The pandemic is making us feel like we’re riding a yo-yo. Just when you think society is getting back to normal, another round of COVID-19 knocks us back into our dens and family rooms, and we hunker down with our streaming services in search of more cinematic nuggets to help pass the time. (Here’s where to stream 50 great movies you’ve probably never seen.)
If you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber, you have about 24,000 movies to choose from, which is great – but also a daunting task indeed, deciding what to watch (or watch first).
To determine the best movies to stream on Amazon Prime this June, 24/7 Tempo developed an index using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of May 2022, weighting all ratings equally. We considered only movies with at least 5,000 audience votes on either IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes. Documentaries were not considered. Data on streaming availability, current as of this month, comes from the streaming guide Reelgood.
With so many films to select from, there’s plenty of gold to be mined from Amazon Prime. Director Alexander Payne is one of four directors who has two movies on the list: “Sideways” and “Nebraska.” Payne, famous for making films about relationships, has won two Academy Awards for Best Writing, including one for “Sideways.”
Click here to see the best films to stream on Amazon Prime this month
Wes Anderson also had two films on the list (“Fantastic Mr. Fox” and “Rushmore”), brothers Joel & Ethan Coen are here with the Depression-era comedy “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” and the dark comedy “Fargo,” and actor-director Woody Allen scores two places, for “Hannah and Her Sisters” and “Annie Hall.” (These are the best comedy movies available to stream right now.)
Famed directors from Hollywood’s Golden Age – Frank Capra, Howard Hawks, and William Wyler – are also represented, and as a measure of their enduring appeal, the two oldest films on the list – Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” and Wyler’s “The Best Years of Our Lives” – hold the top two spots.
50. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (298,246 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (256,798 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 78% (154 reviews)
> Directed by: Joel & Ethan Coen
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49. Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (132,985 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (131,515 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (42 reviews)
> Directed by: Barry Levinson
48. Road to Perdition (2002)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (257,017 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (188,984 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (214 reviews)
> Directed by: Sam Mendes
47. 500 Days of Summer (2009)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (488,439 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (397,183 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (235 reviews)
> Directed by: Marc Webb
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46. Witness (1985)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (90,557 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (46,853 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (41 reviews)
> Directed by: Peter Weir
45. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (56,317 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (35,471 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (61 reviews)
> Directed by: Philip Kaufman
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44. Tombstone (1993)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (136,036 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (195,590 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 74% (46 reviews)
> Directed by: George P. Cosmatos
43. Heathers (1989)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (95,825 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (75,561 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (56 reviews)
> Directed by: Michael Lehmann
42. Philadelphia (1993)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (232,086 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (183,439 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (57 reviews)
> Directed by: Jonathan Demme
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41. Garden State (2004)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (211,487 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (330,130 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (192 reviews)
> Directed by: Zach Braff
40. Field of Dreams (1989)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (114,391 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (193,036 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (63 reviews)
> Directed by: Phil Alden Robinson
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39. Bull Durham (1988)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (51,426 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (51,174 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (71 reviews)
> Directed by: Ron Shelton
38. Braveheart (1995)
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (988,748 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (32,708,456 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 79% (84 reviews)
> Directed by: Mel Gibson
37. Black Swan (2010)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (724,171 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (178,225 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (318 reviews)
> Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
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36. Office Space (1999)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (251,954 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (325,914 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 80% (102 reviews)
> Directed by: Mike Judge
35. Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (472,231 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (313,001 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 84% (293 reviews)
> Directed by: J.J. Abrams
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34. Love and Monsters (2020)
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (107,648 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (54 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (107 reviews)
> Directed by: Michael Matthews
33. Sideways (2004)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (185,184 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (197,759 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (233 reviews)
> Directed by: Alexander Payne
32. Nebraska (2013)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (115,265 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (44,846 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (251 reviews)
> Directed by: Alexander Payne
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31. Cast Away (2000)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (551,582 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (744,162 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (158 reviews)
> Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
30. District 9 (2009)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (654,962 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (1,178,687 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (314 reviews)
> Directed by: Neill Blomkamp
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29. Manchester by the Sea (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (261,587 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (50,382 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (352 reviews)
> Directed by: Kenneth Lonergan
28. To Catch a Thief (1955)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (69,121 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (52,106 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (50 reviews)
> Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
27. Skyfall (2012)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (648,708 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (374,338 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (381 reviews)
> Directed by: Sam Mendes
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26. Juno (2007)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (503,178 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (549,586 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (217 reviews)
> Directed by: Jason Reitman
25. Arrival (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (633,887 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (83,786 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (434 reviews)
> Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
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24. Dead Man Walking (1995)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (91,822 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (61,910 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (61 reviews)
> Directed by: Tim Robbins
23. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (212,416 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (152,812 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (245 reviews)
> Directed by: Wes Anderson
22. Rushmore (1998)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (176,013 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (186,244 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (105 reviews)
> Directed by: Wes Anderson
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21. The Sixth Sense (1999)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (942,340 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (1,036,884 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (158 reviews)
> Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
20. Pride (2014)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (54,294 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (16,261 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (153 reviews)
> Directed by: Matthew Warchus
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19. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (69,456 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (31,111 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (57 reviews)
> Directed by: Woody Allen
18. The Big Sick (2017)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (127,850 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (32,924 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (303 reviews)
> Directed by: Michael Showalter
17. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (121,700 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (130,710 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (74 reviews)
> Directed by: George A. Romero
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16. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (203,627 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (73,974 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (73 reviews)
> Directed by: Roman Polanski
15. The Conversation (1974)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (105,754 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (35,231 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (57 reviews)
> Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
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14. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (530,779 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (498,702 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (213 reviews)
> Directed by: Edgar Wright
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13. Groundhog Day (1993)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (595,765 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (416,991 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (84 reviews)
> Directed by: Harold Ramis
12. Charade (1963)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (72,875 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (42,943 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (50 reviews)
> Directed by: Stanley Donen
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11. Young Frankenstein (1974)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (149,974 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (209,397 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (68 reviews)
> Directed by: Mel Brooks
10. The General (1926)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (86,816 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (11,542 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (59 reviews)
> Directed by: Clyde Bruckman & Buster Keaton
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9. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (72,528 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (23,742 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (48 reviews)
> Directed by: John Ford
8. His Girl Friday (1940)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (56,106 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (24,333 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (67 reviews)
> Directed by: Howard Hawks
7. Annie Hall (1977)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (258,110 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (153,824 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (84 reviews)
> Directed by: Woody Allen
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6. Fargo (1996)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (643,417 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (234,520 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (102 reviews)
> Directed by: Joel & Ethan Coen
5. Raging Bull (1980)
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (335,751 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (131,523 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (76 reviews)
> Directed by: Martin Scorsese
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4. The Terminator (1984)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (820,969 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (776,923 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (65 reviews)
> Directed by: James Cameron
3. The Usual Suspects (1995)
> IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (1,028,997 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 96% (435,145 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (77 reviews)
> Directed by: Bryan Singer
2. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (60,985 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (10,855 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (91 reviews)
> Directed by: William Wyler
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1. It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)
> IMDb user rating: 8.6/10 (422,428 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (219,179 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (87 reviews)
> Directed by: Frank Capra
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