Learn a New Language By Actually Speaking It
Try for 100 Days
100-Day Risk-Free Trial Trusted by 200,000+

17 Classic English Movies and TV Shows You Can Watch Today

It doesn't matter if you're a beginner or advanced learner, you can benefit from watching English movies. The key is finding the right movies.

Watching movies in English offers a rare combination of fun and effective learning. With cheap streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and HBO, you can find dozens of amazing movies and TV shows to watch on your free time.It doesn't matter if you're an English beginner, intermediate, or advanced learner, you can benefit from watching movies online. The key is finding the right English movies to watch that will benefit your language skills.

But before we share our favorite English movies and TV shows to watch, you should know how to properly watch them for learning a language.

Learning English with Movies and TV Shows

1. Only watch movies you enjoy

A common mistake we see is beginners forcing themselves to watch English movies they don't enjoy. If you enjoy watching romantic comedy movies in your native language, watch them in English too!There's no reason to make it harder on yourself by watching something you do not like. The key is to create a learning experience that doesn't feel like work.

2. Use subtitles (ideally in your target language)

Subtitles can be incredibly powerful when you first get started, as it helps you fill in any gaps that you may not hear. We recommend starting with using subtitles in your native language, then switching over to English as you improve your English skills.

3. Stick to a single region of English speakers

Australian English is very different than American English. Everything from slang, accent, and grammar structure can vary, and it's important to focus on one. Most popular movies are created with US actors, so if you want to learn American English, you may be in luck.

17 Awesome English Movies For Beginners To Watch This Weekend

1. Spider-Man (2002)

Genre: Action, Adventure

Length: 2h 1min

Type of English: USA

Trailer Link

2. The Social Network

Genre: Biography, Drama

Length: 2h

Type of English: USA

Trailer Link

The story of how Mark Zuckerberg and his roommates from Harvard started Facebook. The film illustrates the drama between Zuckerberg and the two brothers that originally came up with the idea.

3. Toy Story

Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy

Length: 1h 21 mins

Type of English: USA

Trailer Link

An animation story of toys, where a boy's favorite toy, the cowboy, gets jealous when a new spaceman comes into the room.


4.
Forrest Gump

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Length: 2h 22 mins

Type of English: Southern

Trailer Link

A love story of an unintelligent man, Forrest Gump, who falls in love with a beautiful girl. The English accent in this movie is southern, which may be new for many viewers. However, the level is fairly simple that most English beginners that understand with subtitles.

5. Finding Nemo

Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy

Length: 1h 40 mins

Type of English: USA

Trailer Link

When his son (Nemo) is taken by the Great Reef towards Sydney, a clownfish sets out on a journey to bring him back home.

6. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Genre: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy

Length: 2h 32 mins

Type of English: USA

Trailer Link

After being rescued by his strict parents, Harry unleashes his magical potential at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This is a classic English movie that has been translated to dozens of languages around the world.


7.
Titantic

Genre: Drama, Romance

Length: 3h 14 mins

Type of English: USA

Trailer Link

The classic love story of a young, poor seventeen year old artist, and a young, prestigious girl during the crisis of the Titanic crash. Warning: This movie will have you in tears, so have plenty of napkins with you!

8. Transformers

Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Length: 2h 24 mins

Type of English: USA

Trailer Link

This movie illustrates a battle between the Autobots (the good bots) and Decepticons (the evil bots), when the latter decides to invade the planet of Earth. The underlying secret is held by a teenage boy who allies up with the Autobots.

9. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Family

Length: 1h 55 mins

Type of English: USA

Trailer Link

A lucky young boy wins one of five tickets to a magical chocolate factory, and meets an unusual host Willy Wonka. But things don't exactly go according to plan inside the factory...

10. Back to the Future

Genre: Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi

Length: 1h 56 mins

Type of English: USA

Trailer Link

A regular high school student doesn't have the best life set up right now. He's being put down by the principle of his school, and is in the heat of fights between his two parents. Then he meets a mad scientist who has discovered a time machine that enables him to visit the future. And everything changes.


11.
E.T.

Genre: Family, Sci-Fi

Length: 1h 55 mins

Type of English: USA

Trailer Link

A young boy meets a strange creature while he's minding his own business. Then he musters up the courage to help the alien return to his home, and builds a genuine relationship along the way.

12. The Lego Movie

Genre: Action, Animation, Comedy

Length: 1h 40 mins

Type of English: USA

Trailer Link

This animation takes place in the world of legos. A regular (and rather unqualified) construction worker is recruited to help battle against an evil mastermind who's trying to destroy the Lego world.


13.
King Kong

Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Horror

Length: 1h 43 mins

Type of English: USA

Trailer Link

14. Shrek

Genre: Animation, Action, Family

Length: 1h 30 mins

Type of English: USA

Trailer Link

A vicious ogre who is isolated from the rest of the world, falls in love with a woman who also ends up turning into an ogre herself. Shrek, who was once feared amongst all, shows a sensitive side to his personality and goes on a journey to win back his princess.


15.
The Lion King

Genre: Animation, Adventure, Drama

Length: 1h 28 mins

Type of English: USA

Trailer Link

A young cub Simba is struggling to find his true identity. He adventures to forbidden locations that are dangerous, and finds himself in harmful scenarios that forces him to mature.


16.
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids

Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy

Length: 1h 41 mins

Type of English: USA

Trailer Link

A struggling inventor comes up with a machine ray that ends up shrinking his own children. The shrunk kids now need to go on a journey in order to make it home and return to their normal lives.

17. The Pursuit of Happyness

Genre: Drama, Romance

Length: 3h 14 mins

Type of English: USA

Trailer Link

A broke and struggling salesman shifts his career around to take on the competitive world of Wall Street. It's a true story between the bonds of a father and his son, but more importantly a documentary of what brings true happiness.


You've made it! Which of these English movies and TV shows were your favorite, and were there any notable ones that we missed?

Share with us below :)

Do you constantly feel intimidated when you speak a new language?

Speak With Confidence on Day 1

Join 100,000+ learning to speak confidently in 3 weeks with Jumpspeak's AI Immersion Method.
Start Speaking
Get Unlimited Spanish Conversation Practice.
Try
Get access to our free language hacking course.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.