3 New to HBO Max Movies I’m Watching This Weekend (November 21-23)
It’s not even Thanksgiving yet, but Watch With Us is already in the holiday mood.
That’s why we’re recommending you watch Four Christmases on HBO Max this weekend. It’s a topical comedy about the pleasures and pitfalls of visiting family over the holidays.
If you want to avoid turkeys and mistletoe entirely, stream Dangerous Liaisons and transport yourself back to 18th-century France.
Are you a fan of black comedies? They don’t get much darker than Eddington, a divisive 2025 film starring Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal.
‘Four Christmases’ (2008)
Brad (Vince Vaughn) and Kate (Reese Witherspoon) are a couple who plan on spending Christmas in Fiji. Yet when their trip is abruptly canceled, they’re forced to spend not one, not two, but four different Christmases with each of their four divorced parents. After each visit, they begin to question not only the meaning of the holidays but also whether they are truly meant to be together.
Four Christmases has a can’t-miss premise — what’s it like to spend the holidays with four completely different and totally chaotic households? That allows the film to introduce us to a variety of kooky characters played by well-known actors, like Brad’s amateur wrestling brothers Denver (Jon Favreau) and Dallas (Tim McGraw) and Kate’s horny sister Courtney (Kristin Chenoweth). Oscar winners Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek also pop up, but the film is carried by the charms of its lead stars. As the put-upon Brad and Kate, the duo are an effective comedic stand-in for anyone who has dreaded visiting their relatives over the holidays.
Four Christmases is streaming on HBO Max.
‘Dangerous Liaisons’ (1988)
The Marquise de Merteuil (Glenn Close) wants revenge, and she wants it now. Jilted by her longtime lover for a virginal bride, Cecile de Volanges (Uma Thurman), she recruits her frenemy, the Vicomte de Valmont (John Malkovich), to seduce her and then abandon her, thereby making her radioactive in aristocratic French society. The morally bankrupt Valmont eagerly woos the naive Cecile, but something strange happens — he falls in love with her. But Merteuil is a woman determined to get what she wants, even if it destroys everyone around her — including Valmont.
Dangerous Liaisons is probably the classiest soap opera ever made. That’s a high compliment, as the movie is gripping from start to finish and never fails to entertain — it will even make you giggle in some parts. Beyond its lavish costumes and period-accurate production design, the film’s chief appeal is watching these nasty people do nasty things to each other. Malkovich and Pfeiffer are top-notch as lovers caught in a dangerous game, but the movie is Glenn’s show. As the manipulative Merteuil, she creates a portrait of a damaged woman consumed with retribution and gives one of the great performances of the decade.
If you like Dangerous Liaisons, check out The Seduction, a new HBO Max series based on the same literary material as the 1988 movie.
Dangerous Liaisons is streaming on HBO Max.
‘Eddington’ (2025)
Even though it was only five years ago, 2020 seems like a distant memory. But memories of that chaotic time when the world was isolated still linger, especially for director Ari Aster, whose latest film, Eddington, tackles small-town tension, COVID conspiracy theories and political unrest in America. Did I mention it’s also a comedy?
HBO Max is gearing up for the holiday season in November by adding tons of new content that makes it a streamer worth subscribing to. At the top of Watch With Us‘ list is the streaming debut of Materialists, the critically acclaimed rom-com starring Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans. Other notable premieres include […]
Eddington, New Mexico’s mayor, Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal), is pretty popular, but there’s one person who doesn’t like him — Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix). He decides to run against him in the local election, but his dislike turns into full-blown paranoia as he thinks Ted and his political associates are sabotaging the election — and his life. Meanwhile, a charismatic cult leader, Vernon Peake (Austin Butler), and a plane full of armed terrorists descend on the town, pushing Joe over the edge he can’t ever return from.
Eddington is a black comedy that tackles serious subjects with an absurdist touch. The stacked cast, which includes Emma Stone as Joe’s unhappy wife, is excellent, with Phoenix giving his best performance since 2019’s Joker. It’s not for everyone, but Eddington is an entertaining social satire that packs a punch for anyone even remotely aware of today’s fractured political landscape.
