Paramount+ (née CBS All Access) has recently shot up as one of the streaming services with the most robust and up-to-date libraries full of hits, hidden gems and classics.
Featuring some of the best Paramount movies, and beloved TV shows from CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET and more, Paramount+ is the home of hit film franchises like “Scream” and “Mission: Impossible,” TV hits including “Star Trek” and Taylor Sheridan shows including “The Tulsa King” and “Yellowstone” spinoffs “1883” and “1923” (though, somewhat confusingly, you won’t find “Yellowstone” itself on there — that’s on Peacock).
Paramount’s movie list is particularly robust, so whether you’re wondering what’s new on Paramount+ or looking for the overall best movies you’ll find streaming there right now, we’ve got you covered with the 30 best movies on Paramount+ to watch right now. And for your streaming convenience, we’ve linked the titles directly so you can skip the scrolling and get to watching.
If you’re looking to get caught up before the latest installment in the recently revived “Scream” franchise, you’ll have to head to Paramount+, where you’ll find all five of the previous movies streaming. From Wes Craven’s genre-redefining 1996 original to the 2022 reboot that made it a buzzy horror hit once again, “Scream” has endured as one of the most consistent — and consistently quotable — slasher franchises in movie history, from the unforgettable cold opens to the parade of iconic characters. — Haleigh Foutch
Maligned by many upon release, Oscar-winning “La La Land” and “First Man” director Damien Chazelle’s old Hollywood-set “Babylon” seems destined to pick up a cult following. The sprawling, depraved epic is set in 1920s Hollywood and follows the trajectories of three main characters – Margot Robbie goes from unknown to vamp; Brad Pitt is an aging movie star with a bad drinking habit; and Diego Calva is an outsider who gets invited to the party. Talkies are on the horizon and everyone’s trying to figure out where Hollywood goes next, while still keeping the party alive. – Adam Chitwood
One of last year’s biggest movies was also one of its best. “Top Gun: Maverick,” improbably a “Top Gun” sequel released 35 years after the original, follows Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise), who still gets in trouble for hotdogging (this time in an experimental jet) and as a demotion of sorts gets sent back to the Top Gun academy where he made his name. There, he trains a new group of pilots, including Rooster (Miles Teller), the son of his fallen comrade Goose (Anthony Edwards), who died tragically in the first movie. Maverick has to get them ready for a potential suicide mission in enemy airspace. Even more harrowing: he’s got to figure out a way to connect with the son he never had.
Both a triumph of technical filmmaking prowess and emotional storytelling, “Top Gun: Maverick” is flawlessly directed by Joseph Kosinski from an Oscar-nominated script by Cruise’s frequent collaborator Christopher McQuarrie that mixes machismo and genuine heart. If, for some reason, you never saw “Top Gun: Maverick,” now’s the perfect time. And if you’ve already seen it, you’re probably anxious to watch it again. You are go for launch. – Drew Taylor
“Top Gun: Maverick” alum Monica Barbaro stars in this film-within-a-film about Sophie Wilder, an actress in a superhero franchise. She heads to Mexico to film the final installment in the trilogy after finding out her costar/boyfriend was cheating on her. Once she arrives, she meets Alejandro (Diego Boneta), who manages the hotel where she stays, and their meet-cute (in which Alejandro walks in on Sophie naked in the shower), leads them to an awkward connection. Sophie dares Diego to go dancing at midnight and their chemistry picks up from there. Add this to your list of romantic comedies to stream. — Dessi Gomez
Based on the true story of the rise and fall of Wall Street trader Jordan Belfort, Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street” is more than just a damning account of the rot fueling the financial world’s elite – it might be one of the funniest movies of the last decade. Plus, it introduced the world to one of today’s biggest stars, Margot Robbie. Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill, both here nominated for Oscars, lead the stellar ensemble. — Benjamin Lindsay
There’s quite literally never a bad time to watch the “Indiana Jones” franchise. The iconic Paramount series began with Steven Spielberg’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” a perfect movie, and continued with the darker but rollicking “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” the more epically adventurous “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” and the… uh, fine “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” Harrison Ford makes this franchise, and even in the worst entry in the series, there’s charm to be found. – Adam Chitwood
A festival hit that got swallowed by the void of 2020, “Black Bear” features Aubrey Plaza in one of her best performances yet, starring as a director in a creative dry patch, who travels to a remote cabin and finds inspiration in toying with the cabin’s married owners (Cristopher Abbott and Sarah Gadon). But nothing is as simple as that in Lawrence Michael Levine’s trippy character piece, and in the second act, the film inverts, reframing the players and shifting into new power dynamics. It’s a fascinating watch that’s not really as confusing as it sounds, and Plaza is in peak form playing both sides of the coin. — Haleigh Foutch
This might be the best movie on this entire list. The second film in Alan J. Pakula’s so-called paranoid thriller trilogy (after the terrific “Klute” and just two years before “All the President’s Men”), “The Parallax View” follows plucky reporter Warren Beatty as he investigates a shadowy organization called The Parallax Corporation years after the assassination of a presidential political candidate. To give anything else away would be criminal; so much of the fun of “The Parallax View” is the thrill of discovery. Not that it’s just cheapo entertainment. You can feel Pakula wrestling with the wave of assassinations in the 1960s, from JFK to Martin Luther King, Jr., and the implication that many of the murders could have been perpetrated by vast webs of likeminded individuals. Technically, the movie is a stunner too, with Gordon Willis’ cinematography telling so much of the story while providing so much of the subtext, and Michael Small’s music providing a low fog of existential dread. (John W. Wheeler’s editorial work, particularly in a pivotal scene, is dynamite.) Everything in “The Parallax View” leads to its ending, which is one of the great endings in movie history (and one that has been endlessly ripped off in the years since). All of that in a tight 103 minutes. What’s not to love? – Drew Taylor
One of the five Leonardo DiCaprio-Martin Scorsese collabs we’ve gotten over the last 20 years, “Shutter Island” stands out from the pack as the only horror genre film the iconic filmmaker has taken on – and the risk pays off. Playing a Boston cop who goes deep into the belly of an insane asylum while investigating the disappearance of an escaped murderer, DiCaprio is unhinged and terrifyingly committed as his audience traces its way to the truth. Featuring some imagery that may keep you up at night, Scorsese’s epic adaptation of Dennis Lehane’s novel also packs one hell of a twist. — Benjamin Lindsay
There is a rarely-trod hallowed ground for family films that succeed both as a children’s movie and a genuine for-all-ages fun time at the theaters, and the 2020 “Sonic the Hedgehog” adaptation thrives there. Inspired by the international mega-hit video game franchise, “Sonic” succeeds by putting the priority on being an entertaining movie rather than a fan-please homage — without forgetting to do the latter either. It’s a buddy-comedy with real laughs, a road movie with real heart and the funniest Jim Carrey has been in ages. — Haleigh Foutch
Cameron Crowe’s masterpiece “Almost Famous” feels like a letter from an old friend, and in that way, it serves as a pretty terrific comfort movie. Inspired by Crowe’s experiences as a young reporter for Rolling Stone, the film follows a teenager who somewhat cons his way into going on the road with a breakout band called Stillwater for a profile in Rolling Stone magazine. What follows is a coming-of-age story in the midst of chaos, packed with colorful and loving characters that feel rich and defined. The ensemble cast includes Kate Hudson, Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand and Philip Seymour Hoffman. – Adam Chitwood
Based on the book by Sara Gay Forden with an adapted screenplay by Roberto Bentivegna, “House of Gucci” takes viewers behind a dynasty in fashion, directed by Ridley Scott. Adam Driver portrays Maurizio Gucci and Lady Gaga plays Patrizia Reggiani, who works her way into the empire of the family business, which includes members Rodolfo (Jeremy Irons), Aldo (Al Pacino) and Paolo (Jared Leto) Gucci. The family drama behind the fashion brand plays out between these main members and forces. Enter Salma Hayek as Pina Auriemma, Patrizia’s psychic, and things really heat up. — Dessi Gomez
Who knew Matt Damon could be such a creep? After rising to fame in part thanks to his corn-fed all-American charm, Damon found a role in Anthony Minghella’s 1999 adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s classic novel, “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” that played into his image in just the right ways – making his psychotic downfall as Tom Ripley all the more alluring and shocking. It’s the role of a lifetime. He stars in the film as Tom, a young, wayward soul who’s swept up into a world of riches, excess, intrigue and murder after he’s sent to Italy to fetch playboy Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law) for his father. Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett and Phillip Seymour Hoffman also star. — Benjamin Lindsay
For more than twenty years, the “Mission: Impossible” franchise has sent Tom Cruise repelling, diving, cliff-hanging, helicopter-piloting, high-speed chasing and… well, you get the idea. As Ethan Hunt, Cruise has thrown himself full-body at one death-defying stunt after the next for nearly 30 years in pursuit of making one of cinema’s great action franchises — and it worked. Of course, it’s not just the stunts. It’s Cruise’s rare bonafide movie star wattage, a filmmaker-fluid open-armed embrace of the superspy genre, and the increasingly high stakes and more refined character work that have crystalized under Christopher McQuarrie’s shepherding of the series since the fifth installment. Pound for pound, blow for blow, stunt for bananas stunt; “Mission: Impossible” is one of Hollywood’s great franchises. –Haleigh Foutch
Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum bring a great soccer story to life in “She’s the Man.” Bynes plays Viola, who has to pretend to be a boy to play soccer at her brother’s boarding school with an elite team. She nearly reveals herself to her roommate Duke (Channing Tatum) several times, which leads to many iconic moments like the tampon up her nose scene. Of course, Duke and Viola, who goes by Sebastian, gravitate toward each other and things take a turn. An extremely aughts re-telling of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night,” “She’s the Man” features a laugh-out-loud funny early Channing Tatum performance you won’t want to miss. — Dessi Gomez
Before “Maverick,” there was “Top Gun,” and you’ll find the original streaming on Paramount+ as well. starring Tom Cruise as Pete Mitchell, Anthony Edwards as the beloved Goose, Meg Ryan as Carole, the beloved 80s actioner took audiences into the cockpit with some of the cockiest pilots on earth. Val Kilmer’s Iceman rivals Cruise’s Maverick in flight school. The sunset vibes and humidity were established in the original film, with Kelley McGillis starring opposite Cruise as an instructor and love interest. Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away” adds to the romantic ambiance outside of the action scenes. — Dessi Gomez
The 1996 film “Trainspotting” kicked off the careers of both Ewan McGregor and director Danny Boyle, and remains one of their very best films. Based on the Irvine Welsh novel of the same name, the story follows a group of twentysomething heroin addicts in Edinburgh. It’s a hangout movie, thriller and dark comedy all rolled into one, with standout performances from McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller, Kelly Macdonald and Robert Carlyle. Just be forewarned: some of the imagery Boyle conjures here will stick with you forever in the most haunting way. – Adam Chitwood
There’s a legacy sequel, “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley,” coming to Netflix sometime later this year (exact timing TBD), so why not brush up on your “Beverly Hills Cop” lore? The first film is still the best of the trilogy, as it introduced hardscrabble Detroit cop Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) who travels to posh Beverly Hills to solve the murder of his best friend. It really played to Murphy’s smart-aleck-y strengths and so much of the movie remains iconic to this day (Harold Faltermeyer’s glitchy electronic score, Judge Reinhold’s affable detective, Bronson Pinchot’s outrageous art dealer Serge).
The sequel, directed by Tony Scott, is less hilarious but more muscular and effortlessly stylized, while the third film gets a little lost, with a meandering plot and an uninterested Murphy (although Pinchot returns for one very funny scene). Hopefully, the new movie will return the series to the action/comedy balance of the first two films. And if not, you can always re-watch the originals. – Drew Taylor
Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself – and we say you should watch this modern classic! From filmmaker Stephen Daldry and based on Michael Cunningham’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “The Hours” beautifully depicts the lives, loves and insurmountable tribulations of three different women in three different decades, played exceptionally by Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore and Meryl Streep. Kidman, who here stars as famed “Mrs. Dalloway” author Virginia Woolf, took home the Best Actress Oscar for her performance in 2003. Standout supporting turns from Toni Collette, Ed Harris, Jeff Daniels and John C. Reilly also help this haunting feature stand the test of time. — Benjamin Lindsay
A humdinger if there ever was one, Howard Hawks’ 1940 screwball comedy “His Girl Friday” is an absolute delight. Cary Grant plays the editor for The Morning Post who discovers that his ex-wife Hildy (Rosalind Russell) is about to marry someone else. Eager to scuttle these plans, he enlists her for one last story – the execution of a man convicted of murdering a policeman. The plot takes twists and turns while Grant and Russell volley flirtatious rat-a-tat dialogue back and forth as if they were in a tennis match. – Adam Chitwood
Great monsters are personal; a product of their times and the fears of the filmmakers who create them — and the moviegoers who flock to them. From the found-footage format to the post-9/11 anxiety that pulses throughout the film’s imagery, “Cloverfield” is the definitive monster movie of the 2000s. And despite the baffling franchising that followed, despite the downfall of found footage in the court of public opinion, director Matt Reeves and writer Drew Goddard crafted a tight, tense and immersive survival movie that holds up both as a highlight of the giant monster genre and perhaps the most successful studio embrace of the found footage craze. — Haleigh Foutch
Now that the very silly age controversy is behind us, can we all appreciate “Licorice Pizza” for what it is, writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson’s most purely enjoyable film? Set in the San Fernando Valley in the early 1970s, “Licorice Pizza” follows the episodic adventures of teenager Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) and Alana Kane (Alana Haim), the enigmatic, wayward older woman he adores. Crisscrossing through actual historical events (hello oil embargo!) and intersecting with real-world characters, like film producer Jon Peters (Bradley Cooper) and closeted politician Joel Wachs (Benny Safdie), “Licorice Pizza” has the texture and feeling of something that happened, even if it is a couple of degrees away from actuality. It’s a loving ramble, as sprawling and offbeat as the Valley itself, full of terrific performances (including Sean Penn, Tom Waits and Skyler Gisondo) and unforgettable sequences (the whole escape from Jon Peters’ house is hilarious, fun, and edge-of-your-seat suspenseful). This might wind up as PTA’s shaggy dog masterpiece. – Drew Taylor
You’ve heard the music in TikToks, now see the movie. Christopher Nolan’s 2014 film “Interstellar” is a heady time-travel sci-fi epic that also happens to be Nolan’s most purely emotional film. Set in the near future, Matthew McConaughey plays a former NASA pilot and single father who’s enlisted to travel through a wormhole to investigate three planets that could serve as a safe haven for humanity as Earth’s food sources are quickly dwindling. Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Casey Affleck and Timothée Chalamet co-star, and the film features one of Hans Zimmer’s best scores. – Adam Chitwood
Few films have harnessed George Clooney’s charisma quite as effectively as Jason Reitman’s rightfully six-time Oscar-nominated feature from 2009, “Up in the Air.” Humanizing corporate downsizing in the heat of a recession (a topic that potentially hits too close to home nearly 15 years later), “Up in the Air” pulls no punches in its dog-eat-dog portrayal of Ryan Bingham (Clooney), a corporate contractor hired to make the calls c-suites don’t have the courage to, and the women pulled into his orbit: the cold-as-ice love interest Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga) and young upstart Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick). All three performances were nominated at that year’s Academy Awards.
Bernard Rose’s “Candyman” isn’t just one of the scariest, most iconic movies of the 1990s – it’s also one of the decade’s very best movies (period). That left the 2021 reimagining, which effortlessly slides between sequel and reboot, with some very large, potentially bee-infested shoes to fill. And somehow, the project rises to the challenge. Director Nia DaCosta, working from a script co-written by herself, Jordan Peele and his frequent partner Win Rosenfeld (once again using Clive Barker’s creepy story as inspiration), nimbly adapts the premise to present day. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II plays a struggling painter who lives in a posh condo where the Cabrini-Green housing projects used to stand. Looking for inspiration, he gets drawn into the mystery of the Candyman and ends up resurrecting the legend in an unlikely way. This “Candyman” works so well because it combines the same social commentary that the original deftly deployed alongside some killer set pieces (including a brief, unforgettable tangential moment where a group of teenagers tempt fate). Say his name five times fast and then press play. – Drew Taylor
Steven Spielberg took on the work of literary sci-fi giant Philip K. Dick with his 2002 “Minority Report” adaptation and delivered one of the best science fiction movies of the 21st Century so far. Starring Tom Cruise as John Anderson, Chief of the Precrime police unit that has all but eliminated murder through the questionable use of precognitive abilities, the film finds Anderson on the run from his own unit when they predict he will kill a man he’s never met. An action-packed, gripping mystery that tangles with free will and government overreach, the film has also become known as one of the more accurate sci-fi films when it came to its futuristic world-building thanks to the innovative think tank that helped construct it. — Haleigh Foutch
Released in 1962, “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” is one of the best Westerns ever made. The film stars James Stewart as a young do-gooder attorney who is attacked by a gang leader named Liberty Valance. He’s rescued and nursed back to health by an aging outlaw played by John Wayne, and what ensues are two different kinds of men teaming up to take on a baddie. Stewart’s character believes the law and justice will prevail, while Wayne’s character knows the only way to stop Valance is to take the law into his own hands. Director John Ford gets meta about Western tropes here, as Liberty Valance is very much a “goodbye” to the old-fashioned Westerns led by Wayne and a passing-of-the-torch of sorts to Stewart’s character, who refuses to get his hands dirty. – Adam Chitwood
An underrated installment in the hit-or-miss horror franchise, “Halloween: H20” represents an interesting juncture in slasher history, following on the heels of the 1996 game-changer “Scream” while also signaling a desire to return to “Halloween’s” simpler scary-guy-with-a-knife roots. The two tones don’t always mesh perfectly, but there’s a lot to love in the 1998 installment, which shares a lot of creative DNA with the 2018 “Halloween” reboot. Returning to the story of Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), “H20” finds her hiding under a new identity, struggling with addiction and battling her trauma as she attempts to raise her son (Josh Hartnett) with a hint of normalcy. Then Michael Myers returns. — Haleigh Foutch
If you’re in the mood for an old-school adventure romance with a bit of a silly streak, “The Lost City” is just the ticket. Sandra Bullock stars as romance novelist Loretta Sage alongside Channing Tatum as her doting cover model, Alan. When Lorretta gets kidnapped by a scheming billionaire, Alan steps up to prove he’s a real hero and the pair wind up on the run, lost in the jungle, and way out of their depth on the hunt to find a great treasure before the big bad. A knowing nod toward genre great “Romancing the Stone,” “The Lost City” stands on its own as more than homage thanks to its laugh-out-loud goofy streak, great chemistry between Bullock and Tatum, and an A+ Brad Pitt cameo. — Haleigh Foutch
“Saint Maud” was poised to be A24’s next big horror hit, coming off of a stellar festival run with glowing reviews, lined up with a prime theatrical debut… in 2020. The film did make it to audiences eventually, but got largely buried in the all-too-real terrors of that year. Which is a shame because Rose Glass’ debut feature is a searing, haunting piece of character-driven horror with two knock-down-drag-out performances from Morfydd Clark (who’s since lined up a starring role in Amazon’s “Rings of Power” series) and Jennifer Ehle. A ferocious tangle of faith, grief, guilt and good old-fashioned primal carnality, “Saint Maud” is exactly the type of thought-provoking technical stunner you’d expect from A24, so if you missed it during its original release, don’t sleep on it now. — Haleigh Foutch
