When Peacock debuted a few years ago, not a lot of people were convinced it would survive. With high-profile competitors like Netflix, HBO Max, and Disney+, Peacock’s then-meager content offerings couldn’t hold a candle to other streamers.
Fast-forward to 2023 and Peacock has quietly become the destination for viewers to watch exciting original movies, modern action classics, and a wide assortment of archival movies that appeal to everyone. With so much great content, it can be hard to select the right movie to watch. Digital Trends is here to select the best movies to watch on Peacock right now.
Can’t find anything you like on Peacock? Lucky for you, we’ve also curated guides to the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, and the best movies on Amazon Prime Video.
Cocaine Bear (2023)
In the film, Andrew C. Thornton II (The Americans‘ Matthew Rhys) drops a shipment of cocaine out of a plane. The cocaine winds up in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, where a bear eats the illegal substance and subsequently goes on a wild, drug-fueled bender. The bear is now attracted to cocaine and attacks anyone in its path. It’s up to a group of smugglers, children, tourists, and cops to stop the bear before the death toll increases.
Cocaine Bear is a fast-moving, 95-minute thrill ride that’s the perfect form of B-movie entertainment. The ensemble cast includes Keri Russell (The Americans), Christian Convery (Sweet Tooth), Alden Ehrenreich (Solo), O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Brooklynn Prince (The Florida Project), Margo Martindale (Mrs. Davis), Isiah Whitlock Jr. (The Wire), and Ray Liotta (Black Bird). It is directed by Elizabeth Banks (Charlie’s Angels) and written by Jimmy Warden (Borderline).
Rotten Tomatoes: 67%
Genre: Comedy
Stars: Keri Russell, Alden Ehrenreich, O’Shea Jackson Jr.
Director: Elizabeth Banks
Rating: R
Runtime: 95 minutes
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Director Michel Gondry’s melancholic sci-fi romance centers on a couple that decides to get their memories erased after a bitter breakup. At its core, the film is a romance and a drama, with the science fiction aspect of erasing memories lingering in the peripherals. The movie’s true power came from its compelling, complicated characters, and the haunting question that’s at the film’s core: How much are our memories worth?
Thanks to her role in the movie, Kate Winslet was nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars, and the film won Best Original Screenplay at the 2005 Oscars. In 2016 ,it was also announced that a TV series adaptation was in the works, however, the show has yet to move out of the preproduction phase, so it’s unlikely it’ll ever begin filming.
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Genre: Romance
Stars: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Mark Ruffalo
Director: Michel Gondry
Rating: R
Runtime: 108 minutes
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
We wish we knew how to quit this drama, one of the best of the still-young 21st century. The neo-Western romantic drama Brokeback Mountain stars Jake Gyllenhaal and the late Heath Ledger as two American cowboys who can’t quite shake (or quit) their emotional and physical attraction to one another. An unconventional love story, Brokeback Mountain earned plenty of accolades at the Academy Awards, with Ledger, Gyllenhaal, and Michelle Williams nominated and director Ang Lee winning Best Director.
Brokeback Mountain was also the subject of controversy, including censorship and criticism from conservative media outlets, as well as questions about the choice to have two straight men play gay cowboys. Yet there’s no question that Brokeback Mountain was one of the most talked-about movies of the 2000s, and it has been credited with helping popularize queer cinema.
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
Genre: Western
Stars: Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Williams
Director: Ang Lee
Rating: R
Runtime: 134 minutes
John Wick (2014)
There’s a reason why John Wick has become the go-to action franchise of the last decade. The 2014 original is a great reminder for anyone who has forgotten why it’s so darn good. Keanu Reeves stars as the titular assassin who, after grieving the loss of his puppy (a gift from his recently deceased wife), decides to take revenge on the Russian mob responsible for the canine’s murder.
There’s a lot more to it than that, of course, and John Wick does a great job at balancing outrageous action with great character development and expert worldbuilding. It’s Reeves, however, who sells the movie’s outrageous concept with his melancholic performance, creating a new kind of action hero that will kick butt and ruminate about the moral dilemmas it poses later.
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
Genre: Action
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Alfie Allen, Willem Dafoe, Ian McShane
Director: Chad Stahleski
Rating: R
Runtime: 101 minutes
M3GAN (2022)
M3GAN is one of the rare movies that actually lives up to the prerelease hype. It’s scary, but not too scary, and funny, but not too funny. The movie is about an aunt who, after her sister and brother-in-law are killed in a car crash, is left to take care of her traumatized niece. Desperate to cheer her up, she gives her a life-sized doll she invented, M3GAN, who is not as friendly as she initially appears to be.
M3GAN strikes just the right balance of terror and camp, and the titular villain has already joined the pantheon of great horror baddies. Yes, that’s right, Chucky finally has some competition! Peacock has the rated and unrated versions, the latter of which contains just a bit more gore for your pleasure.
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Genre: Horror
Stars: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Ronny Chieng, Amie Donald, Jenna Davis, and Brian Jordan Alvarez
Director: Gerard Johnstone
Rating: PG-13 or Unrated
Runtime: 102 minutes
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)
If you loved Puss in Boots, then you will surely enjoy the sequel. It is an animated film geared toward children because a talking cat happens to be the protagonist. However, the action and adventure aspects will grab the attention of adults as well.
The Last Wish was one of the most critically acclaimed animated films of 2022, receiving an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature.
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
Genre: Horror
Stars: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Florence Pugh
Director: Joel Crawford
Rating: PG
Runtime: 100 minutes
Tár (2022)
In the 2022 movie Tár, Blanchett plays the first female chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, who is about to record a symphony that seems likely to take her career to new heights. Yet several past indiscretions come to light, which threaten Lydia’s career and personal life.
One of the most acclaimed movies of 2022, Tár is a drama that never feels drawn out or preachy. While Tár wears its pretentious on its sleeve, it does so in order to get at its lead character’s many contradictions. As Lydia, Blanchett is never less than amazing, and in a career full of great performances in such films as Elizabeth, The Talented Mr. Ripley, I’m Not There, Notes on a Scandal, Blue Jasmine, Carol, and the Lord of the Rings movies, that’s saying something.
Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
Genre: Horror
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Nina Hoss, Sophie Kauer, Noemie Merlant, and Mark Strong
Director: Todd Field
Rating: R
Runtime: 157 minutes
She Said (2022)
In 2017, the New York Times published a story that helped ignite the #MeToo social movement and led to the downfall of one of Hollywood’s most powerful figures. Journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey exposed the many crimes of producer Harvey Weinstein, who abused women for decades without punishment.
Everyone knows the outcome of the story, but few know what led Kantor and Twohey to investigate in the first place. That changed with the release of She Said, a movie starring Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan that chronicles the methodical and often difficult investigation into Weinstein’s many crimes.
One of the most acclaimed movies of 2022, She Said is an engrossing drama, even if some of the details revealed about the real-life cases can be tough to digest. As the two lead journalists, Mulligan and Kazan excel at showcasing the compassion and intelligence that helped fuel the investigation.
Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
Genre: Drama
Stars: Carey Mulligan, Zoe Kazan, Patricia Clarkson, Andre Braugher
Director: Maria Schrader
Rating: R
Runtime: 129 minutes
Bros (2022)
Billed as the first major studio LGBTQ+ romantic comedy, Bros is a subversive satire on modern dating and just how much one’s identity is shaped by social mores. Billy Eichner stars as a podcaster looking for love in NYC. He eventually finds it, but it’s not who he expected.
Bros has just enough laughs and romance to satisfy even the most cynical of viewers. It’s escapism, pure and simple, but it never strays too far from reality.
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
Genre: Comedy
Stars: Billy Eichner, Luke Macfarlane, Jim Rash, Fire Island‘s Bowen Yang, Glee‘s Dot-Marie Jones
Director: Nicholas Stoller
Rating: R
Runtime: 115 minutes
Ticket to Paradise (2022)
If you’re looking for escapist fare with a couple of old-fashioned movie stars, Ticket to Paradise is just the, ahem, ticket. The movie doesn’t do anything new, but what it does, it does well, and that’s thanks to the warm chemistry between Roberts and Clooney, who seem to be having a ball trading barbs, and stolen glances, at each other in a literal paradise.
Rotten Tomatoes: 57%
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Stars: Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Kaitlin Dever
Director: Ol Parker
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 104 minutes
Back to the Future (1985)
The beloved Back to the Future trilogy is back on Peacock, but we’re partial to the first film’s nearly flawless presentation. Michael J. Fox stars as Marty McFly, an ordinary teenager whose friend is a local mad scientist, Emmett “Doc” Brown (Christopher Lloyd).
After Doc demonstrates his working time machine, Marty is accidentally sent from 1985 to 1955, when his parents, Lorraine (Lea Thompson) and George (Crispin Glover), barely knew each other. Unfortunately for Marty, Lorraine’s attraction to him may destroy his very existence before he has a chance to return to the future.
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
Genre: Sci-fi, Comedy
Stars: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, Thomas F. Wilson
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Rating: PG
Runtime: 116 minutes
Watch on Peacock
The Sixth Sense (1999)
The Sixth Sense is a movie that is remembered largely for its twist ending and for the great performances by Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment. But it’s also a terrific film in its own right that withstands the test of time over two decades since its release. Willis stars as Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist who is haunted by a violent encounter with his former patient, Vincent Grey (Donnie Wahlberg).
Now unaccountably distant from his wife, Anna (Olivia Williams), Malcolm sees a chance for redemption if he can help young Cole Sear (Osment) overcome his problems. Soon, Cole trusts Malcolm enough to share his secret: He sees “dead people,” and they are making his life a living hell.
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
Genre: Thriller
Stars: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams, Haley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 107 minutes
The Big Lebowski (1998)
The Coen brothers made their names with a series of quirky crime comedies. The Big Lebowski is perhaps the most beloved film in their library, thanks to an indelible performance by Jeff Bridges as Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski. The Dude is a super laid-back guy, who is also the unfortunate victim of mistaken identity because he shares his name with Jeffrey “The Big” Lebowski (David Huddleston).
Despite the Dude’s reluctance to get involved, he is roped into delivering the ransom money for Jeffrey’s kidnapped trophy wife, Bunny Lebowski (Tara Reid), Unfortunately for the Dude, everyone wants that money, even if the ransom was never real to begin with.
Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Stars: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, David Huddleston
Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Rating: R
Runtime: 117 minutes
Out of Sight (1998)
U.S. Marshal Karen Sisco (Jennifer Lopez) spends the beginning of Out of Sight locked in a trunk with Jack Foley (George Clooney), a veteran bank robber. Although Karen is reluctant to admit it to herself, she’s very attracted to Jack. And the feeling is mutual.
After Jack makes his escape from Karen, they have a cat and mouse pursuit while Jack and his team try to pull off another daring robbery. Regardless of her feelings, Karen is very good at her job. And she’s not about to let Jack slip through her fingers a second time.
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Genre: Drama
Stars: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle, Steve Zahn
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Rating: R
Runtime: 123 minutes
Farewell, My Lovely (1975)
Raymond Chandler’s hard-boiled private detective, Philip Marlowe, isn’t exactly in vogue anymore. But the classics never truly go out of style. In the 1975 adaptation of Chandler’s Farewell, My Lovely, Robert Mitchum steps into the role of Philip as he finds himself in the midst of two difficult cases that may be related.
In the first, a bank robber named Moose Malloy (Jack O’Halloran) hires Phillip to find his missing girlfriend, Velma (Charlotte Rampling). And in the second case, Phillip is helpless to prevent the murder of his client, Lindsay Marriott (John O’Leary). But not even police intimidation can keep Phillip from finding answers and solving the mystery.
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
Genre: Mystery, Suspense
Stars: Robert Mitchum, Charlotte Rampling, John Ireland, Sylvia Miles, Anthony Zerbe
Director: Dick Richards
Rating: R
Runtime: 95 minutes
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