Movie of the Week
Showmax suggests 2020’s best movies
With the strong catalogue Showmax had in 2020, this list is filled with great movies to try out.
HARRIET | Best period movie
Harriet tells the extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman’s escape from slavery and transformation into one of America’s greatest heroes, whose courage, ingenuity, and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history.
This powerful film is led by rising star Cynthia Erivo (The Outsider) in the title role, for which she received 2020 Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. The cast also includes Emmy nominee Leslie Odom Jr. (Hamilton, Central Park), multiple Grammy nominee Janelle Monáe (Moonlight, Hidden Figures), Clarke Peters (The Wire), and British-Nigerian actor Zackary Momoh (Seven Seconds, Doctor Sleep).
In addition to its nominations for Best Actress, Harriet was nominated for a 2020 Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Original Song (for the song Stand Up, written by Erivo and Joshuah Brian Campbell).
BOOKSMART | Comedy
On the eve of their high school graduation, two academic superstars realise they should have worked less and played more. Determined to catch up with their peers, the best friends try to cram four years of fun into one night.
Beanie Feldstein (Jenna in What We Do In The Shadows) earned a 2020 Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical as Molly. Golden Globe nominee Kaitlyn Dever (Unbelievable) co-stars as her best friend Amy alongside the likes of Golden Globe nominee Lisa Kudrow (Friends, Feel Good), Emmy nominee Will Forte (The Last Man On Earth), People’s Choice nominee Jason Sudeikis (We’re The Millers), Black Reel nominee Jessica Williams (Fantastic Beasts franchise), and Skyler Gisondo (The Righteous Gemstones, The Amazing Spider-Man).
The directorial debut of actress Olivia Wilde (Tron, House M.D.), Booksmart has won over 20 awards, including Best Debut at the 2020 Online Film Critics Society Awards and Film Independent Spirit Awards. It was also named 2020 Unsung Film of the year from GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics and picked up nominations at both the BAFTAs and Writers Guild of America awards for Best Screenplay. Booksmart has a 96% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics consensus says, “Fast-paced, funny, and fresh, Booksmart does the seemingly impossible by adding a smart new spin to the coming-of-age comedy.”
Special mentions:
- Like a Boss, with Tiffany Haddish, Rose Byrne and Salma Hayek, the 25th biggest box office hit of 2020
- Little, starring Issa Rae (Insecure) and Marsai Martin (Diane in Black-ish), who won 2020 Image Awards for Outstanding Breakthrough Performance and Outstanding Supporting Actress
- Good Boys, a 2020 Young Entertainer Awards nominee for Best Young Ensemble Cast and 2020 World Stunt Awards nominee for Hardest Hit and Best Overall Stunt by a Woman
HUSTLERS | Best crime movie
Inspired by a true story and the viral New York Magazine article it sparked, Hustlers centres on a crew of former strippers who band together to turn the tables on their Wall Street clients.
Golden Globe nominees Jennifer Lopez (The Cell, Out of Sight, Anaconda), Constance Wu (Crazy Rich Asians) and Julia Stiles (Save the Last Dance, 10 Things I Hate About You) lead an all-star cast that includes Emmy nominee Keke Palmer (Scream: The TV Series), three-time Teen Choice winner Lili Reinhart (Riverdale), and Grammy winners Lizzo and Cardi B.
Lopez was nominated for a 2020 Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for the role, which had Rolling Stone saying, “A Best Actress Oscar nomination for Jennifer Lopez? You better believe it. As a stripper who can work a pole better than rivals half her age, Lopez is that dazzling, that deep, that electrifying. This you don’t want to miss.”
Hustlers has an 87% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Slate calling it “A pretty much perfect film… an immediate entrant into the pantheon of female friendship movies…. you can feel its heartbeat”. RogerEbert says, “Goodfellas in a G-string”, and Independent (UK), “A lean, fierce take on the nature of female empowerment in an inherently corrupted world.”
Click below to read on about the remaining top 3 movies recommended by Showmax.
