Prime Video’s library is massive. Not only does the streaming service have its own original movies and shows, it contains hundreds of hours of licensed titles. And it's releasing new movies all the time, like The People We Hate at the Wedding and Catherine Called Birdy. The enormous amount of content can be a bit daunting, though, when you’re just trying to find something to watch on movie night.
Luckily Rotten Tomatoes can help by providing some guidance. The reviews aggregator issues scores for films based on what critics and audiences have to say. If you are looking for quality movies, you can seek out ones that are certified “fresh,” which means at least 60 percent of reviews are positive.
For an even more slam-dunk choice, you can watch a movie with a 90 percent score or higher — essentially an A grade. Here are five Prime Video original films that earned that achievement.
The Big Sick
This delightful and nuanced romantic comedy is based on the real-life courtship of comedian Kumail Nanjiani and wife Emily V. Gordon, who penned the script together. Nanjiani plays a version of himself, while Zoe Kazan takes on Emily's role.
Their budding romance is halted first by Kumail's expectation of an arranged marriage with a Pakistani woman of his parents' choice, then by Emily falling extremely ill. Kumail wants to win her back, but to do that, he first has to win over her parents (Ray Romano and Holly Hunter). We may know how it ends, but the journey to get there is worth watching
Genre: Romantic comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%
Stream it on Prime Video
Love & Friendship
Jane Austen is one of the most frequently adapted authors, and it’s easy to see why. Her novels are wonderfully witty in their portraits of the foibles of human beings. The fizzy, crackling adaptation of Austen’s early epistolary work Lady Susan features a magnetic performance by Kate Beckinsale as a recently widowed lady who uses her charms (and some other, more wicked tactics) to ensnare a new husband. His only qualification is that he must be rich.
Her plan is complicated by the fact that she's having an affair with a married man. It's a blast watching Beckinsale ratchet up her powers of flirtation as she pursues a clueless suitor. And Chloe Sevigny is perfect as Lady Susan's droll American friend.
Genre: Period comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
Stream it on Prime Video
Sound of Metal
Riz Ahmed delivers a powerful, Oscar-nominated performance as Ruben, a metal drummer who begins to lose his hearing. It's a devastating development, because Ruben’s identity is wrapped up in playing and listening to music. His hearing loss upends his entire life and he spirals out of control, which threatens his years of sobriety.
His girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke) becomes concerned he may fall back into addiction and checks him into a rehab center for the deaf, where he grapples with his new normal with the support of leader Joe (Paul Raci, also an Oscar nominee) and fellow community members.
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Stream it on Prime Video
Sylvie’s Love
This good old-fashioned romantic melodrama calls to mind Douglas Sirk classics made during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Instead of Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman, two Black actors are the leads.
Set in the sultry summer of 1957 New York City, the story follows jazz saxophonist Robert (Nnamdi Asomugha) and record store worker Sylvie (Tessa Thompson). When he takes a part-time job at the store, they become friends. Soon, their relationship turns passionate. But their paths diverge when Sylvie pursues a career in television. Later, when they come back into each other’s orbit, they discover their feelings haven’t dimmed at all.
Genre: Romantic drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Stream it on Prime Video
Val
In his younger days, Val Kilmer was a clearly talented actor. He was also clearly intense, mercurial and difficult — the quintessential tortured artist. This documentary follows Kilmer’s life and career, using footage taken by himself and his brothers. It’s moving to see clips of the up-and-coming actor in movies like Top Gun, interspersed with interviews where the older Kilmer speaks through a voice box after a bout with throat cancer (as he does in a brief cameo in Top Gun: Maverick).
Don’t expect any hard-hitting segments about the alleged abusive behavior he exhibited on sets. This is a thoroughly nostalgic doc and a sentimental trip down memory lane for Kilmer.
Genre: Documentary
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
Stream it on Prime Video
Next: We've got the 7 best new movies to stream this week on Netflix, HBO Max and more. Star Wars' latest show is almost here, we've got all the Andor release date and time info. These 7 Disney Plus movies are 90% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes and these are the 7 best new Hulu movies that are 95% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes. Check them out. And here's how to watch New Amsterdam season 5 online.
