“The Holdovers,” Ray Romano’s debut, and all the new movies to watch

Merry Christmas, Polygon readers. We are in the middle of the sleepy transition zone between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Whatever the case, that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few new movies on streaming to watch this weekend heading into 2024.

This week, The leftovers, the new holiday comedy starring Paul Giamatti, is finally available to stream on Peacock. That’s not all: the supernatural horror thriller It lives within arrives this week on Hulu alongside the new comedy directed by Ray Romano Somewhere in Queens. Finally, a controversial crime thriller starring Jim Caviezel is now streaming on Prime Video. And… that’s it for this week!

Here’s everything new to see this weekend.

---

New on Hulu

It lives within

Where to see: Available to stream Hulu

Genre: Supernatural horror
Duration: 1h 39m
Director: Bishal Dutta
Pour: Megan Suri, Neeru Bajwa, Mohana Krishnan

This horror film is about two young girls at an American high school who each deal with their Indian heritage in different ways: one embraces it, the other rejects it. When a Pishach, a vengeful spirit trapped in a strange jar, clings to one of them, the other must reconnect with their past to stop it. It lives within is the feature film debut of Bishal Dutta, previously known for his work as a writer on the 2017 drama series Triads.

Somewhere in Queens

Where to see: Available to stream Hulu

Image: Roadside Attractions/ICM Partners

Genre: comedy
Duration: 1h 46m
Director: Ray Romano
Pour: Ray Romano, Laurie Metcalf, Jacob Ward

Ray Romano directs and stars in this new coming-of-age comedy about Leo, a father desperate to help his son apply for college and win a basketball scholarship. After going to extreme lengths, from alienating the rest of his family to convincing his son’s ex (Sadie Stanley) to get back together with him, Leo must learn to allow his son to make his own decisions. From the trailer, it appears that it is a serious comedy about learning to accept the peculiarities of one’s family and accepting the uncertainty of what life has to offer.

New to Prime Video

Sound of freedom

Where to see: Available to stream Prime Video

Image: Angel Studios/VidAngel Studios

Genre: Crime thriller
Duration: 2h 11m
Director: Alejandro Gomez Monteverde
Pour: Jim Caviezel, Mira Sorvino, Bill Camp

One of the most surprising box office hits of the year, Sound of freedom is said to be a true story about a mission to combat child trafficking. The The truth is much more complicated.

New to Peacock

The leftovers

Where to see: Available to stream peacock

Image: Focus functions

Genre: comedy drama
Duration: 2h 13m
Director: Alexander Payne
Pour: Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa

A strong contender for late awards season, The leftovers is a Christmas comedy about three people left at a New England boarding school for Christmas in 1970, all of whom go through their own personal drama in order to survive the holidays. It’s also one half of this season’s best double feature.

From our list of the best films of the year:

The leftovers is full of sudden twists, mostly revealed backstories, suitable for a particularly sensational stage play. But the real surprise is how personal and specific it gets, and excellent writing and acting help it evade the expected parameters for this type of story. Eventually, a three-way fight ensues between Professor Hunham (Giamatti), his troubled teenage student Angus (Dominic Sessa, in an intense, star-making performance), and Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), the school’s head chef, who mourns the death of an elderly black woman the recent death of her son in the military.