Sometimes all we want is a movie that won’t eat up any brain power, but still contains the ingredients for maximum enjoyment. If that’s you, here are the best easy watches that are now available for streaming.
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Actor: Alice E. Bier Zandén, Christopher Laesso, Emilie Kroyer Koppel, Jacob Ulrik Lohmann, Jakob Højlev Jørgensen, Lone Rødbroe, Mikkel Boe Følsgaard, Paul Hüttel, Sara-Marie Maltha, Sidse Babett Knudsen
Director: Bille August
Dream is a sports dramedy that is susceptible to a lot of the genre’s cliches. Yes, we follow Hong-dae’s journey from being an egomaniac lone wolf to an empathetic team player. Of course, we get to witness all the heartwrenching backstories of the homeless football members. And sure, we even see get to see ourselves in Lee So-min (IU), the hardworking filmmaker who puts her all into this documentary in the hopes that it could somehow pay off her student loan debt. These are plotlines you’ve heard of before, and there are holes in a lot of them (like how it criticizes documentaries for exploiting sob stories while doing the same in the film, for instance). But at the end of the day, Dream only wants to be an uplifting feel-good movie and in that regard, it succeeds immensely. Say what you want about Seo-joon and his exaggerated yell-all way of acting, but the man knows how to draw out a chuckle from even the most reserved viewer. And paired with IU, who brings with her a plucky charm, the two can command an audience any which way they want. If you’re looking for a serious deep dive into the world of sports, the deceit of documentaries, and the complex reality of homelessness, Dream touches on a bit of that but don’t expect it to fully deliver. However, if you’re looking for an easy watch filled with delightful performances and feel-good moments, then Dream is your film.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Baek Ji-won, Han Jun-woo, Han Sang-chul, Heo Joon-seok, Hong Wan-pyo, IU, Jeong Soon-won, Jeong Sun-won, Jo Woo-jong, Jun Suk-ho, Jung Seung-kil, Jung Soon-won, Kang Ha-neul, Kim Il-jung, Kim Jong-soo, Kim Nam-woo, Ko Chang-seok, Lee Eun-jae, Lee Ha-nui, Lee Hae-woon, Lee Hyun-woo, Lee Ji-hyeon, Lee Seung-joon, Lee Yu-bi, Nam Min-woo, Park Hyeong-su, Park Hyoung-soo, Park Moon-sung, Park Myung-hoon, Park Seo-jun, Park Seong-jun, Park Sung-jun, Song Yeong-sik, Song Yong-sik, Yang Hyun-min, Yoon Ji-on, Yun Ji-on
Director: Lee Byeong-heon
Genre: Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Daisuke Ono, Hiro Shimono, Megumi Han, Satoshi Hino, Soma Saito, Yohei Azakami, Yoshimasa Hosoya, Yui Ishikawa
This international comedy-drama in French, Greek, and Turkish is about a free-spirited Greek girl who travels to Istanbul on a mission to help her father. Once there, she meets Avril, a French woman whose plans to help Syrian refugees have backfired. Together, they embark on a music-inspired adventure to Lebos from Turkey.
Director Tony Gatlif, a Romani, Algerian-born French filmmaker, has a unique style that often verges on exaggerations. It borders on a madcap comedy and has perfect production value, although the story might be difficult to tolerate for non-fans.
Still, if you like travel dramas, or more specifically music-travel dramas, especially in a time where the countries in the film are completely inaccessible, this will do the trick.
Genre: Drama, Music
Actor: Daphne Patakia, Eleftheria Komi, Kimon Kouris, Maryne Cayon, Seray Yalçin, Simon Abkarian, Yannis Bostantzoglou
Director: Tony Gatlif
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Actor: Akshay Kumar, Ameesha Patel, Aruna Irani, Deven Verma, Farida Jalal, Karisma Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Shah Rukh Khan
Director: Yash Chopra
For a series designed to keep young children still for 10 to 12-minute chunks, Dew Drop Diaries is refreshingly thoughtful—not to mention better-crafted than other things you could be showing kids of the same age bracket. Despite the relative simplicity of the show's animation (and certain elements that repeat in every episode), this is a dynamically directed series with a solid core group of voice actors who manage to be sweet without becoming irritating or patronizing. To be clear, this isn't an educational show made to lecture young viewers, but a fun, light family fantasy that makes the act of helping with everyday tasks seem like an adventure and an opportunity for creativity. Dew Drop Diaries never tries to force itself to be cool, which is exactly what makes it cool.
Genre: Animation, Kids
Actor: Scarlett Estevez, Spencer Moss, Sydney Mikayla, ViviAnn Yee, Zehra Fazal
This ridiculous comedy is about a man who works as a medium between people and their ghosts.
Kevin Pacalioglu sees and communicates with ghosts for a living, but that doesn’t mean he is good at his job. His only friend is also a drug dealer whose services end up worsening Kevin’s motivation even more. In his own words, his living clients “end up wanting to spend more time with the ghosts than me.” So to make ends meet, Kevin ends up accepting ghostly missions from dead clients with unresolved issues.
Genre: Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Brandon T. Jackson, Kal Penn, Lucy DeVito, Tyler Labine
It jumps out at you, all the vibrant illustration styles that the show evokes: The Amazing World of Gumball, Gravity Falls, and others, in a vaguely vaporwave aesthetic. Its use of horror tropes and spirits is made friendly for kids—a cute pug being central to the plot and all—but there is enough here to say that it’s generally for older kids, 7 and up. Its portrayal and representation of LGBTQ+ struggles is done gently, and one of the best aspects of the larger narrative. An expectation of a haunted house fantasy adventure series for kids won’t betray curious audiences, but there’s more fun to be had than the title implies.
Genre: Animation, Kids
Actor: Alex Brightman, Emily Osment, Kathreen Khavari, Kody Kavitha, Miss Coco Peru, Zach Barack
Genre: Drama
Actor: Fusako Urabe, Hana Toyoshima, Itsuki Nagasawa, Jun Fubuki, Kasumi Arimura, Keiichi Suzuki, Lily Franky, Mitsuru Hirata, Miwako Ichikawa, Ryuya Wakaba, Shigeo Ôsako, Tetta Shimada, Toshie Negishi, Van, Wakaba Ryuuya, Yoichiro Saito, Yui Sakuma
Director: Rikiya Imaizumi
Genre: Drama, Romance
Actor: Ferdi Stofmeel, Gijs Blom, Jeffrey Hamilton, Jonas Smulders, Julia Akkermans, Ko Zandvliet, Lotte Razoux Schultz, Micha Hulshof, Myron Wouts, Rachelle Verdel, Rifka Lodeizen, Roosmarijn van der Hoek, Stijn Taverne, Ton Kas
Director: Mischa Kamp
This competition series is a tribute to the art of artsy baking, while not being as over the top saccharine as something like a Dr. Seuss Baking Challenge. I can’t put my finger on why, but the contestants stumbling and bumbling around feels on brand for this show specifically. Perhaps the show just does a great job taking itself as seriously as it needs to: the talking heads are bubbly, along with contestants and judges’ commentary, making the show feel pleasant and focused as a result. Still, it’s a baking competition, and there’s only so much you can do with the genre. Like any dessert, it can probably be inviting in moderation.
Genre: Reality
Actor: Bill Yosses, Bryan Ford, Jason Biggs, Sandra Lee
If you’ve never watched the series prior to this, it still has a lot going for it. For one, its exposition is straightforward like a children’s play, telling you who the main cast is, and quickly treating you to musical numbers that are a welcome surprise every time they pop up. The main predicament is hilarious when it first hits, but I’m willing to die on the hill that they could’ve kept the bit going a little longer. Some segments do drag and make the whole thing feel like a long TV episode, and some plot setups can feel a bit hollow, but it’s a pretty relatable and trippy children's story, regardless.
Genre: Animation, Comedy, Family, Music, TV Movie
Actor: Andy Daly, Anna Akana, Artemis Pebdani, Bob Joles, Cheri Oteri, Chris Houghton, Colton Dunn, Jack McBrayer, Joe Lo Truglio, Lorraine Toussaint, Marieve Herington, Raven-Symoné, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Zeno Robinson
Director: Anna O'Brian
The presentation is high energy and aggressive (in a fun way), conveying both the competitive and communal nature of a barbecue cook-off show. But something about it is just anxiety triggering. Some challenges and time limits feel arbitrary, falling back on “well, it’s a challenge” to justify itself. The huge cash prize is a given, but it just feels more high stress than it needs to be, like grade schoolers trying to impress the principal. Of course, none of that is on the participants who are a joy to watch; and it’s fair to argue that over-dramatic flair is a staple of competition shows, but there are also many others that have utilized it much more pleasantly.
Genre: Reality
Actor: Kevin Bludso, Melissa Cookston
This quirky 1988 adventure drama is newly available on Amazon Prime. It’s the classic that never was, the story of a rundown gas station motel in the Southern US where a lonely West German lady called Jasmin Munchgstettner ends up by accident.
The owner of the operation, a short-tempered woman by the name of Brenda, doesn’t really take to Jasmin. However, the longer the West German guest stays at the motel, the more a friendship forms between the two.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Alan S. Craig, Apesanahkwat, CCH Pounder, Christine Kaufmann, Darron Flagg, G. Smokey Campbell, Gary Lee Davis, George Aguilar, Hans Stadlbauer, Jack Palance, Marianne Sägebrecht, Mark Daneri, Monica Calhoun, Ray Young, Ronald Lee Jarvis
Director: Percy Adlon
Netflix released yet another coming-of-age show, and this time it’s a lovely coastal vacation set in the Polish seaside. Absolutely Beginners feels familiar, as the quirky protagonists set out to make a short film, they also get into a trio with someone living in the area. It’s not quite a love triangle though, even if the series is marked as romance, and even with its limited runtime, it’s dedicated to building up the friendship between the three. And this friendship is portrayed in such a tender and sweet way that respects both their unique dynamic and their individual paths.
Genre: Drama
Actor: Bartłomiej Deklewa, Jan Sałasiński, Kefas Brand, Martyna Byczkowska