Credit: Lucas Gouveia/How-To GeekNetflix’s release slate for June packs a punch, with exciting new titles and nostalgic watches alike coming to the platform. And whether you’re looking for an underdog story, a family comedy, or a historical romance, Netflix has a string of award-winning movies worth adding to your watch list.
Despite the different decades they are from, these movies are sure to make for a nice weekend binge-watching session. Here are five award-winning films you can stream on Netflix U.S. this month, available exclusively from June 1.
Out of Africa
Life and love underneath different skies
Out of Africa is a romance-historical drama that is a once-in-a-generation type of movie. Based on the memoir by Karen Blixen, the 1985 film follows Danish baroness Karen Blixen (Meryl Streep) as she moves to Kenya in the early 20th century to run a coffee plantation. While struggling with the realities of life in Africa and a turbulent marriage, she begins a passionate and complicated relationship with a free-spirited hunter, Denys Finch Hatton (Robert Redford).
The chemistry between Meryl Streep and Robert Redford takes center stage, but sharing the space are the landscape visuals of the film’s setting. Out of Africa swept its awards season, winning seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Cast
Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Michael Kitchen, Malick Bowens, Michael Gough, Suzanna Hamilton, Rachel Kempson, Graham Crowden, Leslie Phillips, Shane Rimmer, Joseph Thiaka, Stephen Kinyanjui, Mike Bugara, Job Seda, Mohammed Umar, Donal McCann, Kenneth Mason, Tristram Jellinek, Stephen B. Grimes, Annabel Maule, Benny Young, Sbish Trzebinski, Allaudin Qureshi, Niven Boyd
Runtime
161 minutes
Director
Sydney Pollack
Writers
Kurt Luedtke
Producers
Sydney Pollack
Main Genre
History
Budget
31000000.0
Studio(s)
Universal Pictures, Mirage Entertainment, Mirage Enterprises
IMDb ID
tt0089755
TMDB User Rating
7
.17
Executive Producer(s)
Kim Jorgensen
Cinderella Man
The comeback that changed the boxing world
June seems to be the month for sports (especially boxing), with Netflix bringing in a slew of classic sports hits of their respective decades. And one of them is the iconic Cinderella Man, one of the best boxing films of all time.
Based on a true story, the boxing movie follows heavyweight boxer James J. Braddock (dubbed the “Cinderella Man”), whose promising career appears to be over after a string of losses and injuries during the Great Depression. Unable to find steady work and struggling to provide for his wife and three children, Braddock takes odd jobs to keep food on the table. When an unexpected opportunity lands him a last-minute fight against a top-ranked contender, no one has high hopes. However, Braddock pulls off the shocking upset, igniting one of the most notable comebacks in boxing history.
QuizRussell Crowe carries the film as Braddock with his strong performance, with Renée Zellweger playing a solid support character as his wife Mae, who is trying to balance her anxieties surrounding her husband’s profession with her desperation to make ends meet. Paul Giamatti also adds to the lead cast in his role as Joe Gould, Braddock’s longtime friend and manager. For his performance, Giamatti won a Critics’ Choice Award and received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor.
Cast
Renée Zellweger, Russell Crowe, Paul Giamatti, Craig Bierko, Paddy Considine, Bruce McGill, David Huband, Connor Price, Ariel Waller, Patrick Louis, Rosemarie DeWitt, Linda Kash, Nicholas Campbell, Gene Pyrz, Chuck Shamata, Ron Canada, Alicia Johnston, Troy Amos-Ross, Mark Simmons, Art Binkowski, David Litzinger, Matthew G. Taylor, Rance Howard, James Ritz, Fulvio Cecere
Runtime
144 minutes
Director
Ron Howard
Writers
Akiva Goldsman, Cliff Hollingsworth
Producers
Brian Grazer, Penny Marshall, Ron Howard
Main Genre
Romance
Budget
88000000.0
Studio(s)
Universal Pictures, MiraMax, Imagine Entertainment, Brian Grazer Productions, Parkway Productions
IMDb ID
tt0352248
TMDB User Rating
7
.5
Executive Producer(s)
Todd Hallowell
Rocky
An impossible shot at greatness
We cannot discuss boxing movies without mentioning Rocky, one of the most culturally significant sports movies ever made. And Netflix has brought the entire Rocky franchise to Netflix U.S. this month, so don’t miss out on Sylvester Stallone’s iconic movies.
Rocky follows Rocky Balboa, a small-time, Italian-American boxer from Philadelphia who gets the opportunity of a lifetime when heavyweight champion Apollo Creed chooses him as an opponent for a highly publicized title fight. This happens after Creed’s opponent drops out of the fight, and with no available opponents, he chooses the local contender because of his nickname, “The Italian Stallion.” Suddenly, Rocky finds himself in the biggest fight of his career, which requires some rigorous and often unorthodox training.
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RkuOS
Connectivity
luetooth, Ethernet, HDMI, USB, Wi-Fi
All this leads to the iconic showdown, with Rocky and Creed giving it their all for a nail-biting fight. Stallone famously wrote the screenplay and insisted on starring in it himself. The result became the performance of his lifetime. Rocky won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Film Editing.
Cast
Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith, Thayer David, Joe Spinell, Jimmy Gambina, Bill Baldwin, Al Silvani, George Memmoli, Jodi Letizia, Diana Lewis, George O’Hanlon, Larry Carroll, Stan Shaw, Don Sherman, Billy Sands, Pedro Lovell, DeForest Covan, Simmy Bow, Tony Burton, Hank Rolike, Shirley O’Hara, Kathleen Parker
Runtime
120 minutes
Director
John G. Avildsen
Writers
Sylvester Stallone
Producers
Irwin Winkler
Main Genre
Drama
Executive Producer(s)
Gene Kirkwood
Creed
Legacy and a fight to carry it forward
If you haven’t gotten enough of the Rocky franchise, don’t worry; Netflix is also bringing Rocky’s spin-off franchise, Creed, to its platform this month.
The film follows Adonis “Donnie” Johnson, the son of former heavyweight champion Apollo Creed and Rocky Balboa’s former opponent, who dreams of becoming a boxer despite never knowing his father. Hoping to prove himself, Donnie asks the retired Rocky to become his trainer, marking the beginning of an unexpected bond. As Donnie works his way through increasingly difficult opponents, he also struggles with the weight of his father’s legacy and the pressure that comes with carrying the Creed name.
Oscar-winning actor Michael B. Jordan delivers a strong performance, flanked by Stallone’s incredible supporting turn. Creed earned Stallone a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor, along with an Academy Award nomination and a BAFTA nomination in the same category.
Cast
Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Andre Ward, Tony Bellew, Ritchie Coster, Jacob ‘Stitch’ Duran, Graham McTavish, Malik Bazille, Ricardo ‘Padman’ McGill, Gabriel Rosado, Wood Harris, Buddy Osborn, Rupal Pujara, Brian Anthony Wilson, Joey Eye, Johanna Tolentino, Tony Brice, Kash Goins, Michael Barker, Clare O’Malley, Kevin King Templeton, Roy James Wilson, Mauricio Ovalle
Runtime
133 minutes
Director
Ryan Coogler
Writers
Ryan Coogler, Aaron Covington, Sylvester Stallone
Producers
Charles Winkler, David Winkler, Irwin Winkler, Kevin King Templeton, Robert Chartoff
Sequel(s)
Creed II, Creed III
Main Genre
Drama
Budget
$37 million
Studio(s)
Warner Bros. Pictures
Distributor(s)
Warner Bros. Pictures
Executive Producer(s)
Nicolas Stern
Little Miss Sunshine
A journey that takes everyone for a spin
If you’re looking for a funny and emotional film to watch on family movie night, Little Miss Sunshine is streaming on Netflix this June. The film follows seven-year-old Olive Hoover, whose dream of competing in a beauty pageant sends her dysfunctional family on a cross-country road trip in a battered yellow Volkswagen van. Along the way, lots of family drama goes down, revealing deeper issues and insecurities that tie back to individual struggles.
Despite its modest $8 million budget, Little Miss Sunshine became one of the biggest indie hits of the 2000s, earning more than $100 million at the worldwide box office. It earned four Academy Award nominations, winning two: Best Supporting Actor for Alan Arkin and Best Original Screenplay.
Cast
Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Steve Carell, Paul Dano, Abigail Breslin, Alan Arkin, Bryan Cranston, Beth Grant, Wallace Langham, Matt Winston, Julio Oscar Mechoso, Marc Turtletaub, Jill Talley, Brenda Canela, Chuck Loring, Justin Shilton, Gordon Thomson, Steven Christopher Parker, John Walcutt, Paula Newsome, Dean Norris, Lauren Shiohama, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Jerry Giles, Geoff Meed
Runtime
102 minutes
Director
Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
Writers
Michael Arndt
Producers
Albert Berger, David T. Friendly, Michael Beugg, Peter Saraf, Ron Yerxa, Marc Turtletaub
Main Genre
Adventure
Executive Producer(s)
Jeb Brody, Michael Beugg
More Netflix programming to watch this month
There’s a lot of catching up to do on Netflix if you are not aware of the platform’s release schedule for the month, from exclusive Netflix Original movies and shows to old licensed titles that have already landed, so make sure you keep an eye out for those.
Subscription with ads
Yes, $8/month
Simultaneous streams
Two or four
Stream licensed and original programming with a monthly Netflix subscription.
Live TV
No
Price
Starting at $8/month
