3 free underrated movies you should stream this weekend (April 12-14)

Are you looking for a movie to watch this weekend? The biggest theatrical release on Friday is Civil War, Alex Garland’s dystopian action film about a group of journalists covering the war within a fractured United States of America. If you don’t feel like heading to a theater, then check out the new movies on streaming services, including The Zone of Interest (Max), Scoop (Netflix), and Música (Prime Video).

Unfortunately, the rising cost of streaming services may have forced you to cut back on one or two subscriptions. Thanks to FAST services like Tubi and Amazon Freevee, users do not have to pay to watch their favorite movies or TV shows. Ads support these services, so you have to watch a few commercials during your movie. However, that’s a fair trade-off for free content. Below, we have curated a list of three underrated movies to watch this weekend. Our picks include a fun action movie from the John Wick creative team, a solid B-movie thriller from the early 2000s, and a charming coming-of-age tale from 2016.

Nobody (2021)

Is there a better action franchise in the last 10 years than John Wick? From the jaw-dropping action sequences to its stellar implementation of gun-fu, no franchise in Hollywood besides Mission: Impossible can hold a candle to John Wick’s stuntwork. If you want to make an action movie today, you might as well hire two people who worked on John Wick to back your film. Enter Nobody, a 2021 action thriller produced by John Wick co-director David Leitch and written by John Wick scribe Derek Kolstad.

Hutch Mansell (Better Call Saul‘s Bob Odenkirk) is a passive, mundane man who fails to defend his family from two burglars who break into his home. What his family doesn’t know is that Hutch could have fought back, but chose to abstain from violence. Hutch is a former government assassin who retired and settled down. After Hutch becomes the target of a Russian crime lord, however, his pent-up rage and emotion release out of necessity to defend his family. Nothing can top John Wick, but Nobody is a violently fun time.

Stream Nobody for free on Amazon Freevee.

Joy Ride (2001)

Contrary to popular belief, Paul Walker has appeared in movies outside the Fast & Furious franchise. Ironically, one of his better performances comes in another car movie, Joy Ride, a 2001 thriller that should become your next guilty pleasure. College student Lewis Thomas (Walker) sets off on a road trip from California to Colorado to pick up his girlfriend, Venna (Leelee Sobieski). On the way, Lewis bails his older brother, Fuller (Steve Zahn), out of jail.

Fuller, who tags along for the ride, convinces Lewis to prank a mysterious trucker over his CB radio. The trucker, Rusty Nail (Matthew Kimbrough), doesn’t appreciate the prank and tails the two brothers to Venna’s house. What started as a fun road trip becomes a deadly cat-and-mouse game between the brothers and Rusty. The result is a perfect B-movie thriller with enough thrills and scares to keep you on edge.

Stream Joy Ride for free on Tubi.

The Edge of Seventeen (2016)

Kelly Fremon Craig has directed two terrific movies revolving around young girls coming of age. One of them is Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, the delightful film adaptation of Judy Blume’s famous novel. The other is The Edge of Seventeen, a heartwarming dramedy about a teenager staring down adolescence. Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld) is an awkward high school junior who feels neglected in her personal life. However, Nadine can always rely on her best friend, Krista (The White Lotus star Haley Lu Richardson), to cheer her up.

Things go downhill for Nadine when her popular older brother, Darian (Blake Jenner), starts dating Krista. Devastated, Nadine turns to her friendly teacher, Mr. Bruner (Woody Harrelson), for an important lesson: growing up might be hard, but the world isn’t always out to get you. It’s a thoughtful reminder from Craig, who perfectly captures the insecurities we’ve all experienced at one point or another in our lives.

Stream The Edge of Seventeen for free on Amazon Freevee.