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Here is your Boston Marathon weekend streaming guide
Watch these movies and shows to celebrate the marathon and Patriots Day.
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I’ll be honest: If you’re in the Boston area, the next few days aren’t exactly the best time to sit inside and watch the latest streaming movies and TV shows.
The weather forecast looks gorgeous, and there are two major events happening over Patriots Day weekend: The 250th anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary War on Saturday, and the 129th running of the Boston Marathon on Monday.
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Both of these Boston traditions have inspired multiple movies and TV shows over the years, several of which are free to stream. (Others, like Mel Gibson’s “The Patriot” and Disney’s 1957 adaptation of “Johnny Tremain,” are only available to rent.)
Whether you’re looking for a break between outdoor activities or want to celebrate both events from the couch, here’s what to watch.
Marathon streaming session
“Patriots Day” (Netflix): I’m still a bit iffy on this Boston Marathon bombing film largely due to how it flattens the lives of dozens of first responders into one officer (Mark Wahlberg), but if you’re going to watch it, this weekend is the perfect time.
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“Stronger” (Peacock, Tubi, and Plex): A more intimate retelling of the marathon bombings and their aftermath, as seen through the eyes of survivor Jeff Bauman (Jake Gyllenhaal).
“Road to Boston” (Tubi): This Korean sports drama covers a lesser-known part of the Boston Marathon story, when in 1947, a group of South Koreans head to Boston for the first international race since the end of World War II.
“Brittany Runs a Marathon” (Prime Video): OK, this one isn’t Boston Marathon-related, but the tale of an overweight woman who turns her life around while training for the New York Marathon is equally funny and inspiring.
Revolutionary watchlist
“John Adams” (Max): One of the best HBO miniseries of all time, Paul Giamatti is sublime as founding father John Adams.
“April Morning” (Tubi and YouTube): This 1988 TV movie stars Chad Lowe (Rob Lowe’s younger brother) as a boy who comes of age during the Battle of Lexington, with Tommy Lee Jones as his stern father.
“Turn: Washington’s Spies” (AMC+, Philo, and The Roku Channel): Though it takes place largely outside New England after the war is already underway, this AMC drama about the formation of the Culper Ring of spies is a thrilling watch.
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“Benjamin Franklin” (PBS Passport): Ken Burns’ “The American Revolution” won’t premiere until November, but the documentarian’s look at Founding Father Benjamin Franklin will suffice in the interim.
Play or Skip
Press play on these new movies and shows:
“Small Things Like These” (Hulu): This Ben Affleck and Matt Damon-produced historical drama starring Cillian Murphy got lost in the shuffle last year, but Murphy’s turn as a working-class Irishman confronted by a moral quandary shows why he won the Oscar for “Oppenheimer.”
“The Order” (Hulu): Another underrated 2024 movie, Jude Law is at the end of his rope playing a detective tracking white supremacists in rural Idaho, with Nicholas Hoult (“Nosferatu”) a worthy adversary as an ascendant militia leader.
“Your Friends and Neighbors” (Apple TV+): I will watch Jon Hamm in anything, including this Apple TV+ dark comedy in which the “Mad Men” actor plays a recently fired yuppie who turns to robbing his rich friends and neighbors as both a means of survival and an act of class rebellion.
“North of North” (Netflix): Though there’s plenty of cultural specificity in this Indigenous Canadian romcom, the central story – about a wife (Anna Lambe) who leaves her crappy husband and faces a bumpy journey of self-discovery – is universally relatable.
But go ahead and skip this one:
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“Ransom Canyon” (Netflix): It’s been less than two weeks since the “Yellowstone” spinoff “1923” ended, and Netflix is clearly trying (but failing) to fill the void with this Josh Duhamel-starring western that’s too somber for its own good.
End Credits
That’s a wrap on this edition of The Queue. If you’re a fan, please consider recommending this newsletter to your friends.
Until next time, good stream hunting, everyone!
— Kevin
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