THE SMALL SCREEN
New movies to stream this week:
“Senior Moment”: There isn’t terribly much that happens in this gentle romantic comedy starring William Shatner and Jean Smart, and filmed in 2017 in Palm Springs. But it’s nice to see that Shatner — now 90 years old, but plausibly playing a 72-yearold playboy and former NASA test pilot — is still rascally as ever. The film gets under way as its protagonist is temporarily losing his driver’s license after a bit of reckless driving in his beloved 1955 silver Porsche convertible. Mostly, the film follows as Shatner’s Victor takes driving lessons in preparation for the test he has to take to get his license unsuspended. It’s not too taxing (for him or for the viewer), and Victor still has time to woo Smart’s Caroline, the owner of a cafe who’s attracted to Victor until she discovers he’s the reprobate who was doing doughnuts outside her establishment one night. The comedy is mild, as is the romance. But “Senior Moment” is a sweet, inoffensive bit of escapism in the desert. Not rated. Available on various streaming platforms. Contains some coarse and suggestive language, brief, mild sensuality, objectification of women and drug use. 1 hour, 32 minutes.
“Bad Trip”: From the producers of “Jackass” and “Bad Grandpa,” “Bad Trip” is a hidden-camera comedy in which actors — in this case, Eric André and Lil Rel Howery, in the guise of best friends on a cross-country road trip — perform shocking pranks in front of unsuspecting bystanders.
TV-MA. Available on Netflix. 1 hour, 26 minutes.
“Church People”: Featuring appearances by brothers Stephen and William Baldwin, this faith-based comedy pokes fun at the foibles of the American Christian church while delivering a message about what it means to have faith. According to heholdsmyrighthand.com, the film is a “nutty (in a good way) Christian comedy, paired with the underlying message of the power of the Gospel, and rediscovering your passion for Christ.”
Not rated. Available on salem now.com, churchpeoplefilm.com and premium video-on-demand platforms. 1 hour, 55 minutes.
“Donny’s Bar Mitzvah”: A foundfootage comedy revolving around the attendees and antics at a 1998 bar mitzvah. The indie film has, according to Film Threat, a “Zucker brothers’ ‘Airplane!’ sensibility” to it.” Not rated. Available on iTunes and Amazon Prime Video. 1 hour, 19 minutes. “Francesco”: A documentary portrait of Pope Francis, seen through the lens of the pontiff’s work on such issues as economic stratification, race and gender inequality, the climate crisis, xenophobia and others. The Los Angeles Times finds fault with director Evgeny Afineevsky’s “by-the-numbers” approach: “Each topic is featured for a few minutes before the filmmaker diverts attention to the next calamity in need of awareness.” Not rated. Available at afisilver.afi.com; available Sunday on Discovery+. In English, Armenian, Spanish, Italian and French, with subtitles. 1 hour, 56 minutes.
“The Vault”: Freddie Highmore and Famke Janssen star in a thriller about a crew that attempts to pull off a heist in a vault below the bank of Spain during Spain’s World Cup final. The Chicago Sun-Times calls it “preposterous but rich with personality.” R. Available on various streaming platforms. Contains strong language. 1 hour, 58 minutes.