Looking to settle in with a good movie? Me too. That's why I've pored over release schedules to bring you the best original and new-to-streaming movies you can watch on Netflix, Prime, Max, Hulu, and other streaming platforms this week.
Topping the best-of-the-week list is Netflix's intriguing Emilia Pérez, a movie that seems perfect for the Academy Awards. There's also the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson "boxing match," Thelma, an action-comedy with a hero in her 90s, and Disney's An Almost Christmas Story, which I'm counting on to melt my frozen heart for the holidays. Overall: there's a lot of much-needed goodness on TV this week.
Emilia Pérez
Emilia Pérez is a genre-defying movie that blends comedy, drama, musical numbers, and action into a potion Netflix describes as "an opera that’s not an opera." It stars Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, and Selena Gomez, and tells the story of high-powered attorney Rita (Saldaña) assigned to help a Mexican cartel leader (Gascón) fake their death and undergo gender reassignment. Look for this one on Oscar night.
Where to stream: Netflix
Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson (Live)
Circus matches are nothing new to boxing—Muhammad Ali fought a Japanese professional wrestler at the height of his career—and Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson might be the greatest novelty boxing match ever staged. It will give us a chance to see Iron Mike step into the ring one more time, with the added bonus that he might punch Jake Paul's head clean off, although I'd put my money on a tepid exhibition match with a subtext of "just give me my check."
Where to stream: Netflix
Thelma (2024)
Based on the real-life experiences of director Josh Margolin's grandmother, Thelma sees the title character, a 93-year-old retiree, transformed into an action hero when she tries to track down the telemarketers who conned her out of her money. 95-year-old June Squibb turns in an amazing performance in this heartfelt, hilarious action-comedy, and the cast also includes Parker Posey, Clark Gregg, Richard Roundtree, and Malcolm McDowell. Critics nearly universally agree that Thelma is great, so I bet you'll like it too.
Where to stream: Hulu
An Almost Christmas Story
I'm a sucker for stop-motion animation, so I'm psyched for Disney's An Almost Christmas Story, a beautiful-looking, 21-minute film that will stimulate your Christmas gland and satisfy your artsy (but not fartsy) sensibilities. From multiple Academy Award-winner Alfonso Cuarón, An Almost Christmas Story tells the story of Moon, an innocent baby owl who befriends a little girl lost in New York City. I can feel a lump forming in my throat already.
Where to stream: Disney+
Rob Peace (2024)
Directed, adapted by, and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave), Rob Peace dramatizes the true story of Robert Deshaun Peace, a brilliant young man from a poor background in Newark, New Jersey whose attendance at Yale is cut tragically short. Jay Will plays the title character, Mary J. Blige plays his devoted mother, and Ejiofor plays Peace's imprisoned father.
Where to stream: Netflix
Hot Frosty
Lacey Chabert stars in a lighthearted holiday confection in which a snowman turns into a regular man—but he's totally hot. Chabert and the former snowman—an abomination if you think about it too much—fall in love, despite the differences in their backgrounds. This is really all there is to say about Hot Frosty. You're either in or you're out with a movie like this.
Where to stream: Netflix
Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley
No matter how many Elvis documentaries, feature films, and TV miniseries are made, there's always room for one more. Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley takes us behind the scenes of Elvis' greatest moment: the '68 Comeback Special, where, for a single hour, Presley shook off more than a decade of terrible movies, cynical cash-grab albums, and bad career decisions (courtesy of overbearing manager Col. Tom Parker) to remind the world why they called him the King in the first place.
Where to stream: Netflix
The Lost Children
On May 1, 2023, a Cessna carrying four Indigenous children and their parents crashed in the Colombian wilderness. With the all the adults dead, the children, ages 13, 9, and 4 years and 11 months, were forced to survive 40 days in a harrowing jungle. Featuring archival footage and interviews with the survivors and the people who risked everything to find them in the trackless wastes, The Lost Children is an unbelievable story of survival.
Where to stream: Netflix
Twisters (2024)
A throwback to the disaster movies of the 1990s, Twisters is a thrill ride of a flick that moves at the pace of a raging tornado and features twister-led destruction sequences presented with "woah, dude" special effects. It's not just spectacle, though: Twisters takes full advantage of a charismatic cast that includes Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos, and Brandon Perea. The movie is still in theaters though, and it's the kind of thing that works better on the big screen.
Where to stream: Peacock
Last week's picks
Pedro Páramo
Based on Juan Rulfo’s seminal work of magical realism, Pedro Páramo stars Manuel García-Rulfo from The Lincoln Lawyer as the title character, who finds himself in the ghost town of Comala, where the past and present coexist. Described by Netflix as a "mesmerizing story of desire, corruption, and inheritance," Pedro Páramo is the directorial debut of frequent Scorsese cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, so we know for sure it's going to look amazing.
Where to stream: Netflix
My Old Ass (2024)
A twist on the coming-of-age story, My Old Ass stars Maisy Stella as confused 18 year-old Elliott. She takes mushrooms on her summer vacation, and instead of just seeing brighter colors, she's visited by the 39-year-old version of herself, played by the great Aubrey Plaza. Plaza is one of a kind, and My Old Ass gives her plenty of room to flex her deadpan, eye-roll delivery, but it's also a smart, sensitive movie. Not to be missed.
Where to stream: Prime
Despicable Me 4
Gru and his army of lovable yellow minions are back, in streaming form. The fourth entry in the franchise sees Gru welcoming a son into the world, Gru Jr. It also sees Gru's nemesis, Maxime Le Mal, return. After escaping from prison, Le Mal plots to turn all humans into human-cockroach abominations—an improvement if you ask me—but Gru and co feel differently, and set out to thwart the evil scheme. If you have kids, you really can't miss with a movie like Despicable Me 4.
Where to stream: Peacock
Meet Me Next Christmas
Christina Milian stars in a holiday movie about Layla, who is desperately trying to get her hands on tickets to the sold-out Pentatonix Christmas Eve Concert. A bright-and-cheery romantic comedy powered by the a cappella musical stylings of Pentatonix is both a can't-miss holiday movie concept and literally my worst nightmare. Meet Me Next Christmas also stars Kofi Siriboe as James, who, unlike me, is handsome and charming and presumably likes listening Pentatonix.
Where to stream: Netflix
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