Skooby's picks: three movies to stream for free this weekend

By Jake Skubish

There are thousands of movies available to stream all the time. This is good, but it’s also overwhelming: when you have that many options, how can you choose just one? Every Friday, I’m presenting you with just three movies available to stream that you should watch to avoid that stress. I’ll hand out different movie recommendations every week.

Enemy

Available on: Netflix

Whether you’re preparing to go see Jordan Peele’s phenomenal Us or if that horror film gave you a craving for more doppelgänger flicks, you should check out Enemy on Netflix this weekend. The 2013 film stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a man who seeks out his exact double after happening to see him as an extra in a movie. As with any film from director Denis Villeneuve (Sicario, Arrival), Enemy is awash in dour, shiny tones, and it plods along slowly. But it’s always engaging, and the truly bizarre ending is open to interpretation. My favorite theory about what it means (full of spoilers, obviously) can be found here.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Available on: Hulu

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is not as critically beloved as Some Like It Hot or as culturally notable as The Seven-Year Itch, but it’s still a vehicle for a stellar Marilyn Monroe performance. The musical, directed by Hollywood legend Howard Hawks, finds Monroe and Jane Russell on a trip to Paris, pursued by both a private detective and many interested men. Monroe and Russell play an excellent odd couple, and this light romp is fun the whole way through. March 29th marks the 60th anniversary of Some Like It Hot, but I’ve already recommended that, so maybe make it a double-feature and an all-Monroe weekend.

While We’re Young

Available on: Netflix

While We’re Young ranks up there among the movies I recommend to people the most but which not a single other person I know has said they’ve seen. Which is a shame, because it’s a really clever and well-acted drama-comedy, the type of movie that increasingly doesn’t get made except when it’s buried on Netflix. Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts star as a middle-aged couple who befriend a younger couple in a bid to rekindle the fire in their relationship. The top reason to check out While We’re Young is Adam Driver and Amanda Seyfried as that younger couple, a parody of faux-wise hipsters with darker undertones.