I can’t say for sure that we’re seeing the effects of the writer and actors strikes on the release of content, but it’s a definite possibility, given the death of new options on Max. That said, there are still a ton of great movies to stream if you’re willing to dig through the crates and go back a few years—and some worthy new-to-Max options, including Dicks: the Musical and a documentary about basketball legend/senator Bill Bradley.
Dicks: The Musical (2023)
Dicks takes the tropes of musical theater and gives them the South Park treatment by infusing a self-aware, cheesy set-up with provocative, for-adults comedy. Craig and Trevor are the dicks of the title, a couple of alpha male salesmen who decide they’re actually “fucking identical twins” even though they don’t look alike. Their logical next move is to trick “their” parents into getting back together. It’s like The Parent Trap, if the dad was gay. The supporting cast includes Nathan Lane, Megan Mullally, Bowen Yang, and Megan Thee Stallion, which really should be enough to earn your attention.
Rolling Along: Bill Bradley (2024)
American icon Bill Bradley tells his own story in documentary Rolling Along. Much of the film is composed of footage from Bradley’s one-man show, in which he recounts his remarkable life: He was a hall-of-fame basketball player who led the Knicks to two championships before turning to politics and getting elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served three terms and changed American life at least as much as he changed the sport of basketball. If you want hard-won wisdom from a guy who crammed at least three lifetimes into one, check it out.
Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine (2015)
It’s easy to get hyperbolic about Steve Jobs and the fandom/cult he inspired—the influence of Apple on our culture is hard to overstate—but this documentary avoids the obvious by adopting a just-the-facts style and drawing no conclusions about its subject’s life. It doesn’t gloss over Jobs’ many faults, nor overstate his obvious virtues. Stream it on your new Vision Pro.
A Ghost Story (2017)
If you’re hoping for some mindless horror movie thrills, A Ghost Story is not the right choice. If you’re looking for a dreamlike film about heartbreak and the inexorable crush of time (in other words, an A24 horror film), this is your jam. A Ghost Story earned a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes for its deliberate pace, outstanding performances, and its willingness to take cinematic risks. It’s strictly arthouse, but there is a ghost in it. It wears the traditional “sheet with eyeholes cut in it” garb and is more like a representation of grief and loss than a traditional spirit, but still, a ghost is a ghost.
Wedding Crashers (2005)
Meant as a throwaway raunchy comedy, the passage of time has turned Wedding Crashers into a movie about shifting societal values. Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson are hilarious as pals whose weekends are spent crashing strangers’ wedding receptions for the free booze and access to single women. There’s plenty of wild-partying, but they’re ultimately good dudes; the creators of Wedding Crashers knew that it wouldn’t be funny if the leads were overly predatory or misogynist, and their antics are refreshingly hate-free. But just when you’re feeling relaxed, there’s a scene where Vaughn’s character is sexually assaulted, and it’s played for laughs, so not everything has aged well. It’s completely jarring in 2024, especially because I saw Wedding Crashers when it came out, and a series of “Ha ha! A man got raped!” jokes didn’t even register as weird at the time.
Last week’s picks
The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019)
First-time director Joe Talbot blew the doors off the cinema world with this visionary feature. Jimmie and Monty are best friends who live in San Francisco in the near future. Gentrifiers live in the house Jimmie’s grandfather built, and he wants it back. That spare story opens into a film that mixes fantasy and reality to explore what the modern world is doing to tradition, family, community, and love.
Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me (2013)
Formed in 1972, rock band Big Star was as important and influential as The Beatles, but hardly anyone noticed them while they were around—despite its title, their debut album, “#1 Record” sold less than 10,000 copies. It wasn’t until after they’d broken up that their collected works were rediscovered and went on to influence basically every worthwhile rock musician, from Kurt Cobain to Elliott Smith to The Replacements. This documentary chronicles Big Star’s troubled career and the lives of its members, and tries to answer a burning question: “Why wasn’t Big Star the biggest band on earth?”
Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins (2019)
Fearless journalist and commentator Molly Ivins’ life’s work was speaking truth to power. Through recollections of the people she knew and inspired—Rachel Maddow, Paul Krugman, Dan Rather, and more—and archival footage of her no-bullshit interviews, Raise Hell takes us inside the work and life of a journalistic titan who ruled both print and broadcast journalism for decades.
Our Idiot Brother (2011)
Our Idiot Brother isn’t perfect, but the cast is so charming, and the story so refreshingly bullshit-free, you’ll forgive any faults. Paul Rudd plays Ned Rochlin, the “idiot” of the tile. He is as trusting, loving, and loyal as the golden retriever he loves, but his steadfast belief in the goodness of others leads to prison, a romantic break-up, and being forced to back to his mother’s house. An indie-style family comedy without the cynicism that’s so pervasive in the genre, Our Idiot Brother is a gem.
The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (1966)
You can watch Sergio Leone’s mid-60s masterpiece over and over, and notice something new with each viewing. On the surface, it’s the story of a trio of cowboys trying to find (and steal) a fortune in buried gold. But it’s really about a battle between demi-gods. Through Leone’s lens, the Good, Bad, and Ugly of the title are bigger than the Western mountains, and their epic struggle plays out like an ancient myth against the backdrop of the Civil War. You can check out the other two iconic Sergio Leone-Clint Eastwood team-ups, A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More, on Max too.