Hit Man
Movies can only last so long Netflix’s Top 10 List as people move on from a two hour adventure eventually, and Hit Man has now lost the #1 spot there. The 96% rated film was universally praised, but was rejected by a new movie, not a Netflix original.
That would be Tell Them You Love Me, a 2023 true-crime documentary, the kind of thing that’s usually big on Netflix, but those are also usually miniseries, not movies. This is only one hour and forty minutes, which is probably too short for a three-parter.
The film is an extremely unique look at a difficult situation, as you can see from the description.
“Tell Them You Love Me” explores the extraordinary story of Anna Stubblefield, an esteemed university professor who becomes embroiled in a controversial affair with Derrick Johnson, a non-verbal man with cerebral palsy. Anna says she unlocked Derrick’s mind from his body by teaching him to communicate using a keyboard. The ensuing relationship would lead to a criminal trial that would challenge our understandings of disability and the nature of consent.”
The film doesn’t have enough Rotten Tomatoes scores for a score, and a few dozen audience reviews give it an 82%. Since the theme probably isn’t going to be widely recommended, I wouldn’t expect it to stay at the top of the list for long, and it seems likely that Hit Man will replace it again, barring further new additions.
Top 10
Hit Man has been #1 up to this point since its release on June 7th, and it’s impressive to see a movie in the last few weeks so high on the list. Normally I’d wonder if this would warrant a sequel, but the nature of the film and the prestige of the director, Richard Linklater, suggest that’s probably not in the cards. But I’m sure Glenn Powell enjoyed helming what was arguably the #1 grosser in the country for several weeks, probably only beating out Inside Out 2 in theaters, which just broke records for an animated film at box office. .
Hit Man was a rare, undisputed victory for Netflix’s original film division, which often churns out blockbusters but of relatively low quality. That didn’t happen this time, as the comedy was amazing on every front, cementing Powell as a Hollywood star and also serving as a breakout for Adria Arjona, who will now lead an Amazon series soon.
I predict Hit Man will be back at #1 soon with Tell Them You Love Me moving pretty fast, but we’ll have to see.
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