This Mother’s Day weekend, Netflix and Watch With Us are celebrating female stars who have appeared in Hollywood’s biggest hits from the 1970s to the present.
Sally Field has enjoyed one of the best careers any actor can ask for, and she just added another movie to her already impressive resume — the quiet drama Remarkably Bright Creatures, costarring Lewis Pullman and an orange octopus.
Cameron Diaz hasn’t received the Oscar nominations or widespread critical respect she deserves, but that doesn’t matter too much when she’s the lead in one of the funniest comedies ever made, There’s Something About Mary.
Now known for her work in the Avengers and Jurassic Park franchises, Scarlett Johansson is also an actress who takes risks, and she gave her most daring performance in the creepy sci-fi thriller, Under the Skin.
‘Remarkably Bright Creatures’ (2026)
Tova (Sally Field) is a lonely old woman stuck in her ways, which makes her new co-worker at the aquarium, the twentysomething Cameron (Lewis Pullman), less than appealing. But as the pair get to know each other, Tova and Cameron realize they have something in common — they’re both looking for the family they’ve lost. Tova still hasn’t overcome the death of her son, while Cameron is looking for the father who abandoned him as a child.
Will this odd couple find some sort of happiness through their unlikely friendship? Probably. But the primary joy of Remarkably Bright Creatures is watching how these two lost souls find a way to connect. This is a sweet film anchored by two terrific performances from Field and Pullman, who ignore easy clichés and create complicated characters who haven’t had easy lives. Uplifting films get a bad rap these days, but Remarkably Bright Creatures earns its sentimentality with great acting, thoughtful direction by Olivia Newman and some gorgeous shots of Vancouver, Canada.
Remarkably Bright Creatures is streaming on Netflix.
‘There’s Something About Mary’ (1998)
Ted Stroehmann (Ben Stiller) has been in love with high-school crush Mary Jensen (Cameron Diaz) all his adult life. At the urging of his best friend, he hires a private investigator, Pat Healy (Matt Dillon), to track her down so he can reintroduce himself to her and maybe — just maybe — win her heart. There’s just one problem — Pat falls in love with her, too, and does his best to sabotage Ted’s love reconnection. Ted doesn’t back down, setting the stage for a comical love triangle involving sex, lies, some videotape and some unfortunately misplaced bodily fluids.
It’s easy to understand why There’s Something About Mary is such a beloved comedy — its willingness to go to any lengths for a joke usually pays off with several laugh-out-loud moments. Sight gags, word play, surprise cameos from unexpected pop culture figures — you name it, this movie does it. Yet the film also tells a surprisingly sweet story about a doofus who can’t help falling in love with a woman too good to be true. As Mary, Diaz does the impossible — she convinces you that a woman as beautiful, kind and intelligent as Mary could fall for someone like Stiller’s schlub. She also somehow manages to keep her dignity even after inadvertently using Ted’s sperm as hair gel. Let’s see Meryl Streep do THAT.
There’s Something About Mary is streaming on Netflix.
‘Under the Skin’ (2013)
An unnamed female (Scarlett Johansson) wanders around Scotland, with seemingly no purpose save for picking up men. She doesn’t want to have sex with them, though — instead, she lures them into a pool of black liquid, where they either become trapped in permanent status or die. It’s clear this woman isn’t human, but what exactly is she? And why does she seem to be studying humans, particularly men, for some unknown purpose?
Under the Skin is undeniably creepy in a way few horror movies rarely achieve. Part of that creepiness is due to its indefinability — like its main character, you don’t know what it’s doing for most of the time or what purpose it possesses. Johnasson’s monosyllabic performance strikes the right tone between almost-human and a strange otherness that’s chilling. The ending is a big question mark, and director Jonathan Glazer is confident enough to leave you with plenty of mysteries and no easy answers.
Under the Skin is streaming on Netflix.
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