Barack Obama likes ‘Amazing Grace,’ ‘Watchmen’; puts them on list of fave 2019 movies and TV shows

The former president is apparently making good use of his Netflix subscription as several of his picks are streaming on the service

Melanie Eversley

Dec 30, 2019

Former President Barack Obama speaks during a campaign rally for Senator Bob Casey (D- PA) and Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf on September 21, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Midterm election day is November 6th. (Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images)

Somewhere, the makers of 18 films are jumping up and down — if not physically, then at least mentally — because former President Barack Obama has said their movies and shows were among his favorite for 2019.

The 44th president released his list of his favorite things to watch in the last year and they include a mix of drama, color, documentaries, global titles and contenders for major awards. He shared the list Sunday on Twitter.

Next up are my favorite movies and TV shows of 2019. Of course, there’s also American Factory, a film from our own production company, Higher Ground, that was recently shortlisted for an Oscar. Here’s the full list: pic.twitter.com/PEcgwotcxm

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 29, 2019

The newly released and much-buzzed-about Just Mercy made the list. In it, actor Michael B. Jordan makes a departure from his Black Panther role as he portrays civil rights lawyer and icon Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative that advocates for death row inmates.

The list also includes The Last Black Man in San Francisco, a favorite at Sundance that delves into the topic of gentrification as viewed by a young man and his best friend.

It’s clear that Obama is making use of his Netflix subscription.

The Irishman, the Martin Scorcese epic film about mob hitman Frank Sheeran, starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Harvey Keitel, and which offers a suggestion about what happened to Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa, made the list. It’s also on several lists as an Oscars favorite.

Obama also includes Atlantics, a drama on Netflix that details the love between a young woman and a construction worker who is lost at sea.

It may be no surprise that Obama also includes American Factory, a Netflix documentary from Higher Ground Productions, the production company run by him and former First Lady Michelle Obama. The film explores culture clashes and union battles in a Dayton, Ohio, glass plant.

The history packed Amazing Grace, a documentary about the life of late songstress Aretha Franklin filmed in 1972 but edited much later, also makes Obama’s list. The film dives into Franklin’s recording of the best-selling live gospel album in history.

Among his list of top TV shows, he lists sleeper favorite HBO drama ‘Watchmen,’ starring Regina King and based on the 1986 comic book miniseries, but taking a departure into an alternate history.

Along with his list of top films, Obama also released via Twitter his list of favorite books for 2019.