Five must-watch new movies you cannot miss in December
If you expected Netflix to stick to cute holiday movies and twinkly soundtracks this December, you might want to think again.
It turns out Netflix has a lot planned this December, and the best part is the variety. Romance? Sure. Journalism documentary? Why not? George Clooney learning about life? Of course. Murder mystery? Hell yeah. Ballroom dance partnership, which is turning into something else? Absolutely.
Sounds amazing, right? Wait before you see the movie titles. And yes, we are aware of the fact that most of the world is looking forward to the end of December when Netflix finally hands over the finale of Stranger Things, but what are we supposed to do until then?
The answer is this watchlist because there is something for every mood. You can hop from mountainside romance to magazine legacy drama without even standing up to get more snacks.
So here is your curated guide to the movies December is serving on a silver platter. Watch one, watch all, but do not pretend you will be productive after this.
Five must-watch new movies you cannot miss in December
My Secret Santa (Michael Rohl, December 3rd)
If you thought December rom-coms had already reached their maximum level of nonsense, think again, because this one looks like it was written after someone dared the writers’ room to outdo Mrs. Doubtfire. Alexandra Breckenridge plays Taylor, a single mother who needs money so badly she literally invents a whole prosthetic Santa face just to get a job at a luxury resort. Yes, she becomes Santa. Yes, she commits to the bit. Yes, it somehow works.
Things get complicated when she starts catching feelings for Matthew, the handsome resort manager played by Ryan Eggold. Because of course he is handsome. Because of course she falls for him while dressed as a full-grown mythical man with a beard. That is the exact brand of holiday madness Netflix specialises in.
The New Yorker at 100 (Marshall Curry, December 5th)
If December romances are not your vibe and you want something that makes you feel smarter than everyone else in the room, this documentary is your pick. The New Yorker, yes, that New Yorker, finally lets cameras peek into its famously private world. It is the magazine that shaped journalism, cartoons, fiction, and half the literary arguments people have on the internet, and this film goes deep into how it has survived a full century without losing its identity.
The documentary looks at its editors and its contributors, along with its legacy and the very specific culture that has kept the magazine iconic for 100 years. Watching the staff debate headlines with the seriousness of world leaders is going to be an intellectually fun watch.
Jay Kelly (Noah Baumbach, December 6th)
George Clooney and Adam Sandler in a Noah Baumbach movie is peak alternate timeline energy, and we are here for it. It is always fun to watch a real-life celebrity playing a celebrity on screen. And it’s even more fun when they behave like the general perception people have of a typical “celebrity”. Clooney plays Jay Kelly, a movie star in the middle of a very reflective life phase, and Sandler plays his manager, who ends up dragged into a European trip with him.
The film follows Jay as he tries to understand who he has become after decades of fame, and Baumbach has given him dialogue that sounds casual when you hear it first but punches you harder the longer it sits in your head. Emily Mortimer is not only appearing in the film but has also co-written it. And the supporting cast of Laura Dern, Riley Keough and Billy Crudup adds even more flavour to it.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (Rian Johnson, December 12th)
Benoit Blanc is back, people, and the plot looks quite delicious this time. Daniel Craig returns as the world’s politest detective, this time investigating a murder in a small church community in upstate New York, which, of course, is filled with people who are anything but unchaotic.
The cast is stacked beyond reason, as you have Glenn Close, Josh O’Connor, Josh Brolin, Andrew Scott, Thomas Haden Church, Kerry Washington, and Mila Kunis as the local police chief. The suspects are messy, and so are the investigators, and Rian Johnson once again treats the mystery genre like his playground. If you love puzzles and rich people behaving suspiciously, this is your December highlight.
10Dance (Keishi Ohtomo, December 18th)
If you love dance and if you love love, 10Dance is a movie designed to keep you in mind. Ryoma Takeuchi and Keita Machida star as rival ballroom champions forced to team up for the prestigious ten-dance competition. And don’t think it’s a film that’ll focus more on the “love” element than dance. If anything, you have five Latin styles and five Standard. And the cherry on top? Ryoma and Keita have zero tolerance for each other’s attitudes. It begins as pure rivalry, sharp and competitive, but as they train together, the walls come down and the story shifts into something tender.
Don’t you think it has been a while since we’ve had a good enemy-to-lovers story to devour? This one will scratch that itch with a lot of very pretty choreography. Watching the bond deepen between the two as the tension grows sweeter, this one has to be on your watchlist if you’re looking for a rom-com.