The best movies to watch on Peacock right now

Field of Dreams Kevin Costner Ray Liotta — Universal Pictures

For a bit of television history trivia, the original NBC peacock logo was first implemented in 1956 to highlight the network’s new color programming. Even though it’s gone through numerous iterations since then, the network has stuck with the colorful bird, in one form or another, for going on six decades now. It’s fitting, then, that Peacock is known most for its TV programming, highlighted by shows like The Office, Parks and Rec, and the self-mocking (and hilarious) 30 Rock. If you are on Peacock for the shows, however, don’t overlook that the platform is also home to a number of great movies spanning cinema history, including everything from great comedy to excellent sports movies.

Peacock offers both free (registered) and paid accounts. As a result, some movies are available for free, and others only for subscribers. This roundup culls titles from both groups. To be sure you can access all of these classics, you’ll have to fork over the $5-a-month service cost. Happy streaming!

Bernie (2012)

Genre Comedy, Crime, Drama

Stars Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, Matthew McConaughey

Directed by Richard Linklater

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Bernie was a bit of a zag for director Richard Linklater, as it involves way more murder than the rest of his filmography. Jack Black stars as Bernie Tiede in this true story. Everybody loves Bernie, the man who charms all the little old ladies in his Carthage, Texas, hometown, even as he endures constant abuse from his crabby benefactor Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLaine). A man can only take so much, though, and before too long, Bernie loosens his pent-up rage against the woman, sending shockwaves through the small town. What carries the film is its chorus of real-life town residents who give the plot an undeniable local color through a series of talking-head interviews interspersed between the action.

The Farm (2019)

Genre Horror

Stars Nora Yessayan, Alec Gaylord, Ken Volok

Directed by Hans Stjernswärd

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Ever wonder what it’s like to be the livestock on a farm? Well, the horror flick The Farm offers an answer. And it’s pretty horrific. After taking a wrong turn on the highway, a young couple decides to stop at a roadside diner for food and relaxation. Their fun trip soon becomes a fight for survival when masked kidnappers imprison them on a farm where humans are the main course. The movie is filled with shocking and disturbing scenes, but if you’re in the mood for pure, unadulterated horror, The Farm is here to deliver.

Knock at the Cabin (2023)

Genre Horror, Thriller, Mystery

Stars Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

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The most recent horror film from M. Night Shyamalan, Knock at the Cabin is the kind of B-movie the director was born to make. The film follows a family staying in a secluded cabin who find themselves kidnapped and battling for their own survival after their kidnappers tell them that one of them has to die for the world to be saved. It’s a movie that plays expertly with the psychological elements of its horror premise, and one that features a towering central performance from Dave Bautista as the lead kidnapper.

Short Term 12 (2013)

Genre Drama

Stars Brie Larson, John Gallagher Jr., Kaitlyn Dever

Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton

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A movie featuring an array of future stars before any of them were stars, Short Term 12 is also a delicate story about living with trauma. The movie stars Brie Larson as a counselor at a short-term care facility for teenagers from troubled homes, and much of the movie focuses on the way she interacts with the teens she works with, and deals with her own traumatic past. Surrounded by a supporting cast that includes Rami Malek, Lakeith Stanfield and Kaitlyn Dever among others, Short Term 12 is an intimate, small-scale movie that never loses touch with its characters humanity.

Burning (2018)

Genre Mystery, Drama, Thriller

Stars Yoo Ah-in, Steven Yeun, Jun Jong-seo

Directed by Lee Chang-dong

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A Korean drama from 2018 that earns every bit of its 150-minute runtime, Burning tells the story of a young man who becomes transfixed by the disappearance of a woman he’s recently formed a bond with. As he becomes increasingly convinced that something terrible happened to her, we get an examination of both this young man and the way the world around him seems to blur and change. Featuring a riveting supporting performance from Steven Yeun as a wealthy and mysterious possible criminal, Burning is riveting in ways that most movies only aspire to be.

Erin Brockovich (2000)

Genre Drama

Stars Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, Aaron Eckhart

Directed by Steven Soderbergh

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The role that finally won Julia Roberts her Oscar, Erin Brockovich is a larger than life character that Roberts grounds from her very first moment on screen. The movie tells the true story of Brockovich, a paralegal who almost singlehandedly discovered a chemical coverup that was poisoning the water in a local community, and was causing devastating medical consequences for the community’s residents. Erin Brockovich is a righteous movie, but it’s also incredibly fun to watch from beginning to end thanks to Roberts and a supremely boisterous supporting turn from Albert Finney.

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Genre Horror

Stars Judith O'Dea, Duane Jones, Marilyn Eastman

Directed by George A. Romero

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The movie that launched an entire genre, Night of the Living Dead tells the story of five strangers who come together at a farmhouse in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. Their struggle to survive may feel small and quaint by modern standards, but the human drama that plays out between them remains as compelling as any in a modern zombie flick. The movie’s chilling ending, which is a stark reminder of the racism that has been a part of America for decades, and still exists today, also makes it feel like the kind of small, independent drama that might hit theaters today.

Field of Dreams (1989)

Genre Drama, Fantasy

Stars Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, Gaby Hoffmann

Directed by Phil Alden Robinson

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If you want one movie that summarizes why Kevin Costner was such a phenomenon, Field of Dreams is the right place to start. This movie follows a man who returns to Iowa to inherit a farm left to him by his father and begins hearing voices that tell him to build a baseball field in the middle of his cornfield. As ridiculous as that might sound, it turns out to be the vehicle for a pretty touching story about baseball, fathers and sons, and the struggles of connecting to another human being. There’s also a lot of smart reflections on the ’60s from a distinctly ’80s perspective, which is fascinating in its own right.

The best movies to watch on Peacock right now

From Field of Dreams to Erin Brockovich, these are the best movies to watch on Peacock right now

Bernie (2012)

The Farm (2019)

Knock at the Cabin (2023)

Short Term 12 (2013)

Burning (2018)

Erin Brockovich (2000)

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Field of Dreams (1989)

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