3 underrated (HBO) Max movies you should watch this weekend (September 13-15)
If you grew up in the 1980s or ’90s, it’s pretty likely you’ve already seen Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, the sequel to the beloved 1988 comedy starring Michael Keaton, or have plans to see it eventually. The movie’s strong box office indicates a lot of people did watch it, and that others will likely see it this weekend.
But for those who want something different, but no less entertaining, Max should be the destination. The streamer has a wide variety of titles, from action movies like The Flash to animated pictures like The Boy and the Heron, and we’ve selected three that are sure to entertain you this weekend.
Role Models (2008)
The “frat pack” era of comedies from 2005 to 2011 is either a golden one or a slightly shameful one, depending on how you look at it, but you can’t deny the lasting legacies of Talladega Nights, Anchorman, or Wedding Crashers. One movie that is equal to them, and maybe even a little bit better, is Role Models, a film by David Wain that was co-written by, among others, Ken Marino and Paul Rudd.
Rudd also stars as Danny, whose life is at a low point. He hates his job, his girlfriend recently broke up with him, and he just got involved in an accident with his best friend, Wheeler (Seann William Scott), that could land them both in jail. The strike a deal with the judge: they will devote 150 hours of community service to Sturdy Wings, a charity organization, so they won’t have to spend any time in the slammer.
This great comedic setup pays off in dividends as Danny and Wheeler befriend their “little brothers,” Auggie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and Ronnie (Bobb’e J. Thompson) as they try to pick up girls, obsesses over the band Kiss, and more. Role Models is frequently hilarious, and that’s partly due to its talented cast, which also includes Elizabeth Banks, Ken Jeong, and a scene-stealing Jane Lynch. You may not learn a lot about life by watching it, but you sure will laugh your butt off.
Role Models is streaming on Max.
Ricochet (1991)
Last week, Netflix released an excellent crime thriller, Rebel Ridge, that was smarter and nastier than anyone was expecting. Its subtle commentary on race and abuse of authority reminded me a lot of another movie just like it from the 1990s, Ricochet. Haven’t heard of it? Not a lot of people remember it, unfortunately, despite a great cast led by Denzel Washington and John Lithgow.
Washington stars as Nick Styles, a decorated officer-turned-district attorney whose past comes back to haunt him. A hit man he helped put away, Earl Talbot Blake (Lithgow), has escaped from prison, and is hell-bent on revenge. Blake just doesn’t want to just kill Nick; he wants to slowly torture him by drugging him, hiring a prostitute to rape him, ruining his career, and endangering the lives of his wife and daughter.
Ricochet came out in 1991, and you can see it shares the same same aesthetic with other similar films from that era like The Last Boy Scout and Lethal Weapon 2. That’s not a bad thing, and Ricochet deserves more recognition for the tight thrills it consistently delivers. Washington makes a fine hero, and Lithgow adds to his rogues’ gallery of onscreen villains you love to hate with his portrayal of Blake.
Ricochet is streaming on Max.
Get Smart (2008)
TV-to-movie adaptations aren’t really supposed to work. For every Mission: Impossible, there are a thousand Flintstones. And when Get Smart was released after a protracted development and production period in 2008, it certainly seemed that this adaptation would be more like the latter than the former. But the movie was more charming than anyone was expecting it to be and, shockingly, funny. What a novel concept for a big-budget comedy to actually produce some laughs!
Steve Carrell steps into the role of Maxwell Smart, an analyst for CONTROL who longs to be a field agent for his spy organization. He gets his wish and is paired with Agent 99 (a game Anne Hathaway), and they are soon battling Soviet assassins, jumping from airplanes without parachutes, and trying to prevent a nuclear bomb from killing the president of the United States.
It’s a silly plot, but it’s played for laughs, and Carrell has never been more screwball onscreen than he is here. He and Hathaway have good chemistry and crackerjack comedic timing, which gives the movie its loose energy. They are ably supported by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who shows a comedic flair that has since been ossified and repackaged into awful action pictures and superhero dreck. The former wrestler needs to do a comedy like Get Smart again, and fast.
Get Smart is streaming on Max.
