The 7 Best New Movies on Max in December 2023

‘Tis the season to be streaming. If you’re looking for something new to watch on Max, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve put together a curated list of some of the best new movies streaming this month, including 2023’s movie of the year “Barbie.” Whether it’s your first or 12^th time watching, it’s a stunner, but there are also classic comedies, action-thrillers and an underrated franchise on our list.

Check out the best new movies on Max in December below.

Barbie

“Barbie” is officially the biggest film of the year, and for good reason. This movie had no right being this good, this inventive, this sharp. But that’s what you get when you put Greta Gerwig in charge. It has the care, wit and charm you’d expect from a Gerwig joint, but the kind of scale that’s only possible with the budget provided to certain IP-driven films. Margot Robbie is impeccable as she traces a journey of awareness for the titular doll, especially as it relates to Barbie’s place in the world as a woman. And Ryan Gosling once again proves he’s quietly the best comedic actor working today with his turn as himbo Ken. This movie is a dream.

Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey

Here’s a totally tubular double feature idea: the first two “Bill and Ted” movies! These time travel comedies are as unique as they are charming, and boy are they charming. “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” finds Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter’s high school students traveling through time to put together their history presentation. George Carlin stars as a time traveler who tells the titular teens how important they are to the future of the universe, and shenanigans abound. “Bogus Journey” finds Bill and Ted traveling to the afterlife, with William Sadler turning in an unforgettable performance as Death.

The Color Purple

Just in time for the new musical, you can revisit Steven Spielberg’s original adaptation of “The Color Purple” on Max this month. Based on the novel of the same name by Alice Walker, the film follows the story of Celie, a Black teenager in early 1900s Georgia who is raped by her father and gives birth to two children. Whoopi Goldberg delivers a stunning performance as Celie, and Oprah Winfrey stars as Sofia.

The Informant!

Whether it’s “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Magic Mike” or “Logan Lucky,” filmmaker Steven Soderbergh has a very specific, very hilarious, very dry sense of humor that’s like a breath of fresh air. This is certainly true of Soderbergh’s 2009 film The Informant!, one of his absolute best. The film stars a beefed-up Matt Damon as Mark Whitacre, a rising star at a food processing corporation in the 1990s who decided to turn whistleblower — except he’s very, very bad at it. “The Informant!” is based on true events, but Mark is played as such a buffoon and his increasingly strange behavior is chronicled in hilarious fashion by Soderbergh. Damon gives one of his most exciting performances, and the film also offers up one of the best examples of narration ever.

Mad Max: Fury Road

Prepare for the prequel “Furiosa” by catching “Mad Max: Fury Road” on Max this month. You don’t have to be familiar with the “Mad Max” franchise in order to appreciate the pulse-pounding at the story of this film, which finds captive Max (played by Tom Hardy) hopping aboard an oil tanker driven by Furiosa (Charlize Theron) who is absconding from Immortan Joe’s Citadel with his “wives” in tow. A chase ensues, and indeed the entirety of “Mad Max: Fury Road” is one car chase from start to finish, but captured in jaw-dropping form by Miller, who takes a meticulous approach to the action. But on top of the theatrics, the film is also a meaty feminist diatribe that leaves you with much to chew on after you’ve finished your popcorn.

The Jack Ryan Franchise

“The Hunt for Red October,” “Patriot Games,” “Clear and Present Danger,” “The Sum of All Fears” and “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” are all on Max, and this franchise is lowkey kind of great. OK maybe not “Shadow Recruit,” but the rest are kind of great. Alec Baldwin kicks things off with the instant-classic “Hunt for Red October,” while Harrison Ford brings a grizzled take on Jack Ryan to the table in the next two films. It’s the Ben Affleck-fronted “Sum of All Fears” that’s the surprise here, and it pairs well with Amazon’s John Krasinski-led TV series adaptation.