Get help finding the right movie for your mood this holiday weekend
It's the most wonderful time of the year — the holidays at the movies! Hollywood has thrown a lot of options at moviegoers this year (all now showing unless indicated otherwise), and we're here to help you figure out what's right for you, depending on your mood.
If you want to feel pure joy at any age: 'La La Land'
Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling's critically-adored musical, a modern love story outfitted with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers-inspired dance numbers, is finally in theaters everywhere Christmas Day. Take your grandparents, take your kids, take that Bumble date you've been messaging for months. It works all around. Read our 4-star review here.
If you're looking for a massive adventure: 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'
Don't look for Luke Skywalker or Han Solo: This prequel standalone, which sets up the events of 1977's first Star Wars movie, follows Felicity Jones and Diego Luna leading a Rebel crew (including martial arts star Donnie Yen) on a daring mission to steal the plans to the Death Star. Read our 2½-star review here.
If you want to kick back with your kids for two sweet, stress-free hours: 'Sing'
Adults don't even need kids to enjoy this animal-laden songfest, but the little ones will love it too, thanks to a killer songbook and voice talents that include Reese Witherspoon (as a pig who dreams of the spotlight) and Matthew McConaughey (as a showman koala about to lose his theater). Read our 2½-star review here.
If you think your family is dramatic: 'Fences'
Denzel Washington and Viola Davis resume the roles they played in the Tony Award-winning Broadway production, and the result is a stellar, intimate portrayal of a 1950s Pittsburgh family led to the brink by to their vibrant patriarch (Washington, who also directs). Fences opens nationally on Christmas Day. Read our 3½-star review here.
You need a cathartic cry: 'A Monster Calls'
With his mom (Felicity Jones) dying of cancer, a young boy turns to the scary monster (Liam Neeson) who appears at his window for guidance on grief. The message in this Monster, which opens Friday in New York and Los Angeles and goes nationwide Jan. 6, is universal, no matter your age. Read our 3½-star review here.
If you like it when hot people go to space: 'Passengers'
Critics found flaws in J. Law and Chris Pratt's space thriller, but we can report it's worth the price of admission just to watch the A-listers banter over futuristic martinis with their robot bartender (Michael Sheen). Read about how the co-stars bonded on set here.
If you're ever wanted to stick it to your in-laws: 'Why Him?'
Bryan Cranston plays a straight-laced dad who immediately hates his daughter's crude billionaire video-game developer boyfriend (James Franco). This R-rated comedy, in theaters Friday, promises laughs that can relieve even the most tense of holidays. Check out Cranston and Franco's A-list tips for meeting the parents here.
Do the holidays put you in the mood for a spiritual reckoning? See 'Silence'
Martin Scorsese's brutal new epic (in New York and Los Angeles Friday, expanding nationally into mid-January) follows two 17th-century missionaries (Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver) who travel to Japan, where Christianity is violently outlawed, to seek out their mentor (Liam Neeson). Read our 3½-star review here.
Over your stale work environment? Choose 'Office Christmas Party'
If you ran, not walked, out of the office before the holidays, throw down for this Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman-led laugher, which features Kate McKinnon as the quirky HR director you wish you had on speed dial. Read T.J. Miller's Christmas party tips here.
If you've really missed Michael Fassbender: 'Assassin's Creed'
Hollywood's latest attempt to turn a video game into a movie saw rough reviews, but it packs a stellar cast, including Fassbender, Marion Cotillard and Jeremy Irons. (A bit of trivia: Fassbender and Cotillard last starred together in 2015's Macbeth.) Fassbender relives his scariest stunt here.
Contributing: Bryan Alexander