Seven movies for a week of national holidays
Published 1:30 pm Wednesday, January 27, 2021
- Lou Diamond Phillips in a scene from “La Bamba” (1987).
Celebrate every day by watching a film for every national holiday taking place this week. From baked goods, biopics and Swingline staplers, there is something for everyone.
Thursday (Jan. 28), National Have Fun At Work Day, “Office Space” (1999) — Maybe not so much about having fun at work, but it certainly gave every office worker reason to laugh at their jobs and equipping them with a lifetime supply of stapler and TPS report references. Some of the jokes are very much of their time and don’t hold up, but there are still those classic printer-bashing and margarita-muttering scenes to give you a chuckle. Stream it on Starz or rent it on Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu or YouTube.
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Friday (Jan. 29), National Big Wig Day, “Dave” (1993) — There’s no big wig quite like the one in the Oval Office. But the day is meant to inspire bosses and head honchos to make a positive impact on the lives of others, so that’s why the 1993 Kevin Kline-led film fits so perfectly. Kline plays an average guy and presidential doppelganger who gets swept up in a government coverup to hide the stroke of the actual POTUS, then proceeds to enact real altruistic initiatives. It’s heartfelt and funny and still a delight to watch. Rent it on Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu or YouTube.
Saturday (Jan. 30), National Croissant Day, “It’s Complicated” (2009) — Not the best of Nancy Meyers’ oeuvre, but it does feature a drool-worthy kitchen and booming restaurant from main character Jane (Meryl Streep). Jane has an affair with her ex, Jake (Alec Baldwin), who has remarried, while at the same time she begins a relationship with the sweet architect remodeling her amazing kitchen, Adam (Steve Martin). Things — as the title suggests — get complicated. There is a lovely scene between Streep and Martin that includes making chocolate croissants that look delicious. Stream it on Hulu (with Live TV) or Peacock, or rent it from Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu or YouTube.
Sunday (Jan. 31), National Inspire Your Heart With Art Day, “Loving Vincent” (2017) — The absolutely stunning film was crafted over the course of six years using 65,000 individual oil paintings. The animated film tells a fictionalized story about the aftermath of the death of Vincent Van Gogh and is told, frame by frame, through the paintings based on the artist’s actual work. While the story is a little long and sometimes drags, the film is a testament to the artist it’s based on, as well as the 120 classically trained artists who helped make it possible. It’s not the best story in the world, but the visuals are inspiring. Stream it on Hulu or rent it from Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu or YouTube.
Monday (Feb. 1), National Freedom Day (Freedom From Slavery), “12 Years a Slave” (2013) — The heartbreaking and gut-wrenching film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor in the main role as Solomon Northup, a free Black man who is then kidnapped and sold into slavery. The film spans Northup’s harrowing 12 years spent being bought and sold and sent to different owners throughout the South until he can escape toward freedom once again. The true story is difficult to watch, but powerful all the same, and Feb. 1 also marks the beginning of Black History Month. Stream it on Hulu or rent it on Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu or YouTube.
Tuesday (Feb. 2), National Groundhog Day “Groundhog Day” (1993) — What other film could possibly mark Feb. 2? After nearly a year involving lockdowns, quarantine and urgency to stay home and stay safe, it often feels like we’re living the same day over and over and over again. Bill Murray stars as a curmudgeonly weatherman who gets stuck in a time loop on the day where the world’s favorite rodent predicts the weather outcome. Both funny and incredibly dark when you think about it, it still is the perfect February treat. Rent it from Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu or YouTube.
Wednesday (Feb. 3), National Day the Music Died Day, “La Bamba” (1987) — The biopic about Ritchie Valens is the more accurate of the films made about the three rock ’n’ roll artists who were killed in a plane crash on Feb. 3, 1959. Lou Diamond Phillips stars as the singer in his first film, which follows the year leading up to his death and his rise to fame all before he turned 18. While the movie is shot with a very ’80s feel (in terms of pacing, sound design and even a score from Santana that feels a little out of place) it still hits hard when you see Valens, Buddy Holly (Marshall Crenshaw) and the Big Bopper (Stephen Lee) get on that plane. Stream it on Starz or rent it from Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu or YouTube.