The 20 best PG-13 movies streaming on Netflix in August 2024 (2024)

Always Be My Maybe (2019)

Most people would rather avoid running into their high-school sweetheart, but Sasha Tran (Ali Wong) and Marcus Kim (Randall Park) — childhood friends–turned–one-time fling–turned–strangers — don't get that choice. Now a thirtysomething celebrity chef, Sasha returns to San Francisco to open a new restaurant and crosses paths with Marcus, who shows up to install her air conditioning in her interim home. With sparks still flying 15 years later, they decide to give their friendship a second go (and, well, you can guess where it goes from there).

Directed by Fresh Off the Boat's creator, Nahnatchka Khan, Always Be My Maybe is a sharply written, self-aware rom-com that offers multi-dimensional Asian American representation, fabulous fashion, and sizzling chemistry between Park and Wong. (Plus, you get to see Keanu Reeves in a rom-com for the first time since 2009's The Private Lives of Pippa Lee.) —James Mercadante

Where to watch Always Be My Maybe: Netflix

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Nahnatchka Khan

Cast: Ali Wong, Randall Park, Daniel Dae Kim, James Saito, Michelle Buteau, Vivian Bang, Keanu Reeves

Related content: Ali Wong and Randall Park talk Always Be My Maybe, D'Angelo, and romance

A Man Called Otto (2022)

Grumpy widower Otto (Tom Hanks) has a reputation for being his neighborhood's pariah, but when a family moves next door to him, and the pregnant matriarch (Mariana Treviño) refuses to enable his nonsense, he begins to open up. Getting to know his neighbors leads Otto to unexpected paths, from adopting a cat to fighting with a clown. A heartwarming tale of an unlikely friendship, A Man Called Otto stresses the importance of letting people in, even at the risk of losing them in the future. —Madeline Cisneros

Where to watch A Man Called Otto: Netflix

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Marc Forster

Cast: Tom Hanks, Truman Hanks, Mariana Treviño, Rachel Keller, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Mack Bayda

Related content: Tom Hanks: ‘I have been in some movies that I hate’

Captain Phillips (2013)

Inspired by the 2009 Maersk Alabama hijacking incident where four Somali pirates seized a U.S. cargo ship sailing through the Indian Ocean, Captain Phillips features a tour de force performance from Tom Hanks as Capt. Richard Phillips, a man who stands his ground armed only with his thick Massachusetts accent. Meanwhile, then-newcomer Barkhad Abdi, who plays the desperate hijacker leading the raid on Phillips' ship, balances violence with vulnerability in an Oscar-nominated turn.

The kind of film where you find yourself rooting for the heroes while still empathizing with the villains, Captain Phillips' actors and script are tough enough to navigate the most dangerous waters. —Ilana Gordon

Where to watch Captain Phillips: Netflix

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Paul Greengrass

Cast: Tom Hanks, Catherine Keener, Barkhad Abdi

Related content: Captain Phillips: An Oscar deep dive

Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

Singapore is a small country with a big thirst for gossip — at least as it pertains to the extravagantly wealthy families on the island in Crazy Rich Asians. And nobody there is considered a more eligible bachelor than Nick Young (Henry Golding), who left for the States years ago and is now returning to attend a friend’s wedding along with his girlfriend, Rachel (Constance Wu), who — to the dismay of the area’s singles — is American born, and worse, does not come from money.

Shocked to learn that her down-to-earth boyfriend is actually the heir to one of Singapore’s biggest and longest-established fortunes, Rachel must learn to navigate this new culture, impress Nick’s snobbish family, and generally survive life among the excess if she hopes to continue her relationship. —I.G.

Where to stream Crazy Rich Asians: Netflix

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Jon M. Chu

Cast: Henry Golding, Constance Wu, Michelle Yeoh, Gemma Chan, Awkwafina, Ken Jeong, Jimmy O. Yang

Related content: Crazy Rich Asians being turned into Broadway musical with director Jon M. Chu

Crossroads (2022)

Having drifted apart, three former childhood best friends take an impromptu cross-country road trip to L.A. in pursuit of individual goals: Lucy (Britney Spears) to reconnect with her mother, Kit (Zoë Saldaña) to visit her boyfriend at UCLA, and Mimi (Taryn Manning) to audition for a top record label.

Penned by a pre-Grey's Anatomy Shonda Rhimes, Crossroads is a quintessential coming-of-age tale that thoughtfully addresses issues of the 21st-century road to womanhood like teen pregnancy, body image, and sexual assault. Despite being perceived as an airy and hollow plot, EW's critic praised the film for how it "not only makes excellent use of the singer’s sweetly coltish acting abilities, but it also promotes a standardized set of sturdy values." —J.M.

Where to watch Crossroads: Netflix

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Tamra Davis

Cast: Britney Spears, Anson Mount, Zoë Saldaña, Taryn Manning, Kim Cattrall, Dan Aykroyd, Justin Long

Related content: Crossroads cast: Where are they now?

Divergent (2014)

In a dystopic version of Chicago, 16-year-olds must choose one of the five factions they belong to based on their innate qualities. But when Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley) takes her aptitude test, she learns that she's Divergent, a separate class that affirms her ability to think for herself — making her impervious to mind control and a danger to the system.

Instructed to hide her identity, Tris chooses to join the Dauntless faction (which prioritizes bravery) but struggles to follow the commands of her instructor (Theo James) and keep up with her rival (Miles Teller). Based on Veronica Roth's best-selling series of young adult novels, Divergent unfolds like a sci-fi version of Harry Potter with similar elements to The Hunger Games. —I.G.

Where to watch Divergent: Netflix

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Neil Burger

Cast: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Miles Teller, Kate Winslet, Ashley Judd

Related content: Divergent cast: See where the actors are 10 years later

Easy A (2010)

Some of the best high school romantic comedies are based on the classic literature we learned in English class — and Easy A is no exception. A play on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Easy A tells the story of Olive (Emma Stone), a teen whose sex life becomes the talk of her high school after she lies about sleeping with some of her fellow students to help them avoid bullying and increase their popularity. No good deed goes unpunished, though, and the more notoriety Olive receives, the more her classmates are determined to take her down.

One of Stone’s breakout lead roles, EW’s critic writes that she “has a speed and sparkle that may remind you of [Lindsay] Lohan in her Mean Girls prime.” —I.G.

Where to watch Easy A: Netflix

Director: Will Gluck

Cast: Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes, Thomas Haden Church, Patricia Clarkson, Cam Gigandet, Lisa Kudrow, Malcolm McDowell, Aly Michalka, Stanley Tucci

Related content: Easy A turns 10: Director Will Gluck breaks down the film's outrageous fake sex scene

Enola Holmes (2020)

A long-neglected member of the Holmes family finally gets her story told. When Enola Holmes’ (Millie Bobby Brown) mother goes missing, she seeks help from crime-sleuthing brothers, Sherlock (Henry Cavill) and Mycroft (Sam Claflin), who are more concerned about her etiquette than her solving mysteries. So, Enola decides to break the mold and outsmart her brothers by finding her mother herself.

Enola Holmes is a zany feminist reimagining of the Holmes canon, full of fourth-wall breaks that are perfectly executed by Brown, who EW’s critic describes as “cheeky and spritely in the role…[with] a self-possessed quality that grounds the performance.” —M.C.

Where to watch Enola Homes: Netflix

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Harry Bradbeer

Cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin, Helena Bonham Carter, Louis Partridge, Fiona Shaw, Susan Wokoma, Burn Gorman, Hattie Morahan, Frances de la Tour

Related content: Millie Bobby Brown on becoming a Victorian ‘wild child’ in Enola Holmes

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

Det. Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is back at it again in this sequel to the 2019 sensation Knives Out. In Glass Onion, Blanc finds himself on tech billionaire Miles Bron’s (Edward Norton) private Greek island to solve a fictional murder mystery with Bron’s oddball friends coined “the Disruptors.” But when the game becomes real, it's up to the detective to crack the case.

Per EW's critic, Craig trades “MI6 and martinis for neatly knotted neckerchiefs and Foghorn Leghorn bon mots — and he seems to revel in it, leaning happily into the pure camp of being Benoit.” The star-studded cast including Janelle Monáe, Dave Bautista, and more should be enough motivation to give this movie a go. —M.C.

Where to watch Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery: Netflix

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Rian Johnson

Cast: Daniel Craig, Janelle Monáe, Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, Leslie Odom Jr., Kathryn Hahn, Madelyn Cline, Jessica Henwick

Related content: How Janelle Monáe perfected her ‘rich bitch’ accent for Glass Onion

The Half of It (2020)

Shy Chinese American Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis) may not have any friends, but she does run a successful essay-writing business. When she gets an odd request from jock Paul Munsky (Daniel Diemer) to write a love letter for his crush, Ellie begrudgingly gives in — despite having feelings for the girl, too. As Ellie helps Paul, the two form an unlikely bond that includes watching late-night movies together and eating taco sausages.

The Half of It is described by EW's critic as an “examination of first love, and how our messy, well-intentioned attempts to do right by our own hearts can both wound and help us fumble toward the people we’re meant to be.” —M.C.

Where to watch The Half of It: Netflix

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Alice Wu

Cast: Leah Lewis, Daniel Diemer, Alexxis Lemire, Wolfgang Novogratz, Collin Chou, Catherine Curtin

Related content: Decoding the cultural references in The Half of It

La La Land (2016)

Taking notes from classic Hollywood musicals, La La Land follows struggling artists, Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) and Mia (Emma Stone), who repeatedly cross paths in a romanticized version of Los Angeles. As they form a swirling romance — one that EW's critic describes "as fizzy and transporting as a flute of champagne" — the two try to balance their relationship with chasing their dreams.

Winning six Academy Awards, including Best Screenplay and Best Actress, La La Land is a movie musical that will stir up sundry emotions and leave you as blue as the film's indigo nightscapes. —M.C.

Where to watch La La Land: Netflix

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: Damien Chazelle

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, John Legend, J.K. Simmons, Rosemarie DeWitt, Finn Wittrock

Related content: Damien Chazelle’s La La Land to foxtrot its way to Broadway

Missing (2023)

Eighteen-year-old June Allen (Storm Reid) enjoys a week alone while her micromanaging mom (Nia Long) heads to Colombia with her new boyfriend. But when her mother doesn't return as planned, June has no other choice but to take matters into her own hands, utilizing every digital tool at her disposal.

Serving as a standalone sequel to Searching (2018), the director/screenwriter duo Will Merrick and Nick Johnson delivers another screen life thriller that challenges viewers to keep pace with its many twists. Yet at its core, Missing is an emotionally-charged tale about the mending of a fractured mother-daughter relationship and a young woman's discovery of life's true priorities. —J.M.

Where to watch Missing: Netflix

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Will Merrick, Nick Johnson

Cast: Storm Reid, Joaquim de Almeida, Ken Leung, Amy Landecker, Daniel Henney, Nia Long

Related content: 'Screenlife' thrillers like Searching are here to stay

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)

With the new TV remake starring Donald Glover and Maya Erskine now streaming on Amazon Prime, there's no better time to revisit the 2005 film of the same name. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie star as John and Jane Smith, a couple whose marriage is on shaky ground. They also both happen to be skilled assassins, though neither is aware of each other's occupation.

This all changes when the couple is assigned to kill the same target, and things only get more complicated when they're tasked with killing each other. Hijinks ensue, and the film is propelled by the undeniable chemistry between Pitt and Jolie, who EW's critic writes have a "chemical zing." Thus, Brangelina was born. —Kevin Jacobsen

Where to watch Mr. & Mrs. Smith: Netflix

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Director: Doug Liman

Cast: Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Adam Brody, Kerry Washington

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The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)

Zak (Zack Gottsagen), a 22-year-old man with Down syndrome, absconds his state-run nursing home to follow his lifelong dream of becoming a professional wrestler. Along the way, he meets Tyler (Shia LaBeouf), a down-and-out fisherman who guides Zak along the North Carolina coast to attend Salt Water Redneck's (Thomas Haden Church) wrestling school.

However, when Zak's caretaker (Dakota Johnson) sets out to bring him back, she joins their adventure upon discovering her boss' harsh plan for Zak. An effortlessly charming film about chosen family, The Peanut Butter Falcon envelops you in a warm embrace, with LaBeouf and Gottsagen's natural chemistry driving it forward. —J.M.

Where to watch The Peanut Butter Falcon: Netflix

Directors: Tyler Nilson, Michael Schwartz

Cast: Zack Gottsagen, Shia LaBeouf, Dakota Johnson, John Hawkes, Thomas Haden Church

Related content: Shia LaBeouf forms an adorable bond in sweet Peanut Butter Falcon trailer

Reality Bites (1999)

There's no better time capsule of the '90s than Ben Stiller's feature directorial debut. This slacker rom-com captures the post-college meandering of several graduates as they cope with adulthood and love in Houston. Aspiring videographer Lelaina (Winona Ryder) documents her friends' and roommates' disillusionment, reflecting the common plights of the era.

As EW's critic notes, "Reality Bites is the first Generation X movie to view its characters from the inside out, not simply as media-age confections but as intricate human beings.... Yearning, hilarious, lost within their precocious self-awareness, these slackers have soul." —J.M.

Where to watch Reality Bites: Netflix

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: Ben Stiller

Cast: Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, Ben Stiller, Janeane Garofalo, Steve Zahn, Swoosie Kurtz, Renée Zellweger, Joe Don Baker, John Mahoney

Related content: Reality Bites cast reunites for 25th anniversary at Tribeca Film Festival

Rustin (2023)

While Martin Luther King Jr. is a household name, his advisor — Bayard Rustin, who taught him the principles of nonviolent protest — has historically slipped through the cracks. Helmed by Ma Rainey's Black Bottom director George C. Wolfe and produced by Michelle and Barack Obama, Rustin chronicles this unsung hero's efforts to mobilize the 1973 March on Washington while also holding his own amid public scrutiny of his sexuality.

Though this biopic follows a middle-of-the-road formula, Colman Domingo's Academy Award-nominated portrayal of the gay civil rights activist is what truly sets the film apart. As EW's critic wrote, "Domingo infuses Rustin with a warmth and vibrancy that creates a performance of immense empathy.... His portrait of a man fighting for both his race and his sexuality feels incredibly personal and helps hammer home Rustin's commitment to true 'justice for all.'" —J.M.

Where to watch Rustin: Netflix

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: George C. Wolfe

Cast: Colman Domingo, Chris Rock, Jeffrey Wright, Glynn Turman, CCH Pounder, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Audra McDonald

Related content: Rustin director George C. Wolfe on recreating the March on Washington and the amazing man behind it

Sing Street (2016)

Like many lovestruck teens, awkward 15-year-old Conor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) goes to great lengths to earn the affection of his aspiring model crush: He invites her to star in a music video for his nonexistent band. To corroborate his trumped-up tale, Conor assembles a ragtag group of surprisingly talented misfits to create a Duran Duran-esque glam-rock ensemble.

Set in 1985 Dublin, Sing Street spins an earnest, multilayered story about taking control over your destiny. Despite being overshadowed by the same year's much-hyped La La Land, this sleeper movie musical "deserves to be heard above the noise," per EW's critic. —J.M.

Where to watch Sing Street: Netflix

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: John Carney

Cast: Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Lucy Boynton, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Aidan Gillen, Jack Reynor, Kelly Thornton

Related content: Sing Street director explains film's fantastical ending

Spider-Man (2002)

We all know the story: A young man gets bit by a radioactive spider, develops arachnid powers, and ultimately becomes one of the greatest superheroes. In Sam Raimi's Spider-Man, the titular web-slinger goes up against the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) — whose evil cackle will haunt you in your dreams — and kisses a certain redhead upside down.

Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker captures teen awkwardness to a tee while providing some of the most meme-able expressions, with EW’s critic describing him as a “rarity, an entirely sincere actor, so earnest in his cuteness that at times he’s like an oversized baby.” —M.C.

Where to watch Spider-Man: Netflix

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Sam Raimi

Cast: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe, James Franco, J.K. Simmons

Related content: 2002 rewatch: How high does Spider-Man swing 20 years and two reboots later?

Tick, Tick...Boom! (2021)

Yes, Andrew Garfield can sing, and he even won a Golden Globe for it, too. From director Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tick, Tick...Boom! sees Rent creator Jonathan Larson (Garfield) struggle to make it as a composer in NYC. As Jonathan reaches his 30th birthday, he fears that his time is running out to make his dreams come to reality.

Intertwining the autobiographical musical of the same name within the story, the movie is described by EW's critic as “an exuberant ode to Larson and a tribute to anyone, especially those in the arts, who might be chasing big dreams.” —M.C.

Where to watch Tick, Tick...Boom!: Netflix

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Lin-Manuel Miranda

Cast: Andrew Garfield, Robin de Jesús, Alexandra Shipp, Vanessa Hudgens, Bradley Whitford

Related content: How Tick, Tick…Boom! pulled off that Broadway star-studded diner scene

You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (2023)

This comedy shows off Adam Sandler's daughters’ acting chops. Based on Fiona Rosenbloom's eponymous book, You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah follows best friends Stacy (Sunny Sandler) and Lydia (Samantha Lorraine), who dream of celebrating their bat mitzvahs together — though middle school drama and a boy threaten their friendship.

Now Sandler's highest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie oozes a sense of comfort and belonging. Much of this can be attributed to the Sandler family, as director Sammi Cohen explained to EW that they "have this way of really making everyone feel like family and feel at home." —M.C.

Where to watch You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah: Netflix

Director: Sammi Cohen

Cast: Adam Sandler, Jackie Sandler, Sunny Sandler, Sadie Sandler, Idina Menzel, Dylan Hoffman, Samantha Lorraine, Sarah Sherman

Related content: You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah director on the ‘magic’ of the Sandler family