HBO Max may be one of the newest platforms to enter the streaming world, but already it’s one of the best. Not only does the service offer a ton of exclusive content related to its hit properties — like Game of Thrones, The Wire, and The Sopranos — it also has a ton of fantastic films strengthening its online catalog.
Thanks to HBO’s partnerships with standout companies and networks like TCM, Studio Ghibli, and DC, the service has an absolutely stacked selection of films you’re able to choose from.
Whether you’re in the mood for a classic black and white monster movie from the ‘30s, a beloved anime film from Hayao Miyazaki, or a recent blockbuster from this past summer, there’s no end to the number of great films you’re able to choose from.
From universally praised films like The Departed and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest to celebrated modern films like Shazam! and Knocked Up, here are some of the best films you can find currently streaming on HBO Max.
Updated: March 17.
Drama: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
It takes quite a movie to measure up to one of the most brilliant novels of the 20th century. Fortunately, 1975’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest more than matches the esteem of its literary counterpart, establishing itself as one of the most celebrated films of the 1970s.
Trying to get out of his lengthy prison sentence, a convict (Jack Nicholson) fakes a mental illness in order to be transferred to a psychiatric facility. When he arrives, he quickly finds himself the unlikely savior of the patients there, standing up to the ward’s tyrannical head nurse (Louise Fletcher).
The acting alone is a key reason to watch One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, with Nicholson and Fletcher each astounding in their own individual manners. But even more importantly, the film offers some moving messages on individuality and personal freedoms, advocating that we all treat each other as human beings, not as some sort of flawed malcontents who deserve to be hidden away from polite society (the preferred treatment method of Nurse Ratched).
Crime: The Departed
Martin Scorsese has so many great crime films attached to his filmography, it’s almost hard to know where to start. As thoroughly fantastic as Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Casino, or Gangs of New York is, though, we recommend checking out his 2006 ensemble epic, The Departed, first and foremost.
Pulled out of his police academy, an aspiring state police officer (Leonardo DiCaprio) is assigned to go undercover within Boston’s Irish Mob; meanwhile, the leader of the Mob (Jack Nicholson) sends a mole of his own (Matt Damon) to infiltrate the police, the two spies trying to figure out the other’s identity.
Containing virtually every A-list actor of its day and then some (including Mark Wahlberg, Vera Farmiga, Alec Baldwin, Ray Winstone, and Martin Sheen), The Departed is one of the most star-studded crime films ever made. Using this star-power to his advantage, Scorsese crafts a perfectly-tuned epic that acts as a worthy successor to Goodfellas — being every bit as suspenseful as his earlier Best Picture-nominated film.
Superhero: Shazam!
With the latest entry in the DCEU, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, making its way to theaters this weekend, it’s perhaps worth going back and rewatching the original Shazam! on HBO Max ahead of time.
Needing a successor to inherit his superhuman abilities, the ancient wizard Shazam (Djimon Hounsou) chooses teenager Billy Batson (Asher Angel), allowing Billy to turn into a full-fledged adult superhero (Zachary Levi). As Billy grapples with his newfound powers, he is forced to battle a supervillain (Mark Strong) who has become infected by the Seven Deadly Sins.
Future plans for James Gunn’s DCEU are still up in the air, but it’s hard to argue that this 2019 film isn’t among the better offerings tied to DC’s cinematic universe. Striking a fine balance between comedy, action, and emotion, it has none of the grittiness that made Zack Snyder’s DC films so downbeat and depressing to watch, signaling a new direction for the company’s films moving forward (as seen with follow-ups like Birds of Prey and The Suicide Squad).
Romance: Knocked Up
Knocked Up usually fails to rank among Judd Apatow’s best movies — that honor routinely going to movies like Trainwreck, The King of Staten Island, or The 40-Year-Old Virgin. That being said, it’s safe to refer to Knocked Up at least as Apatow’s most underrated film.
Weeks after a meaningless one night stand, a TV reporter (Katherine Heigl) learns she’s pregnant. Intending to keep the child, she notifies the baby’s father (Seth Rogen), a directionless slacker who decides to support her.
Loaded with Apatow’s signature blend of raunchy comedy and likable, realistic characters, Knocked Up is a wondrous illustration about young people suddenly forced to grow up, accepting the responsibilities that come with adulthood and parenthood.
Comedy: Long Shot
Wholly overlooked upon its initial release in 2019, Long Shot seems like one of those movies that’s destined to recede from public memory as the years pass, unlikely to ever become a cult classic no matter how much it deserves to be. To right that grievous wrong, we suggest watching this film on HBO Max while you still can, enjoying the lovable antics of its featured cast and hilarious takedown on modern politics.
Laying out plans to run for president, the straight-laced Secretary of State (Charlize Theron) hires an unemployed journalist (Seth Rogen) as her speechwriter.
It’s hard to believe that Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen would make such amazing leads in a romantic comedy, but amazing they most assuredly are. Its underlying satirical messages might not go as far as it could, but Theron’s reluctant relationship with Rogen (at the possible cost of her campaign) makes for an intriguing plot point that drives the film.
Biopic: Selena
Pioneering a relatively new style of music known as Tejano, the young singer Selena (Jennifer Lopez) rapidly rises through the ranks of the music industry in the early 1990s — until her eventual murder at the hands of a disingenuous employee (Lupe Ontiveros).
Even if you’ve never had the pleasure of hearing her music, most people are at least partially aware of who Selena is. An unbelievably gifted musician who introduced Tejano to a larger audience, she was an iconic entertainer the likes of whom come along only once in a generation.
Tragically, it’s impossible to know how much higher Selena might’ve climbed if her life hadn’t abruptly ended when she was just 23-years-old. Yet we’re always able to celebrate the life and influence of this extraordinary young woman by revisiting some of her classic albums and this brilliant 1997 biographical film.
Thriller: JFK
In the wake of President Kennedy’s murder, a New Orleans district attorney (Kevin Costner) investigating the matter starts to believe that there was more to the assassination than meets the eye.
Conspiracy theories continue to abound regarding the sudden assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963. From speculation on whether Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone to the supposed culpability of succeeding president Lyndon Johnson, JFK’s death has been a hotly-contested debate for over 50 years.
Throwing his own conspiracies into the ring is director Oliver Stone with his 1991 film, JFK. While it might make some ill-founded conclusions surrounding JFK’s death, the movie is nevertheless an astounding political thriller, mixing intriguing facts with plenty of Hollywood-style fantasies surrounding the late president’s tragic fate.
Sports: Million Dollar Baby
If you watch this movie expecting to see Rocky, you’ll be sorely disappointed. While the first half of the movie settles into the endearing message about chasing your dreams, Million Dollar Baby makes a heartbreaking left turn by its second act, leading to its famous gut wrenching ending.
Hoping to finally go professional, a waitress (Hilary Swank) recruits an older boxing manager (Clint Eastwood) to train and guide her through the sport.
Anyone who claims Clint Eastwood is an overrated actor or director clearly hasn’t seen Million Dollar Baby. Embodying the usual miserly characters Eastwood specializes in playing, Million Dollar Baby subtly hints at the gooey emotional center beneath his granite-surfaced heroes. Opposite Eastwood, Swank is brilliant as the scrappy underdog whose age and lack of experience in the ring doesn’t cause her to lose heart in pursuing her fantasies.
Classic: A Streetcar Named Desire
A Streetcar Named Desire has the singular distinction of being the best film adapted from an Arthur Miller play. As heated and fiery as its setting, it’s a masterful adaptation of Miller’s classic play, led by a brilliant cast.
Plagued by a troubled past, a former high school teacher (Vivien Leigh) arrives at her sister’s (Kim Hunter) New Orleans apartment looking for a place to stay. As she tries to get back on her feet, she regularly clashes with her poor-tempered brother-in-law (Marlon Brando).
Brando’s performance in A Streetcar Named Desire tends to rank as some of the best acting in his career. However, the movie is far from being a simple vehicle for Brando’s acting alone, with Vivien Leigh more than managing to hold her own as the former Southern belle turned borderline delusional Blanche.
Underrated: Wag the Dog
Political satires don’t get any sharper, intelligent, or bitingly funny than 1998’s Wag the Dog. Like all the best satirical pieces on the political landscape, it’s a movie that makes you laugh while inviting you to think — both about the current events you see in the news and the dishonesty inherently tied to politics in general.
As a major political scandal rocks the White House, a talented spin doctor (Robert De Niro) and a Hollywood producer (Dustin Hoffman) race to fabricate a war in order to distract the public from the allegations ahead of the presidential election.
At a brisk hour and a half, Wag the Dog soars through its narrative, moving at a breakneck speed that makes Space Mountain seem slow by comparison. De Niro and Hoffman maintain some great chemistry together, with similarly strong appearances from an addled Anne Heche, a holier-than-thou Craig T. Nelson, and a deranged Woody Harrelson.
This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.
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