The best free movies on YouTube right now (January 2025) (2025)

Genre

Crime, Comedy, Action, Adventure

Stars

Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson

Directed by

Matthew Vaughn

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Matthew Vaughn made a stylish, comedic, and action-packed version of James Bond with Kingsman: The Secret Service. Gary “Eggsy” Unwin (Taron Egerton) is a rebellious teen going down the wrong path. After getting arrested, Eggsy is bailed out by Harry Hart (Colin Firth), a proper gentleman and secret agent for the Kingsman, a private intelligence agency.

Harry recruits Eggsy to train with a new batch of recruits looking to become secret agents. While Eggsy tries to survive basic training, Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) is implementing a master plan to murder most of humanity to prevent global warming. With the world at stake, Eggsy is thrown into the field in a life-or-death mission. But first, he’ll need a new suit.

Genre

Drama, History

Stars

Samuel L. Jackson, Rob Brown, Robert Ri'chard

Directed by

Thomas Carter

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Samuel L. Jacksonplays a basketball coach who instills discipline into his players inCoach Carter. Ken Carter (Jackson) becomes the head coach of his alma mater, Richmond High School. Coach Carter immediately shakes things up by forcing the players to sign contracts that state they must keep their grades up.

With hard-fought practices and tiresome conditioning, Coach Carter becomes enemy No. 1 at Richmond. However, the players eventually recognize the method to Carter’s madness and win basketball games. However, Carter knows winning in the classroom is more important than in the gymnasium, and his academic standards threaten to derail the season.

Genre

Drama

Stars

Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke

Directed by

Peter Weir

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“Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.” That’s one of the many life lessons shared inDead Poets Society, Peter Weir’s brilliant coming-of-age drama about the power a teacher can have over shaping students’ lives. John Keating (Robin Williams) becomes the new English teacher at a Vermont all-boys prep school.

Keating’s methods are unorthodox: he encourages the class to rip pages out of his textbook, asks the boys to stand on desks to look at the world differently, and shows them the power of poetry. The boys, including Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard) and Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke), respond well to Keating’s methods and thrive.Dead Poets Societyis a genuinely moving drama with a sensational performance from Williams.

Genre

Drama, Comedy, Romance

Stars

Dylan O'Brien, Britt Robertson, Craig Roberts

Directed by

Jonathan Kasdan

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Jon Kasdan tackles young love in The First Time. One night outside a party, high school senior Dave (Dylan O’Brien) strikes up a conversation with a junior named Aubrey (Britt Robertson). Dave loves his best friend Jane (Victoria Justice), while Aubrey dates meathead Ronny (James Frecheville)

After the cops crash the party, Dave and Aubrey escape and spend the rest of the night talking. The duo forms a genuine connection, but because of their existing relationships, they’re unsure whether to act on it. Eventually, Dave and Aubrey will realize that love isn’t perfect, so they don’t have to be.

Genre

Comedy, Drama, Romance, Music

Stars

Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, John Legend

Directed by

Damien Chazelle

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Here’s to the ones who dream. Damien Chazelle’s love letter to Los Angeles is La La Land. Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) is an aspiring jazz musician who dreams of opening his own club. Mia (Emma Stone) pursues a career in acting. Sebastian plays piano at a restaurant, and Mia works as a barista to make ends meet.

The two dreamers fall in love in the city of angels. As the two embark on a passionate affair, the real world tries to tear them apart. Sebastian and Mia can’t lose sight of their goals, even if that means their relationship must take a hit. Backed by dazzling choreography and beautiful songs, La La Landis a joyful celebration of cinema and a reminder that it’s never too late to dream.

Genre

Action, Thriller, Crime

Stars

Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze, Lori Petty

Directed by

Kathryn Bigelow

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Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze square off in Kathryn Bigelow’s excellent action thriller, Point Break. Former college quarterback Johnny Utah (Reeves) is a hot-shot FBI agent who teams with veteran agent Angelo Pappas (Gary Busey) to catch a group of bank robbers known as the “Ex-Presidents.” The duo hypothesizes that the robbers are surfers, so Utah goes undercover within the beach community, searching for more information.

While posing as a surfer, Utah meets Bodhi (Swayze), the eccentric leader of a group of surfers. As Utah spends more time with the surfers, he develops a genuine bond with the free-spirited Bodhi. However, this complicates Utah’s mission, blurring the lines between his new friends and his job.

Genre

Fantasy, Drama

Stars

Madison Wolfe, Imogen Poots, Sydney Wade

Directed by

Anders Walter

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Genre

Drama, History, Crime

Stars

Ross Lynch, Alex Wolff, Anne Heche

Directed by

Marc Meyers

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Someone at YouTube has very deftly picked up on the renewed interest in Jeffrey Dahmer by getting the rights to stream My Friend Dahmer. This serial killer movie is based upon the true story of John “Derf” Backderf (Alex Wolff), a cartoonist who was the closest friend that Jeffrey Dahmer (Ross Lynch) had in high school. In this adaptation of Backderf’s graphic novel, he and his fellow outcasts befriend Dahmer, but they aren’t blind to his bizarre behavior.

However, they couldn’t have predicted that the awkward young man that they knew would go on to become one of the most infamous serial killers of the last century. It’s also a tragic tale, as no one notices how monstrous Dahmer has become until it’s far too late to stop him.

Genre

Fantasy, Drama, Thriller, Romance

Stars

Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel

Directed by

Neil Burger

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The Illusionist beat the similarly themed film, The Prestige, to theaters by about two months, but Christopher Nolan’s movie is the superior of the two. Regardless, The Illusionist has its charms, largely in the core trio of Edward Norton, Jessica Biel, and Paul Giamatti. When they were young, Eduard Abramovich (Norton) and Duchess Sophie Von Teschen (Biel) had a passion for each other that her parents forbade.

Upon adulthood, Edward reinvented himself as Eisenheim The Illusionist and reunited with Sophie before she could be married to the malevolent Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell). When Sophie is murdered, Chief Inspector Walter Uhl (Giamatti) is unnerved when Eisenheim appears to be able to summon Sophie’s spirit at will.

Genre

Horror, Thriller

Stars

Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman

Directed by

George A. Romero

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A seminal entry for American horror cinema, George A. Romero’s classic horror movie follows seven people who find themselves trapped in Pennsylvania as the terrifying walking dead surround them. They have to try to survive without understanding the terror that lurks outside.

The movie has been noted as the first zombie film, and its influences can be seen in everything from 28 Days Later to Shaun of the Dead. Romero’s debut — he wrote, directed, edited, and acted in the film — made him into a superstar,quickly revolutionizing the genre on a budget of a mere $114,000.