The Perfect Couch Movies for Thanksgiving Weekend

I love the three days after Thanksgiving.  They're perfect for eating leftovers and lounging.

After the craziness of Thanksgiving Day, you’ve got three full days to graze on leftovers—and plenty of time for movies!

Although there’s a lot of great movies in theaters right now, if you’re really just up for snugging in your jammies all weekend, here are some fun films to stream on Netflix.

Dolemite is My Name

58 and going strong.  Eddie Murphy was great as Rudy Ray Moore.  I hadn't seen him since Mr. Church (2016), playing a much more low-key character.

Eddie Murphy makes a splash back into the spotlight with Dolemite is My Name.  Murphy plays the scrappy comedian Rudy Ray Moore, a Missouri native who performed a risqué and unique rhyme-based comedy in the 50s, 60s & 70s.  Through hustle and word of mouth, Moore grew a niche fan base.

After releasing several successful comedy albums, Moore decided to step up his career and make a movie.  To fund it, he put everything on the line and signed over royalties for his albums.  His scrappiness was put to the ultimate test as he battled Hollywood’s distribution system to bring his movie, Dolemite, to his fans and repay the debt.

After seeing Dolemite is My Name, I really wanted to see Moore’s Dolemite.  It looks offbeat and totally hilarious.  He “taught” himself to do kung-fo for the movie, but the stunts look really, really fake.

At 58, Eddie Murphy proves he’s still in the game; there’s talk that this role will earn him an Oscar Nomination.  And I love Keegan Michael Key as Jerry Jones, Moore’s scriptwriter.

Between the great acting and Moore’s inspiring story, Dolemite is My Name entertains to the end.

Always Be My Maybe

Creators Randall Park and Ali Wong have great chemistry playing the love interests in Always Be My Maybe.

I would NEVER had seen this movie had it not been reviewed on The Comedy Film Nerds Podcast.  From the trailer it looked like yet another meh Netflix rom-com.  (Although, come to think of it, that one with Rebel Wilson wasn’t bad, either.)

Always Be My Maybe is actually a smartly-written movie.  It tells the story of childhood BFFs Sasha Tran (Ali Wong) and Marcus Kim (Randall Park) who reconnect years later as adults.  Their lives have taken very different directions.  Sasha lives in fame and luxury as a celebrity chef, while Marcus lives with his widowed father and plays in a local band.  Will their disparate lifestyles prevent them from connecting?  Watch to see!

California natives Wong and Park also produced and wrote the movie.  They're definitely keeping to the axiom of writing what you know.  The movie makes perceptive and funny statements about California culture such as, “Rich people are done with fancy clothes.  Now it’s all $1,000 shirts that look like they were stolen off the homeless.”

Keanu Reeves makes a hilarious appearance playing a douchey version of himself.  Here’s one of his lines: “The man who embraces his mediocre nothingness shines greater than any.”

If you’re looking for something light and sweet, Always Be My Maybe won’t let you down.

El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie

This epilogue to the Breaking Bad series tells Jesse's story.

El Camino is really made for the Breaking Bad fan.  If you didn’t watch the series, it might be hard to “break” into the story with this move.

It's an epilogue to the Breaking Bad series, and tells Jesse’s story.  At the beginning, Jesse escapes the Brotherhood compound where he’d been held captive.  He desires to leave everything behind: Albuquerque, his family, friends, and the meth business.  That’s no small feat, however.

El Camino is calmer and slower than Breaking Bad, and less violent.  It didn’t feel like a “movie” movie, but more like a really great show.  It still includes plenty of scenery from the New Mexico desert that Breaking Bad was known for. 

Todd Alquist (Jesse Plemons) has a significant role.  His pathological personality was exaggerated to the point of seeming cartooney.  But that's in keeping with the Breaking Bad tone, I suppose, recalling Gus Fring's death (Giancarlo Esposito).  He fixes his tie after his head has been hollowed out by an explosive.  (Sorry to get graphic.)     

Anyway, a lot of the same characters have cameos; his old girlfriend (Kristin Ritter), Walter White (Bryan Cranston), and Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks).  Ed Galbraith (Robert Forster) plays a significant role.  Forster actually died shortly after the movie came out.

My Spoilery Reflections

I love the notion of completely leaving your current life and starting brand new.  What if you could be whisked off to a remote cabin in a remote state and begin afresh?  Would you like that?  Would you say good-bye to anyone before you left?

Still in the Game

Netflix continues to put out quality content and it’s clear they’re poised for battle in the fierce streaming war.

These are all great weekend movies.  Maybe they’re not suited for the big-screen, but are perfect to see over Thanksgiving weekend.

Have you seen any of these movies?  Or have any that you’d recommend?