50 Movies on Netflix That Are Way Better Than Sandy Shorts and a Sunburn

This 2008 documentary explores the preparations of French high-wire artist Philippe Petit as he approached his most daring task yet: walking a wire between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.

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When a junior high student wishes herself older after a disastrous birthday party, she magically gets her wish — complete with a boyfriend, boobs, and the inexplicable loss of her childhood best friend.

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Ryan Phillippe and Sarah Michelle Gellar may play step-siblings in this '90s classic, but that doesn't stop them from having major chemistry. Reese Witherspoon and Selma Blair round out the cast as two of Ryan Phillippe's virginal conquests.

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Gillian Jacobs, Vanessa Bayer, and Phoebe Robinson play three best friends whose trip to Ibiza becomes a game to track down a popular DJ (played by Game of Thrones hottie Richard Madden).

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George Clooney is fine at every age, and when he plays opposite Vera Farmiga in this funny, romantic film, we fall in love with him all over again.

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A group of young people living in the East Village (including Rosario Dawson, Idina Menzel, and Taye Diggs) struggle to pay rent and experiment with drugs and their sexuality in this adaptation of the Broadway show.

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This absurd, hilarious camp romp provides a comically loaded cast of beautiful people and way too many '80s trends.

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Nearly naked hunks gyrating to dance music — do we even need to explain the appeal?

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Lucy Hale, Kathryn Prescott, Alexandra Shipp, and Awkwafina play four best friends who experience heartbreak, loss, deception, and a whole lot of weed during their last few weeks of high school.

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This incredibly charming animated flick is about an aspiring young musician in rural Mexico who finds himself in the Land of the Dead, where he embarks on a journey to learn about his rich family history.

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Starring Ryan Reynolds and Amy Smart, a geeky-teen-turned-successful-record-executive returns to his hometown 10 years later to tell his best friend that he is still in love with her (and his daffy popstar girlfriend, played by Anna Faris, tags along).

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In this '90s action film, two detectives (played by Will Smith and Martin Lawrence) have five days to track down the crook who stole $100 million worth of heroin from their Miami police station — and if they don't find him, they'll have to say goodbye to the narcotics division.

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The groundbreaking documentary explores the lives of drag queens and ball culture (as well as racism and poverty) in 1980s Harlem, including interviews with renowned performers Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija, and Dorian Corey.

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This 1988 cult classic is your typical high school mean-girl flick — well, except for the fact that new student J.D. is slowly killing off the girls he doesn't like. With Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Kim Walker, and Shannen Doherty, this movie not only delivers the best cast, but some of the best one-liners of all time.

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This movie is a coming-of-age romance for a 15-year-old girl who begins to explore her sexuality.

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Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried star as a mother-and-daughter duo who must face the mother's three past flames on the eve of the daughter's wedding (all to the tune of Abba's greatest hits, of course).

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In this trippy sci-fi film, a teenager (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) is warned of the end of the world by a demon rabbit, and he must figure out what's really in peril: the world or his mental health.

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There's no clear answer as to who the coolest superhero is in the Marvel universe, but there is no question that Chris Hemsworth is the hottest.

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What a high school senior expects to be a normal night of babysitting turns into a madcap adventure, starting with a flat tire and leading to encounters with car thieves and gang fights in downtown Chicago.

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Jennifer Aniston stars in this rom-com as a woman who learns that her grandmother, played by Shirley MacLaine, may have been the inspiration for The Graduate.

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Lucy Liu and Taye Diggs star as horrible bosses who get romantically paired up by their matchmaker assistants. You can imagine how well that goes.

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Any movie that depicts a crumbling marriage is going to be a tearjerker, but when that married pair are played by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, seeing a couple that hot split is all the more devastating.

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When a recent college grad (played by Jesse Eisenberg) learns that his parents aren't going to subsidize the Euro adventure he had planned, he finds himself running rides at the local amusement park, as well as meeting a captivating new coworker (played by Kristen Stewart). It's an unlikely pairing, and yet when you see them together on screen, it feels so right.

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This insane crime thriller pairs Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt to track down a serial killer whose grizzly murders are based on the seven deadly sins. Our advice: don't watch this before bed.

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When a young woman is diagnosed with cancer, she decides to make it her mission to find a new lover for best friend and fiancé, and the result is both hilarious and sob inducing.

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In an unexpected teen movie twist, a high school girl falls not for her male best friend, but for his brother — which goes explicitly against their friendship code.

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Following the lives of five young women in Florida as they dabble in the amateur porn industry, this documentary from producer Rashida Jones offers a sobering glimpse into the lives of consenting sex workers.

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Incredibly dark (as well as incredibly underrated) Abbi Jacobson stars as a burdened big sister who spends a night driving around Los Angeles with her heroin-addicted brother, played by James Franco, while also looking after his 2-year-old daughter and trying to make it back in time for her boyfriend's surprise birthday party.

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Noël Wells and Ben Schwartz star as a stuck-in-a-rut couple who — on their three-year anniversary — must decide whether they want to call it quits or put in the effort to make their relationship work.

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In this French rom-com, a quirky waitress schemes to quietly bring happiness to those around her.

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In a remake of the 1974 original, a scruffy mutt comes to the rescue when a broken family is in need of some healing.

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A soon-to-be-married real estate mogul finds himself in a need of a best man for his wedding, and so he embarks on a series of bro dates in order to meet a potential match. Starring Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, and Rashida Jones, this movie manages to balance out the silly with a surprising amount of sincerity.

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A truly terrifying horror film, this movie centers around a single mother's fractured relationship with her young son, who's hounded each night by evil lurking in the dark. View this one at your own risk.

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In this 1987 rom-com, McDreamy Patrick Dempsey takes on the role of a nerd who coerces a popular cheerleader into being his girlfriend for the month.

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When a struggling musician (played by Jason Segel) gets unexpectedly dumped by his TV star girlfriend (played by Kristen Bell), he escapes to Hawaii — only to find that his ex is at the same resort with her obnoxious new boyfriend. Russell Brand, Mila Kunis, and Bill Hader round out this all-star cast.

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This sweet, whimsical indie flick centers around two 12-year-olds who fall and love and run away together during the summer of 1965.

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A grouchy green ogre, a chatty donkey, a diminutive lord, and a kickass princess — seriously, what more could you want from a movie?

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A teen with one eye connects with a girl mocked for her weight in this touching and surprising indie film.

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When Greg Focker (played by Ben Stiller) meets his girlfriend's parents for the first time, he hopes to make a good impression and get permission to marry their daughter — what he gets instead is the wrath of his prospective father-in-law, a formidable former CIA agent (played by Robert De Niro).

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This drama brings together an unlikely trio — an aging French actress (Juliette Binoche), her American assistant (Kristen Stewart), and a rising young starlet (Chloë Grace Moretz) — when the aging star is cast in a film adaptation of the movie that made her famous 20 years earlier, but in a very different role this time.

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When timid Andy Stitlzer's coworkers discover that he's never had sex, they push Andy toward developing confidence and stepping up his bachelor game — and despite his resistance, he meets someone with whom he thinks he stands a chance. Starring Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Seth Rogan, and Romany Malco, we dare anyone to watch this movie without cackling.

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Even if someone has already spoiled the ending of this one for you, Haley Joel Osment delivers a truly haunting performance as a young boy who is visited by ghosts and is too afraid to tell anyone about it, except his new psychologist, played by Bruce Willis.

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When a former CIA agent (John Malkovich) accidentally lets a confidential disc get into the hands of two scheming gym employees (Frances McDormand and Brad Pitt), screwball comedy ensures. Though it has a zany premise, this Coen Brothers film is unexpectedly dark, and it also delivers what is probably our favorite Brad Pitt character ever.

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It might be cheesy as hell, but this teen romance between Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray — challenged by high school hierarchies, a lost cell phone, and an evil stepmom — is actual cinematic gold.

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Though high school senior Alex believes himself ready to finally have sex with his girlfriend, he unexpectedly meets a charming guy from the other side of town, causing new feelings and the realization of a potentially new sexual identity.

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While Nick (played by Michael Cera) is struggling to get over his ex-girlfriend, a chance encounter introduces him to Norah (played by Kat Dennings), and a strange night ensues as the two attempt to track down an elusive band performing at an undisclosed location in New York City.

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A South Boston cop goes undercover to gain a Irish mobster's trust, while at the same time, a career criminal infiltrates the police department. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, and Mark Wahlberg, this cast is almost too attractive to bear (even if you can't keep track of who's a mole).

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The popular Georges Remi comic book is introduced to the big screen in this 2011 Steven Spielberg film, which brilliantly captures the original redheaded sleuth's spirit in 3D motion capture.

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Largely taking place in a Korean family-owned women's shoe shop, this dramedy explores racial tensions between Los Angeles' African-American and Korean communities during the 1992 Rodney King riots.

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