You may be surprised how many movies are available to stream on the best free streaming services, meaning that you don’t have to fork out more fees on subscription-based platforms like Netflix, Prime Video, and more. Following our first week back after welcoming the new year, we’re back with another five movies to fill your week with free streaming.
If you have low expectations for free streaming services, allow this week’s recommendations to change your mind. From dramas to hard-hitting sci-fi and Oscar-winning masterpieces, there’s more to these streaming services than meets the eye.
Raging Bull (Hoopla, Pluto TV, Tubi)
Release date: November 1980
RT Score: 92%
Length: 128 minutes
Director: Martin Scorsese
Main cast: Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci, Frank Vincent
Often regarded as one of his finest works, Scorsese’s Raging Bull defies everything you think you know about sports dramas revealing the dark ins and outs to the rise, and inevitable fall, of sports legends.
Based on the memoir from middleweight boxing champion Jake LaMotta, Robert De Niro stars as LaMotta in this sports epic who works his way up the ranks by relying on his knack for violence and short temper. Once he attains a reputation of being the best in his field, his now emotionless nature sparks the downfall of his career resulting in a damaged life both inside and outside the ring.
Donnie Darko (Pluto TV, Plex, Kanopy)
Release date: October 2001
RT Score: 87%
Length: 113 minutes
Director: Richard Kelly
Main cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Drew Barrymore, Maggie Gyllenhaal
A disturbing science-fiction account of a depressed teenage boy on paper sounds like a harrowing watch, but I for one couldn’t take my eyes away from the screen thanks to its twists, turns, and psychoanalytical depth.
Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) escapes death after surviving an accident by sleepwalking. In the aftermath of the accident, he starts having visions of a figure who sports a rabbit suit named Frank who convinces him to commit crimes only to unveil to Darko that the world is about to end. Along with his haunting visions, he discovers a new-found ability to alter time and manipulate the events of the universe.
Rye Lane (Tubi)
Release date: March 2023
RT Score: 98%
Length: 82 minutes
Director: Raine Allen Miller
Main cast: David Jonsson, Vivian Oparah, Simon Manyonda, Levi Roots
Taking a break from the more darker and serious movies in this list, Rye Lane’s humorousness nature and easy-going story is perfect for Tubi subscribers who are looking for a modern rom com to delve into this week.
Set in real-time over the course of a single day somewhere in south London, Yas (Vivian Oparah) and Dom (David Jonsson) run into each other by chance while going through their respective breakups. Both messy in their own way, the two form a bond and spend the day getting to know each other on a deeper level, learning to overcome their previous relationships and helping each other restore their faith in all things love and romance.
Annie Hall (Hoopla, Pluto TV, Tubi)
Release date: April 1977
RT Score: 97%
Length: 93 minutes
Director: Woody Allen
Main cast: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, Carol Kane
Woody Allen’s romantic comedy drama from the ’70s won big at the Oscars including Best Actress for Diane Keaton, Best Director for Allen, and Best Picture. In his satirical comedy Allen stars as Alvy Singer, a divorced Jewish comedian going through a divorce from his recent ex-wife Annie Hall (Keaton).
Breaking the fourth wall throughout the movie, Singer talks to the audience and recaps the story of the good and bad days of his marriage, taking us back to the days of his childhood before leading us through to how he came to fall in love with Annie.
Fargo (Tubi, Hoopla, Pluto TV)
Release date: March 1996
RT Score: 95%
Length: 97 minutes
Director: Joel Coen
Main cast: Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, William H. Macy, Peter Stormare
Mixing elements of comedy and gritty drama from the movies mentioned above, Fargo is a black comedy crime drama filled with laughs but keeps you on the edge of your seat as the movie’s climax approaches.
Riddled with debt, Minnesota car salesman Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) finds himself calling for desperate measures to pay off the money he owes. In order to get fast cash, he hires two dim-witted hitmen (Steve Buscemi & Peter Stormare) to kidnap and hold his wife hostage so that her wealthy father will a hefty ransom for her exchange. One slip up with the shooting of a state trooper lands Lundegaard in an even more vulnerable position, opening an investigation by the local authorities who enlist the help of police chief Marge (Frances McDormand).