We have another month of fantastic movies new to HBO Max! The first day of May saw plenty of great movies drop on HBO Max, plus there's a late-April arrival that can't be skipped. These additions to the library are part of why we believe it's the best streaming service. One of my personal favorites on this list is Blue Valentine, a drama about the struggles of a couple that may not be able to make it work.
So while we curate our list of the best HBO Max movies already available, we take this moment to go through the list of what's new on HBO Max to find the best recent arrivals. And then we use their Rotten Tomatoes scores to help ensure your next movie night features a winner.
The reviews aggregator provides a numerical score that reflects the overall views of critics. We've narrowed down our picks to the movies with 85% ratings or higher, signifying that they've earned a strong consensus among the taste-makers.
Here are the most critically-beloved new to HBO Max movies to stream right now.
Blue Valentine (2010)
A love story told out of order, Blue Valentine follows the ups and downs of Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams)'s relationship. But before you hit play, know that this is not a first (or second) date movie. Blue Valentine shows how and why their love blossoms and turns sour, all while suggesting that their bond may never be saved.
Hailed for fantastic performances by Gosling and Williams, Blue Valentine won praise for its relentlessly honest portrayal of Dean and Cindy's flaws. Dean, in particular, is not exactly a hero, but Gosling plays him so perfectly you might wind up rooting for him to stop undercutting their situation.
Arrived on HBO Max on: May 1
Rotten Tomatoes score: 86%
Genre: Romance/drama
Stream it on HBO Max
Parasite (2019)
Director Bong Joon-ho's Parasite was the biggest word-of-mouth hit of 2019, as the Korean director reminded film-lovers around the world that he's a titan of the art form.
A class-warfare tale of two families, Parasite follows the downtrodden Kim family as they find ways to infiltrate the excessively rich Park family's life in their gorgeous modern house. It's not like the Kim family, led by the scheming patriarch (Song Kang-ho), has many other options. I don't see you wanting to live a life where you scramble to find free Wi-Fi because you can't pay the Internet bills.
But what starts off as a brilliant comedy of errors and failures turns into a tense nightmare, as the Kims get too comfortable in the Park home. The discovery of a third family's involvement in the house leads to further chaos and bloody mayhem.
Arrived on HBO Max on: May 1
Rotten Tomatoes score: 99%
Genre: Comedy/thriller
Stream it on HBO Max
Moonage Daydream (2022)
The singular David Bowie — who's gone from Aladdin Sane to The Thin White Duke to Ziggy Stardust and beyond — could not be properly served by a straightforward documentary. This is why we're happy to report that director Brett Morgen made Moonage Daydream as trippy as Bowie's own career.
Archival footage and interviews blend with Bowie's own personal poetry and artwork in a video collage. Critics laud Moonage Daydream as an experience worthy of Bowie, as if you're walking through a living museum of his career.
Arrived on HBO Max on: April 29
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
Genre: Music documentary
Stream it on HBO Max
Calvary (2014)
If you love Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees of Inisherin), you better not have slept on 2017's Calvary. Father James Lavelle (Gleeson) is dealing with a very complicated situation: a parishioner's confession came with a death threat and the revelation of a rape. This conversation creates uncertainty in every moment he shares with the people of his community, as he tries to figure out who's hunting him.
Throughout Calvary, the biggest surprise that writer/director John Michael McDonagh provides is the sense of humor used to keep the film from succumbing to its own gloom. Artfully told, and featuring a fantastic cast including Chris O'Dowd, Kelly Reilly, Aiden Gillen and Dylan Moran, Calvary is the latest piece of proof that HBO Max knows how to pick great movies.
Arrived on HBO Max on: May 1
Rotten Tomatoes score: 89%
Genre: Drama
Stream it on HBO Max
As Tears Go By (1988)
Wong Kar-wai's feature film debut finds Wah (Andy Lau), a Chinese gangster, dealing with far too many small fires to stay in this underworld. Not only does his subordinate (Jacky Cheung) struggle in their line of business, causing problems for them both, but the emergence of a long-lost cousin (Maggie Cheung) he's never met raises plenty of questions.
While Tears Gone By is clearly the director's first work, critics commended it for the first signs of his signature style and panache.
Arrived on HBO Max on: May 1
Rotten Tomatoes score: 85%
Genre: Crime drama
Stream it on HBO Max
Paper Moon (1973)
Paper Moon is credited for how far one can take an odd premise, as a con-artist named Moses (Ryan O'Neal) and a nine-year-old named Addie (Tatum O'Neal) become friends after meeting at her mother's graveside service. The two then travel from Kansas to Missouri, under the premise of bringing little orphan Addie to her aunt. Soon enough, though, Moses realizes that his small travel companion is as clever as he is, and the two run cons together.
Not only was Paper Moon applauded for the strong performances of the real-life father-daughter duo, but Tatum won an Oscar for her turn as Addie. Critics saluted director Peter Bogdanovich for how the film packs so much charm.
Arrived on HBO Max on: May 1
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Genre: Comedy
Stream it on HBO Max
Some Like It Hot (1959)
Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon star alongside Marilyn Monroe in this classic comedy film. Joe (Curtis) and Jerry (Lemmon) are musicians on the run from the mob, who don drag and become 'Josephine' and 'Daphne' to hide in an all-female band. But the two still manage to create complexity, as they both obsess over Sugar (Monroe) a vocalist and ukulele player they meet on the run.
Still worth watching today, Some Like it Hot stacks joke upon joke as its plot speeds away on a train to Miami. Lemmon won points with critics for his delivery, and director Billy Wilder is credited for how the film stays breezy and fun.
Arrived on HBO Max on: May 1
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
Genre: Comedy
Stream it on HBO Max
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