YouTube’s lineup of free movies tends to drastically change from month to month, and December is no exception.
However, there are times when YouTube is given access to some of the very best movies ever made that can run for free, including The Godfather, which arrived this month.
That’s just one of the Watch With Us team’s picks for the must-watch free YouTube movies.
Our other picks for the month include a romantic epic starring two real-life lovers as well as an action comedy featuring the world’s biggest movie star.
29 Must-Watch Movies on Netflix (December 2025): ‘Jay Kelly’ and More
‘The Godfather’ (1972)
The Godfather is a towering achievement of American cinema, and it remains a cultural touchstone over five decades after its release. Marlon Brando cemented his legendary status with a Best Actor win for his portrayal of Vito Corleone, the aging head of the Corleone crime family. Al Pacino plays Vito’s youngest son, a war hero who was never meant to follow his father into the family business. The Corleones may be criminals, but they have standards the other five crime families lack.
When the five families declare war on the Corleones, Vito clings to life as Michael is drawn into the criminal underworld to save his family. He also discovers that he was born for this life, and Michael can be even more ruthless than his father when it comes to dispatching the family’s enemies. This is the crime epic by which all others are judged, and few can even be mentioned in the same sentence as this film.
The Godfather is streaming on YouTube.
‘Far and Away’ (1992)
There was a time just over three decades ago when Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman were married and deeply in love. The couple costarred together in director Ron Howard‘s epic Western romance, Far and Away, and to the surprise of no one, they wind up as lovers in this film too. Cruise plays an Irish farmer, Joseph Donnelly, who attempts to murder his landlord, Daniel Christie (Robert Prosky), for burning down his family’s home over rent.
Tom Cruise Plans to Make Movies Into His 100s: ‘I Will Never Stop’
Joseph botches his attempt at revenge and meets Daniel’s daughter, Shannon Christie (Kidman). She’s the one who convinces Joseph to come with her to America to seek their fortune together. Initially, Joseph was supposed to be Shannon’s servant, but their new lives upend their roles. Now, they’re both starting over from scratch and learning to love each other while preparing for the challenge of their young lives. There’s land for the taking in the American frontier — they just have to live long enough to claim it.
Far and Away is streaming on YouTube.
‘Last Action Hero’ (1993)
Last Action Hero is underrated meta comedy-action flick starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as both himself and a movie cop, Detective Jack Slater. Austin O’Brien plays Danny Madigan, a young boy who finds himself drawn into Jack Slater’s latest movie thanks to a magic movie ticket. That gives Danny a first-hand look at the craziness of Jack’s world, although the latter doesn’t see anything unusual about animated talking cats and other outlandish characters.
Unfortunately for the pair, the movie’s villain, Mr. Benedict (Charles Dance), is quick to realize that Danny’s ticket is the ultimate power. And he’s going to use it to come to the real world so he can kill Schwarzenegger and finish off Jack Slater once and for all.
Last Action Hero is streaming on YouTube.
7 Best Leonardo DiCaprio Movies, Ranked — And No, ‘Titanic’ Isn’t on the List
‘Catch Me If You Can’ (2002)
Leonardo DiCaprio has rarely been more charming than he was in Steven Spielberg‘s Catch Me If You Can. This film was loosely based on the real life of Frank Abagnale Jr. (DiCaprio), a young con artist who has a gift for forging checks. That’s what attracts the attention of FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks), who spends years trying to bring Frank to justice.
To stay one step ahead of the law, Frank assumes a number of false professions, including an airline pilot, a doctor and a lawyer. He even falls hard for a woman named Brenda Strong (Amy Adams), but the consequences of Frank’s life of crime are always closing in on him whenever he gets too comfortable with his assumed personas.
Catch Me If You Can is streaming on YouTube.
