Last week, I declared Beyoncé’s Homecoming “the greatest concert documentary of all time” before I had seen a single frame. On Wednesday, April 17, 2019 at 3 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, I watched Homecoming as soon as it hit Netflix. Beyoncé Knowles-Carter not only delivered a piece of art for the music canon that pop culture historians will be studying until the end of time, she also silenced anyone who has dared to question her genius. She DID THAT. I love being right.
Watching Homecoming was a spiritual experience for me, which is fitting because it is Easter weekend. Let Beyoncé take you to church. There are other titles I am going to suggest you watch this long weekend, but we all know the only thing that matters is Homecoming. Here are my five picks to watch on Netflix Canada this weekend.
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Oh, you thought I was done. I’m not. I could write a 10,000-word dissertation on Homecoming, Beyoncé, and Black excellence, but instead I’m just going to yell at you to watch it. If you’ve seen it, click that “WATCH IT AGAIN” tab! I’ll be screening it every day for the rest of my life. Homecoming is my new daily devotional. There are so many little moments to dissect, like every time Bey gives us emotional and personal details we didn’t know before, or every glimpse of the Sacred Twins and Blue Ivy. She gave us so much. This weekend I’ll be giving thanks (wrong holy holiday?) for Beyoncé and all of her blessing.
The Perfect Date is not a great movie. It’s barely even mediocre, and it has a serious Gay Best Friend trope problem, BUT it does star Noah Centineo and it is a romantic comedy, so there’s that. Those two things were enough for me to clear an entire night to curl up on my couch with Budget Peter Kavinsky. Centineo’s character in The Perfect Date is nowhere close to being as wonderful as Peter Kavinsky in To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before but they have the same face so, again, there’s that.
Every month, I round up the most exciting titles coming to Netflix Canada. This month, one of the most highly anticipated drops was Special, a comedy about a gay man living with cerebral palsy. Ryan O’Connell plays himself and embarks on a journey to live the life he’s imagined. Sure, this comedy is revolutionary for representation but it’s also just really sweet and funny. It’s also got a hilarious supporting cast of characters played by Jessica Hecht and Punham Patel, just to name a few.
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French comedy star Gad Elmaleh is actually really big in France. In North America, he’s known as that guy who was on The Daily Show once — and that’s just to super fans of The Daily Show. This meta comedy follows a scripted version of the star (he plays himself) as he moves to LA to spend more time with his son and tries to make it across the pond. Jerry Seinfeld guest stars in an episode. My partner is five episodes in and loves it, but he’s also the dude who watches every single comedy special on Netflix and laughs at every bad joke so take that endorsement with a grain of salt.
Do you need any more information other than that this movie stars Ike Barinholtz and Tiffany Haddish? I didn’t think so. Now that you’re on board, here’s the synopsis according to Netflix: “A liberal couple’s Thanksgiving goes off the rails when the American government issues a loyalty initiative – and their right-wing in-laws arrive.” Sound like the perfect viewing for anyone braving political conversations with family this long weekend! This dramedy shows off Barinholtz and Haddish’s serious sides as well as their proven comedic skills. It’s from the producers of Get Out, and also stars and interracial couple but I promise it’s way less terrifying.