6 Best Screen Test and Casting Couch Movies

By Vlad Zakh · April 16, 2026

Hollywood’s audition rooms and screen tests have inspired sharp self-examinations of ambition and exploitation. The Assistant has a young production assistant disturbed by her boss’s predatory behavior, Mulholland Drive has an aspiring actress uncovering dark secrets, and The Bad and the Beautiful has a ruthless producer’s rise recounted by the people he betrayed. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Sunset Boulevard and A Star Is Born round out the six.

The Assistant (2019)

TMDB ★ 6.6

A young film production assistant grows increasingly disturbed by her powerful boss's predatory behaviour.

Directed by Kitty Green · 1h 28m · Rated R

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)

TMDB ★ 7.6

A fading television actor and his stunt double navigate a changing Hollywood on the eve of the Manson murders.

Directed by Quentin Tarantino · 2h 42m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, YouTube TV, Amazon Prime Video 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

Mulholland Drive (2001)

TMDB ★ 7.9

An amnesiac and an aspiring actress unravel a Los Angeles mystery that refuses to resolve cleanly.

Directed by David Lynch · 2h 27m · Rated R

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)

TMDB ★ 7.8

A ruthless Hollywood producer's manipulative rise to power leaves a trail of betrayed collaborators.

Directed by Vincente Minnelli · 1h 58m · Rated NR

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

IMDb ★ 8.4 RT 98% Metacritic 94

A struggling screenwriter becomes entangled with a faded, delusional silent-film star clinging to the past.

Directed by Billy Wilder · 1h 50m · Rated NR

Won 3 Oscars21 wins & 20 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, Kanopy, MGM Plus · 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

A Star Is Born (1937)

TMDB ★ 7.3

A rising actress's career overtakes that of her fading movie-star husband, with tragic results.

Directed by William A. Wellman · 1h 51m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: Brew, Pure Flix, FlixFling, Great American Pure Flix Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, FlixFling

▶ 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.

6 Best Screen Test and Casting Couch Movies

The Assistant (2019)

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)

Mulholland Drive (2001)

The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

A Star Is Born (1937)

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