9 Best Dustin Hoffman Movies

By Vlad Zakh · January 8, 2026

Dustin Hoffman helped define a new, less glamorous kind of American leading man, built on vulnerability and neurotic precision instead of movie-star polish. The Graduate and Midnight Cowboy started it, Kramer vs. Kramer fights a custody battle as a single father, Tootsie disguises a struggling actor as a woman, Rain Man discovers an autistic savant brother, and Wag the Dog fabricates a war as a distraction. Papillon, All the President’s Men and Marathon Man round out the list.

Wag the Dog (1997)

TMDB ★ 7.1

A spin doctor and a Hollywood producer fabricate a fake war to distract from a presidential sex scandal.

Directed by Barry Levinson · 1h 37m · Rated R

Where to watch

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

Tootsie (1982)

TMDB ★ 7.6

An unemployable actor lands his biggest role yet by disguising himself as a woman.

Directed by Sydney Pollack · 1h 56m · Rated PG

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

Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

TMDB ★ 7.7

A father fights for custody of his young son after his wife unexpectedly leaves the family.

Directed by Robert Benton · 1h 45m · Rated PG

Where to watch

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Marathon Man (1976)

TMDB ★ 7.5

A graduate student is drawn into a web of international intrigue involving a sadistic ex-Nazi dentist.

Directed by John Schlesinger · 2h 06m · Rated R

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

All the President's Men (1976)

IMDb ★ 7.9 RT 95% Metacritic 84

Two Washington Post reporters slowly unravel the Watergate conspiracy.

Directed by Alan J. Pakula · 2h 18m · Rated PG

Won 4 Oscars17 wins & 23 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: TCM · 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

Papillon (1973)

TMDB ★ 8.0

A wrongly convicted man endures brutal conditions in a penal colony while relentlessly plotting his escape.

Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner · 2h 31m · Rated PG

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

Midnight Cowboy (1969)

TMDB ★ 7.9

A naive Texan hustler and a sickly con man form an unlikely friendship while struggling to survive in New York.

Directed by John Schlesinger · 1h 53m · Rated NC-17

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

The Graduate (1967)

TMDB ★ 8.0

A directionless college graduate drifts into an affair with an older family friend.

Directed by Mike Nichols · 1h 47m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Howdy Amazon Channel · Rent: 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.

9 Best Dustin Hoffman Movies

Wag the Dog (1997)

Rain Man (1988)

Tootsie (1982)

Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

Marathon Man (1976)

All the President's Men (1976)

Papillon (1973)

Midnight Cowboy (1969)

The Graduate (1967)

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