The 7 Best New Movies on Netflix in November 2023

Thanksgiving is a great time to spend with family and eat way too much, but it’s also an opportune time to gather around and watch a great movie together. To that end, we’ve put together a curated list of some of the best new movies streaming on Netflix this month, singling out new releases and new library titles that are sure to keep the whole family engaged. Whether you’re in the mood for an assassin thriller, inspirational drama, animated family film or a cult classic, we’ve got something for everyone.

Check out our picks for the best new movies on Netflix in November below.

“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”

Universal Pictures

There’s no better time to revisit filmmaker Edgar Wright’s cult classic “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” – but make sure you watch the live-action adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novels before you dig into the brand new Netflix anime “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off.” The anime is more of a sequel than an animated adaptation of Wright’s film (and brings back the entire same cast). If somehow you’ve never seen “Scott Pilgrim,” it’s a visually inventive adventure coming-of-age rom-com that follows Scott (Michael Cera) as he strikes up a relationship with a girl named Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth-Winstead). Little does he know, in order to date her he must first fight her seven evil exes. Video game-inspired action ensues, and the insane cast includes Chris Evans, Brie Larson, Brandon Routh, Mae Whitman, Aubrey Plaza, Anna Kendrick and Jason Schwartzman.

“Pitch Perfect”

Universal

Speaking of Anna Kendrick, “Pitch Perfect” is newly streaming on Netflix this month and it’s a pretty great watch whenever. While the sequels never quite captured the magic of the first film, this one remains a gem as it follows a college student and aspiring recording artist (Kendrick) who joins an acapella group. It’s sharp, funny and charming and the soundtrack is excellent.

“The Social Network”

Sony Pictures

Quite simply one of the best films of the 21st century, David Fincher’s “The Social Network” feels more relevant each and every day. The film chronicles the origins of Facebook through the eyes of Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) and his college friend Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), covering the ups and downs of those early years and the Machiavellian maneuvering that saw Eduardo shoved out of the company he helped create. This is a tremendously entertaining and biting film that never fails to get old, boasting an Oscar-winning screenplay by Aaron Sorkin and an Oscar-winning score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

“The Killer”

Michael Fassbender in “The Killer” (Netflix)

David Fincher returns. The filmmaker behind such darkly hued modern classics as “Zodiac,” “Gone Girl” and “Seven” is back with “The Killer,” based on a French comic book series of the same name by Alexis “Matz” Nolent and Luc Jacamon. Michael Fassbender plays the title role, an anonymous assassin who, after a hit goes wrong, seeks revenge. It’s perhaps Fincher’s most straightforward and deceptively simple movie yet, but there’s plenty underneath the surface, from Fincher’s willing deconstruction of the “cool guy” hit man trope (dating back at least to 1967’s classic “Le Samouraï”) to his barbed commentary on the gig economy and the brutality of freelancing. In the title role, Fassbender exhibits machinelike precision, which is perfect for an exquisitely crafted movie like this, allowing the supporting performances (from Charles Parnell, Arliss Howard and Tilda Swinton) to fill in the necessary color. Fincher and his team of regular collaborators, including cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt, editor Kirk Baxter and composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, all put in exemplary work. Watch this one as soon as it beams onto Netflix. It’s a movie that everybody will be talking about.

“Nyad”

Netflix

Get ready for your new favorite inspirational based-on-a-true-story sports drama. In “Nyad” Annette Bening plays Diana Nyad, who, three decades after giving up professional swimming, decides to do the impossible – swim from Cuba to Florida, a 110-mile journey that will test her mentally, physically and spiritually. And at the age of 60, without a shark cage, might be impossible. Jodie Foster also stars as Bonnie Stoll, Nyad’s former lover, lifelong BFF and current coach. Directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, the Oscar-winning filmmakers behind “Free Solo,” and photographed by Claudio Miranda (“Top Gun: Maverick”), “Nyad” is a rousing story of perseverance and tenacity and a testament to the unflagging power of the human spirit and the fact that if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything. It’s full of rousing performances and action sequences that will have you holding your breath. It might be good practice for a career in swimming, actually. Just watch out for the box jellyfish.

“Rustin”

Colman Domingo in “Rustin” (Credit: Netflix)

Bayard Rustin was a civil rights leader and one of the key architects of the March on Washington. And yet his role in the movement has been marginalized, perhaps because he was openly gay, maybe because at the time there were members of the movement uncomfortable with his outspokenness. But his story is about to be told, with Colman Domingo starring in the title role. His Rustin is prickly, for sure, but someone with a true mind for both the emotionality and the practicality of what he and the rest of the movement were trying to get done. (He had a somewhat difficult relationship with Martin Luther King Jr., played here by Aml Ameen.) It’s a rousing, true-life story, brought to life with wit and sophistication by director George C. Wolfe and screenwriters Julian Breece and Dustin Lance Black. And if that wasn’t enough, do consider the all-star supporting cast that includes Chris Rock, CCH Pounder, Jeffrey Wright, Audra McDonald, Bill Irwin and Da’Vine Joy Randolph. There’s a reason Domingo is already amassing Oscar buzz. He’s that good.

“Leo”

“Leo” (CREDIT: Netflix)

Streaming on Nov. 21, is a new animated film starring Adam Sandler. Leo (voiced by Sandler) is a grade-school iguana who, after 74 years inside a terrarium, longs for life outside of the classroom. But after he starts getting taken home by the kids and helping them with some of their problems, he soon learns that maybe his place is among the children. “Leo” was co-written and produced by Sandler, with his longtime collaborator Robert Smigel co-writing the script and directing with David Wachtenheim and Robert Marianetti. (Together they had all worked on “Hotel Transylvania 2.”) Handsomely produced and moving, “Leo” is something of a surprise, a movie whose sweetness sneaks up with you and one where emotionally rich storytelling exists next to bonkers flourishes and laugh-out-loud jokes. It’s an intoxicating confection. “Leo” is one of the very best animated movies of the year. Get ready to fall in love with a weird old lizard.