5 Best Netflix Movies to Watch Now Before They're Released This Month

5 Best Netflix Movies to Watch Now Before They're Released This Month

In July 2024, Netflix acquired many worthy new films, but to make room for the new additions to its library, the streaming service is also removing some deep-seated favorites.

Films leaving Netflix this month include the entire original “Matrix” trilogy, a bawdy but classic comedy, a coming-of-age drama made before a certain George Lucas created “Star Wars,” and the biopic for which Will Smith finally won an Oscar ( Let's skip what he did during the awards ceremony). And these are just a few of the Netflix movies that will leave when the calendar moves to August.

Fortunately, you still have one last chance to see these films before heading for the exit. Here are five movies to watch now that are leaving Netflix this month.

Before George Lucas took viewers to a galaxy far, far away and changed the entire entertainment industry, he was an up-and-coming director who followed his bizarre dystopian sci-fi debut, THX 1138, with a slice of pure nostalgia-filled Americana. Yes, 1973's “American Graffiti,” which will forever be overshadowed in Lucas's filmography by the big films he has since produced, was a critical darling upon its release and was nominated for Best Picture. [Starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard (who would later direct the Star Wars film “Solo”), Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, and Candy Clark, this coming-of-age comedy-drama is set on the last day of summer vacation after high school graduation in 1962. The film depicts a group of adolescent friends enjoying their last day of freedom as they run around the streets of their home in rural California to their favorite music. Tomorrow they begin their adult lives, but today they are still young and make silly mistakes with impunity.

Watch on Netflix through July 31

In the late 2000s, Judd Apatow and his frequent collaborators dominated the comedy scene. Fair warning, there's no denying that this bold romantic comedy is very foul-mouthed and some of the gags haven't aged particularly gracefully, but if you can stand vulgar humor, “Knocked Up” will keep you laughing all the way through. And it is so quotable that I consider it one of the best indicators by which to judge the strength of a comedy film.

Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl) and Ben Stone (Seth Rogen) are polar opposites. The former is an ambitious news reporter, the latter a proud slacker who lives off his injury compensation fund. But when they have a drunken one-night stand that leads to an unplanned pregnancy, they are forced to lean on each other for support in their lives. Alison doesn't think Ben is the right father for her, but the immature baby boy tries to prove that he can be a father. Naturally, much hilarity ensues.

Available on Netflix through July 31

If watching Wimbledon earlier this month got you into tennis, “King Richard” is perfect. In this biographical sports film, Will Smith plays the eponymous Richard Williams, a very strong-willed father of two professional players, Venus and Serena, who dominated the sport for many years and went down in tennis history as the two greatest players ever to take the court. Smith is exceptional in this role, and the underdog story does all the expected things, but is still enjoyable and moderately moving.

The overall tone portrays Richard's domineering nature (he laid out a 78-page plan to become a star before his daughters could even swing a racket) as a generally positive trait. But the film also briefly touches on the dark side of the tycoon, as we see his difficult relationship with wife Oracine Price (Aunjanue Ellis). If you're looking for an engaging, feel-good sports movie, this one is ace.

Available on Netflix through July 31

When it comes to great sports movies, “Moneyball” is one of my favorites in the entire genre, because when I first saw this biopic in 2011, I had never watched a single professional baseball game (then, after visiting Citi Field myself in 2015 I became a New York Mets fan after visiting Citi Field myself in 2015). In short, you don't have to be a baseball fan to enjoy Moneyball. It's a heartwarming underdog story with a top-notch cast. [Brad Pitt plays Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland Aces, a middling baseball team that lost several of its star players to the all-conquering New York Yankees in the 2001 American League Division Series. Tasked with replacing these key players, Beane teams up with an Ivy League graduate (Jonah Hill), and the two pioneer a new form of talent scouting that seeks to extract the maximum potential from players that no one else wants to sign. This new scouting strategy has changed not only baseball, but the entire sports world.

Watch on Netflix through July 31

“The Matrix” is one of those movies that really needs no introduction. This legendary sci-fi thriller changed the game and became a hugely influential phenomenon, with cultural touchstones like “Bullet Time” and “Red Pill/Blue Pill” still relevant today. In addition, the Wachowski-directed masterpiece celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, and to mark the occasion, the film was temporarily released in theaters.

Set in a future that seems comically analog by today's standards, Thomas “Neo” Anderson (Keanu Reeves) is an office worker who has one question: “What is the Matrix? The strange word comes up again and again, leading Anderson to believe that the enigmatic Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) may hold the answer. But the evil Agent Smith (Hughie Weaving) is also after him, and as the computer hacker gets closer to the shocking truth about the world around him, he finds himself caught up in the conflict between man and machine.

The film's two controversial but watchable sequels, “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions,” will also be available from Netflix this month.

Available on Netflix through July 31

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