The Best Amazon Prime Original Movies
Amazon Prime has an enormous and ever-growing selection of original movies. Some have big names (and big budgets), but it can still be a challenge to find a lineup that’s truly binge-worthy. Especially when competing with other streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and countless others. Here are the best Amazon Prime Original Movies now streaming on the platform.
- Late Night
- The Report
- Honey Boy
- You Were Never Really Here
- The Lost City of Z
- Beautiful Boy
- Manchester by the Sea
- The Big Sick
- Paterson
- Sound of Metal
- Troop Zero
- Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm
- The Vast of Night
Late Night
Mindy Kaling (The Office) teams up with Emma Thompson in this film about a young woman who joins an all-male writing staff of a declining late-night talk show. Kaling discovers she was hired to skirt around diversity objections, which leads to a powerful conclusion about sexism and diversity.
Watch it on Amazon Prime here.
The Report
Adam Driver leads an investigation into the CIA’s use of torture following the 9/11 attacks. The Report doesn’t actually offer much character development; instead, the film focuses on the facts of the actual report—which offer enough drama on their own, and are presented masterfully by Hamm, Benning, and Driver.
Watch it on Amazon Prime here.
Honey Boy
Written by and starring Shia LeBeouf, this is a deep dive that reflects, in some ways, on his own life as a child actor, and the tumultuous relationship he had with his father.
The father and son in the movie live in a run-down hotel. A former clown and convicted sex offender, the father provides an unflinching glimpse into LeBeouf’s life. He balances the portrayal well: taking care to show a genuinely loving dad, yet refusing to shy away from due criticism of the man’s mistakes.
Watch it on Amazon Prime here.
You Were Never Really Here
Joaquin Phoenix stars in this powerful movie about sex trafficking.
Phoenix’s character is a veteran with a traumatic past. In the depths of his despair, he decides to help find a kidnapped girl. This vigilante path exposes him to corruption and abuses of power.
You Were Never Really Here hits fast and hard, as all dark thrillers should.
Watch it on Amazon Prime here.
The Lost City of Z
The Lost City of Z is a rare find in Hollywood. It’s a true exploration movie, with all the excitement and heart you’d hope for from the underrepresented genre.
Following repeated trips to the Amazon in search of a supposed lost city, an explorer (Hunnam) is ridiculed by the scientific establishment for his efforts.
Based on the book of the same name, this film is well-acted with Charlie Hunnam, Tom Holland, and Robert Pattison. It also has an endearing father-son storyline woven into the action.
Watch it on Amazon Prime here.
Beautiful Boy
In this tearjerker from the producers of Moonlight, Steve Carrell plays a father trying to help his son while he battles drug addiction, withdrawal, and relapses. Carrell’s character is sensitive, but relentless—refusing to give up on his son even after multiple downfalls.
Watch it on Amazon Prime here.
Manchester by the Sea
Admittedly, the concept of Manchester by the Sea sounds like a Lifetime movie: a janitor has to care for his nephew when the boy’s father suddenly dies.
The protagonist (Casey Affleck) travels home, reliving his own past trauma while attempting to raise his nephew.
Amazon Prime Original movies differ greatly from Lifetime portrayals, however. Rather than an overly sweet ending, Manchester by the Sea takes a sad and introspective angle.
Watch it on Amazon Prime here.
The Big Sick
The Big Sick is an oddly entertaining story about culture clash and love. Kumail Nanjaji is a standup comedian who falls for a woman heckling him in his audience.
Because his culture forbids him from marrying outside his faith, Nanjaji must hide the relationship.
When his girlfriend falls into a coma, he bonds with her parents (played by Ray Romano and Holly Hunter) as they cope with her illness. An odd plot, to be sure. Nonetheless, The Big Sick is one of the most heartwarming Amazon Prime original movies you’ll find.
Watch it on Amazon Prime here.
Paterson
The title character is as simple as the title itself. Played by Adam Driver, Paterson plays a bus driver who, outside of his basic daily routine, beautifully observes the city he lives and works in, then translates those thoughts into poems.
The film explores the question of what it really means to be happy. It’s a refreshing, easy watch compared to many Amazon Prime original movies.
Watch it on Amazon Prime here.
Sound of Metal
You’ve probably heard stories about musicians who go deaf following decades surrounded by blaring speakers or eardrum-shattering percussion.
The Sound of Metal explores this with a passionate drummer whose whole world falls apart when he loses his hearing. Actor Riz Ahmed powerfully portrays the denial and gradual acceptance of such a loss, while fighting the slippery slope of addiction.
Watch it on Amazon Prime here.
Troop Zero
In Troop Zero, a group of elementary school misfits form their own Girl Scout-like troop, the Birdies. They enter a national talent show hoping to win the grand prize: having their performance broadcast in space.
Troop Zero has heart and laughter. It’s also the perfect underdog movie to enjoy with the family.
Watch it on Amazon Prime here.
Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm
Sasha Baron-Cohen masquerades as naive foreign journalist Borat in this long-awaited sequel to the 2006 hit.
Always in character, Baron-Cohen interacts with everyday citizens to deliver nonstop laughs, outlandish scenes, and powerful commentary on American culture.
Watch it on Amazon Prime here.
The Vast of Night
With a low budget and unknown actors, you might not look twice at The Vast of Night. Make no mistake, this sci-fi thriller is a standout in the genre.
The protagonist is a switchboard telephone operator in the ’50s. She teams up with a radio deejay when they discover strange audio signals that may be exterrestrial in nature. A listener to the deejay’s show calls in with information about the signals, and a government conspiracy unfolds.
It’s a simple story on its surface, but The Vast of Night tells it well. The film’s dialogue is quick, and the camerawork is unique and impressive for such a limited budget.
Watch it on Amazon Prime here.
via GIPHY
Amazon Prime original movies run the gamut from comedic to introspective. Many have the same excellent casting, such as Nic Cage, Adam Driver, and many others, and storylines you’d expect from theater releases. Best of all, Amazon Prime’s collection keeps growing, with new releases added frequently for movies and Prime original series.
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