MUSIC/BIOPIC
A Complete Unknown
Timothée Chalamet depicts Bob Dylan in the early '60s when he went from acoustic folk musician to electric rocker in this James Mangold biopic. The cast also includes Monica Barbara as Joan Baez, Edward Norton as Peter Seeger and Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash.
Similar to: Walk the Line (2005)
In theaters
DRUGGY DRAMA/WOMEN
Anora
Sean Baker’s modern-day Cinderella-meets-Pretty Woman fable finds Mikey Madison’s title exotic dancer whisked away by a Russian oligarch’s feckless son Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn) in a moral tale that shows society at its most transactional. The spoiled, manic rich kid falls in love while playing video games with an omnipresent bong at his side. A drug and alcohol-fueled spree in Vegas leads to a hasty marriage in a cheesy wedding chapel, and when the parents back in the homeland find out, a wild chase ensues, only to spawn an unexpectedly moving fade-out. Getting high for Ivan is equated to loosening class and social bonds by tapping a child-like id. (Roy Trakin)
Box office: $13.1 million
Similar to: Tangerine (2015)
In theaters
STONER COMEDY/JEWISH
A Real Pain
First cousins David (Jessie Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) visit Poland to pay tribute to their grandmother, a Holocaust survivor who recently died. A package containing weed is awaiting Benji at their hotel's front desk. They christen the trip with a joint on the roof.
David and Benji are on a heritage tour with a small group that includes stops at grandma’s former house in Warsaw and a mood-shifting concentration camp. Benji's impulsive, unfiltered behavior leads to a showdown between the cousins, but thankfully not a falling out as they return to the U.S. with new perspectives.
Culkin has already garnered several awards for his poignant portrayal.
Box office: $7 million
Similar to: This Is 40 (2012)
In theaters
