June is finally here, and no one’s going to the movies. If Garfield is the No. 1 movie in its second weekend, you know something’s off. One possible reason is streaming. There are just a lot of movies and TV shows to watch, and most people want to get the most out of their pricey ad-free subscriptions.
This is certainly true for Netflix. With Atlas, Bridgerton, and Godzilla Minus One dominating eyeballs, the streamer continues to be the destination for new and old content. This weekend, check out these three older movies that are currently streaming on Netflix. All three are just as good as anything you’d find at the multiplex.
The Secret of My Success (1987)
Remember when comedies used to be hits? And not just sleeper hits like Anyone but You, but bona fide blockbusters, movies that grossed as much, if not more than, action or sci-fi summer flicks. Such was the case in 1987, when The Secret of My Success was seen by enough people to make the top 10 highest-grossing movies for that year.
And it was deserved, as the film is a highly enjoyable romp about underdogs who dream big, horny housewives who just want a little attention, and climbing the corporate ladder. Michael J. Fox is the central underdog, Brantley, a wide-eyed graduate from Kansas who wants to join the executive suit at his uncle’s NYC company.
To do so, he makes up an alter ego, Carlton, while holding down a job as the office mail boy, has an unexpected affair with his uncle’s cynical wife (Margaret Whitton, who is the best thing in the movie), falls in love with his uncle’s mistress (Helen Slater), and tries to avoid being found out by everyone else in the company.
The Secret of My Success is a screwball comedy for the go-go yuppie ’80s, but it’s also one that has a lot of heart. Its naivete is its main strength, and the source of many of its well-earned laughs.
The Judge (2014)
Where did Robert Downey Jr. go? Not the star who has played Iron Man, Sherlock Holmes, and (sigh) Doctor Dolittle for the last 15 years, but Robert Downey Jr. the actor? If you look at some of his early work like Less Than Zero, Chaplin, or even Home for the Holidays, there’s an electric charge to his acting that is missing from his star turns in his big, busy blockbusters.
The one exception is The Judge, a 2014 drama that was released during Downey Jr.’s reign as Tony Stark.
Look, The Judge is no masterpiece; it traffics in cliches shamelessly, and relies too much on courtroom theatrics and sudden confessions at night to be wholly believable. But I’d be lying if I said it didn’t work, and that’s due to the acting by RDJ and co-star Robert Duvall, who plays the title character. Both actors chew their scenes with abandon, and it’s entertaining to see two Oscar winners go head-to-head in a contest to see who can out-act the other.
My opinion? It’s a draw, but you can be the… judge. (I’m here all day, folks.)
The Nest (2020)
There are actors who are famous who don’t deserve to be, and then there’s Carrie Coon, who deserves to be more well-known than she is currently. Often described as a “character actress,” she’s been the bright spot in great and bad movies alike, from David Fincher’s Gone Girl to Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town, which is a real film.
Now semi-famous for starring in the series The Gilded Age, Coon had perhaps her best starring role to date in the still-underseen 2020 movie The Nest.
Coon plays Allison, a wife and mother who teaches horseback riding in New York. One day, her husband, Rory (Jude Law), announces they have to leave the country and relocate to England. It seems Rory is under some financial strain, and the family’s salvation lies in an empty estate in the English countryside.
But once there, not everything is at it seems, and Allison begins to realize her whole life, including her marriage, might be a lie.
Less a thriller and more of a drama, The Nest nonetheless feels suspenseful because the actors, particularly Coon, make you feel invested in these characters. She’s amazing in this, and is the best reason to watch it.
