Best Movies to Stream for the 4th of July
Best Movies to Stream for the 4th of July
In a time of fractured politics, it’s nice to step back and remember the values that made the United States great: independence, liberty, courage, and sacrifice. We’ve pulled together the top movies to fire up for any mood this Independence Day.
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Hamilton
September 5, 2025Presenting the tale of American founding father Alexander Hamilton, this filmed version of the original Broadway smash hit is the story of America then, told by America now.
Revolution ain’t easy, and this ultra-popular hip-hop musical tells the story of one remarkable leader and his vision of a country yet-to-be.
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1776
November 9, 1972Colonial representatives gather in Philadelphia with the aim of establishing a set of governmental rules for the burgeoning United States. Benjamin Franklin and John Adams charge Thomas Jefferson with the task of writing a statement announcing the new country’s emancipation from British rule.
If Hamilton is too contemporary, turn on this cult classic musical may scratch your itch.
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Captain America: The First Avenger
July 22, 2011During World War II, Steve Rogers is a sickly man from Brooklyn who’s transformed into super-soldier Captain America to aid in the war effort. Rogers must stop the Red Skull – Adolf Hitler’s ruthless head of weaponry, and the leader of an organization that intends to use a mysterious device of untold powers for world domination.
Scrawny Steve Rogers is willing to risk his life for his country during WWII. Thankfully, a super-serum gives him just the muscle to match his enormous heart.
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Hidden Figures
December 10, 2016The untold story of Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson – brilliant African-American women working at NASA and serving as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history – the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.
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The Patriot
June 28, 2000After proving himself on the field of battle in the French and Indian War, Benjamin Martin wants nothing more to do with such things, preferring the simple life of a farmer. But when his son Gabriel enlists in the army to defend their new nation, America, against the British, Benjamin reluctantly returns to his old life to protect his son.
Mel Gibson’s colonial pioneer doesn’t want to get dragged into a Revolutionary War, but when the Redcoats take aim at his family, he grabs a hatchet and gets to work.
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Independence Day
July 2, 1996Strange phenomena surface around the globe. The skies ignite. Terror races through the world’s major cities. As these extraordinary events unfold, it becomes increasingly clear that a force of incredible magnitude has arrived. Its mission: total annihilation over the Fourth of July weekend. The last hope to stop the destruction is an unlikely group of people united by fate and unimaginable circumstances.
This sci-fi crowd-pleaser dominated the box office in 1996. It has very little to do with the 4th of July, but we’ll be darned if Bill Pullman’s defiant speech doesn’t get us riled up.
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Glory
December 15, 1989Robert Gould Shaw leads the US Civil War’s first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices of both his own Union army and the Confederates.
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Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
October 19, 1939After the death of a United States Senator, the idealistic Jefferson Smith is appointed as his replacement in Washington. The naive and earnest new senator soon finds himself battling political corruption.
Jimmy Stewart’s belief in America leads him to the most famous filibuster in movie history.
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Miracle
February 6, 2004When college coach Herb Brooks is hired to helm the 1980 U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team, he brings a unique and brash style to the ice. After assembling a team of hot-headed college all-stars, who are humiliated in an early match, Brooks unites his squad against a common foe: the heavily-favored Soviet team.
If you need an uplifting American movie, check out the true story of a group of American nobodies who shocked the world by skating past the fearsome Soviet hockey team in the Winter Olympics.
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Saving Private Ryan
July 24, 1998As U.S. troops storm the beaches of Normandy, three brothers lie dead on the battlefield, with a fourth trapped behind enemy lines. Ranger captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) and seven men are tasked with penetrating German-held territory and bringing the boy home.
This Steven Spielberg masterpiece features a mind-boggling cast of great talent: Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, Jeremy Davies, Vin Diesel, Adam Goldberg, Barry Pepper, Giovanni Ribisi, Dennis Farina, Ted Danson, Bryan Cranston, Nathan Fillion and Paul Giamatti.
The film won five Academy Awards, including Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Film Editing, and Best Director.
It’s worth remembering that freedom comes at a cost. This Spielberg landmark may be the best movie ever to illustrate the horrors of war and the sacrifices required to keep it.
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Rocky
December 3, 1976Rocky Balboa is a Philadelphia club fighter who seems to be going nowhere. But when a stroke of fate puts him in the ring with a world heavyweight champion, Rocky knows that it’s his one shot at the big time — a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go the distance and come out a winner!
America can be boastful like Apollo Creed or stubbornly brave like Rocky Balboa. If you’ve ever felt like the world counted you out, be sure to watch this classic flick.
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Born on the Fourth of July
December 20, 1989The biography of Ron Kovic. Paralyzed in the Vietnam war, he becomes an anti-war and pro-human rights political activist after feeling betrayed by the country he fought for.
A potent combination of Oliver Stone and Tom Cruise makes this a must-see movie. Stone won the Oscar for Best Director for the story of a real-life veteran.
Tom Cruise gives a great performance as a disabled veteran reassessing his country.
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The Right Stuff
October 20, 1983At the dawn of the Space Race, seven test pilots set out to become the first American astronauts to enter space. However, the road to making history brings momentous challenges.
We all love NASA, and nothing was more American than finding a way to get to the moon.
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Do the Right Thing
June 14, 1989Sal is the Italian owner of a pizzeria in Brooklyn. A neighborhood local, Buggin’ Out, becomes upset when he sees that the pizzeria’s Wall of Fame exhibits only Italian actors. Buggin’ Out believes a pizzeria in a black neighborhood should showcase black actors, but Sal disagrees. The wall becomes a symbol of racism and hate to Buggin’ Out and to other people in the neighborhood, and tensions rise.
America has always struggled with race, and Spike Lee’s great film captures the messy, frustrating, hopeful, and painful sides of coexistence.
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Apollo 13
June 30, 1995The true story of technical troubles that scuttle the Apollo 13 lunar mission in 1970, risking the lives of astronaut Jim Lovell and his crew, with the failed journey turning into a thrilling saga of heroism. Drifting more than 200,000 miles from Earth, the astronauts work furiously with the ground crew to avert tragedy.
When the chips are down, Americans pull together. In this retelling of a life-or-death NASA mission, astronauts pull together to find a way back home when everything goes wrong.
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Malcolm X
November 18, 1992A tribute to the controversial black activist and leader of the struggle for black liberation. He hit bottom during his imprisonment in the ’50s, he became a Black Muslim and then a leader in the Nation of Islam. His assassination in 1965 left a legacy of self-determination and racial pride.
Another wonderful Spike Lee entry, “Malcolm X” profiles a monumental figure willing to risk his life for a more just future.
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Lincoln
November 9, 2012The revealing story of the 16th US President’s tumultuous final months in office. In a nation divided by war and the strong winds of change, Lincoln pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country and abolish slavery. With the moral courage and fierce determination to succeed, his choices during this critical moment will change the fate of generations to come.
Daniel Day-Lewis’s performance as our greatest president resulted in Oscar gold.
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An American Tail
November 21, 1986A young mouse named Fievel and his family decide to migrate to America, a “land without cats,” at the turn of the 20th century. But somehow, Fievel ends up in the New World alone and must fend off not only the felines he never thought he’d have to deal with again but also the loneliness of being away from home.
If you need a good way to teach your kids about immigration, turn to this animated mouse with a heart of gold.
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Air Force One
July 25, 1997When Russian neo-nationalists hijack Air Force One, the world’s most secure and extraordinary aircraft, the President is faced with a nearly impossible decision to give in to terrorist demands or sacrifice not only the country’s dignity, but the lives of his wife and daughter.
It’s been too long since we’ve seen a president punch a Russian terrorist in the face, so cue up this Harrison Ford action flick.
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Selma
December 25, 2014“Selma,” as in Alabama, the place where segregation in the South was at its worst, leading to a march that ended in violence, forcing a famous statement by President Lyndon B. Johnson that ultimately led to the signing of the Voting Rights Act.
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Gettysburg
October 8, 1993In the summer of 1863, General Robert E. Lee leads the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia into Gettysburg, Pennsylvania with the goal of marching through to Washington, D.C. The Union Army of the Potomac, under the command of General George G. Meade, forms a defensive position to confront the rebel forces in what will prove to be the decisive battle of the American Civil War.
Americans can sometimes be on the wrong side of history, and “Gettysburg” takes you inside the legends of the North and South during this pivotal battle.
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