Best Movies You Can Stream in Under 90 Minutes

Greta Gerwig’s joyous performance lifts this modern-day romantic fable of a New Yorker pursuing her rapidly fading dream of becoming a dancer. The Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes calls Gerwig’s star turn “endearing.” The 86-minute movie directed by Noah Baumbach has a Freshness rating of 92%.

Emmy Award-winning Mike Judge (“King of the Hill”) wrote and directed this biting comedy about three office workers who rebel against their boss. Rita Kempley of The Washington Post called the 89-minute film an “often hilarious sendup of cubicle culture.” The movie also benefits from the appearance of Jennifer Aniston. “Office Space” enjoys a 93% audience approval score among Rotten Tomatoes users.

The well-trod subgenre is infused with humor in “Zombieland.” The film, which has a 90% Freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes, stars Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Woody Harrelson. The three, who are in the movie among the last remaining humans, are trying to cross an America overrun by the undead. Lisa Rosman of Us Weekly liked the gorefest’s “quick pace and witty writing,” adding “it’s a nonstop, snarky ride.”

“The Texas Chain Saw Massacre,” which features the nightmarish Leatherface murdering a group of teenage victims, is 83 minutes of terror. Reportedly made for only $140,000, the movie was a tremendous success, appealing to both fans of lurid cinema and high art, judging by its inclusion in New York’s Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection.

The feature film version of the classic television series has an 88% Freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where it’s praised in part for its “polished writing that hearkens back to the show’s glory days.” The Golden Globe-nominated movie finds America’s favorite dysfunctional family on the run after Homer pollutes Springfield’s water supply.

Ryan Coogler directed and wrote this film that was honored at the Sundance Film Festival in 2013. The film tells the true story of Oscar Grant III, a resident of San Francisco played by Michael B. Jordan, who makes a New Year’s resolution to be a better person and is slain by transit officers at the Fruitvale subway stop on New Year’s Day in 2009. Kate Muir of the Times (UK) said Coogler’s directorial debut “recreates Grant’s final day with affection, refusing to cast him as either saint or sinner.” The film has a 94% Freshness rating among Rotten Tomatoes critics.

Christopher Guest wrote, directed, and starred in this deadpan comedy about marginally talented performers of a musical production company in Missouri. Time Out said, “The comedy has the slow burn of a richly nuanced and non-judgmental character study.” The film, with a runtime of 84 minutes, holds a Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of 91% from critics and audiences alike.

“The Producers” is Mel Brooks’ zany 88-minute take on show business, weaving a tale of two producers who concoct a scheme to get rich by producing a Broadway flop bankrolled by bilking rich widows out of their money. Their surefire disaster is a musical based on the Third Reich titled “Springtime for Hitler.” The film stars Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder and holds a 90% Freshness rating among Rotten Tomatoes critics, and an 85% approval score from audiences. “The Producers” was Brooks’ directorial debut and started his run of cinematic success in the 1970s and ’80s.

From director Wes Anderson (“The Royal Tenenbaums” of 2001, “Moonrise Kingdom” of 2012), “Fantastic Mr. Fox” is a visually stunning adventure-comedy that offers something for both adults and younger audiences. The animated flick features voice talent from Hollywood royalty, including George Clooney, Meryl Streep, and Bill Murray, and was nominated for two Oscars.

Charles Burnett’s “Killer of Sheep” is a downbeat examination of the life of a slaughterhouse worker who finds his job repugnant but must keep working to support his family living in the Los Angeles Watts neighborhood. Still a student at UCLA, Burnett made the film for only $10,000, and it was eventually added to the U.S. National Film Registry in 1990. The movie has received near-universal praise from critics, earning a 97% Freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Jeff Shannon of the Seattle Times called the movie “as timeless as the human condition.”

An early live-action tearjerker from Disney, “Old Yeller” was based on the Newbery Honor-winning children’s book of the same name by Fred Gipson. In the film, a teenage boy (Tommy Kirk) is helping to manage his family’s farm on the Texas frontier in the mid-19th century when a dog shows up uninvited. The yellow Labrador eventually wins over the family. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes were won over, too, giving the coming-of-age family film — clocking in at 83 minutes — a 100% Freshness rating, and 79% of audiences liked the movie.

“Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” directed by Don Siegel, was a veiled commentary on the paranoia of a communist takeover of the United States in the 1950s. Kevin McCarthy stars as a doctor in California who begins to notice changes in those around him following the appearance of organic pods around town. The 80-minute film, successfully remade in 1978, was called by Critics Consensus “an efficient, chilling blend of sci-fi and horror.” It has a 98% Freshness rating among Rotten Tomatoes critics

Years after the whirlwind romance depicted in “Before Sunrise,” Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Céline (Julie Delpy) reunited for another romantic encounter. “Before Sunset” ranks among IMDb’s top rated 250 movies of all time. The film also has a 95% Freshness rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes who fell in love with the 80-minute movie’s gentle tone. It was also nominated for an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.

First released in 1990, “Paris Is Burning” documents New York City’s 1980s drag scene, including interviews with numerous participants. In addition to its exceptional rating of 8.2 out of 10 on IMDb, the movie has a Freshness rating of 98% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. In 2016, it was added to the U.S. National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically” important.

This documentary explores the dark side of keeping orcas, or killer whales, in captivity. Though not an easy watch — critics describe it as both “troubling” and “heartbreaking” — it’s undoubtedly fascinating and important, scoring winning reviews from 98% of professional reviewers and 90% of audience members.

“The Big Heat,” Fritz Lang’s tautly directed film, is about a policeman (Glenn Ford) conducting an investigation into the death of a corrupt cop that leads him into conflict with organized crime. Dan Druker of the Chicago Reader called the movie “brutal, atmospheric, and exciting.” The 89-minute thriller has a perfect Freshness rating among 29 critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 90% approval score among audiences. The movie is noteworthy for an early-career appearance by Lee Marvin as a gangland enforcer.

Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly top the cast of Fred Zinnemann’s classic about a lone lawman who stands up to a gang of outlaws despite his new bride’s pleas — based on her worldview — to avoid the confrontation. Cooper’s Oscar-winning portrayal of Marshal Will Kane was ranked as the fifth-greatest cinematic hero by the American Film Institute in 1998. Critic Willliam Brogdon of Variety said Zinnemann “carefully and deliberately makes the most of the mood cast by the threat of impending violence.” Little wonder that the 85-minute film holds a 96% Freshness rating among Rotten Tomatoes critics and an 89% approval rating from audiences.

“Airplane!” is a goofy sendup of disaster films directed by Jim Abrahams and David and Jerry Zucker that contains numerous memorable quotes and sight gags. The film’s humor is accentuated by the inspired casting of macho actors like Robert Stack and Lloyd Bridges as well as basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in comedic roles. Richard Schickel of Time magazine called the 88-minute laughfest “a splendidly tacky, totally tasteless, completely insignificant flight.” Critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave it a Freshness rating of 97%, and audiences gave it an 89% approval score.

“When We Were Kings” is an absorbing film from Leon Gast about the 1974 heavyweight championship boxing fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman that took place in Zaire, famously dubbed, “The Rumble in the Jungle.” David Ansen of Newsweek said, “Both a tribute to Ali and an evocation of a bygone era, it’s about the transformative moment when black America, flexing its newborn pride, encountered black Africa.” The 88-minute film has a 98% Freshness rating among Rotten Tomatoes critics and a 94% score from audiences.

Stanley Kubrick wrote and directed this story about a criminal (Sterling Hayden) who gets together a gang to rob a racetrack. Among the more recognizable crime-film actors in this movie are Ted de Corsia, Elisha Cook Jr., and Joe Sawyer. This early effort of Kubrick, who would go on to be one of cinema’s greatest directors, runs for just 84 minutes. It has a 98% Freshness rating among Rotten Tomatoes critics, equaling the highest rating of any Kubrick film on Rotten Tomatoes, and it holds an 8.0 out of 10 rating among IMDb users.

Rob Reiner’s Oscar-nominated film about a group of young boys traveling together in search of a dead body (while not a horror film, the movie is based on a novel by Stephen King) has a 91% Freshness rating from critics and a 94% score from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Widely described as “nostalgic,” the classic coming-of-age tale features impressive performances from child actors River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell, and Wil Wheaton.

This unconventional documentary that explores the relationship between nature and humanity — named for the Hopi word meaning “life out of balance” — matches absorbing visuals with an exceptional score by Philip Glass to create a cinematic experience that impressed 90% of critics and 91% of audience members on Rotten Tomatoes. Though the movie’s abnormal construction may not appeal to all viewers, those with more adventurous tastes may find it extremely rewarding.

“The Lion King” was a major success hit for Disney and the second highest grossing movie of 1994 behind only “Forrest Gump.” The 88-minute film, about a young lion who is heir to the throne of the animal kingdom, has become a family classic because of its moving storyline and exceptional music, for which it won two Oscars. The movie has a 93% approval rating among critics and audiences alike on Rotten Tomatoes and an 8.5 rating out of 10 among more than 900,000 IMDb users.

Other popular animated films from Disney that clock in at under 90 minutes and are available to stream include “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”

“This Is Spinal Tap” is Rob Reiner’s mockumentary about a British heavy metal group’s attempt to resurrect their career. Geoff Andrew of Time Out said, “Reiner’s brilliantly inventive script and smart visuals avoid all the obvious pitfalls, making this one of the funniest ever films about the music business.” The sharply directed and highly quotable film, running just 82 minutes, holds a 95% Freshness rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 92% rating among audiences.

“Paths of Glory,” directed by Stanley Kubrick, is in the pantheon of anti-war films. Kirk Douglas plays an officer in the French army during WWI who confronts a mutiny among his troops, while his superiors seek glory regardless of the carnage. The classic is one of the shorter films Kubrick ever made at 88 minutes. It has a 95% rating among critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes and holds an 8.4 out of 10 rating among more than 170,000 IMDb users.