Best Apple TV Movies | TechRadar

Best Apple TV Movies

Welcome to our list of the best Apple TV movies. Though Apple TV Plus doesn't yet have the weight of other platforms, the library of films is well worth paying attention to. There's a reason it took until 2021, a whole two years after the platform began, for the movie cohort to even reach double figures, and that's because Apple is producing quality content rather than churning out a bunch of mediocre movies. 

You might not think of Apple TV Plus when considering your top picks for movie night, but there are some real gems here (and the best Apple TV shows are very decent, too, FYI). Actually, it's so good that Apple TV Plus is the only streaming service to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. It has also attracted some of Hollywood's finest – Tom Hanks, Jennifer Lawrence and the first solo endeavour from a Coen brother being just three standout examples.

Sure, it won't yet compete with the variety of Hulu, HBO Max or Netflix but what is here is varied, with everything from musical theatre recordings and animated fantasies to Shakespearean tragedies and coming-of-age dramas. But what are the best movies on Apple Plus? Stick with us and we'll divulge all.

Best Apple TV movies

Spirited

(Image credit: Apple)

You may not think there could be another way of telling the story of A Christmas Carol (and especially not one that could surpass the Muppets' version), but Spirited sheds new light on Dickens' tale of the reawakening of the original Christmas grinch, Scrooge. 

This version is told entirely from the perspective of the Christmas ghosts (fun, right?). Will Ferrell (Elf, Anchorman) plays The Ghost of Christmas Present, who usually spends the festive season visiting unfortunate, miserly souls. But this year, the ghost chose a host he wasn't prepared for as Clint Briggs (Ryan Reynolds – Deadpool, The Adam Project) shines the ghostly light back on his visitor, forcing Present to examine his own Christmases past, present and future. Oh, and did we mention it's a musical? We're sold. 

Causeway

(Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

Causeway is an intimate, contemplative drama, which focuses on Lynsey (Jennifer Lawrence), a veteran of the US Army, who has just returned from Afghanistan with a traumatic brain injury. Initially unable to walk or talk, she is nursed back to health and is eventually well enough to head back to her mother's home in New Orleans. There, she meets James (Bryan Tyree Henry), who has his own darkness to contend with, and we watch her try to come to terms with everything that has happened to her. 

It's a slow, emotional watch, with stellar performances and hard-hitting issues that are dealt with excellently.

The Greatest Beer Run Ever

(Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

Now, we should preface this pick by saying there have been some very diverse reviews of this film. Some critics panned The Greatest Beer Run Ever for being simplistic and implausible (including our own reviewer, actually), but there are also a lot of folks out there that thoroughly enjoyed it, so we'll pop the film here in our list, and you can make up your own mind. 

Starring Zac Efron (The Greatest Showman) and Russell Crowe (Gladiator), the movie follows the true story of a merchant sailor, John "Chickie" Donohue (Efron) as he sneaks into war torn Vietnam to hand deliver beer to his hometown friends serving in the US Army. It's an outrageous premise, but true nonetheless. 

It's also based on a memoir of the same name, so if you like the wacky story but you're not sure about the execution, you could always read the book as well (or instead, we guess).

(Image credit: Apple TV)

This gem pipped Netflix's highly-fancied The Power of The Dog to the Best Picture Oscar earlier this year. Overshadowed on the big night by that big slap, CODA stars Emilia Jones as the only hearing member of her eccentric fishermen family. But after discovering a previously untapped singing talent, the teen and those who've relied upon her voice are forced to reassess their futures. 

Yes, CODA does have a glorified Disney Channel movie vibe with its feel-good musical narrative. But it's a charming watch whose consistent use of sign language, alongside a beautiful scene which shuts off all sound, gives a rare authentic glimpse into deaf life. 

Cha Cha Real Smooth

(Image credit: Apple TV)

A tender comedy, which wowed critics when it screened at Sundance, Cha Cha Real Smooth is the brainchild of Cooper Raiff, who has written, directed and stars in this movie. 

Starring alongside Raiff are Dakota Johnson, Vanessa Burghardt and Leslie Mann. The film tells the story of a man who works as a bar mitzvah party host, who comes to strike up a friendship with a young woman and her teenage daughter.

Finch

(Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

Intimate and post-apocalyptic would appear to be mutually exclusive terms, but they’re both fitting for this interesting spin on the one-man-and-his-dog tale. 

The ever-dependable Tom Hanks appears in every scene as the sickly sole survivor of a radioactive solar flare that’s entirely wiped out the rest of civilization. But it’s the robot, a lovable gangly creation akin to Johnny 5, he builds as a substitute dogsitter that very nearly steals the show. 

Perhaps Apple’s most visually-impressive film, Finch offers some wonderfully cinematic shots of the Aurora Borealis and New Mexico landscape as the trio attempt to tick off one final bucket list item. Get your hankies at the ready.  

On The Rocks

(Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

Reuniting for the first time since Lost in Translation, director Sofia Coppola and the ever-sardonic Bill Murray once again struck gold with an altogether more lightweight look at yuppie love. 

On this occasion, the latter is playing the eccentric father rather than the romantic lead, and one who helps his daughter (Rashida Jones) determine whether she’s being cheated on in increasingly farcical ways. Murray deservedly picked up a Golden Globe nod for his performance as an art dealer playboy who believes all men are programmed to be unfaithful. But he’s matched by an engaging Jones hoping to prove otherwise in an endearing New York caper.  

(Image credit: Apple TV+)

Eva Noblezada, Simon Pegg, Jane Fonda, Whoopi Goldberg, Flula Borg, Lil Rel Howery, Colin O'Donoghue, and John Ratzenberger voice this animated adventure. 

It follows a teenager named Sam Greenfield, a clumsy person whose life has been constantly plagued by misfortune. After meeting a mysterious black cat and finding a shiny lucky penny, Sam suddenly finds herself in the never-before-seen Land of Luck. 

Once there, she is tasked with uniting with an array of magical creatures in attempt to try and to turn her luck around.

It's had mixed reviews, but it's big of heart and full of charm. 

Wolfwalkers

(Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

Following on from The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea, the Oscar-nominated Wolfwalkers brings Tomm Moore’s animated Irish Folklore Trilogy to a stunning close. 

The charming fantasy epic sees a young girl travel with her father to Ireland on a wolfpack-hunting mission, only to befriend a member of the tribe said to have a very strong affiliation with the lupine world. As with its predecessors, the enchanting hand-drawn animation instantly immerses you in Moore’s fantastical universe, while its profound musings on colonialism, the environment and all-round compassion ensure there’s plenty of substance to its magical style.  

Swan Song

(Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

Like many great sci-fi films at the existential end of the spectrum, Swan Song poses an almighty thought-provoking question: if faced with a terminal illness would you spare all loved ones grief by secretly substituting yourself with a clone? It’s one Mahershala Ali’s ailing graphic designer must answer before it’s too late in this meditative near-future tale. 

Pulling double duty, the Academy Award winner is typically magnetic as both the loving partner/dad and the replica who gets a trial run in the same roles, while an ambiguous Glenn Close keeps audiences guessing about the intentions of the doctor who presents this unique, and ethically dubious, opportunity.  

The Sky Is Everywhere

(Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

Apple TV Plus (opens in new tab) finally got into the young adult game in 2022 with one of those tragedy-tinged romances that were everywhere in the mid-‘10s. But The Sky Is Everywhere is a cut above The Fault in Our Stars, Paper Towns and the glut of slushfests that made Nicholas Sparks’ oeuvre appear the height of nihilism. 

For one thing, it boasts a superlative performance from Grace Kaufman as a student dealing with the death of her sister and the complications of a teenage love triangle. And while director Josephine Decker undoubtedly leans into the weepie tropes of the genre, she also brings an authenticity and, inspired by magical realism, a distinctive visual flair. 

The Tragedy Of Macbeth

(Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

A Shakespearean tale already adapted for the screen umpteen times might not have seemed like an obvious solo debut for a filmmaker as idiosyncratic as Joel Coen. But while its words remain slavish to the original text, The Tragedy of Macbeth’s striking aesthetics ensures that this is the Bard like you’ve never seen before. 

The elder of the Coen brothers frames each and every monologue in pure monochrome, relying on the light and shade of the studio soundstages to match the depth of sublime performances from Denzel Washington as the titular general and Frances McDormand as the Lady who goads him into becoming a murderous king.  

Greyhound

(Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

The platform’s first original to pick up an Oscar nod (Best Sound), Greyhound is essentially the ideal Father’s Day movie. It’s based on naval warfare novelist C.S. Forester’s The Good Shepherd, is set during the Battle of the Atlantic and stars everyman Tom Hanks as a US Navy commander tasked with defending an Allied convoy from a stalking German submarine. 

If it’s character development you’re after, then Hanks’ other Apple TV picture is a better bet. But if your idea of a perfect Sunday afternoon is watching a visceral recreation of a heroic WWII mission, then this tense and taut 90-minute thriller should do the trick.   

Palmer

(Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

Premiering at a time when the Justin Timberlake backlash was in full swing, this tear-jerking family drama was pretty much ignored on its early 2021 release. Which is a shame as Palmer not only boasts his finest screen performance, but it also tackles an important LGBTQ issue with a much-needed sensitivity. 

Timberlake stars as the titular felon who on returning to his Louisiana hometown unexpectedly finds himself becoming a father figure to a gender non-conforming seven-year-old. If you can leave all traces of cynicism at the door, you’ll be rewarded with a surprisingly touching celebration of self-identity.    

(Image credit: Apple TV Plus)

Dropping shortly after Apple TV Plus' launch, Sundance hit Hala was the platform’s first original movie and remains one of its strongest. Adapted from director Minhal Baig’s same-named short film, the coming-of-age drama centres on a 17-year-old Muslim-American whose love of skateboarding and school crushes sits at odds with her family’s traditional values. 

Geraldine Viswanathan follows up her star-making performance in Blockers with a subtle yet powerful turn as the conflicted lead, while Baig’s insightful script brings something new to the growing pains table. If you enjoy Little America’s charming vignettes of immigrant life, then this feature-length culture clash tale should be right up your street.   

Not sure about Apple TV? Take a look at the best Netflix Original movies recently.