Streaming services keep raising their prices to be closer than ever to cable, making it difficult for people to find quality content on a budget. Fortunately, there’s a sneaky movie hack out there in the form of a very familiar platform. YouTube has a fairly extensive library of ad-supported free movies and TV shows available to all users.
No, it’s not as good as its paid library or the libraries you’d find on any other streaming service, but it’s decent enough as far as free goes! It changes a lot, however, which is why we keep this list updated every month with the best free movies on YouTube right now.
Looking for more stuff you can watch for free? Check out our guides to the best free shows on YouTube and the best sites for watching free movies online.
Recently added to YouTube
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Puss in Boots2011 - Speed1994
- Good Burger1997
- 10 Cloverfield Lane2016
90m
Genre Animation, Family, Fantasy, Adventure, Comedy, Western
Stars Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis
Directed by Chris Miller
With Puss in Boots: The Last Wish now out, it’s as good a time as any to revisit the original Shrek spinoff. This 2011 prequel introduces us to the notorious outlaw Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) long before he ever met Shrek. Along with the street-savvy Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) and criminal mastermind Humpty-Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis), Puss sets out to steal the Goose That Lays the Golden Eggs.
116m
Genre Action, Adventure, Crime
Stars Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, Dennis Hopper
Directed by Jan de Bont
Speed stars Keanu Reeves (in one of his best action movies) as Los Angeles SWAT cop Jack Traven, who must stop a terror spree by bomb expert Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper). But Payne’s master plan is rigging a bus with a bomb that will trigger if the bus slows below a certain speed — creating impossible odds for Traven to keep the bus moving through LA gridlock.
95m
Genre Family, Comedy
Stars Kel Mitchell, Kenan Thompson, Sinbad
Directed by Brian Robbins
Millennial parents will love sharing this blast from the past with their kids. Good Burger spins off one of sketch show All That‘s most popular bits starring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell as a couple of guys working at a fast food joint. Dexter (Thompson) isn’t thrilled to be working at a failing fast food joint, but when he discovers dim-witted, trusting Ed’s (Mitchell) special sauce, Dexter sees a chance to turn Good Burger around and withstand the intrusion of corporate Mondo Burger next door. But Dexter’s ambition is his own worst enemy.
104m
Genre Thriller, Science Fiction, Drama, Horror
Stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, John Gallagher Jr.
Directed by Dan Trachtenberg
10 Cloverfield Lane was released with virtually no warning or promotion, causing a mini viral event given it was a JJ Abrams movie at the height of his Star Wars run. The sci-fi thriller is similarly mysterious, starring Ahsoka‘s Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Michelle, a young woman who wakes up after a car accident in the basement shelter of Howard Stambler (John Goodman). Stambler claims he saved her life, as the outside world is under a chemical attack, and Michelle can’t leave. But who can say what’s real?
122m
Genre Comedy, Drama, Western
Stars John C. Reilly, Joaquin Phoenix, Jake Gyllenhaal
Directed by Jacques Audiard
Based on Patrick Dewitt’s novel, The Sisters Brothers follows hired gunmen Eli and Charlie Sisters (John C. Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix) as they track down a gold prospector who has stolen a profitable secret from their boss in 1851 Oregon. The genre-bending Western stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Riz Ahmed, and Rutger Hauer in supporting roles.
107m
Genre Action, Comedy, Thriller, Mystery
Stars Jackie Chan, Johnny Knoxville, Fan Bingbing
Directed by Renny Harlin
Jackie Chan stars as Hong Kong detective Benny Chan in this high-octane comedy thriller. For years, Chan has tried to work by the book, working within the system to avenge his partner’s murder. But when he learns that American gambler Connor Watts (Johnny Knoxville) has the evidence he needs to bring the murderer to justice, he might just bend the rules a little.
106m
Genre Fantasy, Drama
Stars Madison Wolfe, Imogen Poots, Sydney Wade
Directed by Anders Walter
This fantasy film follows Barbara Thorson (Madison Wolfe), a young girl who finds solace from the realities of her difficult family life by retreating into a magical world where she is the greatest giant fighter the world has ever seen. But as the giants’ threat to her world becomes greater, Barbara finds help in the form of her new friend Sophia (Sydney Wade) and her school counselor, Mrs. Mollé (Avatar: The Way of Water‘s Zoe Saldana).
107m
Genre Drama, History, Crime
Stars Ross Lynch, Alex Wolff, Anne Heche
Directed by Marc Meyers
Someone at YouTube has very deftly picked up on the renewed interest in Jeffrey Dahmer by getting the rights to stream My Friend Dahmer. This serial killer movie is based upon the true story of John “Derf” Backderf (Alex Wolff), a cartoonist who was the closest friend that Jeffrey Dahmer (Ross Lynch) had in high school. In this adaptation of Backderf’s graphic novel, he and his fellow outcasts befriend Dahmer, but they aren’t blind to his bizarre behavior. However, they couldn’t have predicted that the awkward young man that they knew would go on to become one of the most infamous serial killers of the last century. It’s also a tragic tale, as no one notices how monstrous Dahmer has become until it’s far too late to stop him.
118m
Genre Action, Horror, Thriller
Stars Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, Ma Dong-seok
Directed by Yeon Sang-ho
Train To Busan is a Korean action film that may be the best zombie movie of the last 10 years. An American remake is already in the works, with the less memorable title of The Last Train To New York. In the original film, Seok-woo (Gong Yoo) regrets his personal failures as a father, which is why he takes his daughter, Su-an (Kim Su-an), on a trip to Busan to see his estranged ex-wife, who is also Su-an’s mom, on her birthday. Wouldn’t you know it, but a zombie plague breaks out on the bullet train right at the same time it’s happening everywhere else. But inside the train, there’s less room to run. Seok-woo, Su-an, and the other passengers also come to realize that their fellow survivors may become threats as well.
110m
Genre Fantasy, Drama, Thriller, Romance
Stars Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel
Directed by Neil Burger
The Illusionist beat the similarly themed film, The Prestige, to theaters by about two months, but Christopher Nolan’s movie is the superior of the two. Regardless, The Illusionist has its charms, largely in the core trio of Edward Norton, Jessica Biel, and Paul Giamatti. When they were young, Eduard Abramovich (Nortan) and Duchess Sophie Von Teschen (Biel) had a passion for each other that was forbidden by her parents. Upon adulthood, Edward reinvented himself as Eisenheim The Illusionist and reunited with Sophie before she could be married to the malevolent Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell). When Sophie is murdered, Chief Inspector Walter Uhl (Giamatti) is unnerved when Eisenheim appears to be able to summon Sophie’s spirit at will.
89m
Genre Documentary
Stars Seth Green, Berkeley Breathed, Stephan Pastis
Directed by Joel Allen Schroeder
If you’ve never read the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, then you’ve missed out on one of the all-time greats. Writer and artist Bill Watterson ended his incredible creation in 1995 and stepped away from a life in public. Nearly a quarter century later, documentarian Joel Allen Schroeder’s film Dear Mr. Watterson explores the ongoing impact of Calvin and Hobbes even years after its conclusion. Don’t expect any on-camera interviews with Watterson himself. He was quite serious about not wanting to be a public figure any longer. But several of Watterson’s colleagues and admirers do share their perspective on his seminal work.
90m
Genre Adventure, Comedy
Stars Carrie Fisher, Christopher McDonald, Sam Huntington
Directed by Kyle Newman
Fanboys is both a love letter to Star Wars and a spoof of all things sci-fi and fandom. Chris Marquette stars as Linus, a diehard Star Wars fan who has only months to live due to cancer. Since Linus won’t live long enough to see Star Wars: Episode 1, his friends Windows (Jay Baruchel), Harold “Hutch” Hutchinson (Dan Fogler), Eric Bottler (Sam Huntington), and Zoe (Kristen Bell) hatch a plan to break into Lucasfilm Ranch and screen the film for Linus. Along the way, their friendships are tested, and several familiar faces show up in unexpected roles.
More Streaming Roundups
75m
Genre Documentary
Stars Benedict Lim, Danil Ishutin, Clinton Loomis
Directed by Valve Company
More than a year after the Overwatch League was founded, e-sports are still carving out a niche and establishing itself as a legitimate form of entertainment. Those who don’t game on a competitive level might not understand the level of dedication required for such endeavors, not to mention the physical and mental tolls placed on young players who train for hours on end each day. Free to Play, a documentary from game developer/distributor Valve Entertainment, focuses on two athletes and one coach who are competing in the 2011 International Defense of the Ancients (DotA) tournament. It explores the stresses the players are forced to deal with and deftly compares the struggles of e-sports athletes to those of traditional athletes.
31m
Genre Action, Comedy, Science Fiction, Fantasy
Stars David Sandberg, Jorma Taccone, Leopold Nilsson
Directed by David Sandberg
A rare example of a successful Kickstarter film, Kung Fury promised its backers a spectacular homage to ’80s action films, and it delivered. Director David Sandberg also plays the lead, Kung Fury, a detective who gained superhuman fighting abilities after being simultaneously struck by a bolt of lightning and bitten by a cobra. Kung Fury uses his supreme combat skills to clean up the filthy streets of Miami but faces his greatest challenge when no less a villain than Adolf Hitler (Jorma Taccone) arrives, intent on conquering all of time through his own mastery of kung fu. If it’s not apparent already, Kung Fury is a film that makes no attempts at seriousness. That’s not all, either; a full-length sequel is on its way, with Michael Fassbender, FUBAR‘s Arnold Schwarzenegger, and David Hasselhoff involved in varying capacities. Yeah.
96m
Genre Horror, Thriller
Stars Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman
Directed by George A. Romero
A seminal entry for American horror cinema, George A. Romero’s classic horror movie follows seven people who find themselves trapped in Pennsylvania as the terrifying walking dead surround them. They have to try to survive without understanding the terror that lurks outside.
The movie has been noted as the first zombie film, and its influences can be seen in everything from 28 Days Later to Shaun of the Dead. Romero’s debut — he wrote, directed, edited, and acted in the film — made him into a superstar, quickly revolutionizing the genre on a budget of a mere $114,000.
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