25 Must-Watch Movies on HBO Max to Stream Right Now (September 2025)

In the mood to cringe a lot? Then Friendship is the perfect movie to watch. Craig Waterman (Tim Robinson) is having a midlife crisis. Bored with his middle-class life and roles as husband to Tami (Kate Mara) and father to Steven (Jack Dylan Grazer), he perks up when his new neighbor, Austin Carmichael (Paul Rudd). Austin is everything Craig is not — cool, confident and liked by everyone he meets. The two men soon become best friends, but Craig wants Austin all to himself, and his neediness and jealousy set off a chain of events that could ruin his friendship, marriage and life.

Friendship is an oddball comedy that might make you cringe a little — but what else would you expect from Robinson, who perfected the awkward comedy subgenre with his show I Think You Should Leave. He’s able to wring laughs from the most desperate situations, and what Craig goes through throughout Friendship more than qualifies. As the “cool guy” who isn’t really all that cool, Rudd adds to his long list of impressive comedic performances. 

Friendship begins streaming September 5.

Martin Scorsese‘s Goodfellas remains one of his best movies 35 years after its release. This crime epic is based on the life of mob associate Henry Hill, as played by Ray Liotta.

Henry and his friends, James “Jimmy” Conway (Robert De Niro) and Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci), aren’t made men, but they are very valuable to the mafia. However, their stock in the criminal underworld begins to tank as Henry and his pals take unnecessary risks. They can only run from the consequences of their actions for so long before they catch up to them.

Goodfellas is streaming on HBO Max.

In 2010, a mining disaster in Chile left 33 men trapped deep underground with little hope of rescue. The 33 dramatizes their story as well as the desperate attempts to reach the miners before their supplies ran out.

Antonio Banderas leads the cast as Mario Sepúlveda, a leader among the miners who keeps his men unified while they wait for rescue. It’s going to be a much longer wait than they anticipated, but this story is less about its ending than the personal journeys it took to get there.

The 33 is streaming on HBO Max.

The Legend of Ochi stars Helena Zengel as Yuri, a young Ukrainian farm girl who lives a relatively normal life except that she cannot go outside after dark or else she might be eaten by mysterious creatures known as the Ochi. When she befriends a lost baby Ochi, she embarks on a quest to return the creature to where it belongs.

If you’re a fan of ’80s kids epics like Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal, you’ll love this film. Heck, if you like adventure stories, The Legend of Ochi will entertain you. The movie is an impressive technical achievement — it utilizes CGI, practical puppetry and old-school matte paintings to create its vivid world that’s almost realistic, but not quite. Yuri’s bond with her new friend is touching and recalls Elliot’s rapport with E.T. in Steven Spielberg‘s classic film. It’s that good.

Death may arrive late, but it always comes back in Final Destination Bloodlines. Stefani Reyes (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) takes center stage this time as she inherits the visions that allowed so many of the franchise’s protagonists to cheat death.

In the present, Stefani discovers that she and two generations of her family were never meant to exist. The late Tony Todd shows up one last time as William Bludworth, the man who knows death better than anyone. He can offer some advice, but Stefani’s family is dropping like flies, and she’s next on the hit list.

Final Destination Bloodlines is streaming on HBO Max.

Director Ridley Scott revisits the franchise in Alien: Covenant, a film that continues some of the narrative from Prometheus. Katherine Waterston takes the lead this time as Daniels, a crew member on the starship Covenant.

When the Covenant answers a distress call, they find the lost world of the engineers overrun by Xenomorphs. They also discover that an android named David (Michael Fassbender) is responsible for this disaster, and only David’s counterpart, Walter (Fassbender), may be able to help them escape.

Alien: Covenant is streaming on HBO Max.

It should’ve been an ordinary trip to the country for Elliot (Paul Rudd) and his teenage daughter, Ridley (Jenna Ortega). Instead, they hit an animal with their car — and not just any animal, but a unicorn. They stash the injured creature into their trunk and drive to their destination: Elliot’s boss’ country estate. But their troubles are over as the animal parents come looking for their magical spawn and aren’t too pleased to find that humans have harmed it. 

Death of a Unicorn is about as odd as the title sounds — it’s a grounded movie that deals matter-of-factly with the existence of a mythical animal. The movie’s unicorn isn’t as peaceful as the ones in fairy tales, though, so there’s a lot of blood being shed and flesh getting torn as it exacts its revenge. The movie’s horrific parts are capably balanced by its comedy, which is often unexpected and uproarious. It’s not for everyone, but Death of a Unicorn is an entertaining adventure tale that’s worth streaming.

Twin brothers Smoke and Stack Moore (both played by Michael B. Jordan) are World War I veterans with dreams of opening up their own nightclub in 1930s Mississippi. They save enough money and recruit enough people to do so, but on the club’s opening night, their party is crashed by something completely unexpected: vampires. With both their livelihood and lives threatened, Smoke and Stack will have to forge some unholy alliances to make it out alive.

One of 2025’s surprise hits, Sinners is both a massively entertaining action-horror flick and one of the best-made movies in a while. The music, the cinematography, the acting and the direction are all top-notch, with Coogler once again showcasing the limitless possibilities of genre allegory — and his own talents as a filmmaker. It’s a movie so good, you’ll be tempted to smoke a cigarette after you watch it.

Not everyone likes Showgirls, the notorious NC-17-rated drama/unintentional comedy, but those who do worship it. Saved by the Bell’s Elizabeth Berkley stars as Nomi Malone, a woman with a past who travels to Las Vegas in the hopes of joining the Stardust showgirl revue. 

Nomi has to do some pretty shady things to realize her dream, like sleeping with the show’s entertainment director, Zack (Kyle MacLachlan), and seducing and sabotaging the show’s star, Cristal (Gina Gershon). What will Nomi do to become the showgirl star she always wanted to be?

The answer is pretty much anything, including pushing people down stairs, starting nightclub fights just for the hell of it and having conversations about the joys of eating dog food. Showgirls is that kind of movie — funny, bewildering, shocking and always entertaining. 

Chili Palmer (John Travolta) is a loan shark who works for the mob. When Palmer’s rival, Ray “Bones” Barboni (Dennis Farina), takes over the crime family, he sends Chili to collect a debt from Leo Devoe (David Paymer), a man who faked his death.

Chili gets a little sidetracked when collecting a separate debt from director Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman). That encounter inadvertently gives Chili dreams of selling his story to Hollywood. Chili has experience with other criminals, but the movie industry proves to be even more cutthroat. Now Chili has to deal with crooked film investors like Bo Catlett (Delroy Lindo) and clandestine DEA investigations in addition to his obligations to his old life. 

Get Shorty epitomizes everything good about the mid-’90s — the cast, the music and the cool, laid-back vibes. It’s a comedy with more chuckles than guffaws, but it’s a hoot to hang around Travolta’s Chili as he effortlessly gets what he wants. Hackman is terrific as the put-upon Harry, and Danny DeVito shows up as a Hollywood star with an unlikely connection to both Harry and Chili.

Fans of Succession should check out Mountainhead, an absorbing original movie written and directed by Jesse Armstrong, the creator of that award-winning HBO show. The movie chronicles the winter vacation getaway of four male Silicon Valley billionaires who aren’t that different from the Roy clan. When a humanitarian crisis occurs in the outside world, each man is forced to come to terms with how much wealth and power they have and how little they really care about anything else.

Steve Carell, Ramy Youssef, Cory Michael Smith and Jason Schwartzman are the tech bros who do some soul searching, while still enjoying the spoils of being in the 0.00001 percent. Mountainhead is a funny film that also tells some hard truths about our world today. Carell is great, but it’s Gotham actor Smith who steals the show as an evil version of Mark Zuckerberg.

One day, everything is fine, and the next day, something’s … off. At least that’s what Elizabeth Driscoll (Brooke Adams) thinks, especially when she observes her boyfriend meeting up with strangers and placing odd-looking pods throughout San Francisco. As Elizabeth and her close friend Matthew (Donald Sutherland) investigate, they realize their friends and lovers are slowly being taken over by a parasitic life form that replaces them when they sleep. Can they both stay awake long enough to stop this invasion?

One of the best horror movies ever made, Invasion of the Body Snatchers is also the rare remake that surpasses the original in just about every way. Seeped in post-Watergate, late ‘70s paranoia, and accentuated by idiosyncratic performances from Sutherland, Jeff Goldblum and Leonard Nimoy, this sci-fi chiller boasts one of the most unforgettable — and disturbing — endings in movie history. After watching it, you’ll think twice about falling asleep.

Jane Austen’s classic novel has been adapted plenty of times over the years, but this 2005 iteration ranks as one of the best. In early 19th-century England, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are looking to marry their five daughters to socially appropriate and financially secure men.

Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen) is one of those suitors, and he’s initially paired up with Jane (Rosamund Pike). But his eye, and gradually his heart, wanders over to her younger sister, Elizabeth (Keira Knightley), who can’t stand him. Will these two unlikely lovers forge a romantic connection? Or will their own stubbornness get in the way?

Pride & Prejudice just celebrated its 20th anniversary, but it’s so fresh and modern it could’ve been released today. Much of that is due to director Joe Wright, who throws away the customary period-movie stuffiness and lets his character breathe, cry and fall in and out of love. Knightley is terrific as Elizabeth, who can’t admit she loves the man she despises.

Tóth (Adrien Brody) is an architect from Hungary who immigrates to America after World War II. After a period of struggle, he finds work with the wealthy Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce). Harrison recognizes László’s talents, but he also envies them. As the years pass, László persistently fights Harrison to realize his artistic vision, which takes its toll on his career and relationships with his wife and daughter. Can art and commerce exist peacefully? Or are they constantly at odds, much like László and Harrison?

Nominated for 10 Academy Awards in 2025, The Brutalist is an American epic Hollywood just doesn’t make anymore. It takes place during the last half of the 20th century in New York City, Philadelphia and Italy. But The Brutalist is also an intimate character study focusing on two men who share wildly different views on just about everything. It’s a film with big ideas about Life and Art, but it never feels too stuffy or self-important.

Has there ever been a creepier Best Picture Oscar winner than The Silence of the Lambs? Jonathan Demme’s 1991 thriller is still scary today, but its real power lies in the strange relationship between Jodie Foster’s Clarice Starling and Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter. She needs his help to capture Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine), a serial killer who likes to wear the skin of his victims. But Lecter’s help comes with a price — he wants to know everything about Clarice, including the traumatic event that still haunts her. Will Clarice open herself up to a psychopath to catch another that’s still on the loose?

Hopkins is only on screen for 16 minutes in The Silence of the Lambs, but he dominates the movie with his seductive, sophisticated monster. Foster has a trickier role, but she turns her character’s vulnerability into an asset. Slight in frame and ignored by her male peers, Clarice is the only one perceptive enough to piece together clues that lead to Buffalo Bill. She’s the blueprint for all the thriller heroines who came after her.

Katja’s (Diane Kruger) life is picture perfect — she has a great marriage and loves her 6-year-old son, Rocco (Rafael Santana). But that picture is shattered when both are killed in a nail bomb explosion. Katja saw the people who planted it, but the law is no help. Katja decides to take matters into her own hands and find the justice that’s eluded her. 

In The Fade is a revenge tale that’s less concerned with action and more focused on Katja’s fragile state of mind. Her transformation from a happy mother and wife to a gun-happy vigilante is often painful to watch and involves her taking drugs and contemplating suicide to dull her pain. It’s a tough film to take, but also a rewarding one you won’t shake anytime soon.

Romy Mathis (Nicole Kidman) seemingly has it all: a thriving career as a powerful CEO, a loving marriage to a caring husband and two wonderful teenage daughters. But Romy has one big problem — her sex life stinks. That all changes when young intern Sam (Harris Dickinson) enters her life and correctly guesses that Romy isn’t just horny, she’s also craving to be sexually dominated. Soon, they have an affair, but how far will Romy go to have it all?

Babygirl deals with complicated subject matter, but it has a surprisingly light comedic touch that makes it a pleasure to watch. Kidman excels at playing characters like Romy, who can seem serious and cold one moment and funny and warm in another. It’s one of the actress’s best performances, and she was nominated for a Golden Globe for her efforts.

Iris (Sophie Thatcher) seems like the perfect girlfriend —  intelligent, attractive and attentive to her boyfriend Josh (Jack Quaid). There’s a good reason for that: she’s actually a companion android whose every move is controlled by Josh. But when she discovers Josh may be using her for nefarious purposes on a weekend getaway with some friends, Iris breaks free of her programming. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, even a female robot like Iris, and her revenge will change Josh and his friends forever.

Companion is a morbidly funny horror film with a twisty plot that will keep you guessing. Quaid takes a break from playing nice guys (well, mostly) to portray an amoral man who will do pretty much anything to get what he wants. Thatcher is also great as the paranoid android who has every reason not to trust the humans around her. 

Edward Lemuel (Sebastian Stan) is an out-of-work actor with neurofibromatosis who receives an experimental medical treatment that dramatically alters his appearance. After he assumes a new identity and a new career as a real estate agent, he discovers that a new play written by his past neighbor is about to be staged. He auditions for the role and gets it, but things get complicated when Oswald (Adam Pearson), a man with the same condition Edward once had, befriends the cast and crew, pushing Edward to the brink of madness.

A Different Man is a strange, hypnotic film, a movie about obsession and jealousy that never goes where you’d expect. Stan earned an Oscar nomination last year for The Apprentice, but he’s even more impressive here as the self-loathing Edward. He’s ably supported by Pearson, as the man Edward simultaneously hates and aspires to be, and Renate Reinsve as the neighbor/playwright Ingrid.

William Lee (Daniel Craig) is drifting through life. An American expat in Mexico, he has nothing better to do than hang out in bars and try to pick up hustlers who aren’t interested in him. Things change when he meets Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey), a young GI also wandering without any clear objective. The two soon begin an affair, but Eugene isn’t sure he wants to be with any man, let alone William. But William is madly in love and is willing to travel to the ends of the Earth to make Eugene stay with him.

Queer isn’t quite a romance, drama or a comedy, although it contains elements of all those genres. The third act gets trippy (literally) and may leave you feeling confused, but it’s worth it for the dynamic lead performances by Craig and Starkey. They’re convincing as tenative lovers who can’t quite connect with one another.

One of the best films of 2024, Flow is an Oscar-winning animated movie from Latvia with no dialogue, nameless animal characters and barely any plot. A black cat barely survives a stampede of wild dogs when a giant flood engulfs his home … and eventually, most of the land. Desperate to survive, the cat finds a floating sailboat with a capybara as its sole occupant. Eventually, a dog, a secretary bird, and a lemur join them, and together, they navigate the dangers of rising tides, an epic storm and other wild animals as they try to find dry land free of danger.

On paper, Flow seems intimidatingly basic, but the movie’s pleasures are in simply experiencing its gorgeous visuals and spellbinding score. The director, Gints Zilbalodis, wrote the screenplay and composed the music, and his passion shines through in every frame and musical chord. Most modern animated movies, with their celebrity voiceovers and assembly-line pop tunes, play it safe to appeal to everyone, but Flow takes risks by marching to its own beat. It pays off, and it’s an instant classic.

They don’t make straightforward melodramas anymore, which is why We Live in Time feels so surprising – it’s retrograde in all the right ways, and it’s emotional without being too saccharine. Tobias (Andrew Garfield) isn’t really looking for love, but after he meets chef Almut (Florence Pugh), he can’t help but fall hard for her. Soon, they are living together, but two things threaten their burgeoning romance: Tobias’s desire to have a child and Almut’s discovery that she has ovarian cancer.

Told in non-chronological order, We Live in Time dips back and forth in time to showcase a relationship that’s tested and strengthened by circumstances beyond Tobias and Almut’s control. Garfield and Pugh make a believably mismatched couple, with the former appealingly low-key and mousy and the latter electric and rebellious. It’s now rare for a movie to invest so much time and energy in making its lead characters so multifaceted and frustrating, which makes We Live in Time so special to watch.

Divine G (Colman Domingo) is behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit, and his only hope is to make it to his next parole hearing. To make life bearable in the Sing Sing prison he’s incarcerated at, he joins a theater group comprised of other prisoners. Soon, he finds a new purpose and peace in life as he immerses himself in preparing for the next stage production while also befriending another actor and prisoner, Divine Eye (Clarence Maclin).

Sing Sing is one of 2024’s best dramas, and there are many reasons why the people who saw it fell in love with it. Chief among them is the terrific performance by Domingo, who brings so much depth and warmth to his role as Divine G. Sing Sing is inspirational without feeling phony, and the ending ranks right up there with The Shawshank Redemption’s.

There’s a bomb on a crowded Los Angeles bus, and it will detonate if it drops below 50 mph. LAPD officer Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves) has to find a way to get on the bus, help emergency driver Annie (Sandra Bullock) navigate congested L.A. traffic, keep the vehicle’s terrified passengers from panicking and figure out where the mad bomber, Howard (Dennis Hopper), is located before it’s too late. Can Jack keep everyone safe, bond with Annie and capture the bad guy?

Most movies, even the great ones, wear and tear with age, but Speed is that rarity – an action movie that feels just as fresh today as it did when it was released in 1994. That’s due largely to Jan de Bont, who wastes no time in getting to the point, and lead actors Reeves, Bullock and Hopper, who commit to the bit. In a movie full of unbelievable stunts, which include buses flying in mid-air and a guy crawling on top of a runaway subway car, perhaps the most outrageous thing it asks you to accept is that there’s no gridlock on the L.A. highways.

Superhero fatigue is real, and it’s here to stay. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a great comic book movie from the past. One of the best is Batman Returns, Tim Burton’s kinky, freaky sequel from 1992. This time around, Batman (Michael Keaton) has to battle the Penguin (Danny DeVito), who wants to take over Gotham City, and Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer), who just wants to make men pay for being jerks. Get in line, sister.

Throw in corrupt businessman Max Schreck (Christopher Walken), a plot to kill all the firstborn children of Gotham, and an army of armed penguins ready to blow the city sky high, and you’ve got a movie that’s sublimely ridiculous and tons of fun. Keaton remains the best Dark Knight, while Pfeiffer is simply unforgettable as the feline femme fatale. It’s one of the great performances of the last 30 years, and it remains the blueprint for all supervillains to follow.

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