Prime Video has a great selection of movies to watch for summertime, which officially begins this month. Whether you’re in the mood for a classic romantic comedy, an action-filled franchise or some more nostalgic films, there are options for everyone. Freevee will have “Back to the Future” films as well as “The Hunger Games” series. The first two “Creed” films will also land on the streamer in June.
Romantic films include “Crazy Rich Asians” adapted from Kevin Kwan’s novel, and “Love, Rosie” starring Lily Collins, Sam Claflin, Suki Waterhouse and more. With Juneteenth mid-month, options like “Toni Morrison: The Pieces That I Am” and “The Color Purple” also await viewing.
Below, we offer our curated picks for the best new movies on Amazon Prime Video in June 2023.
“Crazy Rich Asians” (2016)
Adapted from Kevin Kwan’s book, “Crazy Rich Asians” took big strides for the AAPI community when it hit theaters in 2016. With an all-star cast of Constance Wu, Gemma Chan, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Awkwafina, Harry Shum Jr., Ken Jeong, Nico Santos and more the film took representation to a whole new level. This rom-com provides an emotional rollercoaster of a viewing experience as it follows a Chinese-American professor (Wu) who travels to Singamore to meet her boyfriend’s (Golding) family, only to discover they’re one of the richest families in the country.
“Interstellar” (2014)
Matthew McConaughey’s Joseph Cooper gets tested in many ways in this galactic film from director Christopher Nolan. After getting recruited to find a viable habitat on a new planet since Earth is no longer sustainable, Cooper sets off with astronaut Brand (Anne Hathaway) to travel through a wormhole, leaving behind his kids Murph (Mackenzie Foy, Jessica Chastain) and Tom (Timothée Chalamet, Casey Affleck). Themes of time, love and sacrifice abound in this decades-spanning (and eye-popping) adventure.
“Love, Rosie” (2014)
Before “Daisy Jones & the Six” and “Emily in Paris,” Sam Claflin and Lily Collins starred in the romantic comedy “Love, Rosie.” Claflin’s “Daisy Jones” co-star Suki Waterhouse plays his character Alex’s distracting love interest Bethany. Talk about a ‘Will They? Won’t They?’ situation — the story traverses years as Rosie and Alex miss each other so many times, partly because Rosie gets pregnant and defers college to raise her daughter while Alex does go to school in the U.S. Have your tissues ready for this one.
“The Hunger Games” Films (Freevee)
Freevee will have all four “Hunger Games” films starting June 1. Those in the mood for some classic young adult dystopia can rewatch the whole series in preparation for the prequel film, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” which releases in November 2023. Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth and more lead the adaptation of Suzanne Collins’s trilogy that defined popular culture for an entire generation.
“Toni Morrison: The Pieces That I Am”
Those looking for a good documentary should check out “Toni Morrison: The Pieces That I Am.” Interviews by Samantha Guzman featuring Oprah Winfrey, Angela Davis, Farah Griffin, Fran Lebowitz and more capture Morrison in addition to footage capturing her telling her life story. “Words have power,” she says early on in the film. The film about the late author established how she became a celebrated author in her own right, without including the white male gaze in her works.
“The Color Purple” (1985)
Ahead of the 2023 musical reimagining starring Halle Bailey, Danielle Brooks, Fantasia Barrino, Colman Domingo, Taraji P. Henson, Corey Hawkins, H.E.R. and more, one could rewatch Steven Spielberg’s 1985 adaptation starring Oprah Winfrey, Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover. Alice Walker’s novel, on which both films are based, won a Pulitzer Prize in 1983.
“Philadelphia” (1993)
Tom Hanks’ Oscar-winning film lands June 1. In “Philadelphia,” Hanks played Andrew Beckett, a lawyer who comes down with AIDS just at the peak of his legal career. He seeks out Joe Miller (Denzel Washington) to represent him in a wrongful dismissal suit against his former employers, who fired him once he revealed his HIV diagnosis. From writer Ron Nyswaner and director Jonathan Demme, “Philadelphia” was a groundbreaking film released during the AIDS epidemic.