Spring is here, and the best streaming services are blooming with options for what to watch. But with so many great new movies on offer, narrowing down what's worth adding to your watchlist can turn into a real headscratcher.
Netflix's top-10 list of the most-watched movies is as good a way to cut through the noise as any, but not everything that makes the cut is guaranteed to be a winner. Just look at "Geostorm," a by-the-numbers disaster flick with a whopping 18% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes that's been fermenting there for the past few weeks.
That's why we regularly keep a close eye on the Netflix top 10 to spotlight the three best movies that are actually worth the hype. Leading the pack this weekend is a hit new buddy comedy that critics are raving about, a surprisingly heartfelt romantic drama we consider among the best Netflix No. 1 movies this year, and a romcom that's pure comfort food if you like enemies-to-lovers drama.
None of these picks strike your fancy? Be sure to check out our guide to everything new on Netflix this month for even more streaming recommendations.
Now let’s dive into the three must-watch movies in Netflix’s top 10.
This article is based on Netflix's top 10 movies list in the U.S. as of 11:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 12.
Best movies in the Netflix top 10
'One of Them Days' (2025)
Keke Palmer and SZA's buddy comedy "One of Them Days" rocketed to the top of Netflix's top 10 after landing on the streamer at the start of the month. And having watched it recently, I can see why. It's a hoot and a half; one joke about a tumble-weave nearly made me spit out my drink.
Directed by Lawrence Lamont, it follows two broke besties, Dreux (Palmer) and Alyssa (SZA), who find their backs against the wall when Alyssa's boyfriend Keshawn (Joshua Neal) runs off with their rent money. Their landlord gives them until 6 p.m. to come up with the $1,500 they owe him, or they're out on the streets.
Cue the chaos as the two scramble to get the cash by any means necessary, pissing off a major gang banger in the process. Though alongside the laughs, of which there are plenty, threaded throughout is a surprisingly heartfelt message about sticking with your found family despite what messiness may come.
Despite being an R-rated comedy, which don’t tend to get much love from critics, "One of Them Days" is killing it with a 94% critics score and a 90% audience rating on the Popcornmeter. Palmer and SZA are hilarious together, and if you’re into comedies with a lot of heart, this one’s definitely worth watching.
Watch it now on Netflix
'The Life List' (2025)
"I just watched this movie called 'The Life List' on Netflix and I think you will love it and it will make you cry," is the text I woke up to this morning from a friend. Little did she know, I'd already watched it — and, yes, cried my eyes out.
Netflix's latest romantic drama is a surprisingly charming movie that I wasn't expecting to be the emotional gut punch that it was. Adapted from the best-selling novel by Lori Nelson Spielman, it stars "Carry On" and "Purple Hearts" actress Sofia Carson as Alex Rose, a once-aspiring teacher now stuck in a rut working at her mother's (Connie Britton) cosmetics company. After her mom passes away from cancer, Alex faces an unexpected challenge to get her inheritance: She must complete her childhood bucket list.
Reluctantly, she sets out to tick off each item, from teaching at a woman's shelter to taking the stage at an open mic night. Along the way, she uncovers family secrets and learns to embrace life in new, surprising ways. Things get even more complicated when sparks fly between her and the young, eager attorney named Brad (Kyle Allen) overseeing her mother's estate — and her progress by extension.
Watch it now on Netflix
‘The Hating Game' (2021)
I hemmed and hawed about including this one (Two romcoms? Really?), but "The Hating Game" has taken Netflix by storm. Since it arrived on the streamer last week, it's shot to the #5 spot on Netflix's top 10 list.
If you're a sucker for enemies-to-lovers tension and slow-burn stares across a shared desk, you're in for a treat. Based on Sally Thorne’s bestselling novel, "The Hating Game" follows Lucy Hutton (Lucy Hale) and Joshua Templeman (Austin Stowell), two ambitious executive assistants who are suddenly forced to share an office after their publishing companies merge.
The two become locked in a cutthroat (and hilarious) game of office one-upmanship — until things start heating up in ways neither of them saw coming. It’s pure rom-com comfort food, delivering all the charm, banter, and swoony moments you'd expect.
Watch it now on Netflix
Netflix top 10 movies right now
1. "The Croods" (2013)
2. "One of Them Days" (2025)
3. "The Life List" (2025)
4. "Lucy" (2014)
5. "The Hating Game" (2021)
6. "Despicable Me 4" (2024)
7. "The Dark Knight" (2008)
8. "Geostorm" (2017)
9. "The Dad Quest" (2025)
10. "Matilda" (1996)
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