3 New to Prime Video Movies I Can’t Wait to Watch This Weekend (November 7-9)

Prime Video always has the best selection of streaming movies, and its November slate is full of can’t-miss hits like Play Dirty with Mark Wahlberg.

But what about older movies that are worth a second look?

Watch With Us has curated a small list of three new to Prime Video movies that are great to watch over the weekend.

With Benny & Joon, Larry Crowne and Species now streaming on the platform, you can’t go wrong.

‘Benny and Joon’ (1993)

Benny (Aidan Quinn) is a mechanic in a small town who has been looking after his mentally ill younger sister, Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson), after the death of their parents. He takes in the eccentric Sam (Johnny Depp) due to a losing poker bet, which causes some friction in the household. But soon, Benny finds enough free time to romance local waitress Ruthie (Julianne Moore) while Sam grows closer to Joon. But Benny doesn’t like Joon’s burgeoning romance with Sam, which causes a deep rift between the siblings that is nearly impossible to heal.

Benny & Joon was made at a time when the depiction of mental illness onscreen still left a lot to be desired, and some of Joon’s scenes depicting her condition will make you wince. Still, it’s hard to resist the film’s charms, with Depp in quirky top form as a Charlie Chaplin–esque tramp who likes to make grilled cheese sandwiches on an ironing board. It’s also fun to see Moore in a sizable role before she became a full-fledged star — her former scream queen turned waitress is a delight and hints at the impressive actress she’d soon become in movies like Safe and Boogie Nights.

Benny & Joon is streaming on Prime Video.

‘Larry Crowne’ (2011)

It’s hard to resist the charms of Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts, but when they’re paired together, it’s impossible. And while Larry Crowne doesn’t rank near the top of either actor’s filmography, it’s still charming enough to recommend watching on a lazy weekend.

When Larry Crowne (Hanks) is fired from his long-term job because of his lack of a college degree, his neighbor encourages him to enroll at a local community college. There, he meets Mercedes “Mercy” Tainot (Roberts), a speech teacher who takes a liking to Crowne. Soon, they fall in love, but things get complicated when Mercy’s estranged husband, Dean (Bryan Cranston), enters the picture. Crowne doesn’t want to break up her marriage, but Mercy is desperate to get out of her bad relationship, especially after she meets Larry.

Directed by Hanks, Larry Crowne shares the actor’s low-key, folksy vibe. Larry’s romance with Mercy is believable — you can understand why Mercy is drawn to Larry’s gentlemanly nature, especially when it contrasts greatly with her husband’s brusque demeanor. Larry Crowne doesn’t ask too much out of you, which could sink bigger, bolder and better pictures, but feels just right for a small-scale movie like this one.

Larry Crowne is streaming on Prime Video.

‘Species’ (1995)

Everyone loves Alien, that classic sci-fi horror movie about a kill-happy creature from outer space, but not everyone likes — or even knows about — Species, a ’90s big-budget B movie starring the late Michael Madsen. Both movies used famous illustrator H.R. Giger’s biomechanical drawings to visualize their monsters, although Species’ main antagonist is a slimy female alien in heat with lethal, protruding nipples. (Yes, really.)

That’s Sil (Natasha Henstridge), a bio-engineered organism who looks like a beautiful human woman but is really an alien. After avoiding getting euthanized by escaping her heavily armed prison, Sil is pursued by a ragtag team of soldiers, scientists and a kooky empath to stop her from mating with a human male and birthing a new alien race that will take over Earth. Stalking L.A.’s seedy nighttime dating scene, Sil is looking for the one man who will help her in her conquest. But can she find him before she’s put down for good?

Less serious than your average sci-fi film, Species has fun with its wild, sexually charged premise. The concept of a sexually aggressive E.T. giving sleazy Angeleno douchebags their comeuppance has a universal appeal, and the character-actor cast, which includes CSI’s Marg Helgenberger, Forest Whitaker and Sir Ben Kingsley, seems to be having fun while rolling their eyes and collecting their paychecks.

Species is streaming on Prime Video.