10 Best Jack Nicholson Movies

By Vlad Zakh · January 7, 2026

Jack Nicholson built one of the most iconic careers in American film on characters teetering at the edge of control, and few actors have made unhinged look so effortless. The Departed sets an undercover cop and a mole against each other, About Schmidt sends a widowed retiree on a road trip, As Good as It Gets upends an obsessive-compulsive novelist’s life, and A Few Good Men uncovers a conspiracy in a Marines case. The Shining, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Chinatown, Easy Rider, Batman and Terms of Endearment round out the list.

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

About Schmidt (2002)

TMDB ★ 7.2

A newly retired, widowed insurance actuary questions the meaning of his life on a road trip.

Directed by Alexander Payne · 2h 05m · Rated R

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

As Good as It Gets (1997)

TMDB ★ 7.6

A misanthropic, obsessive-compulsive writer's life is transformed by a waitress and his gay artist neighbour.

Directed by James L. Brooks · 2h 19m · Rated PG-13

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

A Few Good Men (1992)

TMDB ★ 7.7

A military lawyer takes on a case that ends with one of cinema's great courtroom outbursts: "You can't handle the truth!"

Directed by Rob Reiner · 2h 18m · Rated R

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Batman (1989)

TMDB ★ 7.5

Tim Burton's gothic take on Gotham, still the template for the character's darker tone.

Directed by Tim Burton · 2h 06m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, 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

Terms of Endearment (1983)

TMDB ★ 7.4

A mother and daughter's stormy, loving relationship survives three decades of heartbreak.

Directed by James L. Brooks · 2h 12m · Rated PG

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, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Shining (1980)

IMDb ★ 8.4 RT 84% Metacritic 68

A writer's winter caretaking job at an isolated hotel unleashes his descent into supernatural-fuelled madness.

Directed by Stanley Kubrick · 2h 24m · Rated R

6 wins & 9 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, AMC, 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

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

IMDb ★ 8.6 RT 92% Metacritic 84

A rebellious new patient clashes with a psychiatric ward's iron-fisted head nurse.

Directed by Miloš Forman · 2h 15m · Rated R

Won 5 Oscars38 wins & 15 nominations

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Chinatown (1974)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 98% Metacritic 92

A private detective investigating an adultery case uncovers a vast conspiracy over Los Angeles's water supply.

Directed by Roman Polanski · 2h 10m · Rated R

Won 1 Oscar21 wins & 24 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, 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

Easy Rider (1969)

IMDb ★ 7.2 RT 84% Metacritic 85

Two bikers' cross-country trip to sell drugs becomes a snapshot of a fractured late-60s America.

Directed by Dennis Hopper · 1h 36m · Rated R

Nominated for 2 Oscars12 wins & 14 nominations

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

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.

10 Best Jack Nicholson Movies

The Departed (2006)

About Schmidt (2002)

As Good as It Gets (1997)

A Few Good Men (1992)

Batman (1989)

Terms of Endearment (1983)

The Shining (1980)

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

Chinatown (1974)

Easy Rider (1969)

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