From Suncoast to The Tourist, Should You Add These To Your Watchlist?
From Shakespearean romances to space missions gone wrong, Pop Culture Planet’s Jordan Bohan shares what projects to watch and what to skip.
Anyone But You
Bea (Sydney Sweeney) and Ben (Glen Powell) look like a perfect couple, but after an amazing first date something happens that turns their immediate attraction into opposition. The couple is soon forced together to attend a destination wedding in Australia. They do what all mature adults would do… and pretend to be a couple.
Saying Sweeney and Powell have chemistry would be an understatement. The two are an undeniably attractive duo who can banter and bicker like no other. Anyone But You is a fun and fresh take on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, and has reinstated the idea that romantic comedies can achieve box office success.
Anyone But You is playing in theaters.
I.S.S.
In the wake of explosive global destruction on Earth, the astronauts of the International Space Station are given an order from those on the ground: take control of the station however necessary. The United States and Russian astronauts engage in a high stakes battle entirely in the confines of the I.S.S. in order to gain the upper hand in this global conflict.
While I.S.S. poses a drama filled plot, the tension is dissipated early on in the film when it’s revealed that they were all given the same orders. Many of the beats are predictable and while the actors give it their best shot, the film didn’t add much to the genre.
I.S.S. is playing in theaters now.
Suncoast
Based on a true story, Suncoast follows the life of teenager Dorris (Nico Parker), who cares for her brother along with her struggling mother (Laura Linney). During their time at a hospice care facility, Dorris strikes up a friendship with an activist (Woody Harrelson) who is protesting a notorious medical case that happens to be occurring at the same care facility.
Nico Parker is an incredible young actor who has a way of portraying so much emotion seemingly effortlessly. Suncoast is a beautifully messy story about family, grief, and coming of age. One does not outweigh another, but happens concurrently. They could have dove into the politics of death and moral ambiguity when facing terminal illness, but they chose to stay on the lighter perspective of growing up in the shadow of a sick person.
Suncoast is playing in select theaters and hits Hulu on February 9.
The Tourist
The Tourist follows a man (Jamie Dornan) who wakes up in the Australian outback with no memory and must use a few clues to discover his identity. As he attempts to uncover the truth, his past begins to catch up with him.
While The Tourist poses an interesting concept, it lacked a cohesive vision and suffered from severe pacing issues. The events unfold in a scattered manner and they really hit you over the head with the lost memory element. While the western style influence and Australian Outback setting are intriguing elements, the slow pacing in the first half of the show fail to hold your interest throughout the season. Episode five is where the twists really pick up and you are spun into this fever dream of reality questioning events. Ultimately, it seemed like they didn’t know what story they wanted to tell with The Tourist and even Jamie Dornan’s passionate performance couldn’t save it.
The Tourist is streaming on Netflix.
