Dramas may not rule at the box office anymore, but they’re right at home on the major streaming services.
If there wasn’t an audience for adult fare like these flicks, then Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu and more wouldn’t feature them.
To help discerning viewers find the right films, Watch With Us has selected the five best drama movies to watch in February 2026.
Each film has been ranked by Rotten Tomatoes, with the No. 1 movie scoring a 97 percent ranking.
5. ‘The Smashing Machine’ (2025)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 71 percent
If Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson ever gets an Oscar nomination, it’s likely that The Smashing Machine is one of his best shots at it. Johnson produced and starred in it as Mark Kerr, one of the pioneers of MMA fights in the early days of the UFC. Kerr doesn’t have a path to glory like other athletes who have biopics, and some of that was apparently of his own doing, according to this flick.
Emily Blunt costars as Dawn Staples, Kerr’s longtime lover. Their relationship is at the heart of the film, even when they make bad choices that may impact any future they could have together or separately. Kerr has a lot of demons to face, and he does his best fighting in the ring.
The Smashing Machine will stream on HBO Max on January 23.
4. ‘Tully’ (2018)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87 percent
Tully is a comedy/drama that features Mackenzie Davis in the title role, but the film really belongs to Charlize Theron. The story follows Marlo (Theron), a housewife who is in way over her head while trying to take care of her three children. Marlo’s husband, Drew Moreau (Ron Livingston), isn’t much help, so she turns to a nanny named Tully (Davis) for support.
It turns out that Tully is a pretty fantastic nanny and a good sounding board for Marlo. But she’s just putting a Band-Aid over the problems of her life. Marlo has bigger issues to face, and she may have to do so alone.
Tully is streaming on Prime Video.
3. ‘Licorice Pizza’ (2021)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90 percent
Before directing One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson helmed a coming-of-age comedy/drama called Licorice Pizza. Anderson cast musician Alana Haim as Alana Kane, a 25-year-old photographer’s assistant who becomes the object of desire for a teenage actor, Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman), who is a decade younger than she is.
Alana should know better than to get too involved with Gary, given the age difference between them. But they share a genuine connection, even though Gary’s romantic feelings towards her are often shot down. Their relationship goes through different phases, and it’s hard to predict where they will be on the other side of it.
Licorice Pizza is streaming on Netflix.
2. ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’ (2025)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92 percent
You may notice some similar themes between If I Had Legs I’d Kick You and Tully. Like the earlier film, this is a comedy/drama hybrid, but things get considerably darker here. Rose Byrne leads the cast as Linda, a psychotherapist who is in dire need of some therapy of her own. While Linda’s husband, Charles (Christian Slater), is out working at sea, she has to take care of their daughter (Delaney Quinn) day and night to deal with her eating disorder.
Conan O’Brien has a role in the film as Linda’s unnamed therapist, and he’s funny, but not the over-the-top comedic character you would expect from his time on late-night TV. Many of the laughs in this film come from Linda’s reactions as her life comes apart at the seams in an almost surreal manner. You may also find yourself questioning the film’s reality before it concludes.
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You will stream on HBO Max on January 30.
1. ‘Fremont’ (2023)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97 percent
The Bear‘s Jeremy Allen White is the most recognizable actor in Fremont, but it’s not his story, and he’s only briefly in it. Instead, the spotlight falls on an unknown actress, Anaita Wali Zada, who is an Afghan refugee like her character, Donya. After working as a translator for the U.S. military in Afghanistan, Donya has been relocated to Fremont, California, for a dead-end job and a lonely existence.
Donya is so desperate to find a human connection that she risks her job just to reach out to a random stranger who finds her phone number. Like many of the other women in the movies on this list, Donya’s life hasn’t gone the way she hoped or wanted. But she may discover that the solution to her loneliness is a lot closer than she initially suspects.
Fremont is streaming on Hulu.
