A new month means a fresh collection of new Prime Video movies and Amazon’s streaming service has plenty to offer in April 2024.
Prime Video has added such a large glut of new movies this month that you might find it a little tough to know which are worth adding to your watchlist, and that’s where we can help. Below you’ll find a selection of new to Prime Video movies that have scored at least 90% or higher on review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, which is a testament to their status as quality picks.
This list even includes one of the very best movies of last year with arguably Paul Giamatti’s career-best performance, which is no mean feat. If you’re a Prime Video subscriber, these are the five new additions that you need to watch this month.
‘The Holdovers’ (2023)
By the time the credits rolled on “The Holdovers” my jaw was starting to hurt from smiling too much. They don’t make movies like this anymore, but they really should. Alexander Payne’s holiday-themed comedy is a testament to the enduring appeal of an unashamedly heartfelt movie. This delightful charming film will have you laughing one moment and tearing up the next, and don’t be surprised if you declare it your new favorite movie by the end.
“The Holdovers” sees Paul Giamatti give a career-best performance, as Paul Hunham, a cranky professor at a posh New England boarding school. Forced to stay on campus over Christmas break to look after the students with nowhere else to go, the inflexible educator develops an unexpected bond with a young burnout (Dominic Sessa) and the school’s cook (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) who is grieving the death of her son. This odd trio are unlikely companions, but over the festive period, their bond grows in ways that will warm your soul.
Genre: Comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Stream it on Prime Video
‘Chinatown’ (1974)
“Chinatown” is a hard-boiled classic that blends crime mystery with character-driven drama. The 70s flick stars Jack Nicholson as Jake Gittes, a private investigator in Los Angeles, hired by a woman (Faye Dunaway) who suspects her husband of having an affair. The job is complicated when Jake learns the husband is a high-ranking city official, and the situation takes a further turn when another woman is revealed to be the husband’s actual wife. And that’s just the start of a twisting tale involving deception, double-crossing and murder.
Nominated for a host of Oscars upon release, and winning Best Original Screenplay, “Chinatown” is a landmark American picture that has unquestionably stood the test of time. It succeeds because of the brilliant performance, and palatable chemistry, between Nicholson and Dunaway, as well as the slick screenplay and strong direction. Legendary critic Roger Ebert added the film to his “Great Movies” list, and that’s a deserved ringing endorsement.
Genre: Thriller
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%
Stream it on Prime Video
‘Fighting with My Family’ (2019)
I have zero interest in professional wrestling. So it speaks to the high quality of “Fighting with My Family” that it ranks as one of my favorite sports movies of the last five years. This biopic is a dramatized version of the early career of Paige (real name Saraya Bevis), a pro wrestler from Norwich, England who achieved her dream of wrestling superstardom and became the two-time WWE Divas Champion and the inaugural NXT Women’s Champion.
Directed by Stephen Merchant, co-creator of the U.K. version of “The Office”, the easy-watching comedy stars Florence Pugh as Paige, with Lena Headey and Nick Frost playing her eccentric parents and Vince Vaughn her demanding WWE coach. Paige’s rise from zero to hero is extremely enjoyable but also fairly predictable. However, the subplot that looks at her brother, Zac (Jack Lowden), who doesn’t make the grade is arguably even more interesting as it explores a side of professional sports rarely showcased in movies: failure.
Genre: Sports Biopic
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Stream it on Prime Video
‘Nebraska’ (2014)
Another tender comedy-drama from Alexander Payne, “Nebraska” trades the prep school setting of “The Holdovers” for a cross-state road trip as Bruce Dern and Will Forte play a father and son duo traveling from Montana to Nebraska to claim a million-dollar sweepstakes prize. While the broad strokes are different, the abundance of heart and likable characters are very much found in both.
Presented in black-and-white, “Nebraska” is a very low-stakes movie. There are no dramatic twists or earth-shattering stakes in play, but it succeeds in its simplicity thanks in large part to two stunning performances from Dern and Forte, as well as a memorable supporting turn from June Squibb. There’s even time for Bob Odenkirk to show up and steal a couple of scenes as well. If you’re looking for comfort in movie form this month then “Nebraska” is an essential watch, and really makes for an excellent double-bill alongside “The Holdovers”.
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Stream it on Prime Video
‘Rosemary’s Baby’ (1968)
A chilling horror classic that sees Mia Farrow play the eponymous Rosemary who falls pregnant after moving into a swanky New York City apartment building with her struggling actor husband, Guy (John Cassavetes). During the pregnancy, Rosemary’s neighbors Roman (Sidney Blackmer) and Minnie (Ruth Gordon) take a strange interest, and the expectant mother begins to feel isolated from her husband and becomes suspicious that something sinister is afoot.
Building to one of the most memorable endings in any movie ever, and with a score that will send shivers down your spine, “Rosemary’s Baby” may seem a little slow by modern-horror standards, but it’s a brilliantly unsettling watch that carefully builds up to a horrifying conclusion. It’s also a great time to watch this legendary horror flick as two scary movies currently in theaters, “Immaculate” and “The First Omen”, take more than a little inspiration from Rosemary’s chilling pregnancy.
Genre: Horror
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
Stream it on Prime Video
