We’re in the thick of summer movie season, which means there are a whole lot of options to check out in theaters right now. But we’re also in the thick of summer heat, depending on where you live, and that means staying home in the air conditioning might be the move.
If that’s what you’re doing this week, we’re here to support you — especially if you’re looking for something to watch over on Paramount+. We’ve got three easy suggestions for you, so you don’t have to lose part of your evening to just scrolling and looking for something.
Here are the three best movies to watch on Paramount+ this week.
Ella Enchanted
With five new movies coming out this year, Anne Hathaway is blessing our screens a whole lot. But, if you’re more in the mood for an older, classic Hathaway film, “Ella Enchanted” is the move over on Paramount+.
In it, she plays Ella of Frell, a young girl who is given the “gift” of obedience by her very inexperienced fairy godmother, Lucinda. Unfortunately, Lucinda can’t see why being physically incapable of disobeying anything phrased as a direct order might be a problem, which leads to some brutal moments in Ella’s life. So, Ella sets out to get rid of the gift herself.
“Ella Enchanted” is a rom-com, a fairytale, a musical — so many different things, all of them enjoyable. It even features Cary Elwes as a probably-psychotic villain. It’s just good old fun.
Interstellar
Okay yes, I know I said “Ella Enchanted” is the Hathaway move on Paramount+ this week. However! If you’re looking for a Hathaway double feature, or more specifically an Anne Hathaway/Christopher Nolan collab that isn’t “The Dark Knight Rises,” then you’re going to want “Interstellar.”
Really, you might want “Interstellar” just for Nolan, as you get ready to see “The Odyssey” in theaters. Like the Greek epic, “Interstellar” is about trying to get home — just from space, not war. But it’s just as moving, and certainly in Nolan’s upper echelon of films he’s made.
Maybe space out (pun only mostly intended) your viewings of both, since they are heavy stories, but make sure you do see both eventually. “Interstellar” is gorgeous, and there’s a reason it’s always among the most recently watched films over on Letterboxd.
Mean Girls
And now for something completely different! This recommendation is for those who went and saw the live-action “Moana” or recently rewatched the animated ones, and realized they miss having Auliʻi Cravalho on their screens.
Yes, that means I’m recommending the musical adaptation of “Mean Girls,” and you can judge me all you want, but it’s a fun one. Not only is Cravalho excellent in it as Janis, but Renee Rapp reprises her Broadway role as Regina George, and she’s just obscenely good as the queen bee.
Is the musical as good as the original? Well, it’s hard to say, considering the script is almost word for word the same, just with some songs thrown in. Is the movie musical as good as the stage musical? There are fans that would decidedly say no, due to certain castings. But the beauty of it is, you can watch it yourself and form your own opinion.
My own opinion is that this is fun, if you want an upbeat, musical kind of night.
