This Week in Streaming (June 25th)

The Fall Guy (Premium VOD) Ryan Gosling stars as a frosted-tipped stuntman whose misstep on his last big movie led to both a broken back and soul. But when his old boss (Ted Lasso’s Hannah Waddingham) calls up out of the blue to offer him work on his ex-girlfriend (Emily Blunt)’s directorial debut, not even a kidnapping plot involving the Sydney underworld and a drug-addled A-Lister (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) can keep him down. Armed with a firecracker script and awe-inspiring practical stunts, it’s a tribute to Hollywood’s working class that reminds us of what a star-powered blockbuster movie should be. Do what you have to do, but there’s still a few chances this week to catch it on the big screen.

Free to Choose (Prime) Back in 1980, PBS was the kind of channel that would give economist Milton Friedman a 10-episode TV show, and America was the kind of place people watched such things. Nearly forty-five years later, the guru of the free market’s attempt to make pre-Reagan economic debates accessible for the general public remains an indispensable primer on the policies that govern the nation for better and worse. Friedman’s magnetic screen presence and penchant for dryly hilarious yet respectful takedowns of his opponents expose the gaping hole left in our common culture when we abandoned discourse for emotional grandstanding. 

American Graffiti (Netflix) It may look like a nostalgic trifle compared to other 70s classics like The Godfather and Taxi Driver, but George Lucas’s trip back to 1962 is one of the most resonant films ever made about America’s loss of innocence. Ron Howard and Richard Dreyfuss star as two college-bound California boys next door spending their last night in Modesto before moving on to the adult world. As the two wade in and out of various local scenes from eating popsicles with Wolfman Jack to drag racing with Harrison Ford, Lucas creates a world both singular and universal. One of the best American movies of all time and tailor-made for summer viewing.