In the era of streaming, it can be surprisingly hard to find the movies you want to watch. If you aren’t paying for the right platform, you may not have access. That’s why free streamers are extremely helpful right now and, as it turns out, they’ve got pretty deep catalogs.
Pluto TV in particular has several shows and movies that are currently not streaming elsewhere — you’ll find a few of them on this list. But they also have some old favorites that are indeed elsewhere, but free to watch here. So, we went through and picked out some of the most exciting options Pluto TV has this month.
Here are the seven best movies streaming free on Pluto TV in July.
The Matrix
For a while there, it was impossible to find “The Matrix” streaming anywhere. If you didn’t own a physical copy of it, you were simply out of luck. Now, it’s streaming on Pluto TV, and I’d recommend you take advantage of it.
That’s partly because nothing streams forever, and certainly not in one spot, so if you’re dead set against physical media (to each their own, but why would you be?). But it’s also because it’s an important piece of pop culture to see if you somehow haven’t. If you’ve ever used the phrase “red-pilled” without knowing where it came from, well, it’s this.
Keanu Reeves stars as Neo, a computer hacker who learns that humanity is unknowingly trapped inside the Matrix, a simulated reality created by intelligent machines. Once he learns the truth, he’s recruited into a rebellion against the machines.
It’s a pivotal film in the sci-fi genre, thanks to its effects and action scenes, and is just very good.
Love Lies Bleeding
If there’s one actor right now who really deserves to be in more and appreciated more, it’s Katy O’Brian. She’s just reliably great, and here, she stars alongside Kristen Stewart.
O’Brian plays a bodybuilder in town for a competition, while Stewart plays the manager of the gym she’s training at. The two quickly fall in love, and their relationship is intense. Things take a dark turn when a man is murdered, though, and the two women have to figure out how to avoid any trouble, and messy family members (there’s a lot of spoiler territory here to avoid, so pardon the vagueness).
What you need to know that this is a dark thriller, and a good watch.
Marie Antoinette
Earlier this month, it was revealed that Mubi is releasing “Making Marie Antoinette,” a behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of Sofia Coppola’s (eventually) seminal film “Marie Antoinette.” The footage was first recorded back in 2005, by Coppola’s mother Eleanor. So, why not visit the movie that inspired this?
“Marie Antoinette” moved over to stream on Pluto TV this month, and stars Kirsten Dunst as the titular Queen Consort. It was originally released in 2006, and marked Coppola’s follow-up to “Lost in Translation.” It’s not your typical historical film, though. This was a pop take on the young Antoinette, taking a modern approach to the story.
At the time of its release, the film was met with split reviews and disappointing box office returns, but has since become a bit of a cult classic. So, which camp do you land in? There’s really only one way to find out for sure.
You’ve Got Mail
We’re still a little ways out from the proper Fall season, which is when “You’ve Got Mail” tends to hit the hardest, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work a little early. Especially as we’re in an age where meeting someone online looks very different, this works as a fun throwback to when things were simpler.
The rom-com stars Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, who are professional rivals and hate each other quite strongly. What they don’t know is that they’ve also been chatting online and slowly falling for each other. When they finally realize what’s happened, they must figure out if they can put aside their professional differences to make a relationship work.
Nora Ephron proved long ago that she’s an expert in this genre, thanks in large part to this very movie. It’s a feel-good watch, and those are always needed.
Hook
“Hook” may not be high on our ranking of Steven Spielberg’s films — it’s not even high on the director’s own ranking of his work, as he’s openly criticized this film — but honestly, I’d still recommend it any day, especially to lovers of Robin Williams and/or Peter Pan.
Here, Williams plays Peter Banning, a very grown-up workaholic, who’s turned into a pretty bad dad. But, when his children are kidnapped by Captain Hook (yes, the Captain Hook, played here delightfully by a committed Dustin Hoffman), Peter must save his kids and remember that he is actually Peter Pan.
It’s an imaginative take on the story, taking place in a world that Spielberg built well. You can tell just how much of the sets are practical, and it does make you wish that more movies still did this. Is it the peak of Spielberg’s abilities? No. Is “Hook” mired in horror stories? Yes.
Even so, it’s kind of bangarang.
Does Spielberg Need Gen Z?
Good Will Hunting
You could say this is in here because of “The Odyssey,” but really, it’s just a generally good movie at any time. But yes, thanks to “The Odyssey,” we did get Matt Damon reflecting on “Good Will Hunting” recently, so now’s a more prime moment for a rewatch.
The film follows Will Hunting (Damon), a self-taught genius who’s working as a janitor at MIT. When Will and his friends get in a fight with his childhood bully and their friends, he agrees to avoid jail time by studying under an MIT professor who’s figured him out, and go therapy with psychologist Sean Maguire (Williams). The two develop a deep respect for one another, turning into an unexpected friendship.
“Good Will Hunting” is a pivotal film in Damon and Ben Affleck’s careers, winning them several Oscars, and it’s easy to spot why when you watch it.
Memento
Thanks to “The Odyssey,” the current debate among cinephiles right now is the proper ranking of Christopher Nolan’s films. We’ll let you decide on your picks alone, but we’ll also recommend watching “Memento” on Pluto TV this month. Similar to “The Matrix,” this one was a bit hard to track down on streaming for a bit.
It centers on Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce), a man with anterograde amnesia, which means he can’t form new long-term memories. He’s hellbent on finding the person who’s responsible for giving him this condition, as they also killed his wife, so he uses an elaborate system of photos, notes and actual tattoos on his body to try and find him.
It’s a master class in non-linear storytelling, and one that’s even inspired recent Marvel projects. So if you’re in the mood for a capital M movie, “Memento” will get the job done.
