You don’t need a paid subscription to find good movies to stream. YouTube has plenty of films available now for free, including a great Steven Spielberg film, a delightful horror musical and one of the all-time greatest Jane Austen adaptations.
Here are the seven best movies streaming free on YouTube in May.
“Catch Me If You Can”
There have been a few times when Steven Spielberg decided to grace audiences with two films in a single year. In 2002, the legendary filmmaker released the double feature of “Catch Me If You Can” and “Minority Report” months apart. Both films are phenomenal and worthy of acclaim — one focused more on the filmmaker’s action side, the other on his sentimentality. As “Catch Me If You Can” proves, Spielberg knows how to make sentimentality more exciting than almost anyone else.
“Child’s Play”
Directed by Tom Holland (no, not that one), “Child’s Play” introduced audiences to one of the all-time great slashers: the serial-killer-turned-doll Chucky. The story, scribed by Holland, Don Mancini and John Lafia, feels fresh to this day, building to a phenomenal reveal scene and unleashing from there. There’s a reason this character has endured for decades.
“Little Shop of Horrors”
If you’re excited for “Spaceballs: The New One” and the long-awaited return of Rick Moranis to the big screen, now is the perfect time to revisit “Little Shop of Horrors.” This musical directed by Frank Oz adapts Howard Ashman’s 1982 musical of the same name (itself an adaptation of Roger Corman and Charles B. Griffith’s 1960 horror comedy “The Little Shop of Horrors”). With delightful songs, fun performances and the incredible puppet creation of Audrey II, “Little Shop of Horrors” belongs among the movie musical hall of fame.
“Pitch Perfect”
“Pitch Perfect” made A cappella into a big-screen phenomenon. Jason Moore’s comedy, written by Kay Cannon, takes the trappings of the college film genre to portray the larger-than-life contest of the International Collegiate A Cappella Championship. The music is great, the humor lands and the film is a delight all the way through.
“Pride & Prejudice” (2005)
Sometimes you need a good swoon. Jane Austen is back in the news this year, with a Netflix “Pride and Prejudice” adaptation and a cinematic “Sense and Sensibility” feature both on the way. This makes it the perfect time to circle back to Joe Wright’s 2005 “Pride & Prejudice” film (written by Deborah Moggach), one of the best Austen adaptations to date. The film is boosted by luscious cinematography from Roman Osin, gorgeous costumes from Jacqueline Durran and strong performances, particularly from Keira Knightley and Donald Sutherland.
“The Silence of the Lambs”
Only three films in history have won the “Big Five” at the Academy Awards, taking home prizes for Best Original/Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director and, of course, Best Picture. “It Happened One Night” achieved the milestone early, picking up the five statues at the 7th Academy Awards. It was later followed by “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and, eventually, “The Silence of the Lambs.”
“The Silence of the Lambs” beat the odds in many ways to meet this landmark. It’s not often that a horror or thriller wins top prizes at the Oscars, especially Best Picture. Despite winning in the leading actor category, Anthony Hopkins famously has a relatively small amount of screentime. The film got a few precursor awards, but places like the Golden Globes and BAFTAs passed it up for several of the top prizes.
This big win speaks to the immense quality of Jonathan Demme’s thriller, adapting Thomas Harris’ book of the same name with a screenplay from Ted Tally. It’s a fantastic, lasting film, and a great Best Picture winner.
“The Truman Show”
Peter Weir’s “The Truman Show,” written by Andrew Niccol, feels more modern every day. The thrilling dramedy follows Jim Carrey as Truman Burbank, a man who doesn’t realize he lives in a fictional town at the center of a massively popular reality show. Carrey delivers one of his best performances in this film, which mixes eeriness, humor and introspection seemingly with ease.
