Heartfelt and Hilarious Movies to Watch This December
Five movies for any mood to stream on Peacock this month.
This holiday season, kick back with some of Focus's most acclaimed films.
From a teen drama to a cult classic to a romantic masterpiece, Peacock has plenty for you to celebrate this holiday season.
Joan Chen and Izaac Wang in Dìdi (弟弟)
In the mood for a touching coming-of-age drama? | Dìdi (弟弟)
In Sean Wang’s Dìdi (弟弟), Chris Wang (Izaac Wang) is a 13-year-old kid growing up in the suburbs of Fremont, California in 2008. His sister (Shirley Chen) annoys him, his well-meaning mother (Joan Chen) nags him, and the kids at school don’t quite get him. And he’s about to discover who he really is. “I’ve always been drawn to stories of adolescence,” Sean Wang told SAGIndie. “There’s something about that age where you’re at the cusp of growing into something else that has always been very potent to me.” For MovieWeb, Dìdi (弟弟) “is a roller coaster of adolescent milestones and growing pains…Anyone who was a teenager will relate.”
The official trailer for Dìdi (弟弟)
Jeff Bridges, Steve Buscemi, and John Goodman in The Big Lebowski
In the mood for a classic cult comedy? | The Big Lebowski
The Coen Brothers’ The Big Lebowski is one of the most popular and recitable comedies of all time. It's a mad-cap tale of a SoCal stoner, The Dude (Jeff Bridges), who stumbles onto a mystery about mistaken identity involving an LA mogul (David Huddleston), an avant-garde dancer (Julianne Moore), a gun-happy bowler (John Goodman), and a roving gang of German nihilists, is outrageous, hilarious, and unforgettable. The Independent writes, “It’s packed with some of the most quotable lines and funniest characters in celluloid history but also possesses a depth most comedies can’t match.” Over time, this classic has gotten even better. For its 20th-anniversary, The Guardian writes, “The Coen brothers’ comic masterpiece is sleeker and sharper, with even more menace and mystery.”
“The Dude Meets The Lebowskis” clip from The Big Lebowski
Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
In the mood for a mind-bending love story? | Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind
Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a moving love story disguised as an astonishing sci-fi movie. Charlie Kaufman won an Academy Award® for Best Original Screenplay for his story about Joel Barish (Jim Carrey), who decides to erase his memories after he learns his girlfriend, Clementine (Kate Winslet), has begun a procedure for that. As his mind is scrubbed, his heart remains resilient in what the Huffington Post calls “truly the love story of our time.” In 2024, The New York Times explains why the film remains a classic: “Joel meets Clementine and they accept each other as their strangest and most frustrating selves—that makes their love so compelling to watch over and over again.”
“Remember Me” clip from Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind
Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen in Pride & Prejudice
In the mood for a literary love story? | Pride & Prejudice
Joe Wright’s Pride & Prejudice captures the thrill of first love that Jane Austen immortalized in her enduring novel. When Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley) and Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen) finally realize that neither pride nor prejudice can stop how they feel about each other, their love is wondrous. “The emotions they experience are those of young people falling in love for the first time,” explained Wright in the film’s production notes. “As historically authentic-looking as Pride & Prejudice is, it has far more invested in emotional authenticity—you feel engaged every moment,” Salon writes.
The official trailer for Pride & Prejudice
Jude Hill in Belfast
In the mood for a poignant family story? | Belfast
In Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast, Buddy (Jude Hill), a nine-year-old boy growing up in Belfast during the start of the Troubles, discovers a deeper meaning of home and family. His parents (Caitríona Balfe and Jamie Dornan) struggle with the excruciating decision to leave the country and his family, including Buddy’s grandparents, (Judi Dench and Ciarán Hinds), when things get violent. Based on the writer-director’s own experience, Belfast chronicles how a family stayed together even as a nation fell apart. Branagh told Vanity Fair, “I was really the beneficiary of an enormous act of sacrifice on the part of my parents to leave something that defined them—that city, that extended family.” Yet even in such conflict, the film, writes Time Out, “radiates sincerity and warmth”
The official trailer for Belfast