Stream: What to Watch this Weekend

Hello, friends! Happy Friday. I did a ton of streaming this week and I am pumped to share my recommendations with you. 

Before we dive in, here are three exciting things coming up:

  • Thursday, June 23 - Southern Charm returns to Bravo! After my trip to Charleston in April, I am eager to see if I can recognize any of the locations. 
  • Tuesday, June 28 - Season two of Only Murders in the Building drops on Hulu. Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez will be reunited in Manhattan. 
  • Wednesday, July 6 - From the producers of the To All the Boys trilogy, comes a film adaptation of Jennifer E. Smith's book Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between. Watch the trailer

Let's get right into this week's top picks. 

1. Halftime (Netflix) - This documentary is about Jennifer Lopez and the current chapter of her life and career. As the title suggests, it does focus heavily on her preparation for the Super Bowl halftime show in 2021. 

Halftime

The film begins with a refresher on J. Lo's origin story, family history, and her big break as a Fly Girl. She talks about the struggle to be taken seriously as an actor and a singer. There's a heavy focus on the way the tabloids covered her personal life during this time, including several clips of press interviews where she was asked wildly inappropriate questions about her body and her boyfriends. It reminded me a bit of the two recent Britney Spears documentaries. 

J. Lo shares how her family keeps her humble. There's a scene where her family group chat is blowing up about a Jets football game and in the midst of it, one of her sisters shares an article about Oscar buzz for Jen's role in Hustlers. No one acknowledges the article and they keep right on texting about the game, so Jen looks at the camera and goes, "I guess I'll write back - Go, Jets!" It was a highly relatable moment. 

Though I had seen the movie Hustlers and was rooting for J.Lo to win all the awards, it felt very different watching the awards season through her eyes. J. Lo and her team were elated by the Golden Globe nomination and took great care in selecting her dress for that occasion. Then she waited anxiously to see if she would be nominated for an Oscar. She was snubbed, and when you're watching this, you feel genuinely crushed for her. 

As I mentioned, the majority of the film is about her prep for the Super Bowl. She speaks very openly about being disappointed that the NFL asked her and Shakira to share the halftime slot, instead of letting one of them have the stage the entire time. She felt like they were both being cheated out of an opportunity you wait a lifetime for as a performer. 

You get to see many of her conversations with the NFL about her song choices, dance routines, set design, costumes and more. In a surprise to no one, they wanted her to remove the light "cages" she planned to use as a statement about the way the U.S. treats immigrants and their children. 

The documentary closes with J.Lo's current focus, raising money to help women in minority communities start businesses. The closing credits read like a brag board, listing out her impact on music, film and with this new venture, Limitless Labs. 

If you have ever been a fan of Jennifer Lopez as a dancer, singer or actress, you will really enjoy this. I walked away in awe of her strength and resilience. 

2. Marry Me (Peacock) - Speaking of Jennifer Lopez, on my flight home from St. Lucia I watched her most recent movie, Marry Me. She stars at Kat Valdez, a singer about to marry another performer, Bastian (played by the ridiculously handsome Maluma).

Kat and Bastian are planning to get married at a joint concert, which will be streamed live around the world. While on stage, a story leaks about Bastian cheating on her. In real time, Kat blows up the original plan and decides to propose to a random fan in the audience. That fan is Charlie, a reserved middle school math teacher, played by Owen Wilson. 

Marry Me

While there is zero chemistry between Lopez and Wilson, the movie is still very fun. The songs are super catchy (you'll be singing "Marry Me" for days) and about one third of the film feels like watching a J.Lo concert. 

The supporting cast here is fabulous: Sarah Silverman as Parker, Charlie's co-worker, and Michelle Buteau as Melissa, Kat's publicist. 

While this won't be a movie I watch again, it was absolute perfect for the plane! 

3. Hustle (Netflix) - Adam Sandler has been a big part of my pop culture life for over 25 years. From the iconic "Hanukkah Song" to roles in The Wedding Singer, Billy Madison, 50 First Dates and more, I will basically see anything he's in. 

His newest movie is called Hustle and he plays Stanley Sugerman, a talent scout for the Philadelphia 76ers. Just as he's about to be promoted to assistant coach, the team ownership changes and he gets put back out on the road to find "the missing piece" for the Sixers. 

He puts all his chips on a Spanish player named Bo Cruz, played by Juancho Hernangomez. They form a deep bond as Stanley attempts to train Bo for the big NBA Combine. 

Hustle

If you love basketball, you will be obsessed with this film. There are so many cameos by NBA legends, as well as current players and coaches. Even if you're not a big sports person, you'll be moved by the bond of mentor and mentee. 

The editing in this film is amazing. It has a fast pace and killer music. I was completely sucked in. 

The movie is two hours long and you'll be sad when it's over. Watch the end credits to see the names of all the basketball royalty featured. 

4. Along for the Ride (Netflix) - A close friend recommended I watch Along for the Ride, a new teen rom-com on Netflix. It stars Emma Pasarow as Auden, a girl who just graduated from high school and relocates to the spend the summer with her dad and stepmom in their sleepy, seaside town. 

This was my first time seeing Pasarow on screen and she felt like the perfect mashup of Meghan Markle and Jennifer Garner. If you watched, let me know if you agree! 

Her mom is played by Andie McDowell, her dad by Dermot Mulroney, and her stepmom by Kate Bosworth. It is so weird to see Bosworth cast as part of the "parent" generation! For me, she's permanently frozen in time as Blue Crush

Auden's love interest is Eli, played by Belmont Cameli. They both have trouble falling asleep at night and keep running into each other on the pier. They form a friendship that quickly turns to flirtation. Cameli reminded me so much of young Brendan Fraser. 

Along for the Ride

As with any great high school romantic comedy, this one ends with an epic prom scene. 

While this won't be the best movie you see this year, it is the perfect pairing with takeout on a Friday night. 

5. WeCrashed (Apple TV+) - I had been hearing great reviews of this show for many weeks, but wasn't sure I was in the mood to watch it. For those unfamiliar, this is a fictionalized take on the rise and fall of WeWork, based on the podcast WeCrashed

Jared Leto stars as WeWork founder Adam Neumann. In real life, Adam is Israeli, so Leto is doing an Israeli accent for this entire series. From the very first episode, it's clear that Neumann has a passion for entrepreneurship. He pitches many failed ideas until he gets one commercial landlord to consider his co-working idea, which was originally called GreenDesk. It's his fire and conviction that reels in every landlord and venture capitalist. 

Anne Hathaway plays Adam's wife, Rebekah.He meets Rebekah, asks her out immediately, and when she says no, he shows up at one of her yoga classes. She's eventually won over by his persistence. After they get married, she takes on a big role at WeWork. 

Rebekah is portrayed as jealous and power hungry. She has people fired on a whim for "bad energy," and eventually ousts a friend of hers who was brought in to be Head of Brand (played brilliantly by America Ferrera). 

Watching Adam and Rebekah burn through VC money, at a pace of millions per day, will raise your blood pressure. 

WeCrashed

At my PR agency, I work almost exclusively with tech startup companies, so watching this felt all too familiar. I've been in the presence of magnetic founders. I've witnessed young employees blinded by total adoration. I've felt the pressure of anxious investors. I've seen bold vision and how it can succeed, as well as how it can fail. 

If you work in the tech world or the startup world, I am confident you will be sucked into this. There are eight episodes, each one hour long. I would not be surprised if Leto and Hathaway both get nominated for these roles. 

There you have it! This week's top streaming suggestions. 

*Images courtesy of Unsplash, CNN, Terrace Standard, Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times and Media News Journal

 

Molly Galler

Welcome to Pop.Bop.Shop. My name is Molly. I’m a foodie, fashionista, pop culture addict and serious travel junkie. I’m a lifelong Bostonian obsessed with frozen confections, outdoor patios, Mindy Kaling, reality television, awards shows, tropical vacations, snail mail and my birthday.

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