Underrated 2000s movies you can stream right now

If you’ve seen “There Will Be Blood,” you surely aren’t underrating it. Paul Thomas Anderson’s film is a modern masterpiece. However, unless you are the kind of film fan who is obsessed over the Oscars, you may not have given “There Will Be Blood” a shot. You should definitely fix that. This is a true classic. Watch it now on Netflix or on Showtime if you have a subscription.

Have you heard of a gentleman named Bong Joon-ho? You know, the guy who just took home Best Director and Best Picture for “Parasite?” Well he has more movies than just that one. Check out one of his earlier films, “The Host.” However, the only place to stream it right now is if you have a subscription to something called Hoopla. Maybe it offers a free trial?

The movie that first put Edgar Wright on the map, “Shaun of the Dead” hit theaters 16 years ago. Maybe you missed it at the time. Wright, and Simon Pegg, were barely known quantities in England, let alone the United States, back then. To this day, though, it’s Wright’s best film. You can watch it on Starz or DirecTV.

In the mood for a dumb comedy, emphasis on the “dumb?” Then “Idiocracy” could scratch that itch. The movie is directed by Mike Judge of “King of the Hill” and “Silicon Valley” fame — oh, and a little cult classic called “Office Space.” It’s a profoundly goofy movie, but sometimes that’s just what you want. It’s available if you have Cinemax or DirecTV.

We’re going to the polar opposite end of the movie world from “Idiocracy.” “Children of Men” is a serious, somber dystopian sci-fi film. It’s tremendously executed though. Clive Owen is great, and there is a fantastic action sequence in the middle of the movie you’ll want to see. And you watch it if you have Starz.

Need a Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara fix after finishing "Schitt's Creek?" Then check out arguably the best of Christopher Guest's mockumentaries, "Best in Show." The faux doc about a dog show also featured an all-time comedy performance from the late Fred Willard. You can watch it on Hulu.

Guy Ritchie may be an acquired taste, but if you like a rip-roaring action comedy with lots of guns, he will deliver what you desire. After bursting onto the scene in “Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels,” Ritchie admittedly went back to the same well for “Snatch.” This time, though, he had a bigger budget, not to mention Brad Pitt. You can watch it on CBS All-Access or with ads on IMDb TV.

Talk about social distancing. “Moon” is a sci-fi film about Sam Rockwell as a man alone on a manufacturing facility on the Moon…or is he? Rockwell is basically acting solo all movie long, and he’s absolutely fantastic at it. “Moon” is on Netflix or on Crackle with ads.

To many, “The Royal Tenenbaums” is Wes Anderson’s best movie. It’s also the movie that broke him out even further after he made his first mark with “Rushmore” (though you should definitely watch his debut film, “Bottle Rocket”). The story of a dysfunctional family is loaded with great actors, and the movie has a killer soundtrack to boot. If you have DirecTV, you can watch it.

This is a genuinely weird and mind-bending movie. It’s hard to describe, even after you’ve seen it. However, “Eternal Sunshine,” directed by Michel Gondry and written by Charlie Kaufman, will take you along for quite the ride. Give it a try and just let the movie wash over you. It’s perhaps Jim Carrey’s best performance. You can get your mind bent with Starz.

Guillermo Del Toro has gone onto great things, including winning an Oscar for “The Shape of Water.” He’s always had an affinity for gothic fairy tales, a vibe that is strong as ever in “Pan’s Labyrinth.” It looks gorgeous, naturally, but it’s also dripping with menace. If you like Del Toro, definitely watch this personal film of his. You can view it on Netflix.

The Coen Brothers don’t really do “personal,” but they get about as close as possible with “A Serious Man.” This is not like “No Country for Old Men,” a true thriller that won Best Picture. It’s a small, sometimes befuddling movie. In a way nothing happens, but in a way everything happens. Don’t make this the first Coen Brothers movie you see, but definitely check it out at some point on Netflix.

This is a true underrated movie. It didn’t do all that well at the box office, and even critics didn’t like it all that much. Don’t be scared away by all that! It’s actually quite a fun and goofy comedy with a great cast. George Clooney, Jeff Bridges and Ewan McGregor are all in it. It can’t be that bad, and it isn’t bad at all. Watch it on Hulu.

We’re making room for another Paul Thomas Anderson movie. When Anderson made “Punch-Drunk Love,” Adam Sandler was known solely as the ridiculous man child from some popular comedy movies. It is fair to say movies like “Uncut Gems” wouldn’t exist if not for “Punch-Drunk Love.” This movie is a serious turn for Sandler, who showed that his comedic anger from “Happy Gilmore” could be weaponized as something much more dramatic and gripping. The film is on HBO or Hoopla.

Scarlett Johansson is a movie star. She’s in the Marvel movies! “Black Widow” will come out at some point. That wasn’t always the case, though, and even now ScarJo isn’t afraid to make something weird and artsy, like “Under the Skin.” “Ghost World” is definitely not a big crowd pleaser, rather it’s a weird little movie that’s small in scope. Give it a shot, though, to see if “Ghost World” is on your wavelength. You can watch it on Amazon Prime or the Criterion Collection or with ads on Pluto TV.