Movies to watch in February: rom-coms, Oscar contenders and more
This week: Steven Spielberg and Pamela Anderson get autobiographical whilst J-Lo and Jonah Hill get romantic (but not with each other.) Enjoy!
The Fabelmans (cinemas)
Category: Drama
This award-winning coming-of-age drama from writer/director Steven Spielberg is essentially about his own teenage years with his rather eccentric family, albeit with the names changed.
WATCH: See the trailer of the Steven Spielberg film for yourself
It’s a brilliant young actor called Gabriel LaBelle who gets to plays young Steven (renamed Sam Fabelman) - a likeable sixties teen getting into making home movies at the same time as learning about what being an adult really means. With Michelle Williams and Paul Dano as his parents and Seth Rogen as family friend Uncle Bennie, it’s no wonder this is an Oscar favourite. It’s heartwarming, personal film-making at its finest.
Pamela, a love story (Netflix)
Category: Documentary
Pamela Anderson tells her side of the story in this eye-opening, and occasionally heartbreaking, documentary she’s made partly in response to last year’s TV series Pam & Tommy (with which she had no involvement.) Using some remarkable archive footage as well as interviews with Pam’s sons Dylan and Brandon, the film shows two sides to this iconic pin-up: on the one hand she’s the ultimate 90s rock babe, on the other a sweet and sensitive romantic. But by taking ownership of her life, her past and her image, perhaps she’s finally in a place where she can happily look forward to the future.
MORE: 2023 Oscars nominations: The complete list of nominees
Shotgun Wedding (Amazon Prime)
Category: Rom-Com
Jennifer Lopez, Josh Duhamel and everyone’s favourite Jennifer Coolidge star in this action-packed romp, where Darcy (Lopez) and Tom (Duhamel) gather their lovable-but-very-opinionated families for the ultimate destination wedding. The problem? The happy couple are starting to get cold feet. Oh, and then they’re taken hostage. It is a Jennifer Lopez rom-com, after all. What did you expect? Realism? It’s nonsense, of course, but the occasional one-liner, some decent action scenes and actual Lenny Kravitz (!) make this fluffy, forgettable fun.
You People (Netflix)
Category: Comedy
A new couple (Jonah Hill and Lauren London) fall in love and find themselves confronting cultural expectations and generational differences courtesy of their overbearing families (Eddie Murphy, Nia Long, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and David Duchovny). It might not have the bite (or the decent ending) to be a classic but with a host of experienced comedy actors at the helm, this is always a bubbly and fun watch. Jonah Hill co-write the script too.
Smile (rent/buy on all major platforms)
Category: Horror
Halloween might be long gone but Smile is packed with chills that work anytime of the year, telling the story of therapist Rose (played by Sosie Bacon, Kevin’s daughter) and a curse that reaches her via the emergency psychiatric unit where she works. What follows is an enjoyably cold and eerie horror movie, with Rose desperately trying to break the jinx that’s following her around (and which results in victims pulling a horrible grin just before they die). Predictable? Maybe. But if you’re looking for a few jumps and the odd sleepless night, Smile will make you happy.
Don’t Worry Darling (rent/buy on all major platforms)
Category: Thriller
Proving that its behind-the-scenes drama didn’t put off audiences, Don’t Worry Darling was a big hit at cinemas last year. Now it’s your chance to see Harry Styles’ leading man debut - directed by his former partner Olivia Wilde - at home too. The verdict? The ‘As It Was’ singer is certainly no slouch as an actor, although it’s co-stars Florence Pugh and Chris Pine who really impress. The story follows 1950s housewife Alice (Pugh), happily married to Jack (Styles) and living in newly built community that seems almost good to be true. So when Alice starts to notice strange things happening in the town, she begins to question everything - including the charismatic local business leader Frank (Pine). It’s not entirely believable, that’s for sure, but this is still an atmospheric thriller with a pitch-perfect feminist slant.
Bones and All (buy on all major platforms)
Category: Drama
Bones and All sees Timothée Chalamet re-teaming with many of the talent behind his 2017 breakthrough Call Me By Your Name and the result is another dreamy romance. Timothée stars with Taylor Russell - you might have seen her in Lost in Space on the television - and together they are Lee and Maren, two outsiders in late 80s America. Why are they outsiders? Well, because they’re both cannibals. But don’t expect a horror film. Bones and All is more of a coming-of-age film, a road movie and a story about the difficulty of living outside regular society. There’s also a spine-tingling supporting role for the great Mark Rylance too, playing a rather more eccentric cannibal on this couple’s trail. Eerily beautiful stuff.
Babylon (cinemas)
Category: Drama
Are you ready for the craziest film of the year (and yes, I know it’s only January)? From the makers of La La Land comes Babylon, another film about Hollywood but this time it’s set in the silent movie era of the 1920s - a world of few rules, wild personalities and some seriously big parties. Margot Robbie stars as Nellie LeRoy, an actress seeking her fortune in the movie industry, whilst Brad Pitt is Jack Conrad, a huge heartthrob who’s worried his best days are over. The result is a 3 hour carnival ride - sometimes funny, sometimes debauched, always visually breathtaking - that makes the early days of Hollywood look like the Wild West. Unforgettable.
Alice, Darling (cinemas)
Category: Drama
The ever-reliable Anna Kendrick shows her more dramatic side in this subtle and sophisticated story of a young woman being psychologically abused by her boyfriend. Her friends have a hunch something is up but don’t know for sure until a secret girls’ week away sees Alice’s issues coming to the surface. And whilst it’s not action-packed, favouring mood over edge-of-your-seat tension, it’s the quality of the acting and Alice’s gradual journey to a place of empowerment that keep this impressively gripping.
The Bank of Dave (Netflix)
Category: Comedy
The true story of Lancashire businessman Dave Fishwick who, in 2011, set up his own financial institution - Burnley Savings & Loans, aka The Bank of Dave - in protest at what he considered immoral behaviour by the money men from The City. A Channel 4 documentary followed, chronicling Dave’s early struggles and later success, and now there’s this feature film starring Rory Kinnear, Phoebe Dynevor, Joel Fry, Jo Hartley and Hugh Bonneville. It’s fun too, especially Kinnear’s performance, with a tone not a million miles away from the likes of The Full Monty and Calendar Girls - all uplifting stories of great British eccentrics.
She Said (available to rent on all major platforms)
Category: Drama
Based on the book by the New York Times journalists Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor - the two writers who exposed sexual abuse allegations against the Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein back in 2017 - She Said stars Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan at their most captivating. In a world of gaslighting and of people using their power to try and keep things quiet, here’s a film that says ultimately the facts will speak for themselves - and journalists like Megan and Jodi are there to dig deep. It’s essential viewing. Look out for the great Jennifer Ehle too, in a small but crucial role as former Weinstein employee Laura Madden, one of the first to speak out.
Bros (available to buy on all major platforms)
Category: Rom-Com
The funniest romantic comedy of last year sees American TV favourite Billy Eichner star as geeky New Yorker Bobby, a podcast host and curator of an LGBTQ+ museum, who falls for his polar opposite: straight acting ‘bro’ Aaron (Luke Macfarlane). What follows is a joke-packed look at the hilarious complexities of modern gay relationships, full of pop culture gags and big-name cameos (Will & Grace’s Debra Messing is especially wonderful). But what gives Bros real punch is how it also manages to be poignant and powerful too, the perfect blend of laughs and life-lessons.
George Ezra: End to End (Amazon Prime)
Category: Documentary
Back in 2021 the ‘Green Green Grass’ hitmaker George Ezra, undertook a bold and unforgettable journey across the UK, walking 1200 miles over three months from the most southerly point of England, Land’s End, to the most northern tip of Scotland, John O’Groats. Why? After months of isolation it was a great chance for him to meet other musicians in the flesh, reconnect with landscape of his home country and take a chance to think about his place in the music world. “The walk was such a life-changing experience, it was an adventure that me and two of my closest mates always dreamed of completing, I still can’t believe we did it!” George has said and this is an charming look at a pop star unafraid to ask the big questions.
Idina Menzel: Which Way to the Stage? (Disney+)
Category: Documentary
Any fan of musicals worth their salt will know Idina Menzel. The Tony Award-winning actress and singer has turned in iconic performances in Broadway productions of Rent and Wicked as well as, of course, providing the voice of legendary Disney character Elsa in Disney’s Frozen. What has she possibly got left to achieve you might ask? The answer is at the heart of this engaging documentary which follows working mum Idina on her US tour, which includes fulfilling a lifelong ambition: playing Madison Square Gardens in her home city of New York.
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