Paramount Plus just got a sizeable collection of new movies for March 2024, and this month's list includes a handful of must-watch flicks that received critical acclaim.
Plenty of the new additions to the streaming service’s library look set to appear on our list of the best Paramount Plus movies, and this month’s very best newcomers include one of the most romantic movies ever made (don’t @ me), a legendary spoof comedy and a Coen brothers movie that features one of Nicolas Cage’s best ever performances (seriously, don’t @ me).
The entire list of new to Paramount Plus movies would take you quite a while to sort through, so I’m rounding up five picks that all scored at least 90% or higher on the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, to make picking out the true gems a much simpler task.
'Airplane!' (1980)
One of the most celebrated and often-quoted comedy films ever made, “Airplane!” is surely worth watching this month (“and don’t call me Shirley”). A spoof of the disaster movie genre, and more specifically 1957’s “Zero Hour!”, this farcical comedy is still utterly hilarious and includes iconic comedic performances from Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty and Leslie Nielsen. It also birthed loads of online memes, so don’t be surprised if you recognize several scenes even if you’ve never watched it before.
The barebone plot is just a vehicle for plenty of ridiculous gags, but it sees a war veteran, Ted Striker (Hays), with a fear of flying and a drinking problem (he’s not an alcoholic, he just has trouble drinking liquids) board a plane from L.A. to Chicago to win back his ex-girlfriend (Hagerty), one of the flight attendants. Once in the air, the passengers and crew come down with debilitating food poisoning, and it’s up to Striker to confront his fears and land the plane safely. A few topical references have aged but otherwise “Airplane!” remains absurdly silly and joyfully fun to this day.
Genre: Comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Stream it on Paramount Plus
'Carol' (2015)
Perhaps the most heart-achingly romantic movies you are ever likely to see, “Carol” comes from director Todd Haynes and chronicles a forbidden romance between two women in 1950s New York. This drama isn’t just beautifully shot, with a soothing dream-like quality throughout, it’s also packing two powerhouse performances from Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara.
Set during the holiday season, Therese Belivet (Mara) is a department store worker who meets a glamorous older woman, Carol Aird (Blanchett), and quickly becomes smitten. But while the two share a mutual attraction, and romance blossoms between them, the situation is complicated by Carol’s ongoing divorce from her husband, Harge (Kyle Chandler) and the societal pressures of the time. It's a little bittersweet at times, but “Carol” is an enchanting love story that leaves its mark.
Genre: Romantic drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
Stream it on Paramount Plus (with Showtime) from March 19
'The Accused' (1988)
A legal drama that feels as vital in 2024 as it did when it premiered more than 35 years ago, “The Accused” is partially based on the harrowing true story of a young woman who was sexually assaulted by a group of four men in New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1983. The attack drew national headlines, and this (loose) cinematic retelling shines a light on the injustices that many women face in our society, a problem that persists to this very day.
In an Oscar-winning turn, Jodie Foster plays Sarah Tobias, a young woman who is brutally raped by a group of men in her local bar. Sarah is judged to be an unreliable witness because of her complicated past and the fact she was intoxicated at the time which makes the district attorney (Kelly McGillis) initially reluctant to fully prosecute those responsible. But Sarah refuses to give up and even with the odds stacked against she pursues justice and fights back against the legal system.
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Stream it on Paramount Plus
'Inside Llewyn Davis' (2013)
A folk-scored drama with a few splashes of comedy, it’s easy to view “Inside Llewyn Davis” as a fairly bleak movie, but there’s real heart to this melancholic tale. Written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, it doesn’t just boast two cinematic genius behind the camera but a wealth of talent in front of it as well. The cast list includes Oscar Isaac in the lead role, in arguably his best-ever performance, alongside Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Adam Driver and Justin Timberlake.
“Inside Llewyn Davis” is set across a week in the life of a young folk singer during the early 1960s. Living in New York’s Greenwich Village, and struggling to make ends meet, Llewyn Davis (Isaac) has no money to his name, is currently couch-surfing and relies on his small pool of friends. But while attempting to navigate the obstacles standing in the way of his dreams of making it as a musician, he’s forced to grapple with the fact that in life sometimes the biggest hurdles are ones we make ourselves.
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
Stream it on Paramount Plus
'Raising Arizona' (1987)
“Raising Arizona” is another Coen Brothers project, with Joel as the sole director, and both siblings having written the crime comedy flick together. Designed to be lighter than than their previous work, 1984’s equally-excellent thriller “Blood Simple”, “Raising Arizona” sees the Coen’s on top comedic form in a movie stuffed to bursting with witty dialogue exchanges and seriously memorable characters.
The madcap movie sees a reformed small-time robber named Herbert (Nicolas Cage) and a policewoman named Edwina (Holly Hunter) marry and concoct a hair-brained scheme to kidnap one of a set of quintuplets born to a local businessman as they are unable to conceive a child naturally, and can’t adopt due to Herbert’s criminal past. Also starring frequent Coen brother collaborates John Goodman and Frances McDormand, “Raising Arizona” is a consistently enjoyable ride with plenty of laughs along the way.
Genre: Comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Stream it on Paramount Plus
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