9 top new movies to watch this week on Netflix, Hulu, Peacock and more (Aug. 15-22)
More of this summer's theatrical movies are hitting streaming in this week's new movies lineup.
Jennifer Lawrence's raunchy sex comedy No Hard Feelings and Pixar's romance Elemental are the two big headliners that have arrived fresh from the box office.
Meanwhile, Netflix has the Russell Crowe drama The Pope's Exorcist, as well as the streaming exclusive animated family adventure The Monkey King.
Here are all the best new movies to stream this week.
No Hard Feelings (Digital)
Ever since Jennifer Lawrence broke out as a star in the grim Winter’s Bone, she’s mostly shuffled between making dramas and action movies (with a couple of dark comedies sprinkled into the mix). Over the last few years, she’s dialed her career way, way back, focusing on having a family. Now, she’s back on the big screen doing something new: a screwball comedy.
Maddie’s car was just repossessed, making it impossible to keep working as an Uber driver. Facing bankruptcy and needing money, she finds an unusual job listing posted by rich helicopter parents who are seeking someone to "date-date" their awkward, introverted son Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman). Though she vows to “date his brains out,” Maddie discovers Percy is no easy catch.
Buy digitally and watch on Amazon and other services right now (release date Aug. 15)
Elemental (Digital)
Pixar does a take on the classic tale of Romeo and Juliet. In a world inhabited by anthropomorphic elements of nature lies Element City, where fire-, water-, land- and air residents live together. Fire element Ember Lumen (Leah Lewis) is the hot-tempered daughter of immigrants who have faced xenophobia.
When a plumbing accident occurs at Ember’s father’s store, she meets water element Wade Ripple (Mamoudou Athie). They fall in love, but their romance seems doomed by the prejudices held by the elements against the others.
Buy digitally and watch on Amazon and other services right now (release date Aug. 15)
The Pope’s Exorcist (Netflix)
Inspired by the real-life Father Gabriele Amorth, Chief Exorcist of the Vatican, the titular character (played by Russell Crowe) is sent off by the Pope (Franco Nero) to investigate a possible demonic possession.
A boy (Peter DeSouza-Feighoney) is exhibiting disturbing behavior, including groping his own mother (Alex Essoe). The scooter-riding maverick Amorth teams up with local Father Esquibel (Daniel Zovatto) to help the family, but winds up uncovering a centuries-old conspiracy covered up by the Vatican.
Watch on Netflix starting Aug. 16
To Catch a Killer (Hulu)
Speaking of demons, talented but troubled police officer Eleanor Falco (Shailene Woodley) is wrestling with some from her past — kind of like a modern-day Clarice Starling. She’s recruited by the FBI’s chief investigator Lammark (Ben Mendelsohn) to help profile and track down a sniper who is committing a series of seemingly unrelated mass shootings.
As a nationwide manhunt gets underway, the FBI and police are thwarted at every turn by the sniper’s unprecedented behavior. Eleanor’s tortured psyche might make her the only person who can understand the assailant’s mind and bring them to justice.
Watch on Hulu starting Aug. 18
The Monkey King (Netflix)
Hong Kong filmmaker Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle, Shaolin Soccer) is the producer behind this animated action-packed adventure, which follows a charismatic primate (Jimmy O. Yang) on an epic hero’s quest.
Despite having superpowers, Monkey King is an outcast. To win over his kind, he takes his magical fighting Stick to fight 100 demons. Along the way, a young village girl challenges his egotistical and self-absorbed ways. Then, they must face the greatest foe of all: the Dragon King (Bowen Yang).
Watch on Netflix starting Aug. 18
Every Body (Peacock)
This educational, compelling documentary explores the lives of intersex people (who are born with bodies that fall outside the strict male/female binary). Former Dateline NBC producer Julie Cohen spotlights three individuals who experienced childhoods marked by shame, secrecy and non-consensual surgeries but have become thriving adults.
Sean Saifa Wall, Alicia Roth Weigel, and River Gallo all have different stories, but they now act as advocates for other intersex individuals to be their authentic selves and put an end to unnecessary medical procedures.
Watch on Peacock starting Aug. 18
Bad Things (Shudder)
A weekend getaway at a snowed-in, remote, ancient resort? You just know things are about to get bloody. This slasher flick follows Ruthie (Gayle Rankin of G.L.O.W.), who takes some friends to see the the deserted motel she inherited from her grandmother.
But what’s meant to be a chance to relax and unwind soon turns into a nightmare. When the ghosts of guests past and relationships long buried rise up, the group turns on each other in a race to stay alive.
Watch on Shudder via Prime Video starting Aug. 18
The Lesson (Digital)
This psychological thriller boasts a great cast, if not the most exciting execution of its plot. Liam (Daryl McCormack) is an aspiring young author who takes a tutoring position at the estate of his idol, renowned author J.M. Sinclair (Richard E. Grant).
But the job soon turns into a disturbing ordeal, as Liam becomes ensnared in a web of family secrets, resentment and retribution. Sinclair, his wife Hélène (Julie Delpy), and their son Bertie (Stephen McMillan) all guard a dark past that threatens both their status and security as well as Liam’s future.
Buy digitally and watch on Amazon and other services right now (release date Aug. 15)
Kokomo City (Digital)
This unfiltered, deeply empathetic documentary from filmmaker D. Smith hands over the mic to four Black transgender sex workers in New York City and Atlanta: Daniella Carter, Koko Da Doll, Liyah Mitchell, and Dominique Silver.
They are unapologetically forthright, feisty and funny as they discuss their identities and jobs, as well as issues of safety, race, gender and societal norms. The film is dedicated to Koko Da Doll, who was murdered two months after the doc premiered at Sundance in January.
Rent/buy digitally and watch on Amazon and other services right now (release date Aug. 15)