May is absolutely brimming with great new movies streaming. This month brings sequels, star-studded adventure films, smart slashers and even Oscar-winning favorites to streamers like Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Peacock and Max, and we’ve gone ahead and put together a curated list of the best of the best. Below you’ll find a roundup of the best new streaming movies this month, from bona fide new releases like “Another Simple Favor” and the John Krasinski-fronted “Fountain of Youth” to new-to-streaming titles like “The Brutalist,” “Dog Man” and the critically acclaimed “Black Bag.”
So pop some popcorn, sit back and enjoy the show.
“Another Simple Favor”
Prime Video – May 1
Yes, there is a new sequel to the 2018 film “A Simple Favor” (see below) and yes, Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively are back for another round of murderous fun. When a murder takes place at Emily’s (Lively) extravagant new wedding to an Italian businessman, a fabulous new mystery unspools. Henry Golding and Andrew Rannells also return, with a new supporting cast that includes Bashir Salahuddin (Hondo from “Top Gun: Maverick”) and Elizabeth Perkins, who replaces Jean Smart as Lively’s mother. Also, Jake Tapper has a cameo as himself, so there’s that. Perhaps most importantly, director Paul Feig returns, for a sequel that is – hopefully – just as devilishly delicious as the first movie. Fingers crossed.
“Kingsman,” “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” and “The King’s Man”
Hulu – May 1
Matthew Vaughn’s “Kingsman” franchise is one of the odder franchises in recent memory. And for good reason. The first film, based on the comic book series by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons, felt fresh and new – a stylized, hyper-violent update on dusty spy movie clichés that introduced Taron Egerton as a kid from the wrong side of the tracks who could potentially be the next James Bond and put Colin Firth in the unlikely role of his action hero mentor. The sequel, “Kingsman: The Golden Circle,” was even more insane. Julianne Moore was a supervillain who lived in a jungle lair, had robotic dogs and turned people into hamburger meat, and the American version of the Kingsman spy organization was introduced, with agents played by Channing Tatum, Pedro Pascal and Jeff Bridges. And “The King’s Man,” a prequel to the franchise set on the cusp of World War I, is perhaps the strangest of them all, with Rasputin (Rhys Ifans) reimagined as a superpowered villain and a stacked cast of British actors, all doing the absolute most (Ralph Fiennes, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander and Aaron Taylor-Johnson among them). Also, for reasons that still aren’t entirely clear, Vaughn’s “Argylle” (available to watch on Apple TV+) also shares DNA with “Kingsman” lore. But we’ll let you uncover the connections for yourself.
“Mission: Impossible” 1-4
Hulu – May 1
Get ready for “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” by binge-watching the entire “Mission” franchise so far. Unlike some other series, this one is incredibly fun to watch in one chunk thanks to the versatility of the spy franchise. Brian De Palma’s first “Mission: Impossible” is a paranoid spy thriller, John Woo’s “M:I 2” is an over-the-top action ballet, J.J. Abrams’ “Mission: Impossible III” is a domestic (and pretty romantic) spy romp and “Ghost Protocol” is where the franchise took its stunts to a whole other level.
“Black Bag”
Peacock – May 2
Almost no one saw “Black Bag,” one of the year’s very best movies, when it was released in theaters earlier this spring. But now that it is on Peacock, please try not to make the same mistake. “Black Bag,” directed by the great Steven Soderbergh and written by David Koepp (following their earlier collaborations “KIMI” and “Presence”), follows a spy (Michael Fassbender) tasked with uncovering a mole and locating a device that could have dire consequences. The only problem? The #1 suspect is his wife, another spy (Cate Blanchett). Can he unravel the truth and save his marriage at the same time? Or will both go down in flames? The only way to find out is to watch “Black Bag,” a slick, crackling slice of entertainment that is equal parts “Mission: Impossible” and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf?” It’s full of lengthy dialogue scenes and a ton of espionage business, and both will keep you on the absolute edge of your seat. One of Soderbergh’s very best films and one of his most breathlessly entertaining.
“Ready Player One”
Max – May 3
The latter part of Steven Spielberg’s career has been defined by the big, serious, critically acclaimed movies like “War Horse,” “West Side Story,” “Lincoln” and, most recently, “The Fabelmans.” 2018’s “Ready Player One,” an outlier and one of the more underrated movies in the maestro’s career, was proof that he still had the chops to make a wonderous and emotionally compelling blockbuster. Based on the Ernie Cline novel of the same name (he co-wrote the screenplay with Zak Penn), “Ready Player One” is set in a future where everyone has become disconnected and instead of interacting with each other commune in a virtual reality world called the Oasis. (There are so many shades of the pandemic.) The creator of the Oasis, Halliday (Spielberg fav Mark Rylance) has died and turned the world into a giant easter egg hunt – if a player finds the (actual) eggs, they become the sole owner of the Oasis and everything that goes along with it. A plucky kid (Tye Sheridan) becomes obsessed with the 1980’s pop culture that Halliday also fixated on, leading to set pieces like an opening car chase (where everything from the DeLorean from “Back to the Future” to the bike from “Akira” to classic monster truck Bigfoot are all competing) and a sequence set within the world of Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining.”
These are things that only Spielberg could even attempt, much less pull off with the aplomb that he does. “Ready Player One” is dazzling, particularly towards the end of the movie, when an all-out melee erupts on the grounds of an icy hidden world within the Oasis. And it’s fascinating to think about in the arc of Spielberg’s career, see him reconnect with the iconography, music and visuals from the period when the filmmaker really ascended. It’s not as autobiographical as “The Fabelmans,” obviously, but if you dig hard enough, it’s certainly there.
“Heart Eyes”
Netflix – May 8
“Heart Eyes,” which was a sleeper hit earlier this year, is the unholy amalgamation of a romantic comedy and a slasher movie. Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding are two young people who don’t particularly like each other but are together enough to be targeted by the Heart Eyes Killer, a mysterious serial murderer who targets couples on Valentine’s Day. Now they’ve got to get along – and stay alive! – before they become the killer’s latest victims. Directed by Josh Ruben, a veteran of indie horror movies like “Werewolves Within” and “Scare Me,” loses none of his heart while working on a much larger canvas. Crucially, though, he pays just as much attention to the romantic comedy element as he does the slasher stuff. This is the rare movie that can claim it was inspired by “Friday the 13th VI: Jason Lives” and “When Harry Met Sally” in equal measure. With appearances from 1990’s genre legends Jordana Brewster and Devon Sawa and intricately staged suspense set pieces, “Heart Eyes” feels like a new genre classic, the kind of movie you’d rent with your friends when you were 11 and stay up late at night to watch. Get after it.
“Summer of ’69”
Hulu – May 9
“Summer of 69” feels like the kind of raunchy, feel-good comedy that they used to make in the early 2000’s but have all but abandoned today. The film premiered at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, earlier this year, and the official synopsis is pretty funny: “An awkward high school senior hires an exotic dancer to help seduce her longtime crush before graduation, leading to unexpected friendship and lessons in self-confidence, acceptance and adulthood.” The high schooler is played by Sam Morelos and the exotic dancer by Chloe Fineman, a standout from the current cast of “Saturday Night Live.” The movie was directed by the very funny Jillian Bell, who co-wrote the script with Liz Nico and Jules Byrne, and the trailer is charming, sweet and offbeat. Plus the supporting cast includes Matt Cornett, Charlie Day, Natalie Morales, Alex Moffat, Paula Pell and Nicole Byer. So, yes, we are totally in. Take us back to the “American Pie” days (with much less misogyny and gay panic please).
“Nonnas”
Netflix – May 9
“Nonnas” feels like the kind of warm-hearted comedy that would have been on 1,000 screens in the mid-1990’s. But now it’s debuting on Netflix in millions and millions of households. Vince Vaughn stars in this, a true story, about a man who loses his mother and decides to open up an Italian restaurant, hiring local grandmothers from the neighborhood (the titular nonnas) to work as chefs. The nonnas are played by legendary actresses Susan Sarandon, Talia Shire, Lorraine Bracco and Brenda Vaccaro, with Linda Cardellini, Drea de Matteo, Joe Manganiello and Campbell Scott in supporting roles. Novelist and filmmaker Stephen Chbosky, perhaps best known for writing and then adapting “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” directed “Nonnas” from a script by Liz Maccie. Make a big bowl of spaghetti and sit down to laugh and cry along with “Nonnas.”
“Love Hurts”
Peacock – May 9
Following Ke Huy Quan’s return to acting (after a nearly 20 year hiatus) and his Oscar win for “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” he knew what he wanted to do – star in his own action movie. Thus, “Love Hurts” arrived this Valentine’s Day, a bone-breaking ode to romance and ultraviolence. Produced by David Leitch and Kelly McCormick, the team behind “The Fall Guy” and “Bullet Train” (among others), Quan plays a man who was involved in organized crime but left that life behind. But wouldn’t you know it, his past found a way of catching up with him. And while the fight sequences are zesty and well-staged (the movie was directed by Jonathan Eusebio, another stunt vet), the in-between bits can occasionally get draggy. The movie is best enjoyed while folding laundry or working on a crossword puzzle, even with a fun supporting cast that includes fellow Oscar winner Ariana De Bose, Daniel Wu, Marshawn Lynch and Quan’s “Goonies” co-star Sean Astin.
“Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation”
Hulu – May 13
Add another “Mission” movie to your watchlist mid-May with “Rogue Nation,” the first installment directed by Christopher McQuarrie, who would go on to also direct “Fallout,” “Dead Reckoning” and the upcoming “Final Reckoning.” After the high-flying stunts of “Ghost Protocol,” “Rogue Nation” has a completely different flavor – Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust makes for an incredible (and flirty) foil for Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt, and McQuarrie delights in a twisty, turny story in which you never quite know whose allegiances lie where. This is one of the franchise’s best.
“Paddington in Peru”
Netflix – May 15
“Paddington in Peru,” the latest entry in the delightful franchise that began with 2014’s “Paddington” and continued with 2017’s “Paddington 2,” isn’t as transcendent as the earlier installments in the franchise. But you know what? That’s okay. Sure, there have been some changes with this movie. For one, Paul King has opted not to return, with Douglas Wilson stepping into his very large shoes. And Emily Mortimer has replaced Sally Hawkins, who similarly decided to do other things. You feel both of their losses immensely in “Paddington in Peru,” although Wilson and Mortimer do contribute admirable work here. This time, Paddington (voiced, once again, by Ben Whishaw) travels to the darkest jungles of Peru in order to save his dear Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton). Of course, once there, he runs afoul of a pirate (Antonio Banderas) who communicates with his long-dead ancestors and is desperate to stop Paddington from completing his quest. This is a movie overflowing with charm, that will probably still make you cry and exclaim “aww” at least a few times. Let’s get King back for “Paddington 4” please, and soon – those kids are so old now!
“The Brutalist”
Max – May 16
“The Brutalist” won three Oscars in March – Best Actor for Adrien Brody and Best Cinematography and Best Score – and now you can finally stream this three-hour epic at home. Brady Corbet’s film begins in 1947 and chronicles the journey of László Tóth, a Hungarian-Jewish architect forced out of his homeland during the Holocaust who tries to build a new life in America. Guy Pearce is menacing as a wealthy industrialist who aims to bankroll Tóth to design something beautiful, while Felicity Jones is towering as Tóth’s wife, also a survivor. While the runtime can be daunting, the film plays more like a symphony, divided into two parts with an intermission. As its epic scope plays out, you can’t help but be mesmerized.
“Pee-wee as Himself”
Max – May 23
This two-part, nearly four-hour documentary is one of the more powerful and affecting things you’ll see this year – a raw, insightful look at one of the most complicated, misunderstood figures in modern American popular culture. “Pee-wee as Himself” started as a more standard biographical documentary, charting the life and popularity of Paul Reubens aka Pee-wee Herman, but took on greater significance after Reubens’ death in 2023 after battling privately with lung cancer for several years. Reubens is a prickly figure in the documentary, openly battling with director Matt Wolf about how he will be portrayed and how his story will ultimately be told. You can feel Wolf wrestling with the material even after Reubens is gone; shortly before his death he pulled back from the documentary, sending Wolf a voice memo just a week before his death, attempting to explain his situation. It’s brutal stuff, especially if you lived through Pee-wee’s rise to a Zeitgeist-capturing sensation and the legal troubles that did much to undo that goodwill. But much like the man himself, the documentary offers so much joy and humor and stories that were never told. Reubens believed in himself, but the documentary makes sure to allow him room to dissect his missteps and hardships, becoming the rare celebrity documentary with actual introspection. The documentary is a towering achievement worthy of its subject; as silly and surreal and profound too.
“The Last Showgirl”
Hulu – May 23
The latest from Gia Coppola (yes, she’s Francis’ granddaughter), is a slice-of-life human drama, the kind of movie that is rarely made anymore these days. A never-better Pamela Anderson plays a proven showgirl whose life is shaken up by the announcement that her legacy show is closing soon. Dave Bautista plays the producer of the show, who has an on-again/off-again relationship with Anderson’s character, with Kiernan Shipka and Brenda Song playing her fellow showgirls and Jamie Lee Curtis as her best friend, an over-the-hill cocktail waitress at the casino. Billie Lourd also appears as Anderson’s estranged daughter. Full of pathos and grit, “The Last Showgirl” will absolutely charm you, and with its brief, under-90-minute runtime, you’ll still have the rest of your day or night ahead of you! How great is that?
“Fear Street: Prom Queen”
Netflix – May 23
Back in 2021 Netflix acquired the rights to “Fear Street” – a trilogy of films based on the R.L. Stine novels that had made by 20th Century Studios but were sold to Netflix. (This was during the great streaming rush and following Disney’s acquisition of the 21st Century assets.) The “Fear Street” films were, in a word, great. They were also quietly revolutionary, blurring the line between movies and streaming series, with a new film (directed by the great Leigh Janiak) released every week for three weeks straight. Now – finally – we have a new “Fear Street” movie. And it’s not a moment too soon. “Fear Street: Prom Queen,” based on another Stine book in the “Fear Street” line, is set in 1988, so in-between “Fear Street Part One: 1994” and its follow-up “Fear Street Part Two: 1978.” There are some veiled references to the Camp Nightwing massacre, the main event from that sequel film, but “Fear Street: Prom Queen” takes a more straightforward approach – this is a traditional slasher movie, through and through, with nods to (of course) 1980’s “Prom Night” and 1976’s “Carrie.” This installment could have used Janiak’s deftness of touch and period specificity; “Prom Queen” is fun but could have used more grippy verisimilitude. Still, it’s got a strong cast (including India Fowler, Suzanna Son, Chris Klein, Lili Tayloer, Ariana Greenblatt and, for some reason, Katherine Waterson, who is already being saddled with frumpy mom roles), a killer, synth-drenched score by the Newton Brothers, and a mid-credits scene that hints at how the story could play into the overarching “Fear Street” narrative. Listen, just watch this one so we can get another one. That’s all we really need at this point. We’ll call Janiak if we have to.
“Fountain of Youth”
Apple TV+ – May 23
Guy Ritchie is unstoppable. The British filmmaker, who got his start doing low-budget crime thrillers like “Snatch” before graduating to big budget spectacles like “Sherlock Holmes,” has made five movies since 2021, with two more that have yet to be released. Plus he is overseeing small screen hits like “The Gentlemen” (based on his movie of the same name) and Paramount+’s “MobLand.” He is on fire. His latest, “Fountain of Youth,” is more closely aligned to his big Disney hit “Aladdin,” that his grittier output. But it is still a super entertaining romp, about siblings (played by John Krasinksi and Natalie Portman), who embark on a global quest to locate the mythical Fountain of Youth. This quest takes them under the sea, through museums and art galleries around the world and even to the ancient pyramids of Egypt, with Ritchie staging the action in smart, snappy bursts and Krasinski channeling his inner Ryan Reynolds as a fast-talking wiseass. “Fountain of Youth,” in its own way, feels like a modern day riff on the Indiana Jones films, with a game supporting cast (including Eiza González, Domhnall Gleeson, Arian Moayed and Carmen Ejogo, with a cameo from Stanley Tucci) and Ritchie’s typical stylistic embroidery. Have you seen movies like “Fountain of Youth” before? Probably. But not in a while. And probably not as breathlessly fun.
“Dog Man”
Peacock – May 23
DreamWorks’ latest animated hit (it made $143 million globally on a budget of around $40 million) is an idiosyncratic adaptation of the books by Dav Pikey, which are part of the same universe as “Captain Underpants.” (If you know, you know, as the kids say.) The title character is the result of a tragic accident, with the scientists putting dog and human body parts back together. Dog Man cannot talk, but he can bark, and he is pretty expressive all the same, especially when dealing with his archnemesis Petey the cat (voiced, appropriately, by Pete Davidson). Is “Dog Man” the most sophisticated movie you’ll ever see? Probably not. But it is extremely funny and heartfelt, with some really terrific gags, a great voice cast (that also includes Lil Rel Howery, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Root) and a unique animation style that calls to mind children’s toys and classic Saturday morning cartoons (among other things). This movie is fun for the whole family, even if the whole family is just you.
“Bono: Stories of Surrender”
Apple TV+ – May 23
Even if you aren’t a Bono/U2 fan, “Bono: Stories of Surrender” is must-watch entertainment. Based on Bono’s recent memoir “Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story,” and his one-man stage show “Stories of Surrender: An Evening of Words, Music and Some Mischief…,” the new movie was directed by Andrew Dominik, the filmmaker behind “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” and, more recently, “Blonde.” Dominik directed 2016’s miraculous “One More Time with Feeling,” about Nick Cave and the tragedies that have shaped his career. (It was shot in 3D, of course.) This new documentary promises never-before-seen footage of Bon from his Beacon Theatre shows in New York, with Bono singing U2 songs “that have shaped his life and legacy” (according to the official release). What’s more – if you have an Apple Vision Pro headset, you can watch a special version of the documentary there, “the first feature-length film available in Apple Immersive Video, a media format recorded in 8K with Spatial Audio to produce a 180-degree video that places viewers onstage with Bono and in the center of his story.” You might feel closer to Bono than you ever wanted to before.
“Mountainhead”
HBO/Max – May 31
Talk about secrecy. “Mountainhead,” the feature debut of “Succession” creator Jesse Armstrong, has released a lone trailer and a single-sentence synopsis (“Wealthy friends meet up amidst an ongoing financial crisis”). We do know that those wealthy friends are played by Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith and Ramy Youssef and that the movie came together remarkably fast (they wrapped production earlier this month). Why the rush? Because Emmy eligibility ends on the day that “Mountainhead” premieres on HBO. But hey, this is a genuine summer movie event on the small screen, harkening back to when new movies on HBO were very much a thing. Remember “Cast a Deadly Spell?” Or “The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom?” Those were the days. Maybe “Mountainhead” can take us back. Probably not. But still, it’s a nice thought.
