8 Best Movies of 2006

By Vlad Zakh · June 30, 2026

2006 had adventure, dysfunctional road trips and dystopian rebellion. Apocalypto has a captured Mayan man outrunning his pursuers, Little Miss Sunshine has a family heading to a beauty pageant, and V for Vendetta has a masked vigilante taking on a totalitarian Britain. The Pursuit of Happyness, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Lives of Others, The Departed and The Prestige round out the eight.

Apocalypto (2006)

TMDB ★ 7.7

A young Mayan man captured for sacrifice must escape and outrun his pursuers through the jungle.

Directed by Mel Gibson · 2h 18m · Rated R

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

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

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

TMDB ★ 7.9

Earns its ending through everything that comes before it.

Directed by Gabriele Muccino · 1h 57m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Angel Studios · 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

V for Vendetta (2006)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 73% Metacritic 62

A masked vigilante wages a campaign against a totalitarian government in a dystopian future Britain.

Directed by James McTeigue · 2h 12m · Rated R

7 wins & 29 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, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

IMDb ★ 8.2 RT 95% Metacritic 98

A young girl escapes the horrors of fascist Spain into a dark fantastical labyrinth ruled by a mysterious faun.

Directed by Guillermo del Toro · 1h 58m · Rated R

Won 3 Oscars109 wins & 115 nominations

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Google Play Movies

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Lives of Others (2006)

IMDb ★ 8.4 RT 92% Metacritic 89

An East German secret police officer surveilling a playwright grows unexpectedly sympathetic to his target.

Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck · 2h 17m · Rated R

Won 1 Oscar80 wins & 38 nominations

Where to watch

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

The Departed (2006)

IMDb ★ 8.5 RT 91% Metacritic 85

A remake that somehow out-tenses its own already tense source material.

Directed by Martin Scorsese · 2h 31m · Rated R

Won 4 Oscars100 wins & 141 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, 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

The Prestige (2006)

IMDb ★ 8.5 RT 77% Metacritic 66

Two rival magicians engage in an escalating, obsessive competition with devastating personal costs.

Directed by Christopher Nolan · 2h 10m · Rated PG-13

Nominated for 2 Oscars6 wins & 44 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads · Rent or 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 2006

Apocalypto (2006)

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

V for Vendetta (2006)

Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

The Lives of Others (2006)

The Departed (2006)

The Prestige (2006)

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