One of my favorite things about Prime Video is its appreciation for classic movies. While its biggest streaming rival, Netflix, typically focuses on new originals, with even its library additions largely from the 21st century, the Amazon-owned platform often celebrates film history by adding movies to its catalog old enough to be nearing retirement age.
I track the new additions to Prime Video every month, and I’m always on the lookout for classic movies. You know, movies that have stood the ultimate test of time, and some of which are even presented in glorious black and white (very much a positive in my books). While the new additions in January 2025 aren’t as bountiful as in previous months, I’ve still managed to find a small handful of classic movies worth adding to your watchlist this week.
Even better, all the picks on this list have scored at least 90% or higher on the aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, which isn’t strictly a guarantee they will appeal to your personal tastes but is a useful metric for gauging a general consensus. So, without further introduction, these are the undisputed classic movies added to Prime Video this month.
‘Some Like It Hot’ (1959)
To lovers of classic cinema, there aren’t many trios bigger than Billy Wilder, Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe, and “Some Like It Hot” boasts all three of them. This crime caper is a farcical adventure that faced both backlash but also acclaim upon release (it would go on to be nominated for six Oscars and preserved in the National Film Registry). Controversial for its inclusion of cross-dressing, “Some Like It Hot” was nevertheless a huge box office financial success in the 1950s, and to this day remains one of Monroe’s best love movies.
The flick follows two musicians, Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon), who must escape Chicago as soon as possible after witnessing a Valentine’s Day shooting committed by a group of gangsters. With limited options, they’re forced to join an all-girls trope heading to Flordia. Donning disguises to conceal their identities, they meet Sugar Kane Kowalczyk (Monroe) and Joe becomes determined to win her heart. Meanwhile, Jerry is courted by a clueless businessman. Soon enough the gangsters arrive on the scene and things escalate further.
Rotten Tomatoes 95%
Stream it on Prime Video
‘In The Heat Of The Night’ (1967)
Oscar nomination week makes for a fitting time to watch “In the Heat of the Night” as this 1967 crime drama movie won Best Picture (and four other Oscars) at the 40th Academy Awards. Another National Film Registry inductee, and based on the 1965 novel of the same name by John Ball, it’s one of Sidney Poitier’s finest flicks, and much of the mystery genre owes a debt of gratitude to the movie for crafting a pathway even modern films follow.
Virgil Tibbs (Poitier) is an African-American police detective who is wrongly arrested under suspicion of murder by a Mississippi police chief, Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger). After proving his innocence, Tibbs is compelled to assist Gillespie in tracking down the real killer. As their investigation brings them closer to the truth, they make new enemies but also develop a strong bond as Bill reconsiders his personal prejudices. Most remarkably “In the Heat of the Night” explores racism in America without ever falling into stereotypes.
Rotten Tomatoes 95%
Stream it on Prime Video
‘Something Wild’ (1986)
“Something Wild” may be more recent than the two picks above but with a classic Hollywood spirit and set to celebrate its 40th birthday next year, I think this Jonathan Demme comedy thriller has earned its stripes and deserves to be ranked alongside the two golden era picks above. Starring Melanie Griffith, Jeff Daniels and Ray Liotta, this flick has even been compared to the works of Alfred Hitchcock and was awarded a near-perfect score by the world’s most celebrated movie critic, Roger Ebert.
Charles Driggs (Daniels) is an uptight investment banker whose life takes a turn for the wild when he meets Lulu (Griffith), a free-spirit with a criminal streak. Accepting a ride from this mysterious and alluring stranger, Charles finds himself whisked away on a madcap road trip to visit Lulu’s mother and attend her high school reunion. But the fun becomes a little more frightening when Lulu’s violent ex-husband Ray (Liotta) makes it clear he wants her back.
Rotten Tomatoes 91%
Stream it on Prime Video
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