When looking over the list of new movies on Paramount+, we noticed a handful of films that deserve another chance to be discovered by a larger audience in the streaming era. These three underrated movies on Paramount+ weren’t Hollywood blockbusters or flicks held up as timeless classics. But they are great examples of the power of cinematic storytelling. And chances are very good that most of you reading this list have yet to see all three of them.
Our picks for September include a period thriller, a gripping crime drama, and a love story that has magic at its heart. These are the three underrated movies on Paramount+ that you need to watch in September.
Like Water for Chocolate (1992)
Like Water for Chocolate was acclaimed at the time of its release, but it tends to be overlooked by modern romance lovers. This is a Mexican romantic drama with touches of fantasy. Or “magical realism,” if you prefer. Lumi Cavazos stars as Tita, the youngest daughter in her family in the earliest days of the 20th century. Tita’s mother, Mama Elena (Regina Torné), forbids her from marrying and essentially condemns her to a life of loveless servitude.
Even when Tita falls passionately in love with a young man named Pedro (Marco Leonardi), Elena has him marry Tita’s older sister, Rosaura (Yareli Arizmendi). In Tita’s despair, she discovers that she can pass on her intense emotions through the food that she cooks and prepares. Anyone who eats Tita’s food will feel the same emotions she felt, only amplified to an even greater degree. Tita doesn’t realize it at the time, but this ability will change her life forever.
Watch Like Water for Chocolate on Paramount+.
Road to Perdition (2002)
Do you remember the time that Tom Hanks headlined a comic book adaptation alongside a kid named Tyler Hoechlin who grew up to play Superman? Welcome to the Road to Perdition, director Sam Mendes’ adaptation of Max Allan Collins and artist Richard Piers Rayner’s graphic novel. During the Great Depression, Michael Sullivan (Hanks) is a family man who works as a hitman for his other family in the mob. One day, Michael’s oldest son, Michael Sullivan Jr. (Hoechlin), witnesses his dad on the job and sees Connor Rooney (Daniel Craig), the son of a mob boss, murder a man.
Despite the older Sullivan’s assertion that his son will keep Connor’s secret, Connor murders Michael’s wife and youngest son. The two Michaels are forced to flee, unaware that Connor has unleashed an insane assassin named Harlen Maguire (Jude Law) to murder them both. And if you need any further convincing about this movie’s powerhouse cast, the late Paul Newman plays John Rooney, Michael’s mentor and Connor’s father.
Watch Road To Perdition on Paramount+.
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006)
Much like the Mexican film Like Water For Chocolate, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer embraces the fantastic. However, this story is much darker than the previously mentioned film. In 18th century France, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (Passages‘ Ben Whishaw) is an antisocial orphan who develops what can only be described as a superhuman sense of small. Jean-Baptiste eventually puts this skill to use as a perfumer’s apprentice, but his quest for the perfect scent begins with a young girl’s murder and a desire to recreate her personal aroma.
As Jean-Baptiste’s ability to create new scents grows, he begins murdering women to collect their scents. He especially wants the scent of young Laure Richis (Rachel Hurd-Wood). And not even the love of Laure’s father, Antoine Richis (Alan Rickman), can protect her.
Watch Perfume: The Story of a Murderer on Paramount+.
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