Why scroll through a catalogue of titles hoping to find something good to watch when you can get a cheat sheet of the best movies on Tubi right here from your friends at What to Watch? We're doing the hard work for you and compiling the creme de la creme of what Tubi has to offer.
Tubi is a free, ad-supported streaming service that features more than 20,000 movies and TV shows, the company says. It is available on most major streaming platforms, including Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android and iOS devices and a range of smart TV models.
Let’s break down some of the best movies that you can watch on Tubi right now.
A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
We must have done something right as a society for us to be treated with the performance from Kevin Kline in A Fish Called Wanda. Kline is absolutely hysterical as the bumbling (but don't call him stupid), quick-tempered criminal Otto, so much so that he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
Of course there's so much to love from A Fish Called Wanda, which tells the story of four criminals trying to double cross each other in order to get their hands on the loot. The cast is incredible, which in addition to Kline includes Jamie Lee Curtis, John Cleese and Michael Palin, and features an Oscar-nominated script from Cleese and director Charles Crichton (also nominated, a rarity for a comedy).
Blazing Saddles (1974)
You have to love a good heist movie, which is why it was a little surprising that American Animals — despite strong reviews — didn’t do better during its initial release. But that’s one of the benefits of streaming, getting the chance to catch up on something you may have missed the first time around.
American Animals tells the true story of college students who attempt to steal a book from the university library that is supposed to be worth millions of dollars. Director Bart Layton was known for documentaries (The Imposter), which likely inspired a unique choice to blend the narrative telling of the story featuring actors (Evan Peters, Barry Keoghan, Blake Jenner and Jared Abrahamson) with interviews of the real-life people the story is based on.
It’s a fun ride that fits right into the wheelhouse of anyone intrigued by true-crime stories.
Carol (2015)
There's so much to love about Carol. From the two stellar performances from Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara to the beautiful recreation of the 1950s New York setting from director Todd Haynes and cinematographer Edward Lachman. But at its core, Carol is a love story between Blanchett and Mara's characters, a New York socialite and a young photographer, that is incredibly effective at pulling at your heart strings.
Carol is easily one of the bigger Best Picture snubs in recent memory. See for yourself why that’s the case.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
The Clint Eastwood and Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns are all great, but the epic The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is probably the best of the bunch. Eastwood's Man With No Name teams with Eli Wallach in search of buried treasure, with Lee Van Cliff's villain in pursuit. It all culminates in one of the greatest standoffs in cinema history, paired with the magnificent score of Ennio Morricone.
The Hangover (2009)
It's been a while since we’ve had a truly great comedy that became a cultural phenomenon, with perhaps that last to truly earn that status being The Hangover. Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifiankis are a hilarious trio desperately trying to remember how they misplaced their best friend at his Vegas bachelor party. The less we think about the sequels probably the better, but the original Hangover remains a funny and rewatchable jaunt.
Heat (1995)
Michael Mann's crime epic was the first movie to pair Al Pacino and Robert De Niro on screen together (they never shared a scene in The Godfather Part II). If that wasn't enough, it features one of the most iconic heist scenes and shootouts in movie history. Heat has become a beloved movie, so much so that Mann recently wrote a novel that serves as a sequel to the movie.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)
Before Taika Waititi made the best Thor movie for Marvel or won an Oscar for Jojo Rabbit, he was an indie filmmaker from New Zealand making unique gems like Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Starring Sam Neill and Julian Dennison, Hunt for the Wilderpeople follows a rebellious kid and his foster uncle as they try to create a new life for themselves in the New Zealand bush.
While it doesn't have superheroes or vampires or a kid's imaginary version of Adolf Hitler, Hunt for the Wilderpeople has the Waititi wit and weirdness in spades and is a must-see for anyone who is a fan of his work thus far.
Ida (2013)
Pawel Pawlikowski nabbed a Best Director nomination for his film Cold War in 2018, but he first introduced himself to many American film fans with the 2013 drama Ida set, in post-World War II Poland.
The film follows Anna, a novice nun set to take her vows when she discovers that her family is actually Jewish, and that she has an aunt who is her only living relative. Together, they set off to learn about their family's tragic fate and just what it means to each of them. Ida is a haunting and touching story from one of Europe's top directors right now.
Legally Blonde (2001)
Elle Woods has become an iconic character for Reese Witherspoon (we're all eagerly awaiting the arrival of Legally Blonde 3). First trying to win her boyfriend back by joining him at Harvard Law School (what, like it's hard), Elle quickly realizes that she has a strong and unique legal mind. The movie's charms have held up these 20-plus years, as it is endlessly rewatchable.
Mustang (2015)
Mustang is an Oscar-nominated movie from that in a nutshell can be described as a Turkish version of The Virgin Suicides. That's not giving Mustang its proper due, though. Mustang is a beautiful film about the bonds of sisters and the desire to live the life they want.
The five sisters at the center of the story are orphans, who after being seen innocently playing around with a group of boys, are confined by their conservative guardians and lined up for arranged marriages. Some of the girls manipulate things to their advantage, while others are forced to find different ways to take back control of their lives.
Scarface (1983)
Al Pacino's other iconic gangster flick sees him play a very different character than The Godfather's Michael Corleone. Tony Montana is brash, loud and violent, as movie fans love him for it. It’s also one of director Brian De Palma's most iconic movies, with an all-time line that we don’t even have to mention here because you know the one, friend.
Se7en (1995)
David Fincher cemented himself as an immensely talented filmmaker with Se7en, a dark crime drama where two detectives (Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman) try to track down a murderer killing people based on the Bible's seven deadly sins. The movie's ending has been rifled for parody more than a few times, but not because it doesn't work; Se7en is one of the most well-crafted crime dramas of the last 30 years.
The Shining (1980)
Stanley Kubrick movies are must-watches whenever you have the chance, but a horror movie starring Jack Nicholson and from the mind of Stephen King (even if it veers heavily from the source material) shouldn't require too much arm twisting. The Shining is a brilliant descent into madness, with viewers still pondering all the potential meanings of different elements Kubrick used. Watch The Shining and join the conversation.
Short Term 12 (2013)
Brie Larson has an Oscar and heads up Captain Marvel, but for many her first attention grabbing role was in the indie drama Short Term 12. Based on director Destin Daniel Cretton's own experiences working in a residential treatment facility for kids, Short Term 12 sees Larson's Grace try to help the kids under her care, while also dealing with her own issues. The cast is full of future stars, including John Gallagher Jr., Kaitlyn Dever, Stephanie Beatriz, Rami Malek and LaKeith Stanfield.
The Thin Red Line (1998)
Terrence Malick's The Thin Red Line got overshadowed a bit by another World War II movie released in 1998 — Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan — but there's a contingent out there would argue that Malick's is the better movie. It is certainly as star-studded with Jim Caviezel, Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Adrien Brody, George Clooney, John Cuasck, Woody Harrelson, Thomas Jane, Jared Leto, John C. Reilly and John Travlota appearing (though for how long can vary, as Malick is famous for cutting people out regardless of how big of names they may be).
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