Summer is going by fast, and yet the perennial question of what to watch remains. With so many movies across the best streaming services, narrowing down your next movie night pick can become a headache in and of itself.
That’s where we come in. Here at Tom’s Guide, we’ve separated the wheat from the chaff to highlight only the best new movies to streaming. Leading the pack this week is Netflix’s foul-mouthed comedy starring Olivia Colman, “Wicked Little Letters” as well as the action-packed newest entry in the “Bad Boys” series on paid video-on-demand platforms. On Hulu, you’ll also find the slept-on French thriller “The Origin of Evil” and the queer revenge drama “Femme.”
So without further ado, here are the best new movies to watch this weekend. For even more recommendations on what to watch, be sure to check out our round-up of the best movies and shows that just landed on streaming.
‘Wicked Little Letters’ (Netflix)
Little ones, cover your ears. “Wicked Little Letters” is a deliciously profane comedy about what happens when a series of anonymous foul-mouthed letters send a small seaside town in the U.K. into a tizzy. And it’s made all the more weird and wonderful by the fact that it’s based on a true story.
Olivia Colman steals the show as Edith, a haughty spinster at odds with her boisterous Irish neighbor Rose (Jessie Buckley). When letters dripping with colorful euphemisms start popping up in mailboxes around town, Rose is the prime suspect. However, as the town’s women — led by Police Officer Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan) — launch their own investigation, it becomes clear that the truth may be even more shocking than the letters themselves.
Watch it now on Netflix
‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die’ (PVOD)
After earning nearly $400 million at the box office, “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” is coming to paid video-on-demand platforms. While it’s not likely to eclipse its predecessor “Bad Boys for Life” as the highest-grossing entry in the franchise (especially with another R-rated comedy/action flick, Deadpool & Wolverine, landing this weekend), it’s earned an impressive near-perfect 97% score from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. So it must be doing something right.
Detectives Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) are back for their most dangerous mission yet. After corruption allegations surface about their late police captain (Joe Pantoliano), the wisecracking duo sets out to clear his name and protect his legacy. While its story falls apart if you think about it for too long, the hyper-stylized action sequences, sharp writing and power of its stars are enough to keep things fresh and fun.
Buy or rent on Amazon now
‘Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One’ (Prime Video)
Though it fell flat at the box office, “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” did not fall flat with critics. In the first half of this high-octane, two-part saga, Tom Cruise is back as cinema’s greatest superspy, Ethan Hunt, along with his team — Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) and Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) — for all the heart-racing car chases, daring stunts, and elaborate fight sequences you’d expect.
This time around, the crew is crisscrossing the globe to find two interlocking keys that, when combined, grant access to a deadly artificial intelligence dubbed “the Entity.” Just about every nation on the planet is locked in a desperate race to get to it first, including a ghost from Hunt’s past. Sure, the story is on the ridiculous side, but that’s easy to overlook in a movie as fun as this.
Watch it now on Prime Video
‘The Origin of Evil’ (Hulu)
The success of movies like “Knives Out,” “Parasite,” and “Saltburn” in recent years has carved out an emerging “eat the rich” genre that I am absolutely here for, and yet somehow I missed “The Origin of Evil” entirely. But its high 92% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes definitely has me intrigued.
This dark comedic thriller from French filmmaker Sébastien Marnier stars Laure Calamy as a woman struggling to make ends meet who reconnects with her estranged, uberwealthy father (Jacques Weber). His family is clearly unsettled by his newly announced heir, and as she’s drawn into their world of lavish living, secrets, and backstabbing, it’s clear she has a secret or two of her own.
Watch it now on Hulu
‘Femme’ (Hulu)
A riveting queer revenge drama, “Femme” is the feature-length adaptation of directors Sam H Freeman and Ng Choon Ping’s BAFTA nominated short film of the same name. It centers on a rising drag artist named Jules (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) who is targeted in a brutal homophobic attack.
Depressed and withdrawn, he stops performing and later becomes obsessed with his attacker (George MacKay) after spotting him at a gay sauna. Jules seduces him to ruin his closeted tormenter’s life by leaking videos of their trysts online, but as one-night flings turn into dinner dates, his investment becomes increasingly ambiguous.
Watch it now on Hulu
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