Loved ‘One Battle After Another’? Stream these Paul Thomas Anderson films
Loved ‘One Battle After Another’? Stream these Paul Thomas Anderson films
Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest is wild, but his older films still hit just as hard.
I saw “One Battle After Another” in theaters this weekend, and even though I went in expecting a wild ride, I still walked out surprised. Paul Thomas Anderson pulled off something big. This is his long-awaited adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s “Vineland,” and it’s a full-blown action thriller. The story follows a former revolutionary, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, who’s forced to rescue his daughter from a corrupt military officer. The cast is stacked: DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, and Teyana Taylor all bring it. And the scale? Massive. Anderson shot it in VistaVision for the first time since the 1960s, and the budget is rumored to hit $175 million. DiCaprio leans into his usual manic energy, while Sean Penn straight-up steals the movie as Colonel Lockjaw. I walked out buzzing and immediately wanted to rewatch Anderson’s older work. Luckily, most of them are on streaming right now, so here’s my list of where you should start.
Top 7 Paul Thomas Anderson movies on streaming right now
No. 7: ‘Magnolia’ (1999) | The Criterion Channel
“Magnolia” is three hours of pure, unfiltered Anderson. If you’re used to his newer stuff, it might feel like too much, but that’s kind of the point. It’s an emotional mosaic of characters in the San Fernando Valley all searching for love, forgiveness, or some kind of meaning. Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, and Philip Seymour Hoffman are all in top form, weaving in and out of each other’s lives. You’ve got a dying game show host, a nurse, a former whiz kid, and a deeply broken motivational speaker, and somehow it all works. Anderson wrote the whole script while listening to Aimee Mann, and the movie plays like one giant concept album. Frogs fall from the sky, people scream and sob through confessions, and somehow every story hits hard. It’s messy, operatic, and deeply honest. If you’re up for something ambitious and raw, this is the one.
Magnolia
“Magnolia” is a sprawling epic set in the San Fernando Valley. Director Paul Thomas Anderson weaves a story of loss, forgiveness, love, and generational trauma. It’s funny and sad and operatic and thought-provoking. It’s a one-of-a-kind
The top-notch cast includes Tom Cruise, Philip Baker Hall, Philip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, Alfred Molina, Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, and Jason Robards.
No. 6: ‘Phantom Thread’ (2017) | Netflix
“Phantom Thread” sounds like a slow costume drama on paper, but Anderson flips it into a tense, twisted romantic thriller. Daniel Day-Lewis plays Reynolds Woodcock, a brilliant dressmaker in 1950s London who becomes obsessed with Alma, a young waitress played by Vicky Krieps. He’s controlling, she pushes back, and their dynamic gets dark and complicated fast. At one point, she literally poisons him with mushrooms. It’s shot entirely in England, and the visuals are stunning. Every frame looks like a painting. Even though it’s steeped in elegance, the movie’s got a sly sense of humor and an edge that sneaks up on you. The costume design won an Oscar, but what stuck with me is how Anderson captures the push-pull of love and power. It’s tense, funny, and oddly romantic in a totally messed-up way.
Phantom Thread
In 1950s London, a renowned dressmaker’s meticulous lifestyle begins drastically changing as his relationship with his young muse intensifies.
No. 5: ‘Inherent Vice’ (2014) | Prime Video
“Inherent Vice” is one of those movies where you either go with the flow or you bounce off hard. Joaquin Phoenix plays Doc Sportello, a stoner private investigator bumbling through 1970 Los Angeles. He’s trying to solve multiple cases at once, all tangled up with his missing ex, her new boyfriend, and a whole mess of shady characters. There’s a drug cartel called the Golden Fang, dentists involved in money laundering, and more side plots than you can track. That’s kind of the point. It’s supposed to feel like you’re drifting through smoke with Doc, chasing something that keeps slipping away. Josh Brolin is hilarious as a square-jawed detective, and the cast also includes Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, Benicio del Toro, and Katherine Waterston. It’s weird, hazy, and full of surprises. Definitely not for everyone, but I love how playful and loose it is.
Inherent Vice
In Los Angeles at the turn of the 1970s, drug-fueled detective Larry “Doc” Sportello investigates the disappearance of an ex-girlfriend.
No. 4: ‘Licorice Pizza’ (2021) | MUBI
“Licorice Pizza” is Anderson’s nostalgic hangout movie, set in 1973 San Fernando Valley. It follows Gary Valentine, a 15-year-old actor with way too much confidence, and Alana Kane, a 20-something drifting through jobs and relationships. Their connection is weird, funny, sometimes cringey, and believable. You’ve got scenes with waterbeds, pinball machines, political campaigns, and Bradley Cooper losing his mind as Jon Peters. The whole thing plays like a mixtape of youthful chaos. It was nominated for Best Picture, Director, and Original Screenplay, and the leads (Cooper Hoffman and Alana Haim) carry the movie with total charm. It’s messy in the best way, and it always puts me in a good mood.
Licorice Pizza
The story of Alana Kane and Gary Valentine running around and falling in love in the San Fernando Valley, 1973.
This film by director Paul Thomas Anderson stars Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman in their film debuts. The cast includes Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Bradley Cooper, and Benny Safdie.
“Licorice Pizza” was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay
No. 3: ‘Punch Drunk Love’ (2002) | The Criterion Channel
I’ve always been an Adam Sandler fan, but “Punch Drunk Love” had me start taking him seriously as a heavyweight actor. He plays Barry Egan, a painfully awkward novelty-plunger salesman who lives in a world of constant anxiety, mostly thanks to his seven loud sisters. Then he meets Lena, played by Emily Watson, and everything changes. Sort of. This is part romantic comedy, part surreal daydream. There’s a subplot about frequent flyer miles, a threatening phone-sex scam, and a gang of thugs that show up out of nowhere. Anderson actually wrote the role for Sandler after binging his comedies, and it weirdly works. Sandler is raw and vulnerable in a way you don’t often see him or expect. The film has these gorgeous color interludes by Jeremy Blake and a score by Jon Brion that gives the whole thing a dreamy pulse. It’s quirky, sweet, and oddly beautiful.
Punch-Drunk Love
A socially awkward and volatile small business owner meets the love of his life after being threatened by a gang of scammers.
No. 2: ‘Boogie Nights’ (1997) | Paramount+
“Boogie Nights” is the one that put Anderson on the map. It’s set in the San Fernando Valley and follows Eddie Adams, a shy teenager who becomes adult film star Dirk Diggler. What starts as a rags-to-riches story quickly veers into darker territory as the ’70s porn boom turns into the seedy ’80s. The cast is wild: Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore, Burt Reynolds, Don Cheadle, John C. Reilly, William H. Macy, and Heather Graham. Anderson treats the industry seriously, showing both its excitement and its heartbreaks. It’s funny, raw, tragic, and surprisingly tender. Even with all the chaos, Anderson never laughs at these characters. He sees them as people trying to build something like a family. It’s big, bold, and still hits just as hard today.
Boogie Nights
In 1977, an idealistic porn producer and his promising protege try to catch up with the end of an era before their never-ending party collides with cold, hard reality.
No. 1: ‘There Will Be Blood’ (2007) | Rent with Prime Video
If I had to pick one Anderson movie to recommend, it’s “There Will Be Blood.” It’s a towering drama about greed, ambition, and isolation, and yet underneath all that is a story about a broken father and his son. Daniel Day-Lewis plays Daniel Plainview, a silver prospector who transforms into a ruthless oilman during the California boom. The landscapes are haunting, the score by Jonny Greenwood is unsettling, and the whole thing feels like it’s building toward something terrible. Day-Lewis gives one of the greatest performances ever, full stop. The movie won Oscars for Best Actor and Cinematography, and it’s consistently ranked among the best films of the century. What gets me, though, isn’t just the milkshake scene. It’s the way Plainview looks at his son, really the only person who ever mattered to him, and realizes too late that he’s pushed everyone away. I was gutted. Check it out.
There Will Be Blood
Ruthless silver miner, turned oil prospector, Daniel Plainview, moves to oil-rich California. Using his son to project a trustworthy, family-man image, Plainview cons local landowners into selling him their valuable properties for a pittance. However, local preacher Eli Sunday suspects Plainview’s motives and intentions, starting a slow-burning feud that threatens both their lives.