlight." This movie has a rating of 99 on Metacritic, with multiple media outlets like TimeOut, The Playlist Cinevue, The Telegraph, and the Chicago Tribune all awarding it a perfect score of 100.

The movie follows a young Black man in America throughout three stages of his life. The Guardian praised the film's mature cinematography and soundtrack as well as the performances of Mahershala Ali as Juan and Naomi Harris as the main character's mother. As the review put it, "Moonlight is moving and mysterious: a dance to the music of time, in its way. ... Moonlight is a film about masculinity, the wounds and crises of which are the same for all sexualities, but conditioned by the background weather of race and class."

While this movie certainly isn't easygoing or light, it's guaranteed to be a moving experience that you'll remember for a long time to come.

"Pan's Labyrinth" boasts an almost perfect Metacritic score of 98. The 2006 Guillermo del Toro dark fantasy film tells the story of a young girl who, during the Franco regime in 1940s Spain, begins to live in a twisted, terrifying fantasy world, where she encounters nightmarish creatures like the famous Pale Man with eyes on the palms of his hands. 

While the film is set in a fantastical, unreal world, it is also a stark commentary on some very real problems and events. As Roger Ebert wrote in his review, "What makes Del Toro's 'Pan's Labyrinth' so powerful, I think, is that it brings together two kinds of material, obviously not compatible, and insists on playing true to both, right to the end." The review added, "Because there is no compromise there is no escape route, and the dangers in each world are always present in the other."

If you're up for a challenging and disturbing, but, ultimately, deeply-moving film with stunning visuals, this might be the one for you.

"Roma" is a hugely successful Mexican Netflix film released in 2018. It was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and was named the best picture of 2018 by the New York Film Critics Circle, the Chicago Film Critics Association, the London Critics Circle, and many other organizations. With a score of 96 on Metacritic, it's safe to say this film is a must-watch.

"Roma," directed by Alfonso Cuaron, is what the New York Times called a "masterpiece of memory." It follows a wealthy white family living in Mexico City and their indigenous maid named Cleo. The film is a slow-burn — it starts with long, quiet scenes showing Cleo's various jobs around the house. However, a series of horrific events cause the steady pattern of life in the house to fall apart.

As The Guardian explained, the magnificence of the film comes from Cuaron's impressive black-and-white cinematography and the "delicate and stoic" performance of Yalitza Aparicio as Cleo. While this film is certainly not easygoing, it's clear that it's a remarkable cinematic experience.

"The Social Network" was released in 2010 to rave reviews — and, with a score of 95 on Metacritic, it is one of the most critically-acclaimed films on Netflix. The David Fincher movie tells a fictionalized version of the real-life story of the origins of the social media platform Facebook. We follow Mark Zuckerberg, played by Jesse Eisenberg, as he develops the platform in reaction to a bad breakup. What begins as a misogynistic exercise of rating the women at his university became the social media platform we all know today.

The New York Times noted at the time that despite the decidedly dull, technical nature of the film's subject matter, the film was shot "like a thriller." Whether you're interested in the origins of our digital personas or you're fascinated by the more human side of the story, this film will tick all of your boxes. Plus, as noted by a more recent review of the film in the New York Times, the movie has become even more important over the years as a reminder of the fickleness and falseness of social media — which negatively affects our self-image.

Every now and then, we all need a movie that serves as pure, luxurious escapism — and it doesn't get better than the 1964 musical "My Fair Lady." The musical, based on the play "Pygmalion," follows Eliza, played by Audrey Hepburn, a flower seller plucked out of obscurity by phonetics professor Henry Higgins, played by Rex Harrison, who teaches her to speak in a perfect, clipped, upper-class accent. The film is romantic, beautiful, and charming. And, with a score of 95 of Metacritic, it's also one of the best-reviewed films of all time.

As Roger Ebert wrote, "What distinguishes 'My Fair Lady' above all is that it actually says something. It says it in a film of pointed words, unforgettable music and glorious images, but it says it." So, what does it say? Well, as one critic explained in a 2014 piece for Time, the movie is far more than an "outdated rom-com" about a girl who chooses a misogynistic man. Rather, it's a "movie about a sexist time." With that in mind, you can enjoy the lavish costumes and musical numbers without too much guilt!

If you're up for a challenging, eye-opening documentary, "I Am Not Your Negro" has the highest Metacritic score of any Netflix documentary at 95. The powerful film, directed by Raoul Peck, is based on the unfinished James Baldwin book "Remember This House." Beginning with historical figures Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr., the film attempts to complete the unfinished book by examining contemporary race relations in America.

The film received praise for its nuanced approach to its difficult subject matter. As one reviewer wrote in Time, "It isn't an inherently angry film." Instead, it attempts to take the calm power of Baldwin's writing style. However, as The Washington Post noted, the film is far from reflective. Rather, it "bursts with fierce urgency" as it tries to make sense of the current state of racism in America. If you want a film that will teach you about how history has impacted the present, this film may be the best pick for you.

"Carol" is a 2015 film starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara with an impressive 94 score on Metacritic. The film tells an understated 1950s love story between an older, glamorous woman, Carol, and a young photographer, Therese. The film received exceptional reviews. In a five-star review from The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw wrote, "The cigarette that bears a lipstick's traces ... the tinkling piano in the next apartment. Todd Haynes's narcotic and delicious film Carol is in love with this kind of detail."

While the film is certainly mesmerizingly, seductively beautiful, it is also a stark tale of forbidden queer love in the 1950s. For Carol and Therese, their romance is doomed in the real world, and when the illusion of their affair falls apart, the effect is heartbreaking.

If you're in the mood for a sophisticated, sumptuous film complete with period costumes, smoky Art Deco rooms, and an impossible, passionate affair, you're sure to love "Carol."

In 2019, Netflix's "The Irishman" made a big splash. The Martin Scorsese film made headlines for using advanced AI technology to transform its famous lead actors — Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, and Robert De Niro — into young men. The epic mobster tale follows these three men throughout their lives in post-war America as they work in organized crime. Critics, unsurprisingly, were hooked. The film boasts a score of 94 on Metacritic.

While the film is definitely a classic mobster drama, it is much more. As The New Yorker noted, it is also a bittersweet tale about aging and, ultimately, the meaning of life. It begs the question, in the end, what was it all for?

While the movie is certainly a lot of fun in the expected mafia way, it's also surprisingly poignant and heartbreaking. If you want an epic three-hour tale that ends with a philosophical moment, "The Irishman" is your best bet.

The deceptively simple movie "Lady Bird" made huge waves when it was released in 2018. The first feature directed by Greta Gerwig stars Saoirse Ronan as "Lady Bird," a teenager from California who is anxious to forge her own path away from her domineering mother. With a score of 94 on Metacritic, and impeccable reviews from Vox, Time, Entertainment Weekly, and many other publications, the movie is undoubtedly one of the best currently on Netflix.

This film is a charming, funny, and poignant look at coming of age as a young woman in America at the turn of the millennium. With smart dialogue, heartfelt family moments, and relatable moments of teenage life, this is a film that will resonate with just about everyone, sometimes in unexpected ways. For both mothers and daughters, this film promises to be particularly moving. As The Guardian put it, "The film's emotional [center] is the relationship between mother and daughter. In a way, it is about how impossible it is for teenagers to imagine the emotional lives of their parents."

"Marriage Story," starring Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver, was probably one of the most talked-about films of 2019. The simple story of a New York couple going through a divorce became a huge hit thanks to its startlingly realistic performances and its nuanced exploration of just how messy the end of a relationship can be — even for couples who want things to be easy. The movie received excellent reviews and received a 94 on Metacritic.

While "Marriage Story" may sound like a downer, in many ways, it's also uplifting. As The New York Times described it, "The melody is full of heartbreak, loss and regret, but the song is too beautiful to be entirely melancholy." While it's by no means an easy film to watch, especially for those who have experienced heartbreak, it's also a film that gives its viewers a positive, optimistic view of what can come after a significant love affair falls apart.

If you're up for a classic, brutal Western on Netflix, it doesn't get much better than "There Will Be Blood." With multiple perfect reviews from the likes of The Guardian, The New York Times, Vulture, and The Hollywood Reporter, this film rates a solid 93 on Metacritic.

The uncompromising, decidedly dark film by Paul Thomas Anderson stars Daniel Day-Lewis as the terrifying Daniel Plainview, the looming figurehead of what Vulture called an "epic Western, a parable of rapacious capitalism." Day-Lewis is the star of the show. In fact, his performance alone makes the film a must-see. While it's certainly not for the faint-of-heart, "There Will Be Blood" is a movie that will stay with you for years to come. As Vulture put it, "Anderson's fearless, bighearted filmmaking is an antidote to the toxic cloud of Manifest Destiny. He has made a mad American classic." For fans of the art of cinema, don't miss watching this incredible movie.

"Spotlight," directed by Thomas McCarthy and starring an impressive cast that includes John Slattery, Liev Schreiber, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, and Stanley Tucci, has an impressive score of 93 on Metacritic.

The movie tells the real-life story of a ground-breaking Boston Globe investigation into abuse in the Catholic Church. The movie has everything you could want: intrigue, scandal, drama, and a group of plucky reporters. Plus, it's a fascinating look at a true-to-life detective story set in the fast-paced environment of a high-stakes newsroom. As the Roger Ebert review wrote, "'Spotlight,' with all its pain and urgency, is a pure celebration of journalists doing what they do best."

It's hard not to enjoy this gripping story — plus, it dramatizes an important moment in history. Whether you're interested in watching a high-intensity, fast-paced drama, or you're interested in the fascinating true story of how the abuse scandal in the Catholic Church was uncovered, you're bound to love this excellent film.

"Platoon" is what we definitely consider a classic — this devastating Vietnam War film from 1987 stars Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, and Willem Dafoe. With a series of incredible reviews, it's no surprise the film earned a rating of 92 on Metacritic.

The film is famous for portraying the Vietnam War as it really was, in all its horrific and brutal detail. Sheen plays a 19-year-old launched into the horrors of war. His letters home serve as the narrative arc of the film. While the movie is known for its unapologetic portrayal of the realities of war, it is also a poignantly beautiful film with a stunning score and impressive cinematography.

If you're up for a painful, heart-wrenching story of war, this movie is definitely worth a watch. As TimeOut wrote, "[Director Oliver] Stone's eye-blistering images possess an awesome power, which sets the senses reeling and leaves the mind disturbed."

The 2017 movie "The Florida Project," available on Netflix, stars Willem Dafoe as a motel manager. At this motel, the young Halley lives with her 6-year-old daughter, Moonee. It's a film about a young girl in harsh, difficult surroundings, who finds the joy of her situation thanks to her child's perspective. The film scored a 92 on Metacritic.

This movie is an adult's movie about childhood. As one reviewer wrote for Time, "Kids have no idea they're feeling wonder — just feeling it is the thing." In other words, this film manages to capture the fact that as children, we are free from the troubles of adulthood. However, it isn't until we are older that we even realize how free we were. This gives the movie a bittersweet, nostalgic feel.

As the Roger Ebert review noted, it is the "fully-realized and three-dimensional" characters that make the film what it is. "It takes a very special movie to change the way we look at the people around us. 'The Florida Project' is a very special movie."

"Uncut Gems" is a 2019 Netflix movie about a jeweler, played by Adam Sandler, who gets caught up in a high-stakes deal. The movie made headlines for its fast pace, its manic, chaotic energy, and its harsh, unforgiving tone. As far as this movie is concerned, speed is everything. As The Boston Globe put it, "Because Howard never stops moving, neither does the movie, and the effect is both exhausting and electrifying." Or, as The New Yorker wrote, "Uncut Gems jitters and skitters and lurches and hurtles with Howard's desperate energy." In other words, this superspeed film is a chaotic ride that speeds you along from the very first moments.

It's no surprise that the movie made a gigantic splash when it was released and earned a rating of 91 on Metacritic. We definitely recommend this film on Netflix — that is, if you have the stamina to keep up.