‘Rough Night’ vulgar, dumb fun if you’re in the mood for it
Here’s a look at an interesting new release available to rent from cable and digital providers and a few titles that have recently become available on streaming services.
Video on Demand
“Rough Night”: Former Upright Citizens Brigade member Lucia Aniello has spent the past several years writing and directing on Comedy Central’s hit series “Broad City.” Her feature directorial debut bombed at the box office earlier this year but is just the kind of dumb fun that can play well when you are curled up on the couch. Jess (Scarlett Johansson) is in the midst of a difficult political campaign but is also about to get married. Her best friends from college (Ilana Glazer, Zoe Kravitz, Jillian Bell and Kate McKinnon) decide to throw her a bachelorette weekend in Florida, but everything goes stunningly wrong after they accidentally kill a male stripper in their rental house. Aniello struggles to find the right tone once things get dark, but the cast shines through even the most ridiculous plot elements. There are a lot of laughs along the way, although your sensitivity to vulgarity will probably determine whether you agree. “Modern Family” star Ty Burrell and Demi Moore bring about some of the biggest laughs as an amorous couple who live next to the rental house and are anxious to get at least one of their new neighbors in the bedroom. Through all the outrageousness, the heart of this movie lies within its story of friendship and how it can evolve over the years. (Cable and digital VOD)
Also on streaming services
“Graduation”: Romanian director Cristian Mungiu (“4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days”) won best director at the Cannes Film Festival last year for this gripping foreign drama about Romeo, a doctor who isn’t sure that returning to his native Romania to live with his daughter Eliza is the best idea. With the goal of making a better life for her, a plan is made that would find her studying abroad. The night before a final exam that could earn Eliza a scholarship to go to college in England, her plans are jeopardized after being attacked. (Netflix)
“Hidden Figures”: Nominated for best adapted screenplay, best picture, and best supporting actress for Octavia Spencer at last year’s Academy Awards, this is an inspirational film about some of the brilliant female African-American mathematicians whose calculations helped NASA land on the moon. These women were subjected to the inequality of segregated offices, restrooms, and even coffee pots in the office, but their commitment and service never wavered. Spencer’s award-winning performance is strengthened by Taraji P. Henson and the always sublime Janelle Monae, who also was featured in best picture winner “Moonlight” last year. (HBO Now)