Paramount+‘s streaming library expanded again in March, thanks to a batch of TV premieres and film acquisitions. The streamer’s March additions include one of the best comedy sequels of the past 20 years, as well as a more recent historical dramedy that was justifiably acclaimed when it was released just a few years ago. A gripping, unforgettable sports drama also arrived on the streaming service this month, as did an underrated 2013 romantic comedy that is elevated by an early star turn from none other than Adam Driver.
Here are the seven best movies new to Paramount+ that you can stream in March.
“22 Jump Street” (2014)
It is rare for a comedy sequel to replicate the success of its parent film, but “22 Jump Street” does just that. As a matter of fact, it surpasses 2012’s “21 Jump Street.” The Phil Lord and Chris Miller-directed film catches back up with its central, bumbling cop duo (Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum) as they go undercover again — this time, at a college — in order to find the source of a new drug that has begun sweeping through the campus.
Plenty of ridiculous hijinks ensue, including a mortifying coincidence involving Hill’s Morton Schmidt and his boss, Ice Cube’s Captain Dickson, that leads to the single funniest sequence in either of the “Jump Street” films.
“Good Will Hunting” (1997)
One of the most emotionally affecting films of the late ’90s, director Gus Van Sant’s “Good Will Hunting” is a film made with surprising sensitivity and tenderness. Written by stars Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, the film follows a troubled, self-taught math prodigy (Damon) whose talent is discovered while working as a janitor by an MIT professor (Stellan Skarsgård) who enrolls him in therapy with an insightful, uncompromising psychologist (Robin Williams).
Damon and Affleck rightly won an Oscar for the film’s screenplay, while Williams took home the Best Supporting Actor award for his scene-stealing performance. Over 25 years later, both those wins feel just as justified now as they did in 1998, which is a testament to the enduring emotional power of “Good Will Hunting.”
“Spencer” (2021)
2021’s “Spencer” divided critics and audience members and flew relatively under the radar when it was released. Directed by “Jackie” filmmaker Pablo Larraín and written by “Peaky Blinders” creator Steven Knight, the film follows Princess Diana (Kristen Stewart) as she experiences intense paranoia and a personal crisis over the course of one Christmas holiday in 1991 spent with her increasingly estranged, hostile royal family members.
“Spencer” caught viewers off guard with its visual allusions to horror films like “The Shining” and the surreal visions of death experienced by its heroine. Both choices, however, serve a shared purpose. They instill a feeling of suffocating dread in “Spencer” — one that lingers even after you have finished watching the film. It is a drama, in other words, made with an almost overpowering level of empathy, for both its real-life protagonist and her story.
“The Banshees of Inisherin” (2022)
Writer-director Martin McDonagh‘s “The Banshees of Inisherin” is both a heartbreaking slice of historical fiction and a blackly comic breakup movie. Set on a remote Irish island in 1923, the film follows a simple, friendly man (Colin Farrell) whose life takes a number of increasingly confusing and violent turns after his lifelong friend (Brendan Gleeson) abruptly decides to end their friendship — and even goes so far as to threaten to cut off his own fingers every time Farell’s Pádraic talks to him again.
Featuring career-best performances from Farrell, Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan, “The Banshees of Inisherin” will make you laugh, cry, gasp and, in its final moments, sit in stunned silence over what you have just seen.
“Warrior” (2011)
“Warrior” is one of the best sports movies of the 21st century. Directed by “The Way Back” filmmaker Gavin O’Connor and featuring a brooding, star-making performance from Tom Hardy, “Warrior” follows two estranged brothers (Hardy and Joel Edgerton) who are brought back together, along with their recovering alcoholic father (Nick Nolte), when they both enter into the same MMA tournament.
Punctuated by several thrilling, thoughtfully staged fight sequences, “Warrior” does what all great sports movies should. It entertains and moves you, and it makes doing both look easy.
“What If” (2013)
“What If” is an underrated romantic comedy that is, perhaps, best known now for featuring a scene-stealing early-career supporting turn from future “Star Wars” star Adam Driver. “What If” has more going for it than just that, though. Director Michael Dowse’s modest rom-com follows an everyday man (Daniel Radcliffe) who meets and falls in love with a woman (Zoe Kazan) who, because she has a boyfriend, asks him to be friends instead of partners.
Fortunately, despite exploring similar “friendzone” territory as plenty of other past rom-coms, “What If” finds its own, distinct charm and identity, thanks in no small part to the shared, endearing charisma of Driver, Radcliffe, Kazan and Mackenzie Davis. It has everything a modern rom-com should — namely, plenty of laughs and just as many heart-warming moments.
“Crawl” (2019)
Speaking of underrated movies, 2019’s “Crawl” is a nifty, intense disaster thriller from director Alexandre Aja. Produced by “Send Help” filmmaker Sam Raimi, the film follows a father (Barry Pepper) and daughter (Kaya Scodelario) who find themselves and their dog trapped in their home’s crawl space in the middle of a Category 5 Florida hurricane. Just in case that was not bad enough, they also end up hunted by the alligators that have been brought to shore by the storm.
Nerve-shredding and refreshingly lean (see: its 87-minute runtime), “Crawl” is a film that wants almost nothing more than to entertain and scare you. Suffice it to say, it succeeds in its mission.
