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NBC Universal’s streaming service Peacock has staked a lot of its identity on being the new home of The Office, even to the extent that they had the show baked into the tiers of their pricing plan. But if they wanted to tout their movies, too, they’d be well within their rights. Peacock’s offerings are built on a cornerstone of the Universal Pictures library for more mainstream tastes and a smaller selection from their arthouse label Focus Features. The streamer also hosts a wide variety of box office hits and under-the-radar indie flicks from outside their own corporate umbrella. Best of all? It’s all available totally free with some relatively unobtrusive ads (though you will get even more bang for your buck at the Premium tier)!
But where to begin on finding the right movie on the platform for your next viewing? Decider is here to put a feather in your cap by sorting through all of Peacock’s film offerings and providing 50 solid recommendations for any number of moods or preferences. Rather than visit the Scranton branch of Dunder-Mifflin for the umpteenth time, let these accomplished works of cinema transport you and transform you. Whether you’re in the mood for an ’80s or ’90s favorite, a recent indie hit, or a low-budget gem, Peacock has you covered.
‘American Pie’ (1999)
DIRECTOR: Paul Weitz
STARS: Jason Biggs, Sean William Scott, Eugene Levy
RATING: R
The high school sex comedy to end them all. American Pie is raunchy, lewd, irreverent … and still an absolute hoot even if you know surprises such as the double meaning of the title. This might not be a film people return to quite as much, but the impact cannot be overstated. Everything in the new millennium that has let teens be heedlessly horny owes this movie a debt of gratitude.
‘Apollo 13’ (1995)
DIRECTOR: Ron Howard
STARS: Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton
RATING: PG
Ron Howard makes dad movies, sure, but these are never bad movies. Apollo 13 is a marvel of narrative precision and technical mastery as he brings the grandeur of a failed space mission to life before our eyes. It’s every bit as thrilling watching NASA’s mission control attempt to bring the astronauts home safely as it is observing the three men troubleshooting in zero gravity.
‘Clockwatchers’ (1998)
DIRECTOR: Jill Sprecher
STARS: Toni Colette, Parker Posey, Lisa Kudrow, Alanna Ubach
RATING: PG-13
Move over, Office Space. There’s a new cult classic comedy from the late ‘90s about the drudgery of officework, and it’s Jill Sprecher’s Clockwatchers. Don’t believe us? Talk to our friend, John Early, about it.
‘Afternoon Delight’ (2013)
DIRECTOR: Joey Soloway
STARS: Kathryn Hahn, Juno Temple, Josh Radnor
RATING: R
Who’s the comedic dynamo you need more of in your life? It’s been Kathryn Hahn all along! Joey Soloway’s Afternoon Delight is one of the rare opportunities she gets to be at the center of a narrative, and she of course knocks it out of the park. As a sexually frustrated carpool mom dealing with feelings of inadequacy, Hahn’s Rachel makes the questionable move to “rescue” a young stripper and hire her as the family nanny … and life around the house gets a lot more interesting.
‘First Cow’ (2020)
DIRECTOR: Kelly Reichardt
STARS: John Magaro, Orion Lee
RATING: PG-13
Director Kelly Reichardt’s tender, patient tales of quiet valor fly in the face of everything we come to expect from a story set in the West. First Cow is both her most accessible and radical tale yet as it rewrites myths of American success and ambition. Two scrappy outsiders – a scrawny cook and a Chinese immigrant – rise to prominence in the frontier-era Pacific Northwest by selling delicious biscuits to voracious customers. The catch? They must steal the milk from a prize cow on the land of the richest man in town.
‘Putney Swope’ (1969)
DIRECTOR: Robert Downey Sr.
STARS: Arnold Johnson, Stan Gottlieb, Allen Garfield
RATING: R
Sure, you know Jr. – but what about his father? Robert Downey Sr. was a trailblazing artist at the forefront of culture in his own way. Granted, it was the counterculture. If you want to get a sense of his radical work that embodied the anarchic energy of the ‘60s, start with Putney Swope. This blistering satire spirals outward from a simple concept: the only Black member of an advertising firm’s board becomes its chairman. Half a century later, the film’s unwillingness to pull punches makes it feel as relevant as ever.
‘Burning’ (2018)
DIRECTOR: Lee Chang-dong
STARS: Steven Yeun, Yoo Ah-in, Jong-seo Jun
RATING: Not Rated
If you loved the sincerity of Steven Yeun’s Oscar-nominated turn in Minari, broaden your knowledge of his formidable skills by watching him smolder in Korean drama Burning. This slow-burn of a film features the actor as the mysterious, magnetic Ben, a Gatsby-like nouveau riche South Korean with an unconventional hobby. Ben emerges out of nowhere as a romantic rival to the sheepish Jong-su, and his presence sparks a small flame that will soon engulf their lives. Give it time – the patience of director Lee Chang-dong really pays off.
‘Starred Up’ (2014)
DIRECTOR: David Mackenzie
STARS: Jack O’Connell, Ben Mendelsohn, Rupert Friend
RATING: Not Rated
In 2014, the media told us that Jack O’Connell was the next big star rising in Hollywood. Unfortunately, they all lined up behind the wrong movie (Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken) and missed the movie that best harnesses his talents. In the prison drama Starred Up, the incorrigible O’Connell channels all the energy of a caged bull as he moves from juvenile detention to an adult prison. Though the youngest person locked within the walls, his arrival unsettles and overturns the established order in fascinating and unexpected ways.
‘The House of the Devil’ (2009)
DIRECTOR: Ti West
STARS: Jocelin Donahue, Tom Noonan, Mary Woronov
RATING: R
Many people try to vibrate on the wavelength that filmmaker Ti West occupies – that is to say, they want to harken back to retro style while maintaining a distinctly contemporary edge. But few can manage what he does in The House of the Devil, which is to recapture the feeling of ‘80s horror without winking too much at his audience. This story of a babysitting job gone wrong intersects with the slasher film and the haunted house flick without making you feel like you’ve seen this story a dozen times before.
‘Half Nelson’ (2006)
DIRECTOR: Ryan Fleck
STARS: Ryan Gosling, Anthony Mackie, Shareeka Epps
RATING: R
We’ve all seen too many white savior dramas where a teacher plops into an under-resourced school and helps inspire a classroom of students. But Half Nelson flips that formula on its head with a story showing that it’s a teacher in need of rescue … and only his student can deliver him from the depths of his addiction. As Dan, the unconventional and radical history teacher with a drug habit, Ryan Gosling has scarcely ever been more electrifying a force on screen.
‘A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints’ (2005)
DIRECTOR: Dito Montiel
STARS: Robert Downey Jr., Shia LaBeouf, Channing Tatum
RATING: R
Adapting your own memoir for your directorial debut might sound like a recipe for navel-gazing, but Dito Montiel manages to pull it off with A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints. The film captures with affection and anguish his time growing up on the mean streets of Astoria in 1986. He acknowledges the way the neighborhood simultaneously shaped his life and drove him to look for a new one elsewhere. Phenomenal performances abound, but the real standout is a young Channing Tatum, who gives a ferociously physical performance as Dito’s volatile friend Antonio.
‘Unexpected’ (2015)
DIRECTOR: Kris Rey
STARS: Cobie Smulders, Anders Holm, Gail Bean
RATING: R
The concept of Kris Rey’s Unexpected seems like it would be a bad idea: an inner-city Chicago high school teacher (Cobie Smulders) and her bright student (Gail Bean) both have unplanned pregnancies at the same time. But it’s all in the execution here. Beyond the compassion bursting out of the frame, Rey’s film keeps an incisive edge throughout as the influence of class and racial dynamics exert themselves subtly but powerfully throughout.
‘Baby Mama’ (2008)
DIRECTOR: Michael McCullers
STARS: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Dax Shepard
RATING: PG-13
The comedic chemistry of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s on-screen pairing makes it so that, as the old adage goes, they could make reading the phonebook entertaining. But luckily they have much better material in Baby Mama as a single career woman desperate to have a baby (Fey) and the hapless surrogate whose womb enables her dream to become a reality (Poehler). This mom-com is packed to the brim with great one-liners, zany supporting characters, and hilarious gags.
'Dark River' (2018)
DIRECTOR: Clio Barnard
STARS: Ruth Wilson, Sean Bean, Mark Stanley
RATING: Not Rated
British director Clio Barnard channels a grounded earthiness in her work like few other filmmakers can, and her 2018 feature Dark River is no exception. This psychological and pastoral drama features a powerful Ruth Wilson as a sheep shearer who must deal with the unresolved pain of her past upon inheriting her father’s farm. Barnard plunges us into piercing flashbacks that underscore the trauma triggered by Wilson’s Alice fighting her brother tooth-and-nail for tenancy of the property. These 89 minutes feel like they contain the full lifetime of a character.
‘99 Homes’ (2015)
DIRECTOR: Ramin Bahrani
STARS: Andrew Garfield, Michael Shannon, Laura Dern
RATING: R
Where do you go when you hit rock bottom? At the height of the housing crisis that precipitated the Great Recession, Andrew Garfield’s Dennis Nash has to answer that question FAST when he’s evicted from his family home. 99 Homes follows his dance with the devil as he begins to scrounge together the funds to get it back by working with the real estate maven who kicked him out of his own place. In Ramin Bahrani’s brilliantly wrought morality play, Dennis the evictee becomes the evictor – a reversal of fortune that illustrates the brokenness of American capitalism.
‘Madagascar’ (2005)
DIRECTORS: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath
STARS: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith
RATING: PG
Don’t let the sequel-izing of the Madagascar franchise fool you (although if you haven’t seen the ingeniuous The Penguins of Madagascar movie, you are really missing out). The original animated film is still an absolute blast for viewers of all ages. It’s full of irreverent DreamWorks Animation humor and committed voice performances from a very game cast. You’ll be singing “I like to move it, move it” until the cows come home.
‘Black Christmas’ (1974)
DIRECTOR: Bob Clark
STARS: Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder
RATING: R
Who says all Christmas movies need to be cheerful? Black Christmas will have you seeing red for the holiday season – red for blood, that is. This slasher film following a sorority house stalked by a crazy killer during the Christmas season is exactly the kind of holiday counterprogramming you’re looking for. But ho ho ho-ld up before you unwrap this gift: the kills from this ‘70s horror flick are gruesome and disturbing even by today’s standards.
‘Akeelah and the Bee’ (2006)
DIRECTOR: Doug Atchison
STARS: Keke Palmer, Angela Bassett, Laurence Fishburne
RATING: PG
If your reaction to Keke Palmer’s breakout role in Akeelah and the Bee is sorry to this man … er, movie … it’s time to educate yourself! This story of an unlikely spelling bee champion is proof that the ins and outs of the English language can be as thrilling as any sports movie. This is the kind of rousing, heartwarming tale that’s worth gathering the family together to watch.
‘Do the Right Thing’ (1989)
DIRECTOR: Spike Lee
STARS: Spike Lee, Danny Aiello, Bill Nunn
RATING: R
Who does the right thing? Can anyone under the stress of oppressive summer heat and enflamed racial/ethnic tensions? What even is the right thing, anyway? Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing offers no easy answers to the questions he poses. It’s the rare film, too, where a director matches their complex script with a rigorous visual approach. Don’t forget to let your eye feast on the camerawork here as your brain is chewing over the ethical conundrums posed by the film!
‘Better Watch Out’ (2017)
DIRECTOR: Chris Peckover
STARS: Olivia De Jonge, Levi Miller, Ed Oxenbould
RATING: R
‘Tis always the season for scares. Better Watch Out starts out like a typical holiday-themed home invasion flick, but let’s just say what Santa’s bringing this year isn’t the only surprise ahead. Chris Peckover’s clever, modest thriller turns many an expectation on its head to wildly entertaining effect.
‘Listen Up Philip’ (2014)
DIRECTOR: Alex Ross Perry
STARS: Jason Schwartzman, Elisabeth Moss, Jonathan Pryce
RATING: Not Rated
If you’re unfamiliar with filmmaker Alex Ross Perry, Listen Up Philip is a great place to begin acquainting yourself with one of the major talents to emerge from the American independent cinema scene over the last decade. Here, he fuses the frankness of the naturalistic “mumblecore” style with the more witty, urbane trappings of a New York intelligentsia comedy. His character study of the self-obsessed novelist Philip Lewis Friedman (Jason Schwartzman) in the wake of his professional successes and personal foibles has a bite so sharp and venomous it could draw blood.
‘Mystery Men’ (1999)
DIRECTOR: Kinka Usher
STARS: Ben Stiller, Janeane Garofalo, William H. Macy
RATING: PG-13
Is it possible that Mystery Men arrived about 20 years too early? This 1999 cult classic follows the hijinks of a bunch of D-list wannabe superheroes and villains ranging from a silverware thrower to toxic farter as they attempt to save Champion City. The cycle of the superhero genre makes me think we’re more than ready for something this absurdly parodic.
‘Meet the Patels’ (2015)
DIRECTORS: Ravi Patel, Geeta Patel
STARS: Ravi Patel, Geeta Patel
RATING: PG
The idea of arranged marriage might sound like something that only exists in a fictional movie, but it’s very much a part of documentary Meet the Patels. Ravi Patel, with the help of his sister Geeta, films the romantic journey that ensues when he indulges his traditional Indian parents’ request to consider the idea. It’s a moving, provocative and ultimately sweet investigation of the relationship between love and marriage.
‘Night of the Living Dead’ (1968)
DIRECTOR: George A. Romero
STARS: Duane Jones, Judith O’Dea, Karl Hardman
RATING: Not Rated
Were you a fan of the “social thriller” as configured by Jordan Peele in Get Out? Thank George A. Romero, a pioneer of the subgenre in Night of the Living Dead. What this lo-fi zombie film might lack in scares after 50 years of advances in technology, it more than makes up for in subversive social commentary. It’s living proof that sometimes the most enduring political messages are smuggled through genre films, not blared out from a soapbox in self-important dramas.
‘The Hunger Games’ (2012)
DIRECTOR: Gary Ross
STARS: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
RATING: PG-13
The Hunger Games author Jennifer Collins claims she originated the idea for her series while toggling between reality TV shows and footage of the Iraq War on cable news. Her unique understanding of the fusion between spectacle and violence gives the film’s relevance beyond merely being another fad YA adaptation or the vessel that officially launched Jennifer Lawrence into superstardom. This is a blockbuster with surprising brain and brawn.
‘Hide Your Smiling Faces’ (2014)
DIRECTOR: Daniel Patrick Carbone
STARS: Ryan Jones, Nathan Varnson
RATING: Not Rated
There’s little nostalgia for childhood in Hide Your Smiling Faces, but the film is all the better for its clear-eyed take on the coming-of-age story. After two young Jersey boys spot a body alongside a river, they begin to process the nature of death. Filmmaker Daniel Patrick Carbone observes their understanding of mortality from an abstract concept to something concrete with remarkable sensitivity. He renders with grace the parts of growing up that we try to elide, even though they shape us irrevocably.
‘The Proposition’ (2005)
DIRECTOR: John Hillcoat
STARS: Guy Pearce, Ray Winstone, Emily Watson
RATING: R
If you think there’s no new ground to trod in the Western, turn your eyes even further west: to Australia. The Proposition takes us back to the 1880s where Guy Pearce’s outlaw Charlie Burns faces a brutal mandate to kill one brother in order to save another sibling. Perhaps the only thing more unsparing than his mission is the land itself of the arid Australian outback.
‘Field of Dreams’ (1989)
DIRECTOR: Phil Alden Robinson
STARS: Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, James Earl Jones
RATING: PG
“If you build it, he will come” has rightfully become a mockable cliché when taken out of context. But somehow, the line works magically well in Field of Dreams, the sports drama about a man who follows through on a vision of creating a baseball diamond in the middle of an Iowa cornfield that can bring back the great Shoeless Joe Jackson. Star Kevin Costner sells the fantasy because it’s rooted in earnest, earned sentimentality.
‘Partisan’ (2015)
DIRECTOR: Ariel Kleiman
STARS: Vincent Cassel, Jeremy Chabriel, Florence Mezzara
RATING: Not Rated
If you only know Vincent Cassel as a menacing baddie looming in the background of films like Ocean’s Twelve or Black Swan, it’s time you see him command the lead. As cult leader Gregori in Partisan, Cassel demands fear and obedience from his pupils as he trains a generation of child assassins to wage all-out ideological warfare. Ariel Kleinman’s film is not about that violence, nor is it about the motivating tenets of Gregori’s philosophy. It’s about the logic of control, something only an actor as forceful as Cassel can build a whole movie around.
‘The Messenger’ (2009)
DIRECTOR: Oren Moverman
STARS: Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton
RATING: R
As messengers delivering the news of a soldier’s passing to their loved ones at home, Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery (Ben Foster) and Captain Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson) are used to getting a wide range of emotional responses to their arrival. But The Messenger examines one interaction in their line of duty that cuts through to something deep within their core – a widow (Samantha Morton) whose calmness in the face of tragedy startles them. Such a reaction inspires such curiosity with Montgomery that he can’t help but investigate and understand her better.
‘Never Rarely Sometimes Always’ (2020)
DIRECTOR: Eliza Hittman
STARS: Sidney Flanigan, Talia Ryder, Théodore Pellerin
RATING: PG-13
The debate over female bodily autonomy gets ripped from its hot-button political context (insofar as such a thing is possible) by Eliza Hittman in her extraordinary film Never Rarely Sometimes Always. With poetry and proceduralism alike, the director methodically walks an audience through the steps of a teenage girl forced to make a clandestine trip into New York City to terminate an unanticipated pregnancy. Each step along the way reveals a process designed to stigmatize and shame women trying to make the decision – and only strengthens the bond tying together two cousins who will support each other through anything.
‘Welcome to Me’ (2015)
DIRECTOR: Shira Piven
STARS: Kristen Wiig, James Marsden, Linda Cardellini
RATING: R
There’s always a hint of melancholy and aloofness in Kristen Wiig’s comedy, even dating back to her earliest sketches on SNL, but her turn in Welcome to Me is peak Wiig weird. Here, she stars as Alice, a woman for whom the boundary between garden-variety narcissism and mental illness ranges from thin to non-existent. After winning the lottery, she devotes her earnings to producing a cringeworthy vanity project talk show to feature herself to the world. It’s bonkers, bizarre … and also kind of brilliant as a piece of biting social commentary.
‘Short Term 12’ (2013)
DIRECTOR: Destin Daniel Cretton
STARS: Brie Larson, John Gallagher Jr., Lakeith Stanfield
RATING: R
If you know this movie for anything, it’s probably as an incubator of great actors. Short Term 12 features early standout turns from Oscar-winners Brie Larson and Rami Malek along with Lakeith Stanfield, Kaitlyn Dever, Stefanie Beatriz, and more. But Destin Daniel Cretton’s film is worth a watch for the story as well. The story of Larson’s Grace, a supervisor at a home for troubled teens with family issues of her own, is full of raw, vulnerable, and poignant emotion.
‘Jurassic Park’ (1993)
DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg
STARS: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum
RATING: PG-13
It’s hard to imagine, three decades later, just how awe-inspiring it must have been for audiences in 1993 to see the lifelike CGI dinosaurs of Jurassic Park roaming about. (If you saw it in theaters then, yeah, I guess this now makes you kind of old!) Good thing the film has more to offer than just historic VFX work. The film endures even as the magic of the effects fades because it’s a classic Spielbergian tale of how perilous situations necessitate the formation of makeshift families to support one another.
‘Palo Alto’ (2014)
DIRECTOR: Gia Coppola
STARS: Emma Roberts, Jack Kilmer, Nat Wolff
RATING: R
Let’s just go ahead and say it: the “ick” factor looms large over James Franco’s role in Palo Alto as a high school soccer coach who hits on one of his players. But his involvement should not invalidate all the other people who make the film such a riveting look at teenage boredom and ennui from director Gia Coppola to star Emma Roberts. This is such a singular, striking, and stylish coming-of-age story where the journey is not toward maturity so much as it is to getting accustomed to disappointment and dissatisfaction.
‘Kick-Ass’ (2010)
DIRECTOR: Matthew Vaughn
STARS: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Nicolas Cage, Chloë Grace Moretz
RATING: R
Kick-Ass ran so Deadpool could fly. Just as the pieces were clicking into place for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, along came Matthew Vaughn’s irreverent, R-rated action-comedy that sent up the self-seriousness of masked vigilantes. Come for Aaron Taylor-Johnson as a geek turned caped crusader, stay for a pint-sized Chloë Grace Moretz spewing shocking obscenities.
‘I Am Big Bird’ (2015)
DIRECTORS: Dave LaMattina, Chad N. Walker
STARS: Carroll Spinney
RATING: Not Rated
It’s hard to imagine anyone else other than the late Carroll Spinney as Big Bird after watching this documentary, frankly. I Am Big Bird takes us behind the scenes of Sesame Street to understand how the creation of the series’ most beloved character was so intimately connected to its puppeteer. This is sure to delight Sesame fans old and new.
'The Imposter' (2012)
DIRECTOR: Bart Layton
STARS: Adam O’Brian, Anna Ruben, Cathy Dresbach
RATING:
Saying “truth is stranger than fiction” is one of the most hackneyed clichés, but it holds eerily true with Bart Layton’s documentary The Imposter. Fans of true crime simply must check out this riveting story of how a “missing child” from Texas returns home as someone … seemingly a bit off. You won’t see some of the twists coming, so just make sure the ground is clear for when you jaw inevitably hits the floor.
‘Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising’ (2016)
DIRECTOR: Nicholas Stoller
STARS: Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne
RATING: R
The sequel to Neighbors has absolutely no business being this funny, but it absolutely RIPS. Sorority Rising restages a lot of the original film’s conflict of adjoining properties between a family and a raucous college crew, only gender-swapped. But the real X-factor of this follow-up is how it wields Zac Efron’s Teddy Sanders from the first film as a frat star completely lost at sea as his brothers move on without him. It’s surprisingly sweet to watch him bop around the two houses in search of anything to provide him a sense of grounding and purpose in the absence of the fraternity that allowed him to be such a rockstar.
‘James White’ (2015)
DIRECTOR: Josh Mond
STARS: Christopher Abbott, Cynthia Nixon, Kid Cudi
RATING: R
The struggles of addiction rarely feel so searingly real as it does in James White, the story of how Christopher Abbott’s titular twentysomething must summon all his strength and composure to care for his ailing mother. Filmmaker Josh Mond offers no easy platitudes or narrative contrivances to make the character’s struggles more palatable for our consumption. Yet in the absence of comfort, what we have is a different kind of reassurance. We may not always be perfect, but sometimes we just have to be there for each other.
‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’ (2011)
DIRECTOR: Lynne Ramsay
STARS: Tilda Swinton, Ezra Miller, John C. Reilly
RATING: R
A decade out, Lynne Ramsay’s We Need to Talk About Kevin only grows in relevance. Our society continues to struggle in reckoning with the “mother of a monster” figure given the plague of disaffected young men committing acts of unspeakable violence. Ramsay never gets preachy or didactic in her exploration of the nature vs. nurture debate, instead letting her propulsive visuals pull us deep into the tortured psyche of Tilda Swinton’s Eva Khatchadourian. Don’t expect easy answers from the film, but Ramsay’s challenges and provocations will undoubtedly deepen your emotional understanding of this new cultural archetype.
‘Inside Man’ (2006)
DIRECTOR: Spike Lee
STARS: Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster
RATING: R
If your only knowledge of Spike Lee is from capital-I “Important” movies that explicitly deal with American race relations, it’s time to broaden your horizons. His Dog Day Afternoon-inflected bank heist film Inside Man is about as invigorating a thriller as you’re likely to see coming from the Hollywood system. It’s not apolitical, either; read between the lines to see plenty of biting commentary around suspicions of criminality in post-9/11 NYC.
‘Lone Survivor’ (2013)
DIRECTOR: Peter Berg
STARS: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch
RATING: R
Sure, the title might give away the ending, but don’t let that discourage you from strapping in for the thrilling true-life tale of how Mark Wahlberg’s Marcus Luttrell fights for his life against improbable odds against the Taliban. Lone Survivor is the war film at its most visceral, personal, and propulsive. You’re not so much watching this battle for survival as you’re feeling it on a gut level.
‘Shrek’ (2001)
DIRECTORS: Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson
STARS: Mike Meyers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow
RATING: PG
Nearly two decades after its release, Shrek remains as relevant and vital as ever – and if you need proof, scroll any social media service long enough to eventually see a meme featuring everyone’s favorite ogre. This family-friendly adventure works as both a witty send-up of fairy tale lore and a moving journey of self-acceptance. It’s got clever jokes for adults and juvenile ones for the kids, ensuring that everyone’s happy with this movie night pick.
‘Meet the Parents’ (2000)
DIRECTOR: Jay Roach
STARS: Robert DeNiro, Ben Stiller, Blythe Danner
RATING: PG-13
Sure, the great Robert DeNiro gives us the odd The Irishman here and Silver Linings Playbook there, but he’s mostly spent this millennium having fun on screen in silly roles that don’t physically or emotionally tax him. It’s always clear that he’s enjoying himself, although we can’t always say the same as audiences. Meet the Parents, though, is a laugh riot through and through as DeNiro’s ex-CIA agent Jack Byrnes puts his prospective son-in-law played by Ben Stiller through the ringer. It’s not as easy as Stiller’s male nurse Greg Focker thought to join their familial “circle of trust,” and watching him squirm is the stuff of cringe comedy gold.
‘Lost in Translation’ (2003)
DIRECTOR: Sofia Coppola
STARS: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi
RATING: R
Sofia Coppola may well be our great contemporary chronicler of introverts. Not much happens in Lost in Translation – at least, not much in the way of conventional plot. But if you gaze long enough into the wistful longing of Bill Murray’s Bob and Scarlett Johansson’s Charlotte, two Americans of different ages and experiences adrift in their own way in Tokyo … you just might find a rich, textured interior world. Just because it isn’t expressed in words doesn’t mean it isn’t there.
‘Bernie’ (2012)
DIRECTOR: Richard Linklater
STARS: Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey, Shirley MacLaine
RATING: PG-13
If there was ever any doubt that Richard Linklater is Texas’ cinematic poet laureate, that’s dispelled in Bernie. This ripped-from-the-headlines story of small-town undertaker Bernie Tiede (Jack Black) and the shocking turns in his relationship with crabby benefactor Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLaine) is as gripping as any true-crime tale. But the movie really belongs to his Greek chorus of the real-life residents of Carthage, TX, all of whom provide undeniable local color and flair to the story in their talking-head interviews.
‘Reality Bites’ (1994)
DIRECTOR: Ben Stiller
STARS: Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, Ben Stiller
RATING: PG-13
If one could bottle up the disaffected energy of Gen X, the container would look a whole lot like Reality Bites. This generational touchstone captures all the growing pains of that transitional moment from college to the workplace. Ben Stiller’s film expertly distills the perils of navigating this duality filtered through the romantic dilemma faced by Leilana (Winona Ryder) as she weighs the merits of buttoned-up businessman Michael (Stiller) against the brash burnout Troy (Ethan Hawke). Though highly specific to one cohort of college graduates, the film’s earnest portrayal of youthful disaffection still rings authentic decades later.
‘Role Models’ (2008)
DIRECTOR: David Wain
STARS: Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott, Elizabeth Banks
RATING: R
Role Models is in a rare echelon of movies that I’ve had to pause multiple times at home. And that’s not so people can go to the bathroom, mind you, that’s so people have time to catch their breath between belly laughs that last a distractingly large amount of time. The comedy flies fast and furious in David Wain’s film about two energy-drink salesmen doing court-ordered mentorship of children. Be it in the form pithy one-liners or a hold on Paul Rudd’s skeptical scowl just a second longer than you think it should, there’s always more to discover here.
‘Jaws’ (1975)
DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg
STARS: Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Shaw
RATING: PG
I’m glad Jaws has become associated with the 4th of July holiday in recent years because few movies embody the American cultural psyche quite like Spielberg’s original blockbuster. The way a shark can wreak havoc on a beachfront twin speaks to the way the country’s preferred method of dealing with a nebulous threat is to try and ignorantly will it away. But when needed, a ragtag team can band together and pool their respective smarts and skills to tame the beast. The movie has gained a reputation for the way it can generate terrified shrieks yet deserves more recognition for how it can elicit triumphant cheers.
