Looking for what to watch between all the Winter Olympics coverage and this Sunday’s Super Bowl? The new year brought plenty of marquee movies to the best streaming services, and thankfully, this weekend is no different.
Leading the pack is the twisty, crowd-pleasing thriller “The Housemaid” on paid video-on-demand platforms. For some early Valentine’s Day vibes to snuggle up to, there’s Prime Video’s breezy new romcom “Relationship Goals,” or you can head over to Netflix for a nostalgic blast from the past (not to mention Ryan Gosling in peak form) with “Crazy, Stupid, Love.” Elsewhere, Hulu just got the critically panned but surprisingly heartfelt political comedy drama “Ella McCay.” For something more heart-pounding, the newest installment in the rebooted “Planet of the Apes” franchise just landed on Hulu.
‘Relationship Goals’ (Prime Video)
Valentine’s Day will be here before you know it, and Prime Video is kicking things off with a light-hearted romcom to get you swooning. “Relationship Goals” stars Kelly Rowland as an ambitious TV producer on the verge of becoming the first woman to run New York’s No. 1 morning show.
That is, until she finds herself competing for the role with her ex (Clifford “Method Man” Smith), who claims he’s changed his ways after reading a best-selling relationship book. Forced to work together, long-buried feelings start to surface, and she begins to wonder if his new attitude toward love is more than just an act.
Streaming now on Prime Video
‘Ella McCay’ (Hulu)
One of last year’s biggest box office flops, grossing less than $5 million on a $35 million budget, “Ella McCay” may finally find its audience now that it’s landed on Hulu. I was surprised to see critics really did not like this movie (it’s sitting at a 23% rating on Rotten Tomatoes ), since I thought it was a perfectly middle-of-the-road comedy drama. Forgettable, sure, but not the worst movie I saw last year by a long shot.
Set on the heels of the 2008 Great Recession, “Ella McCay” stars Emma Mackey as the titular character, an idealistic politician who becomes governor of her home state at just 34 years old. Kneecapping her journey into the political limelight are nosy reporters, her thin-skinned husband (Jack Lowden), and a quirky but supportive family, including the sudden reappearance of her estranged father (Woody Harrelson).
Streaming now on Hulu
‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ (Hulu)
The fourth film in the Planet of the Apes reboot franchise, “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” jumps ahead three centuries after the death of Andy Serkis’ Caesar to a world where apes are the dominant species and humans have been pushed to the fringes. It’s the first in a new trilogy that’s said to bridge the gap between recent reboots and the original “Planet of the Apes.”
A young chimpanzee named Noa (Owen Teague) sets out on a coming-of-age ceremony where he meets a human woman named Mae (Freya Allan) and is surprised to learn humans aren’t the feral creatures he’s been led to believe. The two embark on a quest to determine the future for apes and humans alike — but hidden motives soon turn any hopes for peace between the two into a violent struggle for power.
Streaming now on Hulu
‘Crazy, Stupid, Love’ (Netflix)
“Crazy, Stupid, Love” is the rare romantic comedy that even a rom-com grouch like me wholeheartedly recommends. I suspect a lot of its charm comes from its all-star cast, though its interweaving plots manage to throw a few curve balls that keep things interesting (including one iconic fight scene that still makes me ugly laugh).
Steve Carell stars as Cal Weaver, a middle-aged father once again jumping into the dating pool after his wife (Julianne Moore) has an affair. When the smooth-talking Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling) notices him floundering, he takes pity on him and teaches Cal his bag of tricks. His days of being a heartbreaker could be numbered, though, after he meets the woman of his dreams (Emma Stone). Everything comes together in a third act that is chaotic as it is delightfully heartfelt, making this the perfect date night movie to get in the Valentine’s Day spirit.
Streaming now on Netflix
‘The Housemaid’ (PVOD)
If you’re in the mood for a twisty popcorn thriller, Paul Feig’s latest suburban mom thriller is as sexy as it is demented. It’s tough to talk about this movie without spoiling the fun, so I’ll just say it has a sneakily feminist bent that I was pleasantly surprised by.
Based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Freida McFadden, “The Housemaid” stars Sydney Sweeney as a newly hired live-in maid named Millie who goes to work for a wealthy couple (Amanda Seyfried and Brandon Sklenar). Of course, their picture-perfect life is far from what it seems behind closed doors, but it turns out they aren’t the only ones hiding some truly sinister secrets.
Streaming now with purchase on Prime Video or Apple TV
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