Of all of the many streaming services that are now available, Max may have the deepest catalog of movies. Thanks to its numerous partnerships, and its many archived Warner Bros. titles, Max has hundreds of titles that are worth checking out.
While that is certainly a benefit of the service, it can also be one of the trickiest parts of picking out a movie to watch, because there are many worthy titles that you may not find if you aren’t guided toward them. These underrated movies on Max are just as good as many of the classics on the service, and we’ve picked out three that are definitely worth your time.
20th Century Women (2016)
Set in the late 1970s and based on director Mike Mills’ own experience of growing up in California, 20th Century Women is really a movie about the women who influenced the person he ultimately became. Annette Bening, who plays the Mills stand-in’s mother, is the movie’s lead, and she’s absolutely terrific in every scene.
Supported by Mia Wasikowska, Greta Gerwig (now best known as the director of Barbie), and Billy Crudup, every single scene in this movie features at least one brilliant performance, and often several at the same time. This movie is the perfect blend of wistfulness about the past and understanding of its many faults, and it’s a triumph in every way a small-budget movie like this can be.
Under the Skin (2014)
Jonathan Glazer’s small-scale rail against the patriarchy, Under the Skin follows a being from another planet who is disguised as a beautiful woman (Black Widow‘s Scarlett Johansson) and picks up unsuspecting men who are attracted because of the being’s looks. Once the men get in the car, though, they are transported into another realm where the alien seems to feed on or at least destroy them.
Under the Skin is trippy and mind-bending, and it may occasionally test your patience, but that’s part of the movie’s ultimate appeal. It’s about something almost impossible to comprehend in its strangeness, and yet it’s likely to seduce you anyway.
In the Mood for Love (2000)
One of the best unrequited love stories in the history of cinema, In the Mood for Love tells the story of two neighbors who discover that their spouses are cheating on them with one another. Following that discovery, the two decide to begin spending time with one another. It’s a love story without a kiss, one where the tension in every interaction between the two is palpable.
The movie’s Hong Kong setting may make it alienating to some American viewers, but you should have faith that this highly regarded movie is truly a masterpiece. Director Wong Kar Wai knows how to wring the tension out of every moment, and Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung are electric together.
