10 Best Movies of 1988

By Vlad Zakh · February 5, 2026

1988 was a great year to be at the movies, and it wasn’t all explosions. Die Hard dropped an off-duty cop into a skyscraper full of terrorists, Rain Man sent two brothers off on a long road trip, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit set a cartoon rabbit loose in a murder mystery. Tucked in among the crowd-pleasers is Cinema Paradiso, a quiet, wistful film about a boy and the projectionist in his small Sicilian town.

Cinema Paradiso (1988)

IMDb ★ 8.5 RT 90% Metacritic 80

A filmmaker recalls his childhood friendship with the projectionist at his small Sicilian town's cinema.

Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore · 2h 04m · Rated PG

Won 1 Oscar25 wins & 33 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Rain Man (1988)

IMDb ★ 8.0 RT 88% Metacritic 65

A fast-talking hustler discovers his estranged brother is an autistic savant during a cross-country road trip.

Directed by Barry Levinson · 2h 14m · Rated R

Won 4 Oscars27 wins & 26 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max Amazon Channel, MGM Plus, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Die Hard (1988)

IMDb ★ 8.2 RT 94% Metacritic 72

An off-duty New York cop battles terrorists who have taken over a Los Angeles skyscraper.

Directed by John McTiernan · 2h 12m · Rated R

Nominated for 4 Oscars10 wins & 12 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, fuboTV, YouTube TV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

IMDb ★ 7.7 RT 96% Metacritic 83

A cartoon rabbit hires a down-on-his-luck detective to prove he didn't commit murder.

Directed by Robert Zemeckis · 1h 44m · Rated PG

Won 3 Oscars25 wins & 22 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

A Fish Called Wanda (1988)

IMDb ★ 7.5 RT 96% Metacritic 80

Jewel thieves turn on each other after a heist, pulling in a hapless English barrister.

Directed by Charles Crichton · 1h 49m · Rated R

Won 1 Oscar10 wins & 27 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Big (1988)

IMDb ★ 7.3 RT 98% Metacritic 73

A young boy magically turned into an adult must handle work and love with a child's heart.

Directed by Penny Marshall · 1h 44m · Rated PG

Nominated for 2 Oscars12 wins & 15 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)

IMDb ★ 7.6 RT 88% Metacritic 76

A bumbling police detective investigates an assassination plot against the Queen of England.

Directed by David Zucker · 1h 26m · Rated PG-13

2 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Bull Durham (1988)

IMDb ★ 7.0 RT 97% Metacritic 73

A veteran minor-league catcher mentors a talented but immature young pitching prospect.

Directed by Ron Shelton · 1h 48m · Rated R

Nominated for 1 Oscar7 wins & 7 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: YouTube TV, TNT, TBS, tru TV · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Working Girl (1988)

IMDb ★ 6.8 RT 85% Metacritic 73

An ambitious secretary seizes a career opportunity while her boss recovers from a skiing accident.

Directed by Mike Nichols · 1h 54m · Rated R

Won 1 Oscar9 wins & 19 nominations

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Coming to America (1988)

IMDb ★ 7.1 RT 71% Metacritic 47

An African prince travels to Queens, New York, in search of a wife who will love him for himself.

Directed by John Landis · 1h 57m · Rated R

Nominated for 2 Oscars5 wins & 5 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: AMC Plus Apple TV channel, YouTube TV, AMC · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

10 Best Movies of 1988

Cinema Paradiso (1988)

Rain Man (1988)

Die Hard (1988)

Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

A Fish Called Wanda (1988)

Big (1988)

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)

Bull Durham (1988)

Working Girl (1988)

Coming to America (1988)

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