I remember, just over a decade ago, I’d record all of the Backstreet Boys and ‘N SYNC’s MTV VMA performances on tape and watch them over and over. In just over 10 years now, no one uses VHS any longer, while VCDs have pretty much gone and DVD sales have slowed down compared to digital rentals.

A prime example of this big switch is in the success of the streaming/DVD rental giant Netflix. It has gained a lot of traction (and outrage) recently, which indicates a shift in how we watch movies and shows from physical discs to streaming lots of media. It's just hard to depart from the convenience of online movie and TV show streaming. Nowadays, there are plenty of free, full length movies you can rent or you can catch on YouTube Movies, such as Little Fockers, The King’s Speech, etc. Finding freebies on YouTube Movies isn’t hard, but finding good and recent ones may take a bit of time.

Here’s a list of 6 free Hollywood full length movies which have received generally favorable reviews and are fairly recent (oldest movie from this list was released in 1992, while the newest movie is from 2006). If you have some free time this summer, read on for some free, enjoyable goodies!

Men In Black

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Starring Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith, Men in Black is a 1997 science fiction comedy movie, based on the comic book series of the same name. It was a critically and commercially successful, gaining a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, an Academy Award for Best Makeup with nominations in other categories, and grossing nearly 5 times what it cost to make the movie. It has spanned two sequels, the last of which will be released next year.

Gridiron Gang

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This 2006 film follows the story of a former American football player, portrayed by Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, who helps the teenagers at the juvenile detention center where he supervises to gain self-esteem by engaging in sports, particularly, football. This movie is actually loosely based on the true story of the Kilpatrick Mustangs, a football team consisted of juvenile detainees at Camp Kilpatrick in California.

Dracula

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This 1992 adaptation of the novel stars Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Keanu Reeves and Anthony Hopkins. Oldman plays Count Dracula, who encounters a living image of his deceased wife in Winona Ryder’s character. The movie has gotten an 82% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 3 Academy Awards for Best Makeup, Best Sound Effects Editing and Best Costume Design. It was also a box office hit.

The Patriot

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In this 2000 film, Mel Gibson gives life to a war veteran who has renounced violence but still has to participate in the American Revolutionary War against the British, while his elder son, played by Heath Ledger, gladly joins the Continental Army. The movie received generally positive reviews and was nominated for 3 Academy Awards, including Best Sound, Best Cinematography and Best Original Music Score.

Bad Boys

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Will Smith and Martin Lawrence star in this hilarious 1995 action film about two Mami cops that need to protect a murder witness and investigate a case of stolen drugs. The flick, which was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, became a box office hit, earning $140 million worldwide against a $10 million budget.

Bonus: Jerry Maguire

This is technically not on Youtube Movies yet (as of 7/10/11), but considering it’s being shown on Crackle.com (which legally provides a lot of the full-length movies on this list on Youtube Movies), I’d say it’s bound to appear on Youtube soon.

free full length movies

Jerry Maguire is a romantic comedy-drama film from 1996 where Tom Cruise plays a successful sports agent who tries to rebuild his once-honorable career when he’s dismissed from his job, with the support of wide receiver Rod Tidwell, portrayed by Cuba Gooding Jr. in an Oscar-winning performance, who happens to be Maguire’s most disgruntled client, and Renee Zellweger’s character, who is the only person from Maguire’s former job that believes in him.

Have you seen these films? If so, which ones did you enjoy? Know of any more noteworthy titles on Youtube Movies? Let us know in the comments!