Even though we spend a lot of our hard-earned dollars on streaming services, some premium content remains under lock and key. Thankfully, Amazon Prime Video’s Freevee app allows us to access some amazing programming without paying another cent … just as long as we are willing to subject our eyeballs to a few ad breaks. Which I very much am.
Crazy Rich Asians
The 2018 film Crazy Rich Asians is based on the book of the same name by Kevin Kwan. The story follows Rachel Chu (Constance Wu), a Chinese-American New York University professor who travels to Singapore with her boyfriend, Nick (Henry Golding) to attend his best friend’s wedding. Once there, she quickly realizes that Nick’s family is not just rich … they’re absolutely loaded. Not only that, but the wedding they’re attending is one of the most in-demand events of the Singapore social scene.
Oh, and Nick’s domineering mother (Michelle Yeoh) hates Rachel on sight. As Rachel finds herself in the midst of extravagant displays of wealth and privilege, she begins to feel like an imposter for being “not Chinese enough.” The good news is she’s got the support of her hilarious former college roommate, Peik Lin, played with an abundance of charm and personality by Awkwafina.
This romantic comedy is immersive, enlightening, and will hit the mark with anyone who has ever felt like a fish out of water when meeting the ‘rents.
The Graduate
If you haven’t yet watched this classic from 1967, now is your chance! There’s a reason that The Graduate is one of the most pivotal movies of the past few decades; it’s just as relevant in today’s world as it was in the ‘60s.
Dustin Hoffman plays Benjamin Braddock, a 21-year-old who just graduated from college. Hoffman plays the role with an ennui so strong, it almost seems like he’s been drugged. Benjamin is directionless, drifting lazily in his parents’ southern California pool with no idea of what to do with his life now that he’s done with school. When he’s reunited with Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), a school friend’s mother, he goes along with her halfhearted seduction and they begin an affair. Then, her daughter Elaine (Katharine Ross) comes back into the picture, and things get complicated fast.
With stellar acting and a superb script, there’s little wonder why The Graduate was one of the highest grossing films of 1967 and was nominated for seven Academy Awards, winning one, a Best Director trophy for Mike Nichols.
Paddington 2
If loving Paddington 2 is wrong, I don’t want to be right. Quite simply, this might be one of the greatest movies ever made, and we’re not just talking about children’s movies.
Following the commercial success of the first Paddington movie, the second installment manages to capture even more heartfelt magic. Based on the bestselling children’s books written by Michael Bond, Paddington 2 continues the story of how a walking, talking brown bear cub from Peru (voiced by Ben Whishaw) finds himself living with an English family in London.
In the second movie, Paddington is framed for stealing from a friend’s antiques shop and sent to jail. His family scrambles to free him, but he winds up befriending his fellow inmates, led by Knuckles McGinty, played by the always gruffly-lovable Brendan Gleeson. A minor revolt ensues.
This movie contains action, comedy, tenderness, and downright hilarious acting by Hugh Grant, who stars as an egotistical actor. (What a stretch, right?) In case you need more proof of its awesomeness, Paddington 2 beat Citizen Kane as the best movie of all time. Yes, really! It’s a must-watch.
The Bourne Identity
You’ve seen the rest of The Bourne Identity franchise. Isn’t it time you went back and revisited the film that started it all?
The Bourne Identity is the first movie to introduce audiences to Jason Bourne, played by a very young and attractive Matt Damon. Based on a novel by Robert Ludlum, this film follows Bourne as he tries to figure out who he is after waking up with amnesia on a fishing boat in the middle of the ocean. He can’t remember anything about his life, but he realizes he knows other languages and has certain skills he can’t account for. Skills like extreme ninja-like fighting and self-defense, which come in handy when the assassins show up.
Promising Young Woman
Cassie Thomas (Carey Mulligan) is 30 years old and still living at home with her parents. She dropped out of medical school years earlier after losing her closest friend; Cassie believes that friend took her own life after being raped by a classmate named Al Monroe (Christopher Lowell). So, she’s found an odd way to exact revenge on predatory men.
Each night Cassie leaves her humdrum coffee shop job, gets dressed to the nines, and heads to a bar or club. There, she acts black-out drunk until some creep brings her home, then she makes them pay. Then Cassie hears from a former classmate that Al is getting married, and the wheels are set in motion. Will Cassie finally avenge her friend (and all women who have been victimized), or will she crash and burn? The shocking final 20 minutes of this movie are unflinching in their revelations.
Secretary
Take a seat, Fifty Shades of Grey. Secretary was into BDSM way before it was commercial! In fact, the Christian Grey-like character in Secretary, played by James Spader, is even called E. Edward Grey. Coincidence?
Maggie Gyllenhaal is Lee Holloway, a timid woman fresh from a stint at a mental health hospital where she was treated for self-harm. She goes to work as a secretary in a lawyer’s office, and she and her boss, Mr. Grey (ahem), quickly develop an inappropriate work relationship based on dominance and submission. Grey loves commanding his submissive secretary, and Lee feels empowered for the first time in her life. In the end, Grey has one last trial for Lee to pass to see if they’re meant to be. Will they live happily ever after?
Freaky
In a wild variation on the classic “body swapping” oeuvre, Freaky takes the plot of Freaky Friday and drops it squarely on its head. Millie Kessler (Kathryn Newton) is just trying to get through her senior year of high school when a random encounter with a serial killer (Vince Vaughn) causes her to wake up in his body.
Millie and the Blissfield Butcher have swapped bodies, and she has just 24 hours to fix the glitch or she’ll be stuck in his body forever!
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
Ne’er-do-well brothers Mike and Dave Stangle (Adam DeVine and Zac Efron) have a habit of seriously messing up every family function they attend. With their sister Jeanie (the adorable Sugar Lyn Beard) set to get married in Hawaii, the Stangle family lays down the law, insiting that Mike and Dave find “good girls” to bring as dates.
The brothers spread the word through Craigslist, leading to a series of terrible first (and last) dates. Then, fellow losers Tatiana (Aubrey Plaza) and Alice (Anna Kendrick) spy Mike and Dave on TV, and they hatch a plan to temporarily reform their hard-partying ways to score a free trip to Hawaii. A series of unforgettable and outrageous events transpire, each funnier than the last.
The Post
The Post stars Meryl Streep as Kay Graham, a recent widow who inherited The Washington Post from her late husband. As she struggles to understand the news business, Kay is confronted by a scandal involving papers filed by an American military analyst who discovered that the United States was covering up issues around the Vietnam War. Editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) brings the problem to Kay, and they track down the original author of the papers, which they are poised to publish when the federal government steps in.
The Post is an important movie about journalistic integrity and freedom of the press. Plus, it features the legendary Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks at the top of their games.
Nobody
Fresh off his Better Call Saul success, Bob Odenkirk takes on the role of Hutch Mansell, a true nobody who wouldn’t hurt a fly. But when two thugs break into his family’s home, his passivity disappoints his wife and son and inspires a sea change for Hutch. Suddenly, the mild-mannered family man has to duke it out with Russian mobsters to save his family.
This isn’t an extensive list of all the good stuff streaming for free on Amazon Prime Video, but it’s a good start! Honorable mentions that are also currently available include Old, Point Break, Renfield, and Dear Evan Hansen. Happy streaming!
(featured image: StudioCanal / Warner Bros. / Focus Features / Lionsgate Films)
