This Week in Streaming (June 18th)

Miller’s Girl (Netflix) Martin Freeman is the hobbity washed-up writer teaching English at a rural Southern Gothic Tennessee high school. Jenna Ortega is his wunderkind smalltown protege who hungers for experience and idolizes Henry Miller. Of course, a movie mining this subject matter earned some scathing reviews and courted controversy. That’s because Tennessee native Jade Bartlett’s debut is the kind of drama that cuts through the sexual politics bromides with a gleeful PC abandon that makes it a worthy heir to David Mamet’s Oleanna.

Smiling Friends (Max/Hulu Premium) It’s been over two years since this surreal animated workplace sitcom about four employees of a company tasked to bring unbridled joy to its clients reminded Adult Swim audiences of the bawdy fun the semi-network had in its glory days, but season two is finally on tap. Pitch black, hilarious, and wildly surreal, it captures our toxic Clown World ennui like nothing else on TV.

Monkeyman (Peacock) Dev Patel shows he’s no longer the cherubic kid from Slumdog Millionaire as the titular hero who rises from the dregs of India’s underground fight clubs to take on the corrupt political syndicate responsible for his mother’s death. Backed by Jordan Peele as exec producer and quadruple threating as writer/director/star/producer, Patel proves himself a real-deal filmmaker more than ready for mainstream stardom. A movie that’s sure to remain one of 2024’s best and the best James Bond audition tape one could make.