72 new Netflix movies are arriving in December – here are 3 with over 80% on Rotten Tomatoes you should stream first

Christmas is a mere few weeks away, and if you think I'm doing anything side from sitting on my couch and watching more Netflix movies, you'd be mistaken.I can hear you saying 'But Jasmine, you make your living by watching Netflix... why would you spend your precious free time doing more of the same?' The answer is simple, once you see the new film line-up for December 2025.Amidst Christmas movies and brand-new bingeable seasons (ahem, Stranger Things season 5) sit two of my favorite movies of the year that just so happen to be making their way to the platform.So, sit back and let this piece take care of your movie viewing schedule this festive season... you're welcome.Jay KellyRT score: 80%Director: Noah BaumbachRuntime: 132 minutesAge rating: RArriving on: December 5Double checking Jay Kelly's Rotten Tomatoes score for this piece has left me in shock. 80% feels far too low for what might be one of George Clooney's best leading performances of his career.In essence, this is a thinly veiled tribute to Clooney told through the eyes of a fictional actor, but he's probably the only person who could pull this off. Yes, it's all incredibly self-indulgent, but it needs to be. Frankly, I think it's one of the most emotionally challenging films of 2025.You cannot help but question yourself and every decision you've made in your life thus far while watching this, and that's a good thing. It's as beautiful as it is frustrating, with Kelly being completely stubborn in his ignorance until the very end. If you're from the UK, you've got the added bonus of seeing the most random nationally-known faces in one train carriage scene (e.g. Jacqueline from Benidorm).Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out MysteryRT score: 95% Director: Rian JohnsonRuntime: 140 minutesAge rating: RArriving on: December 12Knives Out 3 is easily the best of the bunch so far, and I'm itching to watch it all over again this Christmas. Unlike the previous two movies, Wake Up Dead Man feels like the best parody of a classic crime caper imaginable.Once again we have a stacked A-List cast (Glenn Close, Kerry Washington and Josh O'Connor, to name a few) and Daniel Craig's Benoit Blanc with a chic new hairstyle. However, the actual mystery at its core takes a different turn, embodying Jesus' resurrection over the Easter weekend.The laughs hit, emotions run deep and I guarantee you won't be able to guess whodunnit before the ending. It's Rian Johnson's best work so far in every conceivable way (visually and narratively), and more importantly, it's a blast.Cover-UpRT score: 100%Director: Laura Poitras, Mark ObenhausRuntime: 117 minutesAge rating: RArriving on: December 26While it's not exactly a festive watch, Cover-Up is probably the most important film you can stream this December. A one-off documentary, we follow the life and works of reporter Seymour Hersh as he challenged the US government and uncovered some of the biggest scandals in the country's history.Hersh exposed the My Lai Massacre during the Vietnam War, the Abu Grahib prisoner abuse in 2004, and became the number-one enemy to President Nixon's government for his work on the Watergate scandal.Hersh remains to be unflinchingly honest, even though it's clear he's had to be talked around to doing the documentary in the first place. Thanks to his agreement, we get the stark reminder we need to not believe everything we see at face-value, alongside the importance of painstaking investigative journalism.All new Netflix movies in November 2025 Arriving on December 1Troll 2A League of Their OwnAs Good as It GetsBad TeacherBig Momma’s HouseBig Momma’s House 2BrightburnBurlesqueCheaper by the DozenCheaper by the Dozen 2Christmas Break-InDownton AbbeyGodzillaHollow ManJoy for ChristmasKung Fu PandaKung Fu Panda 2Kung Fu Panda 3Little WomenPulp FictionStripesThe Ugly TruthWhat Lies BeneathThe Wolf of Wall StreetZero Dark ThirtyArriving on December 3My Secret SantaThe NorthmanArriving on December 4A Lot Like ChristmasForrest GumpFugue State 1986I Wish You Had Told MeLali: Time to Step UpMean Girls (2004)Mean Girls (2024)Arriving on December 5Jay KellyLove and WineThe Making of Jay KellyThe New Yorker at 100The Night My Dad Saved Christmas 2The Price of ConfessionArriving on December 7BabylonCast AwayArriving on December 9Badly in LoveMasaka Kids, A Rhythm WithinArriving on December 11The FakenappingHad I Not Seen the Sun: Part 2Lost in the SpotlightMan Vs BabyThe TownArriving on December 12City of ShadowsWake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out MysteryArriving on December 13The Talented Mr. RipleyArriving on December 14PAW Patrol: The Mighty MovieArriving on December 15A Cowboy Christmas RomanceChristmas at the ChaletThe Christmas ClassicChristmas on the Alpaca FarmArriving on December 17Murder in MonacoWhat’s In The Box?Arriving on December 19A Time For BraveryBreakdown: 1975The Great FloodJake vs. Joshua: Judgment DayArriving on December 22ElwaySicily ExpressArriving on December 23EdenArriving on December 24Downton Abbey: A New EraGoodbye JuneTom Segura: TeacherArriving on December 26Cover-upArriving on December 30Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt StoryArriving on December 31Sleeping with Other PeopleFollow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. 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