19 Early ’00s Movies On Netflix You Totally Forgot About But Need To Rewatch

Ah, the early ’00s. Remember when low-rise jeans, flip phones, and neck-tie belts were all the rage? We certainly do! The early aughts were also a great time for movies, when teen comedies, extremely dramatic dramas, and (often problematic) love stories ruled the screen. These days, it's fun to reminisce by rewatching some of the classics from that era, but there are also plenty of movies that you've probably forgotten about over the years. If that's the case, don’t fret — with the help of streaming services, you can now watch these early ’00s movies on Netflix and remember why you loved them in the first place.

Over the years, Netflix has amassed a content library to rival that of any other streaming service, filled with movies both new and old. The ones on this list aren’t that old, but they’re definitely worth revisiting, like The Sweetest Thing or Step Brothers. If you haven't seen some (or any) of them, now is the perfect time to fill that hole in your pop culture knowledge. Take a trip down memory lane with these ’00s movies you likely forgot existed, all streaming on Netflix.

1. In the Cut (2003)

Adapted from Susanna Moore’s novel of the same name, Meg Ryan stars in this acclaimed psychological thriller as New York University English professor Frannie Avery who witnesses a sexual assault committed by a killer on the loose. She’s soon questioned by Detective Giovanni Malloy (Mark Ruffalo), a meeting which sparks a passionate relationship complicating the investigation. While the film received moderate reviews upon its release, it’s since been reappraised in the wake of the Me Too movement as a feminist erotic thriller that successfully subverts the male gaze.

2. Scary Movie 4 (2006)

Anna Faris and Regina Hall reprised their beloved roles as Cindy and Brenda, respectively, in the fourth installment of the Wayans brothers’ Scary Movie parody franchise. Spoofing films including Saw, The Grudge, War of the Worlds, and The Village, the hilarious box office smash hit also features Anthony Anderson, Kevin Hart, and Molly Shannon in its ensemble cast as well as cameos from Dr. Phil, Shaquille O’Neal, and Lil Jon.

3. The Sweetest Thing (2003)

A review on Rotten Tomatoes calls The Sweetest Thing an “atrociously awful piece of garbage,” which honestly just makes us want to watch it more. The unhinged 2002 romantic comedy stars Cameron Diaz, Christina Applegate, and Selma Blair as three friends in search of noncommittal sexual partners. But when Diaz’s character Christina unexpectedly meets Mr. Right, she and Applegate’s Courtney embark on a road trip to find him.

4. The Ugly Truth (2009)

Katherine Heigl stars as hopelessly single television producer Abby Richter, who after a bad date calls into The Ugly Truth, a dating show hosted by relationship cynicist Mike Chadway (Gerard Butler), to yell at him. But unbeknownst to Abby, she’ll have to start working alongside Mike the next day and listen to his seemingly endless philosophies about love. As someone who generally only takes advice from Chicken Soup for the Soul books, she’s in for a difficult ride — until they (spoiler alert) eventually fall for each other.

5. Good Luck Chuck (2007)

Dane Cook is the titular character in Good Luck Chuck, a dentist known as a good luck charm — because women always find their one true love after sleeping with Chuck due to a hex placed on him as a young boy. But after meeting Cam Wexler (Jessica Alba), he’s determined to break the curse and successfully pursue a lasting relationship with her in this 2007 comedy directed by Showgirls and Rush Hour editor Mark Helfrich.

6. Shooter (2007)

Adapted from Stephen Hunter’s 1993 novel Point of Impact, this 2007 action thriller stars Mark Wahlberg as a Marine named Bob Lee Swagger who exits the military following a horrible incident. After he’s recruited back to soldier status to assist with a government mission against the U.S. president, Bob learns he’s been betrayed and sets out to get revenge on several high-profile leaders. Also starring Michael Peña (Narcos: Mexico), Danny Glover (Sorry to Bother You), and Kate Mara (A Teacher), Shooter grossed over $95 million at the box office upon release.

7. Not Another Teen Movie (2001)

Before he was known as Captain America, Chris Evans made his film debut in 2001’s Not Another Teen Movie, a comedy that parodies several teen flicks from the ’80s and ’90s, including She’s All That, 10 Things I Hate About You, Can’t Hardly Wait, and Pretty in Pink. Evans stars alongside Jaime Pressly (Mom) and Lacey Chabert (Mean Girls) in the movie, which follows a She’s All That-esque plot centered around a group of popular students who bet on transforming an uncool girl into the prom queen.

8. The Sum of All Fears (2002)

This 2002 installment in the Jack Ryan film series, based on books by Tom Clancy, stars Ben Affleck in its leading role, playing a younger version of the secret agent following earlier portrayals by Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford. Set in 2002, The Sum of All Fears sees the character recruited into the CIA by director William Cabot (Morgan Freeman) to investigate a mysterious new Russian leader. The film was a financial success and preceded two other Jack Ryan projects: 2014’s Shadow Pursuit starring Chris Pine and Amazon Prime’s ongoing Jack Ryan series featuring John Krasinski.

9. Identity (2003)

Loosely based on Agatha Christie’s 1939 novel And Then There Were None, this 2003 slasher features an ensemble cast including John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet, and Clea DuVall as four of 10 strangers who find themselves trapped in a strange hotel. With no contact to the outside world, they’re mysteriously killed off one by one — while a parallel story told in reverse chronological order follows the murderer’s criminal trial. Horror fans will love this twisted film, which received polarized views upon release but has since become a cult classic.

10. Poseidon (2006)

Kurt Russell, Josh Lucas, and Richard Dreyfuss star as three passengers on the Poseidon cruise ship in this 2006 film, adapted from Paul Gallico’s 1969 novel The Poseidon Adventure. While aboard for a transatlantic New Year’s Eve voyage, a dangerous rogue wave hits and capsizes the ship, and its passengers desperately attempt to survive. Fans of the thrilling aspects of Titanic will enjoy this film, especially since they can enjoy it knowing Poseidon is a completely fictional disaster.

11. Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)

Directed by Rob Marshall (Chicago), this English and Japanese co-production tells the fictional story of Chiyo Sakamoto, a Japanese girl sold to a geisha house by her parents as a child who later becomes known as Sayuri Nitta (played by Zhang Ziyi). But her successful life as a geisha is soon disrupted by the arrival of World War II in this romantic drama based on Arthur Golden’s 1997 novel of the same name. While it won several Oscars in 2006, the film also faced controversy for casting Chinese actresses in Japanese roles and in turn received polarizing responses from both communities.

12. Hairspray (2007)

Based on the homonymous 1988 film and 2002 Broadway musical, the 2007 version of Hairspray featured newcomer Nikki Blonsky as Tracy Turnblad, who dreams of dancing on The Corny Collins Show despite facing rejection due to her plus-size figure. Set in 1960s Baltimore, Tracy also hopes to integrate the show’s Black cast members, who usually perform separately from its white stars, into its regular broadcast — which leads to chaos, protests, riots, and eventually success. Also starring James Marsden, Queen Latifah, Michelle Pfeiffer, John Travolta, Zac Efron, and Amanda Bynes, the film became the musical’s highest-grossing onscreen adaptation, making over $203 million at the box office.

13. Road Trip (2000)

Fans of The Hangover should check out its director Todd Phillips’ Road Trip. Released in 2000, the sex comedy stars Breckin Meyer as Josh Parker, an upstate New York college student in a long-distance relationship with his high school sweetheart, Tiffany Henderson (Rachel Blanchard), who attends the University of Austin. He regularly mails her videotaped letters to stay connected, but after sleeping with another woman, recording it, and accidentally mailing the wrong VHS to Tiffany, Josh and his friends embark on a lengthy road trip to intercept its delivery.

14. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

While some may prefer the original film, Tim Burton’s dark 2005 adaptation of Roald Dahl’s 1964 novel of the same name was created with complete creative control given to the late author’s estate. Freddie Highmore stars as the titular character, one of five kids chosen to tour the factory of elusive candy maker Willy Wonka, played by the controversial Johnny Depp. Also featuring Helena Bonham Carter, Missi Pyle, and AnnaSophia Robb, the film grossed $475 million worldwide and received widely positive critical reviews.

15. Bee Movie (2007)

Chances are you haven’t forgotten about this one either, thanks to all the memes, and it’s included this on the list purely for the irony. Jerry Seinfeld stars in this outrageous children’s comedy as Barry Bee, a bumblebee who isn’t happy to learn that humans consume and sell honey and seeks to sue the entire human race. Oh, and along the way, he falls in love with a human woman named Vanessa Bloome, voiced by Renée Zellweger. Totally normal movie, right?

16. Chloe (2009)

A remake of the 2003 French film Nathalie…, this Atom Egoyan-directed erotic thriller stars Liam Neeson as David, a college professor whose wife, Catherine (Julianne Moore), suspects he’s cheating on her. In order to learn if David’s truly willing to step outside of their marriage, Catherine hires a sex worker named Chloe (Amanda Seyfried) to tempt him into a sexual affair.

17. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)

The third installment in Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne series sees the actor reprise his role as the former CIA assassin and psychogenic amnesiac to continue searching for information about his life pre-Operation Treadstone. Along the way, however, Jason must fight off a series of assassins targeting him in this 2007 action thriller, which also stars Julia Stiles and David Strathairn. Following The Bourne Ultimatum came 2012’s The Bourne Legacy starring Jeremy Renner as another agent named Aaron Cross. However, Damon played the titular character once again in 2016’s Jason Bourne.

18. Malibu’s Most Wanted (2003)

Jamie Kennedy stars in this 2003 comedy as Brad Gluckman, wealthy politician Senator Bill Gluckman’s (Ryan O’Neal) son and wannabe Eminem who aspires to be a hardcore rapper named B-Rad, named after B-Rabbit from 8 Mile. Fearing his son’s actions could hurt his chances of becoming Governor of California, Bill hires two clean-cut actors, Sean (Taye Diggs) and PJ (Anthony Anderson), to pose as gang members and scare Brad out of his hip-hop aspirations and teach him to behave.

19. Blood and Bone (2009)

Michael Jai White (Why Did I Get Married?) stars as Isaiah Bone, who moves to Los Angeles after he’s released from prison and enters the world of underground fighting. Determined to win every match in honor of a deceased friend, Bone prevails over his opponents and scores thousands of dollars in the process — despite encountering danger at nearly every turn. Also starring real-life MMA fighters Bob Sapp, Kimbo Slice, Maurice Smith, and Gina Carano, the 2009 sports action film currently holds a 71% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.