We need to ask you, dear readers, a very simple favor. If you are looking for the perfect movie to stream on Amazon’s Prime Video service in the month of May, please check out one of these seven titles. From blockbuster sequels to inspiring and harrowing biopics, you can find out which movies you’ll want to give a watch (or a rewatch) below.
‘Another Simple Favor’
Available on: Thursday, May 1
It’s hard to believe that Paul Feig hasn’t ever made a sequel until this very moment. So it says a lot that he decided to direct a follow-up to his scandalous 2018 sleeper hit A Simple Favor, with the cleverly titled sequel Another Simple Favor.
Five years after the events of the first film, Another Simple Favor begins with mommy-blogger-turned-detective-turned-author Stephanie Smothers on the verge of finally publishing her first true crime novel. But the real drama begins when Stephanie’s frenemy, Emily Nelson, returns, seemingly no longer in prison and newly engaged to a wealthy Italian businessman. Emily forces Stephanie to be her maid of honor at her luxurious wedding in Italy, and is whisked away to an awkward paradise where she reconnects with Emily’s ex-husband and her ex-lover, Sean. When dead bodies start to pile up, Stephanie realizes that Emily may not have turned a new leaf after all.
Academy Award nominee Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Henry Golding, Andrew Rannells, Bashir Salahuddin, Joshua Satine, Ian Ho, Kelly McCormack, and Aparna Nancherla reprise their roles from the first film. New cast members include Elizabeth Perkins (Weeds), Michele Morrone (365 Days), Elena Sofia Ricci (Loose Cannons), Alex Newell (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist), and Academy Award winner Allison Janney (I, Tonya).
- Release Date
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May 1, 2025
- Director
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Paul Feig
- Writers
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Paul Feig, Laeta Kalogridis, Jessica Sharzer
‘The Exorcist’
Available on: Thursday, May 1
Long before Get Out and The Substance received Best Picture nominations, before The Silence of the Lambs won Best Picture, Academy Award winner William Friedkin‘s legendary classic The Exorcist became the first horror movie to ever be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Today, it’s hailed as not only one of the greatest horror movies ever made, but one of the greatest and most influential films in general.
Based on the 1971 novel by William Peter Blatty, The Exorcist follows actress Chris MacNeil, who rents out a fancy home in Georgetown while filming a movie directed by her close friend. When Chris’ 12-year-old daughter, Regan, becomes violently ill, with medical professionals having no answers, she turns to the Catholic Church, now believing her daughter is possessed. Grieving priest Father Damien Karras and veteran priest Father Lankester Merrin are called upon to perform an exorcism on Regan, which will challenge their beliefs to their very core.
The Exorcist won two Academy Awards: Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound, and was nominated in eight additional categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Film Editing. The film stars Academy Award winner Ellen Burstyn (Requiem for a Dream), Academy Award nominee Max von Sydow (Pelle the Conqueror), Academy Award nominee Jason Miller (Rudy), Academy Award nominee Linda Blair (The Exorcist: Believer), Academy Award nominee Lee J. Cobb (12 Angry Men), Kitty Win (The Panic in Needle Park), and Jack MacGowran (The Quiet Man).
‘The Karate Kid (2010)’
Available on: Thursday, May 1
While it may not reach the heights of the 1984 classic nor the recently ended Netflix series Cobra Kai, the 2010 reboot of The Karate Kid is far better than it had any right to be. Even if the title is misleading. With Jackie Chan reprising his role as Mr. Han in Karate Kid: Legends in just a few weeks. Now is the perfect time to revisit the film.
The reboot sees 12-year-old Dre Parker moving from his home in Detroit, Michigan, to Beijing, China, after his widowed mother, Sherry, gets a new job. Dre struggles to fit in at his new school, and his only friend is Meiying, a young violinist whom he harbors a crush on. He soon falls prey to a gang of kung-fu-fighting bullies, but he gets saved by his apartment’s reclusive maintenance man, Mr. Han. Mr. Han reveals himself to be a master at kung fu and agrees to teach Dre the martial art.
Harald Zwart (Agent Cody Banks) directs the film, which stars Chan, Jaden Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness), and Academy Award nominee Taraji P. Henson (Hidden Figures).
‘Legally Blonde’
Available on: Thursday, May 1
Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon (Big Little Lies) became a bona fide movie star with her role as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde. With a new prequel series currently in production and set to hit Prime Video sometime next year, it makes sense that this comedy classic is returning to the service.
Legally Blonde begins when UCLA sorority girl Elle Woods is dumped by her boyfriend, Warner, who claims that she is not “serious” enough about his aspirations to be a senator. Hoping to prove him wrong and win him back, Elle applies and is accepted into Harvard Law School. Initially dismissed as just another “dumb blonde,” Elle is able to prove all of her doubters wrong, showing that she has a knack for being a lawyer.
Robert Luketic (The Ugly Truth) directs the movie, which also stars Luke Wilson (The Royal Tenenbaums), Selma Blair (Cruel Intentions), Matthew Davis (The Vampire Diaries), Victor Garber (Alias), and Jennifer Coolidge (The White Lotus).
‘The Peanut Butter Falcon’
Available on: Monday, May 5
The Peanut Butter Falcon has gone down as one of the most heartwarming and endearing dramedies of the 2010s, and for very good reason.
The movie follows Zak, a young man with Down syndrome who escapes from an assisted living facility in order to pursue his dream of becoming a professional wrestler under the guidance of his hero, the Salt Water Redneck. Shortly into his journey, Zak becomes friends with Tyler, a down-on-his-luck fisherman who is on the run from his rivals. Together with Zak’s caretaker, Eleanor, the three embark on a journey through the rivers of North Carolina to get Zak to meet his hero and achieve his dreams.
Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz (Los Frikis) made their directorial debut with the movie, which stars breakthrough actor Zack Gottsagen, Shia LaBeouf (Honey Boy), Dakota Johnson (Fifty Shades of Grey), Academy Award nominee John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone), Academy Award nominee Thomas Haden Church (Sideways), and Jon Bernthal (The Accountant 2).
‘The Fire Inside’
Available on: Tuesday, May 27
Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Rachel Morrison (Moonlight) makes her directorial debut with the crowd-pleasing sports biopic The Fire Inside.
Based on a true story, the movie follows Calressa “T-Rex” Shields, an aspiring boxer from Flint, Michigan, who aspires to become an Olympic champion. She comes under the guidance of Jason Crutchfield, who coaches her all the way to the 2012 Summer Olympics, where she becomes the first American woman ever to win the gold medal in the sport.
Academy Award winner Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) penned the script for the movie, which stars Ryan Destiny (Star), Academy Award nominee Brian Tyree Henry (Atlanta), Oluniké Adeliyi (The Expanse), and De’Adre Aziza (She’s Gotta Have It).
- Release Date
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December 25, 2024
- Runtime
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109 minutes
- Director
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Rachel Morrison
- Writers
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Barry Jenkins
- Producers
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Lyn Lucibello, Barry Jenkins, Drea Cooper, Zackary Canepari, Elishia Holmes
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Ryan Destiny
Claressa Shields
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Jazmin Headley
Young Claressa
‘September 5’
Available on: Tuesday, May 27
Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, September 5 captures the tragic events of the hostage crisis in the Olympic Village during the 1972 Summer Olympics.
The docudrama takes a more unconventional approach to telling the true story; instead of showing the carnage, they tell the story entirely in the studio of ABC Sports. The news crew forever changed the way news covers events live.
Academy Award nominee Tim Fehlbaum directs the movie, which stars Peter Sarsgaard (Presumed Innocent), John Magaro (Past Lives), Ben Chaplin (Cinderella), and Leonie Benesch (The Teachers’ Lounge).
- Release Date
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November 29, 2024
- Runtime
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91 Minutes
- Director
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Tim Fehlbaum
- Writers
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Tim Fehlbaum, Moritz Binder
