Fantastic French Movies On Netflix For Francophiles & Language Learners

Grab your popcorn and get ready to laugh, cry & cheer with my top pics for French movies on Netflix and other on-demand movie sites like Amazon Prime Video

By Annie André ⦿ updated January 10, 2024  
photo for French movies to watch
photo for French movies to watch

 Here are my French drama and French comedy recommendations, which you can watch on streaming websites like Netflix and Amazon Video that will make you laugh, cry or shout for joy.

Benefits of watching French films

You probably already know that watching French movies is an easy and entertaining way to learn some new French vocabulary and improve your listening skills.

Studies have shown that turning on French subtitles can help accelerate your learning if you’re an intermediate to an advanced French language learner.  

Watching French movies is also a great way to learn about French culture and gain exposure to different accents and slang. 

And if you’re a French film buff, I’m sure you’ll find more than a few films on this list to pique your interest. 

French Movies On Netflix, Amazon and Youtube (with movie trailer)

Keep in mind that movies on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and other streaming movie sites come and go. They may also not be available to you based on your geographic regions.

So even if these films are not available at the online streaming movie site you use, you may be able to find them elsewhere.

Funny Comedy Movies

Sink or Swim (Le grand bain)

This is one of my favourite French comedy movies of all time.

It’s about a bunch of French guys between the ages of 30 to 50 on the verge of a mid-life crisis who decide to form the first synchronized swimming team- for men at their local pool.

It’s both hilarious and touching at the same time.

I’m not ashamed to admit I cried hard while laughing through tears more than a few times.

Especially towards the end. 

Sink or Swim - Official Trailer

You Might be interested in reading:31 Strange French Translations Of Hollywood Movie titles.

Amélie (Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain)

If you haven’t heard of Amélie, you’ve probably been living under a rock.

“Amélie” is a fanciful comedy about a young woman who discretely orchestrates the lives of the people around her, creating a world exclusively of her own making.

First released back in 2001, this French cult film was shot at over 80 Parisian locations, including a famous French art deco swimming pool in Paris.

Here are 17 real-life locations where this was filmed that you can visit.

TRAILER LE FABULEUX DESTIN DAMELIE POULAIN FRENCHlarge

The Untouchables (Intouchables)

Part drama, part comedy, this French film was a HUGE box office hit in France and for a good reason.

It’s about a Parisian aristocrat who becomes a quadriplegic after a paragliding accident.

He hires a young French black man from the Paris ghettos to be his live-in caretaker.

Although very different, the two men bond and develop a close friendship.

Omar Sy, who I love, is so loveable in this movie and every other movie he’s ever done. I always recommend this movie to my friends to watch, and you should too. 

The Intouchables (2011) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers

Journey to Greenland (Le voyage au Groenland)

In this French film comedy, two sometimes employed French actors from Paris leave the city to go to a tiny remote village in Greenland to visit one of their fathers. 

During their stay with an Inuit community, their friendship is challenged as they learn the local customs. This is a charming movie shot in a beautiful location, almost like a documentary or travelogue. 

Journey to Greenland / Le Voyage au Groenland (2016) - Trailer (English Subs)

The World is Yours (Le Monde est à toi)

A small-time dealer dreams of another life but can’t afford it. To escape, he must accept one last job involving Spain, drugs, the Illuminati and his overbearing mother.

The World is Yours / Le Monde est à toi (2018) - Trailer (English Subs)

A Mighty Team (La Dream Team)

When a fit of anger leads to a serious injury, a sidelined soccer star returns to his hometown and reluctantly agrees to train the local youth.

LA DREAM TEAM - Bande-annonce officielle [au cinéma le 23 mars 2016]

I am not an Easy Man (Je ne suis pas un homme facile)

A shameless chauvinist gets a taste of his own medicine when he wakes up in a world dominated by women and locks horns with a powerful female author.

JE NE SUIS PAS UN HOMME FACILE Bande Annonce (2018)

We Are Family (C’est quoi cette famille?)

Seven children from divorced parents, sick of being shared and changing house every week, decide to make a stand.

C

Climb (L’ascension)

A young Senegalese-French man sets out to climb Mount Everest to impress the woman he loves.

L

Serial (Bad) Weddings (Qu’est-ce q’on a fait au bon dieu?)

Four French daughters. Three husbands with roots in other cultures. And one more surprise for the family melting pot. 

Serial (Bad) Weddings / Qu

They Are Everywhere (Ils sont partout)

A French-Jewish actor seeks counselling and discusses several stereotypes concerning Jewish people. Told in the form of short stories that accompany each stereotype.

The Jews / Ils sont partout (2016) - Trailer (English Subs)

Slack Bay (Ma Loute)

Inspectors Machin and Malfoy investigate after tourists vanish from beaches on the Channel Coast, near the Van Peteghem family’s mansion.

Slack Bay – Official Trailer

Bad Seeds (Mauvaises herbes)

Starring Catherine Deneuve, a scam artist and former street kid from the Parisian suburbs, finds himself taking charge of a group of six teenagers expelled for being troublemakers.

Mauvaises Herbes - de Kheiron - Bande-annonce

He Even Has Your Eyes (Il a déjà tes yeux)

When French-African couple Paul and Sali discover the baby they’ve always longed for and are about to adopt is caucasian baby, family chaos and confrontation ensue.

He Even Has Your Eyes / Il a déjà tes yeux (2017) - Trailer (English Subs)

Wedding Unplanned (Jour J)

When a woman discovers a wedding planner’s business card, she instantly says yes to her partner, unaware that the card belongs to his mistress. The groom becomes trapped between his bride and his lover, who is in charge of his unwanted marriage.

Wedding Unplanned

Un + Une

When a famous French composer goes to India to write the musical score for the Indian version of “Romeo and Juliet,” he meets the wife of the French ambassador and unexpectantly falls in love.

Un plus une / Un + une (2015) - Trailer (English Subs)

French Drama Movies On Netflix

A Bag of Marbles (Sac de billes)

If you have kids and want to raise their awareness about the Jewish plight during WWII, give them this book to read, then have them watch the movie.  My daughter had to do just that for her middle school class (collège 5ème) here in France. The book and movie are based on the true story of two young French Jewish brothers who escape from Nazi-occupied France during World War II.

A Bag of Marbles

Blue is the Warmest Color (La Vie d’Adèle)

Adèle’s life is changed when she meets Emma, who allows her to discover desire and assert herself as a woman and adult. Adèle grows, loses herself, and ultimately finds herself through love and loss.

Blue is the Warmest Colour (2014) Official Trailer

REMI, NOBODY’S BOY (Rémi sans famille)

A young orphan has a series of adventures while travelling across France with an itinerant musician, his faithful dog, and his monkey.

Remi, Nobody

The Unknown Girl (La fille inconnue)

A female doctor gets obsessed with the case of a dead woman after learning that the woman had died shortly after having rung her door for help.

THE UNKNOWN GIRL Trailer | Festival 2016

Lady J (Mademoiselle de Joncquières)

If you loved Dangerous Liaisons, you’re going to love this romantic French drama film, which turned out to be surprisingly subversive. Set in the mid-1700s, during the reign of Louis XV, a wealthy aristocratic widow concocts a scheme to get revenge when her romance with a lewd marquis and playboy decides he loves someone else.

MADEMOISELLE DE JONCQUIÈRES Trailer | TIFF 2018

The Innocents (Les innocents)

In December 1945, a Red Cross doctor (Lou de Laâge) tried to help a group of pregnant Benedictine nuns at a convent in Warsaw, Poland.

The Innocents Official Trailer 1 (2016) - Drama HD

The Workshop (L’atelier)

A well-respected novelist named Olivia is assigned to help a young man named Antoine with a project at a summer writing workshop. Antoine’s aggressive yet provocative behaviour intrigues Olivia, who finds herself drawn to him.

The Workshop Trailer #1 (2018) | Movieclips Indie

Headwinds (Des vents contraires)

Paul (Benoît Magimel) and Sarah’s (Audrey Tautou) marriage slowly unravels, and after she disappears, Paul is the main suspect in her disappearance.

Des Vents Contraires - Bande annonce

Diary of a Chambermaid (Journal d’une femme de chambre)

This French film is an adaptation of Octave Mirbeau’s 1900 novel of the same name. There have been several adaptions. The story is about a chambermaid from Paris who relocates to a remote household in Provence in the late 19th century, engages in trysts and finds herself fascinated with a coach driver. 

Diary of a Chambermaid Official Trailer 1 (2016) - Léa Seydoux, Vincent Lindon Movie HD

Nothing to hide (Le jeu)

Several couples play a game over dinner; everyone has to share every text, phone call, and email with the others. The game soon becomes a nightmare.

Nothing To Hide 2018 Trailer

Standing Tall (La Tête haute)

After his mother abandons him, Malony goes in and out of juvenile court. Florence, a children’s magistrate, and Yann, a caseworker, follow the boy’s journey and work tirelessly to save him.

Standing Tall / La Tête haute (2015) - Trailer English Subs

In the Shadow of Iris (Iris)

The wife of a wealthy banker disappears in Paris, and a young mechanic in debt may be linked to the abduction. However, as the case unfolds before their eyes, the investigators realize they are still far from understanding the truth.

IRIS Bande Annonce (Charlotte Le Bon, Romain Duris - 2016)

Divines

In a housing estate on the outskirts of Paris, a teenager hungry for her share of power and success becomes a runner for a drug dealer. When she meets a male dancer, a window of opportunity offers a different kind of life.

Divines | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix

The boss’s daughter (La fille du patron)

A 40-year-old workshop foreman falls for the daughter of his boss, and nobody approves of the relationship. 

The Boss

French Animated Movie

My Life as a Zucchini (Ma vie de courgette)

The only animated film on this list isn’t exactly meant for young children due to the topic. After losing his mother, a young boy is sent to a foster home with other orphans his age, where he begins to learn the meaning of trust and true love.

My Life as a Zucchini Official Trailer 1 (2017) - Animated Movie

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a 'petite commission' at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase through my links. It helps me buy more wine and cheese. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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Annie André

Annie André

About the author

I'm Annie André, a bilingual North American with Thai and French Canadian roots. I've lived in France since 2011. When I'm not eating cheese, drinking wine or hanging out with my husband and children, I write articles on my personal blog annieandre.com for intellectually curious people interested in all things France: Life in France, travel to France, French culture, French language, travel and more.

 

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