Decider’s Top 20 Movies of 2019 (That You Can Watch At Home)

Knock Down the House is not just a movie about the polarizing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. While the Netflix doc does a great job of chronicling her unique election, it also follows other female candidates who campaigned, who cared, and who we’re sure to see getting involved in the government again. It was easily one of the most important films of the year, and if you haven’t seen it yet, get on that. This one is emotional, empowering and will only prove to be more relevant once 2020 rolls around.—Lea Palmieri 

Stream Knock Down The House on Netflix

Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s gloriously insane Ready Or Not is arguably the most fun movie of the year. Newlywed Grace loves her husband Alex, who is part of the Le Domas gaming dominion, and is forced to play a game with his eccentric family as part of a wedding night tradition. When Grace draws the “hide and seek” card, she is thrust into a deadly game. If she loses, she will be sacrificed to Satan to ensure the family’s good fortune. Anchored by masterful performances from Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, Henry Czerny, and Andie freakin’ MacDowell, Ready or Not is twisted, hilarious, and all-together bloody fantastic.—Karen Kemmerle

Where to stream Ready Or Not

The 2019 indie rom-com Plus One is the textbook definition of a hidden streaming gem. Starring the endlessly charming duo of Jack Quaid and Maya Erskine, the film follows two friends who team-up to survive a summer of weddings by agreeing to be each other’s plus one to every ceremony. Instead of subverting traditional rom-com tropes, the film embraces what audiences love about the genre. Plus One is authentically funny, supremely well cast, and understands that rom-coms are supposed to be fun. I loved this movie and you will too. Watch it today on Hulu.—Josh Sorokach

Where to stream Plus One

Elizabeth Holmes, the founder and CEO of a healthcare startup called Theranos, had it all: a billion dollars in her bank account, the admiration of the entirety of Silicon Valley’s (male) power players, a collection of black turtlenecks that would’ve made Steve Jobs envious, and a booming baritone voice. That is, until it all came crashing down. (Even the legitimacy of her voice, which is FAKE!) Director Alex Gibney’s lauded HBO documentary film details the spectacular rise and even more spectacular fall of this truly captivating figure in recent American history, launching a thousand memes (and Halloween costumes) along the way.—Mark Graham

Stream The Inventor: Out For Blood in Silicon Valley on HBO Go or HBO Now

In addition to Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Studios also released their most laser-focused film to date: Captain Marvel, the first female-lead superhero movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film, a tonal throwback to ’90s action comedies with a sci-fi twist, soared because of Brie Larson’s unflinching performance. As Carol Danvers, Larson gave the MCU a new lead, one with Iron Man’s swagger, Captain America’s heart, and Thor’s power. But what resonated most with audiences was seeing Captain Marvel become a hero on her own terms, free from the patriarchal shackles of Jude Law’s cosmic villain. As Cap says, “I have nothing to prove to you.”—Brett White

Stream Captain Marvel on Disney+

The release of Netflix and Hulu’s competing Fyre Festival documentaries produced almost as much drama as the doomed Millennial “music” festival itself. Honestly, where do you even start? With the fact that after months of Netflix hyping Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened, Hulu swooped in and surprise dropped its own Fyre Festival documentary days before the release? Or do you start with the fact that both documentaries are quite questionable, journalistically-speaking? Sure, Hulu paid for its Billy McFarland interview, but Netflix’s was co-produced by Jerry Media, the same social media marketing company responsible for promoting the viral festival and covering up is fraud. Either way Fyre Festival documentaries and that jaw-dropping blowjob revelation had a moment in 2019.—Kayla Cobb

Stream Fyre Fraud on Hulu

Stream Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened on Netflix

After you end one of the most storied television shows ever with Breaking Bad, and then follow it up with another of the most critically acclaimed shows ever with Better Call Saul, there’s one lesson to be learned: let Vince Gilligan do whatever he wants. And if he wants to do a Netflix movie following the further adventures of Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul)? Go for it. Unlike the twin tragedies of the two TV series, the most surprising thing about El Camino is how it lifts its character up, letting him succeed and rise from the ashes — or from the cage he was held in by neo-nazis towards the end of Breaking Bad‘s run if you prefer. El Camino is as beautifully shot as always, but it’s the chance to revisit Paul’s Pinkman and other characters one more time that makes this feel like a cozy blanket of a movie. Add in a final performance by the late, great Robert Forster and you have another classic in the Breaking Bad Extended Universe. Skyler White movie next, please.—Alex Zalben

Stream El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie on Netflix

2019 was filled with heroes: Captain Marvel, Spider-Man, Rocketman—okay, I know Rocketman was actually a musical-drama biopic of Elton John’s wild life story, but this dark, sparkling romp more than lived up to its marvelous name. Taron Egerton tore into this star-making role, singing and dancing his heart out while infusing the pop icon with a mythic level of pathos. More than a by-the-numbers rock and roll biopic, Rocketman was a coming out story at heart, one that pushed the boundaries of what can be done in mainstream movies thanks to its flawed, raw, and steamy gay romance.—Brett White

Where to stream Rocketman

Erin Lee Carr’s documentary should be required viewing for anyone interested in true crime. In July of 2014, Connor Roy was found dead in his car. Though Roy died by suicide, his former girlfreind Michelle Carter was tried for his death. Why? For a series of texts she sent in the weeks before his death encouraging him to end his life. Not only does I Love You, Now Die handle this shocking case with a noteworthy degree of respect and emotional honesty, the two-part documentary does so while showing both the defense and the prosecution’s sides. You’ll end the first part of this film firmly believing that Carter was in the wrong only to have everything you know questioned roughly an hour later. Because of this I Love You, Now Die doesn’t merely stand as a great examination of a fascinating case. It’s a perfectly honed reflection of our legal system.—Kayla Cobb

Stream I Love You Now Die on HBO Go or HBO Now

Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt are the last of a dying breed of Hollywood movie stars: global superstars who’ve been able to resist the siren song of superhero movies. Director Quentin Tarantino is in similar straits; he’s one of a handful of remaining auteurs who still has the clout to get movie studios to pony up sizable budgets to fund his (non-franchise, non-“big I.P.” reliant) work. Fitting, then, that these three collaborated to make Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, a hybrid fairy tale/Western/revisionist history that takes a loving look at what we lost in the Summer of Love. It’s got all the hallmarks that you’ve come to expect from a Quentin Tarantino movie —whipsmart humor, shocking violence, crackling dialog, and enough ingredients to stir up cultural controversy— and the way it resonated with audiences ($370MM in worldwide box office) is evidence that QT’s “cinematic universe” still has legs.—Mark Graham

Where to stream Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Midsommar isn’t a horror film. It is, instead, a break-up movie. Dani (Florence Pugh) is reeling from the deaths of her sister and parents, but her manipulative boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor) is too chicken to end their toxic relationship. Failing to pick up on Christian’s passive aggressive clues, Dani joins him and his friends on a trip to a Swedish folk festival. There, Dani discovers that the folk festival is a ritual massacre, and she feels more loved and appreciated by this strange group, the Harga, than by Christian. Gorgeous, nervy, and ultimately darkly cathartic, Midsommar will dig its way into your soul.—Meghan O’Keefe

Where to stream Midsommar

Too many plots, too many characters, too many genres, too much action, too much payoff—Avengers: Endgame is a three hour-long post-apocalyptic time-travel heist dramedy of mythic proportions. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo pulled off the impossible, coming up with a film that not only served as the finale to 11 years of filmmaking, but it also bid farewell to two of the pillars holding up the modern movie Parthenon: Chris Evans’ Captain America and Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man. The Marvel Cinematic Universe will continue, apparently in a smaller, more focused form, but Avengers: Endgame will forever feel like the end—and a satisfying one, at that.—Brett White

Stream Avengers: Endgame on Disney+

Martin Scorsese’s latest film is a quiet masterpiece, worthy of being ranked with such classics as Goodfellas and Casino. The 3 and-a-half hour crime drama reunites the auteur with frequent collaborators Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Harvey Keitel and marks the first time Scorsese has worked with Al Pacino. Based on Charles Brandt’s book I Heard You Paint Houses, the mob epic chronicles the life of Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran, who went from war veteran to truck driver/hit man for Russell Bufalino and the Philadelphia crime family to one of Jimmy Hoffa’s most trusted friends. Expansive, violent, gripping, and poignant, The Irishman proves that the worst fate that can befall a gangster is to live to be an old man.—Karen Kemmerle

Stream The Irishman on Netflix

I’ve watched HOMECOMING: A Film by Beyonce several times this year since its April release on Netflix and I still don’t know how she does it. How she pulled off that gigantic, historic feat of entertainment and put on a show that was even more fun to watch from home than it was at Coachella (I’m assuming, considering my couch is much less dusty). How she let us in to some of the most intimate aspects of her life. And how she continues to evolve into the most impressive performers we’ll ever see in our lifetime. All I know is that I’ll continue to watch this movie to try and figure it out.—Lea Palmieri

Stream Homecoming: A Film by Beyonce on Netflix

Every second of Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story screams “honesty.” It’s so honest, at times, it’s excruciating—I found myself wanting to look away from the raw pain etched into every line of Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson’s faces. As the soon-to-be-divorced Charlie and Nicole Barber—a snobby New York theater director and actress dreaming of Hollywood, respectively—they love each other more than they hate each other. But, as they soon learn via Nicole’s ruthless lawyer (Laura Dern at her absolute best), the legal process brings out the worst in everyone. Marriage Story is lovely, devastating, and beautiful—a Kramer vs. Kramer that affords equal empathy to both sides.—Anna Menta

Stream Marriage Story on Netflix

The Farewell is the cinematic encapsulation of “speak softly and carry a big stick.” Undoubtedly Awkwafina’s finest performance to date, this dramedy follows a Chinese family that travels back home under the guise of a family wedding to say goodbye to their matriarch who has unknowingly been diagnosed with terminal cancer. The gut-punching impact of the story is found in the quiet tension between the family members whose cultural differences have made the decision to keep the illness a secret that more difficult to swallow. The Farewell grants us an insightful window into cultural, generational and familial divides that seamlessly marry specificity with universal themes.—Samantha Donsky

It would have been nearly impossible to follow up a debut like Get Out. So instead, Jordan Peele went even bigger with Us, taking on a story that starts small and personal, then grows to unimaginable breadth by the end. Centered on dual, unforgettable performances by Lupita Nyong’o as a woman named Adelaide trying to hold her family together when they’re attacked on vacation by their doubles, led by the monstrous Red (also Nyong’o), Us has a lot on its mind: the infrastructure of America; how the darkest parts of our history are shoved under the rug in favor of shinier, happier TV friendly moments; and what we become when we face our own worst enemies, ourselves. Gorgeously shot, filled with instantly iconic images, and also often extremely funny, thanks to Winston Duke as Adelaide’s husband Gabe, Us may not have become quite the phenomenon that was Get Out. But it’s still a perfectly structured and meticulously created film that proves the first one out of the gate was no fluke. I got five on it that Peele will continue to surprise us for years to come.—Alex Zalben

Where to stream Us (2019)

Anyone who’s ever reconnected with “the one who got away” will absolutely love Netflix’s sensational rom-com Always Be My Maybe. Starring Ali Wong, Randall Park, and a preponderance of Gubi chairs, this film about estranged friends reconnecting and embarking upon a romance is a sure-fire cure for a crummy day. A well-written script, sterling comedic performances, and the best Keanu Reeves cameo in recorded history combine to make Always Be My Maybe one of the most entertaining movies of 2019.—Josh Sorokach

Stream Always Be My Maybe on Netflix

Hustlers is writer/director Lorene Scafaria’s electric retelling of a true story about a group of New York City strippers drugged business men to dip into their bank accounts. It’s also a devastating portrait of the chasm-sized class divide cutting through America. Jennifer Lopez throws down a career-defining performance as Ramona, the mastermind of the plan. While she covets the power and security that money provides, Ramona’s own superpower is the maternal love she gives to the lost girls in the club. A technically gorgeous film — THAT LIGHTING! — with an earthy heart and soul, Hustlers is the great American class divide movie.—Meghan O’Keefe

Where to stream Hustlers

Award shows may hate comedies, but Team Decider does not. Of all the many great films this year, Booksmart—starring Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever as BFFs determined to attend a party before graduating high school—is the film I most want to watch again and again. The razor-sharp script from Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel, and Katie Silberman understands that teen girls are not just capable, they’re funny. Several savvy, stylish choices from first-time director Olivia Wilde elevate this usually straight-forward teen comedy genre into something profoundly moving, while never letting up on the hilarity. And it doesn’t hurt that the soundtrack is bangin’.—Anna Menta

Where to stream Booksmart