What to watch this weekend: Zac Efron in 'Firestarter,' Rebel Wilson in Netflix's 'Senior Year'

Brian Truitt, USA TODAY
·5 min read

This is a freaky Friday, indeed: Zac Efron is playing a dad and Rebel Wilson is a 37-year-old cheerleader.

This weekend, Efron stars as the protective father to a pyrokinetic kid in a new adaptation of a Stephen King classic, while Wilson plays a teenager who wakes up from a 20-yearlong coma (and still wants to be the most popular girl in school) in a new Netflix comedy. It's a busy week for the streaming service, which is also rolling out a true-life British spy thriller starring Colin Firth and "Succession" star Matthew Macfadyen, as well as a documentary about a fertility doctor who inseminated his patients.

Here's a guide to new movies that will satisfy every cinematic taste, plus some noteworthy theatrical films making their streaming debut:

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Zac Efron stars as a psychic father trying to keep his pyrokinetic daughter (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) safe from government hands in "Firestarter."
Zac Efron stars as a psychic father trying to keep his pyrokinetic daughter (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) safe from government hands in "Firestarter."

If you're a Zac Efron superfan: 'Firestarter'

Keith Thomas directed last year's best horror film, religious haunter "The Vigil," but his lean-and-mean compacting of the King novel doesn't have quite the same flare. Charlie (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), an 11-year-old who can set fires with her mind and is getting stronger by the day, goes on the run with her psychic dad (Efron) when she's hunted by a government agency. King purists will be enflamed since the movie compresses the story to focus on the father/daughter relationship, but the remake is unnerving enough and gets an old-school boost courtesy of a creepy John Carpenter score.

Where to watch: In theaters and on Peacock

Rebel Wilson stars as a cheerleader who spent 20 years in a coma and is tossed into a world she doesn't understand when she re-enrolls in school in "Senior Year."
Rebel Wilson stars as a cheerleader who spent 20 years in a coma and is tossed into a world she doesn't understand when she re-enrolls in school in "Senior Year."

If you love a good high-school comedy: 'Senior Year'

Wilson plays a cheerleader who takes a nasty tumble in 2002, wakes up two decades later to a world of social media and political correctness that boggles her mind, and re-enrolls in high school so she can finish off her senior year and be crowned prom queen. The film borrows a ton from better teen movies yet also sends up those tropes while successfully leaning into Gen Z jokes and early 2000s nostalgia.

Where to watch: Netflix

'I know it's a bit bad': Rebel Wilson talks 'good revenge' she got on high school teacher

Colin Firth (left) and Matthew Macfadyen play British intelligence officers who use a dead man to trick the Nazis and save thousands of lives in the World War II spy thriller "Operation Mincemeat."
Colin Firth (left) and Matthew Macfadyen play British intelligence officers who use a dead man to trick the Nazis and save thousands of lives in the World War II spy thriller "Operation Mincemeat."

If you want an enjoyable history lesson: 'Operation Mincemeat'

The true-life World War II spy movie casts Firth and Macfadyen as British intelligence officers who hatch a gonzo plan in 1943 to use a dead corpse carrying secret papers to deceive the Nazis and save thousands of lives. It's a satisfying period thriller even with the odd detours, including a tossed-in love triangle and officer Ian Fleming (Johnny Flynn) coming upon the occasional James Bond inspiration.

Where to watch: Netflix

Rakel Lenora Fløttum plays one of a group of Nordic children with dark and mysterious powers who let loose with their abilities when the grown-ups aren't watching in "The Innocents."
Rakel Lenora Fløttum plays one of a group of Nordic children with dark and mysterious powers who let loose with their abilities when the grown-ups aren't watching in "The Innocents."

If you like coming-of-age films with a scary side: 'The Innocents'

The Nordic horror film is a well-crafted, immersive and sometimes disturbing look at the cruelty of adolescence. An 11-year-old girl and her older sister, on the severe end of the autism spectrum, move to a new apartment complex with their family. The kids and the youngsters around them start displaying mysterious psychic abilities and other powers, with acts of youthful curiosity quickly leading to darker turns of jealousy and revenge.

Where to watch: In theaters and on Apple TV, Google Play

Jacoba Ballard (center) is an only child who learns she has seven half-siblings because her parents’ fertility doctor inseminated patients with his own sperm without their knowledge or consent in "Our Father."
Jacoba Ballard (center) is an only child who learns she has seven half-siblings because her parents’ fertility doctor inseminated patients with his own sperm without their knowledge or consent in "Our Father."

If you're all about stranger-than-fiction documentaries: 'Our Father'

An Indiana woman named Jacoba Ballard, conceived via sperm donation, took an at-home DNA test hoping she might find some siblings or even her biological father. The film chronicles how she in fact first found seven half-siblings. And then – to their horror – dozens more emerge as they discover a fertility doctor gave his own sperm to their mothers, as well as a court system ill-equipped to bring justice amid an increasingly surreal scenario.

Where to watch: Netflix

Sofia Kappel stars as a Swedish woman newly arrived in Los Angeles who uses her cunning and determination to rise to the top of the adult film industry in "Pleasure."
Sofia Kappel stars as a Swedish woman newly arrived in Los Angeles who uses her cunning and determination to rise to the top of the adult film industry in "Pleasure."

If you're curious about the porn industry: 'Pleasure'

Sexually explicit but nonetheless intriguing, the cautionary tale centers on ambitious Swedish actress Bella Cherry (Sofia Kappel) who ventures to LA to become an adult film star. Things get rough (in multiple ways) for her as she makes questionable moves in her ascent within the industry. The film weaves mundane workplace drama into an eye-opening narrative that, filled with sex toys and naked abandon, isn't for everyone.

Where to watch: In theaters

Jimmy Buffett (right) is one of the 50-plus performers featured in "Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story," a documentary chronicling five decades of the legendary New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
Jimmy Buffett (right) is one of the 50-plus performers featured in "Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story," a documentary chronicling five decades of the legendary New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

If you're a music nerd: 'Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story'

What other movie features Pitbull talking about fried oysters? The documentary tackles the five-decade history of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and its legendary slate of performers. So come for appearances by Jimmy Buffett, Bruce Springsteen and Earth, Wind & Fire but stay for the deep dive into the early days of jazz and how the fest's diverse musical styles have inspired and influenced Katy Perry and others.

Where to watch: In theaters

A creepy presence arises to haunt a mom and her 7-year-old son after they flee her abusive ex and settle at a remote farmhouse in the 1950s-set supernatural thriller "Monstrous."
A creepy presence arises to haunt a mom and her 7-year-old son after they flee her abusive ex and settle at a remote farmhouse in the 1950s-set supernatural thriller "Monstrous."

If you're a Christina Ricci completist: 'Monstrous'

The indie horror film offers retro 1950s flavor and slow-burn terror, with Christina Ricci starring as a single mom who flees with her 7-year-old to a remote farmhouse to get away from her abusive ex. A strange presence emerges from the pond at night, wanting to take away the kid and creating extra problems for an already-stressed mother. It's a decent throwback chiller that pays off with an emotional twist at the end.

Where to watch: In theaters and on Apple TV, Vudu

Novelist Loretta Sage (Sandra Bullock) and cover model Alan (Channing Tatum) seek a mythical Crown of Fire in the romantic adventure comedy "The Lost City."
Novelist Loretta Sage (Sandra Bullock) and cover model Alan (Channing Tatum) seek a mythical Crown of Fire in the romantic adventure comedy "The Lost City."

Also on streaming

  • The action adventure "The Lost City," starring Sandra Bullock as a romance novelist needing a rescue and Channing Tatum as her well-meaning but dim cover model, is now available to watch on Paramount+.

  • The period gangster drama "The Outfit," with Mark Rylance as an English tailor who has to survive a night alongside dangerous Chicago hoods, is streaming on Peacock.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Firestarter,' 'Senior Year': New films streaming and in theaters