Welcome to Lifehacker's weekly round-up of the best new (and newish) movies on Prime. This week, Prime is premiering a documentary about NBA legend Giannis Antetokounmpo, new stand-up from Jenny Slate, and much more.
Giannis: The Marvelous Journey
An in-depth documentary about NBA phenom Giannis Antetokounmpo, Giannis: The Marvelous Journey charts "The Greek Freak's" epic life story, from a childhood spent in dire poverty in Greece, to being signed by the Bucks at only 18 years old, to building himself into one of the greatest power forwards to ever play basketball.
Jenny Slate: Seasoned Professional
Comedian Jenny Slate created Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, was a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and starred in Bob's Burgers, Parks and Recreation, and many other shows. Just like the title says, Slate's a seasoned professional, and her second Prime stand-up special sees her giving her unique takes on motherhood, finding a therapist, navigating relationships, and more.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023)
This update of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shines by focusing on the "teenage" part of equation; its cast of funny, likable, young voice actors turn in naturalistic performances that feel like casual riffing and capture the personality of the comic book better than any other screen or TV adaptation. It looks amazing too, with a unique hand-drawn-by-computers animation style, and features some epic action set pieces. In short, Mutant Mayhem is fun for the whole family.
Air (2023)
In Air, director Ben Affleck makes a breezy, clever, fast-paced movie out of the true story of how a shoe company came up with a new marketing gimmick. Part corporate hagiography and part shameless 1980s nostalgia, Air details how the ragtag Nike corporation landed an advertising deal with Michael Jordan while he was still in college, catapulting itself to the top of the sneaker game. I wish all movies about brands were this entertaining.
Last week's picks
This Is Me... Now: A Love Story
A few weeks ago, singer/super diva Jennifer Lopez dropped the trailer for This is Me…Now: A Love Story, a big-budget, visually arresting, autobiographical musical film/vanity project that made viewers ask, “why is J-Lo working in a factory in outer space?” and “what even is this?” Well, now we can find out. This is Me...Now has the kind of swinging-for-the-fences artistic ambition and total commitment that either results in great art or in a failure so spectacular it winds up entertaining for unintended reasons. Watch This is Me...Now and see which side of the coin comes up for J-Lo, and for you.
Five Blind Dates
In this romantic comedy, Lia is the owner of a failing Chinese tea shop. A fortune teller reveals that the fate of her business is tied to Lia's love life, and she'll receive a solution to both during one of her next five dates. Five Blind Dates doesn't take any bold risks, but sometimes a formulaic rom-com with an appealing cast and tight writing is just what the TV-doctor ordered.
Bottoms (2023)
If you're friends with "that guy" who laments that tasteless, gross-out comedy isn't allowed in movies anymore, suggest Bottoms. It's as edgy, horny, and scatological as any gross out comedy of yesteryear, but it doesn't aim at targets that don't deserve it. Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri play "ugly, untalented gays" who try to "get cooch" by starting a fight club at their high school. Like the best teen comedies, Bottoms captures the oily mixture of awkwardness and hormones that make adolescence such a nightmare.
Yesterday (2019)
Yesterday combines nostalgia, Beatles covers, and fantasy in an appealing wish-fulfillment blend. It starts with a premise based on a daydream common to songwriters: what if everyone in the world forgot that the Beatles existed, but you knew all their songs? That's the situation struggling musician Jack finds himself in after being hit by a bus (just go with it). Using the "stolen" Beatles tunes, Jack quickly becomes a superstar, but should he continue living a lie?