Jonathan Demme: Where to stream his most famous movies
Jonathan Demme died at the age of 73 this week, leaving behind a deep, eclectic body of work. The film director’s career spanned almost five decades, during which he dabbled in a wide range of genres. He made horror (The Silence of the Lambs), drama (Rachel Getting Married), comedy (Married to the Mob), music documentaries (Stop Making Sense), and everything in between. Demme was active up until the very end; his latest documentary, Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids, debuted on Netflix this year, and he recently directed an episode of Fox’s Shots Fired.
Demme’s filmography offers a wide variety of options for remembering and celebrating his work in the wake of his passing. Below, check out a sample list of some of Demme’s most famous films and where to find them online.
Married to the Mob (1988)
This madcap comedy featured Michelle Pfeiffer as Angela de Marco, the wife of a Mafia up-and-comer (Alec Baldwin) who soon finds herself caught between a love-struck FBI agent (Matthew Modine), her husband’s angry boss (Dean Stockwell), and the boss’ wife (Mercedes Ruehl). Hilarity and slapstick ensue as Angela tries to disentangle herself from all her crazy connections.
Available for rent on iTunes, Google Play, and Vudu.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Perhaps Demme’s single most famous film, this adaptation of the Thomas Harris novel introduced Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) to the public consciousness and scooped up Oscars for Hopkins, Jodie Foster, and Demme (among others). The film’s blockbuster success (earning more than $272 million at the box office) eventually spawned a slew of sequels and spin-offs over the following years, albeit without Demme’s participation.
Available to rent on Netflix’s DVD service, iTunes, YouTube, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu, Fandango Now, Microsoft, and basically wherever movies are sold.
Philadelphia (1993)
For his follow-up to The Silence of the Lambs, Demme went in a wildly different direction, trading the horrors of cannibalism for the horrors of bigotry. Tom Hanks stars as lawyer Andrew Beckett, who sues his firm for firing him over his AIDS diagnosis, while Denzel Washington plays Joe Miller, the homophobic lawyer who nevertheless takes Beckett’s case. The film earned Hanks his first Academy Award for Best Actor.
Available to stream on Starz. Available to rent on Vudu, Google Play, Microsoft, and PlayStation Store.
Rachel Getting Married (2008)
This movie actually focuses not on the titular Rachel (Rosemarie DeWitt), but rather on her black sheep sister Kym (Anne Hathaway). Released from rehab for a few days to attend her sister’s wedding, Kym’s troubled past nevertheless makes the occasion tense.
Available for rent on Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu, PlayStation Store, and Microsoft.
Ricki and the Flash (2015)
Demme’s final dramedy film featured Meryl Streep as an aging rock musician who tries to reconnect with the family she abandoned to pursue stardom. Real-life rock star Rick Springfield appears as her bandmate and boyfriend.
Available to stream on Starz.
Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids (2016)
Some of Demme’s most acclaimed work came in music documentaries. The most famous is arguably the 1984 Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense, but Demme also filmed several with Neil Young over the years. His final entry in the genre came in 2016 in the form of a Netflix-exclusive concert film made from the last stop on Timberlake’s The 20/20 Experience World Tour. In an interview about the film with EW, Demme said he reached out to Timberlake after loving his performance in The Social Network, and Timberlake said Stop Making Sense “changed the way I view a live experience.”
Available to stream on Netflix.
