If you’re looking for a great drama movie, Netflix has you covered.
Netflix has a fantastic selection of movies from every genre — from terrifying, horrific flicks to laugh-riot rom-coms — but there’s no way you’ll be disappointed by the classics it offers in the drama department.
This April, Watch With Us has selected three of the best drama movies you can watch on the platform and ranked them by IMDb rating — but you should watch for yourself to see what you think of them.
Our list includes The Bling Ring, the underrated crime drama from Sofia Coppola.
3. ‘The Bling Ring’ (2013)
Based on the real-life account of a gang of teens known as the Bling Ring, this film, directed by Sofia Coppola, examines the intersection of fame and social media as it chronicles the gang’s exploits from inception to conviction in the 2000s. Shy teenager Marc Hall (Israel Broussard) switches schools and befriends a group of girls named Rebecca (Katie Chang), Nicki (Emma Watson), Sam (Taissa Farmiga) and Chloe (Claire Julien). After Rebecca persuades Marc to leave a party with her and steal from unlocked cars, their thievery quickly widens in scope as they begin targeting celebrities, monitoring their whereabouts online.
Easily Coppola’s most misunderstood work, The Bling Ring might seem like it’s glorifying the actions of its gang of miscreants, but if that’s your only takeaway, then you weren’t paying enough attention. The movie subtly navigates the complexities of a then-nascent social media landscape and the way desperation for fame and increasing access to celebrities’ lives allow fans to pierce the veil between celebrity and reality. The film also features a standout performance from Watson.
2. ‘BlackBerry’ (2023)
This biographical film dramatizes the history of the Blackberry cellphone created by Douglas Fregin (Matt Johnson) and Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel), and investor Jim Balsillie (Glenn Howerton). Though greatly mismatched, high-brow Lazaridis and cutthroat Balsille ultimately work hand-in-hand to revolutionize cellphones before the iPhone comes and destroys everything. BlackBerry charts the difficult rise of the company, with Fregin and Lazaridis’ initial failed pitch to Balsille, to their skyrocketing success and ending with the company’s tragic demise at the hands of Apple.
While there seems to be an excess glut of movies about the creation of brands (Flamin’ Hot, Unfrosted, Tetric), BlackBerry stands apart as a terrifically written and well-directed look at the rise and fall of a genuinely groundbreaking piece of technology made obsolete. The movie is buoyed by a great sense of humor from director and co-writer Johnson (who is also behind the recent Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie), and a scene-stealing turn from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Howerton as the aggressively ambitious Balsille.
1. ‘Atonement’ (2007)
Based on the best-selling novel by Ian McEwan, Atonement follows Cecilia (Keira Knightley) and Robbie (James McAvoy), charting their lives in the aftermath of a lie over the span of six decades. After Cecilia’s sister Briony (Saoirse Ronan) misconstrues a passionate encounter between Cecilia and Robbie, the young lovers are torn apart, with Robbie being unjustly thrown in prison. After four years, Robbie is drafted into World War II from prison, where his path crosses again with Cecilia’s, and the two are suddenly given a second chance at love, while Briony is given a chance to make things right.
Atonement is a gorgeous adaptation of a fantastic novel, and the intense emotional depth, stunning cinematography and masterful direction from Joe Wright are all in service of a pair of iconic and heartrending performances from Knightley and McAvoy. Atonement will devastate you in all the best ways, so be sure to keep a box of tissues at the ready. The film is ultimately a powerful meditation on time and regret, with a famous, five-minute single-take shot that many consider to be an artistic masterpiece in its own right.
