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The Best Roger Ebert Four-Star Films to Stream for Free This Month

The Best Roger Ebert Four-Star Films to Stream for Free This Month

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Roger Ebert was a screenwriter, author, and film historian – but most of all he is remembered as perhaps the preeminent movie critic of the past half century, covering intelligently and wittily assessing thousands of motion pictures for the Chicago Sun-Times for 46 years, and pioneering film reviewing on TV with fellow critic Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune.

Radical surgery for thyroid and salivary gland cancer in 2006 left Ebert unable to speak, but he continued writing his incisive and highly influential movie appraisals until his death in 2013. He hgad launched a website, RogerEbert.com, in conjunction with the Sun-Times, in 2002, and it’s still going strong, under the direction of his widow, Chaz Ebert. The site continues Ebert’s Sun-Times practice of awarding four stars to the films he thought represented the best of the medium. 

24/7 Tempo has taken a look at the films Ebert gave those coveted four stars to while he was still writing his Sun-Times column, and it turns out that a number of them are currently available on various free streaming platforms. 

To determine the best Roger Ebert four-star films to stream for free this February, 24/7 Tempo developed an index using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of early February 2024, weighting all ratings equally. We considered only movies with at least 5,000 audience votes on either IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes that were rated four stars by Ebert according to IMDb and are streaming on Tubi, Pluto TV, Plex, Amazon Freevee, Vudu, or Crackle. Documentaries were not considered. Data on streaming availability, also current as of early February, comes from the streaming guide Reelgood.  

Some of the most memorable films of the latter 20th and early 21st century are on this list, leading off with the quintessential 1997 film noir “L.A. Confidential” at No. 1, and continuing on with such cinematic landmarks as “Raging Bull,” “Platoon,” “Forrest Gump,” “Leaving Las Vegas,” “Sophie’s Choice,” and “The Blair Witch Project.” (These are the 25 best R-rated movies in cinema history.)

Here are the best Roger Ebert four-star films to stream for free this month:

22. Kalifornia (1993)

Source: Courtesy of Gramercy Pictures

Source: Courtesy of Gramercy Pictures
  • IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (52,595 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 64% (46,909 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 59% (32 reviews)
  • Streaming on: Tubi, Pluto TV

21. The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Source: Courtesy of Artisan Entertainment

Source: Courtesy of Artisan Entertainment
  • IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (243,557 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 56% (402,195 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (163 reviews)
  • Streaming on: Amazon Freevee, Plex

20. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009)

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009) | Xzibit in The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans (2009)
Source: Courtesy of First Look Studios

N/A

Source: Courtesy of First Look Studios
  • IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (75,781 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 57% (53,855 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (154 reviews)
  • Streaming on: Amazon Freevee, Plex, Crackle

19. Panic (2000)

Source: Courtesy of 20th Television

Source: Courtesy of 20th Television
  • IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (8,272 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 62% (4,350 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (56 reviews)
  • Streaming on: Tubi, Amazon Freevee, Plex, Vudu

18. A Dry White Season (1989)

Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
  • IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (5,441 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (2,569 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (36 reviews)
  • Streaming on: Tubi, Pluto TV

17. The Ghost Writer (2010)

The Ghost Writer (2010) | The Ghost Writer (2010)
Source: Courtesy of Summit Distribution

Source: Courtesy of Summit Distribution
  • IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (168,122 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 70% (60,458 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 84% (210 reviews)
  • Streaming on: Tubi, Amazon Freevee

16. We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)

Source: Courtesy of Code Red

Source: Courtesy of Code Red
  • IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (144,732 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (35,418 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 75% (210 reviews)
  • Streaming on: Tubi, Pluto TV, Plex

15. Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005)

Source: Courtesy of IFC Films

Source: Courtesy of IFC Films
  • IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (35,951 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (46,691 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 82% (120 reviews)
  • Streaming on: Tubi

14. Sophie’s Choice (1982)

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
  • IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (45,838 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (21,561 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 78% (41 reviews)
  • Streaming on: Tubi, Pluto TV, Amazon Freevee, Plex, Crackle

13. The Impossible (2012)

Source: Courtesy of Lions Gate Films

Source: Courtesy of Lions Gate Films
  • IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (226,654 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (49,422 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (202 reviews)
  • Streaming on: Plex

12. Eve’s Bayou (1997)

Source: Courtesy of Trimark Pictures

Source: Courtesy of Trimark Pictures
  • IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (9,428 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (8,317 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 82% (57 reviews)
  • Streaming on: Amazon Freevee

11. House of Games (1987)

Source: Courtesy of Orion Pictures

Source: Courtesy of Orion Pictures
  • IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (21,699 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (6,511 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (27 reviews)
  • Streaming on: Pluto TV, Amazon Freevee

10. Ghost World (2001)

Source: Courtesy of United Artists

Source: Courtesy of United Artists
  • IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (117,647 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (73,554 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (162 reviews)
  • Streaming on: Tubi, Pluto TV

9. Leaving Las Vegas (1995)

Source: Courtesy of MGM/UA Distribution Company

Source: Courtesy of MGM/UA Distribution Company
  • IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (119,047 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (56,598 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (53 reviews)
  • Streaming on: Amazon Freevee

8. Hair (1979)

Source: Courtesy of United Artists

Source: Courtesy of United Artists
  • IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (36,387 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (29,946 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (24 reviews)
  • Streaming on: Tubi, Pluto TV

7. Forrest Gump (1994)

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
  • IMDb user rating: 8.8/10 (1,905,676 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (1,244,237 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 71% (104 reviews)
  • Streaming on: Pluto TV

6. The Sweet Hereafter (1997)

Source: Courtesy of Fine Line Features

Source: Courtesy of Fine Line Features
  • IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (36,111 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (11,680 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (60 reviews)
  • Streaming on: Amazon Freevee

5. The Swimmer (1968)

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
  • IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (10,838 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (3,124 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (23 reviews)
  • Streaming on: Tubi

4. The Dresser (1983)

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
  • IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (5,530 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (1,813 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (15 reviews)
  • Streaming on: Tubi

3. Platoon (1986)

Source: Courtesy of Orion Pictures

Source: Courtesy of Orion Pictures
  • IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (395,356 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (240,012 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (69 reviews)
  • Streaming on: Tubi

2. Raging Bull (1980)

Source: Courtesy of United Artists

Source: Courtesy of United Artists
  • IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (356,943 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (131,523 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (76 reviews)
  • Streaming on: Tubi, Pluto TV

1. L.A. Confidential (1997)

L.A. Confidential (1997) | Kevin Spacey and Danny DeVito in L.A. Confidential (1997)
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

N/A

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
  • IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (551,824 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (150,890 reviews)
  • Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (115 reviews)
  • Streaming on: Plex
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