you are my home movie reviews

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You Are My Home

This drama follows the relationship of a heartbroken woman and a young immigrant girl who has lost her mother at the border, coming together just before Christmas. This drama follows the relationship of a heartbroken woman and a young immigrant girl who has lost her mother at the border, coming together just before Christmas. This drama follows the relationship of a heartbroken woman and a young immigrant girl who has lost her mother at the border, coming together just before Christmas.

• Amanda Raymond
• Marion Milner
• Tara Pirnia
• Alyssa Milano
• Angel Parker
• Cristián de la Fuente
• 32 User reviews
• 3 Critic reviews

• Chloe Wilson

• Carlos Lopez

• Sunday School Teacher

• Alan Henley

• Sammy Franklin

• (as Brenda Garza)

• Production Assistant
• (uncredited)
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

• Trivia Movie is filmed in border towns of Harlingen, TX and McAllen, TX.
• Soundtracks Your Heart is Home Written by Johnny Elkins and Peter Roberts Performed by Melissa Bickerton

User reviews 32

• will-barrows
• Jan 21, 2021
• How long is You Are My Home? Powered by Alexa
• December 4, 2020 (United States)
• United States
• United Kingdom
• no press release at this time
• Gift of an Angel
• McAllen, Texas, USA
• Future Sight Entertainment
• Bungalow Media
• Pantheon Entertainment Corporation
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 32 minutes

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Is Netflix’s ‘You Are My Home’ Based on a True Story?

Where to stream:.

• You Are My Home

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'selling the oc's ali harper: why is someone without a real estate license on this show, stream it or skip it: 'the roast of tom brady' on netflix, where football greats stepped way out of bounds to keep up with comedians zinging the nfl g.o.a.t., kim kardashian savagely booed as she takes the stage to roast tom brady.

Netflix has released a touching, timely story with  You Are My Home . The film grapples with themes of immigration and adoptive families, mainly following a sweet 11-year-old girl separated from her family by ICE agents. It sounds like something ripped straight from real life in America — but is  You Are My Home  actually based on a true story?

Alexandra (Eva Ariel Binder) is the young girl in the story, and she becomes wary of adults the minute her mother is taken away from her. A local social worker ( Alyssa Milano ) connects Alex with a foster guardian — who, coincidentally, has just lost her own family. Though the pair take a bit to warm up to each other, the holiday season brings them together.

Here’s everything you need to know about the story behind  You Are My Home :

Is  You Are My Home  based on a true story?

Nope.  You Are My Home  is entirely fictional. Even though it sounds like it could be a true story, the original script was written by Marion Milner and Amanda Raymond. That being said, as of Dec. 2020, there are 628 migrant children missing their parents in the U.S. This specific narrative isn’t true — but it’s not far from real life happenings.

Is  You Are My Home  based on a book?

Also no —  You Are My Home  began as a script for the screen. The story is all from the minds of Marion Milner and Amanda Raymond.

Is there a trailer for  You Are My Home ?

Yes! You can watch it here.

Watch  You Are My Home  on Netflix

• Alyssa Milano

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You Are My Home

Alyssa Milano (Sloane) Angel Parker (Chloe Wilson) Cristián de la Fuente (Carlos Lopez) Eva Ariel Binder (Alexandra) Joel Michaely (Charlie) Melissa Bickerton (Sunday School Teacher) Joel Steingold (Alan Henley) Sutton Waldman (Sammy Franklin) Brenda Patricia Garza (Luisa) Laura de la Fuente (Ariel)

Amanda Raymond

This drama follows the relationship of a heartbroken woman and a young immigrant girl who has lost her mother at the border, coming together just before Christmas.

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You are my home.

Directed by Amanda Raymond

This drama follows the relationship of a heartbroken woman and a young immigrant girl who has lost her mother at the border, coming together just before Christmas.

Alyssa Milano Cristián de la Fuente Angel Parker Joel Michaely Melissa Bickerton Joel Steingold Deanna Grace Congo

Director Director

Amanda Raymond

Producer Producer

Jacob Cooney

Writers Writers

Tara Pirnia Marion Milner

Executive Producers Exec. Producers

Phillip B. Goldfine Cristián de la Fuente David Gere James T. Bruce IV

Future Sight Entertainment Pantheon Entertainment Corporation

Alternative Titles

Heart of Christmas, Gift of an Angel, Tu Eres Mi Hogar, Você é Minha Casa

Releases by Date

04 dec 2020, releases by country.

• Premiere Netflix

92 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by 🎭 shotbyshe 🎭 ★★½ 1

My mom recommended it so I knew it would be terrible, but I still watched it because I love her.

Very long dumb cheap looking opening credit sequence. The editing and acting is very mediocre. However, You Are My Home is still a very sweet film.

Review by Takara Reese ★★★★★

You Are My Home is such a sweet and yet heartbreaking and at times poignant story. The story of a girl who’s mother was deported and whom was living on the streets and met Chloe who called a friend to help her find the girl’s mom. What follows is a story of a woman who had lost her son and husband, and was cold and distant and even acted that way at first and learned to love the child that came into her life (Chloe). It is a movie that is a tearjerker at times such as in the beginning and even in the middle ish close to the end ish. Yet it tells a beautiful message of learning to…

Review by olivia 🌷 ★

this is some of the worst acting i’ve ever seen

Review by Christina Ansefelt ★

The acting is very good.

Review by cinemaphile ½

it was definitely a movie

Review by MJ1 ★★½ 1

watched on NETFLIX on 12/6/20 An 11-yr-old girl, Alex (Eva Ariel Binder), is out on the streets in southern Texas when her mom is picked up by ICE two weeks before Christmas. A woman (Angel Parker) who recently lost her own child and husband to a car accident, finds Alex and enlists her child placement lawyer friend (Alyssa Milano) to help Alex. To keep Alex out of the foster system, the lawyer asks the woman who found Alex to take her in temporarily during the holidays...until the mother can be found in the system.

Alyssa Milano rises above the well-meaning but low-budget script & production. The little girl is very good as well as Cristian de la Fuente.  My problem was…

Review by fiaayon ½

i wanted to have a lobotomy done after this.

Review by cass1eb123 ½

Carlos should not have seen the girls starfish drawing and chose to support that art by buying her watercolor

Review by Cat ½

How do you even make a movie this bad. 

Jesus camp was fun. This was not.

Review by Hope Victoria ★★★★★

This is movie is based on a true story, it is a beautiful movie, well made with great actors, I am so glad I watched it, and It will tug at your heart strings, true stories always do.

Review by Suezette ★★★

Don’t get me wrong...it’s not a very well developed film but boy oh boy did I cry

Review by court ★★★★

This movie had me crying. It was so sweet to watch. So very realistic too.

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You Are My Home Reviews

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You Are My Home

• Credits 
• Trailers  [1]
• Image gallery  [1]

All images are copyrighted by their respective copyright holders and/or producers/distributors.

• Eva Ariel Binder
• Sutton Waldman
• Melissa Bickerton
• Joel Steingold
• Deanna Grace Congo
• See all credits

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User history

You Are My Home (2020) Stream and Watch Online

Watch 'you are my home' online.

Want to watch ' You Are My Home ' on your TV or mobile device at home? Finding a streaming service to buy, rent, download, or watch the Amanda Raymond-directed movie via subscription can be challenging, so we here at Moviefone want to help you out. Read on for a listing of streaming and cable services - including rental, purchase, and subscription choices - along with the availability of 'You Are My Home' on each platform when they are available. Now, before we get into all the details of how you can watch 'You Are My Home' right now, here are some finer points about the Future Sight Entertainment, Pantheon Entertainment Corporation family flick. Released December 4th, 2020, 'You Are My Home' stars Alyssa Milano , Cristián de la Fuente , Angel Parker , Joel Michaely The movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 32 min, and received a user score of 70 (out of 100) on TMDb, which collated reviews from 13 well-known users. Interested in knowing what the movie's about? Here's the plot: "This drama follows the relationship of a heartbroken woman and a young immigrant girl who has lost her mother at the border, coming together just before Christmas." 'You Are My Home' is currently available to rent, purchase, or stream via subscription on Netflix , and Netflix basic with Ads .

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You Are My Home Reviews

• 1 hr 32 mins
• Drama, Family
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A young girl finds a connection with a heartbroken woman after losing contact with her family at the border.

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‘The Idea of You’ Review: Surviving Celebrity

Anne Hathaway headlines a movie that’s got a lot to say about the perils of fame.

• Share full article

By Alissa Wilkinson

Women of a certain age (that is, my age) feel like they grew up alongside Anne Hathaway, because, well, we did. We were awkward teens together when she made “The Princess Diaries” in 2001. We felt ourselves to be put-upon entry-level hirelings right when “The Devil Wears Prada” came out in 2006. We understood her broken-down narcissistic addict in “Rachel Getting Married,” because who couldn’t? And we watched the Hathaway backlash, pegged to public perception that she was trying too hard, and worried that people saw us the same way.

Now we’re 40-ish. We know for sure that Gen Z considers millennials to be cringe, and, thankfully, we no longer feel the need to care. The greatest gift of reaching middle age is having settled into yourself, and that is apparently what Hathaway, age 41, has done . She has been through the celebrity wringer (and more ) and come out the other side looking radiant, with a long list of credits in movies that swing from standard commercial fare to auteurist masterpieces.

This is perhaps why it’s so satisfying to see her name come first — alone, before the title credit — in “The Idea of You,” which is on its surface a relatively fluffy little film. Based on the sleeper hit novel by Robinne Lee, “The Idea of You” is plainly fantasy, in the fan fiction mold, that poses the question: What if Harry Styles, the British megastar and former frontman of One Direction, fell madly in love with a hot 40-year-old mom? In this universe, the Styles character is Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), the British frontman of a five-member boy band called August Moon.

Hathaway plays Solène Marchand, an art gallery owner whose arrogantly useless ex-husband, Daniel (Reid Scott), buys v.i.p. meet-and-greet tickets for their 16-year-old daughter, Izzy (Ella Rubin), and her two best friends, all of whom were huge August Moon fans … in the seventh grade.

The event is at Coachella, and Daniel is set to take the teenagers but backs out at the last second, citing a work emergency. Solène reluctantly agrees to take them, and while at the festival, mistakes Hayes’s trailer for the bathroom. They meet, it’s cute, and you can guess what happens next.

Or can you? It was clear about 10 minutes into the movie that what was required for enjoyment was to surrender to the daydreaming, and so, with very little internal protest, I did. How could I resist? Solène is smart, competent, kind and secure; she has great hair and a great wardrobe; and most important, she seems like a real person, even if the situation in which she finds herself greatly stretches the bonds of credibility.

More than once, I was struck by how authentically 40 Solène seemed to me — a woman capable of making her own decisions, even ones she thinks might be ill-advised — and how weirdly rare it is to see that kind of character in a movie. She has a kid, and friends, and a career. She reads books and looks at art, and she is flattered by this 24-year-old superstar’s attention but takes a long time to come around to the idea that it may not be a joke.

Solène also feels real shame and real resolve in the course of the winding fairy tale story, which predictably has to go south. But most of all, she’s in a movie that doesn’t try to shame her, or patronize her, or make her appear ridiculous for having desires and fantasies of her own. She’s just who she is, and it’s simple to understand her appeal to someone whose life has never been his own.

Directed by Michael Showalter, who wrote the adapted screenplay with Jennifer Westfeldt, “The Idea of You” succeeds mostly because of Hathaway’s performance, though she and Galitzine spark and banter pleasurably (and he can dance and sing, too). It tweaks the novel in a number of ways — Hayes is older than the book’s character, for one thing — and also seems to implicitly know it’s a movie, and that movies have a strange relationship with age-gap romances.

In fact, that’s one of its strengths. Several times, characters remark on the double standard attached to people’s judgment of Solène and Hayes’s relationship, hypothesizing that in a gender-swapped situation, people would be high-fiving the older man who landed the hot younger star. Sixteen years looks like a lot on paper, but in the movies, at least, it is barely a blip.

That musing is interesting enough, if a familiar one. More fascinating in “The Idea of You” is its treatment of the cage of celebrity. Hayes seems mature compared with his bandmates and the girls who follow them around, but he’s also clearly stuck in some kind of arrested development. And I do mean stuck: He is self-aware enough to tell Solène, plaintively, that he auditioned for the band when he was 14 and not much has changed beyond his level of fame. He wants a life beyond the spotlight, badly.

And that’s just what he can’t get. Neither can Solène, nor, eventually, anyone around her. The idea of living a quiet life might obviously be out of reach, but the added elements of tabloid news and rabid fans unafraid to treat Hayes as if they know him make things far worse. The film starts to feel a little like the tale of a monster, but the monster is parasociality, encouraged by the illusion of intimacy that the modern superstar machine relies on to keep selling tickets and merch and albums and whatever else keeps the star in the spotlight.

It’s probably coincidental that “The Idea of You” comes on the heels of Taylor Swift’s latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” on which she strongly implies that her carefully cultivated fandom has made her love life a nightmare. But spiritually, at least, they’re of a piece — even if the origins of the film’s plot seem as much borne of parasociality as a critique of it. And that makes Hathaway’s performance extra poignant. She’s been dragged into that buzz saw before. And somehow, she’s figured out how to make a life on the other side of it.

The Idea of You Rated R for getting hot and heavy, plus some language. Running time: 1 hour 55 minutes. Watch on Prime Video .

Alissa Wilkinson is a Times movie critic. She’s been writing about movies since 2005. More about Alissa Wilkinson

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Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, you are not my mother.

Now streaming on:

Irish filmmakers have slowly been creating an impressive catalog of horror films: ghost stories, stories steeped in the occult, with some monster movies thrown into the mix. Some are effective hybrids, with psychological trauma morphing into violence or psychopathy. Ireland, with its long history of ancient paganism overlaid with Catholicism, and its legends of fairies (not as cute as you might think, with leprechauns the worst of the "fairy folk," greedy little bastards), is rich territory for horror. In the last decade alone, there's been " Rose Plays Julie ," " Citadel ," " The Lodgers ," "A Dark Song," " Caveat ," " The Hallow ," and the almost unbearably tense haunted-house movie "The Canal," the best of the lot (or at least it's my favorite). Many of these are directorial debuts, even more exciting since there's much to look forward to from these filmmakers. The latest is Kate Dolan's feature directorial debut, the moody, trauma-based "You Are Not My Mother," with performances that manage to be powerful, insightful, and touching, sometimes simultaneously.

Hazel Doupe plays Charlotte (shortened to "Char" by everyone, a metaphorical name if ever there was one), a cowed and intimidated teenage girl, living in a housing estate outside of Dublin. Char is a slim girl, with huge alert eyes and a red birthmark on her right cheek, the cause of mockery from fellow students, all of whom are girls. Girls are terrifying. But family is even more so. Char lives with her nearly-disabled grandmother ( Ingrid Craigie ), who seems never to leave the house, and her depressive mother Angela ( Carolyn Bracken ), who can barely get out of bed. Something's very wrong in this dusty musty household, the secrets shrieking louder than any language could.

The film starts with a terrifying mysterious prologue. A baby carriage holding a shrieking baby stands in the middle of a dark road. Why is this baby left alone in the street? A woman (Craigie) approaches and rolls the carriage into the woods, where she removes the baby from the carriage, places her in the dirt, and lights a ring of fire around her. The baby wails, the heat flickering far too close, charring (get it?) the ground around the child. None of this is explained until nearly the end of "You Are Not My Mother," and it looms over the rest of the film.

Char is a teenager, but she is the responsible one in the household, scolding her mother about there being no food in the house, begging her to get out of bed and give her a ride to school when she misses the bus. School is no better, although a kindly teacher (Jade Jordan) takes an interest in Char. One morning Angela disappears, seemingly vanishing into thin air. When she returns home a few days later, she is very different. She's sometimes light-hearted, but she can turn on a dime. She is often quite frightening. Char has been traumatized by years of neglect, and tiptoes around the house, keeping her distance. The grandmother knows more than she's saying. "You Are Not My Mother" has some plot, but it's mostly the portrait of the claustrophobia of family secrets, particularly for Char who has no idea what's going on, and slowly comes to understand that everyone has been keeping something from her, something to do with her. Her entire life has been built on fabrications and half-truths.

Dolan manages all this with a single-minded vision, collaborating with her sound designer (Brendan Rehill), composer ( Die Hexen ), and production designer (Lauren Kelly) to create an overall mood of tension and incipient fear. Char's house is dusty, the windows clouded over with dirt letting in thin shafts of light, and it's filled with old furniture, a couch that seems to have been there since 1958. The hallways are narrow and there are whispers behind closed doors. Talented cinematographer Narayan Van Maele uses that cramped house to its full potential. Characters are often shot through doorframes, seen only partially, or through a door left ajar. Sometimes, alarmingly, they show up in the mirror's reflection with no warning. Char's disoriented perspective is prioritized. Doupe is often on the verge of tears as she endures her own life, exhausted and frayed by secrets and silences. Her exhilaration at finally finding a friend in Suzanne ( Jordanne Jones ), a girl initially unfriendly but eventually kind, is extremely touching. Suzanne doesn't know anything about Char's family but senses correctly that something is very wrong.

The final sequences are the only "stock" moments in this very specific family drama, and something about the last scene left me cold. But the rest is so effective and emotional, a dedicated portrait of trauma passed down through generations, it doesn't matter. "You Are Not My Mother" is an extremely confident directorial debut.

Available in theaters and on demand on March 25th.

Sheila O'Malley

Sheila O'Malley received a BFA in Theatre from the University of Rhode Island and a Master's in Acting from the Actors Studio MFA Program. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

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• A behind-the-scenes featurette titled “He Said She Said”
• The making-of “Everyone Down Under”
• A compilation of Outtakes & Bloopers
• Never-before-seen Deleted Scenes
• Humorous ASMR Pickup Lines
• Insight into “Aussie Snacks”

Under the direction of Will Gluck (“Easy A,” “Friends with Benefits”) and written by Gluck alongside Ilana Wolpert, the R-rated “Anyone But You” showcases an ensemble cast including Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell, Alexandra Shipp, GaTa, Hadley Robinson, Michelle Hurd, Dermot Mulroney, Darren Barnet, and Rachel Griffiths.

“Anyone But You” portrays Bea (Sydney Sweeney) and Ben (Glen Powell) who initially seem like the ideal match. However, following a remarkable first encounter, their intense chemistry suddenly freezes over — until they’re both stuck attending the same destination wedding in Australia. They resort to the only seemingly rational solution: faking a relationship.

FAQs About Watching “Anyone But You” at Home

When will “Anyone But You” be available for digital purchase?

The film will be available for digital purchase starting February 20, 2024.

What kind of special features are included with the digital purchase?

The digital version comes with bonus featurettes, deleted scenes, outtakes, ASMR pickup lines, and more.

Who directed “Anyone But You”?

The film was directed by Will Gluck, known for movies like “Easy A” and “Friends with Benefits”.

Is “Anyone But You” suitable for all ages?

No, the film is rated R, so it may not be suitable for younger audiences.

For rom-com enthusiasts and fans of Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, the home release of “Anyone But You” promises to deliver all the charming, funny, and romantic elements that make this genre so beloved. With an array of special features accompanying the digital launch, viewers get more than just the movie—they get a full entertainment package that dives deeper into the world of “Anyone But You”. Mark your calendars for February 20th, and get ready to invite Bea and Ben into your home for a viewing experience filled with laughter, love, and maybe just a hint of nostalgia.

Review: 'The Fall Guy' is a love letter to everything that makes movies magic

You'll leave the theater with a smile on your face that won't quit.

Stunt crews have been making lazy actors look invincible since the birth of cinema. What a kick to see these pros take the spotlight in "The Fall Guy," now in theaters starring a peak-form Ryan Gosling, who uses his role as one such daredevil to blow kisses to Hollywood's unsung heroes, who do the work for real, minus the deep fake of digital.

The academy has been dawdling forever about awarding an Oscar for stunt professionals. "The Fall Guy" should change that in a big fat hurry after voters catch this insanely entertaining action comedy that shows the pleasure and pride inherent in making it all look easy.

Gosling knocks it out of the park as Colt Seavers, a stunt master who quits the business after a 12-story fall nearly kills him. What brings him back after 18 months of rehab is loyalty to his ex, Jody Moreno (a gangbusters Emily Blunt), a camera operator making her directing debut with a sci-fi epic in Australia and hating on Colt for ghosting her after his accident.

MORE: Review: 'The Woman King is indelible and truly inspiring

It's Jody's producer Gail Meyer, played by "Ted Lasso" Emmy fireball Hannah Waddingham, who calls in Colt. Not just to right the course of true love, but to get a virtuoso on Jody's team. Disaster strikes when leading man Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) goes MIA. Suspects include Ryder's girlfriend (Teresa Palmer) and personal assistant (Stephanie Hsu).

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Screenwriter Drew Pearce cobbles together a plot that involves Colt and his bestie, movie-quoting stunt coordinator Dan Tucker (a dynamite Winston Duke), getting knocked around as they investigate a conspiracy that explains what happed to the prickly AWOL movie star, hilariously spoofed by Taylor-Johnson, even if the danger might get Colt killed for real.

But come on! Stunts are the main attraction, as characters do cannon rolls, burst into flames, leap off speeding cars and boats, and play fight club in a spinning dumpster. And "John Wick" director David Leitch, a stunt double for the likes of Brad Pitt and Matt Damon, knows the truth in the old slogan that action is character. You can feel his love for stunts in every frame.

Loosely derived from the 1980's TV series starring Lee Majors, "The Fall Guy" raises the ante on what it takes to do the impossible. The wow factor is off the charts, as are the sparks ping-ponging between Gosling and Blunt, who are romcom hotties to die for. Ken from "Barbie" and the feisty missus from "Oppenheimer" do themselves proud as a screwball dream team.

MORE: Review: 'Hustle' radiates love for the game in every frame

Gosling had five stunt doubles in the film, but does some of the work himself. At the film's premiere, the star waxed poetic about the stunt community.

"They are the hardest-working people in show business," he said. "They risk more than anyone."

He was only half joking when he added, "This movie is just a giant campaign to get stunts an Oscar."

So get busy, academy. It's high time these gutsy warriors earned some glory. As for audiences, "The Fall Guy" is a love letter to everything that makes movies magic. It's also everything you want in bust-out summer fun. You'll leave the theater with a smile on your face that won't quit. What are you waiting for? This one's a keeper.

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Maïwenn and Johnny Depp Deliver Decadent Sexual Excess In ‘Jeanne du Barry’

Best of all, johnny depp honors the fact that this is not a film about him..

When I first heard about Jeanne du Barry, the sumptuous and extravagant French epic about the infamous, powerful but rarely mentioned final mistress of King Louis XV, with author-actress-writer-producer Maïwenn as the director and—hold on to something for balance— Johnny Depp as the king…the temptation to laugh out loud stretched from here to deadline. But truthfully, to my surprise, he does nothing wrong as the unconventional monarch, and there are even scenes when he emerges subtly poised, understated and dramatically triumphant. Best of all, he honors the fact that this is not a film about him, but about the love and devotion of an impoverished woman with no breeding and no social identity who, for a time, became the most powerful female figure in 18th-century Europe. 

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Madame du Barry has appeared as a character in other films about the French Revolution and was even the subject of a Cole Porter musical at MGM starring Lucille Ball . But what do we really know about her? Maïwenn has spent years hell-bent on unveiling her at last, distilling the obscured facts of her fascinating rise and fall into a lavish period piece in the style of Forever Amber, brimming with sex, romance, political intrigue and historical scandals framed by enough glamorous decors, sumptuous costumes, regal hairstyles and gold-leaf ceilings to take your breath away. There’s so much to look at and think about that it is sometimes difficult to concentrate on the story, but a plot does emerge in the capable hands of Maïwenn, who keeps the facts straight while keeping one of the most shocking chapters in French history alive and kicking.

Born Jeanne Vaubernier, the illegitimate daughter of a monk and a maid, a common low-class nobody in a brutally class-conscious country, she had no education, but learned about ambition early and spent her life determined to climb the 18 th -century social ladder and escape her pathetic, underprivileged life the only way she knew how—on her back, in the beds of as many wealthy men possible. Raised by her mother’s lover, Mr. Dumousseaux, who sent her to a convent where she was grilled to avoid the debauchery that is the inevitable fate of disenfranchised girls, she failed the tests of innocence and purity and was expelled. After she left, without any kind of promising future, her mother took her to Paris, where she was hired by a widow with two sons to read aloud from works of great literature, a position that gave her an education in how to use her body and charm to seduce a wealthier, more worldly class of clients, including Count du Barry, whose influence brought her to the attention of Louis XV, a randy monarch with lusty tastes in women.

At first, “His Majesty” Johnny Depp is like a rock star costumed for a Halloween party, replete with high heel shoes, a powdered wig and bright red lipstick. But by the time the king takes a fancy to her and summons her to the royal bed in the palace at Versailles, it’s the courtesan who has grown downright homely in the persona of the director, Maïwenn. She is raw as biscuit dough, replete with an alarming set of distracting buck teeth, but how does a director inform a star she is wrong for the role of an enchanting whore because she’s not as beautiful as the furniture, when the director and the star are the same person?  

I’m pleased to report that despite her physical drawbacks, Maïwenn grows on you. Forced into a cash settlement to marry the notorious Count DuBarry, who has become little more than her pimp, the title of “Countess” provides Jeanne at last with enough respectability to move into the palace as the king’s favorite mistress. After the Queen dies, leaving her four daughters to mourn alone while Louis sates himself sexually, one princess leaves home and becomes a nun. In the resulting scandal, Jeanne is despised by the entire court, but there is a limit to how openly his disapproving advisors can admonish a king with a talent for beheading his detractors. So that is how a common harlot became a major player in the French monarchy, carefully coached to carry out the official rules and traditions of the country, learning how to dress like a lady, walking and curtsying like a queen, but slowly scandalizing society by openly riding horses with the king, caressing him publicly, refusing to exit the same room backward in his presence, and accompanying him everywhere arm in arm, wearing pants like a man. She was full of energy and defiance, and Louis, blind to reason, was so charmed and intrigued by her spirited arrogance that he decorated her with diamonds, deeded her a private estate of her own near the castle, and even rewarded her with a servant boy with whom she further scandalized the court by adopting him as her own surrogate son for the rest of her life.

Jeanne’s ultimate defeat occurred when the king died of smallpox, depicted in one the screen’s longest death scenes of all time, replete with Johnny Depp kissing his lover while covered with sores, opening doors for all of her enemies to end their insincere politeness and chase her out of Versailles for good. But the saga didn’t end there. Her decades of excess were judged important factors in the eventual French Revolution. After years in peaceful exile, She was finally befriended by Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI, but went to the guillotine in 1793 with both of them. The details of palace intrigue and political chicanery that led to the Revolution are sketchy, because Maïwenn’s script dwells more on the decadent sexual excesses of period scandal than the underlying historical forces that changed the world. But in a gorgeous period piece that is never boring, you can’t deny the entertainment value of Madame du Barry, one of the most captivating women since Madame Bovary, and all the more fascinating because she was real.

• SEE ALSO : ‘Under the Bridge’ Review: A Miniseries That Interrogates the True Crime Genre

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Common sense media reviewers.

Animated alien comedy is sweet, cute, if not super original.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Intended to entertain, rather than educate, but th

Themes of tolerance, the power of friendship, and

Oh feels like an outsider among his people because

Gargantuan alien spaceships invade Earth. A main c

Many licensing/merchandising tie-ins off screen, i

Parents need to know that Home is based on Adam Rex's children's book The True Meaning of Smekday . This skillfully animated movie creates a believable world in which aliens known as The Boov, running from their enemies, must find a new planet to inhabit ... so they take over Earth. Human families get…

Educational Value

Intended to entertain, rather than educate, but there are some lessons about the power of friendship and tolerance.

Positive Messages

Themes of tolerance, the power of friendship, and being who you really are. The Boov (and all viewers with pessimistic leanings) are encouraged to embrace humans' irrational but endearing tendencies toward hope and perseverance. Boovs give up when the odds are against them, but Tip never gives up on finding her mother.

Positive Role Models

Oh feels like an outsider among his people because, like humans, he wants friends and social interaction (in general, the Boov prefer to be alone). Despite their differences, he befriends Tip, and they teach each other the strengths of their people. Some toilet/potty humor (Oh likes to share information about his output).

Violence & Scariness

Gargantuan alien spaceships invade Earth. A main character appears to be killed but survives. Tip has lost/been separated from her mother.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Many licensing/merchandising tie-ins off screen, including books, clothing, and more.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Home is based on Adam Rex 's children's book The True Meaning of Smekday . This skillfully animated movie creates a believable world in which aliens known as The Boov, running from their enemies, must find a new planet to inhabit ... so they take over Earth. Human families get broken up in the forced relocations that follow, and Tip (voiced by Rihanna ) is separated from her mother -- which could be upsetting for small children. She teams up with Oh ( Jim Parsons ), the most human-friendly of The Boov, and an adventure ensues. The invaders and their large ships could be a little scary, and at one point it looks as though a main character dies (though that's not the case). There's also a little bit of toilet humor, but not much in the way of strong language, inappropriately sexy stuff, or substance use. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

• Parents say (41)
• Kids say (75)

Based on 41 parent reviews

Terrific for 6 & 8 year olds

I loved it, very family friendly., what's the story.

The Boov have a problem. Every time their archenemies, The Gorg, find them hiding somewhere new in the universe, The Boov have to run away to a new host planet. And this time, their destination is Earth. The humans -- including seventh grader Tip (voiced by Rihanna ), who ends up separated from her mother, are less than thrilled as The Boov vacuum them up and send them to Australia. But Tip makes an unlikely friend in Oh ( Jim Parsons ), an unusually friendly Boov who craves a connection. Despite a rocky start, the two form a bond, and together they conspire to find Tip's mother and -- naturally -- save the planet.

Is It Any Good?

Plenty of creativity and artistry were lavished on HOME's production, and the animation is flat-out beautiful. The movie is good, if not startlingly original -- which may be just fine for most young moviegoers. The Boov look a little like the pudgy, adorable Minions from the Despicable Me franchise, with some mini- Shrek thrown in. And The Boov's clueless leader, Captain Smek (an enthusiastic Steve Martin ), recalls Madagascar 's hilariously egomaniacal but not particularly brave King Julien. (When threatened, the Boov legend goes, "Smek wisely fled in terror.")

The Boov frown upon courage and lack the human yearning for company; they find human behavior totally bewildering. This makes the lovable Oh an outlier -- he's a guy who wants to party down living among a people who believe that "Parties are useless and take up valuable Boov time." ("Among The Boov, I do not fit in," he explains. "I fit out.") The relationship between the good-hearted but friendless alien and the skeptical, self-reliant Tip is beautifully rendered. And the songs (sung by Rihanna) that dot the action help enormously to clarify the movie's emotional underpinnings. The decision to emphasize humanity's best characteristics -- the tendency to display irrational hope in the face of long odds -- makes Home a feel-good experience even as aliens are taking over the planet.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about Home 's messages about tolerance. How does the movie demonstrate that it's OK to be friends with people who look different from you and live differently from you?

Why do you think some people might give up hope before they even try? Why is failing so scary?

How would you feel if every time you lied, you turned green? Do humans have other "tells" when they lie?

If you've read the book the movie is based on, how do they compare? Which do you like better, and why?

Movie Details

• In theaters : March 27, 2015
• On DVD or streaming : July 28, 2015
• Cast : Jim Parsons , Steve Martin , Jennifer Lopez , Rihanna
• Director : Tim Johnson
• Inclusion Information : Female actors, Latino actors, Black actors
• Studios : Twentieth Century Fox , DreamWorks Animation
• Genre : Family and Kids
• Topics : Adventures , Book Characters , Friendship , Space and Aliens
• Run time : 94 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG
• MPAA explanation : mild action and some rude humor
• Last updated : November 21, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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From 'Anyone But You' to 'Rebel Moon 2,' here are 15 movies you need to stream right now

They say April showers bring May flowers. This month also unloads a deluge of movies to watch at home.

Netflix, Amazon's Prime Video, Peacock, Max, Apple TV+, Paramount+ and others have a spring fiesta of streaming options for film lovers of all tastes, from breezy romantic comedies to bone-chilling horror. There are recent theatrical releases, like an acclaimed Oscar-nominated Holocaust drama and one of the most Disney-fied Disney movies ever , but also original flicks such as Zack Snyder's latest sci-fi epic and a Sundance Film Festival documentary about politically savvy teen girls.

Here are 15 notable new movies you can stream right now:

'Anyone But You'

Like a young Tom Hanks with eight-pack abs, new king of the rom-com Glen Powell stars with Sydney Sweeney in this cheeky revamp of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" as two attractive folks who hate each other but pretend they're together to make their exes jealous at a destination wedding.

Where to watch: Netflix .

'Anyone But You': Glen Powell admits Sydney Sweeney affair rumors 'worked wonderfully'

In director Matthew Vaughn's madcap adventure , Bryce Dallas Howard plays a best-selling novelist who discovers that the fictional exploits of her secret-agent character (Henry Cavill) are coming uncannily close to things happening in real life, leading her to partner up with a shaggy actual spy (Sam Rockwell).

Where to watch: Apple TV+ .

'Bob Marley: One Love'

So good as Malcolm X in "One Night in Miami," Kingsley Ben-Adir notches another biopic highlight as reggae superstar Bob Marley . He's effective at capturing the musician even if the movie meanders with a narrative set during the 1970s, as Marley tries to use his songs to bring together a politically divided Jamaica.

Where to watch: Paramount+.

'You don't mess with Bob': How Kingsley Ben-Adir channeled Bob Marley for 'One Love' movie

'Drive-Away Dolls'

Margaret Qualley  and Geraldine Viswanathan co-star in director Ethan Coen's gonzo crime comedy as lesbian pals needing a change of pace who wind up behind the wheel of a rental car with a mysterious briefcase in the trunk. What unfurls is a noir-spattered road trip full of sex toys, decapitated heads and dimwitted goons.

Where to watch: Peacock .

'Drive-Away Dolls' review: Talented cast steers a crime comedy with sex toys and absurdity

'Girls State'

Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss' compelling follow-up to 2020's " Boys State " centers on teenage Missouri girls placed in competing political parties who create a mock state government. Abortion is a hot-button issue in the proceedings, which include a competitive gubernatorial race and an investigation into Girls State itself.

Where to watch: Apple TV+.

'The Greatest Hits'

The car accident that killed her boyfriend (David Corenswet) left Harriet (Lucy Boynton) with head trauma and the ability to time-travel to a past moment with him when she hears certain songs. But obsessively searching for the right tune to save him in the past might cost her a new chance at romance in the present of this intriguing but overly earnest drama.

Where to watch: Hulu .

'Late Night With the Devil'

David Dastmalchian has a hell of a role in this retro horror flick, starring as a 1970s late-night TV host in desperate need of ratings. For a Halloween special, he brings on a girl supposedly possessed by a demon in a gambit that brings in eyeballs but spirals supernaturally out of control for everyone involved.

Where to watch: Shudder , AMC+ .

'Lisa Frankenstein'

A horror rom-com about reanimated undead love and body-robbing shenanigans, "Lisa" is a playful and bloody teen-movie reimagining of the "Frankenstein" mythos . Kathryn Newton plays a 1980s goth girl and Cole Sprouse is a Victorian corpse resurrected amid lively characters and clever, sardonic dialogue.

'Frankenstein' forever: 'Lisa Frankenstein,' Oscar fave 'Poor Things' reclaim Mary Shelley's feminist mythos

'Migration'

In the animated comedy, Mack (voiced by Kumail Nanjiani) is the overprotective dad of a duck family who reluctantly agrees to a Jamaican getaway with his wife (Elizabeth Banks) and kids. However, they get sidetracked and wind up in New York City, where they meet a streetwise pigeon (Awkwafina) and a vicious chef.

Rudy Mancuso co-writes, directs and stars in this delightfully clever romantic comedy as a creative New Jersey man with synesthesia, experiencing melodies and rhythms around him in extraordinary fashion. It exacerbates problems with an ex (Francesca Reale) yet fascinates a new love interest (Camila Mendes).

Where to watch: Prime Video .

'Rebel Moon − Part Two: The Scargiver'

Do you live for slow-motion scenes of people harvesting grain? Then director Zack Snyder has the sci-fi sequel for you. The first "Rebel Moon" was derivative and the second one is just dull, with ex-warrior Kora (Sofia Boutella) leading a band of underdogs and farmers against the invading army of the villainous Imperium.

'The Stranger'

So, yeah, Quibi turned out to be pretty much a streaming disaster. Still, the content was pretty good and is now finding new homes as real movies, not a piecemeal experiment: Director Veena Sud's thriller ratchets up the suspense with Maika Monroe playing a rideshare driver and Dane DeHaan as the creepiest passenger ever.

'Talk to Me'

The best horror movie of last year was this haunting Australian indie chiller that introduced a new top-tier scream queen, Sophie Wilde, and a memorable scary-movie artifact: a mysterious embalmed hand that teens use to livestream freaky possessions that, of course, go terrifyingly awry.

Where to watch: Paramount+ .

A tune-filled, big-hearted storybook fantasy that's chock-full of Disney references. The animated musical features Ariana DeBose as an idealistic youngster who runs afoul of her kingdom's narcissistic ruler (Chris Pine) and befriends an energetic star to help rescue her people's wishes.

Where to watch: Disney+ .

'The Zone of Interest'

Director Jonathan Glazer 's best picture nominee centers on a German family going about their daily business. This banality, though, happens next door to Auschwitz, where gunshots, screams and the industrial sounds of ovens are the unnerving soundtrack that the characters ignore but you simply can't in this disturbing yet essential Holocaust drama.

Where to watch: Max .

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How Do You Know When the World Is Over?

Drive My Car director Ryūsuke Hamaguchi ’s Evil Does Not Exist begins and ends with the camera tracking through a forest, looking up. In the first shot, daylight streams through the canopy of trees; the mood is contemplative. The later shot feels decidedly grimmer: Night is settling in, and the sky is a deep, dark, almost-black blue, the moon shining through a haze of what might be clouds or smoke, as we hear distressed breathing on the soundtrack. In between those two images lies a story that Hamaguchi tells in oblique, unassuming fashion, slipping in occasional moments of dreamy uncertainty so that his despondent, enigmatic, almost surreal ending takes us by surprise. This must be what it feels like to be the proverbial slowly boiling frog: Everything seems normal, then it starts to not seem normal at all. And then, before we have a chance to fully realize it, our world is over.

Hamaguchi’s greatest strength has been his ability to engagingly depict character interactions at what often feels like the pace of real life. So the quietly wandering, elliptical quality of the film’s early scenes feel like a bit of a departure from his recent and best-known work. We spend time with widower Takumi (Hitoshi Omika), who lives with his daughter Hana (Ryo Nishikawa) and makes a living doing odd jobs in and around the village of Mizubiki, chopping firewood, harvesting plants, collecting water from the springs for the local ramen joint. After he picks Hana up from school — a task for which he’s often late — they stroll through the woods as he teaches her about different plants and animals, testing the little girl’s knowledge.

The peaceful life of this village is interrupted with the arrival of two representatives from a talent agency that’s planning to open a “glamping” business nearby. In the film’s most bravura scene, a pro forma slide presentation to a group of locals devolves into an extended confrontation when the villagers begin to ask questions about a variety of concerns, most notably the placement of the site’s new septic tank, which is too small for the number of expected customers and also upstream from the town’s fresh-water source. This is still a Ryūsuke Hamaguchi film, so the ensuing argument remains mostly understated; honestly, for a group of people who might be about to eat literal shit so that rich Tokyoites can pretend to rough it for a night, the citizens of Mizubiki seem admirably restrained.

Evil Does Not Exist rings unnervingly true in its particulars, from the bizarre bedfellows created by modern capitalism to the quiet contempt with which city folk treat poorer villagers. Why is a company like this getting into the glamping business in the first place? Why hasn’t it done the proper research and preparation? Why did it send talent agents to answer environmental and technical questions? There are government pandemic subsidies that are about to run out if they’re not used; the corporations are rushing, and besides, what would these yokels know? Surely they won’t mind a little feces dripping into their drinking water.

Hamaguchi treats these matters with astute focus and realism. He doesn’t give us obvious villains, instead portraying different people from different worlds, each trying to survive in their own way. Thus, we might not notice Evil Does Not Exist also has a strong undercurrent of dream logic running throughout. This element comes to the fore in the final act as a pall of despair takes over the film. We may not quite understand what’s happening narratively in these later scenes — Hamaguchi pointedly makes it hard to tell what’s a symbol, what’s an illusion, and what’s a flashback — but I suspect most of us will intuitively grasp what we’re watching. In its own discreet, modest way, Evil Does Not Exist leaves us with a haunting sense of personal and ecological apocalypse.

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