32 Best Netflix Original Movies to Watch in December 2023

From heartwarming tales that feel like a hug in a mug of hot cocoa to edge-of-your-seat thrillers that'll have you spilling your popcorn, there's a Netflix Original for every mood this holiday season.

32. "Murder Mystery" (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 44%

A New York cop and his wife go on a European vacation to reinvigorate the spark in their marriage but end up getting framed and on the run for the death of an elderly billionaire.

31. "Don't Look Up" (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 55%

Two low-level astronomers embark on a media tour to warn mankind of an approaching comet that will destroy Earth, facing disbelief and political inaction.

30. "Malcolm & Marie" (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 56%

A filmmaker and his girlfriend return home from a movie premiere and await critics' responses, but the evening takes a turn as revelations about their relationship surface, testing the strength of their love.

29. "Bird Box" (2018)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 64%

A woman and two children are blindfolded and make their way through a dystopian setting along a river, trying to avoid supernatural entities which cause people who look at them to go insane and commit suicide.

28. "Extraction" (2020)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 67%

A black-market mercenary who has nothing to lose is hired to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord, leading to a deadly mission.

27. "Army of the Dead" (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 67%

Following a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas, a group of mercenaries takes the ultimate gamble by venturing into the quarantine zone to pull off the greatest heist ever attempted.

26. "The Old Guard" (2020)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 80%

A covert team of immortal mercenaries is suddenly exposed and must now fight to keep their identity a secret just as an unexpected new member is discovered.

25. "The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society" (2018)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 81%

A writer forms an unexpected bond with the residents of Guernsey Island in the aftermath of World War II when she decides to write a book about their experiences during the war.

24. "Someone Great" (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 83%

After a devastating break-up on the eve of her cross-country move, a music journalist recruits her two best friends for one last outrageous adventure in New York City.

23. "Okja" (2017)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 86%

A young girl risks everything to prevent a powerful, multinational company from kidnapping her best friend – a fascinating beast named Okja.

22. "The Dig" (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%

On the eve of World War II, a British widow hires a self-taught archaeologist to excavate the burial mounds on her estate, leading to the discovery of a historic Anglo-Saxon ship burial.

21. "Tick, Tick… Boom!" (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%

An aspiring theater composer navigates love, friendship, and the pressures of life as an artist in New York City while writing the musical that will define his career.

20. "The Two Popes" (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 89%

Behind Vatican walls, the conservative Pope Benedict and the liberal future Pope Francis must find common ground to forge a new path for the Catholic Church.

19. "Always Be My Maybe" (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 89%

Childhood sweethearts have a falling out and don't speak for 15 years, only reconnecting as adults when they run into each other in their hometown.

18. "Trial of the Chicago 7" (2020)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 89%

Based on the infamous 1969 trial of seven defendants charged by the federal government with conspiracy and more, arising from the countercultural protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

17. "Gerald's Game" (2017)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%

A woman accidentally kills her husband during a kinky game handcuffed to her bed, facing harrowing hallucinations, dark secrets, and a dire fight for survival: she must survive two days of being trapped.

16. "Beasts of No Nation" (2015)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%

A drama based on the experiences of Agu, a child soldier fighting in the civil war of an unnamed African country.

15. "Enola Holmes" (2020)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%

Sherlock Holmes' teen sister Enola embarks on a quest to find her missing mother, outwitting her famous brother and unraveling a dangerous conspiracy.

14. "Passing" (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%

Set in the 1920s, the film explores the practice of racial passing through the story of two childhood friends, one of whom lives as a white woman, and their reunion that upends their lives.

13. "The Lost Daughter" (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%

A woman on a seaside vacation becomes obsessed with another woman and her daughter, prompting her to confront her past choices as a mother.

12. "The Meyerowitz Stories" (2017)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%

An estranged family gathers together in New York City to celebrate the artistic work of their father, a story that explores their complex family dynamics and personal challenges.

11. "1922" (2017)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%

A rancher conspires to murder his wife for financial gain and convinces his teenage son to participate, leading to a series of tragic events.

10. "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%

Detective Benoit Blanc travels to Greece to peel back the layers of a mystery involving a tech billionaire and his eclectic crew of friends.

9. "Private Life" (2018)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%

An author is undergoing multiple fertility therapies to get pregnant, putting her relationship with her husband on edge.

8. "Marriage Story" (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%

A stage director and his actor wife struggle through a grueling, coast-to-coast divorce that pushes them to their personal and creative extremes.

7. "Bo Burnham: Inside" (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%

A comedic and musical special shot by Bo Burnham, alone, over the course of a year during the COVID-19 pandemic.

6. "Guillermo del Toro 's Pinocchio" (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%

A dark, fantastical retelling of the classic story of a wooden puppet magically brought to life to mend the heart of a grieving woodcarver named Geppetto.

5. "The Half of It" (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%

A shy, introverted student helps the school jock woo a girl whom they both secretly love, leading to a journey of self-discovery and a unique love triangle.

4. "Dolemite Is My Name!" (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%

The story of Rudy Ray Moore, who created the iconic big screen pimp character Dolemite in the 1970s.

3. "Mudbound" (2017)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%

Two families, one black and one white, struggle to survive on a Mississippi Delta farm in the Jim Crow South of the 1940s.

2. "Hustle" (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%

A down-on-his-luck basketball scout discovers a phenomenal street ball player while in Spain and sees the prospect as his opportunity to get back into the NBA.

1. "Athlete A" (2020)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%

This documentary follows the investigative journalists who broke the story of USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar's abuse of hundreds of athletes.