Movies You Can’t Miss This Spring

Coming 2 America

(On Amazon Prime March 5)

An entire generation has grown up since Eddie Murphy starred as African crown prince Akeem in 1988’s Coming to America. And while some sequels have a sense of desperation about them, this one feels like a reunion with old friends. Despite the 33-year interim, an astonishing number of original cast members are back, including Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, Shari Headley, John Amos — and even Louie Anderson, who nearly stole the first outing as an ambitious lettuce washer. As in the original, Murphy and Hall sparkle in a slew of supporting roles under tons of makeup. Best of all, the director is Craig Brewer, who drew the finest performance of Murphy’s career in 2019’s Dolemite Is My Name.

I Care a Lot

(On Netflix Feb. 19)

The financial exploitation of older people is no laughing matter, but that doesn’t keep this comedy/thriller from hitting its targets with hilarious accuracy. Rosamund Pike and Eiza González star as a hotshot team who present themselves as big-hearted legal guardians to seniors — but in reality, Job No. 1 is skimming plenty of money off the top for themselves. The pair think their latest mark (Dianne Wiest) will be easy pickings, but they don’t count on some furious competition from a ruthless adversary, played by the always-fantastic Peter Dinklage.

The Vigil

(Streaming on Video On Demand Feb. 26)

This is the Orthodox Jewish horror movie we didn’t know we needed. In writer/director Keith Thomas’s first feature, Dave Davis plays a young man recently emerged from Brooklyn’s Orthodox community who’s been hired as a shomer, spending the night at the home of a recently deceased person, reading psalms and praying. Alone with a corpse in a dark, creaky townhome, our hero is in for the creepiest ride of his life — as are we. Thomas builds tension unbearably as he methodically reveals the otherworldly entity at work. His last shot is an instant classic among horror movies, with that always-tantalizing “The End…?” closing.

For biweekly video reviews of the latest films, go to saturdayeveningpost.com/movies or check out Bill Newcott’s website, moviesfortherestofus.com.

This article is featured in the March/April 2021 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. Subscribe to the magazine for more art, inspiring stories, fiction, humor, and features from our archives.

Featured image: Amazon Studios