With another Oscars right around the corner, it’s important to consider how the Academy has succeeded and failed in preserving film history. The Oscars are an imperfect ceremony. Sometimes, they get it right; if not in Best Picture, then at least in some other category.
We’ve pulled together a list of five Oscar-winning films that are all available to stream for free. Not all of these movies won Best Picture, but they all won something, and they’re well worth checking out if you want to see five instances when the Oscars definitely nailed it.
Need more recommendations? Then check out the best new movies to stream this week, as well as the best shows on Netflix, best shows on Hulu, best shows on Amazon Prime Video, and best shows on Disney+.
Fargo (1996)
The Coen Brothers have made a number of all-time classic movies, but Fargo may be their most quintessential film. Set in Fargo, North Dakota, the film follows a heavily pregnant sheriff with a perky attitude as she investigates a murder on the outskirts of her small town.
Anchored by a remarkable Frances McDormand, who won her first Oscar for the film, Fargo is hilarious and meditative almost simultaneously. Its meditations on the nature of evil and the strangeness of humanity feel as relevant as ever, but it’s also hugely effective as a crime caper if you don’t want to get that deep.
You can watch Fargo on Tubi.
Raging Bull (1980)
Although it came short of winning Best Picture, Raging Bull pulled out a win for Robert De Niro in Best Actor as well as Best Film Editing. Raging Bull chronicles boxer Jake La Motta as he rises to become the heavyweight champion of the world, only to self-sabotage and destroy his career and his life.
De Niro is marvelous as a man who can’t get out of his own way. Scorsese’s direction in the boxing sequences is particularly staggering, but throughout the movie, he captures what it means to be the kind of man who repels everyone around them.
You can watch Raging Bull on Tubi.
Rocky (1976)
The ultimate underdog story as a movie and in real life, Rocky was the somewhat surprising best picture winner in 1976. Rocky, the story of a working-class boxer who gets a once-in-a-lifetime shot to take on the world champion, launched an entire franchise and made a star out of Sylvester Stallone.
Although it was made for a low budget, one of Rocky’s main charms is how rough and ragged it feels throughout. This is a movie that feels as working-class as its main character and one that still inspires almost 50 years later.
You can watch Rocky on Pluto TV.
Gladiator (2000)
Sword-and-sandal epics used to be big with the Academy, and Gladiator brought that era back, albeit briefly. Gladiator tells the story of a Roman general betrayed by the emperor’s son in a bid for power. Ridley Scott’s epic is the kind of sweep and grandeur that even the best blockbusters made today usually lack.
Anchored by Russell Crowe’s brilliant central performance and featuring some wonderfully elaborate set pieces, Gladiator is equal parts silly and serious, and that’s part of what makes it so great.
You can watch Gladiator on Pluto TV.
West Side Story (1961)
The classic musical has been made into not one but two all-time classic films. Adapting Romeo & Juliet to 1960s New York, West Side Story follows a romance between a gang member and a Puerto Rican woman who his gang hates.
The film’s technicolor musical sequences are its most enduring legacy, though, and the reason that it has remained a fixture of all musical-loving households for decades since it was first released. West Side Story is a classic for a reason.
You can watch West Side Story on Tubi.