The 15 best movies on YouTube

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

YouTube has been a one-stop shop for cute animal videos and Byzantine 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 15 best movies on YouTube right now.

45 Years (2015)

Writer-director Andrew Haigh (All of Us Strangers) unpacks the fracturing of a marriage in this mesmerizing slow-burn drama. Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay star as Kate and Geoff Mercer, a British couple celebrating their 45th wedding anniversary. After the body of Geoff's former lover is recovered, Kate gradually realizes that her husband hasn't told her the whole truth about his past — and how it has informed their own relationship. Rampling won numerous critics' awards and earned an Oscar nomination for her subtle, devastating performance.

As EW's critic writes, "In a quiet, beautifully calibrated performance completely stripped of actressy tricks, she's a revelation." —Kevin Jacobsen

Where to watch 45 Years: YouTube

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Andrew Haigh

Cast: Charlotte Rampling, Tom Courtenay

Related: Charlotte Rampling on the 'haunting pull' of 45 Years

All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)

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

Related: The best dogs from TV and movies

Another Round (2020)

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 also won the award for Best International Feature. —K.J.

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

Related: Thomas Vinterberg on Another Round and convincing Mads Mikkelsen to dance

Barry Lyndon (1975)

This odyssey of an average man who just keeps failing upward and his subsequent fall from grace may seem like your standard period piece, but, despite its predictably lavish visuals, Barry Lyndon is far from it. That's because it was directed by Stanley Kubrick, who tells the story of the title character (played with aloof detachment by Ryan O'Neal) with an innate sense of irony as we track his journey from farm boy to soldier to aristocrat.

Featuring some of the most gorgeous cinematography ever captured on film, Barry Lyndon is the work of a master at the top of his craft, with EW's critic calling it "a brocade-and-powdered-wig period piece so unprecedented in its authenticity that it would seem as enigmatic — and compelling — to modern audiences as a visit to another galaxy." —K.J.

Where to watch Barry Lyndon: YouTube

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Cast: Ryan O'Neal, Marisa Berenson, Patrick Magee, Hardy Kruger, Diana K?rner, Gay Hamilton

Related: Stanley Kubrick: Stars share secret history of legendary director

Bye Bye Birdie (1963)

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

Related: The 50 best teen movies of all time

Dances With Wolves (1990)

If you're a fan of Kevin Costner, then you owe it to yourself to watch Dances With Wolves on YouTube ASAP. This is the actor's passion project: He starred in, produced, and directed this tale of a Union soldier who walks away from the Civil War to join a tribe of Native Americans and learn a simpler, better way of life.

Costner is as good as ever here, and supporting actors such as Mary McDonnell add notes of grace to a narrative that would otherwise be consumed with gravitas. And if you don't mind a story told through a decidedly "New Age" lens, this is a film you will most likely never forget. —C.S.

Where to watch Dances With Wolves: YouTube

Director: Kevin Costner

Cast: Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, Rodney Grant

Related: Overlooked yet notable films about Native Americans

Donnie Darko (2001)

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: N/A (read the review)

Director: Richard Kelly

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

Related: Jake Gyllenhaal celebrates 20 'unreal' years of Donnie Darko

Frances Ha (2013)

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

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Noah Baumbach

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

Related: Truly, madly, friendly: Inside Frances Ha

Hairspray (2007)

From the cheerful opener "Good Morning Baltimore" to the dizzying delirium of "You Can't Stop the Beat," Hairspray is a joyful ode to progress and standing up for what's right. Based on the Tony-winning Broadway musical of the same name (which itself was adapted from John Waters’ 1988 cult classic, also titled Hairspray), the '60s-set film centers on exuberant high-schooler Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) as she auditions for her local American Bandstand-esque teen dance show and faces prejudice because of her weight. Meanwhile, she gets involved in the civil rights movement, fighting against segregation in her community.

Director Adam Shankman enhances the film's well-choreographed musical numbers with eye-popping colors, while his cast enthusiastically commits to his vision — particularly a scene-stealing John Travolta as Tracy's agoraphobic mother. —K.J.

Where to watch Hairspray: YouTube

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Adam Shankman

Cast: Nikki Blonsky, John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Amanda Bynes, James Marsden, Brittany Snow, Queen Latifah, Zac Efron, Elijah Kelley, Allison Janney

Related: Watch Hairspray stars from Broadway, movies, and more sing the musical's feel-good finale

Heathers (1989)

Before there was Mean Girls, there was this dark satire about the impossible pressures of high school. The film follows high schooler Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder) as she joins a popular but feared clique of girls, all with the same first name: Heather. Quickly exhausted by the Heathers, she befriends the new kid, J.D. (Christian Slater), who has dangerous ideas to help Veronica get back at them. Wickedly funny with sharp observational humor, Heathers is a (heightened) testament to the Gen X high school experience at its most cynical. —K.J.

Where to watch Heathers: YouTube

Director: Michael Lehmann

Cast: Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty

Related: Heathers: An oral history

Malcolm X (1992)

Spike Lee's epic biopic about Malcolm X is a staggering chronicle of a leader and all his complexities. Denzel Washington, in one of his most definitive performances, portrays Malcolm through various stages of his life, from his time as a teenage criminal to his incarceration and conversion to Islam to his rise and fall as a prominent activist. Lee and Washington take us on a riveting journey of a man coming into his own, accounting for all his flaws and virtues.

As EW's critic writes, "The drama of Malcolm X lies not simply in Malcolm's constantly shifting personas but in the interior journey they represent — that of a man learning to recognize (and harness) his own intellectual and spiritual powers." —K.J.

Where to watch Malcolm X: YouTube

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: Spike Lee

Cast: Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Albert Hall, Al Freeman Jr., Delroy Lindo, Spike Lee

Related: Best Spike Lee movies, ranked

Memento (2001)

Memento was Christopher Nolan's first mainstream foray into playing with notions of time. Guy Pearce plays Leonard Shelby, a man who suffers from amnesia following the murder of his wife. Seeking justice, Leonard tries to make sense of his life while his failing short-term memory prompts him to tattoo important information on his body and take photographs with a Polaroid camera.

The film cleverly uses both chronological and non-linear editing interchangeably, putting the viewer in the protagonist's mind as we try to put together an elaborate puzzle. "Memento has a spooky repetitive urgency that takes on the clarity of a dream," writes EW's critic. "It’s like an Oliver Sacks case study played as malevolent film noir." —K.J.

Where to watch Memento: YouTube

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: Christopher Nolan

Cast: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano

Related: Guy Pearce got a major Memento spoiler when he first received the script

Paprika (2006)

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 "visual beauty with disorienting perspectives for a cautionary tale about machine-influenced soullessness," writes EW's critic. —K.J.

Where to watch Paprika: YouTube

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Satoshi Kon

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

Related: The best anime on Netflix right now

Pumping Iron (1977)

If you've ever enjoyed an Arnold Schwarzenegger action film, then you ought to watch the documentary that effectively kick-started his career. While Pumping Iron is about bodybuilders in general, our eyes are drawn to the soon-to-be star in his physical prime, reminding us why he was perfectly cast as Conan the Barbarian back in the '80s.

As EW's writer points out in a retrospective on the actor, "Schwarzenegger's charm and wit were immediately apparent," and it's hard not to laugh at his hilarious and even vulgar descriptions of the sport (likening it to sexual intercourse, among other things). —C.S.

Where to watch Pumping Iron: YouTube

Directors: George Butler and Robert Fiore

Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno, Mike Katz, Franco Columbu, Ed Corney, Ken Waller, Serge Nubret

Related: Arnold Schwarzenegger says AI has proven the Terminator films right

Stargate (1994)

For sci-fi fans, it's almost quaint to remember a time when the Stargate franchise was limited to this single film. Still, it's worth rewatching the movie that eventually spawned a television empire led by Stargate SG-1. This early narrative of earthlings traveling through a gate to the other side of the universe and discovering the extent to which aliens manipulated our planet still feels remarkably fresh. Much of that is due to the strong performances: Kurt Russell is all lantern-jawed heroism, while James Spader plays against type as a nerdy scientist who just might be out of his depth.

As EW's critic points out, the film has interesting "notions about the dawn of civilization" as well as "flashes of psychedelic visual energy." Big ideas combined with a killer aesthetic...what's not to love? —C.S.

Where to watch Stargate: YouTube

EW grade: C (read the review)

Director: Roland Emmerich

Cast: Kurt Russell, James Spader, Jaye Davidson, Viveca Lindfors

Related: Future imperfect: Stargate SG-1

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.