6 Best R-Rated Movies of 2023 on Netflix with Near-Perfect Tomatometer

1. They Cloned Tyrone

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

A drug dealer, a sex worker, and a pimp stumble upon a government conspiracy and realize that their neighborhood is the subject of an in-depth experiment. This hilarious, offbeat, and violent ode to the Blaxploitation films of the 1970s will keep you howling with laughter even as you appreciate its razor-sharp social satire.

It's funny, it's wild, and it's totally original – They Cloned Tyrone is the most criminally underwatched movie of 2023.

Watch If You Like: Get Out, Hot Fuzz.

2. May December

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%

Decades ago, a 36-year-old woman (Juliane Moore) had an affair with a 14-year old (Charles Melton). She was arrested, found guilty of child molestation, and went to prison while pregnant with his child.

Now it's two decades later, and the two are married with three kids. In spite of the scandalous beginning of their relationship, they mostly manage to keep their lives out of the spotlight. Their private lives are disturbed, however, when an actress (Natalie Portman ) comes calling. She's performing in a movie about the two of them, and is determined to learn all she can about the couple in the name of research.

Watch If You Like: Humanizing drama with a hint of camp.

3. Maestro

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79%

People like to roll their eyes at movies that are 'Oscar bait', but there's no denying the passion that went into this biopic about the life of great American composer Leonard Bernstein. Bradley Cooper reportedly worked for almost a decade to get Bernstein's voice and carriage right, and the result is a spot-on impression that grounds this sweeping, epic film.

And hey, if it was Oscar bait it worked – Maestro was nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture.

Watch If You Like: Musicals, biopics, and Bradley Cooper waving a little stick around.

4. Leave the World Behind

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 74%

In this slow-burning thriller, a couple from Brooklyn (Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke) rent a vacation AirBnB to get away for a few days. Their vacation is interrupted by eerie and strange events – the wifi and satellites are down, and pamphlets rain from the sky – and things get even more stressful when the owners of the house (Mahershala Ali, Myha'la) return. They were driven to come back due to a blackout, and stress levels between the two families start to rise as the mystery of what's going on becomes increasingly fraught.

Watch If You Like: Creeping terror, social commentary, and flamingos.

5. The Killer

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%

David Fincher (Se7en, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) directed this action thriller about a professional assassin whose world is shaken up after his girlfriend is targeted. Michael Fassbender plays the Killer of the title, a cold and methodical criminal-for-hire whose blandness is his weirdest and greatest asset.

Tilda Swinton also appears in this odd, intense movie. The usual melodrama of assassin stories makes way for brutal (and incredible) fight scenes and the Killer's ability to stay divorced from empathy or emotion.

Watch If You Like: David Fincher movies in general.

6. Dumb Money

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84%

Whether or not you followed the epic GameStop saga of 2021, you'll love this movie about ordinary people flipping the script on Wall Street and – for a brief, shining moment – coming out on top. If you don't understand anything about the stock market, don't worry: Dumb Money keeps things understandable and entertaining.

The stellar cast includes Seth Rogen, America Ferrera, Paul Dano, Nick Offerman, and Sebastian Stan as various players in the bizarre real-life story.

Watch If You Like: The Big Short