The selection of movies on Netflix is always in flux – movies arrive, and movies leave. Sometimes, the list of movies that are leaving Netflix is more dramatic than others, and in December 2023, it includes some of the best Netflix movies.
You got flicks from some of the biggest and best names to ever sit behind a camera – Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Jordan Peele, and more – in this list. In fact, there's a good chance you've been wanting to see some of these movies, maybe even putting them off for a rerun of The Office or trying to keep up with the MCU (look we're all guilty). Well, now's the time to remedy that – we've picked eight movies you shouldn't miss, including five with over 90% ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, and three more that are bona fide classics that really should have that high a rating from critics.
Spanning comedies, crime dramas, World War II, psychological horrors and an epic bio-pic with the most swear words to grace the big screen, you'll find it difficult to not find something to your taste. Here are the Netflix movies you should watch before they leave in December 2023.
Us
Netflix leaving date: December 31, 2023
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 93%
Sandwiched in between the captivating Get Out and the unsettling Nope, Us is the closest director Jordan Peele has come to straight-up horror. Starring Lupita Nyong'o and Winston Duke (who both appeared in Black Panther), the narrative follows a family on vacation that makes an unexpected discovery when a strange other family appears on their driveway. The less we say about this one, the better. it's just not for anyone who counts themselves as squeamish.
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Netflix leaving date: January 1, 2024
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 66%
Will Ferrell headlines this satirical comedy about a news team in 1970s San Diego that has to adapt their "work-hard, party-harder" lifestyle when a female reporter joins. Before turning to drama, this was Adam McKay's directorial debut, and it became an instant classic, and endlessly quoted. The all-star cast includes Ferrell's vain and imperious Ron Burgundy, Paul Rudd's sex-crazed Brian Fantana, Christine Applegate's quick-witted Veronica Corningstone, Steve Carrell's intelligence-challenged Brick Tamland, and a murderer's row of bit-part comedic greats. You stay classy, San Diego.
Catch Me If You Can
Netflix leaving date: January 1, 2024
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 96%
Biographical films don't get better than this. Frank Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) runs away from home at age 16 with less than $25 to his name. To make ends meet, he begins forging cheques and impersonates an airline pilot, which starts a life of impersonation and forgery that puts FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks) on his trail. With superb performances, nonstop pacing and one hell of an emotional punch at its core, Catch Me If You Can is a captivating tale about trying to outrun your past.
Jaws
Netflix leaving date: January 1, 2024
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 97%
Jaws is a masterpiece in every sense of the word, making director Steven Spielberg a household name and, at the time of its release in 1975, became the highest-grossing film of all time. And, of course terrorizing the thoughts of millions as they enter the ocean ever since with a minimalist theme from John Williams.
Lost in Translation
Netflix leaving date: January 1, 2024
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 97%
Scarlett Johansson plays a conflicted newlywed who crosses paths with a lonely movie star portrayed by Bill Murray in Tokyo, Japan. A melancholy tale that balances its chaotic cinematography of the neon streets with the quieter elements of the Park Hyatt Hotel to great effect. It's a simple story in many ways, yet you'll be hard-pressed to find one with such natural beauty.
Saving Private Ryan
Netflix leaving date: January 1, 2024
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 94%
A Spielberg marathon might be in order with the number of his films leaving Netflix. Just make sure to leave enough room for this near-three-hour war epic that accompanies a group of US soldiers dispatched to locate the last-surviving member of a family that's already lost three brothers in the way. From its infamously intense opening Omaha landing scene, Saving Private Ryan is a scarily realistic depiction of the grimness of war and those who sacrificed themselves for the greater good.
Scarface
Netflix leaving date: January 1, 2024
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 79%
"Say hello to my little friend", says a wounded Tony Montana in one of the most iconic lines of dialogue in cinema. Al Pacino's portrayal of a Cuban refugee turned Miami drug lord is wonderfully over the top, making Scarface an entertaining watch of rags to riches still 40 years on.
The Wolf of Wall Street
Netflix leaving date: January 1, 2024
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 80%
Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese have made quite a partnership over the last 21 years, from Gangs of New York to their latest collaboration in Killers of the Flower Moon. The pair's most successful (at least in financial terms) is The Wolf of Wall Street, a three-hour escapade about debauchery, crime, corruption and the rise and fall of one stockbroker who wanted to make it big. It's remarkably based on the true-life story of Jordan Belfort, and is remarkably tame in comparison to the book, if you fancy learning more. Not to mention, this is the film that introduced Margot Robbie to international audiences.
