4 Underrated Netflix Movies You Need to Watch in August 2025: ‘The 355’ and More

If you’re looking for variety in your movie nights, look no further than Netflix in August.

In addition to its numerous original movies premiering throughout the month, Netflix has added several films from outside studios for limited runs on the streamer.

Watch With Us has selected the four underrated Netflix movies you need to watch in August to help narrow down your choices.

Our picks include a crime film celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, a classic ’80s teen movie, a rom-com that originally premiered on Peacock, and an all-female spy action thriller.

‘The Departed’ (2006)

Director Martin Scorsese‘s The Departed had one of Jack Nicholson‘s last great performances before his retirement in 2010. Nicholson played mob boss Frank Costello, a man who had the foresight to place Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) as his spy in the Boston police years before it came to fruition. Meanwhile, the police have quietly groomed Trooper Billy Costigan Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) to become an undercover operative by sending him to prison and giving him a criminal background.

As Billy rises in Frank’s criminal organization, the latter realizes that he has an informant in his crew. Billy and Colin both attempt to hide their true affiliations from the people around them. One false step could get either man killed, and their respective secrets will bring Billy and Colin into a potentially fatal conflict with each other.

The Departed is streaming on Netflix.

‘Weird Science’ (1985)

Depending upon how long you’ve been watching movies, you may be more familiar with Oingo Boingo’s theme song for Weird Science than the film itself. Director John Hughes‘ riff on Frankenstein follows two teens, Gary Wallace (Anthony Michael Hall) and Wyatt Donnelly (Ilan Mitchell-Smith). Since they can’t get the girls they want, Gary and Wyatt decide to create their own dream woman with a computer.

Inexplicably, the duo manages to bring Lisa (Kelly LeBrock) to life with powers that bend reality to her will. Lisa isn’t a slave to either of the boys, and she has her own ideas about how they can win over Deb (Suzanne Snyder) and Hilly (Judi Aronson) while thwarting their rivals, Ian (Robert Downey Jr.) and Max (Robert Rusler). The problem is that Lisa leaves a lot of chaos in her wake, which puts Gary and Wyatt in a world of trouble.

Weird Science is streaming on Netflix.

‘Marry Me’ (2023)

If there was ever a role that Jennifer Lopez could personally relate to, it’s  Katalina “Kat” Valdez in Marry Me. Following three failed marriages, Kat discovers that her fiancé, Bastian (Maluma), has cheated on her at the same time that their latest song has become a breakout hit.

Rather than follow through on her plans to marry Bastian during one of her concerts, Kat impulsively invites a divorced teacher, Charlie Gilbert (Owen Wilson), on stage for an impromptu wedding. Charlie’s “Marry Me” sign wasn’t meant to be a literal proposal, but he and Kat discover that they have more in common than they thought. However, the pressures of a celebrity marriage may doom this union to the same fate as Kat’s previous relationships.

Marry Me is streaming on Netflix.

‘The 355’ (2022)

There’s never been a female James Bond, but The 355 attempts to fill that gap with an all-female team of spies. Crime lord Elijah Clarke (Jason Flemyng) was given a program that can break into any digital system in the world. But before Clarke could use the program, it was lost during a raid.

CIA officer Mason “Mace” Browne (Jessica Chastain), ex-MI6 agent Khadijah Adiyeme (Lupita Nyong’o), BND agent Marie Schmidt (Diana Kruger), DNI agent Graciela Rivera (Penélope Cruz) and MSS agent Lin Mi Sheng (Fan Bingbing) all represent rival nations that want the program. However, these five women decide to work together to retrieve the program even before they’re framed for its theft and branded as traitors by their respective countries.

The 355 will stream on Netflix on August 21.