The 15 best films hitting Netflix in May 2022

Netflix adds Dirty Harry, Forrest Gump, and Rambo to its library of legacy films in May

By Don Lewis | April 27, 2022 | 1:00pm

Film News Films

The 15 best films hitting Netflix in May 2022

Rambo, Corpse Bride, Forrest Gump, and Dirty Harry Image: Rambo courtesy Lionsgate; Corpse Bride and Dirty Harry, courtesy Warner Bros.; Forrest Gump courtesy Paramount

Venerable streamer Netflix took a massive hit in its first quarter, losing over 200,000 subscribers for myriad reasons, including better programming on other pay services and too many shared passwords. While the company mulls changing permissions for those passwords, it’s immediately trying to improve its programming of legacy content from other companies. Other than the return of Stranger Things to create subscription bounce back, what else of note is Netflix bringing to the channel in May? Let’s take a look…

Crazy, Stupid, Love (Available May 1)

Crazy, Stupid, Love (Available May 1)

It’s kind of a bummer 2011’s Crazy, Stupid, Love has become better known for sexy Ryan Gosling memes than for the fact the film is a clever twist on classic rom-com formulas. Steve Carell stars as Cal Weaver, a man who seems to have it all: a great job, a lovely home, and a beautiful wife (Julianne Moore). When that all suddenly goes down the drain, he finds himself a single man attempting to navigate the new and challenging world of dating. Enter Jacob Palmer (Gosling) who tries to teach an old dog new tricks. In 2010, Scott Tobias said that Crazy, Stupid, Love —not quite damning it with faint praise, but at least suggesting that viewers temper their expectations.

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The Jackass movie collection (Available May 1)

That’s right, Netflix is bringing all the Jackass movies (sans the new one, Jackass Forever) to your living room, where you still shouldn’t try this at home. Imagine, a whole marathon of Jackass (Jackass: The Movie, Jackass 2.5, and Jackass 3.5) from the relative safety of your couch where beer and popcorn is much, much cheaper. The A.V. Club’ s Matt Schimkowitz did back in February.

Hello, My Name Is Doris (Available May 1)

Michael Showalter co-wrote directed this charming 2015 rom-com starring Sally Field as an older woman who, after attending a self-help seminar, gets inspired to pursue a much younger man—a co-worker named John (Max Greenfield). The results are… adorable. The A.V. Club’s Katie Rife gave the film even though there were some well-noted quibbles.

Corpse Bride (Available May 1)

Oh, Tim Burton. For every poorly thought-out narrative feature, you somehow create films like The Corpse Bride that remind us all why we loved you in the first place. A truly fantastic piece of grim animation, in Corpse Bride one-time Burton muse Johnny Depp plays Victor Van Dort, a shy groom who inadvertently marries a deceased woman. Sticking to his roots, Burton uses the painstaking process of stop-motion animation to create a film that in many ways rivals his previous masterpiece, The Nightmare Before Christmas. Back in 2005, Tasha Robinson called it “.”

Dirty Harry (Available May 1)

The United States (hell, the world) has seen a lot of tough guy flexing of late and a weird nostalgia for days when “men were men” and Reagan was President. Clint Eastwood’s everyman machismo-fest Dirty Harry debuted in the ’70s, relying on fascistic ideas and the now corny catchphrase “Go ahead… make my day” that led to a multi-decade franchise. Maybe some modern viewings will shed light on the doomed philosophy on display, but in any case, ’70s era Don Siegel films are always intriguing. Back in 2011, Mike D’Angelo said as much, calling Dirty Harry “.”

Rambo (2008)

Speaking of tough guy flexing, Netflix is bringing the 2008 Rambo reboot to their service as well as the 2019 reboot sequel Rambo: Last Blood. Get it? The very first John Rambo movie was simply First Blood (1982) so the last Stallone one is Last Blood. In all honesty, if you can pull off some suspension of disbelief, both are actually pretty entertaining movies. It’s also cool to note Stallone was allowed to close out his John Rambo character as well as Rocky a few years prior. In 2008, Nathan Rabin suggested that the film “.”

Road To Perdition (Available May 1)

Once upon a time Tom Hanks played a very bad guy in Sam Mendes’ follow up to American Beauty, Road To Perdition. The film also features Paul Newman in one of his final film roles as a mob boss, and Jude Law also delivers a creepy performance. Based on a well-received graphic novel, Mendes’ sophomore effort was stylistically gorgeous, but somehow didn’t land with audiences back in 2002. Nevertheless, The A.V. Club’s Keith Phipps said Mendes creates “.”

Forrest Gump (Available May 1)

Did Tom Hanks as a bad guy in Road to Perdition leave a bad taste in your mouth? Well, wash it out with some Bubba Gump shrimp and a box of chocolates as the ever-charming Forrest Gump hits Netflix this May. While some of Forrest’s simpleton insights are indeed problematic these days, part of the charm was the fact that they were always problematic. Unsurprisingly, in 2009 Noel Murray smartly acknowledged the film’s complicated legacy while dressing it down a bit, saying of the sprawling, epic crowd-pleaser, “.”

The Gentlemen (Available May 1)

It’s weird how much Guy Ritchie works, and even weirder is he still pulls together a pretty spectacular cast every time. Yet the weirdest thing is how utterly forgettable most of his films are these days. Case in point, the Matthew McConaughey, Hugh Grant, Colin Farrell, and Jeremy Strong starrer The Gentlemen. Will it be enough to make you forget Ritchie directed the live-action version of Disney’s Aladdin or did mentioning that just make you realized that happened? In 2020, Vikram Murthi was less than complimentary, saying it felt “.”

Once Upon A Time In America (Available May 1)

Sergio Leone is of course known as the king of the Spaghetti Western, but he also made a damn fine gangster film with 1984’s Once Upon A Time In America. Clocking in at 3 hours and 49 minutes, the film stars Robert De Niro as Noodles, a former Prohibition-era gangster who revisits his old haunts and the violent life he endured and brought upon himself. Those worried about the long runtime should just pretend they’re binge-watching their favorite show. Back in 2003, The A.V. Club’s Keith Phipps dug into the DVD release of the film, calling it “.”

Menace II Society (Available May 1)

The Hughes Brothers (Allen and Albert) made a huge splash back in 1993 with their harrowing, nihilistic look at ghetto street life in Menace II Society. Their 1995 crime caper follow-up failed to generate much buzz and from there, the Hughes Brothers have kind of drifted along through various cinematic mediums (music videos, short films, television) over the ensuing decades. But they will always have one of the finest and rawest feature film debuts with Menace. The A.V. Club team listed the film as one of many up for reconsideration in .

Soul Surfer (Available May 1)

An inspiring family film about a near fatal shark attack is a bit of an odd niche but Soul Surfer, the biopic of surfer Bethany Hamilton, pulls it off. AnnaSophia Robb stars as Hamilton, who loses an arm to a shark attack but, through some engineering ingenuity and not-so-subtle nods to “God’s Plan,” once again takes to the waves. The film co-stars Dennis Quaid and Helen Hunt as Bethany’s parents, and even includes country star Carrie Underwood in her feature debut. In 2011, Tasha Robinson , saying it “has plenty of strengths to go with its faults.”

Harold And Kumar Go To White Castle (Available May 1)

A month too late to celebrate 4/20, Netflix brings smart and funny stoner comedy Harold And Kumar Go To White Castle to the streamer this May. John Cho and Kal Penn star as the eponymous, munchies-having burger seekers while Neil Patrick Harris steals the show playing himself, but all horned-up on ecstasy. The film was admired for breaking ground in terms of upending racial stereotypes and still holds up today as an excellent comedy. The A.V. Club’s Nathan Rabin said the film “.”

War Of The Worlds (Available May 1)

Steven Spielberg’s 2005 adaptation of H.G. Wells’ War Of The Worlds, as the kids say, slaps hard. In fact, it’s often a bit shocking that the film only got a PG-13 rating, as there’s a whole lot of aliens flat-out dusting people. The film also bookends the two films where Spielberg’s muse was Tom Cruise (the other being 2002’s also excellent Minority Report) and really showcases what happens when two blockbuster masters are in sync. In 2005, Scott Tobias highlighted how Spielberg “.”

Tully (Available May 16)

Charlize Theron once again stars in a really good Jason Reitman film with 2018’s Tully. The two worked together first in 2007’s Juno and again in the massively underseen Young Adult in 2011 (Note: Patton Oswalt was straight-up robbed of a Best Supporting Actor nom in that one). While Tully is probably a distant third place to those other two films, it’s still a pretty solid comedy/drama about Marlo (Theron), a mother of two, who gets a surprise with pregnancy number three. Enter Mackenzie Davis as night-nanny Tully who immediately forms an intense bond with Marlo. From there, things get weird. The A.V. Club’s Jesse Hassenger dug it too, giving it an A-, observing that screenwriter and Juno collaborator Diablo Cody “.”