On the hunt for the next HBO Max must-watch movies to tune into, but don't want to wade through everything new on HBO Max in September? Maybe you want to let the critics do the heavy lifting of narrowing down what to watch next.
Just like all the best streaming services, HBO adds a fresh selection of movies each and every month, but only a handful hit that coveted 90% Rotten Tomatoes threshold. While a high score on the review aggregate platform is no guarantee that you'll love a movie, it's a solid sign that most critics found it worth watching.
This month HBO Max has added another batch of well-loved features, including older classics from the likes of Gene Kelly, Wim Wenders, Martin Scorsese, and more. Here are the five new to HBO Max movies with 90% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes you should stream in September 2025.
'It's Always Fair Weather' (1955)
When I think of classic movies, the movie-musical alchemy of Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen's collaborations jumps to mind. But while most folks have seen "Singin' in the Rain," I'd argue another of their musical comedies — "It's Always Fair Weather" — is really the one you shouldn't miss. This 1955 post-war musical played with darker themes, using the showbiz spectacle of Hollywood's golden age to deliver a sharp critique of 1950s American culture.
Kelly, Dan Dailey, and Michael Kidd star as three World War II vets who make a pact to meet at their favorite New York City bar in 10 years once the fighting's over. But when they reunite, they're embarrassed by how little they now share and even question whether they were ever truly close. Each embarks on a personal journey of self-discovery that forces them to confront the ways the world—and America at large—has shaped them since their bright-eyed younger days.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Stream "It's Always Fair Weather" on HBO Max now
'Gimme Shelter' (1970)
![Gimme Shelter (1970) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/x7UsBmavjsE/maxresdefault.jpg)
"Gimme Shelter" is so much more than a concert film. It captures a turning point in American society and music history by chronicling the famous 1969 tour of The Rolling Stones, which culminated with the disastrous and tragic concert at the Altamont Speedway Free Festival. There, Hell's Angels wreaked havoc and killed one man only feet from the stage as the Stones performed; the event would later come to symbolize a chilling counterpoint to Woodstock.
Directed by the team of David and Albert Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin, "Gimme Shelter" serves as an unflinching portrait of the end of the "peace and love" era that defined the 1960s. By showing the allure and dangers of the rock-and-roll lifestyle alike, it set a new standard for music documentaries that persists to this day.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Stream "Gimme Shelter" on HBO Max now
'Paris, Texas’ (1984)
![PARIS, TEXAS | Official UK trailer [HD] In Cinemas 29 July - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/3j8ypqxfiT4/maxresdefault.jpg)
Not to be confused with Netflix's latest romcom, "The Wrong Paris," which is set in the same bizarrely named Texas town, director Wim Wenders’ neo-Western "Paris, Texas" is one of the greatest American road movies ever made. It's the sort of film you can’t shake after you watch it, a piercing outsider's perspective of the U.S. underscored by Ry Cooder’s iconic score.
Harry Dean Stanton—with his unforgettably gaunt face and quietly devastating delivery—became a household name for his portrayal of Travis Henderson, a mute drifter found wandering in the desert after being missing for years. His brother Walt (Dean Stockwell) finds him and reunites him with his son (Hunter Carson), but after being absent so long, the road to redemption is a long one. Stanton's performance draws you in completely, until his journey becomes your own as he blindly reaches for joys he can't recapture.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%
Stream "Paris, Texas" on HBO Max now
'Dog Day Afternoon' (1975)
Dumb crooks make for some of the best movies, and Sidney Lumet’s "Dog Day Afternoon" is a perfect example. Hailed on Rotten Tomatoes as "a finely detailed snapshot of people in crisis with tension-soaked drama shaded in black humor," it's a riveting crime movie based on a true story. For his first heist, Sonny (Al Pacino) teams up with Sal (John Cazale) and Stevie (Gary Springer) to rob the First Brooklyn Savings Bank — but before you can say Murphy's Law, it all goes sideways.
Stevie bolts, an audience of cops and onlookers shows up in no time flat, and Sonny finds himself the butt of the joke. Backed into a corner, Sonny and Sal take the bank tellers hostage. But as Sonny’s reasons for the robbery come to light and tensions escalate, the heist quickly spirals into a full-blown media circus.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
Stream "Dog Day Afternoon" on HBO Max now
'Goodfellas' (1990)
Often regarded as Martin Scorsese’s masterpiece, "Goodfellas" is a cornerstone of the gangster genre that shaped countless films in its wake. It's the quintessential mafioso odyssey, tracing the rise of Brooklynite teenager Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) from a low-level errand boy to a key player in the Lucchese crime family.
As Henry navigates the dangerous world of mobsters like Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro) and Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci), every alliance teeters on the edge of betrayal. It's not long before his once-glamerous world begins to unravel, pulled apart by drugs, in-fighting, and the constant pressure of FBI surveillance to expose the dark reality beneath the mob’s allure.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
Stream "Goodfellas" on HBO Max now
Not seeing anything you like the look of? You can always check out our list of the best movies on HBO Max and the best HBO Max shows for more streaming suggestions.
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