Looking for something high-quality to watch on Netflix this month? Then Rotten Tomatoes makes for a great starting point. Yes, taste is inherently subjective, but a movie that earns a high score on the review aggregate site indicates that most critics rate it as a quality watch.
Netflix adds a lot of movies to its library every month, from new originals to old favorites, and it would take you quite a while to comb through and pick out the high-ranking flicks yourself. I know this because that’s exactly what I’ve done. I’m here to stop your scrolling and instead spend more time streaming enjoyable movies from animated adventures to gripping dramas.
‘The Lego Movie’ (2014)
![The LEGO® Movie - Official Main Trailer [HD] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/fZ_JOBCLF-I/maxresdefault.jpg)
“The Lego Movie” is one of my favorite family flicks of the 2010s, and even after rewatching it an embarrassing number of times over the years (yes, I’m a grown adult with zero children), it still makes me break out in a goofy smile every single time. Animated to look like Lego pieces come to life, it tells a simple underdog story but is full of good humor, likeable characters, and important life lessons. Plus, its soundtrack also has a total earworm tune.
In the plastic city of Bricksburg, Emmet (voiced by Chris Pratt) is just a regular Lego mini-figure; there’s seemingly nothing special about him. But when he stumbles upon the fable “Piece of Resistance,” he’s thrown into a dimension-hopping adventure. Teaming up with Master Builder Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks), it’s up to this everyday construction worker to save the entire Lego world before a sinister villain can destroy everything brick by brick.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
Watch “The Lego Movie” on Netflix now
‘Sicario’ (2015)
Netflix was already home to “Hell or High Water” and “Wind River,” now it’s completing the “American Frontier Trilogy” by adding “Sicario.” These three flicks are narratively unconnected, but each explores the modern American West and is written by “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan. Each is excellent in its own right, but “Sicario” might be the best of the bunch, with Denis Villeneuve in the director’s chair, adding astounding cinematic craft.
FBI agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) has risen through the ranks of a male-dominated profession and is eager to prove herself. Recruited for a secretive task force, she is assigned to work under CIA officer Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) and a morally grey operative, Alejandro (Benicio del Toro). Their job is to bring down the leader of a Mexican drug cartel, a difficult goal that is complicated further when hidden agendas and professional egos intertwine.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Watch “Sicario” on Netflix now
‘Matilda’ (1996)
Roald Dahl’s “Matilda” is bringing some magic to Netflix this month, but don’t worry, musical haters (shame on you!), this isn’t the 2022 all-singing adaptation; instead, it’s the 1996 classic directed by Danny DeVito. Having rewatched this recently for the first time in a couple of decades, I can confirm it’s stood the test of time extremely well. It remains just as entertaining 30 years on, and the chocolate cake scene is iconic for very good reasons.
Matilda Wormwood (Mara Wilson) is an inquisitive young girl who doesn’t fit in with her vile family. Mistreated by her callous parents (DeVito and Rhea Perlman), her school life isn’t much better under the eye of the cruel Miss Trunchbull (Pam Ferris). Matilda finds comfort in the kind Miss Honey (Embeth Davidtz), and when she discovers she has magical powers, she has everything she needs to turn the tables on her tormenters once and for all.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
Watch “Matilda” on Netflix now
‘A Man Called Ove’ (2015)
If you watched (and enjoyed) the charming “A Man Called Otto” back in 2022, now is your chance to circle back and see the original. Yes, the delightful Tom Hanks-starring comedy-drama was actually a remake of a Swedish movie, “A Man Called Ove.” This precursor might lack the presence of Hanks, but Rolf Lassgård is equally excellent in the eponymous role of Ove, and, as is often the case, the original boasts higher critics’ scores than the remake.
Ove (Lassgård) is your quintessential cracky senior citizen. Living in a townhouse neighborhood, he’s not the welcoming kind, preferring instead to groan and grumble about his fellow community members and enforcing strict block association rules. However, when an energetic young family moves in next door, Ove is forced out of his shell, and while he’s reluctant at first, soon a sweet friendship forms and Ove begins to show his softer side.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Watch “A Man Called Ove” on Netflix now
‘Anatomy of a Fall’ (2023)
“Anatomy of a Fall” isn’t just one of my favorite legal dramas of the decade; it’s one of my favorite movies released in the 2020s, period. It’s sort of like a highly bingeable crime drama TV show condensed into a single two-and-a-half-hour film, and it’s every bit as engaging as that sounds.
Winner of Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars, and nominated for four more (including Picture, Director and Actress), “Anatomy of a Fall” is a remarkable exploration of a rocky relationship, and a young child caught in the middle of a tragic accident. Or was it an accident?
See, that’s the crux of this French movie from director Justine Triet: Did Samuel (Samuel Theis) fall to his death, or was he pushed by his wife, Sandra (Sandra Hüller)? As the investigation into the “accident” continues, the couple’s young son, Daniel (Milo Machado-Graner), is dragged into proceedings. As the court date looms, the pair’s unhappy marriage is explored, and Daniel must decide which version of events he believes.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
Watch “Anatomy of a Fall” on Netflix from March 23
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