Let’s face it: it’s too early for Christmas movies. I can barely think about turkey and stuffing right now, let alone films filled with tinsel and holiday cheer. That’s why you won’t find a single Christmas or holiday-themed movie on this list.
Honestly, there’s no need to watch the usual holiday fare since there are so many other types of movies to watch on Netflix right now. The following three movies all offer something different that should catch your eye. Craving vintage war action told on an epic scale? Or maybe an intimate movie that has a cast of just two people? This list has those films and more.
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Daddio (2024)
We’ve all been there: Upon exiting the airport after a long plane ride, you get into an Uber or cab, and the driver starts talking to you. Usually, it’s a pretty terrible experience, but what if it is actually life-changing? What if you end having a deep, meaningful conversation with a total stranger?
That’s the concept behind Daddio, a two-person character study that takes place largely in a NYC cab. Dakota Johnson’s Girlie initially doesn’t want to chat, but Sean Penn’s cab driver Clark proves to be a good listener, and Girlie has plenty of things to say about her family, her relationships, and her life in general. Clark has secrets to reveal too, and soon both of them will know more about each other than they ever thought was possible.
Daddio didn’t do all that well during its theatrical run this past summer, but it should excel now that it’s on streaming. It’s intimate setting and intense focus on just two characters who grow more fascinating by the minute is ideal for a late night in at home. You may just walk away with a desire to chat with your driver the next time you take that Uber.
Daddio is streaming on Netflix.
The Family Man (2000)
Nicolas Cage is typically thought of as that “weird” actor who does freaky out-there movies like Longlegs or Dream Scenario. While that’s true, Cage is a versatile actor, and by this point of his long, bizarre career, he’s done all types of movies. He’s even done sentimental family movies like The Family Man, which is pure schmaltz that’s also irresistible to watch, especially around this time of the year.
Jake (Cage) seemingly has it all: a great career as a Wall Street investor; a swinging bachelor lifestyle in NYC; and no bratty kids bringing him down. But on Christmas Eve, he wonders what could have been, and when he awakens the next day, he finds himself married, with children and a dog, to his college sweetheart, Kate (Tea Leoni), whom he left 13 years earlier. As Jake begins to live his “new” life, he questions what he really wants and where his true love really lies.
The Family Man is streaming on Netflix.
Midway (1976)
World War II movies never go out of style. There’s just so much history to cover, and there are clearcut bad guys to defeat. (Nazis and their collaborators are the bad guys and always will be.) And while Midway, an epic 1976 movie starring Charlton Heston and Henry Fonda, doesn’t offer anything new to the genre, it’s still a well-made tale about one of history’s greatest modern battles: the Battle of Midway, which was a key moment in the Pacific Theater of Operations in World War II.
Over 131 minutes, Midway chronicles the complex battle preparations and execution of American troops and planes battling Japanese fighter pilots over the Pacific. The movie does take time to include a cheesy romantic subplot, but the primary focus is men in ships and planes shooting guns and killing the enemy. Midway isn’t a terribly complex movie, but its straightforward style is nonetheless captivating, and if you’re a WWII buff, you’ll get a kick out of it.
Midway is streaming on Netflix.
