As blockbuster season rolls out, the Tribeca Film Festival takes over New York City to present some of the year’s more intimate filmmaking triumphs. From an already buzzy popstar documentary to a story about the road trip of a lifetime, check out 9 movies from the festival you’ll want to be ready to hop on once they hit theaters or streaming.
Many people like to ring in turning 50 with a big party. Not Jennifer Lopez. She needs more than that as any international superstar does. Serving as a kickoff to the second half of her life, Halftime chronicles the entertainment icon’s decades-long career and peels back the grit and determination that makes J. Lo a one-of-a-kind entertainer for a deeper look at her as a Latina, mother and artist. Premieres June 14 on Netflix.
Following up the success of feature debut S***house, writer-director-star Cooper Raiff returns with a romance drama-comedy that counts Dakota Johnson as one of his costars. As new college graduate Andrew, he returns home to figure out what’s next in life. While working bar mitzvahs, he meetos Domino, a young, single mother who he finds an instant connection with. Premieres June 17 on Apple TV Plus.
How do you convince your teen daughter to road trip from California to New Orleans for your 20th college reunion? Promise you’ll finally teach her how to drive. It’s all part of single father Max’s (John Cho) plan to secretly reunite with Wally’s (Mia Isaac) mother who left them years ago— not to mention he’s trying to cram all the years of time he will miss with Wally after learning he has a terminal illness. Premieres July 15 on Amazon Prime Video.
When Jerry Selbee (Bryan Cranston) finally retires from his job at the local factory, he feels purposeless. All the years of a stable, satisfying routine are gone and he can’t quite find a hobby to enjoy. Then he finds a legal loophole in the lottery system. Jerry lets his friends in on the secret so they can revive their town from economic decline, but then a slimy Ivy Leaguer also discovers the systemic mistake and threatens everything. Premieres June 17 on Paramount Plus.
With a stellar cast that includes Issa Rae and Ashton Kutcher, B.J. Novak stars and makes his directorial debut in this dark comic thriller about a New York City journalist who adventures to Texas to look into a young woman’s mysterious death. In theaters July 29.
Is there a tale more human than the battle of egos? In Official Competition, a billionaire pivots to the business of Hollywood and rounds up three entertainment titans to collaborate on a cinematic masterpiece, but things don’t go exactly as anticipated. Penélope Cruz, Antonio Banderas and Oscar Martínez star in this satire about show business.
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In another actor’s directorial debut, Ray Romano directs and stars as Leo Russo, a father perhaps too obsessed with securing his son’s future. When his high school basketball star son (Jacob Ward) becomes a serious prospect for an athletic scholarship, Leo works to ensure his sons’ success, but only ends up tearing his family apart. It also stars Laurie Metcalf.
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Fans of true crime and romance will find common ground in this one. Chronicling the tale of the country’s most successful bank robbers, Colin Barnicle captures the love story and history of the now elderly ex-cons.
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Best friends (and recovering addicts) Dev and Luca are put to the test during COVID-era New York City when they must race across town to stop Regina (their mutual crush) from killing her ex-boyfriend. It stars Ben Groh, Dion Costelloe and Liz Caribel Sierra.
See also: A Guide to This Summer's Action-Packed Blockbuster Films
Photography by: Courtesy of Netflix
