At the end of 2023, Netflix lost a lot of classic movies from the ’70s and ’80s. Fortunately, there have been a few additions to Netflix’s lineup that help make up for that loss. This month, Netflix has added two of Jack Nicholson’s most famous movies: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Chinatown. The other prominent additions include the 1974 adaptation of The Great Gatsby and The Blues Brothers.
Keep reading for the rest of our picks for the best classic movies on Netflix right now. These movies may be old, but they’re still some of the most entertaining films you’ll ever see.
The Blues Brothers (1980)
If you want to blame anything for the run of movies inspired by Saturday Night Live sketches, then you have to start with The Blues Brothers. But this also happens to be the very best SNL-related movie ever made. John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, two of the original Not Ready For Prime Time Players, co-headline the film as “Joliet” Jake Blues and his brother, Elwood Blues, respectively.
Upon Jake’s release from prison, the Blues B rothers discover that the orphanage where they grew up is scheduled to be shut down over back taxes. Shortly thereafter, Jake has an epiphany and the brothers go on a self-proclaimed “mission from God” to raise the money to save the orphanage. First, they have to get their band back together, survive the wrath of Jake’s ex-fiancée (Carrie Fisher), and avoid the cops, angry rednecks, and even Illinois Nazis.
Watch The Blues Brothers on Netflix.
Chinatown (1974)
It’s not a stretch to say that Chinatown is one of the greatest movies ever made. Jack Nicholson headlines the film as private investigator J. J. “Jake” Gittes. After Jake is duped into taking photographs of Hollis I. Mulwray (Darrell Zwerling) that ruin his reputation, he is confronted by Hollis’ widow, Evelyn Cross Mulwray (Faye Dunaway).
Through Evelyn, Jake comes to realize that there’s more to Hollis’ death than mere foul play. Evelyn’s father, Noah Cross (John Huston), offers to pay Jake to find Katherine (Belinda Palmer), the woman that everyone assumes was Hollis’ mistress. The discovery of the truth about Kathrine’s identity and why Evelyn is desperate to protect her is one of the most famous scenes in cinema history. This movie was Roman Polanski’s masterpiece, and it’s still compelling five decades after its release.
Watch Chinatown on Netflix.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1984)
Jack Nicholson finally got his first Best Actor Oscar for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, while his co-star, Louise Fletcher, took home Best Actress at the Academy Awards for her turn as Nurse Mildred Ratched. Nicholson plays Randle Patrick “R.P.” McMurphy, a man who fakes his insanity in order to avoid going to prison. Much to his dismay, McMurphy soon learns that it may be even harder to get out of the facility.
Ratched cruelly dominates her patients, and McMurphy is the only one who stands up to her. McMurphy also befriends many of his fellow inmates, including “Chief” Bromden (Will Sampson) and Billy Bibbit (Brad Dourif). However, McMurphy’s defiance could cost him his chance for freedom. And he may not be the only one to pay the price.
Watch One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest on Netflix.
The Great Gatsby (1974)
Director Francis Ford Coppola wrote the third movie adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s beloved novel The Great Gatsby, which is on Netflix alongside the more recent adaptation by Baz Luhrmann. Robert Redford stars as Jay Gatsby, an enigmatic millionaire who is obsessed with his lost love, Daisy Buchanan (Mia Farrow). Unfortunately for Gatsby, Daisy is married to Tom Buchanan (Bruce Dern), a man who is already cheating on her.
To get close to Daisy, Gatsby befriends her cousin, Nick Carraway (Sam Waterston), who is soon swept up in Gatsby’s extravagant parties. Gatsby’s wealth can buy him almost anything he wants, except the only thing he needs from Daisy. It’s a story for the ages, and that’s why this film endures.
Watch The Great Gatsby on Netflix.
Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
Eddie Murphy was never just an action star. Coming off his iconic run as a cast member of Saturday Night Live, Beverly Hills Cop was the action comedy that propelled Murphy to leading man status and a member of Hollywood’s A-list. Murphy portrays Axel Foley, a Detroit police detective driven to solve the murder of his friend, Michael “Mikey” Tandino (James Russo).
Foley defies orders to stay out the investigation and follows the trail of Mikey’s killers back to Beverley Hills. The Los Angeles Police Department wants no part of Foley’s vendetta, so they assign Detective William “Billy” Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and Sergeant John Taggart (John Ashton) to keep him out of their way and out of trouble. But trouble is what Foley does best, and Rosewood and Taggart are overwhelmed when Axel runs rings around them before bringing both men over to his side.
Watch Beverly Hills Cop on Netflix.
Silverado (1985)
Silverado is a largely forgotten Western that has a ridiculously great cast including a young Kevin Costner, Danny Glover, Kevin Kline, Rosanna Arquette, John Cleese, Jeff Goldblum, and more. The story initially follows Emmett (Scott Glenn), a cowboy who is looking to reunite with his brother, Jake (Costner), before visiting family in Silverado. The brothers also align themselves with Paden (Kline) and Mal (Glover), who are facing difficult circumstances of their own.
But when the group of four arrives in Silverado, they discover that the town is under the heel of the corrupt sheriff, Cobb (Brian Dennehy). In order for the four men to set things right, there’s going to be an epic showdown with Cobb and his forces.
Watch Silverado on Netflix.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Monty Python is a group of comedy legends, and their second film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, may be one of the funniest movies ever made. It’s the relentlessly silly story of King Arthur (Graham Chapman) and his knights, Lancelot (John Cleese), Robin (Eric Idle), Bedevere (Terry Jones), and Galahad (Michael Palin) as they stumble across the countryside in search of the Holy Grail.
On their journey, Arthur and his servant, Patsy (Terry Gilliam), encounter the Black Knight (Cleese) in a sequence that’s still hilarious and quotable nearly five decades later. The rest of the movie is also amazingly funny, and it’s one of the rare films that never seems to get old as long as you’re willing to embrace the Pythons’ brand of bizarre comedy.
Watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail on Netflix.
Stand By Me (1986)
There have been a lot of terrible Stephen King adaptations over the last four decades, but sometimes, the combination of King’s story with the right director (in this case, Rob Reiner) and the cast deliver an instant classic. That was the case with Stand by Me, a coming-of-age story set in 1959. After learning about the location of a missing boy’s body, 12-year-old Gordon “Gordie” Lachance (Wil Wheaton), and his friends Chris Chambers (River Phoenix), Teddy Duchamp (Corey Feldman), and Vern Tessio (Jerry O’Connell) decide to find the body in the hope of being recognized as heroes.
However, the boys’ journey to the body is anything but smooth, as they run afoul of a local gang leader, John “Ace” Merrill (Kiefer Sutherland). There are no supernatural elements to be found in this story. But it is a beautifully affecting film that ranks among the all-time greats.
Watch Stand by Me on Netflix.
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