In retrospect, I could safely declare that watching stuff on Netflix helped the speech like none of the textbooks in the world. Being addicted to movie lines, accents, and the formulaic lines of dialogue seemed like a form of cheating. Luckily, it worked. The appropriate titles were funny and caused me to laugh, rewind, pause and rewatch the titles until my tongue grew and behaved. To any of you who scour through lists whilst on the search of the best movies for English learning, well, I too have been there—remote, fire-ready, subtitles enabled. That’s how I learned to love repetition.
Practice hours have taught me: you must have movies with actual dialogues. You must have ones with characters speaking fast, slow and everything between. And—perhaps best of all—you must have a story that is such that you forget you are not only studying. These are six genius options I would vow by and some tips that I did pick up on this crazy rollercoaster ride. Dialogue is your teacher.
1. The Fundamentals of Caring – The Road Trip Roadmap
Tip number one: look for the stories of heart and humor. The Fundamentals of Caring has got both boxes. It is a road buddy film shot in the US and featuring Paul Rudd and Craig Roberts. It is centered on conversation. There are sarcasms, subtle aggressive touches and colloquial games in every scene.
It is a goldmine to the learners. They are witty and short sentences. The words used are practical and in the real-life situation particularly to those who go to America to work or travel. You will hear loads of phrasal verbs, like the expressions hang out and work out as you will have to use them in the future. This is practical vocabulary in its element.
The pacing was my favourite thing. The movie does not stampede. There is no biting of the plot by anybody. The jokes are also clean and crisp and ready to repeat aloud. Play it back and practice till you are sounding like Paul Rudd, or at least half as wonderful. Learn to love the pacing.
2. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before – Teenage Talk, Made Easy
Just think of being in high school. It is a Netflix hit that doesn’t hold back. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is gentle, romantic, and crammed with the words that you will find yourself using on an hourly basis in the English language.
Voice is as clear as a bell here. No deep accents. No quick-fire jargon. There are students, friends, parents, and crushes who stammer in the authentic, contemporary language. Notes passed in school, confessions kicked across the road, quarrelling in the kitchen—you have all the natural English, not the poetic other ones.
In addition, the movie has an up and down flow of an authentic teenager conversation. I used to stop frequently and jot lines down. Others found their way to my DMs and I swear my texting became smoother. This is an easy choice should you need clear modern English.
3. The Social Dilemma – Documentary Dialed for Discussion
Documentary films are underestimated as an instrument of language learning on a criminal scale. The Social Dilemma does the job of providing real interviews, dramatized scenes and narration and wraps it all up neatly.
Beauty lies in the simplicity. Big ideas are explained by experts in simple words. Actors perform recreation of social media addiction to the point where you hear quite short, punchy statements intertwined with explanations. You are able to hear real, unwritten words of the true Americans against the scripted drama.
At intermediate and higher levels, such documentaries mean a source of clarity and abundance of the so-called academic phrases. Then, all of a sudden, it will take you less time to read about Reddit comments and news stories. Extra points: it is thought-provoking therefore you will be restless to discuss it with friends, teachers or your personal diary. It’s all about comprehension.
4. Marriage Story – Real-Life Arguments, No Filters
There are situations when you need to listen to the grown-ups sorting out actual problems without sugar-coating anything. Marriage Story offers you just that. Raw negotiations, apologies, complaints, heartfelt confessions are all presented to you throughout the first scene to the last.
I was not faking: I rewound the statements in the courthouse and sessions in therapy a few times. Adulthood dialogue strikes different. There is the sound of disagreement which is polite, there is the bite of sarcasm and there is the naked emotion. This movie taught me the ropes in the event that I needed to learn how to say sorry, how to seek help, or get out the way of a disagreement.
It is emotional, meaty at times, and never fake. Emotional intelligence through dialogue.
The Tips: Don’t Forget About Subtitles, Use as a Strategy
Let us discuss subtitles, briefly. The greatest breakthrough that I had was to watch by using English subtitles and then watching my favorite scenes, using no subtitles whatsoever. To handle difficult expressions, I also would resort, at times, to first-language subtitles, but as a crutch. It is not being lazy to watch a movie two times with subtitles, and without. The ear learns something different in each variant. Use subtitles as a learning strategy.
5. The Intern – Casual Conversations for Cubicle Life
It may seem like walking into a new planet to be launched into an office, in a foreign language. Those fears were melted in The Intern. Office English: Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro demonstrate how the English really flows in the office: small talk, a snappy joke, a polite request, and even the opportunity to negotiate such a phrase as, Can I help you with that?
And what was brilliant: there are no mumbled voices or shouted speeches among the characters. No unsocially vulgar jargon. I stole myself polite words to use in emails and learnt the little niceties such as in case you need anything, smatterings of life glue. This is workplace English at its best.
My Final Word: On Your Couch Language Magic
When it comes to Netflix it is not only about zoning. Your English will go to the next level quicker than you can imagine with the help of the appropriate movies and a touch of effort. Choose the six of them because they have good clear voices, tell the truth, and use words you can use. You will find yourself quoting your most favorite lines almost everywhere, adopting accents and perhaps even dreaming in English. That’s the true magic of learning by watching.