25 Best Road Trip Movies of All Time

By Vlad Zakh · July 17, 2026

Drama feel good nostalgic

Put two people in a car for a few hundred miles and sooner or later they’re going to talk. That’s the whole appeal of the road movie, and this list stretches from broad comedy like Planes, Trains & Automobiles and Midnight Run to quieter stuff like Paris, Texas, where a man who vanished for four years turns up to reunite with his son. Green Book, It Happened One Night, Thelma & Louise and Easy Rider fill out a list that’s as much about who’s in the passenger seat as where the car ends up.

Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)

01

Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)

IMDb ★ 7.6 RT 93% Metacritic 72

Two mismatched strangers endure a nightmare cross-country trip home for Thanksgiving.

Directed by John Hughes · 1h 32m · Rated R

1 nomination

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, YouTube TV · 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

Midnight Run (1988)

02

Midnight Run (1988)

IMDb ★ 7.5 RT 95% Metacritic 78

A bounty hunter's cross-country transport of a fugitive accountant keeps getting derailed.

Directed by Martin Brest · 2h 06m · Rated R

2 wins & 5 nominations

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Green Book (2018)

03

Green Book (2018)

IMDb ★ 8.2 RT 77% Metacritic 69

A Black pianist and his working-class white driver tour the segregated Deep South together.

Directed by Peter Farrelly · 2h 10m · Rated PG-13

Won 3 Oscars58 wins & 125 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

It Happened One Night (1934)

04

It Happened One Night (1934)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 98% Metacritic 87

A runaway heiress and a fast-talking reporter share a bus ride that turns into a real romance.

Directed by Frank Capra · 1h 45m · Rated NR

Won 5 Oscars14 wins & 2 nominations

Where to watch

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

Paris, Texas (1984)

05

Paris, Texas (1984)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 95% Metacritic 81

A man who vanished for four years reunites with his young son and searches for the wife he left behind.

Directed by Wim Wenders · 2h 25m · Rated R

Won 1 BAFTA Award16 wins & 12 nominations total

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Easy Rider (1969)

06

Easy Rider (1969)

IMDb ★ 7.2 RT 84% Metacritic 85

Two bikers' cross-country trip to sell drugs becomes a snapshot of a fractured late-60s America.

Directed by Dennis Hopper · 1h 36m · Rated R

Nominated for 2 Oscars12 wins & 14 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Sony Pictures Core Amazon 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

Thelma & Louise (1991)

07

Thelma & Louise (1991)

IMDb ★ 7.6 RT 87% Metacritic 89

Two friends' weekend getaway spirals into a fugitive run from the law across the American Southwest.

Directed by Ridley Scott · 2h 10m · Rated R

Won 1 Oscar24 wins & 52 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · 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

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)

08

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)

IMDb ★ 7.5 RT 94% Metacritic 70

Two drag queens and a trans woman perform their way across the Australian outback.

Directed by Stephan Elliott · 1h 43m · Rated R

Won 1 Oscar11 wins & 20 nominations

Where to watch

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

The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)

09

The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)

IMDb ★ 7.7 RT 83% Metacritic 75

A young Che Guevara's road trip across South America radicalises him mile by mile.

Directed by Walter Salles · 2h 06m · Rated R

Won 1 Oscar36 wins & 49 nominations

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Into the Wild (2007)

10

Into the Wild (2007)

IMDb ★ 8.0 RT 83% Metacritic 73

A college graduate gives away his savings and walks into the Alaskan wilderness alone.

Directed by Sean Penn · 2h 28m · Rated R

Nominated for 2 Oscars23 wins & 106 nominations

Where to watch

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

Wild (2014)

11

Wild (2014)

IMDb ★ 7.1 RT 88% Metacritic 74

A grieving woman hikes eleven hundred miles alone to rebuild herself from nothing.

Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée · 1h 55m · Rated R

Nominated for 2 Oscars13 wins & 70 nominations

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Straight Story (1999)

12

The Straight Story (1999)

IMDb ★ 8.0 RT 95% Metacritic 86

An elderly man drives a lawnmower hundreds of miles to make peace with his estranged brother.

Directed by David Lynch · 1h 52m · Rated G

Nominated for 1 Oscar19 wins & 40 nominations

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Sideways (2004)

13

Sideways (2004)

IMDb ★ 7.5 RT 97% Metacritic 94

Two friends' wine-country trip before one's wedding turns into a real reckoning with failure.

Directed by Alexander Payne · 2h 07m · Rated R

Won 1 Oscar123 wins & 91 nominations

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Y Tu Mamá También (2001)

14

Y Tu Mamá También (2001)

IMDb ★ 7.7 RT 90% Metacritic 89

A road-trip comedy that turns unexpectedly melancholy about class and mortality.

Directed by Alfonso Cuarón · 1h 46m · Rated NR

Nominated for 1 Oscar39 wins & 48 nominations

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

15

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

IMDb ★ 7.8 RT 91% Metacritic 80

A dysfunctional family road-trips a young girl to a beauty pageant she barely wants to attend.

Directed by Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris · 1h 42m · Rated R

Won 2 Oscars73 wins & 112 nominations

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Rain Man (1988)

16

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

Almost Famous (2000)

17

Almost Famous (2000)

IMDb ★ 7.9 RT 91% Metacritic 90

A teenage journalist, shadowed by his worried mother, tours with a rock band.

Directed by Cameron Crowe · 2h 04m · Rated R

Won 1 Oscar54 wins & 103 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel · 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

Tommy Boy (1995)

18

Tommy Boy (1995)

IMDb ★ 7.1 RT 40% Metacritic 46

Chris Farley and David Spade at their most reliably silly.

Directed by Peter Segal · 1h 38m · Rated PG-13

1 win & 2 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Philo, Paramount+ Amazon Channel · 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

Due Date (2010)

19

Due Date (2010)

IMDb ★ 6.5 RT 39% Metacritic 51

A stranded expectant father is forced to drive cross-country with the man who got him stranded in the first place.

Directed by Todd Phillips · 1h 35m · Rated R

7 nominations

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Zombieland (2009)

20

Zombieland (2009)

IMDb ★ 7.5 RT 89% Metacritic 73

A germaphobic survivor's rules for staying alive in a zombie-overrun America.

Directed by Ruben Fleischer · 1h 28m · Rated R

10 wins & 29 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max · 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

National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)

21

National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)

IMDb ★ 7.3 RT 94% Metacritic 55

A father's dream family road trip to a theme park goes wrong at every possible stop.

Directed by Harold Ramis · 1h 39m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC · 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

Vacation (2015)

22

Vacation (2015)

IMDb ★ 6.2 RT 27% Metacritic 34

A grown-up Rusty Griswold drags his own reluctant family on the same disastrous cross-country trip.

Directed by John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein · 1h 39m · Rated R

1 win & 3 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Paramount Plus Essential, YouTube TV · 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

RV (2006)

23

RV (2006)

IMDb ★ 5.6 RT 23% Metacritic 33

A stressed dad's fake business trip becomes a real family RV holiday he can't escape.

Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld · 1h 39m · Rated PG

1 win & 2 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Road Trip (2000)

24

Road Trip (2000)

IMDb ★ 6.5 RT 59% Metacritic 55

Four college friends drive cross-country to intercept an incriminating tape before it reaches a girlfriend.

Directed by Todd Phillips · 1h 33m · Rated R

4 wins & 9 nominations

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Dumb and Dumber (1994)

25

Dumb and Dumber (1994)

IMDb ★ 7.3 RT 69% Metacritic 41

Peak Jim Carrey physical comedy, dumb by design and better for it.

Directed by Peter Farrelly · 1h 47m · Rated PG-13

5 wins & 3 nominations

Where to watch

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

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.