Staying Fit
When audiences finally started going back to theaters last summer for hits such as Elvis and Top Gun: Maverick, it was grownup film fans who led the way. Here are the upcoming films of 2023 with the most promise to please grownups in the new year.
Shotgun Wedding (on Prime Video Jan. 27)
Who doesn’t want to see White Lotus star Jennifer Coolidge go full Rambo in an action rom-com? She plays Jennifer Lopez’s about-to-be mom-in-law at a wedding invaded by pirates — and Lopez has mixed feelings about the groom (Josh Duhamel), too. Lenny Kravitz plays her ex, and Cheech Marin and Sônia Braga add grownup coolness. Seeing Coolidge packing an assault weapon in the film’s trailer made us agree with the fan who tweeted, “CAST JENNIFER COOLIDGE AS JAMES BOND YOU COWARDS!”
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80 for Brady (in theaters Feb. 3)
“I’m a sports fan, and I think people underestimate the huge audience that older women are,” Sally Field said in a promo video for a comedy about hard-core Patriots fans of a certain age (Field, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Rita Moreno) who invade the 2017 Super Bowl to see their idol Tom Brady (playing himself). High jinks ensue.
Sharper (in select theaters Feb. 10, on Apple TV+ Feb. 17)
In a nifty little comic thriller that might have been titled Con Vs. Con, Julianne Moore woos a Manhattan billionaire (John Lithgow) in a town crawling with confidence men and women. Who can the lovers trust? Hey, it’s New York.
Magic Mike’s Last Dance (in theaters Feb. 10)
A socialite (Salma Hayek) whisks a broke bartender (Channing Tatum) to London to teach the next generation of hunky strippers. “It’s a reverse-role Pretty Woman story that [spoiler!] ends up with a lot of dancing,” Tatum told The New York Times.
Cocaine Bear (in theaters Feb. 24)
Keri Russell, Margo Martindale and a stellar cast enact an action comedy about a bear that eats a whole lot of cocaine dropped by a dealer — Ray Liotta in his last big role — and goes on a rampage. So weird it could only be (loosely) based on a true story.
Luther: The Fallen Sun (on Netflix in March)
For years, people talked up Idris Elba as the new James Bond. Instead, he plays another iconic British action hero, detective John Luther, in a hotly awaited film sequel to his hit BBC TV series.
Creed III (in theaters March 3)
Directed by and starring Michael B. Jordan, it’s the first film in the Rocky franchise without an appearance by Sylvester Stallone, who told Metro, “I wish them well and keep punching!”
