Thanks to the glorious merger with Discovery+, newly-renamed streaming service HBO Max has so much media that you could spend hours scrolling through all the options. But by the time you do that, you’ll probably give up and resign yourself to re-watching Sex and the City again. To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with that, but you’d be missing out on several great cinematic experiences, including some of the finest films ever made. Seriously!
While Max is known for having some amazing limited series, especially as of late — The Last of Us, The White Lotus, Mare of Easttown, The Undoing, to name just a few — it’s also a prime destination for movies. (It originated as Home Box Office, after all.) So let us be your guide to the best movies on HBO Max this month, in no particular order. And if you don’t have an HBO Max account already, you’ll be convinced it’s worth the investment after reading this.
The 10 Best Movies on HBO Max Right Now
Fight Club
A deeply jaded man (Edward Norton) suffering from insomnia meets a slippery soap salesman named Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) and soon finds himself living in Tyler’s squalid house. When the two form an underground club, they quickly begin to connect with other fed up men. But their friendship frays when Marla (Helena Bonham Carter) attracts Tyler’s attention.
I am Not Your Negro
If you’re in the mood for a searing documentary, there’s no better choice than this pick from Raoul Peck. In 1979, James Baldwin wrote a letter describing his next project, “Remember This House.” The book was to be a personal account of the lives and assassinations of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. At the time of Baldwin’s death, he left behind only 30 completed pages of this manuscript. Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished.
Parasite
In this Oscar-winning thriller, greed and class discrimination threaten the newly formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy yet gullible Park family and the crafty yet destitute Kim clan.
Casino
In 1970s Las Vegas, low-level mobster Sam “Ace” Rothstein (Robert De Niro) scores a plum position running the Tangiers Casino. At first he’s living the dream, but eventually, issues with his hot-headed enforcer Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci), his ex-hustler wife Ginger (Sharon Stone), her con-artist ex Lester Diamond (James Woods) and some corrupt politicians put Sam in increasing danger.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Craving slightly campy, old-school sci-fi horror? This 1978 remake is one of the best of the genre. a San Francisco health inspector and his colleague discover that humans across San Francisco are being replaced by alien duplicates; each is a perfect biological clone of the person replaced, but devoid of empathy and humanity.
Spaceballs
In this Mel Brooks classic space opera, planet Spaceball has depleted its air supply. In desperation, Spaceball’s President Skroob (Mel Brooks) orders the evil Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis) to kidnap Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga) of oxygen-rich Druidia. But help soon arrives in the form of renegade space pilot Lone Starr (Bill Pullman) and half-dog partner, Barf (John Candy).
Parthenope (June 6)
This coming-of-age drama follows Parthenope, a young woman looking for love in the hot summers and endless nights in Naples, Italy. As she falls for the city’s many unforgettable characters, she finds herself embroiled in adventures that make up a lifetime.
Cleaner (June 13)
Set in contemporary London, a group of radical activists crash an energy company’s annual gala, seizing 300 hostages in order to expose the corruption of the hosts. Their cause is hijacked by an extremist within their ranks, who is ready to kill to send his anarchic message to the world. It falls to an ex-soldier turned window cleaner (Daisy Ridley) suspended 50 stories up on the outside of the building, to save the hostages.
Enigma (June 24)
Seeking a documentary worthy of a Pride Month celebration? Exploring transgender identity and chronicling the paths of iconic pioneers like April Ashley and Amanda Lear, filmmaker Zackary Drucker reveals the disparate but intertwined stories of women whose lives helped shape trans culture and history. Their experiences, varied and complex, highlight the costs associated with living their truths and explore what is gained and lost by defining their identities.
My Mom Jane (June 27)
Mariska Hargitay was three years old when her mother, Jayne Mansfield, perished in a car accident at the age of 34. The film follows Hargitay as she seeks to understand and embrace her mother for the first time. Through intimate interviews and a collection of never-before-seen photos and home movies, Hargitay grapples with her mother’s public and private legacy and discovers the layers and depth of who Jayne was, not only to her audience but to those who were closest to her.
Not finding what you’re craving? Sign up for HBO Max for even more options.
