A24 has emerged as one of the first manufacturing companies in recent years. And while the films it produces cover all genres — horror, documentary, comedy and beyond — the funhouse has become synonymous with a certain aesthetic.
The company has attracted independent filmmakers such as Sofia Coppola, Ari Aster, Yorgos Lanthimos and Barry Jenkins, who have helped define the company’s creative ethos so that it is often easy to recognize the film as an A24 production. And its films aren’t just underground hits, either. Many of them, like Minari, The Zone of Interest and Everything Everywhere All at once, also won Oscars.
While HBO Max is the best place to stream many of A24’s movies, you can find some of its best movies on several. free streaming services like The Canopy, TubiPluto TV and The Plex. This June, catch the Adam Sandler thriller Uncut Gems, an Oscar winner, or the emotional drama Aftersun, as well as many great films, on those platforms.
Here are some of our favorite A24 hits that you can watch now without spending a dime.
Directed by Josh and Benny Safdie, Uncut Gems stars Adam Sandler as Howard Ratner, a jeweler and gambling addict who owes his loan shark brother-in-law and needs to sell a black opal at auction to pay off his loan. Over the course of a few painful days, Howard borrows Boston Celtics player Kevin Garnett (who looks like him). The football player then takes off with the jewel, leading Howard on a desperate chase to get it back and try to recover the money he borrowed, while going into debt as he makes some risky bets.
Brendan Fraser won an Oscar for his performance in The Whale, a 2022 film directed by Darren Aronofsky. It follows an overweight English teacher who tries to spend time with her estranged teenage daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink), by bribing her with her savings. The emotional drama also earned Hong Chau an Oscar nomination for his supporting role.
Minari is a semi-autobiographical story based on director Lee Isaac Chung’s upbringing. Nominated for six Oscars, the film is the story of a family of South Korean immigrants who move from California to Arkansas in the 1980s. Youn Yuh-jung won an Oscar for best supporting actress for her role as Soon-ja, the matriarch of the family who moves from South Korea to stay with the family, along with the film’s stars Steven Yeun, Han Ye-ri and Alan Kim.
The 2022 drama Aftersun stars Paul Mescal as Calum, the young father of an 11-year-old named Sophie (Frankie Corio). The two take a vacation together at a Turkish beach resort, and the film is a moving, endearing character study of their relationship and a reflection of their fleeting moments, which they share together. We later see an older Sophie looking at the footage on her camcorder, reconnecting with memories of her past. The highly rated movie is available on Pluto, Tubi and Plex.
The Disaster Artist stars brothers James and Dave Franco as real-life actors Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero, who starred together in the 2003 film The Room. The film tells the story of their friendship and the disastrous production of the film, which many consider the worst of them all. A number of A-listers appear in cameos as well, including Kristen Bell, JJ Abrams and Adam Scott, and the supporting cast includes Alison Brie, Ari Graynor, Josh Hutcherson, Jacki Weaver and Seth Rogen. James Franco directed the film, which was based on a book written by Sestero.
Swiss Army Man (2016)
Where to watch: Kanopy, Plex, Tubi, Pluto TV
Swiss Army Man is the feature film debut of directors Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan (collectively known as DANIELS), who went on to write and direct the Oscar-winner Everywhere All Anywhere All At Once. The dark surrealist comedy stars Daniel Radcliffe as the corpse of a boy named Manny, and Paul Dano as Hank, a man living on a deserted island who uses Manny’s body to help him get off the island. Totally weird and original, the film departs from Radcliffe’s Harry Potter persona and is ultimately the story of a friendship between a man and a flat corpse who helps him find his way home.
Before teaming up with Emma Stone for their film collaboration, Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos was involved in the 2017 thriller The Killing of a Sacred Deer starring Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman. In this film, the two stars as a married couple, Steven and Anna, take in a girl named Martin (Barry Keoghan) who has evil intentions to separate their family to get revenge on Steven for something he did in his past.
