Some movies just don’t get the love they deserve. Maybe they’re ahead of their time, maybe they go straight to VOD instead of theaters.
But luckily, we live in an age where they can get a second life on streaming.
On Max, the streaming home of HBO and Warner Bros. Discovery, there are tons of underrated movies to watch in May. Watch With Us has selected three films that are worth checking out now.
‘Dicks: The Musical’ (2023)This outrageous, very R-rated musical comedy didn’t get the attention it deserved during its short theatrical run. It’s not for the kids, but if you’re a fan of The Rocky Horror Picture Show or the films of John Waters, it’s a must-see. Comedians Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson, who originally created the story as an off-Broadway musical, play Craig and Trevor, two womanizing alpha males who only care about being the best in business. But when they realize that they are “f***ing identical twins!!” — they don’t look alike, but no one in the movie questions it — they embark on a mission to reunite their mother and father à la The Parent Trap.
The true star power in this movie comes from two comedy veterans: Nathan Lane (The Producers) as their recently out-of-the-closet dad and Megan Mullally (Will and Grace) as their eccentric, agoraphobic mother. Dicks is full of filthy humor, hilarious performances and a catchy number by Megan Thee Stallion, who plays Craig and Trevor’s boss.
M3GAN was a horror comedy phenomenon about an evil AI that tries to kill its creators. But in Companion, the AI is the hero instead of the villain. Sophie Thatcher (Yellowjackets) plays Iris, a young woman hopelessly in love with her boyfriend Josh (Jack Quaid, The Boys). But a weekend getaway with Josh’s friends goes badly wrong when Iris learns that she is a “companion robot,” an AI programmed to love Josh. Iris’ bloody quest for her autonomy is very scary, occasionally funny and surprisingly moving.
This horror comedy’s short theatrical release window kept it from getting its due, but we think it’s both funnier and smarter than the more popular M3GAN. Here’s hoping with enough streaming traffic, Companion might get a sequel in the near future.
With James Gunn’s new Superman film on the horizon this July, it’s a perfect time to look back at the man who first brought Superman to the screen — Christopher Reeve. This moving documentary tells the inspirational story of the actor’s rise to stardom, his devastating paralysis in a horseback riding accident and the way he rose above his challenges to become an advocate for disabled people.
Super/Man also looks at the lead-up to Richard Donner’s first Superman film, which critics and audiences expected to be a huge failure. If not for Christopher Reeve, comic book movies would not be the box office dynamo they are today, but Super/Man shows how that was the least of Reeve’s achievements.
