Sophia Loren – 10 Best Movies

By Vlad Zakh · January 22, 2026

Sophia Loren became Italian cinema’s biggest international star and, decades later, proved she still had range with a genuine late-career comeback on Netflix. The Life Ahead has an ageing Holocaust survivor taking in an orphaned street kid, Two Women, Marriage Italian Style, Sunflower, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow and A Special Day are the Italian essentials. Grumpier Old Men complicates two feuding neighbours with a glamorous newcomer, Man of La Mancha frames Don Quixote as a prison play, and Houseboat and El Cid round out the list.

Grumpier Old Men (1995)

TMDB ★ 6.1

Two feuding neighbours' rivalry gets complicated when a glamorous newcomer moves in next door, played by Sophia Loren.

Directed by Howard Deutch · 1h 41m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Man of La Mancha (1972)

TMDB ★ 6.5

An imprisoned playwright acts out the tale of a delusional knight who famously tilts at windmills.

Directed by Arthur Hiller · 2h 12m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Houseboat (1958)

TMDB ★ 6.8

A widowed father's new housekeeper, played by Sophia Loren, turns out to be hiding a much more complicated background.

Directed by Melville Shavelson · 1h 50m

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Life Ahead (2020)

TMDB ★ 7.0

Sophia Loren plays an ageing Holocaust survivor who reluctantly takes in an orphaned street kid in southern Italy.

Directed by Edoardo Ponti · 1h 34m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

El Cid (1961)

TMDB ★ 7.3

A legendary Spanish knight unites warring factions to defend his homeland against invasion, with Charlton Heston in the title role.

Directed by Anthony Mann · 3h 07m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Marriage Italian Style (1964)

TMDB ★ 7.4

A long-term mistress schemes to finally force her wealthy lover into marriage.

Directed by Vittorio De Sica · 1h 42m · Rated NR

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Sunflower (1970)

TMDB ★ 7.6

Sophia Loren plays a wife who searches the Soviet Union for the husband who never returned from the war.

Directed by Vittorio De Sica · 1h 49m · Rated G

Where to watch

Stream: Kino Film Collection · Rent or buy: Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

A Special Day (1977)

TMDB ★ 7.7

A housewife and her gay neighbour share one quiet day while a fascist parade passes outside.

Directed by Ettore Scola · 1h 46m · Rated NR

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1963)

TMDB ★ 7.6

Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren star in three loosely connected stories set in Naples, Milan and Rome.

Directed by Vittorio De Sica · 1h 59m

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Two Women (1960)

TMDB ★ 7.8

A mother and her teenage daughter endure the brutal hardships of war-torn Italy while fleeing to safety.

Directed by Vittorio De Sica · 1h 40m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, BFI Player Amazon Channel, BFI Player Apple TV Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Apple TV Store, Amazon Video

▶ 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.

Sophia Loren – 10 Best Movies

Grumpier Old Men (1995)

Man of La Mancha (1972)

Houseboat (1958)

The Life Ahead (2020)

El Cid (1961)

Marriage Italian Style (1964)

Sunflower (1970)

A Special Day (1977)

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1963)

Two Women (1960)

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