Outside, the air is getting a bit chilly. Inside theaters, though, movies promise to be warmly delightful. Bold new adventures will be introduced, familiar franchises will be reinvented and highly-anticipated sequels will finally be unwrapped. Let us be your guide to the holiday movie season!
MORE: See our entire Holiday Movie Preview right here
C'mon C'mon (in theaters November 19 - find tickets)
In his first movie since winning the Academy Award for Best Actor, Joaquin Phoenix plays a journalist on a cross-country assignment. Reluctantly, his traveling companion is his nine-year-old nephew (newcomer Woody Norman), at the urgent request of his estranged sister (Gaby Hoffmann). The drama is the latest from highly acclaimed filmmaker Mike Mills (20th Century Women).
Wolf (in theaters December 3 - find tickets)
George MacKay (1917) stars in this drama as a young man who believes he is a wolf. He’s sent to “the zoo,” a clinic that treats people who think they’re animals, and encounters others with the illness who identify as a wildcat, a duck, a parrot and a German Shepherd. Paddy Considine (Doctor Sleep) co-stars as the head of the institution who is known only as “Zookeeper.”
Red Rocket (in theaters December 3 - find tickets)
In the latest from Sean Baker, director of Tangerine and The Florida Project, actor and model Simon Rex (Superhero Movie) plays Mikey, a former adult film star. As he returns home to his small, blue-collar Texas town, where he’s now mostly unwelcome, Mikey aims to create a new life for himself, possibly including a local donut shop cashier who he meets along the way.
Flee (in theaters December 3 - find tickets)
This tear-jerking animated documentary follows the coming-of-age story of Amin, a gay refugee whose family fled Afghanistan in the 1980s, only to find different hardships in post-communist Russia. Already a winner at multiple film festivals, including Sundance, Flee is also Denmark's entry for consideration for the Oscar for Best International Feature.
Being the Ricardos (in theaters December 10 - find tickets)
Lucy and Ricky. Lucille and Desi. Nicole and Javier. These are characters and actors you know on a first-name basis. From writer-director Aaron Sorkin (Molly's Game) comes a biopic focused on the making of the most famous sitcom of all time, with Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem portraying Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, the married stars of I Love Lucy.
National Champions (in theaters December 10 - find tickets)
College football is big business for the schools involved, if not necessarily for the people on the field. What would happen if the athletes refused to play the biggest game of the year unless they were fairly compensated? National Champions tackles (sorry) the scenario with a cast featuring J.K. Simmons, Alexander Ludwig, Stephan James, Timothy Olyphant, Lil Rel Howery and Kristin Chenoweth.
West Side Story (in theaters December 10 - find tickets)
“There’s a place for us…” in the theater seeing Steven Spielberg’s version of the classic Broadway musical about star-crossed lovers and rival New York City gangs. This movie strives for more accuracy in its casting and storytelling than the previous, Best Picture-winning adaptation, while also co-starring Rita Moreno, who won an Academy Award for her supporting performance in the original.
Nightmare Alley (in theaters December 17 - find tickets)
Visionary filmmaker Guillermo del Toro follows up his Oscar wins for The Shape of Water with the neo-noir Nightmare Alley, based on the 1946 crime novel of the same name. The movie follows a con man and carnival worker (Bradley Cooper) as he becomes involved with a dangerous psychiatrist (Cate Blanchett). The all-star ensemble cast also includes Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe and Mary Steenburgen.
The Tender Bar (in theaters December 17 - find tickets)
Based on the memoir by J.R. Moehringer, this coming-of-age drama follows the Pulitzer Prize-winning author as a boy spending his days in his uncle’s bar, bonding with the unconventional father figure and observing his clientele. George Clooney directs the adaptation, which stars newcomer Daniel Ranieri as young J.R. and Ben Affleck as Uncle Charlie.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (in theaters December 17 - find tickets)
Peter Parker (Tom Holland) and his friends (Zendaya, Jacob Batalon) return to a savvy world that knows the lowdown on his Spider-Man gig. Overwhelmed by all the unwanted attention, Peter beseeches Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) for help; Peter, though, is in no way prepared to deal with the disastrous consequences.
The Matrix Resurrections (in theaters December 22 - find tickets)
Whoa! Director Lana Wachowski conjures up an incredible-looking all-new adventure that starts with Keanu Reeves, keenly aware of his present environment, which has been forever altered by what has transpired in the past and what may happen in the near future. The crucial question remains: blue pill or red pill?
The King's Man (in theaters December 22 - find tickets)
Evil tyrants and greedy criminals join forces to wreak havoc upon the world in the early years of the 20th century, prompting an independent intelligence agency to sally forth boldly in order to foil their plans. Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Atherton, Matthew Goode, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Rhys Ifans and Stanley Tucci star.
Sing 2 (in theaters December 22 - find tickets)
Intrepid local heroes (led by Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson and Taron Egerton) must convince a reclusive rock star (Bono) to join them so they can stage an extravagant new show in the big city. The sparkling adventure is a joyful reminder of the awesome healing powers of music.
American Underdog (in theaters December 25 - find tickets)
From supermarket stocker to Super Bowl champion, professional football quarterback Kurt Warner (Zachary Levi) has led a storied life. But it wasn't always so fabulous. How did he overcome the many obstacles that he faced? Anna Paquin and Dennis Quaid also star in an inspirational true story.
A Journal for Jordan (in theaters December 25 - find tickets)
Actor-turned-filmmaker Denzel Washington directs his fourth feature, which is based on the memoir of the same name by Dana Canedy. Chanté Adams (The Photograph) portrays Canedy while Michael B. Jordan (Black Panther) stars in the movie as her fiancé, U.S. Army First Sergeant Charles Monroe King, who kept a journal while deployed in Baghdad during the Iraq War.
