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Cynthia Erivo helped make “Defying Gravity” the unofficial theme song of social media last holiday season. With another “Wicked” now in theaters, let’s see what other magic tricks she has up her sleeve.
Erivo scored a best actress Oscar nomination for the first movie, and she’s likely looking at No. 2 with the sequel “Wicked: For Good,” in which the powerhouse singer reprises her role as embattled witch Elphaba. Going into Thanksgiving week, “Wicked” is ready to rule the box office for a while, so you might as well jump on that bandwagon now. If you’re looking for other new flicks, the “Brennaissance” continues as Brendan Fraser returns to the big screen playing an American expat in Japan with a strange new job in “Rental Family.” And for those needing a TV binge, Ted Danson’s fun private-eye comedy “A Man on the Inside” is back for a second season.
Now on to the good stuff:
See Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba soar in musical sequel ‘Wicked: For Good’
Cynthia Erivo takes flight again as the magical Elphaba in the movie musical sequel “Wicked: For Good.”
If you saw the first “Wicked” movie, you’ve been waiting for a while to see what happens after that big “Defying Gravity” cliffhanger. Now it’s time to find out: The sequel “Wicked: For Good” is finally here, with Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) − labeled a “wicked” witch – locking horns with the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) and her bestie Glinda (Ariana Grande) needing to figure out which side she’s really on. It’s actually a better, tighter film than the first “Wicked,” the “Wizard of Oz” references rip, and while Grande has her better performance here, Erivo is still the powerhouse heart and soul of these movies. (Peep my ★★★½ review.)
Resident “Wicked” reporter Patrick Ryan sat down with Erivo to talk about a number of topics, including her close relationship with Grande, why her new solo number “No Place Like Home” feels urgent right now, and how she uses perfume to inhabit her role better. Patrick also wrote a piece about the actress who plays Dorothy and rounded up ways the new “Wicked” movie is different than the stage show, while I did a guide for what moms and dads need to know before taking their kids to see “For Good.”
Go on a crowd-pleasing trip with Brendan Fraser in ‘Rental Family’
Brendan Fraser stars as a struggling actor and American expat who plays the long-lost dad of a young girl (Shannon Gorman) in “Rental Family.”
Brendan Fraser is currently two-for-two in smacking me in the feels. He was outstanding in “The Whale” in a hugely empathetic role, and he’s just as good in a different sense in “Rental Family,” using a combination of Everyman kindness and comedic touch to star as an American actor in Japan hired to play stand-in roles – and be “the token white guy” – in strangers’ lives. (Peep my ★★★½ review.) I also chatted with Fraser about how “Rental Family” gave him new perspective on his own long career and how his childhood helped with the nomadic life he lives as an actor.
And if you’re feeling cozier at home as the temperatures drop and don’t feel like going to the theater, there are new movies on streaming services this week like the horror flick “The Conjuring: Last Rites” and Mark Wahlberg’s action comedy sequel “The Family Plan 2.” I also put together a preview of all the streaming movies you’ll want to check out this holiday season.
Stream the second season of Ted Danson’s Netflix comedy ‘A Man on the Inside’
Mary Steenburgen as Mona and Ted Danson as Charles in “A Man on the Inside.”
“A Man on the Inside,” a fun little Netflix comedy based on the great documentary “The Mole Agent,” stars Ted Danson as a retired college professor who goes undercover in a retirement home as a citizen detective to find a missing necklace. The new second season takes the unlikely private eye to a college campus to suss out a blackmail scheme, and TV critic Kelly Lawler writes in her ★★★ review that the show has found its way a bit more. The comedy “still retains its sense of whimsy, joy and schmaltz. This time around all that ooey-gooey sweetness just feels genuine and welcome.”
Danson is very familiar with his newest costar: The “Cheers” legend’s wife Mary Steenburgen joins the cast as a music professor love interest for his character, and my colleague Bryan Alexander talked with Danson about the couple working together. “It’s so much fun to play falling in love with someone you’re madly in love with,” Danson says. “You just sink into each other, which is lovely.”
Even more goodness to check out!
Got thoughts, questions, ideas, concerns, compliments or maybe even some recs for me? Email [email protected] and follow me on the socials: I’m @briantruitt on Bluesky, Instagram and Threads.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What to watch this weekend: ‘Wicked: For Good,’ ‘Rental Family’
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