7 Best Issa Rae Movies

By Vlad Zakh · January 3, 2026

Issa Rae built a devoted following writing and starring in her own web series before quietly assembling one of the more interesting film resumes among comedy stars of her generation. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse gives her a dimension-hopping police officer’s voice, American Fiction has a frustrated novelist writing a satirical book under a pseudonym, Vengeance sends a podcaster investigating a fling’s death, and The Sun Is Also a Star pairs a pragmatic teenager facing deportation with a hopeless romantic. The Photograph, The Hate U Give and Little round out the list.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

IMDb ★ 8.5 RT 95% Metacritic 86

Miles Morales journeys across the multiverse, confronting a vast society of Spider-People.

Directed by Kemp Powers & Justin K. Thompson · 2h 20m · Rated PG

Nominated for 1 Oscar107 wins & 164 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus, fuboTV, HBO Max Amazon Channel, FXNow, 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

American Fiction (2023)

TMDB ★ 7.6

A frustrated novelist's satirical pulp manuscript becomes an unexpected literary sensation.

Directed by Cord Jefferson · 1h 57m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video · 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

Vengeance (2022)

TMDB ★ 6.5

Issa Rae features in this dark comedy about a New York podcaster investigating a fling's mysterious death who uncovers more than he expected.

Directed by Ivan Silvestrini · 1h 37m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Sun Is Also a Star (2019)

TMDB ★ 6.4

Issa Rae features in this romance about a pragmatic Jamaican teenager facing deportation and a hopeless-romantic Korean-American boy.

Directed by Ry Russo-Young · 1h 40m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Photograph (2020)

TMDB ★ 6.0

Issa Rae plays a woman whose romance with a journalist begins while he investigates her late mother's past.

Directed by Stella Meghie · 1h 46m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Hate U Give (2018)

TMDB ★ 7.7

A teenager who witnesses the police shooting of her friend wrestles with speaking out in her divided community.

Directed by George Tillman Jr. · 2h 13m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Little (2019)

IMDb ★ 7.8 RT 95% Metacritic 91

Issa Rae appears in a comedy about a ruthless tech CEO magically transformed back into her awkward twelve-year-old self.

Directed by Greta Gerwig · 2h 15m · Rated PG

Won 1 Oscar73 wins & 229 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Hulu, YouTube TV · 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

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.

7 Best Issa Rae Movies

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

American Fiction (2023)

Vengeance (2022)

The Sun Is Also a Star (2019)

The Photograph (2020)

The Hate U Give (2018)

Little (2019)

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