2465 Best Drama Movies to Watch (Page 146)

In life and cinema, drama is everywhere. You’ll find it in thrillers, animations, romances, you name it. For entertainment that explores the human experience with sensitivity and sincerity, here’s a mixed bag of the best dramas to stream now.

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2176. Sometimes I Think About Dying, 2023

	
While morbidly titled, there’s an unexpected playfulness to Sometimes I Think About Dying that makes a fairly mundane office relationship into a charming romance. Writer-director Rachel Lambert and lead Daisy Ridley capture Fran’s introversion in inventive ways, with score and image to make her daydreams of death more surreal than morbid, with quiet wistfulness of someone that hasn’t quite figured out how to create casual connection. Some viewers might not jive with the way the film focuses more on visual ideas rather than plot, but Sometimes I Think About Dying sweetly depicts social awkwardness and the alluring curiosity a crush can sometimes create.Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Actor: Ayanna Berkshire, Brittany O'Grady, Daisy Ridley, Dave Merheje, Jeb Berrier, Marcia DeBonis, Megan Stalter, Parvesh Cheena
Director:  Rachel Lambert
Rating: PG-13

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2177. Sitting in Bars with Cake (2023)

Sitting in Bars with Cake's best qualities and roughest qualities stem from the fact that the story is apparently based on true events. Screenwriter Audrey Shulman (who based the script on her cookbook of the same title) clearly wants to honor the details of this very personal year in her life, but the effect is a story that often lacks thematic coherence. When the cancer diagnosis is inevitably revealed, the rest of the film's subplots just seem frivolous and underdeveloped in comparison. But there's also a charm to having this be a story about a friendship rooted in regular, random things—suddenly interrupted by a devastating illness. The film definitely doesn't escape the cliches of a cancer drama, but they're deployed in a more sedate, mature way here. And if the filmmaking doesn't do much to tell this story in a more interesting way, the performances are enough to let the emotions land when they really need to.

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Actor: Bette Midler, Maia Mitchell, Odessa A'zion, Ron Livingston, Yara Shahidi

Director: Trish Sie

Rating: PG-13

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2178. Obliterated, 2023

Obliterated brings back the raunchy, yet epic ‘90s action through an inter-organization task force from the best of the best. From the team of Cobra Kai, it was expected to bring back some nostalgia, and it delivers with crazy, coked-up shenanigans with over-the-top explosions and great fight scenes in the neon-lit party city of Las Vegas. That being said, the actual story spreads thin across eight episodes, and the story beats are familiar if you’ve watched plenty of action films before, but it’s totally entertaining as they scramble around to get their wits together to be sober enough to fight old school Russian terrorists.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Comedy, Drama

Actor: Alyson Gorske, C. Thomas Howell, Eugene Kim, Kimi Rutledge, Nick Zano, Paola Lázaro, Shelley Hennig, Terrence Terrell

Rating: TV-MA

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2179. Nothing Like Paris, 2023

One day, Filipino romances will wean themselves away from the tropes that keep their stories circling back to the same conclusions, undermining the bold narrative ideas on which that they establish themselves. Nothing Like Paris still doesn't break free, but its commitment to a more serious, modern view of romance set against the loneliness of migration is surprising given director Sigrid Andrea Bernardo's previous collaboration with her lead actors (the inadvertently creepy I See You, set in Japan). Here, the possibility of romance built on little more than one's shared nationality and language is explored with real maturity, through two performers who prove that subtlety will always leave more room for complex emotion than ugly crying and cutesy, empty gestures.

Genre: Drama, Romance

Actor: Alessandra de Rossi, Dolly de Leon, Empoy Marquez, Jean-Marc Noirot-Cosson

Director: Sigrid Andrea Bernardo

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2180. Land of Women, 2024

	
As a family dramedy centered on three generations of women, Land of Women is funny and affecting enough to tune into. Longoria proves that she still has the spunk that catapulted her to fame all those years ago in Desperate Housewives, while Bazua and Maura are equally compelling as they both try to reconcile their sexuality and identity. There are times when the show dangerously teeters on Hallmark Movie territory as it hams up the city vs. country theme, but the dialogue is whipsmart enough to save it from that fate. The real fault here is the crime subplot, which pushes the women to flee their homes but is little more than a plot device. It’s neither thrilling nor entertaining and only takes away time from the real stars of the show.Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Amaury Nolasco, Ariadna Gil, Carmen Maura, Eva Longoria, Gloria Muñoz, James Purefoy, Pep Anton Muñoz, Santiago Cabrera, Victoria Bazúa
Rating: TV-MA

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2181. Lady in the Lake, 2024

	
With such a long career in film, it’s surprising that Natalie Portman has never starred in a television show, except, of course, the occasional voice over and guest appearances. The story that got her to television is Lady in the Lake, the 2019 bestselling crime noir thriller that weaves classic 60s noir with intersectional feminism all through a whodunit plot. Of course, it's no surprise that Portman performs well, and her and co-star Moses Ingram are excellent as mothers seeking change in their respective lives. The comparison between their lives drives home the tragedy of how unfair the odds were stacked against Ingram’s Cleo Johnson. However, the way director Alma Har'el alternates between lives is clunky and sometimes even confusing, even if it's in hopes to bring the original novel’s POV shifts onto the screen. The source material is ambitious, daring, and a worthy vehicle for both Portman and Ingram, so it's disappointing to see Lady in the Lake already sputtering at the start.Genre: Crime, Drama
Actor: Brett Gelman, Byron Bowers, Moses Ingram, Natalie Portman, Y'lan Noel
Rating: TV-MA

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2182. Inside, 2023

Inside is a technical wonder and a fascinating vehicle for Dafoe’s character Nemo, who holds the entire thing together with a singularly insane performance. It also poses interesting questions about art, namely, what value does it hold at the end of the day? When you’re seconds away from dying of hunger and thirst, what good is a painting, a sculpture, a sketch? Are they really only as good as what they’re materially made out of or can they contribute something more? Inside plays with these questions, but unfortunately, not in any engaging, thoughtful, or creative way. The movie stretches on and on, recycling the same ideas and leaning on the inevitably disgusting ways humans survive as a crutch. An argument could be made that that is the point, to reveal the emptiness and dullness of expensive art, but Inside tries so hard to capture that feeling that it becomes the thing it critiques in the end.

Genre: Drama, Thriller

Actor: Andrew Blumenthal, Cornelia Buch, Eliza Stuyck, Gene Bervoets, Josia Krug, Vincent Eaton, Willem Dafoe

Director: Vasilis Katsoupis

Rating: R

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2183. I Used to Be Funny, 2024

	
In the same festival where she showcased her screenwriting chops, Rachel Sennott also showcased her dramatic side in I Used to Be Funny, a difficult drama that garnered less acclaim than Bottoms (2023). It’s understandable– while both films have a witty, gen-Z slant in its comedy, this drama is much harder to balance and heavy to watch, dealing with mental health and PTSD. The non-linear narrative occasionally does make the film feel a tad disjointed as well. However, there’s a care and a warmth from Ally Pankiw’s direction that makes this exploration of Sam’s complex trauma feel heartfelt, and Sennott holds each scene with compelling charisma.Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Caleb Hearon, Dan Beirne, Dani Kind, Ennis Esmer, Hannah Spear, Jason Jones, Kathy Imrie, Matia Jackett, Miguel Rivas, Olga Petsa, Rachel Sennott, Sabrina Jalees
Director: Ally Pankiw
Rating: NR

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2184. I Love Lizzy, 2023

Being a priest requires full devotion to God, so falling in love would naturally challenge a seminarian and make them question whether priesthood is the right path for them. I Love Lizzy portrays this conflict as the seminarian Jeff falls in love with Bicol tour guide Lizzy, on the break where he’s supposed to make his discernment. It’s an intriguing love story, especially as Jeff and Lizzy heal past wounds with each other, and Carlo Aquino adeptly navigates his second seminarian role with ease. However, it’s clear that more care and attention was given to Jeff’s storyline rather than Lizzy’s. Despite this, I Love Lizzy is a unique, if a bit uneven, take on the seminarian love story that continues to captivate the predominantly Catholic country today.

Genre: Drama, Romance

Actor: Andrew Gan, Barbie Imperial, Carlo Aquino, Meanne Espinosa, Robert Seña, Turs Daza

Director: RC Delos Reyes

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2185. Grotesquerie, 2024

	
I suppose fans of horror mysteries with overt Catholic and covert erotic undertones (aka every Ryan Murphy fan ever) will love this, but everyone else will have a hard time digesting this overwhelming series. Maybe you can tell from the name alone, but Grotesquerie seems to prioritize the shock factor more than anything else, which might’ve worked years ago when TV and streaming were a lot less diverse and welcoming to horror. But these days, it’s easy to feel like you’ve seen just about everything, so without the aid of surprise by its side, Grotesquerie feels like any regular detective series. Niecy Nash somewhat elevates the show as she expertly combines her no-nonsense humor with layered drama. Then there are solid character actors like Courtney B. Vance and Lesley Manville to look forward to. But for the most part, Grotesquerie feels like a parody of Ryan Murphy's productions past. If you’re looking to binge something good for the Halloween season, maybe it’s best to just wait for the real thing. American Horror Stories will be rolling out soon anyway.Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Actor: Courtney B. Vance, Lesley Manville, Micaela Diamond, Nicholas Alexander Chavez, Niecy Nash-Betts, Raven Goodwin, Tessa Ferrer, Travis Kelce
Rating: TV-MA

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2186. Gen V, 2023

As a spin-off of The Boys, Gen V returns to the same well of explicit, hyperviolent satire about seemingly benevolent superheroes—touching on many ideas that the franchise has already explored more strikingly before. This series' first three episodes are at their least effective when they get hung up on the shock factor of it all, with its satire often appearing as "cool" as the thing that it aims to satirize. But when the show quiets down and finally focuses up on its handful of main characters, it finds fresh ground for commentary.

At its heart this is a story about how the education system can be so easily bought by wealthy stakeholders who care more about producing star graduates than actually helping young people excel and find a place in the world. These kids are also immediately much easier to root for than Billy Butcher and his antihero crew, as each of them gradually reveals the trauma they're recovering from as a result of being experimented on and exploited. Gen V's central mysteries are slow to develop so far, but just seeing how this school-slash-factory is run helps make up for the slower pace.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Asa Germann, Chance Perdomo, Derek Luh, Jaz Sinclair, Lizze Broadway, London Thor, Maddie Phillips, Shelley Conn

Rating: TV-MA

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2187. Franklin, 2024

	
With the successful release of Manhunt and Masters of the Air in the last couple of months, it looks like Franklin is set to be Apple TV+’s first miss in the historical drama department. Though the lead is based on a Founding Father and played by a revered actor, the series lacks the spark that elevates mere history lessons into riveting stories. Douglas seems bored, the script feels lackluster, and the pace is way too slow to compete with other more compelling period dramas. It’s a baffling miss, considering Douglas has in the past dazzled as Liberace, and director Tim Van Patten has similarly won acclaim for a string of HBO shows. But maybe it’s a sign of a burgeoning glut. Given Franklin’s rushed feel, perhaps Apple TV+ should take it slow and go back to its quality over quantity philosophy.Genre: Drama, War & Politics
Actor: Assaad Bouab, Daniel Mays, Ludivine Sagnier, Michael Douglas, Noah Jupe, Théodore Pellerin, Thibault de Montalembert
Rating: TV-MA

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2188. Flora and Son, 2023

From the director of Once and Sing Street comes Dublin-set Flora and Son, part love letter to music, part not-so-slick advertisement for Apple’s GarageBand. Eve Hewson plays the titular single mother, whose wayward 14-year-old son Max (Orén Kinlan) is one more slip-up away from being sent to youth detention. In an attempt to find an outlet for his unruly teenage energy, she salvages a beat-up guitar, but after he rejects it, there's nothing to do but give it a go herself — cue her belated moment of self-discovery.

Max’s anonymity in the title makes sense, then, because this is much more Flora’s story. However, while Hewson pours energy into the role, she can’t quite transcend the script's limits: Flora’s initial unlikeability (a little too emphatic), and the awkward attempts to roughen up a feel-good story with unconvincingly gritty elements. The film seems aware of audience expectations for a Carney joint, too, so it skips convincing dynamics and fleshed-out supporting characters in its rush to deliver musical setpieces (which never quite reach the catchy heights of Sing Street’s earworms, unfortunately). Still, there's real charm — and some compelling ideas about the magic of music — in here, especially once the film gets past its shaky first third and unabashedly embraces its feel-good heart.

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Music

Actor: Ailbhe Cowley, Aislín McGuckin, Amy Huberman, Don Wycherley, Eve Hewson, Jack Reynor, Joni Mitchell, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Katy Perry, Keith McErlean, Kelly Thornton, Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan, Marcella Plunkett, Marcus Lamb, Margarita Murphy, Orén Kinlan, Paul Reid, Sophie Vavasseur

Director: John Carney

Rating: R

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2189. Eye Love You, 2024

	
Usually, telepathy is just portrayed as a cool superpower. In Eye Love You, it’s useful for Motomiya to secure her CEO position, but it also means an imbalance in every interaction she has with other people… At least, until she meets Korean student Yoon Tae-oh. This, of course, becomes the basis for their relationship, which, while starting from a pretty novel idea, plays out in the cheesy, romantic ways we’re used to seeing in both Japanese and Korean dramas. With Yoon Tae-oh better characterized, it's lovely to see Chae Jong Hyeop to charm in both languages, but it's disappointing to see how cliché the protagonist is depicted, how her main desire isn't personal but in relation to another man (her father), when the show comes primarily through her perspective. Still, Eye Love You’s unique power leads to the unique idea that differences can mean connection– and having them allows us to truly appreciate each other, as long as we’re open enough to get to know them.Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Chae Jong-hyeop, Fumi Nikaido, Hiroya Shimizu, Mizuki Yamashita, Narumi Yui, Shiraku Tatekawa, Taishi Nakagawa, Tetta Sugimoto
Director: Akiko Katō, Okamoto Shingo, Ryôsuke Fukuda
Rating: TV-14

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2190. Elemental, 2023

Seven years after Zootopia, Pixar takes another crack at a racial prejudice metaphor — but, while the analogy is less creaky here, it’s still an awkward one, as diametrically opposed elements like fire and water stand in for human beings. The gaping flaws in its central concept aside, Elemental does wring something compelling out of its story: an exploration of second-generation immigrant guilt.

That might seem like an oddly specific and complex topic for what is ostensibly a kids’ film to grapple with, but this is the Pixar of Soul and Bao, not Finding Nemo and Toy Story. Ember (Leah Lewis) is an anthropomorphized young flame whose parents migrated from their home in Fireland to run a store in the NYC-like melting pot of Element City; she’s keenly aware of the sacrifices they made to give her a better life and believes the only way to repay them is to abandon her own dreams and run their store. This is the one part of Elemental’s metaphor that really lands, but it’s unfortunately sidelined to make way for an inter-elemental romance between Ember and a water-man that only pulls the focus back onto the film’s biggest weakness. Still, its emotional specificity and beautiful animation prevent it from being a total washout.

Genre: Animation, Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Romance

Actor: Alex Kapp, Ben Morris, Catherine O'Hara, Clara Lin Ding, Jeff Lapensee, Joe Pera, Jonathan Adams, Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Mason Wertheimer, Matthew Yang King, P.L. Brown, Reagan To, Ronnie del Carmen, Ronobir Lahiri, Shila Ommi, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Wilma Bonet

Director: Peter Sohn

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