50/50 (2011)
Chris Helcermanas-Benge/Summit Entertainment
If you’re looking for a lighthearted, romantic romp, 50/50 is not the movie for you. Guaranteed to make you ugly cry and call your loved ones, this black comedy about falling in love in the middle of cancer treatment is beautifully written and acted, and has a lot to say about maternal, platonic, and romantic relationships. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars opposite Seth Rogen, who also executive produces. (The script is based on screenwriter Will Reiser’s actual cancer battle, and the character of Kyle is based on Rogen, who is real-life friends with Reiser.)
The film’s subject matter could have resulted in a saccharine sob-fest, but EW’s critic writes that the jokes and energy Rogen & Co. bring to the project helps evoke a “mash of the sweet and the bracingly coarse, that sells this unusual downer/upper of a life-and-death comedy.” —Ilana Gordon
Where to watch 50/50: Max
EW grade: B+ (read the review)
Director: Jonathan Levine
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Huston
Am I OK? (2022)
Everett
A coming out and coming-of-middle-age movie co-directed by comics and real-life spouses Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne, Am I Ok? is the queer millennial movie you didn’t know you needed. Dakota Johnson stars as Lucy, a woman stuck in career and romantic limbo, who is forced out of her everyday mundanity by a new understanding of her sexuality and her best friend’s upcoming international move.
A comedy about love — both platonic and romantic — the movie was filmed during the pandemic and premiered at Sundance, but has since found a home on Max, and a fan base amongst movie lovers who enjoy authentic comedies about late bloomers finding love and themselves. —I.G.
Where to watch Am I OK?: Max
Directors: Tig Notaro, Stephanie Allynne
Cast: Dakota Johnson, Sonoya Mizuno, Jermaine Fowler, Kiersey Clemons, Molly Gordon, Whitmer Thomas, Odessa A’zion, Sean Hayes, Tig Notaro
Away We Go (2009)
Francois Duhamel/Focus
Like a lived-in sweatshirt, Away We Go is the kind of romantic comedy that becomes more beloved and comfortable over time. John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph star as Burt and Verona, a couple with a baby on the way and no idea where to settle down. After Burt’s parents announce plans to move out of the country, Burt and Verona hit the road to visit family and friends, trying to decide where best to raise their child.
The premise is simple, but the characters are bold and specific, and Krasinski and Rudolph have an easy chemistry about them. Rudolph is at her comedic and dramatic best, and EW’s critic writes that she “makes Verona, in her very lack of direction, a creature of furious, defiant flesh and blood. She anchors the quirkiness of Away We Go, and transcends it, too.” —I.G.
Where to watch Away We Go: Max
EW grade: B (read the review)
Director: Sam Mendes
Cast: John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Jeff Daniels, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Allison Janney, Chris Messina, Catherine O’Hara, Paul Schneider
Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)
Miramax/Everett
When it comes to turn of the 21st century romantic comedies, you don’t get much more iconic than Bridget Jones’s Diary. Based on the novel by Helen Fielding, Bridget Jones tells the story of its eponymous heroine, Bridget (Renée Zellweger), a British thirtysomething looking for love. Bridget’s romantic life — which she chronicles in her diary along with her other misadventures — takes a turn when she engages in an ill-fated affair with her dashing boss, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant), leaving the kind Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) in the lurch.
Fans of the book were skeptical when production announced the role of Bridget would be played by a Texas-born actress, but Zellweger pulls off the role with aplomb, perfectly channeling Bridget’s lovably messy essence. —I.G.
Where to watch Bridget Jones’s Diary: Max
EW grade: N/A (read the review)
Director: Sharon Maguire
Cast: Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Jim Broadbent, Gemma Jones
Casablanca (1942)
Everett Collection
Despite boasting some of the best quotes in all of cinematic history, Casablanca was just one of many films churned out by the studio system in the early years of World War II. But something about the movie’s heart-wrenching love triangle, political and social relevance, and lush setting charmed viewers, propelling the project to an unexpected Best Picture win, and a permanent spot on almost every Best Of list.
Electricity rations were common at the time of the movie’s release, but entirely unnecessary — the sexual currents pulsating between stars Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman had to have been strong enough to generate power for a small city, at the very least. —I.G.
Where to watch Casablanca: Max
EW grade: A (read the review)
Director: Michael Curtiz
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains
Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
Sanja Bucko/Warner Bros. Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
Singapore is a small country with a big thirst for gossip — at least as it pertains to the extravagantly wealthy families on the island in Crazy Rich Asians. And nobody there is considered a more eligible bachelor than Nick Young (Henry Golding), who left for the States years ago and is now returning to attend a friend’s wedding along with his girlfriend, Rachel (Constance Wu), who — to the dismay of the area’s singles — is American born, and worse, does not come from money.
Shocked to learn that her down-to-earth boyfriend is actually the heir to one of Singapore’s biggest and longest-established fortunes, Rachel must learn to navigate this new culture, impress Nick’s snobbish family, and survive life among the elites if she hopes to continue her relationship. —I.G.
Where to watch Crazy Rich Asians: Max
EW grade: B (read the review)
Director: Jon M. Chu
Cast: Henry Golding, Constance Wu, Michelle Yeoh, Gemma Chan, Awkwafina, Ken Jeong, Jimmy O. Yang
Dear White People (2014)
Lara Solanki/Netflix
When the movie Dear White People was released in 2014, it represented a step for modern cinema: an ensemble movie about a group of Black students at a fictional, predominantly white university, as told from the perspective of those Black students. Featuring one of Tessa Thompson’s breakout movie roles, Dear White People was a critical and commercial success, spawning a TV series of the same name in 2017, which ran for four seasons on Netflix.
While this isn’t a romantic comedy by traditional definitions, it’s definitely a comedy and the students’ love lives all play significant and interesting roles. You may recognize some of the film’s jokes from screenwriter and director Justin Simien’s Twitter (now X) account circa the early 2010s, where the writer used to workshop some of the film’s future material. —I.G.
Where to watch Dear White People: Max
Director: Justin Simien
Cast: Tessa Thompson, Tyler James Williams, Teyonah Parris
Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)
Everett Collection
“The hottest voice in rock is now the freshest face on screen” intones the trailer for the mid-’80s comedy Desperately Seeking Susan. The movie follows a bored, New Jersey housewife named Roberta (Rosanna Arquette) as she becomes infatuated with Susan (Madonna), a woman exchanging messages with a man in the personal ads. After buying Susan’s pawned jacket and experiencing a head injury, Roberta believes she’s Susan — and finds herself on the run from the Mob.
Featuring performances from promising young actors like John Turturro, Giancarlo Esposito, Laurie Metcalf, and Steven Wright, Desperately Seeking Susan is an ‘80s cultural artifact. A screwball comedy and cult classic that serves as the basis for some of the latter half of the decade’s most memorable fashion and music trends, the movie is one of Madonna’s greatest contributions to pop culture. —I.G.
Where to watch Desperately Seeking Susan: Max
EW grade: N/A (read the review)
Director: Susan Seidelman
Cast: Rosanna Arquette, Aidan Quinn, Madonna, Robert Joy
Dinner With Friends (2001)
Everett
HBO’s cinematic adaptation of Donald Margulies’ Pulitzer Prize winning 1998 play, Dinner With Friends maintains the original’s simple premise while mining deep for emotional and personal revelations. The story of two New England couples dealing with the fact that one of the pairs is divorcing, the film captures the unexpected moments of vulnerability and honesty that define long-term relationships — even ones that are falling apart.
Dennis Quaid and Andie MacDowell are perfectly cast as a pair of foodies who are more comfortable navigating what’s on their dinner plates than what’s going on in their friends’ lives, and Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette toggle between insecurity and self-assurance as the couple whose marriage is broken up by an affair with a younger woman. Haute cuisine served over seven scenes, Dinner With Friends is the rare adaptation that remains faithful to the original while still finding new paths to tread. —I.G.
Where to watch Dinner With Friends: Max
EW grade: N/A (read the review)
Director: Norman Jewison
Cast: Dennis Quaid, Andie MacDowell, Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette
The Invention of Lying (2009)
Sam Urdank/Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection
In a world where everyone is compelled to tell the truth, one brave soul discovers his own ability to lie. This is the story of Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais), a struggling screenwriter whose career, romantic prospects, and bank balance have never been lower. Enter: an epiphany. Mark discovers that only he has the power to mislead, and in so doing, opens up a world of possibilities for himself.
A high-concept romantic comedy that is both ethically intriguing and deeply funny, The Invention of Lying is Gervais’ feature directorial debut. Though the visual aspects of the movie are not its strong suit, the premise, comedy, and performances are excellent, with EW’s critic at the time writing that the “jolting philosophical comedy The Invention of Lying is seriously subversive.” —I.G.
Where to watch The Invention of Lying: Max
EW grade: B+ (read the review)
Directors: Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson
Cast: Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K., Jeffrey Tambor, Fionnula Flanagan, Rob Lowe, Tina Fey
Juliet, Naked (2018)
Alex Bailey/Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions
First loves are powerful things — especially when that love is between a middle-aged man and his favorite ‘90s alternative rock icon. Annie (Rose Byrne) has devoted years of her life to Duncan (Chris O’Dowd), a college professor whose obsession with ‘90s musician Tucker Crowe (Ethan Hawke) borders on fanaticism. Tucker hasn’t made music in decades, but when an acoustic demo of his resurfaces, it triggers a sequence of events that ends with Tucker and Annie connecting online.
EW’s critic writes that “director Jesse Peretz (Girls, GLOW) has made the kind of shaggy, low-key comedy whose modesty is half its charm.” Based on the 2009 novel by Nick Hornsby, and featuring winning performances from all three leads, Juliet, Naked is the kind of small budget/big emotions rom-com that the industry desperately needs more of. —I.G.
Where to watch Juliet, Naked: Max
EW grade: B+ (read the review)
Director: Jesse Peretz
Cast: Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke, Chris O’Dowd, Denise Gough, Phil Davis
Kate & Leopold (2002)
Miramax
If you can’t find a partner in this world, have you considered importing one from a few centuries back? Kate & Leopold revolves around a duke named Leopold (Hugh Jackman) who time-travels from 1876 and lands in New York City circa 2001, where he falls in love with career woman Kate (Meg Ryan).
One of James Mangold’s (A Complete Unknown) earliest directorial projects, Kate & Leopold is a high-premise, early aughts rom-com that will occasionally remind you that misogyny is just as prevalent in the 21st century as it was in the 1800s. And while the film might not offer much in the way of sci-fi intrigue, it is romantic comfort food, and Jackman and Ryan serve it to us on a charming platter. —I.G.
Where to watch Kate & Leopold: Max
EW grade: N/A (read the review)
Director: James Mangold
Cast: Meg Ryan, Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Breckin Meyer, Natasha Lyonne, Bradley Whitford, Philip Bosco
The Last of the Blonde Bombshells (2000)
HBO/Everett
A film with a sensibility that can only be described as singularly British, The Last of the Blonde Bombshells is a romantic comedy with some rhythm. Elizabeth (Judi Dench) spent World War II playing saxophone in a swing band called the Blonde Bombshells. After the death of her husband, Elizabeth reconnects with Patrick (Ian Holm) — the band’s former drummer and only male member, who avoided conscription during the war by cross-dressing.
When the pair start dating, Elizabeth decides to get the band back together, but discovers the Bombshells have scattered with members in jail, suffering from alcoholism, and devoted to the Salvation Army. Described by EW’s reviewer as “witty and wistful,” The Last of the Blonde Bombshells is another piece of evidence that blondes really do have more fun. —I.G.
Where to watch The Last of the Blonde Bombshells: Max
EW grade: B+ (read the review)
Director: Gillies MacKinnon
Cast: Judi Dench, Ian Holm, Romola Garai, Olympia Dukakis
Let Them All Talk (2020)
HBO Max
Joan Didion once said “Writers are always selling someone out,” and that is exactly what Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Hughes (Meryl Streep) is accused of doing. In Let Them All Talk, Alice boards the Queen Mary 2 on a transatlantic trip with the intention of writing her new book and spending time with two of her oldest friends (Candice Bergen and Dianne Wiest). But as the voyage proceeds, Alice ends up battling with Roberta (Bergen) over how much of her original book was based on Roberta’s life, and watching as her nephew Tyler (Lucas Hedges) falls for her literary agent, Karen (Gemma Chan).
Funny, wise, bitter, primarily improvised, and made in barely two weeks, EW’s critic describes the film as “a chance to spend two hours watching Streep & Co. make the most of Deborah Eisenberg’s deliciously salty script, while Soderbergh — who also serves as cinematographer — shoots it all in ruthless, radiant light.” —I.G.
Where to watch Let Them All Talk: Max
EW grade: A– (read the review)
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Cast: Meryl Streep, Candice Bergen, Dianne Wiest, Gemma Chan, Lucas Hedges,
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016)
Gemma LaMana/20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection
Combine Wedding Crashers and Neighbors and you get Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, a romantic comedy based on a true story and executed with a side of raucous raunch. Mike (Adam DeVine) and his brother Dave (Zac Efron) are elite partiers and their family has had enough of their antics. Concerned about how the two will act at their younger sister’s Hawaiian wedding, their parents issue an ultimatum: Find some nice young women to bring as dates.
The brothers put out a listing on Craigslist, it goes viral, and before long they’ve connected with Tatiana and Alice (Aubrey Plaza and Anna Kendrick), two degenerates cosplaying as innocents in the hopes of scoring a free Hawaiian getaway. What unfolds is a battle royale of bad behavior as the brothers and their dates do their best not to wreck the wedding. EW describes the film as “like riding a roller coaster fueled by Red Bull and grain alcohol: kind of gross but pretty fun, too.” —I.G.
Where to watch Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates: Max
EW grade: B (read the review)
Director: Jake Szymanski
Cast: Zac Efron, Anna Kendrick, Adam DeVine, Aubrey Plaza, Stephen Root
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)
Gold Circle Films
Toula Portokalos (Nia Vardalos) embraces her role as the loyal yet overlooked member of her enormous clan until she decides to take control of her life at 30. While her parents tirelessly seek the perfect Greek man for her, Toula knows none of those suitors stand a chance against WASP English teacher Ian Miller (John Corbett), who’s head over heels for her and is ready to take on the challenge of getting her family to approve their marriage. (He’s really all that and a bottle of Windex!)
Adapted from Vardalos’ one-woman show based on her real-life family, My Big Fat Greek Wedding delves into the dynamics of growing up in an immigrant household deeply rooted in their culture, navigating a world that centers on conformity. —Angela Andaloro
Where to watch My Big Fat Greek Wedding: Max
EW grade: N/A (read the review)
Director: Joel Zwick
Cast: Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Lainie Kazan, Michael Constantine, Gia Carides, Louis Mandylor, Andrea Martin, Joey Fatone
Mystic Pizza (1988)
Everett Collection
Starring Annabeth Gish, Julia Roberts, and Lili Taylor, this late-’80s rom-com about three young women working in a Connecticut pizza shop is a piping hot slice of coming-of-age nostalgia, featuring young love, commitment, female relationships, and the struggle to find one’s personal identity. Roberts is in her element as the beautiful and compulsively fun Daisy and the film — her first major movie role, released two years before Pretty Woman — foreshadows the depth of her talent and career to come. Fun fact: Mystic Pizza also marks Matt Damon’s film debut! —I.G.
Where to watch Mystic Pizza: Max
Director: Donald Petrie
Cast: Annabeth Gish, Julia Roberts, Lili Taylor, Vincent D’Onofrio, William R. Moses, Adam Storke
Pretty Woman (1990)
Everett Collection
If you haven’t yet seen this ’90s classic…big mistake! Big! Huge! Garry Marshall’s Golden Globe-nominated flick spins a modern Cinderella story starring the then-rising star Julia Roberts as the unpolished, down-on-her-luck escort Vivian and Richard Gere as leverage buyout executive Edward, who offers her a taste of the high life in exchange for her company at social gatherings. While it’s undeniably a product of its time, steeped in outdated gender stereotypes and degrading convictions of sex work, the film was groundbreaking during its initial release, and its enduring charm lies in the palpable chemistry between Gere and Roberts.
Even EW’s critic, who notoriously panned it with a D grade, had a change of heart 20 years later, bumping it to a B — acknowledging its message that “you can be a feminist and a seductress, a hooker and a princess, all at the same time” and how it “marked Pretty Woman as the rare Hollywood movie that doesn’t just channel the culture but changes it.” —James Mercadante
Where to watch Pretty Woman: Max
EW grade: B (read the review)
Director: Garry Marshall
Cast: Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, Ralph Bellamy, Jason Alexander, Héctor Elizondo, Laura San Giacomo, Alex Hyde-White
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
Everett Collection
How hard are you willing to fight for love? For 22 year old musician Scott Pilgrim, the answer is very. After meeting and falling for Ramona Flowers, Scott discovers that to win her hand, he must first defeat her seven evil exes in combat. A romantic action comedy film based on the graphic novel series and told using videogame and comic-like imagery, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World may have Sex Bob-Ombed at the box office, but the film has since developed a loyal cult following — and rightly so.
With an ensemble cast featuring some of the best twentysomething comedic talent the early-2010s had to offer, Scott Pilgrim is a unique comedy with a style that’s all its own. —I.G.
Where to watch Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: Max
EW grade: B+ (read the review)
Director: Edgar Wright
Cast: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Anna Kendrick, Alison Pill, Brandon Routh, Aubrey Plaza, Jason Schwartzman, Johnny Simmons, Chris Evans
Sex and the City: The Movie (2008)
New Line Cinema
After spending six seasons either loathing or swooning over Carrie Bradshaw’s (Sarah Jessica Parker) will-they-won’t-they relationship with Mr. Big (Chris Noth), loyal Sex and the City viewers were gifted a feature film four years post-series finale to meet their curiosity. In this cinematic continuation, the ever-pensive Big ruffles Carrie’s feathers by jilting her at the altar, thus prompting the N.Y.C. writer to turn her pre-booked Mexico honeymoon into a healing journey by traveling with her three besties: Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), Samantha (Kim Cattrall), and Charlotte (Kristin Davis).
One of the highest-grossing rom-coms of all time, Sex and the City: The Movie is escapist fiction at its zenith, preserving the irresistible charm of the original series while injecting more melodrama, more luxury, more character development (albeit controversial), bigger and better closets, and — you guessed it — more sex. —J.M.
Where to watch Sex and the City: The Movie: Max
EW grade: B+ (read the review)
Director: Michael Patrick King
Cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon, Jennifer Hudson, Candice Bergen, Chris Noth, David Eigenberg, Jason Lewis
Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Weinstein Company/courtesy Everett Collection
Rarely is mental health explored on screen in a nuanced, vibrant, joyful way, but that’s exactly the tone director David O. Russell nails in Silver Linings Playbook. Pat and Tiffany (Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence) are both dealing with personal issues and recovering from losing their romantic partners. Unmoored and filterless, they meet and agree to help each other out — Tiffany promises to assist Pat in winning back his ex-wife, and in turn, he agrees to be her partner in a dance competition.
As they rehearse together and struggle to sort through their woes, they uncover coping mechanisms that allow them to not only live but find the beauty in their respective challenges. The kind of entertaining movie that cleans up at awards shows while still retaining its rewatchability, EW’s critic at the time writes, “We’re ready for the comedy of craziness, but the depth of compassion is the movie’s silver lining.” —I.G.
Where to watch Silver Linings Playbook: Max
EW grade: A (read the review)
Director: David O. Russell
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker
Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
Everett Collection
Widely considered one of the best musicals ever captured on film, Singin’ in the Rain has everything from music and dance to comedy and romance. Released 29 years after the entertainment industry premiered its first movie featuring sound-on-film, the story stars Gene Kelly as a celebrated silent film actor struggling to make the jump to the “talkies,” and Debbie Reynolds as an up-and-coming actress trying to break into the business.
The majority of the film’s comedy and over-the-top dance numbers are provided by the charismatic Donald O’Connor, and Jean Hagen makes a delightful (and Oscar-nominated) turn as Lina, a silent movie star with a face for film and a Brooklyn accent strong enough to stop traffic. A beloved treasure and shining representative from Hollywood’s Golden Era, Singin’ in the Rain continues to endure and inspire. —I.G.
Where to watch Singin’ in the Rain: Max
EW grade: A+ (read the review)
Directors: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly
Cast: Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O’Connor, Jean Hagen
The Upside of Anger (2005)
New Line Cinema.
The Upside of Anger is a movie about two neighbors who have nothing to live for and everything to be angry about. Terry (Joan Allen) is a suburban mother of four daughters that she has to raise on her own after her husband abandons her to move to Sweden with his secretary. Denny (Kevin Costner) is a former baseball player turned radio show host with no audience. Bonding over their misfortunes and shared propensity for heavy drinking, the two begin a friendship that takes a sharp left into intimate territory.
“The Upside of Anger is overly therapized, yet Costner and Allen show you what it means not just to play a role but to inhabit it,” writes EW’s critic. The ending is divisive among critics and audiences, but regardless of how you feel about that final twist, neither the characters nor the performances ever falter. —I.G.
Where to watch The Upside of Anger: Max
EW grade: N/A (read the review)
Director: Mike Binder
Cast: Joan Allen, Kevin Costner, Erika Christensen, Evan Rachel Wood, Keri Russell, Alicia Witt, Mike Binder
Waitress (2007)
Alan Markfield
The saddest twist in the movie Waitress takes place off-screen. Adrienne Shelly — the film’s director, writer, and one of its stars — was murdered in New York City mere months before its release. She left behind a beautiful legacy in the form of her movie: a charming story about a pregnant waitress in an abusive relationship who dreams of escaping her husband and baking pies.
A film as sweet and American as pie itself, Waitress was the indie breakout at Sundance the year it debuted, and the film eventually landed a Broadway musical adaptation (featuring songs by Sara Bareilles). November of 2026 marks 20 years since Shelly’s death, and with both the movie and the musical streaming on the platform, what better way to commemorate her life than to watch Waitress? —I.G.
Where to watch Waitress: Max
EW grade: N/A (read the review)
Director: Adrienne Shelly
Cast: Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion, Cheryl Hines, Adrienne Shelly, Eddie Jemison, Jeremy Sisto, Andy Griffith
We Live in Time (2024)
Peter Mountain/StudioCanal
A romantic dramedy about love, aging, and what it truly means to live life to the fullest, We Live in Time is a film told across three different timelines. From the moment Almut (Florence Pugh) and Tobias (Andrew Garfield) first meet — she hits him with her car as he’s on his way to sign divorce papers — it’s clear this film is not interested in employing a traditional, linear, narrative structure.
The movie jumps between past, present, and future, and while the logic for why the story moves the way it does isn’t always clear, the characters, their relationship, and the chemistry between Pugh and Garfield is strong enough to ground the audience through the leaps. Director John Crowley tells EW that his film’s ambition is to “hopefully capture the sense of what it feels like to be on the inside of a relationship.” He pulls it off, and the result is charming. —I.G.
Where to watch We Live in Time: Max
Director: John Crowley
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Florence Pugh
Your Monster (2024)
Vertical
A horror romantic comedy that riffs on Beauty and the Beast, Your Monster is a genre mash-up that is sure to delight. Laura (Melissa Barrera) has just been broken up with by her long-term boyfriend Jacob (Edmund Donovan). Forced to move back home, Laura discovers a monster (Tommy Dewey) squatting in her childhood bedroom. He agrees to give her two weeks to get her life together, and so begins the relationship between a woman trying to move on and the monster who lives in her closet.
Much of the film centers around a musical theater production involving Jacob, Laura, and the woman Laura believes Jacob is romantically interested in, so the film has some great production numbers. But the movie primarily exists as a showcase for Barrera, one of the most exciting actors in this new class of Scream Queens. —I.G.
Where to watch Your Monster: Max
Director: Caroline Lindy
Cast: Melissa Barrera, Tommy Dewey, Edmund Donovan, Kayla Foster, Meghann Fahy