Since its very beginnings, YouTube has been a destination for entertaining video content. However, over the years, the platform has evolved from pixelated vlogs and AMVs to more mainstream entertainment options like YouTube TV, YouTube Music, and pay-to-rent movies.
One thing many people may not realize is that YouTube also offers plenty of free movies to stream — some with commercials, and some without. Here’s our roundup of the best free movies you can watch on YouTube.
Looking for more streaming recommendations? Check out our guides to the best TV shows available on Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, and HBO Max, plus the best movies on Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, Disney+, and Tubi.
Dodgeball
Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber
Cast: Vince Vaughn, Christine Taylor, Ben Stiller
Genre: Comedy
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1hr 32m
Rotten Tomatoes: 72% (Critics), 76% (Audience)
The 2000s had their own brand of comedy, one that’s exemplified perfectly by the outrageous, profane, and stupid-but-good, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. In it, Vince Vaughn plays a down-on-his-luck gym owner, who squares off against an unhinged Ben Stiller as a rival gym owner in a $50,000 dodgeball tournament.
Featuring a cast of hilarious misfits and stuffed full of jokes, this is the kind of comedy where you’ll be laughing pretty much every minute. Balancing crudeness and charm in the way that some of the best Adam Sandler movies do, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story is still so funny in large part thanks to its all-star cast.
The Devil Wears Prada
Director: David Frankel
Cast: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1hr 49m
Rotten Tomatoes: 75% (Critics), 76% (Audience)
In The Devil Wears Prada, the fashion world is as cutthroat as it is glamorous, and no one rules it more fiercely than Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestly—an icy, impossibly demanding magazine editor. Anne Hathaway plays Andy, a bright but naive aspiring journalist who lands a job as Miranda’s assistant, only to find herself drowning in a world of impossible standards and designer heels.
Directed by David Frankel, the film blends sharp wit, standout performances, and high-fashion spectacle into a coming-of-age story with bite. Streep is magnetic in one of her most iconic roles, while Hathaway and a scene-stealing Emily Blunt round out a pitch-perfect cast. Stylish, smart, and surprisingly resonant, The Devil Wears Prada is more than just a makeover movie—it’s a sharp look at ambition, identity, and what it costs to “make it.”
Edward Scissorhands
Director: Tim Burton
Cast: Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest
Genre: Holiday, Fantasy, Drama, Comedy
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1hr 45m
Rotten Tomatoes: 90% (Critics), 91% (Audience)
Only Tim Burton could make a movie like Edward Scissorhands. The fantasy comedy/drama (with holiday overtones thanks to its wintry scenes and lush score by Danny Elfman) is truly unique, a story about a young man left with scissors for hands (Johnny Depp) who connects with a local high schooler played by Winona Ryder.
The film’s tone is one-of-a-kind, blending a surreal and colorful suburbia with monster movie makeup to winning effect. Depp and Ryder have impeccable chemistry, something made all the more impressive by the fact that Depp rarely speaks in the film.
Catch Me If You Can
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Crime
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2hr 20m
Rotten Tomatoes: 35% (Critics), 41% (Audience)
Just reading the cast and director for Catch Me if You Can makes it clear it’s a movie worth watching. In it, Leonardo DiCaprio plays brilliant forger and conman Frank Abagnale, Jr., on the run from FBI Agent Carl Hanratty, played by a wholly determined Tom Hanks. It’s a fun game of cat and mouse, made all the more thrilling thanks to Spielberg’s pitch-perfect direction.
While Spielberg may have made a name for himself with sci-fi movies, action, and adventure, Catch Me If You Can shows that he has considerable range and is just as comfortable making something breezy.
Interstellar
Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2hr 45m
Rotten Tomatoes: 73% (Critics), 87% (Audience)
Christopher Nolan has made some of the most mind-bending, entertaining summer blockbusters out there, and Interstellar is no different. Featuring an A-list cast led by Matthew McConaughey, the film tells the story of an astronaut sent to see if the solution to a global dust bowl can be found through a wormhole.
Like many of Nolan’s films, Interstellar deals with themes of regret and memory, but unlike other films by the director, Interstellar really wears these emotions on its sleeve. Combined with stunning physics-defying visuals, the movie is the full package. It’s a thrilling three hours.
Jennifer's Body
Director: Karyn Kusama
Cast: Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Simmons
Genre: Horror, Comedy
Rating: R
Runtime: 1hr 41m
Rotten Tomatoes: 46% (Critics), 36% (Audience)
In recent years, Jennifer’s Body has gotten a bit of a cult following after initially being snubbed upon its release. Starring Megan Fox as a demon-possessed cheerleader and Amanda Seyfried as her studious friend Anita "Needy" Lesnicki, the film’s exploration of female sexuality and adolescence may have just been ahead of its time when it came out in 2009.
For sure, its visual effects are a bit dated by today’s standards, but with the success of films like Bottoms, not to mention more and more filmmakers blending the genres of horror and comedy, now’s a great time to revisit Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody’s sophomore effort.
The Truman Show
Director: Peter Weir
Cast: Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, Ed Harris
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi
Rating: PG
Runtime: 1hr 43m
Rotten Tomatoes: 95% (Critics), 89% (Audience)
The Truman Show marked a turning point for Jim Carrey, showing off a more subdued, dramatic side without losing the charm that made him a star. He plays Truman Burbank, an ordinary man living an extraordinary lie—his entire life is a reality TV show, broadcast to the world without his knowledge. As Truman starts to suspect the truth, the cracks in his seemingly perfect world begin to show.
Directed by Peter Weir, the film is a sharp, prescient satire on media, privacy, and identity that feels even more relevant today. With a haunting performance by Ed Harris as the show's creator and Laura Linney as Truman’s eerily chipper “wife,” The Truman Show manages to be both deeply philosophical and emotionally affecting.
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Cast: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg
Genre: Action, Adventure
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2hr 11m
Rotten Tomatoes: 94% (Critics), 87% (Audience)
Is there any doubt that Tom Cruise is one of Hollywood’s greatest action stars? If there ever was, the Mission: Impossible franchise surely quiets those doubts. And in Rogue Nation, the fifth in the series, Cruise proves his action bon a fides in spectacular fashion: leaping from buildings, hanging from planes, and being chased through the Tower of London.
Whether you’re trying to catch up in preparation for Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning on IMAX, or you’ve just seen Final Reckoning and want to relive past adventures with special agent Ethan Hunt, YouTube’s got your back.
Norbit
Director: Brian Robbins
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Thandiwe Newton, Cuba Gooding Jr.
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1hr 42m
Rotten Tomatoes: 9% (Critics), 53% (Audience)
Norbit is a wild, over-the-top comedy that leans heavily on Eddie Murphy’s knack for playing multiple characters. He stars as the timid Norbit, the aggressive and overbearing Rasputia, and several other side roles, all brought to life with heavy prosthetics and outrageous energy. The story centers on Norbit’s struggle to escape his toxic marriage when his childhood sweetheart (Newton) reenters his life.
Directed by Brian Robbins, Norbit goes for broad slapstick and shock humor, and while the critics weren’t kind, the film found an audience thanks to Murphy’s full-throttle performance. It’s crude, chaotic, and undeniably cartoonish—best enjoyed with expectations set accordingly.
Insidious
Director: James Wan
Cast: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Barbara Hershey
Genre: Horror
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1hr 41m
Rotten Tomatoes: 66% (Critics), 62% (Audience)
A comatose child? Evil spirits? That’s all you need for a great horror film, and Insidious delivers the thrills and chills deliciously thanks to that simple setup. It’s a classic kind of horror movie, but that classic DNA doesn’t make it any less terrifying.
Responsible for horror films ranging from Saw to The Conjuring and M3GAN, James Wan has proven himself as an excellent horror director over the past two decades. Even in a lineup as impressive as that, Insidious remains one of his best.
Good Burger
Director: Brian Robbins
Cast: Kel Mitchell, Kenan Thompson, Sinbad
Genre: Comedy, Family
Rating: PG
Runtime: 1hr 35m
Rotten Tomatoes: 33% (Critics), 63% (Audience)
Good Burger is a goofy, nostalgia-fueled ride that thrives on the chemistry between Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell, Nickelodeon’s golden era stars. Mitchell plays Ed, the hilariously clueless but good-hearted cashier of a small-time burger joint, while Thompson’s Dexter is the reluctant new hire with his own plan. Together, they take on a corporate fast food villain trying to shut them down.
Though it’s far from highbrow, Good Burger is packed with slapstick laughs, over-the-top performances, and quotable lines (“Welcome to Good Burger, home of the Good Burger…”). Director Brian Robbins leans into the absurdity, making it a cult favorite for anyone who grew up on '90s kids' TV.
The Help
Director: Tate Taylor
Cast: Viola Davis, Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2hr 26m
Rotten Tomatoes: 76% (Critics), 89% (Audience)
Set in 1960s Mississippi, The Help tells a powerful story of race, dignity, and quiet resistance through the eyes of the Black maids who cared for white families—and the young writer who dares to tell their stories. Emma Stone plays Skeeter, an aspiring journalist who interviews maids Aibileen (Viola Davis) and Minny (Octavia Spencer) about their experiences working in white households during the Jim Crow era.
Directed by Tate Taylor, the film mixes heartfelt drama with moments of levity and warmth. Though it has sparked debate over its perspective and portrayal of history, The Help remains a moving, accessible entry point into difficult conversations about race, courage, and the voices that too often go unheard.
Step Up
Director: Anne Fletcher
Cast: Channing Tatum, Jenna Dewan, Damaine Radcliff
Genre: Drama, Music, Romance
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1hr 44m
Rotten Tomatoes: 21% (Critics), 83% (Audience)
Step Up kicks off the dance movie franchise that turned Channing Tatum into a breakout star. He plays Tyler Gage, a rebellious street dancer who gets a second chance when he's forced to do community service at a performing arts school—where he meets Nora (Jenna Dewan), a disciplined ballet student in need of a new dance partner. Sparks fly both on and off the stage as they blend styles and learn from each other.
The dance sequences are electric, the soundtrack pulses with early-2000s energy, and the film’s heart lies in its underdog spirit. While critics weren’t won over, audiences embraced it for what it is: a feel-good romance with moves to spare.
Planet of the Apes
Director: Tim Burton
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth, Helena Bonham Carter
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2hr 0m
Rotten Tomatoes: 43% (Critics), 27% (Audience)
Based on the classic science fiction novel (which has been adapted for the screen on multiple occasions), Planet of the Apes tells the story of an astronaut (Mark Wahlberg) who crashes onto a planet ruled by apes where humans are subservient to the super-intelligent primates.
The special effects of 2001’s Planet of the Apes have held up exceptionally well over the last twenty-plus years. Sure, the CGI in the most recent reboots may be equally impressive, but there’s something to the tactile, handmade nature of Tim Burton’s super-detailed worldbuilding that really makes this version stand out. Just don’t think too hard about what the ending means.
Taken 2
Director: Olivier Megaton
Cast: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen
Genre: Action, Thriller
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1hr 32m
Rotten Tomatoes: 22% (Critics), 52% (Audience)
It turns out one of Liam Neeson’s "particular sets of skills" involves starring in a sequel to the hit 2008 action thriller Taken. This time around, ex-CIA agent Bryan Mills (Neeson) is defending himself and his family from the father of a man whose son was killed when Mills was rescuing his daughter. Turning the tables on Mills is definitely an interesting take on a sequel, since it effectively flips the first film on its head to have us imagine other vengeful fathers protecting their families. Of course, that sounds deeper than it is, because it’s an action sequel, but the point stands that having Neeson surveiled by attackers is an interesting way to showcase his talents as an action star.
Although critics weren’t kind to it (especially with such high hopes after its predecessor), the film still delivers on its promise of watching Neeson kick ass for an hour and a half.