With Thanksgiving in the rear view mirror, it’s time to focus on what’s really important — movies!
HBO Max has plenty of them, so much so that it can be difficult to pick the most worthwhile flicks to watch.
That’s why Watch With Us has curated this short list of the best new HBO Max movies to watch this weekend.
The Mark Wahlberg action flick Flight Risk, the romantic drama Materialists and the family comedy Monster-in-Law are on our must-watch list to celebrate the end of November.
‘Flight Risk’ (2025)
U.S. Marshal Madolyn Harris (Michelle Dockery) has a tough assignment — she must safely transport mob accountant Winston (Topher Grace) from Alaska to New York City so he can testify against his bosses, the Moretti crime family. She charters a small plane so it will only be her, Winston and the pilot, Daryl Booth (Wahlberg). But soon, Madolyn suspects Daryl isn’t who he says he is — he’s actually an assassin hired by the Morettis to kill Winston before he can reach his destination. Now Madolyn must figure out a way to avoid Daryl’s suspicion that she knows who he really is, save Winston’s life and somehow keep them all from crashing.
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It’s hard to believe a B-movie like Flight Risk was helmed by the Oscar-winning director of Braveheart, but that says more about the state of Mel Gibson’s career than anything else. I’ll give him credit, though — Flight Risk is a tight thriller that makes the most of its absurd premise. Sporting a bad Texas accent and an even worse wig, Wahlberg plays against his usual heroic persona and gives his most interesting performance in years.
Freed from Downton Abbey’s tight corsets, Dockery is a surprisingly believable action heroine — she’s not invulnerable, and she’s scared as hell she’s going to die 10,000 feet above the ground. At just over 90 minutes, Flight Risk is enjoyably short, incredibly violent and guilty-pleasure entertaining — just as it should be.
Flight Risk is streaming on HBO Max.
‘Materialists’ (2025)
Lucy Mason (Dakota Johnson) wants you to fall in love — for a price. A professional matchmaker, she prowls New York City’s boroughs looking for available men for her picky female clients. But when she meets her own perfect man, private equity tycoon Harry Castillo (Pedro Pascal), she knows she’s found her unicorn. So why is she still drawn to her ex, professional waiter and occasional actor John Pitts (Chris Evans)? Does the affection she feels for John supersede the comfort and stability Henry can provide?
On paper, Materialists is a standard-issue rom-com, but in execution, it skews more serious and contemplative. Lucy isn’t your standard love story protagonist — she knows her strengths and weaknesses, and isn’t blinded by her feelings for either man. Johnson is an actress who needs the right kind of role to really shine, and she gets one with Lucy. In almost every scene she’s in, you see Lucy thinking about the situation she’s in and assessing the realities of love like it’s a chess game. Maybe she’s on to something with that approach.
Materialists is streaming on HBO Max.
‘Monster-in-Law’ (2005)
Charlie (Jennifer Lopez) is a working-class dog walker who meets the man of her dreams, hunky doctor Kevin (Michael Vartan). They fall quickly in love, and soon Kevin introduces her to his intimidating mother, Viola (Jane Fonda). Viola doesn’t care for her son’s new girlfriend, but after Kevin proposes to Charlie she goes ballistic and launches a campaign to drive her out of Kevin’s life for good. Charlie’s no wallflower, however, and she’s willing to fight for her right to marry Kevin, whether Viola likes it or not.
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I’m not going to argue that Monster-in-Law is a great or even good film. It’s too broad, too silly and too over-the-top to be mentioned in the same breath as rom-com classics like When Harry Met Sally or even How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. But if you keep your expectations low, it’s consistently enjoyable. The best parts belong to Fonda as the titular momma from hell and Wanda Sykes as Fonda’s take-no-bs assistant Ruby, who has a comically combative relationship with her demanding boss that makes you want to see more of them in a better movie.
Monster-in-Law is streaming on HBO Max.
