The Netflix drama movie library is better than ever in January 2026.
From heartrending biopics to real-world underdog stories, affecting family dramedies and compelling character studies, Netflix is streaming some of the best drama movies you can watch right now.
This month, Watch With Us is highlighting our top picks on the platform and ranking them based on IMDb ratings — and you can watch them and rate them yourself, too.
Our favorites include the affecting and funny Ben Stiller film The Meyerowitz Stories, the award-winning Whiplash and more.
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5. ‘Soul on Fire’ (2025)
Based on the life of St. Louis burn survivor John O’Leary, Soul on Fire stars Joel Courtney as O’Leary, who survives a horrific accident as a young child and is left with scarring covering his entire body. However, through perseverance and an unwavering commitment to living life to its fullest, O’Leary beats the odds and shows everyone what is really possible in life through devotion to faith, family, community and his beloved city of St. Louis.
Soul on Fire features a supporting cast that includes John Corbett, Willian H. Macy and Stéphanie Szostak. Fans of heartwarming and inspirational stories should look no further than this terrific film, which critics praised for its impressive directorial craft, moving performances and a core message about kindness and connection that we would do well to remember.
4. ‘The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)’ (2017)
The estranged Meyerowitz family comes together to celebrate the work of their artist father, Harold (Dustin Hoffman), who is long past his prime. The family is made up of struggling, unemployed Danny (Adam Sandler), who moves in with his father following the separation from his wife; Danny’s reserved sister, Jean (Elizabeth Marvel) and their half-brother, Matthew (Ben Stiller), a successful financier also going through divorce. As the Meyerowitz’s spend time together, relationships are tested, old wounds are reopened, and the siblings must confront uncomfortable truths they’ve left unspoken for too long.
Funny and gentle, but also sharp, intelligent and biting, The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) captures the eccentricities of a dysfunctional family as well as the individual dreams, failures and neuroses of stunted adult children. If you love moving character dramas, The Meyerowitz Stories is for you, featuring a revelatory performance from Sandler, who further cements himself as a dramatic acting tour de force.
3. ‘Erin Brockovich’ (2000)
Based on the true story of the eponymous woman, Erin Brockovich follows the legal case that the unemployed single mother of three (played by Julia Roberts) leveled against the Pacific Gas and Electric Company for contaminating the drinking water of the residents of Hinkley, California. Following a car accident that leads to a lost lawsuit, Erin goes to work for her lawyer, Ed Masry (Albert Finney). There, she accidentally stumbles upon a bombshell cover-up that’s been causing people to get sick and die in a local town.
Directed by Steven Soderbergh, Erin Brockovich was a critical and box office success when it debuted back in 2000, netting a number of Academy Award nominations — including Best Picture — and winning one, Best Actress, for Roberts. Anchored by Roberts’ brilliant and career-defining performance, Erin Brockovich is a funny and sobering legal drama that shines a light on corporate corruption.
2. ‘Ford v Ferrari’ (2019)
In the 1960s, a determined group of American and English engineers and automobile designers teamed up to take down Enzo Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in 1966. Hired by Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) and Lee Iacocca (Jon Bernthal), American former race car driver and automotive designer Caroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and hot-tempered English racer Ken Miles (Christian Bale) lead a team set on developing a car that can finally defeat Ferrari.
Ford v Ferrari is a sturdy sports biographical drama that features terrific chemistry between Damon and Bale, in an underdog story that keeps you hooked until the very end. Thus, you don’t have to be a racing fan to get something out of James Mangold’s film — Ford v. Ferrari deftly weaves affecting drama, gripping racing set pieces and a fascinating depiction of the way corporate interference stymies success.
1. ‘Whiplash’ (2014)
Talented young jazz drummer Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller) is doggedly ambitious and determined to rise to the top at his elite music conservatory. Overheard practicing by top instructor Terrence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), Andrew is taken under Fletcher’s wing— and subsequently endures his terrifying teaching methods. Ultimately, Fletcher’s ruthlessness and Andrew’s obsession with being the best create a perfect storm that threatens to cost Andrew his own humanity.
5 Best Drama Movies to Watch in December 2025, Ranked by Rotten Tomatoes Score
The breakout directing effort of Damien Chazelle was met with instant box office and awards success, and out of five Academy Award nominations it took home three for Best Sound Mixing, Best Film Editing and Best Supporting Actor for Simmons. While a character drama on the surface, Whiplash often plays out like a riveting psychological thriller: shocking, intelligent and moored by a stellar cat-and-mouse interplay between Teller and Simmons.
