Good news for homebodies: You don’t have to schlep out to the movie theater to see Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Lopez’s latest flicks.
This weekend, Murphy plays a Muslim father who gives the business to the Jewish man (Jonah Hill) who wants to marry his daughter in a Netflix culture-clash comedy directed by “Black-ish” creator Kenya Barris. And Lopez stars opposite Josh Duhamel as a couple whose island wedding is crashed by pirates in an action-filled romantic comedy on Amazon Prime Video.
Here’s a guide to new movies that will satisfy every cinematic taste, plus some noteworthy theatrical films making their streaming and on-demand debuts:
Oscars: From ‘Elvis’ to ‘Everything Everywhere,’ stream these 15 nominated movies right now
A-list starpower meets streaming with this week’s highlights
A crop of new flicks join Tom Hanks, “Missing” and “M3GAN” at the January box office:
-
Eddie Murphy and Jonah Hill have a buddy comedy dynamic in “You People.”
-
Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel can’t save the action-packed “Shotgun Wedding.”
-
Characters from the TV show “Teen Wolf” reunite for a new supernatural movie.
If you want to see a great ‘SNL’ reunion: ‘You People’
In a hilariously heartfelt twist on “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” Ezra (Hill) and Amira (Lauren London) are looking to take the next step in their relationship. That means meeting the parents, including Amira’s stern Muslim dad (Murphy) and mom (Nia Long) and Ezra’s Jewish parents (Julia Louis-Dreyfus and David Duchovny). Playing more of a straight man than usual, Murphy strikes a fun buddy-comedy vibe with Hill and playfully locks horns with fellow “SNL” alum Louis-Dreyfus.
Where to watch: Netflix
Golden Globes: Eddie Murphy jokes about Will Smith slap in Cecil B. DeMille Award speech
If you’re a J.Lo rom-com completist: ‘Shotgun Wedding’
It’s no “Marry Me,” but this at least has more firearms, torched faces, explosions and bloody fatalities than the usual Lopez fare. She and Duhamel play a couple about to get married – and dealing with some last-minute relationship issues – when a group of pirates crashes their destination wedding seeking millions from the bride-to-be’s dad (Cheech Marin). Lopez veers way too broad with her character, Duhamel does his goofy part but the film isn’t campy or clever enough for a good time.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
If you’re a die-hard for TV werewolves: ‘Teen Wolf: The Movie’
There’s a plethora of fan service and supernatural soap opera with the continuation of the MTV series, which is set 15 years after we last saw the characters. its conclusion (it really ended in 2017). Alpha werewolf Scott McCall (Tyler Posey) now runs an L.A. animal shelter but is called back to Beacon Hills for the return of an enemy demon and the resurrection of his dead ex (and werewolf hunter) Allison (Crystal Reed). The film overdoes it with old friends and callbacks, but it’s not a half-bad watch for “Wolf” newbies who are down with banshees, hellhounds and ghost ninjas.
Where to watch: Paramount+
If you’re in the mood for something supremely messed-up: ‘Infinity Pool’
Exquisitely unsettling in last year’s “X” and “Pearl,” Mia Goth manages to be even scarier in Brandon Cronenberg’s twisted sci-fi horror flick. A novelist (Alexander Skarsgård) at an all-inclusive getaway meets a fan (Goth), runs over a local man and is sentenced to death. But this fictional country has some bizarre laws, so his clone is executed instead, and the writer joins a debaucherous crew in a violent gore-fest that doesn’t skimp on bodily fluids.
Where to watch: In theaters
If you yearn to see a bunch of aging A-listers: ‘Maybe I Do’
A young couple (Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey) wondering if they should even get married plan a get-together with their parents – and that’s when the old folks realize her dad (Richard Gere) has been sleeping with his mom (Susan Sarandon) and his dad (William H. Macy) has been out on the town with her mom (Diane Keaton). Somehow, this obvious reveal takes forever in this unnecessarily convoluted rom-com.
Where to watch: In theaters
If you’re still all about the social distancing: ‘Fear’
A group of friends (played by Joseph Sikora, Ruby Modine and Tip “T.I.” Harris) gather at a remote hotel for a holiday, which takes an unfortunate turn when the place’s dark history is revealed and everyone is forced to face their personal frights (blood, claustrophobia, etc.). Despite some eerie imagery, “Fear” is frustratingly caught in a nebulous place between mediocre haunted-house flick and pandemic-era creeper (with a nice bit of COVID freakiness).
Where to watch: In theaters
If you feel like watching someone use the Internet for good: ‘Missing’
A follow-up to “Searching,” the satisfyingly twisty “screenlife” thriller – told through computer applications, texts, email and video chats – centers on teen June (Storm Reid), whose mom (Nia Long) disappears with her new boyfriend (Ken Leung) while on vacation in Colombia. With real-world help and many online rabbit holes, June uncovers a bevy of red flags and hidden secrets before a white-knuckle conclusion.
Where to watch: In theaters
If you like to see women uplifting women: ‘Alice, Darling’
Anna Kendrick stars as the title character who goes on a lakeside getaway with her best friends (Wunmi Mosaku and Kaniehtiio Horn). But it’s more needed than anyone knows in this insightful potboiler: Psychologically abused by her boyfriend (Charlie Carrick), Alice doesn’t realize the full extent of her trauma until she’s around her confidantes, who are ready and willing for anything when the dude suddenly shows up at their doorstep.
Where to watch: In theaters
If you love spot-on movie titles: ‘Women Talking’
Based on the Miriam Toews novel, writer/director Sarah Polley’s intimate drama centers on a group of women in a religious colony who, after a series of rapes, have to decide whether to stay or go. The storytelling momentum wanes at times but the acting is phenomenal, with Jessie Buckley, Claire Foy and Rooney Mara among those playing characters determining their fate in a life-altering barn debate.
Where to watch: In theaters
If you’re a Hugh Jackman completist: ‘The Son’
While Florian Zeller’s family drama fails to reaches the brilliant heights of “The Father,” Hugh Jackman has one of his better dramatic outings as a busy working father concerned by the discovery his teen son (Zen McGrath) hasn’t been to school in a month. The kid moves in with his father and new stepmom Beth (Vanessa Kirby) but his depression gets worse, leading to a staggering final act.
Where to watch: In theaters
If you want to see Tom Hanks channel Oscar the Grouch: ‘A Man Called Otto’
Even in grump mode, Hanks’ signature charisma comes through in this solidly heartfelt comedy. The actor’s title widower is curt and cross with his neighbors – and pondering the end of his life – until a pregnant woman (Mariana Treviño) moves in next door and, with the help of a stray cat and other folks, gives Otto a reason to keep on living.
Where to watch: In theaters
Ranked: Tom Hanks’ 15 essential feel-good roles (including ‘A Man Called Otto’)
If you dig Gerard Butler action movies: ‘Plane’
The way-too-simple title gives you hope this thing might be enjoyably bonkers but it’s instead sadly generic. Butler plays a pilot forced to crash-land his commercial flight in a bad part of the Philippines and partner with a skilled fugitive (Mike Colter) to save passengers from bad guys. There’s not even that much plane stuff in a movie that can’t live up to the cheesy ’80s films it copies,
Where to watch: In theaters
If you’re curious to see a pandemic-era slasher: ‘Sick’
From “Scream” writer Kevin Williamson and set in the early days of COVID-19, the horror film centers on two college kids who quarantine in a country mansion but are hunted through the place by a masked killer. It sticks to the slasher script but the humor and plot cleverly bend a few tropes making use of the pandemic gimmick.
Where to watch: Peacock
If you’re a fan of courtroom dramas: ‘Saint Omer’
Director Alice Diop’s French entry to the Oscars’ international film category is an excellently insightful exploration of race and motherhood in the guise of a legal flick. Kayije Kagame plays a pregnant journalist who takes an uncanny interest in – and is increasingly affected by – the trial of a Senegalese immigrant (Guslagie Malanda) accused of murdering her 15-month-old daughter.
Where to watch: In theaters
If you want to be unnerved for 100 minutes: ‘Skinamarink’
While not for everyone, horror fans needing a creepy, discombobulating experience get their fill with this found-footage-esque film. Two young kids (Lucas Paul and Dali Rose Tetreault) wake up in the middle of the night and can’t find their dad, leading to an unnerving time spent watching cartoons, seeing doors appear and disappear and wondering what the heck’s wrong with mom in a nightmare come to sleepless life.
Where to watch: In theaters
If you grew up with Teddy Ruxpin and other toy companions: ‘M3GAN’
The thriller doles out more laughs than scares with the story of a robotics engineer (Allison Williams) who creates a cutting-edge android doll, “pairs” it with her 9-year-old orphaned niece, and comes to find that wasn’t a great idea. M3GAN herself is a hoot as a 21st-century mean-girl version of Chucky amid a sharply satirical take on parenting and modern technology.
Where to watch: In theaters
If you saw ‘Glass Onion’ and need more mystery: ‘The Pale Blue Eye’
This 19th-century whodunit is full of dark, moody flair and a nifty literary bent. A weathered detective (Christian Bale) is called to West Point circa 1830 to solve a grisly murder, and needing a man on the inside, he recruits Poe (Harry Melling), an oddball cadet years away from becoming a goth icon. One of the “Harry Potter” movie kids, Melling brings an eccentric magnetism to the twisty thriller.
Where to watch: Netflix
If you’re a science nerd: ‘The Invisible Extinction’
Crafted in a breezy but informative fashion, the documentary investigates the importance of microbes, how antibiotics have lessened the bacteria in our bodies, and why that might be playing a role in the rise of chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes. The film looks at experimental therapies as well as personal stories, and at the very least you’ll learn a ton about fecal transplants.
Where to watch: In theaters and on Apple TV, Google Play
Also on streaming
-
Musical drama “Tár,” starring Cate Blanchett as a famous orchestra conductor, arrives on Peacock Friday.
-
A “Shrek” spinoff, the animated comedy “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” – with Antonio Banderas voicing the title feline swashbuckler – is available on Apple TV, Vudu and Amazon.
-
“The Menu” is streaming on HBO Max, the journalism drama “She Said” is also on Peacock and the Korean war drama “Devotion” is playing on Paramount+.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Best new movies to see this week: ‘You People,’ ‘Shotgun Wedding’
