Happy new week, fellow cinephile! Looking for some new ideas on what to watch? You’re in the right spot.
As always, our recommendation includes a gem that you’ve definitely seen plenty of times before, and gives you an easy validation for rewatching it. But this week, we’re also recommending a few dramedy films that maybe you haven’t seen before, and really should (at least once, anyway).
Here are the three best movies to watch on Prime Video this week.
Late Bloomers
“Late Bloomers” may not always stick the landing in what it tries to do, but it’s still sweet and clearly well-intentioned.
Karen Gillan (yes, “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Doctor Who” Karen Gillan) stars as Louise, a somewhat aimless almost-30-year-old who’s pretty well depressed, but won’t admit to it. When she drunkenly breaks her hip, she finds herself in physical therapy with women who are much, much older, and actually prone to that kind of injury.
Among them is Antonina, a grumpy old woman who speaks no English. Despite the language barrier, Louise lands a job caring for her, and the two develop an odd, irreverent-but-sweet friendship.
It’s worth seeing at least once, and a good reminder of how naturally goofy Gillan can be. Her comedy chops are too under-appreciated.
Bring It On
It’s sexy, it’s cute, it’s popular to boot! It’s also a pretty good movie to watch alone or with kids (depending on the age of said kids) as the school year begins to start up again.
Kirsten Dunst stars as Torrance, a cheerleader who dreams of little more than being a cheerleader. She’s made captain of her squad this year, and that means she’s got to be the one to lead them to nationals and continue their winning streak. A wrench is whipped into that plan though, when a new student and cheerleader, opens Torrance’s eyes to the fact that every single one of her team’s cheers is stolen.
Not only are they stolen, but they’re stolen from a lower-income school, and from a team that primarily consists of students of color. So not only is “Bring It On” a fun teen movie, it’s also a very real lesson in appropriation.
Good Fortune
We’ve known that Keanu Reeves can make just about any role work, but man, he really soars as an angel who is desperate to make an impact in “Good Fortune.”
That angel is Gabriel, who typically just handles saving people who are texting and driving. But, after seeing the life-changing impact a fellow angel has saving lost souls, Gabriel wants a promotion. To attain that, he goes a bit rogue, and basically pulls a “Freaky Friday” between a struggling gig worker (Aziz Ansari) and his rich boss (Seth Rogen).
It uh, doesn’t go great, as Ansari’s character loves his new life, refusing to learn the lesson Gabriel was trying to teach. As a result, Gabriel loses his wings, and must work with Rogen’s character to get things back to normal.
“Good Fortune” is streaming on Prime Video on Aug. 21.
