10 Underappreciated Movies Waiting To Be Rediscovered On Netflix

One of the best things about having a streaming service like Netflix is that you can discover movies that were underappreciated when they were first released. This could be because a film performed poorly at the box office or because it’s a Netflix original that wasn’t a big hit when it arrived on the platform.

In fact, some of the best movies on Netflix are these hidden gems. They deserved more appreciation from moviegoers, critics, and some even deserved awards recognition but never got it. Finding these underrated movies on Netflix is one of the best things about having access to the service.

Shiva Baby (2020)

Initially premiering at SXSW in 2020 before hitting streaming a year later, Shiva Baby is actually adapted from a 2018 short film of the same name. Both directed by Emma Seligman (this is her feature debut), the overlooked movie received overwhelmingly positive reviews.

Shiva Baby follows Danielle (Rachel Sennott), a college senior who attends a shiva with her parents and while there, must deal with all sorts of uncomfortable questions and situations with family, friends, and even the sugar daddy whom she’s hooking up with, who is at the shiva with his wife and baby.

Sennott gives a fantastic lead performance, while the supporting cast, including the talented Molly Gordon as her complicated ex-girlfriend, is great. Made for just $200,000, Shiva Baby only grossed back less than $400,000 but its 97% Rotten Tomatoes rating shows it deserves more admiration.

For Love Of The Game (1999)

When people think of Sam Raimi, they typically remember the Spider-Man trilogy from the 2000s, or his work in the horror genre, including the Evil Dead franchise. However, in the middle of those major projects, Raimi actually directed a baseball movie that most people don’t know about.

The reason For Love of the Game isn’t well remembered is that it bombed at the box office and was only met with a mixed reaction from critics. However, a deeper dive reveals there’s a lot more to like about this sports drama than initially seen.

Starring baseball movie icon Kevin Costner, For Love of the Game sees his Billy Chapel, an aging pitcher for the Tigers, attempting to throw a perfect game at Yankee Stadium. The movie intercuts bits of Chapel’s life, showing off a relationship that is the heart of the story. It’s a great blend of romance and sports.

Wicked Little Letters (2023)

By the time Wicked Little Letters premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023, it should’ve been a bigger deal than it was. Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley, the lead actors, were both Oscar nominees who did great work playing the same character at different ages in their previous movie, The Lost Daughter.

In this instance, they got to actually share the screen and play off each other as two very different women. Colman is Edith Swan, an uptight devout Christian, while Buckley is Rose Gooding, a single mother known for swearing and being unapologetically herself.

Based on the Littlehampton libels of the 1920s, Wicked Little Letters sees people from around town receiving profane letters from an anonymous source and it’s believed that Rose is the culprit. What follows is a funny, over-the-top tale of both mystery and comedy.

Over The Moon (2020)

It’s rare that a movie nominated for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe can be underappreciated but that’s the case for Over the Moon. Arriving during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the film was overshadowed by a handful of more popular Pixar releases that year.

Over the Moon tells the story of Fei Fei, an adventurous girl who builds a rocket ship to take a trip to the moon in order to meet a goddess she believes in named Chang’e. The fantastical sci-fi aspects are enough to make the movie a standout but it’s the musical side of things that takes it to the next level.

Hamilton star Phillipa Soo voices Chang’e and she gets to use her extraordinary voice to sing “Ultraluminary,” which is one of the better original songs written for a Netflix movie. With plenty of Annie Award nominations and an impressive 81% Rotten Tomatoes rating, Over the Moon is worth a watch.

The Fundamentals Of Caring (2016)

Based on the 2012 novel The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving, The Fundamentals of Caring is one of the more touching films that Netflix put out about a decade ago. The story is centered on the bond between a teen with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, his caregiver, and a hitchhiker.

Craig Roberts plays the teen, Paul Rudd takes on the role of the caregiver, and Selena Gomez is the hitchhiker. Together, the three showed off impressive chemistry that carries the movie and helped lead it to the solid 77% rating it holds on Rotten Tomatoes.

Upon release, most people seemed to overlook The Fundamentals of Caring but it’s the kind of film that deserves to garner more appeal as time goes on. The fact that the supporting cast includes the likes of Bobby Cannavale and Jennifer Ehle only boosts its standing.

Emily The Criminal (2022)

Emily the Criminal

8/10

Release Date

August 12, 2022

Runtime

97 Minutes

Director

John Patton Ford

Although she has always been a star, evidenced by her work dating back to Parks and Recreation, it feels like the 2020s is where Aubrey Plaza has truly come into her own. Whether it was stealing the show in Happiest Season, her Emmy-nominated turn on The White Lotus, or her role as Death in Agatha All Aong, Plaza is great.

However, one of her best performances unjustly flew under the radar and deserves to get a chance now that it’s streaming on Netflix. Plaza plays the titular character in 2022’s Emily the Criminal as a woman who gets involved in a credit card scam due to her massive student loan debt.

The critical reception for Emily the Criminal was fantastic, with director John Patton Ford being nominated for Best First Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards and winning for Best First Screenplay. It’s why Ford’s next film is so anticipated and when you add in Plaza’s performance, this is a modern classic.

I Lost My Body (2019)

I Lost My Body

Release Date

October 19, 2019

Runtime

81 Minutes

Director

Jérémy Clapin

• Victoire Du Bois

  Gabrielle

• Alfonso Arfi

  Young Naoufel

I Lost My Body had the misfortune of coming out during a pretty loaded year for animated films. While it was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars, it had to compete with the likes of Toy Story 4 and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.

Directed by Jérémy Clapin, I Lost My Body was the first animated movie to win the Nespresso Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. It currently sits at 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, with praise going to the gorgeous animation style, the unique story, and how everything wraps up in a satisfying way.

The premise of I Lost My Body is wild, as one part focuses on a man romancing the woman he likes, while the other part follows a severed hand that escapes from a lab and goes on a quest to find its body. It sounds like the kind of thing that wouldn’t work but the movie handles it expertly.

Watcher (2022)

Watcher

Release Date

June 3, 2022

Runtime

96 Minutes

Director

Chloe Okuno

Originally released as a Shudder original film, Watcher found its way to Netflix over time and is exactly the kind of movie that could catch the eye of the streaming service’s subscriber base. Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, Watcher is a gripping movie.

The film focuses on Julia (Maika Monroe), a woman who moves to Bucharest with her boyfriend when he gets a new job there. While he’s working, she’s home alone and becomes unsettled when she notices a man watching her from the building across the street.

Watcher works because it never fully lets you in on the truth, leaving you to wonder if Julia is right to be worried, if she’s imagining most of it, or if she’s actually the one doing the watching. It all comes to a head in a masterfully executed climax.

The Outrun (2024)

The Outrun

6/10

Release Date

October 4, 2024

Runtime

118 Minutes

Director

Nora Fingscheidt

There doesn’t seem to be a movie in Saoirse Ronan’s filmography where she doesn’t deliver a tremendous performance. The Outrun is another in a long line of strong acting by the multi-time Oscar nominee, yet it wasn’t seen by many and grossed less than $5 million at the box office.

The Outrun is based on a 2016 memoir of the same name and centers on Rona (Ronan), a woman fresh out of rehab who moves to the Orkney Islands, where she grew up in order to try and turn her life around. Although the premise is not all that original, it’s the screenplay and acting that make it great.

Ronan’s performance was a highlight, while the story being told in a non-linear fashion allows it to stand apart from similar movies. The Outrun holds an 82% on Rotten Tomatoes and any fan of Ronan’s work is sure to be captivated.

One Of Them Days (2025)

One of Them Days

6/10

Release Date

January 17, 2025

Director

Lawrence Lamont

Writers

Syreeta Singleton

The most recent movie on this list, One of Them Days deserves way more attention than it has received. While it was a commercial success (grossing nearly $52 million on a $14 million budget), it still hasn’t been seen by enough people given how high quality the movie is.

One of Them Days centers on Dreux (Keke Palmer) and Alyssa (SZA), two roommates who have to scramble within 24 hours to get the money for their rent after Alyssa’s boyfriends spends it all. What follows is a series of wacky adventures with hilarious outcomes.

Despite this being SZA’s acting debut, she more than holds her own alongside Keke Palmer and the two have electric chemistry that makes the movie click in a special way. Katt Williams, Maude Apatow, and Janelle James, among others, make up for a great supporting cast as well.