If anyone doubts Meryl Streep’s versatility and talent, look no further than HBO Max and Netflix this weekend.
The most nominated actress ever is again awards worthy for two very different roles in two very different movies. On Netflix, the three-time Academy Awards winner divas it up for Ryan Murphy’s “The Prom” while on HBO Max she classes up Steven Soderbergh’s “Let Them All Talk.”
Those films headline our streaming picks of this impressive week.
“Let Them All Talk”: On paper it sounds like it might be flimsy and disposable. Three former college besties, separated for 35 years, reunite on a Queen Mary 2 cruise arranged by a literary sensation and her newbie agent. But this isn’t a fluffy “Book Club” sojourn, thank you very much. That’s because we’re in the dexterous hands of director Soderbergh and the cerebral leanings of celebrated short story writer/first-time screenwriter Deborah Eisenberg. They defy the conventional setup from the beginning, venturing far away from the “Love Boat” for the kind of intellectual film you might expect.
The screenplay is a literary diamond, one so polished and wise that it presents three respected veteran actresses — Streep, Candice Bergen and Dianne Wiest — with three of their most delectable roles. United, they create acting magic.
As Alice, a book critics darling suffering from writer’s block, Streep makes every glance and gesture reveal volumes about her uptight, shut-off Alice. As Alice’s two former chums, Wiest and Bergin navigate tricky waters of being both friend and foe to their wealthier friend.
The trio is assisted with exceptional performances from Lucas Hedges, playing Alice’s caring nephew and Gemma Chan as Alice’s agent.
Shot in just two weeks, “Let Them All Talk” seems like it was in the works for years as it touches on friendships, betrayals and the passage of time. It’s an absolute delight. Details: 3½ stars out of 4; available Dec. 10 on HBO Max.
“The Prom”: Streep and newcomer Jo Ellen Pellman razzle-dazzle in Ryan Murphy’s colorful and delightfully exuberant version of the Broadway musical, wherein a band of self-centered Broadway performers hoof it to Indiana to help a lesbian high school student take her cheerleader girlfriend to the prom. The tunes are catchy, and Streep is at her outrageous best as an insecure Patti Lupone type looking for a cause célebré. She, of course, gets more than she bargained for, including a cutie-pie principal (Keegan-Michael Key) who adores her. Nicole Kidman and Andrew Rannells complement Streep and are divine in their own way. The big miscast is James Corden, who plays Steep’s co-star and chum, but he can’t keep up with the other heavy hitters. Still, “The Prom” glimmers and pops with glitz and it’s an awful lot of fun, even when it lags. Details: 3 stars; available Dec. 11 on Netflix.
“Wolfwalkers”: Hand-drawn animation doesn’t get much more spectacular than what you see in this Irish folkloric fantasy from the creators of the treasured “The Secret of the Kells” and “Song of the Sea.” But there’s substance paired with that visual style. The story finds Robyn Goodfellowe (Honor Kneafsey) and her doting hunter of a father (Sean Bean) in 1650’s Kilkenny, Ireland, where townsfolk vow to rid the forests of a wolfpack. When the brave Robyn befriends a feral-like girl, it fuels the town’s fear of the “other” and the community’s desire to uproot the woods. “Wolfwalkers” lyrically sets up a man vs. nature battle, told in grand Irish storytelling that honors and respects its origins while spinning a damn good tale. Details: 4 stars; available Dec. 11 on AppleTV+.
“Wild Mountain Thyme”: If you can get past Christopher Walken’s inept Irish accent, the excessive use of gel in Jamie Dornan’s hair and an inane “secret” as a plot device, you’ll appreciate this “Moonstruck”-like rom-com from director/writer John Patrick Shanley. But in adapting his 2014 Broadway play “Outside Mullingar,” the Pulitzer Prize winner (for “Doubt”) proves to be his own worst enemy. Yes, the dialogue occasionally sparkles, particularly in the late-in-the-game exchanges between farmer neighbors Rosemary (Emily Blunt) and Anthony (Dornan), childhood pals who pine for each other. But other times it simply thuds under the weight of its ridiculous plot developments. Blunt and Dornan click near the end and Jon Hamm’s presence as a cousin with a fleeting American interest in the land perks things up. Yet the eccentricities seem as disingenuous as the LL Bean-like wardrobe the “farmers” wear. Whimsy gives way to malarkey. And, blimey, someone should have hired an Irish dialect coach. Details: 2 stars; available to stream Dec. 11 on various platforms.
“All My Life”: Be prepared to blubber during this romantic drama, especially once you realize it’s based on a true story. A chance encounter in a bar leads to a terribly cute first date for college psych major Jenn (Jessica Rothe) and market researcher Sol (Harry Shum Jr.). Soon after a jog and a gnosh courtesy of food trucks in the park, they’re hopelessly devoted. Everything is just ducky until a doctor’s visit. Cue the Kleenex. Director Marc Meyers and screenwriter Todd Rosenberg manipulate us without restraint, but Rothe and Shum are so endearing and their characters so pleasant that you don’t mind it too much. Details: 3 stars; available to stream on various platforms.
“Alex Wheatle”: The fourth in Steve McQueen’s Amazon Prime/BBC Small Axe movie series is a short, assured and unconventional biopic on heralded British young adult novelist Wheatle who, as a child, was raised and kicked about in the social services system. His story is an inspiring one, with McQueen concentrating on re-creating critical junctures in Wheatle’s life — from DJing to pot-dealing — along with the people who influenced him, notably a bookish cellmate he meets in prison after the 1981 Brixton uprising. McQueen’s episodic narrative about Wheatle uncovering his Black roots makes for a story about resilience and discovering one’s passion in life. It’s not on a par with the previous Small Axe films but it is quite good. Details: 3 stars; available Dec. 11 on Amazon Prime.
“Farewell Amor”: What would it be like to reunite with your spouse and child after being separated from them for 17 years? Director/writer Ekwa Msangi’s quiet Brooklyn-set immigrant drama about captures every painful and joyful aspect of that experience, from the emotional to the sexual. Msangi’s debut tells its observant story through the calm eyes of Walter (Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine), who left Angola and became a taxi driver in New York as he continued to try to get his family into the U.S. Msangi’s film succeeds because each character is flawed and human and just trying to do the best they can against sizable obstacles. Details: 3½ stars; available Dec. 11 on various streaming platforms.
Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com.
