Netflix<\/a> is bringing the drama in July.<\/p>\n The streamer added a steady stream of critically acclaimed movies throughout the month, and now that it\u2019s almost over, Watch With Us<\/a> thinks it\u2019s time for you to watch some of them.<\/p>\n Using Rotten Tomatoes\u2019 reliable Tomatometer as a barometer of quality, we ranked the best new Netflix dramas to watch in July.<\/p>\n With stars like Will Smith<\/strong>, Hilary Swank <\/strong><\/a>and Paul Mescal<\/strong><\/a>, these dramas are worth streaming right now or at any time of year.<\/p>\n Rotten Tomatoes score: 69<\/strong><\/p>\n The life of Cassius Clay, later and best known as Muhammad Ali<\/strong><\/a>, was so big, even the movies couldn\u2019t do him full justice. But one film comes close \u2013 2001\u2019s Ali<\/em>, a flawed yet compelling biopic that showed just how complex the boxing icon\u2019s life was, both in and out of the ring.<\/p>\n Will Smith<\/strong><\/a> stars as Ali<\/em>, who, when the film begins, is already a rising star in the sports world. His defeat of Sonny Liston for the heavyweight championship seals his fame, but Cassius doesn\u2019t just want to be a sports hero \u2013 he wants to be involved in changing the world, too. That\u2019s why he meets with civil rights leaders like Malcolm X<\/strong>, travels to the Nation of Islam and refuses to fight a Vietnam War he sees as a pointless slaughtering of innocents. But his rebelliousness has a price \u2013 his personal life suffers, his marriages crumble and even his fighting career is jeopardized by his embrace of controversial political ideologies.<\/p>\n Ali<\/em>\u2019s big drawback is that it often feels like a Wikipedia movie, jumping from one notable event in the boxer\u2019s life without actually letting the audience know what the man is thinking or feeling. Still, Ali<\/em> is highly watchable, mostly due to Michael Mann<\/strong>\u2019s stylish direction and Smith\u2019s convincing performance.<\/p>\n Rotten Tomatoes score: 84 percent<\/strong><\/p>\n Professional hairdresser Sharon Stevens\u2019 (Hilary Swank<\/strong>) life is adrift. She has a drinking problem she refuses to acknowledge and a life without any defined purpose. That\u2019s why she\u2019s so moved when she hears about five-year-old Michelle Schmidt\u2019s (Emily Mitchell<\/strong>) urgent medical situation \u2013 she needs a liver transplant, and the clock is ticking. With widowed dad Ed (Alan Ritchson<\/strong><\/a>) overwhelmed with worry and Michelle\u2019s mounting medical bills, Sharon steps in to help the family any way she can. But will Sharon\u2019s presence be enough to avoid the inevitable fate that awaits Michelle?<\/p>\n Ordinary Angels<\/em> has an almost unbelievable story, so it comes as a bit of a surprise that it\u2019s based on real-life events. (Another surprise \u2013 musician Dave Matthews<\/strong> pitched the story to the film\u2019s producers!) If this were a Hallmark movie<\/a>, Sharon and Ed would become romantically involved, but instead, they are reluctant friends brought together by their mutual concern for Michelle. Even though the story is melodramatic, the performances aren\u2019t, and Swank and Ritchson\u2019s committed performances give this faith-based film the spirit it needs to make it work.<\/p>\n You have successfully subscribed.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n Rotten Tomatoes score: 87 percent<\/strong><\/p>\n How does a parent get over the death of a child? That\u2019s the question Chlo\u00e9 Zhao<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s acclaimed 2025 drama Hamnet<\/em> is concerned with as it depicts the different ways a mother and father process their grief over the unexpected death of their young son, Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe<\/strong>). For Will (Paul Mescal), he turns to his art, losing himself in writing his play and using his sadness to improve his writing. His wife, Agnes (Jessie Buckley<\/strong><\/a>), doesn\u2019t have the luxury of a career to get lost in \u2013 she has to raise her other children while still facing a household that feels empty without her son. Their different ways of mourning drive a wedge in their marriage, which suffers from the weight of their grief and their inability to move on from their tragedy.<\/p>\n3. \u2018Ali\u2019 (2001)<\/h2>\n
\n Will Smith in Ali<\/span> Columbia\/courtesy Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n2. \u2018Ordinary Angels\u2019 (2024)<\/h2>\n
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\n Hilary Swank in Ordinary Angels<\/span> Allen Fraser \/\u00a9 Lionsgate \/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/themes\/us-weekly\/assets\/img\/newsletter-bg-narrow.jpg\")
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<\/p>\nThank You!<\/h3>\n
1. \u2018Hamnet\u2019 (2025)<\/h2>\n
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\n Jessie Buckley in Hamnet<\/span> Agata Grzybowska \/\u00a9 Focus Features \/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n