This summer, the place to be isn’t at the pool or a movie theater — it’s in front of your TV. At least, that’s where Hulu wants you to be.
And with their July programming lineup, it won’t be hard to convince subscribers to tune in.
This weekend, Watch With Us recommends you stream these three underrated movies: the musical drama Country Strong starring Gwyneth Paltrow, the Liam Neeson action thriller Honest Thief and the goofy Hugh Jackman sci-fi flick Real Steel.
‘Country Strong’ (2010)
Beau Hutton (Garrett Hedlund) is an up-and-coming musician who partners with Kelly Canter (Gwyneth Paltrow), a famous country singer who has just gotten out of rehab. Kelly is a mess, but her husband, James (Tim McGraw), insists she go on tour to restore her public image. She agrees, but only if Beau is her opening act.
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Once the tour begins, though, Beau grows closer to Kelly, while she becomes increasingly unstable as the pressure of traveling and performing takes their toll. Can Kelly regain the confidence and stability that made her a star to begin with? Or will her regret about her past mistakes stop her from succeeding as a singer — and a potential love connection with Beau?
Country Strong is like the 1979 Bette Midler film The Rose but with a Western swagger and a willingness to be as melodramatic as possible. It’s massively entertaining to watch, though, because of Paltrow, who is surprisingly convincing as an emotionally damaged country singer. As anyone who has seen her on Glee knows, Paltrow can sing, and when she takes the stage, you’ll believe thousands of fans would pay to see her. She imbues Kelly with a tragic charm that makes her hypnotic to watch, even when she falls from grace over and over again.
Country Strong is streaming on Hulu.
‘Honest Thief’ (2020)
Tom Dolan (Liam Neeson) is a successful bank robber who wants to reform so he can live a guilt-free life with his girlfriend, Annie (Kate Walsh). When he sets up a meeting with two FBI agents to hand over all the money he stole in the past, he thinks he’s on the path to redemption. Instead, he’s nearly killed as the agents want the money for themselves. Now on the run, Tom must protect Annie from getting hurt and prove his innocence before it’s too late.
Honest Thief is a typical Neeson action movie, which means a lot of intimidating staredowns from the Irish actor, several excellently staged shoot-outs and a love interest who is more or less sidelined midway through the picture. While it’s not nearly as good as Taken, Unknown or The Commuter, Honest Thief is a solid action movie that has enough twists and turns to keep you distracted for its 99 minutes.
Honest Thief is streaming on Hulu.
‘Real Steel’ (2011)
Before they made Deadpool & Wolverine together, actor Hugh Jackman and director Shawn Levy first teamed up in the 2011 action movie, Real Steel, which is set in the near future where boxing matches are fought by remotely controlled robots instead of humans. Jackman plays Charlie, a former boxer-turned-hustler who is out of money and has to take care of an 11-year-old son, Max (Dakota Goyo), who he barely knows.
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When Max discovers a dilapidated but still functioning fighter robot, Atom, Charlie sees an opportunity to make some money by repairing it and entering it in a championship boxing tournament. But the odds are stacked against them as the reigning champion, Zeus, is undefeated. Can Charlie and Max train Atom to take down Zeus and claim the cash prize? And in doing so, will Charlie learn how to be a good father to Max?
Based on a 1956 Richard Matheson short story, Real Steel is ridiculous, goofy fun. Jackman commits to the out-there premise and largely plays it straight. Charlie is a scoundrel, but not irredeemable; he learns to value Max as much as he does his bank account. The film’s third act will seem familiar to anyone who has seen the Sylvester Stallone arm wrestling cult classic Over the Top, but that doesn’t make it any less effective — and emotional. Real Steel is a perfect summer streaming watch; it’s well-made enough to entertain you and so lightweight and fun that you may just forget you’ve ever watched it.
Real Steel is streaming on Hulu.
