Streaming Recommends - Drama

Another day means another day of social distancing. It’s a bizarre, ~dramatic~ time in history, and as we collectively experience all possible forms of indoor, at-home entertainment, we here at Always the Critic are trying to make the question of what to watch a little easier. Check out our top streaming recommendations for movies in the Drama genre below! Stay safe and healthy, everyone!

Honorable Mentions: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (Netflix), the concept is just too morbidly sad to make a firm recommendation although it is certainly in the drama genre. The Shawshank Redemption (Netflix), it’s a classic drama but is already on our Friendship Movies recommendations list. 

Marriage Story (2019) - Netflix

Noah Baumbach wrote and directed this masterful, at times terrifying, look at divorce. Starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johannsen, Marriage Story is just that—a marriage story. I found it brutal and beautiful, leaving me emotionally bankrupt. You’d think a movie about a manic divorce in this day and age would feel generic, but Marriage Story feels earnest and genuine. How do you untangle 10 years of your life that’s been intertwined with another person? Who is at fault? We covered Marriage Story on Episode 85, and it ended up on our list of Best Movies of 2019 and Best Movies of the Decade. - Jess

The Social Network (2010) - Netflix

Considered one of the best films of the 2010s, The Social Network is an examination of greed, manipulation, and the rise of a media giant. Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of Mark Zuckerburg, the “founder” of Facebook, is smarmy with a helpful dosing of false entitlement. The movie is slick and fun to follow given David Fincher’s directing, and the script is blazing fast due to Aaron Sorkin’s writing. When this movie was first announced, there was some mocking about the fact that Fincher was going to tell the story about the making of a website. Little did we know that we were watching a masterpiece. - Rico

A Star is Born (2018) - HBO Go

How can a movie that’s already had three movie iterations still make our Best of the Decade list? It might be a combination of stellar (re)writing, beautiful cinematography, new music, and superb casting. It’s not an understatement to say that Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper—in his directorial debut, no less!—wormed their way into our hearts and minds as Ally and Jack, respectively. I think something about knowing Lady Gaga’s career trajectory and real-life music makes her vulnerable portrayal of Ally that much sweeter. So much goes into making a good movie that a lot of times we forget about the missing ingredient: believability. As an audience, we believed in these characters and in this romance, and the movie wouldn’t have been half of what it was without this simple fact. A Star Is Born also made it onto our Best Scenes of 2018 list. Listen to our official podcast review from back in October 2018, and our 10 Best Movies of 2018 / Ep. 35. - Jess

Good Will Hunting (1997) - Hulu

Everyone knows that Matt Damon is from Boston. The accent and the underdog swagger that he and others from the area have are traits you would find in New England. Although it was not his first film, Good Will Hunting is the movie that turned Damon into a star and a mainstay in Hollywood. Winner of Best Screenplay at the Academy Awards, the film centers around a genius who is so caught up in himself that he suppresses his emotions. Robin Williams delivers a charming and warm performance that also garnered him an Oscar. Finally, the movie is chock-full of memorable quotes. - Rico

Do you like apples?

Yeah….

Well, I got her number. How do you like them apples?

The Farewell (2019) - Amazon Prime

I can’t sit here and say that I was not moved by The Farewell. The story of a Chinese-American girl learning that her grandmother is dying, and the family is hiding it from her. Living in the United States, it took a moment for me to get past, what I believed was, a ludicrous premise. I then understood that we are different in a specific way that the movie illustrates and that hit me hard:

There are things that you should understand. You moved to the West a long time ago. To you, someone's life belongs to only him. But that's the difference between East and West. One's life in the East is part of a whole. Family. Society.

That moment helped me understand why the family was doing what they were doing. They were taking a backseat to the larger story. Director Lulu Wang establishes a bond between Nai Nai (Shuzhen Zhao) and Billi (Awkwafina) that just makes you want to call your own grandmother. - Rico 

First Reformed (2018) - Amazon Prime

2019 was full of performances that were forgotten by the Academy. The aforementioned Awkwafina in The Farewell is one that comes to mind. On the actor side, Ethan Hawke’s performance as Reverend Ernst Toller in First Reformed is a tour-de-force performance. Showing an alcoholic priest in the middle of a crisis of faith is a tense experience. Showing him descend into madness was riveting, and I believe you’ll enjoy it, too. - Rico

The Bodyguard (1992) - Amazon Prime

You’d be hard pressed to find me recommending a Kevin Costner movie (find out why in our Episode 95, Movie Therapy), but this movie is a damn classic, and if you’ve never seen it or it’s been awhile, take this opportunity and watch it. Costner, the stoic and efficient bodyguard. Whitney Houston, the naive and petulant pop superstar. The two create sensational chemistry, while Houston lends her voice to a few iconic tracks that transcend the film itself. - Jess

And I will always love you...

The Pianist (2002) - Netflix/Amazon Prime

One close-knit Jewish family. The Nazi takeover of Poland. The systemic oppression and extermination of a people. Much like the girl in the red coat being an icon of Spielberg’s Schindler’s List, music and the arts is the icon in this movie. If you ignore that the movie was directed by Roman Polanski, get swept away by Adrien Brody’s heartbreaking portrayal of a pianist struggling to survive. It won him the Academy Award for Best Actor. - Jess

I would suggest we sit down on a bench, but that's also an official decree, no Jews allowed on benches.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) - Netflix

When most people think of teen movies, the ones that come to mind are usually ones about the wacky antics of adolescence. It’s not often that a movie of this ilk shows the tribulations with growing up. Stephen Chbosky’s tale of a teenager struggling through his first year of high school makes for a roller coaster of emotions. Funny and chaotic. Sad and hopeless. Be ready to feel the good and bad of high school. - Rico

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) - Netflix

Frequent guest on the ATC Pod Miguel Albarracin often says, “I would watch Jude Law watch paint dry” but there’s just no need. Watch him play an entitled, carefree, rich boy in The Talented Mr. Ripley. Set in the idyllic Italy of the 1950s, Matt Damon orchestrates a friendship with Jude Law to persuade him to come back home to his rich family in the states. But it’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt… - Jess

Silver Linings Playbook (2012) - Netflix

Jennifer Lawrence may have gotten her big break with The Hunger Games but it was this movie that turned her into a star. Winning her first Oscar, Lawrence portrays a woman who finds a bond with Pat, a man with bipolar disorder who wants to reconnect with his wife. It’s been a bit of time since Jennifer Lawrence has starred in a movie but to see her doing some interesting work, check this out. - Rico

Anna Karenina (2012) - Netflix

Based on the novel by Tolstoy, Keira Knightley leads this cast to period-piece perfection. Coincidentally, this is another Jude Law movie. - Jess

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) - Netflix 

Will Smith’s general persona is one of joy and fun. Cracking jokes is what he is good at but when he commits to a dramatic role, it really pays off. Based on the best selling memoir of the same name, Smith plays a homeless salesman who is trying to provide for himself and his son. When a man is pushed to the edge, will he stand up in the face of adversity? - Rico

Room (2015) - Netflix

In the role that would win her the Oscar, Brie Larson is a young woman held captive in a room for years. Her young son, played by Jacob Tremblay, knows nothing but the room. Can they escape to freedom? If they return to the world, can they rise above the trauma that has haunted them both for years? It’s a captivating, heart-rending movie with brilliant, impactful performances. Beware: it is not an easy watch. - Jess

Honey Boy (2019) - Amazon Prime

Much like Will Smith above, Shia LaBeouf is a comedic actor from a young age who recently is stretching his dramatic acting muscle. We could have selected another movie from 2019 that LaBeouf starred in, The Peanut Butter Falcon, but this movie gives more for the actor to chew on. Helps that LaBeouf wrote this movie, detailing many of his own experiences with his father. There are moments that may be tough to watch because of the nature of his relationship to his estranged dad. Performances by Noah Jupe and Lucas Hedges give this arduous journey the necessary catharsis. - Rico