What to watch this holiday weekend, from 'A Man Called Otto' to 'White Noise'

Brian Truitt, USA TODAY
·6 min read
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Did Santa bring you a week of free time to catch up on all the new movies before the New Year?

This holiday weekend, Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt play silent-film stars in Oscar-winning director Damien Chazelle's latest effort, Naomi Ackie channels Whitney Houston in a musical biopic, Emma Thompson stars as the heavy of a Netflix kid flick, Tom Hanks is a big ol' grump in a new comedy drama and Antonio Banderas once again voices the coolest animated cat around. (Sorry, Garfield.)

Need a few recommendations? We've got you, fam. Here's a guide to satisfying every cinematic taste:

Ranked: The 10 best movies of 2022, from Tom Cruise's 'Top Gun: Maverick' to 'The Whale,' 'RRR'

Major movies are joining 'Avatar' at the theater

The title feline outlaw (voiced by Antonio Banderas, far left) quests to restore eight lost lives alongside cheery mutt Perro (Harvey Guillén) and former partner Kitty Soft Paws (Salma Hayek) in "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish."
The title feline outlaw (voiced by Antonio Banderas, far left) quests to restore eight lost lives alongside cheery mutt Perro (Harvey Guillén) and former partner Kitty Soft Paws (Salma Hayek) in "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish."

"Avatar: The Way of Water" ruled at the box office but is getting some serious competition for the holiday season in theaters and at home:

  • "Babylon," "The Whale" and "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" will appeal to the adult movie lovers in the crowd.

  • "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" and "Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical" are here to entertain the kiddos.

  • If you're hanging close to the couch, "Glass Onion," "Strange World" and, yes, "Top Gun: Maverick" are all on a streaming service near you.

If you need a great cartoon: 'Puss in Boots: The Last Wish'

In the second solo film for Banderas' swashbuckling feline, Puss learns he has only one of his nine lives left and seeks a mythical star to wish them back. He's joined by his ex Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) and gleeful mutt Perrito (Harvey Guillén) for hilarious fairy-tale mayhem and a surprising exploration of mortality and living life to the fullest.

Where to watch: In theaters now

If you dig the dark, heartbreaking stuff: 'The Whale'

Brendan Fraser stars as an obese writing teacher who wants to reconnect with his teenage daughter in Darren Aronofsky's "The Whale."
Brendan Fraser stars as an obese writing teacher who wants to reconnect with his teenage daughter in Darren Aronofsky's "The Whale."

One of the year's best films, Darren Aronofsky's drama is a showcase for Brendan Fraser, who plays an obese online writing instructor hoping to reconnect with his estranged, hurting teen daughter (Sadie Sink). Fraser brings a bunch of heart, and Sink's got serious fire in an excellent effort that's unsettling as well as hopeful.

Where to watch: In theaters now

'The Whale' review: Brendan Fraser's soulful, Oscar-ready performance will blow you away

If you want a star-filled trip to old-school Hollywood: 'Babylon'

Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie) becomes a silent-movie star in late 1920s Hollywood in "Babylon."
Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie) becomes a silent-movie star in late 1920s Hollywood in "Babylon."

Chazelle's ode to 1920s Hollywood embraces chaos and debauchery in the story of an aspiring silent-movie actress (Robbie), an A-list leading man (Pitt) and the Mexican assistant (Diego Calva) trying to get his foot in the door. It peters out over the course of three hours and change, but the film's great when it veers fully bonkers.

Where to watch: In theaters now

'Babylon' review: A-list Tinseltown ode is a boisterous, coke-snorting mess, with moments of greatness

If you're a Whitney Houston superfan: 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody'

Naomi Ackie stars as iconic pop singer Whitney Houston in the biopic "I Wanna Dance With Somebody."
Naomi Ackie stars as iconic pop singer Whitney Houston in the biopic "I Wanna Dance With Somebody."

Those who hated "Bohemian Rhapsody" might want to skip this similarly forgettable musical drama. The cursory examination of Houston's life chronicles her rise from choir girl to global superstar and the drug addictions that derailed her career. The icon's great songs go a long way, though, and Ackie inhabits Whitney like a champ.

Where to watch: In theaters now

If you live for costume dramas: 'Corsage'

Vicky Krieps (with Finnegan Oldfield) plays Empress Elisabeth of Austria, who celebrates her 40th birthday by getting back in touch with the excitement and purpose of her youth in "Corsage."
Vicky Krieps (with Finnegan Oldfield) plays Empress Elisabeth of Austria, who celebrates her 40th birthday by getting back in touch with the excitement and purpose of her youth in "Corsage."

Vicky Krieps rules the more-fun-than-you-think-it'll-be Austrian biopic as Empress Elisabeth, a 19th-century style icon in public and a mischievous rebel in private. When she turns 40, she escapes her repressive home life and heads off to reconnect with former lovers and friends to recapture a youthful vigor.

Where to watch: In theaters now

If you're down for a timely discussion: 'Women Talking'

A group of women have to make a decision to leave or stay in their religious colony in the drama "Women Talking."
A group of women have to make a decision to leave or stay in their religious colony in the drama "Women Talking."

Based on the Miriam Toews novel, writer/director Sarah Polley's intimate drama centers on a group of women in a religious colony who, after a series of rapes, have to decide whether to stay or go. The acting is phenomenal, with Jessie Buckley, Claire Foy and Rooney Mara among those playing characters determining their fate in a barn debate.

Where to watch: In select theaters now, expanding in January

If you are an Anglophile (or just adore Bill Nighy): 'Living'

In "Living," set in 1953 England, a British widower (Bill Nighy) who's had a joyless office existence for years learns he has six months to live and decides to make the most of them.
In "Living," set in 1953 England, a British widower (Bill Nighy) who's had a joyless office existence for years learns he has six months to live and decides to make the most of them.

Nighy earned a Golden Globe nomination for his role as a 1950s bureaucrat at the Public Works department who learns he's terminally ill. The thoughtful drama follows the reserved man waking up from his humdrum life and, inspired by a young employee (Aimee Lou Wood), making a difference the rest of his remaining days.

Where to watch: In select theaters now

If you want to see Emma Thompson break bad: 'Matilda the Musical'

School headmistress Agatha Trunchbull (Emma Thompson, left) faces off with spunky student Matilda (Alisha Weir) in "Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical."
School headmistress Agatha Trunchbull (Emma Thompson, left) faces off with spunky student Matilda (Alisha Weir) in "Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical."

Fans of the 1996 Dahl adaptation will sing the praises of this fun and entertainingly odd musical redo based on the stage show. Alisha Weir plays the spunky girl with a genius brain and cool powers sent to a boarding school by her neglectful parents, and she leads the rebellion against the oppressive, hammer-throwing headmistress (Thompson).

Where to watch: Netflix

If you're in the mood for a solid crime thriller: 'American Murderer'

Tom Pelphrey stars as a charismatic con man who becomes one of the FBI's most wanted fugitives in "American Murderer," based on a true story.
Tom Pelphrey stars as a charismatic con man who becomes one of the FBI's most wanted fugitives in "American Murderer," based on a true story.

Emmy nominee Tom Pelphrey oozes charisma that's downright criminal as Jason Derek Brown, a con man indebted to the wrong people who goes to extremes and risks his family's livelihoods to save his skin. Ryan Phillippe co-stars as the FBI agent out to catch him in this intriguing glimpse into the real-life story of a most-wanted fugitive.

Where to watch: Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon

If you want to see Tom Hanks pull a Clint Eastwood: 'A Man Called Otto'

Tom Hanks plays a grumpy widower who criticizes and judges everyone but has his world turned upside down by a pregnant woman who moves in next door in "A Man Called Otto."
Tom Hanks plays a grumpy widower who criticizes and judges everyone but has his world turned upside down by a pregnant woman who moves in next door in "A Man Called Otto."

"Elvis" was a walk on the dark side for America's Dad, and he's more at home here in this American spin on a Swedish dramedy, even as a cranky neighbor. Otto's a widower and recent retiree pondering suicide when his pregnant new neighbor (a great Mariana Treviño) fights grumpiness with fire and forces the old man to rethink his existence.

Where to watch: In New York and L.A. theaters Friday (and nationwide Jan. 13)

If you're an Adam Driver completist: 'White Noise'

A college professor (Adam Driver, far right) and his family (Greta Gerwig, Raffey Cassidy, May Nivola, Dean Moore and Sam Nivola) face apocalyptic absurdities in "White Noise," Noah Baumbach's adaptation of the Don DeLillo novel.
A college professor (Adam Driver, far right) and his family (Greta Gerwig, Raffey Cassidy, May Nivola, Dean Moore and Sam Nivola) face apocalyptic absurdities in "White Noise," Noah Baumbach's adaptation of the Don DeLillo novel.

Noah Baumbach's "Marriage Story" was amazing; his adaptation of Don DeLillo's novel not so much. The comedy follows a Hitler-studying college professor (Driver) and his death-obsessed wife (Greta Gerwig) as their family's life is upended by an "airborne toxic event," and the faux Spielbergian film grows worse the more absurd it gets.

Where to watch: In theaters now (and on Netflix Friday)

Also on streaming

Tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton, from left, with Madelyn Cline) invites ace detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) to his Greek island for a murder-mystery getaway in the sequel "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery."
Tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton, from left, with Madelyn Cline) invites ace detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) to his Greek island for a murder-mystery getaway in the sequel "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery."

  • Rian Johnson's sequel "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery," featuring Janelle Monáe, Kate Hudson, Edward Norton and Daniel Craig as returning detective Benoit Blanc, is available on Netflix.

  • The Disney animated family sci-fi adventure "Strange World," starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Dennis Quaid, is on Disney+.

  • If you're one of the five people who haven't yet seen "Top Gun: Maverick," the Tom Cruise action sequel has finally made its Paramount+ debut.

  • And if you're looking for holiday action, David Harbour stars as a sledgehammer-wielding Santa in "Violent Night," now on Apple TV, Vudu and other on-demand platforms.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Holiday movies: What to see, from 'A Man Called Otto' to 'White Noise'