April belongs to Tom Hardy. The English actor is one of the stars on Guy Ritchie’s MobLand, a popular Paramount+ series. Later this month, Hardy will tackle crime and corruption in Havoc, a new action thriller from acclaimed director Gareth Evans. Havoc is already generating positive buzz and should be on Netflix’s most popular list.
While Havoc will remain on Netflix for a long time, these five movies are leaving the service at the end of the month. Our picks include an emotional romance, a landmark superhero adventure, and a terrific psychological drama.
We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
About Time (2013)
About Time is not the best movie about love, but it’s a beautiful depiction of sincerity and sentimentality. After a night of partying, Tim Lake (Domhnall Gleeson) learns from his father that the men in their family can travel through time. The Lakes can relive moments they have experienced before.
Tim’s father discourages his son from using the powers to give him money or fame. Instead, Tim uses his gift for love. Enter Mary (Rachel McAdams), the woman that wins Tim’s heart, though it takes him a few tries to make things perfect. That’s the tough lesson Tim learns with time travel. What’s meant to be will be. Some things need to fall apart so that better things can fall together.
Stream About Time on Netflix.
Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
Let’s go back to 2013. Matthew McConaughey is in the middle of his “McConaissance.” The proud Texan avoided the rom-coms in favor of more serious and dramatic roles. After positive turns in Mud and Magic Mike, McConaughey starred in Dallas Buyers Club, the movie that completed his transformation to a critically acclaimed actor.
In 1985, electrician Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) is diagnosed with AIDS and given 30 days to live. The only drug approved by the FDA only worsens his condition. Desperate for help, Ron secures alternative drugs and supplements in Mexico and brings them across the border. His health improves, and he starts selling these drugs to other AIDS patients. Thanks to his physical transformation and profound performance, McConaughey won the Oscar for Best Actor.
Stream Dallas Buyers Club on Netflix.
Meet the Parents (2000)
Last month, Universal announced the development of Meet the Parents 4, with Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro returning to star. With this news, you might as well revisit the movie that kicked off the franchise, Meet the Parents. Meeting your significant other’s parents in a relationship is scary, but it’s a nightmare for Greg Focker (Stiller).
Greg and his girlfriend, Pam Byrnes (Teri Polo), head to Long Island to meet her parents: Jack (De Niro) and Dina (Blythe Danner) Burns. Greg plans to ask Jack for permission to marry Pam. Greg quickly learns that Jack is overprotective of his daughter and will do anything to keep her safe, even if that means ruining her relationship. It’s only a game, Focker.
Stream Meet the Parents on Netflix.
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Spider-Man 2 finds itself on many “best of” lists — best sequels, best superhero movies, best Spider-Man movies, best Sam Raimi movies, etc. It’s a defining moment in superhero lore, as Spider-Man 2 proved what a sequel should be — bigger, better, and bolder. Two years after Norman Osborn’s death, Peter grapples with balancing life as a civilian and Spider-Man.
After a nuclear fusion experiment goes haywire, Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina) becomes Dr. Octopus with four mechanical tentacles. The stress of saving the city causes Peter’s powers to fade as he gives up on being Spider-Man. Peter’s other problems include that Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) is engaged to another man and Harry (James Franco) hates Spider-Man. Uncle Ben really meant it when he said, “With great power comes great responsibility.”
Stream Spider-Man 2 on Netflix.
Whiplash (2014)
What does it cost to be great? Damien Chazelle crafts one of the best movies about obsession in Whiplash. Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller) wants to do one thing: become a great jazz drummer. While attending New York City’s top music conservatory, Andrew is recruited to play in the Studio Band by its lead instructor, Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons).
Once Andrew joins the band, he enters hell, as Fletcher transforms into a mentally and physically abusive teacher. However, Andrew is undeterred from his dreams as he becomes obsessed with proving his teacher wrong and showing his skills to the world. Whiplash is a sports movie set in the world of jazz, and Chazelle’s psychological drama remains one of the better depictions of the pursuit of greatness.
Stream Whiplash on Netflix.