Where to watch Oscar-nominated movies at home, from 'Poor Things' to 'American Fiction'
Don't want to worry you, but time's running out if you're trying to catch up before Sunday's Oscars.
From box-office blockbusters (hey, "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer"!) to film-festival favorites, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences spread the love around to a host of movies. Thankfully, if you're subscribed to streaming services like Netflix, Disney+ and Apple TV+, you can get quite a few contenders knocked out before the 96th Academy Awards on March 10. (You'll have to wait till March 22 for "Anatomy of a Fall," though the best picture nominee is available via on-demand platforms.)
Here are 15 Oscar-nominated movies you can watch at home right now:
'American Fiction'
In Cord Jefferson's sharp satire (up for best picture and adapted screenplay), best actor contender Jeffrey Wright is a curmudgeonly academic tired of getting his books rejected while books with stereotypically Black tropes get all the love. He writes a "bad" novel as a joke and, much to his chagrin, becomes a runaway hit. The thoughtful film, co-starring supporting actor nominee Sterling K. Brown, discusses issues of race and culture but also deftly weaves in themes of family and aging.
Where to watch: MGM+.
'Barbie'
Only in director Greta Gerwig's hands could the famous doll become the feminist meta pop-culture moment that everyone can get behind. While Gerwig and star Margot Robbie were snubbed in their categories – for directing and best actress respectively – the goofy and heartfelt comedy exploring humanity, patriarchy and the meaning of life snagged eight nods total, for best picture, supporting actor (Ryan Gosling as the best/worst Ken ever) and supporting actress (America Ferrera), plus placed two tunes in original song.
Where to watch: Max.
'The Color Purple'
Blitz Bazawule's vibrant and joyous adaptation of the Broadway musical (based on Alice Walker's seminal book) is a different experience than Steven Spielberg's 1985 best picture nominee but no less effective. "American Idol" favorite Fantasia Barrino is terrific as a Southern woman shackled to a no-good man (Colman Domingo) who fosters a strong sisterhood with a loyal friend (Danielle Brooks, who snagged a best supporting actress nomination) and a blues singer (Taraji P. Henson).
Where to watch: Max.
'Elemental'
A Pixar movie up for best animated feature? You don't say! The Disney animation studio has its latest nominee with this romantic comedy/immigrant story. In a city where elements coexist (but don't necessarily get along), fire woman Ember (voiced by Leah Lewis) and sappy water guy Wade (Mamoudou Athie) meet and go on an adventure that sparks a relationship. Ember's parents aren't excited, honestly, but they're easy to root for as an unlikely couple and your little Oscar lovers will appreciate the film's dazzling animation.
Where to watch: Disney+.
'The Holdovers'
Alexander Payne's 1970s-set heartfelt and humorous throwback is an instant holiday classic good to watch no matter what the season and a crowd-pleasing effort that nabbed best picture and original screenplay nominations. Thankfully Oscar voters noticed the stellar cast, too: Paul Giamatti scored a best actor nomination (and second career nod) as an uptight history teacher who befriends a rebellious student (Dominic Sessa) while Da’Vine Joy Randolph is poised take the supporting actress trophy for her role as their friend, a grieving cook.
Where to watch: Peacock.
'Killers of the Flower Moon'
Martin's Scorsese's true-life Western epic racked up 10 Oscar nominations, including best picture – a pretty good tally for one of the best to ever do it. And "Killers" ranks high in his filmography as both love story and murder mystery, with Leonardo DiCaprio as a World War I veteran and Lily Gladstone as his young wife from Oklahoma's wealthy Osage Nation, who are plagued by a string of deaths in the 1920s. Robert De Niro snagged a supporting actor nod and Gladstone made history as the first Native American up for best actress.
Where to watch: Apple TV+.
'Maestro'
Bradley Cooper didn't make Oscars' directing lineup but is up for best actor for learning how to conduct an orchestra and transforming into Leonard Bernstein. The biopic chronicles the life, work and loves of the iconic composer, from professional successes – getting an emergency phone call to lead the New York Philharmonic, leading a legendary cathedral performance – to personal strife, seen through the lens of his long relationship with wife Felicia (best actress nominee Carey Mulligan).
Where to watch: Netflix.
'May December'
Screenwriter Samy Burch earned her first Oscar nomination for the intriguing human drama/super-campy satire. Todd Haynes' soapy flick is an acting master class with Julianne Moore as the scandalous pet-store employee who went to jail for having sex with a minor (and later married him) and Natalie Portman as the actress playing her in a movie. Charles Melton, the film's biggest standout as the husband with arrested development, was sadly snubbed for a supporting actor nod.
Where to watch: Netflix.
'Napoleon'
Nominated for three Oscars – visual effects, production design and costume design – Ridley Scott's historical biopic stars Joaquin Phoenix as the mercurial title French commander. Mixing satirical comedy, battlefield brutality and personal tragedy, the film chronicles Napoleon Bonaparte's political and military victories at the same time as his volatile and somewhat toxic relationship with his wife Josephine (Vanessa Kirby).
Where to watch: Apple TV+.
'Nyad'
The Academy loves actors in biopics, and "Nyad" is the latest to prove that with Annette Bening getting a best actress nod and Jodie Foster making the cut for supporting actress. Bening walks a fine line between narcissism and determination as marathon swimmer Diana Nyad, with Foster playing her steadfast coach Bonnie Stoll, in this rousing true-life drama. Diana defies age and the odds to revisit a dream from three decades ago and complete an epic, dangerous swim from Cuba to Florida in her 60s.
Where to watch: Netflix.
'Oppenheimer'
With a leading 13 nominations (and a favorite to win best picture), Christopher Nolan's true-life thriller chronicles the Manhattan Project of the 1940s and America's development of the atomic bomb. Cillian Murphy is phenomenal as J. Robert Oppenheimer, a flawed genius who rises to become a hero but is later vilified by the country he loves: The scientist's moral quandaries and public criticism of the country's post-war arms race makes enemies of powerful men, including politically minded foe Lewis Strauss (a fantastic Robert Downey Jr.).
Where to watch: Peacock.
'Past Lives'
Director Celine Song's impressive debut, up for best picture and original screenplay, is a gripping romantic drama that charts the emotional paths of childhood friends, Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo). Nora's family emigrates from South Korea to Canada when she's 12, leaving behind her pal. Twelve years later and in college in New York, Nora catches up with him via video chat, opening up old feelings, and 12 years after that, he comes to visit Nora and her husband in a slow-burn narrative that digs into fate, choices and the relationships that define us.
Where to watch: Paramount+ with Showtime.
'Poor Things'
Best actress nominee Emma Stone has never been better as the reanimated Bella Baxter in Yorgos Lanthimos' lusty dark comedy, a fantastical, feminist spin on Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” that's up for 11 Oscars (including best picture). Bella matures from infantile woman-child to liberated Victorian-era prostitute with a heart of gold in an eccentric narrative that co-stars supporting actor contender Mark Ruffalo as a punchable toxic love interest and Willem Dafoe as Bella's mad-scientist "dad."
Where to watch: Hulu.
'Rustin'
After Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe nominations already this season, Colman Domingo notched his first Oscar nod with his dazzling portrayal of Bayard Rustin in an engaging true-life tale of a civil rights leader perhaps unknown to many. A key aide to Martin Luther King Jr., Rustin overcomes internal politics and homophobia, working tirelessly to organize the 1963 March on Washington. The film also features Chris Rock, Audra McDonald and a pair of Domingo's fellow first-time nominees, Jeffrey Wright and Da'Vine Joy Randolph.
Where to watch: Netflix.
'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse'
Just like 2018's spectacular original "Into the Spider-Verse," the superhero sequel – a favorite in the animated feature category – is a glorious piece of visual storytelling that spins a new take on a classic hero's mythos. Brooklyn teen Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) teams again with friend/crush Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) and is thrown into a high-stakes interdimensional adventure that tests the kid's mettle and maturity.
Where to watch: Netflix.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Watch Oscar movies 'Poor Things,' 'American Fiction': 2024 streaming
