The 11 Best Movies and TV Shows to Watch This Weekend
For Father’s Day weekend, the movies will serve you absolutely nothing for your fathers. Maybe The Life of Chuck, but what an emotionally devastating film to celebrate with — a real Mike Flanagan move. But who says a dad can’t partake in the joys of picking your favorite man in a romance film? Let the whole family say whether they are Team Chris Evans or Team Pedro Pascal before checking out Materialists, then make the ones who didn’t choose Pedro buy the popcorn. Here’s everything else.
Featured Presentations
Materialists
A Chris Evans–Dakota Johnson–Pedro Pascal love triangle? Absolutely, yes. Johnson stars as expert matchmaker Lucy who reconnects with her ex (Evans) the same night she meets a suave new love interest, Harry (Pascal). Like Past Lives, Celine Song’s romance is far more practical than your standard rom-com, but hey, we’re intrigued.
In theaters now
How to Train Your Dragon
Most reviews are saying that this live-action version of How to Train Your Dragon is fairly, if not exactly, similar to the beloved animated original from 2010. That won’t stop this remake from bringing in a ton of money. The kids need fun movies this summer!
In theaters now
The Life of Chuck
Mike Flanagan is mostly known for his horror and emotional monologues. The Life of Chuck takes on a more mundane horror: the natural passing of time. Adapted from Stephen King’s short story, this drama does center around the life of Chuck (played by Tom Hiddleston, Benjamin Pajak, and Jacob Tremblay), but its strength is its ensemble cast featuring Mark Hamill, Mia Sara, Karen Gillan, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Matthew Lillard.
In theaters now
➽ Flanagan debuted The Life of Chuck at TIFF 2024, over a decade after his breakout horror Oculus premiered at the festival.
Art Detectives
Here’s a fun twist on a familiar formula: Stephen Moyer and Nina Singh star as a pair of cops investigating crimes in the U.K.’s hoity-toity art world. Fake goods, stolen goods, murdered-for goods … all are represented in the series’ episodic format. It’s a classier version of a CBS procedural. —Roxana Hadadi
Streaming on Acorn TV
Comedy Corner
Atsuko Okatsuka: Father
Part of Hulu’s push to become a destination for interesting comedy specials, Okatsuka’s work lives in a comfortable zone between being accessible for a large audience (in a This American Life sort of way) without feeling like it’s playing to a lowest common denominator. A solid choice for family gatherings. —Kathryn VanArendonk
Streaming on Hulu
A Damn Fine Marathon
Twin Peaks and Twin Peaks: The Return
It’s no secret that Mubi is building out an impressive library. Adding to its collection this month is Twin Peaks, director David Lynch’s most definite work. The line-up includes the original run and d Lynch’s limited follow-up series from 2017. (Fire Walk with Me is unfortunately not on Mubi, but it is on Max and the Criterion Channel.)
Streaming on Mubi
Sly Stone and Brian Wilson
“The deaths of Sly Stone and Brian Wilson at 82 (they were born months apart) feels especially cataclysmic. The parallels between the two artists are in some ways uncanny; both hailed as songwriting giants well before they turned 30, Stone and Wilson broke musical boundaries with Stand!, There’s a Riot Goin’ On, Pet Sounds, and Smile and faced initial critical resistance when they released their most innovative work.” —read Craig Jenkins on the lives of Stone and Wilson
➽ The brilliance of Sly Stones’s music innovations are captured in Questlove’s documentary Sly Lives! (streaming on Hulu), which also includes many of the Family Stone’s most iconic hits.
➽ Brian Wilson’s struggles with mental illness were depicted by Paul Dano and John Cusack, who both played the Beach Boys leader at different ages, in Love & Mercy (streaming on Cinemax).
Double Feature
The Wedding Planner
Who knew that a career focused on making other people’s romantic dreams come true would make your own love life so complicated? Before Dakota Johnson’s matchmaker found herself in a love triangle in Materialists, Jennifer Lopez’s wedding planner was falling for the guy she should be keeping it most professional with, the dreamboat (Matthew McConaughey) her client is marrying. —Tolly Wright
Streaming on Netflix
“This movie CURED my low attention span.”
Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles
“One duo made an eight-minute YouTube video about how watching the 1975 Chantal Akerman film Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, famous for its long takes and more-than-three-hour run time, helped them achieve deeper focus …” —Read Rebecca Jennings on “How I’m Fixing My Broken Attention Span”
Streaming on the Criterion Channel
Want more? Read our recommendations from the weekend of June 6.
Related