This Week in Streaming (January 21st)

Jerod Ra'Del Hollyfield -

A Different Man (Max) It’s all-too-brief theatrical run last October left virtually no window for us to discuss one of 2024’s best films. Sebastian Stan plays Edward, an aspiring actor whose neurofibromatosis has left his face covered in tumors since birth. Hoping to save his career and  become more than an object of pity to his dreamgirl next door, he undergoes an experimental treatment that results in some movie-star looks. But when a universally adored man-about-town with the same condition gets the lead role in a play based on his life, Edward embarks on an epically comedic unraveling that challenges perceptions of disability while excoriating urban creatives for their exploitative tendencies.  A dense, hilarious and, ultimately, beautiful film that deserves a cult following. 

Cunk on Life (Netflix) After taking on Britain and Earth in character as the narcissistic and clueless TV journo Philomena Cunk, comedienne Diane Morgan gets philosophical in her latest mockumentary series. More Matt Walsh than Borat, Morgan skewers lazy media personalities and academic windbags with equal fervor. The perfect respite from the dark days of January. 

One Hour Photo (Hulu) Following years of post-Good Will Hunting turns in saccharine family movies like Patch Adams and Bicentennial Man, Robin Williams spent 2002 challenging his public persona. While his collaboration with Christopher Nolan on the film noir Insomnia got the most attention, his work as an obsessive photo developer pining to be part of a model upper-middle-class family remains on par with his most iconic roles. Williams manages to imbue what could have been a stock villain  with a deep humanity that allows director Mark Romanek (music video helmer of Nine Inch Nails and Johnny Cash fame) to make some precinct commentary on the limits of privacy and the hollow nature of our public-facing selves. The under-30 crowd may need a primer to fully grasp the premise, but that doesn’t make the movie's central concerns any less timeless.