The festive season is now well and truly upon us, and while TV channels are (unsurprisingly) playing the best Christmas movies on repeat, the best free streaming services are offering plenty of non-festive features for film fans to enjoy.
Below, I’ve highlighted some of the best movies to stream on Tubi, Pluto TV, Plex, and more this December – from box office-smashing comedies to underrated fantasy adventures.
1) Barbie (Tubi)
Release date: July 2023
Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%
Length: 114 minutes
Director: Greta Gerwig
Main cast: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon
It’s official: Barbie – the highest-grossing movie of 2023 and the most successful Warner Bros. movie of all time – is now streaming for free on Tubi.
Greta Gerwig’s subversive satire centers on an inquisitive Barbie doll (played by Margot Robbie) whose colorful and seemingly perfect existence is called into question following a trip to the (decidedly less perfect) real world. Barbie came to HBO Max and Prime Video earlier this year, but it’s never been available to stream for free until now.
2) The Running Man (1987) (Pluto TV)
Release date: November 1987
Rotten Tomatoes score: 59%
Length: 101 minutes
Director: Paul Michael Glaser
Main cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, María Conchita Alonso, Yaphet Kotto, Richard Dawson
Edgar Wright’s The Running Man reboot is currently playing in theaters, and the Arnold Schwarzenegger-led original is now streaming for free on Pluto TV.
Adapted from the 1982 novel of the same name by Stephen King, The Running Man follows a falsely convicted police officer (Schwarzenegger) who must compete in a deadly TV game show to win back his freedom. Sure, it doesn’t hold a candle to The Terminator or even Predator, but this is still an undeniably entertaining slice of 80s sci-fi action.
3) The Green Knight (Plex)
Release date: July 2021
Rotten Tomatoes score: 89%
Length: 125 minutes
Director: David Lowery
Main cast: Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, Sarita Choudhury
Attention, fantasy fans: David Lowery’s The Green Knight is now streaming for free on Plex.
This artsy adaptation of the titular Arthurian legend stars Dev Patel as Sir Gawain, a courageous knight who embarks on a journey across medieval England to confront a mysterious green giant (Ralph Ineson). I actually spoke to director David Lowery and star Ralph Ineson ahead of the film’s release in 2021, so check out that interview afterwards for the inside track on how The Green Knight was made.
4) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Pluto TV)
Release date: May 1989
Rotten Tomatoes score: 84%
Length: 127 minutes
Director: Steven Spielberg
Main cast: Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Denholm Elliott, Alison Doody
I’ve recommended Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in one of these lists before, and now that the film has returned to Pluto TV, I’m quite happy to do so again.
The Last Crusade finds Harrison Ford’s titular adventurer teaming up with his father (Sean Connery) in search of the Holy Grail. The film has bucketloads of heart, humor, and globe-trotting action, and while Raiders of the Lost Ark is undoubtedly the most iconic film in the franchise, The Last Crusade is, for me, the best Indiana Jones movie of the lot.
5) Crazy, Stupid, Love (Samsung TV Plus)
Release date: July 2011
Rotten Tomatoes score: 80%
Length: 118 minutes
Director: Glenn Ficarra & John Requa
Main cast: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Marisa Tomei
If you’re in the mood for a good old-fashioned rom-com this December, look no further than Crazy, Stupid, Love, which is now streaming for free on Samsung TV Plus.
This infinitely re-watchable drama stars Steve Carell as Cal, a soon-to-be divorcee who gets a crash course in pickup artistry from serial womanizer Jacob (Ryan Gosling). Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, and Kevin Bacon also star in Crazy, Stupid, Love, which is worth a watch for the garden scene alone (if you’ve seen the movie, you know what I’m talking about).
The best TVs for all budgets
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axel.metz@futurenet.com (Axel Metz)
