Staying Fit
After the last burger’s been flipped and the final Roman candle has fizzled out, what could be better than settling in with a movie to remind you of the real meaning of the Fourth of July? From Lincoln and Hamilton to the quiet heroism of Hidden Figures and Chris Evans as Captain America, we’ve got 20 great films that are just perfect for the long weekend. Happy Independence Day, America!
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
When the world feels in the danger zone, Tom Cruise zooms to the rescue, reviving his flyboy character and America’s spirits. It’s jet fuel for patriotic feelings, with Jennifer Connelly, 52, as his age-appropriate sweetie and Val Kilmer’s Iceman reporting for duty. Best of all, what made it a hit were grownup viewers, who led the audience that gave Cruise the biggest hit of his career — and he turns 61 on July 3.
Where to watch: Prime Video, Paramount+
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Air Force One (1997)
Is it too late to start a presidential write-in campaign for Harrison Ford in 2024? We have no idea how he’d handle the economy or foreign affairs, but if director Wolfgang Petersen’s rousing action epic is any indication, we can at least be sure that he wouldn’t take any guff from a resourceful bunch of international terrorists (led by Gary Oldman) who hijack his aircraft with his family on board. As President James Marshall, Ford is equal parts decency and deadliness as he single-handedly takes on the baddies at 30,000 feet and dishes out some star-spangled vengeance.
Where to watch: Prime Video, Vudu
The Tuskegee Airmen (1995)
Laurence Fishburne heads up this inspiring, semi-fictionalized account of the first all-African American Army Air Forces squadron during World War II, playing hotshot pilot Hannibal Lee. Despite the U.S. military’s initial misgivings about sending the Black aviators into combat, their remarkable success rate in the air and their unimpeachable cool under pressure soon give them a reputation for bravery that can’t be ignored. Thanks to Fishburne’s steely, granite-jawed heroism, The Tuskegee Airmen is a moving tribute to the real men who loved their country even if it didn’t always love them back.
Where to watch: Prime Video, Max
Rocky IV (1985)
Hands down, the greatest — and giddiest — entry in the franchise after the original, Rocky IV is peak Reagan-era wish fulfillment with a bunch of left hooks and haymakers thrown in for good measure. In the final days of the Cold War, Sylvester Stallone’s Italian Stallion is forced out of retirement after a ruthless Soviet superman (Dolph Lundgren) kills his nemesis-turned-pal Apollo Creed in the ring. And you know what that means: It’s payback time! Rocky IV is unapologetically jingoistic, but it’s also a fist-pumping knockout, and the strapping, stoic Lundgren is the easily the film’s most impressive special effect.
Where to watch: Prime Video, Netflix
Independence Day (1996)
Don’t mess with the stars and stripes — or blow up the White House, for that matter! That’s the rah-rah message that turned this tongue-in-cheek Will Smith/Jeff Goldblum alien invasion spectacle into one of the biggest summer blockbusters of the ’90s. Come to see Smith punch an alien in the face; stay for Bill Pullman’s stirring Fourth of July speech as the American president.
Where to watch: Prime Video, Vudu
Hamilton (2020)
Lin Manuel-Miranda’s long-running, impossible-to-get ticket on Broadway is exclusively available to stream on Disney+. And it’s hard to imagine a better way to experience what it means to be an American. A taped production of his historical hip-hop hit musical, Manuel-Miranda’s Hamilton (for those who have been living under a rock for the past six years) tells the story of founding father Alexander Hamilton through a modern, from-the-streets lens.
Where to watch: Disney+
Glory (1989)
Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman and Matthew Broderick star in this heroic account of one of our country’s more overlooked Civil War chapters — the story of the all-Black 54th regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. Washington’s quiet intensity and fiery courage raise the hairs on the back of your neck in this important, urgent historical corrective from director Edward Zwick.
Where to watch: Prime Video, YouTube
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