A new month means more movies to devour from Netflix’s extensive catalog, ranging from some old favorites to some new editions. We’ve sorted the best movies on the streaming service for the month of August 2021. All of these movies are on Netflix, unless they are noted with an arrival date.
You can also check out some of our other lists:
- The best movies streaming free for Amazon Prime members
- Our favorite shows to binge on Hulu
- 26 great free video games to play while stuck at home
Let’s get to the movies!
1
Aftermath
A grieving man wants answers — and retribution — after he loses his wife and daughter in a plane crash inadvertently caused by an air traffic controller. (Netflix)
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Scoot McNairy, Maggie Grace
2
Beckett (Aug. 13)
An American tourist goes on the run in Greece after a tragic accident plunges him into a political conspiracy that makes him a target for assassination. (Netflix)
Starring: John David Washington, Boyd Holbrook, Alicia Vikander
3
Beethoven
A father reluctantly agrees to let his children keep a St. Bernard puppy, but the playful pooch soon turns into a full-grown engine of destruction. (Netflix)
Starring: Charles Grodin,Bonnie Hunt,Dean Jones
4
Beethoven's 2nd
After St. Bernard Beethoven sires a brood with Missy, he and the Newton kids must intervene when Missy’s owner tries to sell the puppies. (Netflix)
Starring: Charles Grodin, Bonnie Hunt, Nicholle Tom
5
Beowulf
This deftly animated take on a legendary Old English epic tells the timeless tale of a Scandinavian hero who’s known for slaying dragons. (Netflix)
Starring: Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich
6
Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed (Aug. 25)
Bob Ross brought joy to millions as the world’s most famous art instructor. But a battle for his business empire cast a shadow over his happy trees. (Netflix)
Starring: Bob Ross
7
Catch Me If You Can
Barely 21 yet, Frank is a skilled forger who has passed as a doctor, lawyer and pilot. FBI agent Carl becomes obsessed with tracking down the con man, who only revels in the pursuit. (IMDB)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken
8
Deep Blue Sea
Scientists conduct research on sharks in search of an Alzheimer’s cure. But a dangerous shortcut leads to huge sharks with near-human intelligence. (Netflix)
Starring: Thomas Jane, Saffron Burrows, Samuel L. Jackson
9
The Edge of Seventeen
A troubled teenager finds high school life even less bearable after she catches her childhood best friend hooking up with her popular older brother. (Netflix)
Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, Woody Harrelson, Kyra Sedgwick
10
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
After faking an illness to skip school, popular teen Ferris Bueller enjoys a fun-filled day in Chicago with his girlfriend and his uptight best friend. (Netflix)
Starring: Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara
11
Five Feet Apart
A teen with cystic fibrosis shakes up her daily routine and challenges hospital protocol when she falls for a fellow patient. (Netflix)
Starring: Haley Lu Richardson, Cole Sprouse, Moisés Arias
12
Good Luck Chuck
Every time Chuck breaks up with a girlfriend, she ends up engaged to her next boyfriend. Soon, women are dating Chuck in hopes of meeting Mr. Right. (Netflix)
Starring: Dane Cook, Jessica Alba, Dan Fogler
13
The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia
A young family moves into a historic home in Georgia, only to learn they are not the house’s only inhabitants. Soon they find themselves in the presence of a secret rising from underground and threatening to bring down anyone in its path. (Netflix)
Starring: Abigail Spencer, Chad Michael Murray
14
He’s All That (Aug. 27)
An influencer specializing in makeovers bets she can transform an unpopular classmate into prom king in this remake of the teen classic “She’s All That.” (Netflix)
Starring: Addison Rae, Tanner Buchanan, Rachael Leigh Cook
15
Inception
A troubled thief who extracts secrets from people’s dreams takes one last job: leading a dangerous mission to plant an idea in a target’s subconscious. (Netflix)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elliot Page
16
The Kissing Booth 3 (Aug. 11)
Determined to make the most of her final summer before college, Elle plans the ultimate bucket list as she navigates what comes next with Noah and Lee. (Netflix)Starring: Joey King, Joel Courtney, Jacob Elordi
17
Like Crazy (Aug. 19)
An American man and British woman fall in love in Los Angeles but must make their relationship work long distance when she returns to London. (Netflix)
Starring: Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones, Jennifer Lawrence
18
The Losers
After a search-and-destroy mission leads to betrayal, an elite black ops squad seeks revenge. But they must remain deep undercover to even the score. (Netflix)
Starring: Jeffrey Dean Morgan,Zoe Saldana,Chris Evans
19
The Machinist
Haunted and gaunt after a prolonged bout of insomnia, factory worker Trevor Reznik begins to question his sanity amid a series of mysterious events. (Netflix)
Starring: Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón
20
Magnolia
Through chance, history and divine intervention, a cast of eclectic characters weaves and warps through each other’s lives on a random day in California. (Netflix)
Starring: John C. Reilly,Philip Baker Hall,Tom Cruise
21
Major Payne
A recently discharged Major finds himself commanding a group of mismatched Cadets. (IMDB)
Starring: Damon Wayans, Michael Ironside, Bam Bam Bigelow
22
Memories of a Murderer: The Nilsen Tapes (Aug. 18)
Serial killer Dennis Nilsen narrates his life and horrific crimes via a series of chilling audiotapes recorded from his jail cell. (Netflix)
23
Misha and the Wolves (Aug. 11)
As a little girl, she escaped the Holocaust and lived among wolves. Or did she? An extraordinary story elicits sympathy — then draws scrutiny. (Netflix)
24
Monster Hunter: Legends of the Guild (Aug. 12)
In a world where humans and fearsome monsters live in an uneasy balance, young hunter Aiden fights to save his village from destruction by a dragon. (Netflix)
Starring: Ben Rausch, Erica Lindbeck, Dante Basco
25
My Girl
This coming-of-age charmer follows a summer in the life of an 11-year-old girl who learns about love and loss as she grapples with profound changes. (Netflix)
Starring: Dan Aykroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis, Macaulay Culkin
26
My Girl 2
A teen makes surprising discoveries when she talks to her dead mother’s high school friends for an essay about someone she admires but has never met. (Netflix)
Starring: Anna Chlumsky,Austin O’Brien,Dan Aykroyd
27
The Net
A computer analyst becomes a target after she stumbles onto a conspiracy via a mysterious floppy disk, forcing her to go on the run to clear her name. (Netflix)
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Jeremy Northam, Dennis Miller
28
The November Man (Aug. 25)
An ex-CIA agent emerges from retirement to protect an important witness, but he soon discovers that old friends can make the most dangerous enemies. (Netflix)
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Luke Bracey, Olga Kurylenko
29
The Original Kings of Comedy
A concert film featuring four major African American stand up comedians. (IMDB)
Starring: Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer
30
The Paper Tigers (Aug. 7)
Three Kung Fu prodigies have grown into washed-up, middle-aged men, now one kick away from pulling their hamstrings. But when their master is murdered, they must juggle their dead-end jobs, dad duties, and old grudges to avenge his death. (IMDB)
Starring: Jae Such Park, Yuji Okumoto, Ron Yuan
31
Phil Wang: Philly Philly Wang Wang (Aug. 10)
Phil Wang explores race, romance, politics and his mixed British-Malaysian heritage in this special filmed at the London Palladium. (Netflix)Starring: Phil Wang
32
Pineapple Express
After witnessing a murder, a perpetually stoned process server and his good-natured dealer go on the run from a drug lord who’s out to kill them. (Netflix)
Starring: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Danny McBride
33
Poms
After moving to a retirement community, loner Martha befriends a fun-loving neighbor and forms a cheerleading club for young-at-heart seniors. (Netflix)
Starring: Diane Keaton, Jacki Weaver, Pam Grier
34
Pray Away
Ex-leaders and a survivor of the so-called “conversion therapy” movement speak out about its harm to the LGBTQ+ community and its devastating persistence. (Netflix)
35
Quartet (Aug. 8)
At a home for retired musicians, the annual concert to celebrate Composer Giuseppe Verdi’s birthday is disrupted by the arrival of Jean, an eternal diva and the former wife of one of the residents. (IMDB)
Starring: Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Billy Connolly
36
Really Love (Aug. 25)
Set in a gentrifying Washington DC, a rising Black painter tries to break into a competitive art world, while balancing a whirlwind romance he never expected. (IMDB)
Starring: Uzo Aduba, Michael Ealy, Suzane Douglas
37
Seabiscuit
An ungainly-looking colt becomes a winning thoroughbred in this Depression-era drama based on the true story of champion racehorse Seabiscuit. (Netflix)
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges, Chris Cooper
38
Space Cowboys
A retired engineer agrees to help NASA prevent a Russian satellite from falling to Earth if he and his over-the-hill pals can man the mission. (Netflix)
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland
39
The Swarm
A single mother breeds locusts as high-protein food, but has trouble getting them to reproduce — until she finds they have a taste for blood. (Netflix)
Starring: Suliane Brahim, Sofian Khammes, Marie Narbonne
40
Sweet Girl (Aug. 20)
He lost the love of his life to a pharmaceutical company’s greed. Now his daughter is without a mother, and he’s without justice. For now. (Netflix)
Starring: Jason Momoa, Isabela Merced, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo
41
Team America: World Police
Popular Broadway actor Gary Johnston is recruited by the elite counter-terrorism organization Team America: World Police. As the world begins to crumble around him, he must battle with terrorists, celebrities and falling in love. (Netflix)
Starring: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Elle Russ
42
Top Secret UFO Projects: Declassified
Though claims of extraterrestrial encounters have long been dismissed, many believe the existence of UFOs is not just likely, but a certainty. (Netflix)
43
Untold: Caitlyn Jenner
Caitlyn Jenner’s unlikely path to Olympic glory was inspirational. But her more challenging road to embracing her true self proved even more meaningful. (Netflix)
44
Untold: Crime and Penalties (Aug. 31)
They were the bad boys of hockey — a team bought by a man with mob ties, run by his 17-year-old son, and with a rep for being as violent as they were good. (Netflix)
45
Untold: Deal with the Devil (Aug. 17)
World champion boxer Christy Martin is the focus of Untold’s second installment, which follows her impressive career and her near-death experience following her husband’s murder attempt. (Netflix)
46
Untold: Malice at the Palace (Aug. 10)
Key figures from an infamous 2004 incident between players and fans at an NBA game in Michigan discuss the fight, its fallout and its lasting legacy. (Netflix)
47
Vivo
A music-loving kinkajou embarks on the journey of a lifetime to fulfill his destiny and deliver a love song for an old friend. (Netflix)Starring: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ynairaly Simo, Zoe Saldana
48
Walk of Shame (Aug. 16)
After an uncharacteristic drunken one-night stand, an aspiring news anchor winds up on a wild trek across Los Angeles with no car, money or memory. (Netflix)
Starring: Elizabeth Banks,James Marsden,Gillian Jacobs
49
The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf (Aug. 23)
Escaping from poverty to become a witcher, Vesemir slays monsters for coin and glory, but when a new menace rises, he must face the demons of his past. (Netflix)