This 4th of July weekend, Netflix is the place to watch films that are perfect to celebrate America’s 249th birthday.
Among the three underrated Netflix movies the What to Watch team has selected are Born on the Fourth of July, an anti-war movie starring Tom Cruise, and Wrath of the Titans, a fantasy sequel to Clash of the Titans.
Finally, what’s more American than a good old-fashioned comedy about swapping bodies with your younger self? Stream 17 Again with Zac Efron if you’re in the mood for some fun — and a few laughs.
‘17 Again’ (2009)
Body swap comedies have always been popular, from the original Freaky Friday to the ‘80s flicks Vice Versa and Like Father, Like Son. The premise got a modern polish with 17 Again, which stars Matthew Perry as disaffected 37-year-old Mike O’Donnell, whose life is in shambles. His wife is divorcing him, he just lost his job and his two teenage kids hate him. A chance encounter with a janitor on a bridge somehow transforms him back to his 17-year-old self (Zac Efron), giving Mike a second chance to make things right.
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17 Again doesn’t have a lot of surprises in its story; if you’ve seen one body swap comedy, you’ve seen them all. But much like the 2004 version of Freaky Friday with Lindsay Lohan, this movie works because of its two leads. Perry is believably self-deprecating and cynical as the weary older Mike, while Efron is convincing as a young Mike who relishes exploiting all the advantages of youth.
17 Again is streaming on Netflix.
‘Born on the Fourth of July’ (1989)
We’re stretching the meaning of “underrated” with this selection, since it was nominated for a slew of Oscars and won Best Director for Oliver Stone. Still, does anyone really talk about it anymore? Even among Tom Cruise fans, it’s not as fondly remembered as his other films like Risky Business, Top Gun or Magnolia. That’s not right, as Cruise gives one of his best performances ever in a movie that still packs an emotional punch.
Cruise plays Ron Kovic, a real-life Vietnam War soldier who is shot and paralyzed while in the line of duty. After he returns home, he suffers from PTSD, drug abuse and depression, which almost kills him before he finds a new cause in life as an anti-war protester.
Born on the Fourth of July doesn’t flinch at showing the horrors Kovic went through in Vietnam or the indignities he suffers as a paraplegic who is mistreated by the health care system. Cruise’s all-American persona is used effectively here as Stone’s indictment of how American politicians lied to their people and sold a war that didn’t need to be fought by Kovic and thousands of other men like him.
Born on the Fourth of July is streaming on Netflix.
Wrath of the Titans (2012)
Sometimes, you just want to leave your brain at the door and watch respected British actors fight fantastical CGI creatures. If that’s you, then you’ll probably like Wrath of the Titans, a sequel to the 2010 version of Clash of the Titans. It’s no masterpiece — heck, it’s not even that good — but it’s fun and silly, and it gives you exactly what you want.
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Ten years after the events of the first film, demigod Perseus (Avatar’s Sam Worthington) enjoys retirement with his young son. His solitude is shattered when his father, Zeus (Liam Neeson), asks for his help. Since humans don’t pray to the gods anymore, they are losing their power by becoming mortal. Their lack of faith is also weakening the walls of a prison that is holding the vengeful Kronos. When he escapes, all hell breaks loose, and only Perseus can stop him.
Wrath of the Titans is streaming on Netflix.
