Someone should tell Netflix that there were movies before 1970. the truth is that you just won’t be able to find many of them under Netflix’s classic movies category. Instead, Netflix only has a handful of classic movies from the ’70s and ’80s, several of which are going to be leaving soon. More specifically, The Blues Brothers, Chinatown, The Great Gatsby, and Beverly Hills Cop are all out the door as of March 31.
The good news is that Netflix has added a few more classic movies, including The ‘Burbs, Animal House, Legal Eagles, and Out of Africa. That’s a good blend of comedy, with a touch of drama and romance. So keep reading for the rest of our picks for the best classic movies on Netflix right now. Just because a movie is old doesn’t mean it can’t entertain.
The ‘Burbs (1989)
Tom Hanks (Saving Private Ryan) and Carrie Fisher play a married couple, Ray and Carol Peterson, in The ‘Burbs, a cult classic ’80s comedy. Ray is just an ordinary guy who considers himself a good neighbor, but he’s immediately suspicious when the Klopek family moves in next door. Ray doesn’t know what to make of Dr. Werner Klopek (Henry Gibson), Uncle Reuben Klopek (Brother Theodore), and Hans Klopek (Courtney Gains), or their strange, off-putting behavior.
When Ray’s elderly neighbor, Walter Seznick (Gale Gordon), goes missing, he becomes convinced that the Klopeks murdered him. Much to the annoyance of Carol, Ray insists upon searching the Klopek family home for Walter’s body. But Ray isn’t ready for what he actually finds.
Watch The Burbs on Netflix.
Animal House (1978)
For a movie that came out in 1978, Animal House is still pretty wild even by today’s standards. The late John Belushi had one of his funniest performances as John “Bluto” Blutarsky, one of the leaders of Delta House, a rowdy fraternity at Faber College in the early 1960s. Bluto, Eric “Otter” Stratton (Tim Matheson), and Donald “Boon” Schoenstein (Peter Riegert) welcome new recruits Larry “Pinto” Kroger (Tom Hulce) and Kent “Flounder” Dorfman (Stephen Furst) as they get their first taste of campus life.
Delta House’s antics have already made them the hated targets of Dean Vernon Wormer (John Vernon), and he’ll do anything get them kicked out of school. Hilariously, the Delta House guys do more to help the Dean’s case than his flunkies in Omega House. And Delta House isn’t above getting some very public payback on both the Dean and the Omegas.
Watch Animal House on Netflix.
Legal Eagles (1986)
Would you believe that Legal Eagles was Ivan Reitman’s first film after Ghostbusters? It’s true. Reitman cast Robert Redford as Tom Logan, a rising star in the District Attorney’s office who wants to become the D.A. himself. Tom’s career aspirations are put on hold when he goes up against Laura Kelly (Debra Winger), a defense attorney who is representing a woman named Chelsea Deardon (Daryl Hannah) against theft charges.
Chelsea is attempting to recover artwork by her late father, who was a famous painter. And even after the initial charges against Chelsea are dropped, she soon faces a charge for murder. With his own legal career on the line, Tom teams up with Laura to clear Chelsea’s name even as romantic sparks go off between them.
Watch Legal Eagles on Netflix.
Out of Africa (1980)
Somebody at Netflix really loves Robert Redford, as he appears in several of the streamer’s classic movies. Out of Africa casts Redford as Denys Finch Hatton, a big game hunter who captures the heart of Baroness Karen von Dinesen (Meryl Streep). The film itself is based on the autobiographical story of von Dinesen, who wrote the novel Out of Africa under her pen name, Isak Dinesen.
Karen moved to Africa to secure her future by marrying Baron Bror von Blixen (Klaus Maria Brandauer). But when their relationship goes cold, Karen turns to Denys for all of the passion she can’t get from her husband. Yet, even when Karen is freed from the bonds of matrimony, maintaining a long-term romantic bond with Denys may not be possible.
Watch Out of Africa on Netflix.
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 Brothers 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.
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 (Elvis). 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.
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