You’ve come to the right site if you’re looking for Peacock movie recommendations. The NBCUniversal streaming service debuted in the summer of 2020 with a wide range of film and television programming from the NBC and Universal libraries, and in January 2021, it became the exclusive streaming home of the beloved series The Office. But, with so many streaming services to choose from, you’d be forgiven for only wanting to know the essentials about Peacock and what you should watch first.
Peacock offers three levels of service: free, premium, and premium plus, and you may already have Peacock Premium as part of your cable package. That’s great news, because Premium and Premium Plus members gain access to the entire material catalog. And, guess what? Peacock truly offers a good selection of films to choose from. It’s a place where you may watch comedies, thrillers, and tragedies. So we combed through the entire Peacock repertoire to compile a list of the best of the best. Here’s our choice of the top movies to watch right now on Peacock.
13 Going on 30 (2004)
For a long time, rom-coms had a poor rep, but if there’s one current film that everyone seems to like, it’s 13 Going on 30. A large part of that is due to Gary Winick’s just-shy-of-saccharine-sweet romance featuring one of the most likable ensembles of all time, which includes Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo as the darn cutest rom-com duo of the twenty-first century, as well as supporting players Judy Greer and a Thriller-dancing Andy Serkis. With the story of a 13-year-old girl who wakes up as her dream 30-year-old self and finds she could have have the wrong priorities, the film indulges in pure imagination about the lives we wish we had and learning not to take things for granted. Garner’s joyful and gleeful performance rivals Will Ferrell’s in Elf and Tom Hanks’ in Big, and her chemistry with Ruffalo is a through-the-roof delight. It’s one of the best feel-good films of the twenty-first century, and it’s a joy to watch from beginning to end.
Apollo 13 (1995)
Ron Howard’s best picture, Apollo 13, places us in the center of what should have been a big tragedy in American history but instead became one of our greatest achievements. We follow astronauts Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks), Fred Haise (Bill Paxton), and Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon) as they work with NASA experts on the ground to tackle the dilemma of how to bring the crew home after a catastrophic breakdown in space. Except that everything in Apollo 13 actually happened, the picture is taut, uplifting, and insightful, and it would be one of the best sci-fi films of all time.
Bowfinger (1999)
Bowfinger is a humorous and unexpectedly moving testament to individuals who spend their lives shooting their shot only to constantly be on the outside looking in, and it’s one of the best Hollywood movies that far too few people have seen. Steve Martin stars as a B-movie film producer who decides that a script written by his accountant will finally propel him into the big leagues. He assembles a crew by telling them that Kit Ramsey (Eddie Murphy), one of the hottest performers in town, has agreed to star in the film – but he hasn’t. As a result, Martin informs his team that Ramsey is going full method, and has his actors approach Ramsey on the street to do their scenes while filming from a distance. When a young man who looks like Ramsey (also Murphy) agrees to appear in the film and play Ramsey’s stand-in, his picture receives a fortuitous break. It’s funny, strange, and ridiculous, and Martin and Murphy are terrific in it.
Burn After Reading (2008)
Although the Coen Brothers are revered as genius directors, their post-2000 comedies have a reputation for leaving audiences chilly, and none is more prickly than Burn After Reading. The funny and occasionally scary comedy is a great parody of the spy genre, centering on a pair of hopelessly out-of-their-depth dimwit gym employees who stumble onto a disk they believe contains national secrets and embark on a doomed attempt to profit from their imagined treasure. Burn After Reading has an aggressively dark sense of humor and a sometimes shocking proclivity for violence, yet it still manages to elicit barking laughter from you in the midst of the odd and unnerving web of messes. There are plenty of fantastic spy comedies, but Burn After Reading is one of a kind, and it’s a jewel on the Coen Brothers’ portfolios that is all too often ignored.
Constantine (2005)
Christopher Nolan did not create the first “dark and gritty” DC comic book adaptation; Constantine, released in 2005, did. Despite Keanu Reeves’ great performance as the titular private detective, the picture got lost in the advent of the superhero genre and never developed the kind of series that Warner Brothers envisioned. Alan Moore’s legendary pages come to life because to Reeves’ stern manner. Constantine is one of the rare comic book movies where the word “scary” genuinely applies. It’s strange, gothic, and surprisingly brutal (it was also rated R). While a subsequent television adaptation and animated feature tried to bring the character back to life, we’re still waiting for a new cinematic incarnation of John Constantine to surpass Reeves’ performance.
Coyote Ugly (2000)
Coyote Ugly, a cult classic, was critically criticized at the time, but has built a fanbase over time that still holds it dear in their hearts. Violet Sanford (Piper Perabo) breaks out of her shell after landing a job in a women-run NYC bar that taunts its male clientele. Part of what makes the picture so pleasant is the fact that it feels like it was made in the early 2000s. It isn’t always the most intelligent, but it is always fascinating to watch from start to finish.
Dark Waters (2019)
Dark Waters is a masterpiece of a film that finds relevance in its fascinating look at one lawyer fighting corporate wrongdoing. It is one of the most grounded and honest depictions of what it takes to do good against the ills of the world. Mark Ruffalo plays Rob Bilott, a real-life corporate defense attorney who takes on an environmental lawsuit exposing DuPont’s poisoning of unknowing people’s water. It’s a patient video that reveals how difficult and difficult something like this can be, as well as how rigged things can be when you have the money to shield yourself from accountability. Ruffalo is fantastic, conveying Bilott’s dedication to the case while also demonstrating the toll it took on him. Nothing is sensationalized or transformed into a conventional Hollywood underdog story, as it reveals how the actual world does not operate in this manner. It demonstrates how only men like Bilott are prepared to stand up and risk everything, no matter the cost, to protect others.
Die Hard (1990)
One of the best action films ever produced (if not the best), and you don’t have to worry about it being a Christmas film because Die Hard is enjoyable all year. New York cop John McClane is played by Bruce Willis, who travels to Los Angeles to reconcile with his estranged wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia). Unfortunately for the McClanes, this is also the day that criminal mastermind Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) storms Holly’s workplace, and John must rescue the day. Die Hard’s enduring impact comes from the fact that McClane is always the underdog. He’s one man up against a gang of heavily armed thugs, and while he tries to get help at first, he’s eventually left to be the foul-mouthed, physically abused hero we’ve all grown to know.
Marry Me (2022)
Marry Me is as clichéd as romantic comedies go, and it works because of it. Kat Valdez (Jennifer Lopez), a pop artist, decides to marry Charlie Gilbert (Owen Wilson), a math teacher holding a “Marry Me” sign at her concert, after realizing that her on-stage partner Bastian (Maluma) has been having an affair. The premise, like the picture itself, is ridiculous, but that doesn’t matter because it’s one of those flicks where the cheesiness is what draws you in. It’s one of those old romantic comedies from the early 2000s that don’t get created nearly as often as they used to — a throwback that provides you joy in addition to the second-hand shame you can receive from it. It’s the ideal balance for a beautiful night, especially when accompanied with a glass of wine.
Mary Queen of Scots (2018)
When historical epics play with the veracity of the events depicted, viewers are forced to wonder if the modifications are for the better. Director Josie Rourke turned one of the most well-documented wars in medieval history into an interesting analysis of female leadership in Mary Queen of Scots. Despite being pitted against each other, the Scottish Queen Mary (Saoirse Ronan) and Queen Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie) are both subjected to misogyny and bigotry. It’s also a stunning production that earned two Academy Award nominations for Best Costume Design and Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
Phantasm (1979)
Don Coscarelli is a really eccentric and singular filmmaker who creates films that only he could produce. You can always tell when the Coscarelli imprint is on something, whether it’s his retirement home-set mummy flick Bubba Ho-Tep or the utterly incomprehensible John Dies at the End; a tendency that dates back to his 1979 cult film Phantasm. The Tall Man, played by Angus Scrimm, is introduced in Phantasm, which follows two adolescent brothers as they investigate inexplicable murders in their village, bringing them to Scrimm’s menacing undertaker and his alternative dimension horrors. The world can feel untethered, senseless, and terrible in the face of sorrow, but it also feels like a new world opens up in front of you; a world where anything is possible, except horrific things. When you’re in the midst of that mortality-confronting dilemma, Phantasm feels like the dreams you have. It’s a true one-of-a-kind, full of dream logic and vivid nightmare visuals that feel drawn from humanity’s collective fear of death, but it’s nevertheless funny and joyful thanks to Coscarelli’s touch.
Shrek (2001)
Shrek has become one of our generation’s most culturally impactful animated pictures, having won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature for the first time. Shrek features an ogre named Shrek (Mike Myers) who discovers his swamp has been overrun by fairy tale animals who have been deported by the unscrupulous Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow), who is aiming to be king. Farquaad agrees to let Shrek back into his swamp in exchange for saving Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz), whom Farquaad plans to marry. Shrek begins on his journey with the help of Donkey (Eddie Murphy), but soon falls in love with the princess, who is harboring a secret that will change his life forever. While the sequel has more famous moments, the first film in the Shrek franchise is still one of the most rewatchable. This animated film has stood the test of time thanks to great voice acting and humor that will have you spitting your drink.
Sinister (2012)
Sinister follows a novelist, Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke), who, unbeknownst to his family, moves them into a house that was the scene of a brutal murder in the hopes of finding inspiration. In the attic, Ellison discovers a box of film reels that turn out to be horrible snuff films with an esoteric bent. Ellison becomes obsessed with the crimes, but is it his own preoccupation or is the Oswalt family being haunted by a demonic force? Between the “snuff flicks,” which were actually shot on Super 8 to give it a realistic sense, and the sparse, precise sound design, this is a disturbing picture that should be watched during the day.
Step Brothers (2008)
Step Brothers is a hilarious comedy. Despite being lumped in with other mid-2000s bro-centric comedies, filmmaker Adam McKay’s funny commentary on stunted adolescence has aged well. Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly play two grown men who are forced to live together when their single parents marry. Ferrell and Reilly act as if they’re a pair of obnoxious pre-teens, and the result is one of the funniest films ever created. Every single comedy set piece works well, and the entire supporting cast shines as this truly is a team effort. On top of that, composer Jon Brion’s score is just excellent, lifting material that could have been… well, a late-2010s Will Ferrell comedy in the wrong hands.
The 355 (2022)
The 355 is an underestimated thriller with a superb cast, an action-packed tale, and unexpected turns that will keep you thinking. From the beginning, this film subverts expectations by following a cast of female characters who are full-fledged humans with unique, compelling storylines whose lives are on the line. The characters represent a wide range of female experiences, which is something that many genre films currently lack. The film avoids the standard cliches of female-led films (you know the ones), but it does focus on the world’s intrinsic misogyny. One of the best parts of the film is how several of the characters talk in the actor’s home tongue, alluding to the global society in which the characters — and we, in real life — live. Jessica Chastain, Penélope Cruz, and Lupita Nyong’o all deliver stellar performances, but Diane Kruger steals every scene she appears in. Sebastian Stan is unfailingly delightful in this picture, and he always gives it his best. The remainder of the cast demonstrates how capable women can be when well-written. The 355 is a captivating film that you will not be disappointed in seeing.
The Descent (2005)
Before directing action-packed episodes of your favorite genre shows like Game of Thrones and Westworld, Neil Marshall directed two of the greatest monster movies of the twenty-first century, Dog Soldiers and The Descent, the latter of which is destined to go down in history as a horror classic of its time. After a tragedy strikes one of their families, a group of friends and extreme sports enthusiasts head out for a therapeutic bit of spelunking. However, when one of them makes the blunder of navigating them to an unknown cave, they uncover a subterranean nest of monsters who are as cruel as they are terrifying to see. For the first half of the film, The Descent is a mercilessly tense thriller, preying on the fear of being trapped and the cave’s tight, inescapable obstacles, but once Marshall unleashes his monsters, The Descent transforms into a visceral, kinetic sci-fi horror that pits a team of trained survivors against a primal hoard.
The Notebook (2004)
The Notebook will bring tears to your eyes no matter how many times you view it. A poor but passionate young man (Ryan Gosling) falls in love with a wealthy young woman (Rachel McAdams), giving her a sense of freedom, but their love is short-lived due to their socioeconomic inequalities. The Notebook is a romantic film that hits every time, from the tear-jerking love narrative to the chemistry between Gosling and Adams. There are chuckles, tears, and smiles throughout, creating an emotional roller coaster that never stops, no matter how many times you see it. It’s a credit to the actors that sell this screenplay and offer so much to their roles. It’s no surprise that The Notebook is still one of those films you can watch almost 20 years after it was released when you want to watch a good love tale.
The Outfit (2022)
The Outfit is a terrific mystery story with an exceptional ensemble that reveals Mark Rylance is one of the best actors at doing a lot with very little. It all happens at the shop of Rylance’s Leonard, a meticulous tailor and soft-spoken guy who is well aware of his role in the city’s criminal underworld. When things go awry and violence erupts all around his small shop, we spend the night with him attempting to stay alive while the mob searches for a rat. There is so much to admire about this picture, from its mastery of timing to the effortless flow of the language, that it could fill an entire novel. Simply said, it’s one of the year’s most delightful surprises, deserving of your attention just for the performances. You’ll find yourself unable to turn away from the carnage that is slowly developing as the tension rises with each passing scene.
Train to Busan (2016)
Train to Busan intensifies the fear of a nationwide zombie outbreak by focusing on how the outbreak will spread in a confined setting. In this example, it’s a train on its way to Busan, South Korea. As mayhem ensues at the station, the passengers on the train almost avoid exposure, but an infected individual rushes onto the train just as it departs Seoul. The outbreak is rapidly spreading through the railway station, the city, and the rest of the country, requiring the train to serve as both a haven and a threat. Train to Busan maintains a high level of tension and stakes throughout, thanks to the fast-moving, voracious zombies and the cramped surroundings these characters find themselves in. It’s a one-of-a-kind zombie film that’s well worth your time.
Twilight (2008)
Twilight has remained in the public consciousness for nearly a decade, and with good cause. The spectator is captivated by the love tale between Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). In many respects, Edward’s desire to protect Bella is admirable, but it is Bella’s desire to become a vampire that stands out as the most relatable component of the picture. The original Twilight picture, set in the magnificent Pacific Northwest, stands out among the rest as a grounded, frightening, and worthy adaptation of the book. Plus, one of the finest features of the entire series — both in the books and the movies — is the Cullen family’s loyalty to one another, as evidenced by their coming together to protect Bella from vampires James (Cam Gigandet) and the better Victoria (Rachelle Lafevre). Even after all these years, the first Twilight film is still worth revisiting.
