Movies Update: The Best Actors of the Century (So Far)

November 27, 2020

By Mekado Murphy

Movies Editor

Hey, movie fans!

We hope you had a nice Thanksgiving, and we have plenty of ways to help celebrate the holiday season on your screens.

Our critics selected the 25 greatest actors of the century so far, with a wide range of performers on the list. Dive into (and debate) their picks. We also made a list of quality Thanksgiving movies to stream. We spoke with Kristen Stewart about the lesbian holiday rom-com she stars in, “Happiest Season.” And we chatted with the married creative team Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone about their new HBO Max movie, “Superintelligence.”

Other new movies out on streaming this week include “Hillbilly Elegy,” “The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two” and “Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square” (all on Netflix), as well as the road movie-family drama “Uncle Frank” (on Amazon). And for those who want to go in a wilder direction, here’s a collection of additional offbeat choices.

Enjoy the movies!

The 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century (So Far)

Chameleons or beauties, star turns or character roles — these are the performers who have outshone all others on the big screen in the last 20 years.

By Manohla Dargis and A.O. Scott

Lacey Terrell/Netflix

‘Hillbilly Elegy’ Review: I Remember Mamaw

Glenn Close and Amy Adams star in Ron Howard’s Hollywoodized version of J.D. Vance’s best seller.

By A.O. Scott

Hopper Stone/Hbo Max

‘Superintelligence’ Review: Melissa McCarthy Has to Save the World

In this comedy from Ben Falcone, McCarthy plays the world’s most average human, picked to save the world by an A.I. entity with the voice of James Corden.

By Glenn Kenny

Continue reading the main story

STREAMING RECOMMENDATIONS

The Best Thanksgiving Movies to Stream

These films will bring the holiday’s food and family traditions right to your screen.

By Erik Piepenburg

Gateway Movies

In Need of a Film About Romantic Possibility? Try ‘In the Mood for Love’

Wong Kar-wai’s influential drama, along with his “Chungking Express,” are part of a new retrospective of the Hong Kong director’s work.

By Ben Kenigsberg

Beyond the Algorithm

Offbeat Streaming: ‘Knock Knock,’ ‘John Lewis’ and ‘Sleight’

If you are looking for something off the radar to watch, try these suggestions.

By Jason Bailey

Missing ‘The Nutcracker’? How to Get Your Holiday Fix at Home

Many seasonal mainstays have been reimagined for online viewing this year. Here are some of our favorites, from “A Christmas Carol” to Handel’s “Messiah.”

By The New York Times

What’s in Our Queue? ‘Down by Law’

I’m the deputy culture editor for news. I’m doing the best I can to find entertainment at home.

By Michael Cooper

CRITICS’ PICKS

Lacey Terrell/Sony Pictures

Critic’s Pick

‘Happiest Season’ Review: Make the Yuletide Gay

Straight expectations sour a lesbian couple’s holidays in this romantic comedy.

By Teo Bugbee

Magnolia Pictures

Critic’s Pick

‘Zappa’ Review: Portrait of a Rock Star and a Nation’s Hero

The documentary, directed by Alex Winter, portrays the musician and composer Frank Zappa as a sort of noble.

By Glenn Kenny

Joanna Harcourt-Smith/SHOWTIME

Critic’s Pick

‘My Psychedelic Love Story’ Review: On the Run With Timothy Leary

This Errol Morris documentary explores the relationship between the LSD guru and Joanna Harcourt-Smith, a woman who likened herself to Mata Hari.

By Glenn Kenny

Continue reading the main story

MOVIE REVIEWS

‘Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square’ Review: Holiday Winks

Netflix’s peppy holiday musical has a campy streak and original songs by the country star, who plays a homeless angel with lessons for the town Scrooge.

By Wesley Morris

Movie Review

Taylor Swift Illuminates ‘Folklore’ in a Stripped-Down Studio Concert

Playing her latest album for the first time with two collaborators who helped make it, Swift heightens the songs’ sense of pristine contemplation.

By Jon Pareles

‘The Croods: A New Age’ Review: More Civilized

This animated sequel accelerates the prehistoric characters’ clash with modernity.

By Ben Kenigsberg

‘Uncle Frank’ Review: Coming of Age, Coming to Terms

A first-year college student learns her cool uncle’s secrets in Alan Ball’s film.

By Ben Kenigsberg

‘Mosul’ Review: In Iraq, This Time It’s Personal

A rogue Iraqi SWAT team fights the Islamic State in Matthew Michael Carnahan’s action thriller.

By Ben Kenigsberg

‘Black Beauty’ Review: A Melodrama in Need of Rougher Edges

Set in the present day, this adaptation of the classic children’s novel forgets why the story of a horse surviving the maliciousness of humans has endured for so long.

By Robert Daniels

‘Stardust’ Review: A Week With David Bowie, Unaccompanied by His Music

A more accurate title for this movie, set in the early ’70s, would be “Johnny Flynn Sings Jacques Brel.”

By Glenn Kenny

‘The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two’ Review: Meet the Clauses

Kids explore the marvels of Santa’s Village in this sugary, busy Netflix sequel that stars Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn as Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

By Natalia Winkelman

Continue reading the main story

NEWS & FEATURES

Photo illustration by Sam Cannon for The New York Times

In a Holiday Lesbian Rom-Com, Kristen Stewart Saw Herself

The actress stars opposite Mackenzie Davis for a bit of Christmas comfort, with a queer twist, from director Clea DuVall and her “Veep” pal Mary Holland.

By Melena Ryzik

Hopper Stone/HBO Max

Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone on ‘Superintelligence’ and Living Comedy

The couple find themselves collaborating at the dinner table or over breakfast on projects like their new HBO Max movie.

By Kathryn Shattuck

Lacey Terrell/Netflix

Some Movies Actually Understand Poverty in America

The complex realities of subsistence escape “Hillbilly Elegy.” But as far back as Charlie Chaplin’s “City Lights,” filmmakers have been turning a discerning eye on destitution.

By Joshua Rothkopf

Frederike Helwig for The New York Times

Latinos, Long Dismissed in Hollywood, Push to Make Voices Heard

To many Latinos in Hollywood, every gain seems to be followed by a setback. The writer Tanya Saracho and others involved in the Untitled Latinx Project want to change that.

By Nicole Sperling