We’re into May, the second week in May to be exact. That means we have blockbusters at the theater and some more female-centric fare on streaming in honor of Mother’s Day. Below is a look at my take on the new films I saw this week. You can keep up with everything I’m watching by following me on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734.

The Idea of You (Prime Video)
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Nicholas Galitzine, Ella Rubin, Annie Mumolo, and Reid Scott
Synopsis: It wasn’t the weekend she had planned. Solene (Hathaway), a single mother, had planned a solo camping trip while her ex-husband (Scott) took their daughter (Rubin) and her friends to Coachella. Instead, he gets called to work and she has to shepherd the group to the concert. That includes a VIP meet-and-greet with one of the headlining bands, August Moon. While looking for the VIP bathroom, Solene stumbles into a trailer belonging to Hayes (Galitzine), one of the band’s featured singers. After the awkward meeting, and a flirtatious meet-and-greet, Solene seems to catch Hayes’ eye as he sings. But that’s the end of it, or so she thinks. When the singer shows up at her gallery, sparks continue to fly despite the big age gap. Can they make it work and find happiness? This is the kind of romance film that we see dropping this time of year. It’s based on the novel from Robinne Lee, though some of the details were morphed for this on-screen adaptation. What works well here is the chemistry between Hathaway and Galitzine. They hook you and pull you on this journey that has some fun and funny moments, but also has some good emotional beats. The film, which runs nearly two hours, feels a little long at times. There are also some awkward threads that don’t totally get resolved here. But I enjoyed the ride and I think this makes for a decent date night streaming option.
Rating: Rated R for some language and sexual content.

Mother of the Bride (Netflix)
Starring: Brooke Shields, Benjamin Bratt, Miranda Cosgrove, Sean Teale, Rachael Harris, Wilson Cruz, Michael McDonald, and Chad Michael Murray
Synopsis: This is the kind of film you expect to get this time of year. It’s Mother’s Day weekend and we’re in the height of wedding season. In this one, Emma (Cosgrove) returns home to her mother, Lana (Shields), and shares that she’s getting married to RJ (Teale)—the boyfriend her mother has never met—in Thailand. Quickly, Lana is on a plane with her sister, Janice (Harris), for the destination wedding. But nothing goes as expected—including the fact RJ’s father, Will (Bratt), was her college ex. Things go off the rails quickly. Can the wedding still come together? If you’ve seen these types of films, you know how this is going to go. For a movie like this it’s not the destination—it’s the journey. The journey here has its moments. Shields and Bratt have some decent chemistry, while Harris and Cruz have some fun supporting moments. Murray is here for some reason, but neither his role nor the performance really works. But a lot of this is tepid at best. The back-and-forth with Cosgrove and Shields doesn’t really work, either. It’s OK and will likely appeal to fans of the genre, but it’s far from a must-see film.
Rating: TV-PG

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.