15 Underrated Michael Douglas Movies You Can Stream Tonight

Michael Douglas and underrated? Sounds oxymoronic, and yet here we are, living in the year of the lord 2024, with so many flicks that meet the description. So which films in the Michael Douglas Canon deserve the title? Fatal Attraction ? Not underrated. Wall Street ? Not underrated. ( Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is also appropriately rated, but in the other direction.) Avengers ? Again, not underrated. I'd say underrated titles must include one or more of the following: a dismal to mediocre rating, a poor box office at time of release and/or fading cultural impact despite having qualities of a totally watch-worthy movie. So, without further ado, time to get your Michael Douglas on.

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1. " The American President " (1995)

• Cast: Michael Douglas, Annette Bening, Martin Sheen
• Rating: IMDb: 6.9, Rotten Tomatoes: 91%

In my humble opinion, The American President , though it has pretty decent ratings, is abysmally underrated. Maybe that's partly due to its place in my nostalgic heart, or maybe because it's the film that launched a thousands episodes of The West Wing. Both reasons are pretty solid. On its own, the Rob Reiner-directed movie has the heart of a rom-com and the smarts of a political drama. The story about the widowed U.S. President Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas) who falls in love with environmental lobbyist Sydney Ellen Wade (Annette Bening) is sweet, but not saccharine, smart, but not dismal.

2. “ Black Rain ” (1989)

• Cast: Michael Douglas, Andy Garcia, Ken Takakura
• Rating: IMDb: 6.6, Rotten Tomatoes: 53%

Michael Douglas. A mullet. And two major city settings. This action thriller follows two New York cops who arrest a Yakuza member and bring him back to Japan, where they become entangled themselves in the Japanese underworld. Black Rain is the film to stream if you could use a little less The American President Michael Douglas, and a more noir cop sporting aviators saying lines like, "You remember me, don't you?" Michael Douglas.

2. " The Game " (1997)

• Cast: Michael Douglas, Sean Penn, Deborah Kara Unger
• Rating: IMDb: 7.7, Rotten Tomatoes: 77%

File this one under "videos my dad rented us from Blockbuster all the time." Along with Grease and Breaking Away , The Game was on rotation for family movie night. That said, I wouldn't say it's a family movie, but as a thriller-obsessed kid, the twists and turns in this '90s quick-paced mystery were mind-blowing. The story follows a wealthy banker (Douglas) who receives a mysterious gift from his brother—a real-life game that integrates with his everyday life, leading to unexpected and dangerous consequences. Prepare to stay put on the edge of your seat.

3. " A Perfect Murder " (1998)

• Cast: Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow, Viggo Mortensen
• Rating: IMDb: 6.5, Rotten Tomatoes: 55%

I love Michael Douglas because he can play so many types, so well: scorned middle-aged man, check. Scorned middle-aged man who wants to kill his wife, check. I love Douglas as a bad guy. And in this thriller, Douglas plots to murder his unfaithful wife (Paltrow) with the help of her lover. (Gasp.) The plan, however, goes awry.

4. " Wonder Boys " (2000)

• Cast: Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire, Frances McDormand, Katie Holmes, Robert Downey Jr.
• Rating: IMDb: 7.2, Rotten Tomatoes: 81%

Based on the Michael Chabon novel of the same name, Michael Douglas stars as Grady Tripp, a disheveled, pot-smoking professor and struggling novelist whose life is unraveling as he deals with a student prodigy (Maguire) and the pressures of completing his long-awaited novel. Regarding Douglas, the great Roger Ebert remarked that it was "one of his best performances." A quirky, complex, funny film, I really hope more people make some time to watch this gem.

5. " Don't Say a Word " (2001)

Cast: Michael Douglas, Sean Bean, Brittany Murphy
Rating: IMDb: 6.3, Rotten Tomatoes: 24%

Is anyone else absolutley haunted by the trailers for this film that aired on TV back in the day? I for one will never get Brittany Murphy's creepy sing-songy, "I'll never tell..." out of my brain. For that impact alone, Don't Say a Word is deserving on this Michael Douglas list. In the film, a psychiatrist's daughter is kidnapped, and the only way to save her is to unlock a secret buried in the mind of a disturbed patient (Murphy). So, will she tell? You gotta watch to find out.

6. " King of California " (2007)

Cast: Michael Douglas, Evan Rachel Wood, Willis Burks II
Rating: IMDb: 6.6, Rotten Tomatoes: 63%

I wouldn't call Michael Douglas an indie darling, but this quirky, independent film makes the case. Douglas plays a mentally unstable man who convinces his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) to search for Spanish gold buried under a local Costco. Offbeat and heartfelt, the film didn't garner too much attention upon release, but considering the cast and sweet father-daughter theme, I think Douglas fans should take another look at this whimsical flick.

7. " The In-Laws " (2003)

• Cast: Michael Douglas, Albert Brooks, Ryan Reynolds
• Rating: IMDb: 5.7, Rotten Tomatoes: 34%

Something about me? I love Albert Brooks. I also love Michael Douglas in a comedic role, and The In-Laws , a remake of the 1979 feature starring Alan Arkin and Peter Falk, is the perfect vehicle for both. In this action-comedy Douglas plays the CIA operative foil to Brooks's mild-mannered podiatrist. The former drags his new in-law into a dangerous mission just days before their children's wedding. Hijinks ensue.

8. " Beyond a Reasonable Doubt " (2009)

• Cast: Michael Douglas, Jesse Metcalfe, Amber Tamblyn
• Rating: IMDb: 5.9, Rotten Tomatoes: 7%

Michael Douglas as the white-collar villain? It's a specialty of his. In this 2009 thriller, Douglas plays a corrupt district attorney entangled in a plot by a journalist to expose his illegal activities, leading to dangerous consequences. It's an intriguing plot with a compelling performance. So even if it didn't get fabulous reviews at the time, it's a great film to get your thriller fix.

9. " Solitary Man " (2009)

• Cast: Michael Douglas, Susan Sarandon, Danny DeVito
• Rating: IMDb: 6.3, Rotten Tomatoes: 81%

The box office was certainly a little light for this flick, but let's give it second chance. Michael Douglas plays a once-successful car dealer whose life spirals due to his reckless behavior and poor decisions offering a nuanced portrayal of a flawed, yet compelling character. It's a character study with sharp writing and performances that definitely deserve another look.

10. " Running " (1979)

• Cast: Michael Douglas, Susan Anspach, Lawrence Dane
• Rating: IMDb: 6.2, Rotten Tomatoes: Not available

It may not be the first sports drama that comes to mind, but maybe we should put Space Jam on the backburner tonight to watch Michael Douglas as a marathon runner attempting to redeem himself by making the Olympic team.

12. " The Sentinel " (2006)

• Cast: Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, Eva Longoria
• Rating: IMDb: 6.1, Rotten Tomatoes: 33%

Nothing can quite stress me out like a Michael Douglas thriller vehicle, and The Sentinel is right up there with the best of them (despite its lacking ratings). Veteran Secret Service agent (Douglas) is framed for an assassination plot against the president. What unravels is a fast-paced thriller worthy of a re-watch.

13. " Shining Through " (1992)

• Cast: Michael Douglas, Melanie Griffith, Liam Neeson
• Rating: IMDb: 6.4, Rotten Tomatoes: 46%

Yep, Michael Douglas has done the occasional period piece, and Shining Through is proof. In this underrated espionage movie taking place during World War II, an American woman (Griffith) working for a law firm discovers that her boss (Douglas) is a spy...and she herself becomes a spy. Double crosses. 1940s costumes. Moody cinematography. Let's go.

14. " The Star Chamber " (1983)

• Cast: Michael Douglas, Hal Holbrook, Yaphet Kotto
• Rating: IMDb: 6.3, Rotten Tomatoes: 63%

At the time, Ebert wrote that the ending of The Star Chamber was "especially infuriating," but that doesn't mean we should write it off completely, especially if you're a fan of Dexter or gray-area vigilante justice. In The Star Chamber, Judge Steven R. Hardin (Douglas) becomes disillusioned with the legal system and joins a secret society that executes criminals who have escaped justice...or so they think.

15. " Disclosure " (1994)

• Cast: Michael Douglas, Demi Moore, Donald Sutherland
• Rating: IMDb: 6.1, Rotten Tomatoes: 58%

Could this film be seen as a scathing dismantling of second-wave feminism? Oh, overtly. The reverse sexual discrimination in the workplace is borderline farcical...and yet, who can help but enjoy a riveting quintessential mid-'90s thriller involving a computer specialist who is sued for sexual harassment by an evil sex-pot-turned-boss (Moore), replete with file-sharing tech that is so dated it's fascinating in context of today's internet. Underrated indeed.

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