January is well underway, and if you’re looking for a two-hour movie to watch between episode drops for Severance season 2 or Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, I suggest checking out the paywall-free libraries of the best free streaming services.
Below, I’ve highlighted five of the best free movies to stream on the likes of Tubi, Pluto TV, and Plex this week – from Oscar-winning rom-coms to underrated musicals.
The Graduate (Tubi)
Release date: December 1967
RT Score: 87%
Length: 106 minutes
Director: Mike Nichols
Main cast: Anne Bancroft, Dustin Hoffman, Katharine Ross, William Daniels
One of the funniest and most influential films of all time, The Graduate, is now streaming for free on Tubi.
Starring a 29-year-old Dustin Hoffman in the lead role (though he looks about 21), Mike Nichols’ seminal rom-com centers on Benjamin Braddock, an alienated and aimless college graduate who, after becoming romantically involved with an older woman (Anne Bancroft), falls in love with her daughter (Katharine Ross). Beloved for its portrayal of generational conflict and its note-perfect ending, The Graduate is a must-watch for all movie fans.
Cyrano (Tubi)
Release date: September 2021
RT Score: 85%
Length: 124 minutes
Director: Joe Wright
Main cast: Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Ben Mendelsohn
Joe Wright’s Cyrano was criminally overlooked upon its initial release in 2021, and with the film now streaming for free on Tubi, there’s no excuse not to watch Peter Dinklage excel in one of his precious few lead roles (which is another travesty!).
Based on the 1897 Edmond Rostand play Cyrano de Bergerac, this lavish musical adaptation follows a dwarven poet who lends his talent for wordplay to a handsome soldier (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) in the hope of winning the affections of a beautiful maiden (Haley Bennett). Sure, it’s cheesier than a Fondue Savoyarde, but Cyrano puts its own spin on a tried-and-tested story and has killer songs to boot.
Apocalypto (Plex, Pluto TV, Kanopy)
Release date: December 2006
RT Score: 65%
Length: 138 minutes
Director: Mel Gibson
Main cast: Rudy Youngblood, Raoul Trujillo, Mayra Sérbulo, Dalia Hernández
Inexplicably, Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto seems to have entered the meme-sphere of late, but don’t let funny gifs and TikTok edits fool you into thinking this is a family-friendly film.
No Sir. Apocalypto, which is now streaming for free on Plex, Pluto TV, and Kanopy, centers on a late Mesoamerican hunter who, after being captured by a savage tribe, is transported to a faraway Maya city for human sacrifice. Director Quentin Tarantino described Apocalypto as “a masterpiece” upon its release in 2006, and it remains one of the bloodiest, most visceral depictions of the Maya civilization in Hollywood history.
Titanic (Hoopla)
Release date: November 1977
RT Score: 88%
Length: 195 minutes
Director: James Cameron
Main cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates
What can I say about Titanic that you don’t already know? Only, perhaps, that James Cameron’s iconic disaster flick is now streaming for free on Hoopla.
Directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by the Avatar: The Way of Water filmmaker, this 195-minute romantic adventure depicts the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912 and the unlikely love affair between two passengers aboard it. Titanic would prove star-making for Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, legend-making for James Cameron, and coffer-filling for Paramount Pictures – it is, by all metrics, a true classic.
Black Hawk Down (Hoopla)
Release date: December 2001
RT Score: 76%
Length: 144 minutes
Director: Ridley Scott
Main cast: Josh Hartnett, Eric Bana, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore
Sticking with the disaster movie theme, Ridley Scott’s star-studded war film Black Hawk Down is now streaming for free on Hoopla.
Based on the eponymous non-fiction book by journalist Mark Bowden, Black Hawk Down recounts the brutal Battle of Mogadishu, which saw 160 elite US soldiers dropped into – and soon forced to flee – the Somali capital in 1993. The film’s large ensemble cast includes – wait for it – Josh Hartnett, Eric Bana, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore, Jason Isaacs, Orlando Bloom, Ioan Gruffudd, Ewen Bremner, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, so a big part of Black Hawk Down’s fun is spotting its up-and-coming stars.
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