Labor Day is designed to be a reprieve that all of us do to make the world go round. On top of that, it’s also the unofficial start of fall, which means that there are plenty of reasons to celebrate. If you’re looking to relax with a movie but want something you haven’t necessarily heard of before, we’ve got you covered.
We’ve pulled together a list of five pretty underrated movies worth streaming this Labor Day. Some of them are about labor in one way or another, but if you’re just looking for riveting, interesting movies of all kinds, then this list should have something for you.
Emily the Criminal (2022)
A brilliant movie that tackles what it’s like to live in modern America, Emily the Criminal follows a young woman who, saddled with a lot of student debt, decides to get involved in a credit card scam in order to get ahead.
Things obviously spiral out of control from there, but the movie’s brilliance comes from Aubrey Plaza’s amazing central performance, which makes us both sympathetic toward and a little bit judgmental of Emily and the decisions that she makes. Her predicament, though, is one that many people can relate to. She was promised a good job, and instead, she’s scrounging for scraps.
You can watch Emily the Criminal on Netflix.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)
Taika Waititi’s particular brand of humor is not for everyone, but Hunt for the Wilderpeople represents what it can be at its very best. Telling the story of a delinquent child who is sent to live with a foster family and winds up on a journey through the New Zealand bush with his reluctant foster father, the film is sharper and funnier than you might imagine, but also has plenty of time for more big-hearted sentiment.
Thanks to outstanding central performances from Julian Dennison and Sam Neill (Jurassic Park) and some of Waititi’s best direction, the movie is every bit as heartwarming as you might want it to be.
You can watch Hunt for the Wilderpeople on Netflix.
Dark Waters (2019)
A harrowing true story that remains obscure to this day, Dark Waters tells the story of a single attorney who discovers that deaths in a particular region of West Virginia are connected to the pollution of the DuPont corporation. As he burrows deeper into what Dupont has been up to, he discovers exactly how sinister their pollution really is, and how much effort they’ve put into covering it up.
Mark Ruffalo is a brilliant anchor here, and Anne Hathaway is overqualified for her performance as his supportive wife. Dark Waters is harrowing, but it’s also one of the best movies you’ll find anywhere.
You can watch Dark Waters on Netflix.
Wildlife (2018)
One of the most devastating emotional dramas released in the past decade, Wildlife tells the story of a marriage crumbling from a perspective of the only son of that marriage. The film, which is set in Montana in the 1950s against the backdrop of wildfires, really focuses on Carey Mulligan (Maestro) as she slowly begins to feel her life unraveling around her.
Few actors working today are Mulligan’s equal, and she proves it definitively here. First-time director Paul Dano proves he knows exactly where to point the camera, and he also knows that he can let Mulligan and a great script take it from there.
You can watch Wildlife on Pluto TV.
The Death of Stalin (2017)
A comedic story about actual history, The Death of Stalin is set in the immediate aftermath of Joseph Stalin’s death, and follows his cronies as they scramble and fight for power. The movie’s brilliant early scenes, in which these toadies are not even sure whether Stalin has really died or whether he’s just testing them, eventually give way to an all-out scramble that is a reminder that the people who write our histories are often much sillier and stupider than we ever imagined them to be.
History has winners and losers, but the brilliant comedy of The Death of Stalin (and its wonderful ensemble cast) remind us that people in power aren’t necessarily smarter than people without it.
You can watch The Death of Stalin on Pluto TV.