Are you looking for a way to watch Best Picture winners, some of the most celebrated documentaries of all time, or great romantic comedies? Well, you don’t have to fork out a ton of cash or sign up for another premium streaming service to check out thousands of movies. You just need to use Pluto TV, a free streaming platform that’s loaded with great big-screen experiences.
Below is a beefy list of some of the best movies on Pluto TV, but this is just barely scratching the surface of what the streaming platform has to offer. That being said, let’s check out a couple dozen of the best options the service has for you.
The Master (2012)
One of Paul Thomas Anderson’s best movies, The Master, for lack of a better term, is a masterclass in filmmaking, storytelling, and acting (thanks to Joaquin Phoenix and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman). Set in the post-WWII era, the movie centers on WWII vet Freddie Quell (Phoenix) as he falls into the orbit of cult leader Lancaster Dodd (Hoffman) and becomes part of a movement that will forever change both of their lives.
Stream The Master on Pluto TV.
Lady Bird (2017)
Several years before starting a pop culture (and box office) phenomenon with Barbie, Greta Gerwig made her solo directorial debut with the 2017 coming-of-age drama, Lady Bird. Set over a year, the movie follows Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson (Saoirse Ronan), a fiercely independent and headstrong high school senior who wishes for nothing more than to leave her hometown and make something of herself somewhere on the East Coast. With its brutally honest depictions of high school romances, tense mother-daughter relationships, and growing up, Lady Bird paints a beautiful picture of the teenage experience.
Brian's Song (1981)
Perhaps the best football movie ever made, Brian’s Song chronicles the unbreakable bond shared by Chicago Bears players Brian Piccolo (James Caan) and Gale Sayers (Billy Dee Williams), both on and off the gridiron. Directed by Buzz Kulik, this 1971 ABC made-for-TV movie starts by detailing the racial barriers the pair overcame early in their playing days before turning its attention to Piccolo’s cancer battle and how it made them even closer.
Stream Brian’s Song on Pluto TV.
The Truman Show (1998)
In 1998, Jim Carrey showed his range in Peter Weir’s dramedy, The Truman Show. In the movie, Carrey plays Truman Burbank, a man whose entire life has been documented as a reality TV show, only he has no idea his “reality” is nothing more than a fabrication or simulation created by the enigmatic Christof (Ed Harris). There’s certainly some comedy, but this was a new direction for the comedy star coming off a syringe of massively successful ‘90s comedies.
Stream The Truman Show on Pluto TV.
Mad Max (1979)
In 1979, George Miller kicked off what would become one of the most decorated action franchises with Mad Max. Set in a dystopian future where humanity is holding on by a thread, the movie follows Main Force Patrol officer Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson) as he sets out to get revenge against those responsible for the deaths of his wife and son. With nothing left to live for except payback, Max hits the road.
The Lighthouse (2019)
Robert Eggers has built a career out of making movies that don’t fall into one specific genre, and one of the best examples of that is his 2019 mind-bender, The Lighthouse. Combining elements of horror, psychological thrillers, and mythology, this unique cinematic experience follows a pair of lighthouse keepers (played by Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe) as they begin to lose touch with reality after becoming stuck on a remote island. As the conditions worsen and the mood shifts to nightmarish, the men begin to question everything about each other and themselves.
Stream The Lighthouse on Pluto TV.
Moonstruck (1987)
Norman Jewison’s 1987 Academy Award-winning comedy, Moonstruck, features one of the most iconic love affairs in movie history with its swirling romance involving Loretta Castorini (Cher) and Ronny Cammareri (Nicolas Cage), her boyfriend’s younger brother. This timeless classic, which is remembered for the legendary “snap out of it” slap, is a must-watch.
Stream Moonstruck on Pluto TV.
Blue Velvet (1985)
One of David Lynch’s best movies, the 1985 neo-noir thriller, Blue Velvet, follows College student Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) as he stumbles upon an intricate mystery after finding a severed ear. The deeper he falls down the rabbit hole the more dangerous things become, especially when the psychotic Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper) enters the picture.
Stream Blue Velvet on Pluto TV.
Mr. Mom (1983)
A few years before he became Batman and Beetlejuice, Michael Keaton played a stay-at-home dad in Stan Dragoti’s 1983 comedy classic, Mr. Mom. Trading in the workplace for suburbia, Keaton’s Jack Butler takes over the homestead while his wife, Caroline (Teri Garr), finally gets back into the corporate world. Hilarity, hijinks, and life lessons are aplenty in this fantastic movie.
No Country For Old Men (2007)
The Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men, a movie we ranked as the best Western ever made, follows three strangers in West Texas who are connected by a drug deal gone bad and a satchel containing a couple million dollars. Beautiful and bleak, this deadly cat-and-mouse game is a thrilling experience from start to finish.
Stream No Country for Old Men on Pluto TV.
The Firm (1993)
John Grisham’s various novels have been turned into some of the best legal thrillers of all time, and near the top of that list is Sydney Pollack’s 1993 adaptation of The Firm. When Mitch McDeere (Tom Cruise) takes a job at a prestigious Memphis law firm, he has no idea that he’s about to enter a life-or-death situation and uncover a massive criminal conspiracy that goes all the way to the top.
Platoon (1986)
Told through the eyes of a young soldier named Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen), Oliver Stone’s Vietnam War movie, Platoon, explores how the horrors and stresses of combat can turn someone’s brain inside out and leave them not knowing who is a friend and who is a foe on the battlefield.
Point Break (1991)
If you want The Fast and the Furious, but with bank-robbing surfers instead of DVD-player-boosting street-racers, then look no further than Kathryn Bigelow’s Point Break. One of the best action movies of all time, this 1991 classic sees FBI agent Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) go undercover to bring down a group called the Ex-Presidents, led by the mysterious Bodhi "Bodhisattva" (Patrick Swayze).
Stream Point Break on Pluto TV.
Thief (1981)
An all-time great Chicago movie, Michael Mann’s 1981 crime thriller, Thief, follows a meticulous and successful jewel thief as he tries to leave a life of crime behind and start anew after meeting Jessie (Tuesday Weld). But when “one final job” with a cutthroat gangster (Robert Prosky) goes awry, Frank’s window begins to close.
Heathers (1988)
Directed by Michael Lehmann, the 1988 teen dark comedy, Heathers, follows high school student Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder), who finds herself in a dangerous situation after she and her boyfriend, Jason "J.D." Dean (Christian Slater) accidentally kill the most popular girl in school.
Raging Bull (1980)
Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull, one of the best boxing movies ever made, charts the in-ring exploits and personal drama of middleweight fighter Jake LaMotta (Robert De Niro). Presented in black-and-white and bouncing from beautifully shot boxing matches to intense arguments at home, this fast and furious exploration of a boxing legend is superb.
Stream Raging Bull on Pluto TV.
Memento (2001)
One of Christopher Nolan’s best movies, Memento is the one that put him on the map and led to later successes like the Dark Knight trilogy and Oppenheimer. Though hard to follow at times due to its unique narrative structure, this crime thriller about a man (Guy Pearce) trying to solve a mystery while suffering from a form of amnesia is unlike anything else.
Grizzly Man (2005)
Werner Herzog released one of his most visually striking and harrowing documentaries in 2005 in the form of Grizzly Man. This intimate portrait of Timothy Treadwell, a man who spent many years of his life living with bears in Alaska, ends in an unspeakable tragedy, but everything that leads to that fateful moment is beautiful, innocent, and pure.
Stream Grizzly Man on Pluto TV.
Nosferatu (1922)
One of the greatest horror films of all time, as well as one of the most controversial, Nosferatu is an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula that some would argue is more terrifying than the source material. The visual of Count Orlock’s (Max Schreck) shadow creeping up the stairs to claim his next victim, or really any image of the grotesque vampire, is pure nightmare fuel.
12 Angry Men (1957)
When it comes to legal dramas, it doesn’t get much better than Sidney Lumet’s 12 Angry Men. Tasked with deciding the fate of a teenager charged with murder, a group of jurors begins to question everything about the case and their own lives after one of them (Henry Fonda) casts doubt on the whole situation.
Stream 12 Angry Men on Pluto TV.
This is just a small sampling from the vast library of great films available on Pluto TV. If you’re looking for even more titles to watch, check out our rundown of the best free movies online.
