Cinema News: Movies Update: ‘House of Gucci’ and More

November 24, 2021

By Mekado Murphy

Movies Editor

Hey, movie fans!

Celebrate your Thanksgiving holiday with some fine food and eclectic films. This year, the choices are plentiful. Looking for a little melodrama? "House of Gucci" is here. A.O. Scott calls the high-fashion family biopic, featuring Adam Driver and Lady Gaga, "fun for a while." Seeking out an even darker family drama? The film adaptation of the play "The Humans" may be your speed. The critic Jeannette Catsoulis calls it "startling."

Or searching for lighter options? The latest Disney film "Encanto" just may do the trick. The critic Maya Phillips writes that the movie has "stunning animation, a beautifully composed story and spellbinding songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda."

If you need more holiday movie ideas, Amy Nicholson provides a list of five Thanksgiving films to stream. And if you're anticipating Christmas already, Netflix (with "A Boy Called Christmas" and HBO Max (with "8-Bit Christmas") have you covered.

Enjoy the movies!

Fabio Lovino/MGM

'House of Gucci' Review: Murder, Italian-Style

Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino and Jared Leto serve up a heaping platter of prosciutto in Ridley Scott's tale of family treachery.

By A.O. Scott

Disney

Critic's Pick

'Encanto' Review: In This House, We Make Magic

Disney's new film, about a gifted family in Colombia, has stunning animation, a beautifully composed story and spellbinding songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

By Maya Phillips

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STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS

Paramount Pictures

The Best Thanksgiving Movies to Stream

First the food, then the movies. Here are five streaming suggestions for the holiday.

By Amy Nicholson

Magnolia Pictures

'Touchy Feely,' 'Maggie' and Other Streaming Gems

A look at off-the-radar recommendations for home viewing, including indie comedy-dramas, genre hybrids and informative documentaries about influential outsiders.

By Jason Bailey

MOVIE REVIEWS

Sideshow/Janus Films

Critic's Pick

'Drive My Car' Review: A Director Takes Your Heart for a Spin

In this quiet masterpiece, Ryusuke Hamaguchi considers grief, love, work and the soul-sustaining, life-shaping power of art.

By Manohla Dargis

Linda Kallerus/A24

Critic's Pick

'The Humans' Review: Reasons (Not) to Be Cheerful

Stephen Karam's film adaptation of his powerful play acquires a supernatural sheen as a family gathers for Thanksgiving dinner.

By Jeannette Catsoulis

Discovery+

'Keep Sweet' Review: A Legacy of Polygamy in a Religious Sect

This documentary by Don Argott looks to the past and future of a community in the American West that made its own rules and lived by them.

By Ben Kenigsberg

Netflix

Critic's Pick

'A Boy Called Christmas' Review: Kindling the Holiday Spirit

Enchanting imagery elevates this Netflix holiday adventure about a boy who journeys to a magic elfin city.

By Natalia Winkelman

Sabrina Lantos/HBO Max

'8-Bit Christmas' Review: Now You're Playing With Power

Nintendo looms large in this sentimental, 1980s-set holiday comedy.

By Calum Marsh

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ANATOMY OF A SCENE

Netflix

Anatomy of a Scene

Watch Dwayne Johnson Chase Ryan Reynolds in 'Red Notice'

The director Rawson Marshall Thurber narrates a sequence set in a museum.

By Mekado Murphy

NEWS & FEATURES

Melinda Sue Gordon/MGM

The Projectionist

Paul Thomas Anderson Goes Back to the Valley With 'Licorice Pizza'

The auteur explains why he cast Alana Haim, and why he thinks the age difference in the film's central relationship shouldn't matter.

By Kyle Buchanan

Takahiro Kaneyama

Hayao Miyazaki Prepares to Cast One Last Spell

No artist has explored the contradictions of humanity as sympathetically and critically as the Japanese animation legend. Now, at 80, he's coming out of retirement with another movie.

By Ligaya Mishan