From Oscar winners to classic comedies, there are plenty of quality films available to watch at no cost. The 10 best movies to stream for free on YouTube From Oscar winners to classic comedies, there are plenty of quality films available to watch at no cost. By Kevin Jacobsen on January 14, 2026 11:50 a.m. ET :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/AnotherRoundMadsMikkelsenEternalSunshineoftheSpotlessMindKateWinsletJimCarreyDONNIEDARKOJakeGyllenhaal01132664e1698f8bb848df9ea1880b46ae2418.

From Oscar winners to classic comedies, there are plenty of quality films available to watch at no cost.

The 10 best movies to stream for free on YouTube

From Oscar winners to classic comedies, there are plenty of quality films available to watch at no cost.

By Kevin Jacobsen

on January 14, 2026 11:50 a.m. ET

Mads Mikkelsen as Martin in 'Another Round'; Kate Winslet as Clementine Kruczynski and Jim Carrey as Joel Barish in 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'; Jake Gyllenhaal as Donnie Darko in 'Donnie Darko'. Credit:

Samuel Goldwyn Films; Focus Features; Dale Robinette/Newmarket Films

YouTube has been a one-stop shop for cute animal videos and niche video essays since 2005. But in recent years, this gargantuan media hub has more to offer than snack-sized bites of digital entertainment. In fact, you can now watch entire films on the platform for free (with ads, of course), making for a great way to dabble in streaming without paying subscription fees.

There are plenty of options to choose from, but which ones are worth your time? To help you out, EW has rounded up the 10 best movies on YouTube.

American Graffiti (1973)

Candy Clark as Debbie in 'American Graffiti'.

George Lucas' nostalgic coming-of-age dramedy is an earnest ode to his formative years growing up in Modesto, Calif., in the early-'60s. Centering on a group of friends hanging out on the last day of summer vacation, *American Graffiti* is a slice-of-life film that follows their exploits over the course of the evening. Some deal with relationship problems, while others are more concerned with celebrating their last night in their hometown before the rest of their lives begin. Told in a series of dreamy vignettes (aided by a killer soundtrack), the film transports the viewer back to a specific time and place, a snapshot of life before it got messy and complicated.

Where to watch *American Graffiti*: YouTube

**Director:** George Lucas

**Cast:** Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Candy Clark

Another Round (2020)

Mads Mikkelsen as Martin in 'Another Round'. Samuel Goldwyn Films

A potent cocktail of comedy and tragedy, Thomas Vinterberg's *Another Round* takes place in modern-day Copenhagen as four dissatisfied friends and teachers decide to embark on an experiment: maintain a state of buzz from alcohol to unlock their creative potential. Results are positive to start, with all four finding their moods raised and teaching methods more fruitful for their students. But things take an unfortunate turn as the friends decide to take their alcohol consumption to the next level.**** Featuring a stunning lead performance by Mads Mikkelsen, the Danish film received widespread critical acclaim for its depiction of men of a certain age as they try to quell their midlife crises. Vinterberg received a Best Director Oscar nomination in 2021 for the film, which won the award for Best International Feature.

Where to watch *Another Round*: YouTube

**EW grade:** B

**Director:** Thomas Vinterberg

**Cast:** Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang, Lars Ranthe

Donnie Darko (2001)

Jake Gyllenhaal as Donnie Darko in 'Donnie Darko'.

Mary Evans/Pandora Cinema/Flower Films/Adam Fields Productions/GA/Ronald Grant/Courtesy Everett Collection

This cult-favorite sci-fi thriller is still evocative more than 20 years later. Jake Gyllenhaal, in one of his early breakout roles, stars as Donnie, an angsty teenager who sleepwalks outside his house where he is met with a terrifying human-sized rabbit who informs him the world will end in 28 days. That night, a plane crashes into Donnie's house, after which he continues to see the sinister rabbit. It's a concept that could've gone off the rails if not for Richard Kelly's deft direction. As EW's critic writes, "He swings big — with flair."

Where to watch *Donnie Darko*: YouTube

**Director:** Richard Kelly

**Cast:** Jake Gyllenhaal, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Seth Rogen, Jena Malone

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Kate Winslet as Clementine Kruczynski and Jim Carrey as Joel Barish in 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'. Everett Collection

Heartbreak is one of the most devastating feelings we can experience, and the desire to move on and forget that a relationship even happened is tempting. This cerebral sci-fi dramedy follows the lengths to which we'll go to get over a bad breakup, as Clementine (Kate Winslet) undergoes an innovative procedure to literally erase her ex-boyfriend, Joel (Jim Carrey), from her memory. When Joel finds out about this, he retaliates by going through the procedure himself, but the process finds him trying desperately to hold onto the long-buried good memories. Grounded in profound emotional depth, the impact of *Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind* is, indeed, eternal.

Where to watch *Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind*: YouTube

**Director:** Michel Gondry

**Cast:** Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood

Nosferatu (1922)

Max Schreck as Count Orlok in 'Nosferatu'.

ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty

With the 2024 release of Robert Eggers' *Nosferatu*, you no longer have an excuse to put off catching up on the horror-genre-defining original. An unauthorized German adaptation of Bram Stoker's *Dracula*, *Nosferatu*'s version of the iconic vampire is Count Orlok (Max Schreck), who takes a special interest in his estate agent's wife, Ellen (Greta Schröder). Filled with haunting imagery (particularly Count Orlok's appearance), the silent horror drama "conjures and then sustains, for its entire running time, the feeling of being a child, up late at night channel-surfing, and coming across a film that is so alarming, so out-of-this-world, you have to hope it was only a dream," writes EW's critic.

Where to watch *Nosferatu*: YouTube

**Director:** F.W. Murnau

**Cast:** Max Schreck, Gustav von Wangenheim, Greta Schröder, Alexander Granach, Ruth Landshoff

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Paprika (2006)

Still from 'Paprika'.

Madhouse/Sony/Kobal/Shutterstock

This thought-provoking Japanese anime film from visionary director Satoshi Kon will weave into your subconscious. The film centers on a psychologist who uses innovative dream technology to help her patients, using the alter ego Paprika. After the technology is stolen, the psychologist and her fellow scientists try to prevent catastrophic consequences. Dizzying and dazzling all at once, *Paprika* finds Kon mixing strong visuals with trippy perspectives, resulting in a message of seeming forewarning.

Where to watch *Paprika*: YouTube

**Director: **Satoshi Kon

**Cast: **Megumi Hayashibara, Tōru Emori, Katsunosuke Hori, Tōru Furuya, Akio Ōtsuka

The Piano Teacher (2001)

Benoît Magimel as Walter Klemmer and Isabelle Huppert as Erika Kohut in 'The Piano Teacher'.

Isabelle Huppert delivers one of her most fearless performances to date in this boundary-pushing psychological drama. The French acting legend stars as a repressed piano teacher who enters into an affair with a student. Hoping to indulge in her sadomasochistic fantasies, she presents her desires to her new lover, which only complicates matters. Mesmerizing and disturbing in equal measure, *The Piano Teacher* is an erotically charged character study that could only come from an audacious European director like Michael Haneke.

Where to watch *The Piano Teacher*: YouTube

**Director:** Michael Haneke

**Cast:** Isabelle Huppert, Annie Girardot, Benoît Magimel

The Queen of Versailles (2013)

Jackie Siegel in 'The Queen of Versailles'. Everett Collection

In this riveting look at the lifestyles of the rich and famous, we follow David and Jackie Siegel, an obscenely wealthy couple raising their eight kids while building a mansion modeled after France's Palace of Versailles. But their American dream soon becomes a nightmare when the Great Recession of 2008 significantly impacts David's timeshare business, putting construction on indefinite hiatus and leaving the Siegels to contend with a new economic reality. Described by EW as "a parable of the despair bred by overreach," *The Queen of Versailles* is a rise-and-fall story that continues to enthrall.

Where to watch *The Queen of Versailles*: YouTube

**EW grade:** A

**Director:** Lauren Greenfield

Starship Troopers (1997)

Casper Van Dien as Johnny Rico, Denise Richards as Carmen Ibanez, and Neil Patrick Harris as Carl Jenkins in 'Starship Troopers'.

TriStar Pictures/Everett Collection

Paul Verhoeven's gnarly futuristic action drama wasn't largely appreciated upon release, due to critics and audiences not quite getting the director's intentions. In the 23rd century, a militaristic government rules over Earth and wages war against giant, advanced arachnids. Casper Van Dien plays Johnny Rico, a teenage star athlete who idealistically joins up with the military to protect his planet, unaware that the culture in which he grew up is rooted in fascism. Operating as a satire of authoritarian patriotism, the film was mistaken in 1997 as just another junky gung-ho action flick, but time has been kind to Verhoeven's vision.

Where to watch *Starship Troopers*: YouTube

**EW grade:** B+

**Director:** Paul Verhoeven

**Cast:** Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Denise Richards, Jake Busey, Neil Patrick Harris

Women Talking (2022)

(From left to right): Liv McNeil as Neitje, Jessie Buckley as Mariche, Claire Foy as Salome, Kate Hallett as Autje, Rooney Mara as Ona, and Judith Ivey as Agata in 'Women Talking'. Michael Gibson/United Artists Releasing

A close-knit group of Mennonite women argues over what to do about the rampant sexual abuse perpetuated by men in their colony in this powerful drama. Based on the novel by Miriam Toews, Sarah Polley's Oscar-winning adaptation centers almost entirely on the women's debate, each of them making their case for either doing nothing, staying and fighting, or leaving en masse. Like a lively piece of theater, *Women Talking* is intellectually stimulating and provides meaty roles for such actresses as Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, and Jessie Buckley.

Where to watch *Women Talking*: YouTube

**EW grade:** B

**Director:** Sarah Polley

**Cast:** Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Judith Ivey, Ben Whishaw

- Movie Reviews & Recommendations

Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Movie"

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Source: Movie

Published: January 14, 2026 at 07:38PM on Source: ANDY MAG

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