A number of movies have arrived on Paramount+ this month, including an underrated mid-1990s cooking dramedy co-directed by Stanley Tucci and a “Dazed and Confused” sequel from writer-director Richard Linklater that lives up to its parent film’s standard. The streamer’s other July arrivals include a 1980s romantic drama that benefits greatly from its two, standout lead performances and an oft-forgotten 2011 sci-fi blockbuster from “Star Trek” and “Star Wars” director J.J. Abrams that deserves to be remembered more fondly.
Here are the seven best movies on Paramount+ that are new to the streaming service in July.
“An Officer and a Gentleman” (1982)
A romantic drama that has no business being as good as it is, director Taylor Hackford’s “An Officer and a Gentleman” is a deeply felt film about growing up and accepting responsibility — for yourself and for others.
Featuring two perfectly matched, understated performances by Richard Gere and Debra Winger, the film follows a young man (Gere) who comes into conflict during his time at a Navy Officer Candidate School with his tough sergeant leader (Louis Gossett Jr.) and a local girl (Winger) he falls in love with, both of whom expect more of him than he is initially willing to accept. Startlingly intimate, “An Officer and a Gentleman” is a drama that gets just about everything right, even when you least expect it to.
“Big Night” (1996)
One of the best films about the artistic, commercial and communal powers of cooking, “Big Night” is a love letter to food. Co-directed by Campbell Scott and Stanley Tucci, both of whom also star in the film, this mid-’90s gem follows two Italian immigrant brothers (Tucci and Tony Shalhoub) as they attempt, amid their personal struggles and conflicts, to host a single evening of free food in the hope of saving their failing restaurant.
Told with keenly observed specificity and care, “Big Night” is a film full of tiny moments, all of which come together to create something with lasting power. Its wordless final scene is an all-timer.
“Everybody Wants Some!!” (2016)
“Everybody Wants Some!!,” writer-director Richard Linklater’s underrated spiritual sequel to “Dazed and Confused,” is a hangout comedy full of specifically funny moments and lovingly articulated, unadorned scenes of simple connection. While its parent film takes place during the last day of high school, “Everybody Wants Some!!” follows an ensemble of characters during the last weekend before a new college year begins.
The film, in other words, builds on the foundation of “Dazed and Confused,” telling a story not about saying goodbye to childhood but taking one’s first steps into adulthood. Featuring memorable supporting performances from Glen Powell, Zoey Deutch and Wyatt Russell, “Everybody Wants Some!!” is a fun and unsuspectingly moving love letter to life’s new beginnings.
“Glory” (1989)
1989’s “Glory” was a critical hit when it was released, but it has become a bit underrated over the last 30 years. Directed by Edward Zwick, the Civil War epic focuses on the actions of one of the Union’s earliest African American military regiments. The film is, perhaps, best known for featuring an early, Oscar-winning performance from Denzel Washington, but his mesmerizing, fiery supporting turn in it is not the only memorable performance in a movie that also stars Matthew Broderick, Cary Elwes and Morgan Freeman.
An oft-forgotten war movie, “Glory” is, like many of Zwick’s best efforts, a sweeping, masterfully staged and performed drama, one that is better than its increasingly slight reputation would have you believe.
“Marathon Man” (1976)
A conspiracy thriller that knows how to worm its way under your skin, 1976’s “Marathon Man” is an unnerving, anxious adaptation of the novel of the same name by “All the President’s Men” screenwriter William Goldman. Penned by Goldman himself and directed by John Schlesinger, the film follows a college graduate (Dustin Hoffman) and distance runner who finds himself unwittingly and increasingly caught up in a plot involving a Nazi war criminal (Laurence Olivier) hell bent on retrieving some diamonds of morally dubious origin.
Anchored by a terrifying, unapologetically villainous performance from Olivier, “Marathon Man” is a thriller that knows how to get you swept up in its story, your nerves be damned. It also gets bonus points for being the source of two all-time great behind-the-scenes acting anecdotes, courtesy of Olivier himself.
“Super 8” (2011)
2011’s “Super 8,” writer-director J.J. Abrams’ most direct homage to the work of mentor Steven Spielberg, may not live up to the same bar as its many, obvious cinematic influences. But it does provide more than enough memorable sci-fi thrills on its own.
Written and directed by Abrams, the film follows a group of teenage wannabe filmmakers in the late ’70s who witness a train derailment in their small Ohio town while filming a home movie and soon find themselves witness to some increasingly strange sci-fi happenings. Elevated in part by a memorable early-career performance from “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” star Elle Fanning, “Super 8” is a frequently forgotten blockbuster that ranks as one of its director’s better experiments in cinematic pastiche.
“The Untouchables” (1987)
“The Untouchables” is one of the most entertaining and purely thrilling films that “Carrie” and “Scarface” filmmaker Brian De Palma has ever made. Written by “Glengarry Glen Ross” writer David Mamet and set in 1930s Chicago, the film follows an ambitious federal agent (Kevin Costner) as he puts together a team of officers to take down gangster Al Capone (Robert De Niro).
Bloody, unflinching and featuring a handful of unforgettable, breathtaking set pieces, “The Untouchables” is a stylistically audacious and thrilling piece of blockbuster filmmaking from one of cinema’s most provocative auteurs.
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