To paraphrase a famous quote from Brokeback Mountain, “I wish I knew how to quit you, Netflix.”
The streamer makes it difficult for me to cancel my ad-free subscription due to the consistently high-quality programming month after month.
September looks like it will be the best month in 2025 yet, with new TV shows like House of Guinness and Wednesday season 2, part 2 vying for my attention.
There are also lots of new movies to stream during the month, and I’ve highlighted my top 3 to watch in September: the Paul Thomas Anderson drama Phantom Thread, the coming-of-age tale Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret and the cult teen comedy 10 Things I Hate About You.
‘Phantom Thread’ (2017)
If you think Miranda Priestly is the most intimidating fictional character working in the fashion industry, then you haven’t met Phantom Thread’s Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis). An exacting fashion designer working in 1950s London, he demands perfection from himself and those around him. That includes fresh-faced waitress Alma Elson (Vicky Krieps), who quickly becomes his model, muse and lover. Reynolds is almost impossible to live with, but he soon discovers that Alma isn’t like any woman he’s ever met — she has a will of her own, and she exercises it in ways that thrill and endanger him.
One of the most elegant movies ever made, Phantom Thread is also one of the most deceptive. At first a drama about an egotistical man, it slowly morphs into a twisted love story about two wildly different people who are absolutely perfect for each other. Day-Lewis is typically brilliant as the exasperating couture genius, but it’s Krieps’ movie all the way. She’s always captivating as a seemingly naive girl who can play Reynolds’ sadomasochist game of love and companionship — and win.
‘Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.’ (2023)
Growing up is hard, but when you have parents like Margaret’s (Abby Ryder Fortson), it’s a bit easier to navigate. In this outstanding adaptation of Judy Blume’s seminal novel of the same name, Margaret is of an age when she’s learning about mysterious “adult” things, like dating and menstruation. Helping her along in her journey is her grandmother, Sylvia (Kathy Bates), who consoles her when the family moves from New York City to a New Jersey suburb. Margaret will have to navigate being a new kid in a new town while also dealing with the pitfalls of puberty.
“Heartwarming” is a phrase often used as a veiled insult, but it’s the most accurate description of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. It’s a drama that’s not too heavy and a comedy that takes its characters and subject matter seriously. In other words, it’s a grown-up movie about growing up, and features an Oscar-worthy performance by Rachel McAdams as Margaret’s mother, who has her own parental issues she’s still dealing with.
‘10 Things I Hate About You’ (1999)
Sometimes, you just need to chill out with a good teen comedy that’s better than you expect. 10 Things I Hate About You updates William Shakespeare’s comedic play The Taming of the Shrew for the ‘90s, swapping bodices and corsets for cellphones and cute Vespa scooters. Kat Stratford (Julia Stiles) is the designated “shrew,” but she’s really just into reading Sylvia Plath and listening to PJ Harvey on her Discman. She’s manipulated into dating brutish new student Cameron James (Heath Ledger), who is obnoxious, chauvinistic and handsome AF. Naturally, they fall in love, but will the truth about their meet-cute doom their romance?
10 Things I Hate About You launched the careers of most of its young cast, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Gabrielle Union, but it also gave character actors like Allison Janney and Larry Miller moments to shine as a horny high school guidance counselor and a paranoid father, respectively. Is the film a realistic depiction of high school? Hell no, but it’s a charming comedy that, much like Cameron himself, wins you over by the time Letters to Cleo sings “I Want You to Want Me” over the closing credits.
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