8 Best Movies of 1997

By Vlad Zakh · June 29, 2026

1997 gave us blockbuster romance and gritty character studies. Selena follows a beloved Tejano star’s rise and tragic end, Boogie Nights follows the 1970s adult film industry’s makeshift family, and L.A. Confidential has detectives tied to a web of corruption. Titanic, Good Will Hunting, Princess Mononoke, Life Is Beautiful and the oddball Three Men and a Leg round out the eight.

Three Men and a Leg (1997)

TMDB ★ 8.0

Three lifelong friends embark on a chaotic road trip to deliver a priceless antique table leg.

Directed by Massimo Venier & Aldo Baglio · 1h 38m

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Selena (1997)

TMDB ★ 7.7

The rise of a beloved Tejano music star is cut tragically short by an act of betrayal.

Directed by Gregory Nava · 2h 07m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max · 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

Boogie Nights (1997)

IMDb ★ 7.9 RT 91% Metacritic 87

An ensemble rise-and-fall story that made a porn-industry setting feel almost tender.

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson · 2h 36m · Rated R

Nominated for 3 Oscars36 wins & 64 nominations

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

L.A. Confidential (1997)

IMDb ★ 8.2 RT 99% Metacritic 91

Three detectives with conflicting methods investigate a web of corruption tied to a brutal massacre.

Directed by Curtis Hanson · 2h 18m · Rated R

Won 2 Oscars91 wins & 86 nominations

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Titanic (1997)

IMDb ★ 8.0 RT 88% Metacritic 75

A doomed shipboard romance set against history's most famous maritime disaster.

Directed by James Cameron · 3h 14m · Rated PG-13

Won 11 Oscars126 wins & 84 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel, Starz Apple TV channel · 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

Good Will Hunting (1997)

IMDb ★ 8.4 RT 97% Metacritic 71

A brilliant but troubled janitor with a gift for mathematics is guided by a therapist towards self-acceptance.

Directed by Gus Van Sant · 2h 07m · Rated R

Won 2 Oscars25 wins & 61 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Apple TV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, MGM Plus, 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

Princess Mononoke (1997)

IMDb ★ 8.3 RT 93% Metacritic 78

A young warrior becomes entangled in a war between forest spirits and an industrious mining settlement.

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki · 2h 14m · Rated PG-13

14 wins & 6 nominations

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Life Is Beautiful (1997)

IMDb ★ 8.6 RT 80% Metacritic 58

A Jewish father uses humour and imagination to shield his young son from the horrors of a concentration camp.

Directed by Roberto Benigni · 1h 56m · Rated PG-13

Won 3 Oscars72 wins & 52 nominations

Where to watch

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

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.

8 Best Movies of 1997

Three Men and a Leg (1997)

Selena (1997)

Boogie Nights (1997)

L.A. Confidential (1997)

Titanic (1997)

Good Will Hunting (1997)

Princess Mononoke (1997)

Life Is Beautiful (1997)

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