From Oscar winners to classic comedies, there are plenty of quality films available to stream for free. The 12 best movies on YouTube

From Oscar winners to classic comedies, there are plenty of quality films available to stream for free.

The 12 best movies on YouTube

From Oscar winners to classic comedies, there are plenty of quality films available to stream for free.

By Kevin Jacobsen

and Chris Snellgrove

on August 11, 2025 06:59AM EDT

Ann-Margret as Kim MacAfee in 'Bye Bye Birdie'; Greta Gerwig as Frances Halladay in 'Frances Ha'; Mads Mikkelsen as Martin in 'Another Round'. Credit:

Courtesy Everett; IFC; Samuel Goldwyn 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 12 best movies on YouTube right now.

All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)

Itchy Itchiford (voice: Dom DeLuise) and Charlie B. Barkin (voice: Burt Reynolds) in 'All Dogs Go to Heaven'.

United Artists/Courtesy Everett Collection

In 1989, Don Bluth's *All Dogs Go to Heaven* went up against Disney's *The Little Mermaid* in theaters and got flounced (or should we say floundered?). However, in subsequent years, his unconventional animated film has developed a cult following thanks to its wild plot (wherein a dog is murdered and then comes back from the pearly gates for revenge before finding an orphan girl to polish his tarnished heart). To top it off, there's also killer voice work by actors like Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise.

EW's critic once declared this as "the most disturbing kids' movie ever." And we still think you shouldn't show it to young children, but their parents will probably love a touching talking animals cartoon that successfully zigs whenever its Disney-fed audience expects it to zag. —*Chris Snellgrove*****Where to watch *All Dogs Go to Heaven*: YouTube******Director:** Don Bluth******Cast:** Loni Anderson, Judith Barsi, Dom DeLuise, Melba Moore, Charles Nelson Reilly, Burt Reynolds, Vic Tayback**

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. —*Kevin Jacobsen*

Where to watch *Another Round*: YouTube

**EW grade:** B (read the review)

**Director:** Thomas Vinterberg

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

The Birdcage (1995)

Robin Williams as Armand Goldman and Nathan Lane as Albert Goldman in 'The Birdcage'.

United Artists/Getty

This riotous English-language adaptation of the 1978 French classic *La Cage aux Folles* is a good old-fashioned farce with a modern sensibility. The film centers on an out-and-proud gay couple, Armand (Robin Williams) and Albert (Nathan Lane), whose lives are turned upside down when Armand's adult son turns up and reveals he's engaged to a conservative politician's daughter. As Armand and Albert try to pass as straight upon meeting the politician and his wife, hijinks ensue. "The beauty of *The Birdcage* is that its jokes and its message are one and the same," writes EW's critic. "These characters couldn't change themselves if they tried. And only a fool would want them to." —*K.J.***

Where to watch *The Birdcage*: YouTube**

**EW grade:** A– (read the review)**

**Director:** Mike Nichols**

**Cast:** Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman

Bye Bye Birdie (1963)

Ann-Margret as Kim MacAfee in 'Bye Bye Birdie'. Everett Collection

Of all the stage productions that have permeated through pop culture, few are as charming as *Bye Bye Birdie*. While Elvis doesn't star in the movie version, the premise was inspired by The King getting drafted at the height of his fame. Our fictional singing heartthrob also gets scouted by the Army, but his real battle is closer to home as he deals with everything from adoring teenage fans to a bizarre scheme by Dick Van Dyke's character (an aspiring songwriter who sees the singer as his own personal meal ticket).

Ultimately, this musical is full of catchy tunes, great 1960s flashbacks, and a standout performance from Van Dyke in his very first film role. —*C.S.*

Where to watch *Bye Bye Birdie*: YouTube

**Director: **George Sidney

**Cast: **Janet Leigh, Dick Van Dyke, Ann-Margret, Maureen Stapleton, Bobby Rydell, Jesse Pearson, Ed Sullivan

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." —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Donnie Darko*: YouTube

**EW grade:** (Read the review)

**Director:** Richard Kelly

**Cast:** Jake Gyllenhaal, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Seth Rogen, Jena Malone, Patrick Swayze, Ashley Tisdale

The Edge of Seventeen (2016)

Hailee Steinfeld as Nadine Franklin and Haley Lu Richardson as Krista in 'The Edge of Seventeen'.

Murray Close/STX Entertainment/Courtesy Everett Collection

*The Edge of Seventeen* embraces the wonderfully awkward growing pains of being a teenage girl. Hailee Steinfeld stars as Nadine, a disaffected 17-year-old who is left mortified upon learning her older brother Darian (Blake Jenner) is now dating her best friend Krista (Haley Lu Richardson). Nadine soon offers an ultimatum to Krista: her or Darian. After Krista fails to make this binary choice, Nadine coldly ends their friendship, which sends her down a darker path than before. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *The Edge of Seventeen*: YouTube

**Director:** Kelly Fremon Craig

**Cast:** Hailee Steinfeld, Woody Harrelson, Kyra Sedgwick, Haley Lu Richardson, Blake Jenner

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Mr. Fox (voice: George Clooney) in 'Fantastic Mr. Fox'.

Fox Searchlight

Wes Anderson has often been labeled a "dollhouse" filmmaker, an artisan with an eye for meticulous world-building and visual design. It's only natural that his ornate artistic expression would lend itself to stop-motion animation, as demonstrated by this vibrant adaptation of Roald Dahl's novel of the same name. George Clooney gives voice to Mr. Fox, a crafty *Vulpes* *vulpes* who tries to evade a trio of cruel farmers who are hunting him down. Cleverly written with a mischievous yet warm tone befitting of its source material, *Fantastic Mr. Fox* is "a little indulgent, a little absurd — but, even in its lightness, displays a tidy sort of perfection," writes EW's critic. —*K.J.***

Where to watch *Fantastic Mr. Fox*: YouTube

**Director:** Wes Anderson

**Cast:** George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson**

Frances Ha (2013)

Greta Gerwig as Frances Halladay in 'Frances Ha'.

IFC Films/Courtesy Everett

Greta Gerwig, now an acclaimed writer-director and frequent Oscar nominee, became a true indie darling with *Frances Ha*, which she starred in and co-wrote with her partner, Noah Baumbach. Gerwig plays Frances Halladay, a millennial dancer living in Brooklyn whose best friend/roommate decides to move to Tribeca, forcing Frances to find a more affordable living arrangement.

As Frances struggles to make ends meet, she grapples with the changing nature of her relationship with her best friend. Infused with quirky, observational humor and its main character's wayward spirit, *Frances Ha* is a film about reckoning with young adulthood in all of its messy, beautiful complications. —*K.J.***

Where to watch *Frances Ha*: YouTube

**Director: **Noah Baumbach

**Cast: **Greta Gerwig, Mickey Sumner, Adam Driver, Michael Zegen

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Nosferatu (1922)

Max Schreck as Count Orlok in 'Nosferatu'.

ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty

With the recent 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. —*K.J.***

Where to watch *Nosferatu*: YouTube

**Director:** F.W. Murnau

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

Ordinary People (1980)

Judd Hirsch as Dr. Tyrone Berger and Timothy Hutton as Conrad Jarrett in 'Ordinary People'.

Paramount/Everett Collection

What happens to a seemingly picture-perfect family in the wake of an unspeakable tragedy? Beth (Mary Tyler Moore) and Calvin (Donald Sutherland) Jarrett are forced to confront the harsh realities of trying to move on after the untimely death of their eldest son, while trying to reckon with their guilt-ridden younger son, Conrad (Timothy Hutton). As Conrad enters therapy to try to work through his issues, Beth freezes him out, unable to grapple with what's happened, while Calvin desperately tries to bring them back together. A devastating yet emotionally cathartic domestic drama, *Ordinary People* was universally acclaimed by critics in 1980 and won four Oscars, including Best Picture. —*K.J.***

Where to watch *Ordinary People*: YouTube

**Director:** Robert Redford

**Cast:** Timothy Hutton, Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch

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. —*K.J.***

Where to watch *Paprika*: YouTube

**Director: **Satoshi Kon

**Cast: **Megumi Hayashibara, Tōru Emori, Katsunosuke Hori, Tōru Furuya, Akio Ōtsuka, Kōichi Yamadera, Hideyuki Tanaka

Sense and Sensibility (1995)

Kate Winslet as Marianne Dashwood and Emma Thompson as Elinor Dashwood in 'Sense and Sensibility'.

Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

Emma Thompson gave new life to Jane Austen's classic tale of sisters navigating love and loss with her screenplay for this acclaimed '90s adaptation. Thompson did double duty as screenwriter and star, playing the practically minded Elinor Dashwood alongside Kate Winslet as her more idealistic younger sister, Marianne. Following their family's sudden loss of fortune, the Dashwood sisters seek out potential suitors, experiencing the trials and tribulations of romance in the early 19th century. Directed with refined elegance by Ang Lee, the film earned seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, with Thompson winning Best Adapted Screenplay. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Sense and Sensibility*: YouTube

**EW grade:** B+ (read the review)

**Director:** Ang Lee

**Cast:** Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant

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