Every month, dozens of movies arrive on Netflix, but it can be a hassle keeping track of all the great content that comes and goes. Don’t fret though, we’re going to break down the best new movies on Netflix each month to help you decide on what to watch. These are the best of what’s coming to Netflix in November, 2020.
Foreign Even at Home
His House (2020)
His House • Trailer
Written and Directed by Remi Weekes, Based on a Story by Felicity Evans and Toby Venables
Starring Wunmi Mosaku, Sope Dirisu, and Matt Smith
Horror lives on in this new feature from up-and-coming writer/director Remi Weekes. His House follows the story of a man and woman who escape to the U.K. from war-torn South Sudan only to find that they’re still haunted by their tragic past.
His House is exactly the kind of horror movie I like to see. Why? Because it’s more interested in tangible horror than it is supernatural horror. Yes there are ghouls and monsters, but the most terrifying thing about the film lies in the display of the plight so many immigrants face every day.
Best New Movies on Netflix
Critic Review Highlight
“The script's cleverest gambit is to blur our sense of what kind of movie we might be watching - a thriller about a haunted house or a portrait of the dehumanization of the refugee experience?” - Justin Chang of The Los Angeles Times
Loving v. Virginia
Loving (2016)
Loving • Trailer
Written and Directed by Jeff Nichols
Starring Joel Edgerton, Ruth Negga, Martin Csokas, Nick Kroll and Michael Shannon
In 1967, the United States Supreme Court voted in favor of Mildred and Richard Loving, declaring that the rejection of interracial marriages was unconstitutional. The 2016 film Loving looks back at this landmark case and the events leading up to it – including Mildred and Richard’s infamous imprisonment for cohabitation.
The film was directed by the great Jeff Nichols, who has stealthily established himself as one of the best young filmmakers in the world. Not to mention, Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga deliver powerhouse performances in the leading roles.
New Movies to Watch on Netflix
Critic Review Highlight
“A beautiful film about daring to love, without fear or compromise.” - Calvin Wilson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
United by Tragedy
The Life Ahead (2020)
The Life Ahead • Trailer
Written by Edoardo Ponti and Ugo Chiti, Based on The Life Ahead by Romain Gary, Directed by Edoardo Ponti
Starring Sophia Loren and Ibrahima Gueye
Sophia Loren returns to the big screen in this quaint drama directed by her son Edoardo Ponti as a former Holocaust survivor and prostitue who is forced to take care of a troublesome youth.
The Life Ahead marked a major breakthrough for Ponti’s directorial career and proved that Loren is still capable of delivering deeply impactful performances.
Best New Movies on Netflix
Critic Review Highlight
“It's pure in its sentiment, direct but eloquent. And if it draws a few tears, just go with the flow. You may very well need it.” - Stephanie Zacharek of Time Magazine.
Oscar Fluff
Hillbilly Elegy (2020)
Hillbilly Elegy • Trailer
Written by Vanessa Taylor, Based on Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance, Directed by Ron Howard
Starring Amy Adams, Glenn Close, Gabriel Basso, Haley Bennett, Freida Pinto, Bo Hopkins, and Owen Asztalos
Hillbilly Elegy follows the story of J.D. Vance as he navigates social turmoil amidst a tumultuous upbringing in Ohio.
Netflix had high hopes that Hillbilly Elegy would take home some metal come awards season but critics have thus far thwarted their plans. We’ll have to wait and see if Netflix can flex enough muscle to get nominations for Howard, Adams or Close despite the negative reviews.
Best New Movies on Netflix
Critic Review Highlight
“The best thing I can say about this movie is also the most damning, given Mamaw's proud indifference to anyone's good opinion of her. It's respectable.” - A.O. Scott of The New York Times
War in Vietnam
Platoon (1986)
Platoon • Trailer
Written and Directed by Oliver Stone
Starring Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, and Forest Whittaker
Platoon is a 1986 war film that demonstrates the Vietnam conflict through the eyes of a young idealistic private named Chris Taylor.
There are more than a few great Vietnam war movies, including but not limited to: Full Metal Jacket, Apocalypse Now, Born on the Fourth of July and The Deer Hunter. But for many, Platoon remains a standout of the subgenre – and it won Oliver Stone his first Academy Award for Best Director.
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Critic Review Highlight
“This film is an act of courage. Stone, the gutsy writer-director, records in a devastating barrage of images the relentless horror and the senseless carnage experienced by far too many Americans in Vietnam.” - Kathleen Carroll of the New York Daily News
It’s (Almost) the Christmas Season
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020)
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey • Trailer
Written and Directed by David E. Talbert
Starring Forest Whitaker, Keegan-Michael Key, Hugh Bonneville, Anika Noni Rose and Madalen Mills
With Christmas just around the corner, Netflix has put out a new big-budget yuletide classic. Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Story follows the story of a young girl who must save the creative spirit of her toy-making grandfather.
Jingle Jangle is a mostly cliched film with pop-music and genre tropes in spades – but some great cinematography makes it somewhat enjoyable.
Latest Movies on Netflix
Critic Review Highlight
“It's the filmic equivalent of the high that comes from eating way too many candy canes and drinking way too much hot chocolate.” - Karen Han of Slate
Don’t Know, Don’t Show or Don’t Care
Boyz n the Hood (1991)
Boyz n the Hood • Trailer
Written and Directed by John Singleton
Starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Ice Cube, Morris Chestnut, Nia Long and Laurence Fishburne
Boyz n the Hood is a classic gangster movie that offers insight into the setting of south-central LA in an era of rampant drug trading, rioting, gentrification and police brutality.
Is a man a product of the environment or is the environment a product of the man? This is the question at the heart of John Singleton’s masterful 1991 film Boyz n the Hood – a near two-hour sermon on love, life, and death – delivered in good measure by Laurence Fishburne in the role of Furious Styles.
Best New Movies on Netflix
Critic Review Highlight
“Boyz N the Hood” has maturity and emotional depth: There are no cheap shots, nothing is thrown in for effect, realism is placed ahead of easy dramatic payoffs, and the audience grows deeply involved. By the end of “Boyz N the Hood,” I realized I had seen not simply a brilliant directorial debut, but an American film of enormous importance.” - Roger Ebert of RogerEbert.com
The Animals Come Out at Night
Nocturnal Animals (2016)
Nocturnal Animals • Trailer
Written and Directed by Tom Ford, Based on Tony and Susan by Austin Wright
Starring Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Tom Ford’s Nocturnal Animals is a visually intoxicating neo-noir thriller about the dark side of the creative process. Adams, Gyllenhaal, Shannon, Taylor-Johnson, Isla Fisher, Armie Hammer and more round out an excellent cast.
It’s a shame that Tom Ford hasn’t directed more feature films because his filmmaking eye is truly unlike any other – but I guess that’s what happens when you’re also one of the biggest fashion designers in the world.
New Movies Out on Netflix
Critic Review Highlight
“It's a tale bluntly told that arouses intense, evanescent emotion and then leaves you haunted, long afterward, by provocative but arguably answerable questions.” - Michael O’Sullivan of The Washington Post
Tragedy in Paradise
The Impossible (2012)
The Impossible • Trailer
Written by Sergio G. Sanches, Directed by J. A. Bayona
Starring Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts and Tom Holland
The Impossible, or Lo Imposible, tells the story of María Belón and her family, who through sheer determination and luck survived the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
Naomi Watts received considerable praise for her performance in the film – including nominations for Best Actress at the Golden Globes and Academy Awards. Bayona’s direction gives the film a truly visceral feel, forcing us to see into a horrific situation that resulted in an estimated 227,000+ people killed.
Good New Movies on Netflix
Critic Review Highlight
“Dramatic and unwavering, The Impossible will make you believe that anything is possible.” - Debbie Lynn Elias of Behind the Lens.
Old-Fashioned Beat ‘Em Up
Braven (2018)
Braven • Trailer
Written by Mike Nilon and Thomas Pa’a Sibbett, Directed by Lin Oeding
Starring Jason Momoa, Garret Dillahunt, Jill Wagner, and Stephen Lang
Jason Momoa stars in this action-thriller from director and stunt coordinator Lin Oeding. It’s not hard to see Oeding’s extensive experience as a stunt coordinator bleed through as Braven is chock-full of action and combat.
If you’re thinking about watching Braven, here’s what I’d say: want to watch Jason Momoa beat down on some bad guys? Well, if your answer is yes, then Braven is the movie for you.
Good New Movies on Netflix
Critic Review Highlight
“To put it simply and gratefully: "Braven" is the sort of unpretentious yet thoroughly professional popcorn entertainment that brings out the best in everybody involved.” - Joe Leydon of the Variety.
Ensemble Heist
Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
Ocean’s Eleven • Trailer
Written by Ted Griffin, Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Andy Garcia, Matt Damon and Julia Roberts
Danny Ocean and his ten accomplices attempt a $150 million dollar robbery in this Steven Soderbergh classic; one of the best heist movies of all-time.
I’ve long maintained the stance that Ocean’s Eleven is the perfect casual viewing for cinema lovers. It’s breezy enough to watch with a group but it’s incredibly well-acted – and I’d argue that the film is perhaps Soderbergh’s best work.
Latest Movies on Netflix
Critic Review Highlight
“Unabashed Hollywood entertainment, "Ocean's Eleven" raises the benchmark for all future blockbusters and is guaranteed to put a grin on your face from ear to ear.” - Jamie Russell of BBC.
Gangs and Guns
Triple 9 (2016)
Triple 9 • Trailer
Written by Matt Cook, Directed by John Hillcoat
Starring Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anthony Mackie, Aaron Paul, Gal Gadot, and Woody Harrelson
Triple 9 is a classic action-thriller that’s elevated by a truly insane all-star cast. The film is nothing to write home about but it’s serviceable enough for those looking for an action fix.
Casey Affleck and Woody Harrelson star as two police officers working to stop a convoluted government heist.
Latest Movies on Netflix
Critic Review Highlight
“There's a blue-chip cast running the gamut from A (Casey Affleck) to W (Kate Winslet) and terrific action sequences in Triple 9 - but in the end, this relentlessly nihilistic crime-caper thriller adds up to less than the sum of its impressive parts.” - Lou Lumenick of The New York Post
A War of Words
The Professor and the Madman (2019)
The Professor and the Madman • Trailer
Written by Todd Komarnicki and P. B. Shemran, Based on The Surgeon of Crowthorne by Simon Winchester, Directed by P. B. Shemran
Starring Mel Gibson, Sean Penn, and Natalie Dormer
Two of Hollywood’s most enigmatic and contentious personalities Mel Gibson and Sean Penn star in this biographical drama about the making of the Oxford English Dictionary.
The Professor and the Madman was marred by legal issues and lawsuits between Gibson, Farhad Safinia (who was credited as director under a pseudonym) and the production company Voltage Pictures. Gibson and Safinia detached themselves from the project saying the released film was not representative of their vision – but still it’s hard to deny how shockingly beautiful it looks.
Good New Movies on Netflix
Critic Review Highlight
“We'll never know where Shemran's movie truly lost its way, but its current form of saving face by sounding smart will make viewers want to simply move on from it, just like its star and director and have.” - Nick Allen of RogerEbert.com
UP NEXT
Best Movies on Netflix
Some great new movies are coming to Netflix in May, 2020, but perhaps you’re still looking for something else to watch. Don’t worry, check out our list of the best movies of all time that are on Netflix! We update this list as movies come and go from the service so make sure to check back each month,
Up Next: Best Movies on Netflix →
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