Seth Rogen, Judy Garland and Antonio Banderas headline these 5 new to HBO Max movies with 90% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes in November

Each month, the top streaming services — HBO Max among them — give their selection of movies and TV shows a much-welcome refresh, so that subscribers always have something new to watch next. November 2026 is jam-packed with new streaming options on the HBO platform, whether you're into dramas or documentaries, buzzy biopics or one of the funniest comedies of the year. That sprawling movie selection means that deciding what to watch can quickly become overwhelming. That's where Tom's Guide comes in: We've done the dirty work, sorted through this month's film additions, and narrowed the pool of possibilities to five acclaimed flicks, all of which earned 90% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes. From an Anthony Bourdain bio-drama to a Judy Garland-led holiday classic, here are five new to HBO Max movies we think you should check out this November. 'The Invite'It's the most uncomfortable dinner party since Michael and Jan fought over plasma TVs and multiple vasectomies on "The Office." Written by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack and directed by Olivia Wilde — who's had a great 2026 so far, what with "The Invite", "I Want Your Sex" and "Behemoth!" — this swinging sex comedy centers on a struggling, sexless married couple, Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela (Wilde), the latter of whom decides to spice up the duo's weeknight by having their foxy, free-spirited upstairs neighbors (the excellently named Piña and Hawk, played by Penelope Cruz and Edward Norton) over for dinner. Taking place in real time over the course of the evening, "The Invite" tracks as the quartet's initial awkwardness lightens up thanks to a passed-around joint and flowing wine. Soon enough, a provocative proposition and some unexpected intimacy — both physical and emotional — leave Angela and Joe rethinking their relationship. Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%Stream "The Invite" on HBO Max now'Tony'It seems like every young male actor these days needs a big biopic in their burgeoning filmographies. But instead of going the rock-god route like his Gen Z peers, "The Holdovers" breakout Dominic Sessa trades the stage for the kitchen to play a young Anthony Bourdain in this coming-of-age dramedy, which smartly avoids the cradle-to-grave biopic structure and instead gives a tightly focused snapshot of the culinary icon's origin story. We catch up with Sessa's Bourdain in the summer of 1975 — after following his high-school crush to Provincetown, Massachusetts, the mop-topped 19-year-old gets a part-time gig as a kitchen dishwasher at a Cape Cod restaurant. There, he becomes immersed not only in the kitchen staff — led by Chef José Vatel (Antonio Banderas) — but also in the culinary world that would go on to define him. Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%Stream "Tony on HBO Max now'When a Witness Recants'HBO knows their way around a gripping documentary, and this new nonfiction feature from director Dawn Porter and author Ta-Nehisi Coates is certainly no exception. Based on a 2021 New Yorker article by Jennifer Gonnerman, the film revisits the 1983 murder of 14-year-old DeWitt Duckett at Harlem Park Junior High in Baltimore, a horrific crime that led to the wrongful convictions of fellow teenagers Andrew Stewart, Ransom Watkins, and Alfred Chestnut, known as the Harlem Park Three. That trio spent nearly four decades in prison for a crime they did not commit, a gross injustice that Porter's doc powerfully digs into via archival footage, present-day interviews and even a meet-up between the exonerated men and one of the original accusers.Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%Stream "When a Witness Recants" on HBO Max starting November 17'This is Not a War Story'Written by, directed by, edited by, and starring Talia Lugacy, this 2021 indie drama centers on war veteran Will LaRue (Sam Adegoke), who, after the suicide of his comrade (Danny Ramirez) on the subway, seeks refuge and healing in an underground art collective of fellow vets in New York City who cope with their PTSD and other ailments by making artworks out of their old military uniforms. (The cast also includes Frances Fisher, Patrick Stoffer and Brian Delate.)The title isn't being needlessly cheeky; this isn't a war story. It's a "sobering yet uplifting look at life after combat — and life-altering friendship in unexpected places," praises the critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes, where the drama has a perfect 100-percent approval rating. Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%Stream "This is Not a War Story" on HBO Max now'Meet Me in St. Louis'Sure, it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but some people go full Christmas mode the second November hits, and we can't entirely blame them. If you're one of those festive few, who better to get you in the holiday spirit than the one and only Judy Garland? Zing, zing, zing went our heartstrings the first time we watched this 1944 MGM classic, one of the best movie musicals of all time. Garland stars as Esther Smith, the second-eldest daughter of the Smith family; we follow her and her kin over a full year via a series of seasonal vignettes, stretching from Summer 1903 to Spring 1904. The most famous of those seasonal segments is, of course, winter, which features Garland iconically crooning "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" to Esther's younger sister Tootie (Margaret O'Brien) as the Smiths contemplate an unwanted move to New York City from their beloved St. Louis. The holiday season simply isn't complete without it. Rotten Tomatoes score: 99%Stream "Meet Me in St. Louis" on HBO Max nowMore from Tom's GuideHow to get HBO Max for free — here are 4 ways3 near-flawless HBO Max miniseries you can finish in a weekendNew on HBO Max in November 2026