Best First Time Watches in 2021-Part 3

The countdown of films I watched for the first time this year that came out before 2021 continues today with numbers 6 and 5. If you missed the first two days, check out 10 & 9 here and 8 & 7 here.

6. Palm Springs (2020)

This is a hysterical romp of a love story and I haven't seen anything like this in quite some time. The basic premise is easy enough to explain as a re-hash of Groundhog Day, but in the desert instead of the blustery Northeast. But it's so much more than that.

The interplay between the characters in the film is so much fun, and I much preferred having multiple characters involved in the repeating day construct than just the single character from Bill Murray's film. Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti are fantastic in the lead roles of Nyles and Sarah, while J.K. Simmons provides a generous dose of humor himself.

I really can't recommend this film enough and you can still catch it on Hulu with a basic subscription.

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5. Promising Young Woman (2020)

I'll start by saying this film is not for everyone, but I would highly encourage everyone to give it a fair shake.

The story centers on Cassie Thomas (Carey Mulligan), a young woman who dropped out of medical school, lives with her parents, and works at a local coffee shop. She fills her off hours at night in clubs and bars, pretending to be near pass out drunk, essentially acting as bait for men trying to take advantage of unsuspecting women. Once the encounters get to the point of the men trying to take advantage of her, she reveals that she is stone cold sober and confronts them about their actions.

Over the course of the film, we learn that Cassie's friend from medical school was raped by a classmate with no investigation from the school or any other legal consequences. Along with this, Cassie begins a relationship with Ryan (Bo Burnham), another former classmate while continuing her baiting excursions at night.

The concept of this film is incredible any the execution is impressive, especially as a directorial debut by Emerald Fennell, who also wrote the film. Some may find it a bit too "#MeToo" driven, but I think the point being made is, if you are uncomfortable watching this film, you might be part of the problem.

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