Here is what I watched in March, rated on a scale of 1-5 cans of tuna fish, with 5 being the highest rating. Numbering picks up from previous months and anything marked with an asterisk I had seen previously. If you leave a comment, please include your name so I know who is writing.
25. Matthew Perry: A Hollywood Tragedy* (2025, Peacock) – The cast of TV comedy classic “Friends” featured six actors whose charms and foibles seemed to align perfectly with the characters they played. Their on-screen friendships blossomed into off-screen friendships and provided them each with fame and fortune beyond their wildest dreams. With a smirk on his face and his insecurities front and center, Matthew Perry played the smart aleck friend Chandler Bing. But endless resources didn’t bring him endless joy, just easier ways to get booze and drugs to try to find that elusive happiness. This documentary traces Perry’s life and death, indicting the doctors and assistants who provided him with an excessive supply of ketamine that led to his death. It’s hard to accept his untimely demise and good to see that those responsible for his death are being held accountable for their role in it. 3½ cans.
26. In the Arena* (2024, ESPN+) – As a youngster growing up in Compton, California, Serena Williams learned to play tennis with her sister Venus under the tutelage of her father and coach, Richard Williams. Venus was expected to be the superior player, but when Serena won the US Open as a teenager in 1999, she began a journey that would see her win 23 Grand Slam titles and countless other championships on her way to being considered the G.O.A.T. – The Greatest of All Time. This fascinating 8-part series features detailed accounts of her victories and failures, down to individual points, and what she was thinking at the time. If you love tennis, don’t miss this masterful series. 4 cans.
27. I’ll Be Right There* (2023, Peacock) – Edie Falco has traded in her Sopranos family for one with different problems in this movie. She plays Wanda, part-time bookkeeper and full-time Mom to grown children who will never not need her help, calling constantly with the latest of their problems. Wanda takes all calls and responds with “I’ll be right there,” whether it is her children or her ailing and eccentric Mom (played expertly by Jeannie Berlin). Here’s just a sample of the issues with which she has to contend: her very pregnant daughter wants a big and expensive wedding that neither she nor her ex-husband (with a new family of young children) can afford. Her son has or had a drug problem, can’t hold a job, lies about what he is doing and takes no responsibility for anything. Her mother is certain she has lung cancer and is relieved to find out it is “just” leukemia. Familial ties run strong here, and poor Wanda – who is dating not one, but two people – never has time for herself. The movie seems to be an accurate account of someone who can control the books professionally but is overwhelmed by all her actual life. Worth seeing. 3½ cans.
28. Devil in the Family* (2025, Netflix) – I paid little attention to news stories about Ruby Franke, a woman who seemed like the perfect mother but who eventually was convicted of child abuse. But this 3-part documentary got such a good review in The New York Times that I decided to watch it. Why do people think that everyone is interested in every detail of their lives? That was certainly the case with Mormon Mom Ruby Franke, a bubbly blonde with 6 kids who began broadcasting her life on social media. As the cute idea became lucrative through sponsors, it also became more intrusive, especially to her older children, who no longer cared to share the spotlight. As Ruby became more demanding, she also became more cult-like and devoted to a religion that defined her kids and husband as menacing and satanic. Watch the series to see what happened. 3½ cans.
29. Between the Temples* (2024, Netflix) – Ben Gottlieb (Jason Schwartzman) is a cantor in the temple who has a crisis of faith after the death of his wife: He loses his ability to sing. He runs into Carla Kessler (Carol Kane), the music teacher he had in grade school, and the two develop an awkward but sweet friendship as she decides to become a Bat Mitzvah student. Poor Ben is sad and lonely despite the matchmaking efforts of his two moms, and he grows closer to the much older Carla. Good performances in this comedy-drama, but it was a little too quirky for my taste. 3 cans.
30. Sing Sing* (2024, MAX) – This drama is based on the real story of a theater program run in Sing Sing prison by the inmates. Colman Domingo gives a powerful performance as the leader of the ensemble, a group of inmates who use the program to free their souls. Clarence Maclin is Divine Eye, a rough and tumble inmate who wants to join the company and comes to appreciate the way the program makes each man restore elements of his life that had been locked away. It might seem improbable that these men would become a theater troupe, but they do, and in so doing, they also gain respect for each other. I kept waiting for typical prison violence to occur, but I was gladly mistaken. Off-off Broadway indeed! 3½ cans.
31. Adolescence* (2024, Netflix) – This 4-part Netflix series tells the story of a 13-year-old boy, Jamie (amazingly performed by Owen Cooper), who is accused of murdering a female classmate.The British police storm his house, seeking the boy and any evidence of the crime. But the innocent-looking teenager insists he had nothing to do with it. The story proceeds with the arrest and processing of the accused, who is accompanied by his confused and supportive parents (Stephen Graham is exceptional as the anguished father) and sister. The evidence begins to mount, but no one can understand why the boy would stab the girl in the first place. Or did he? Jamie may be under duress, but the fallout of his arrest is just as difficult for his family, which feels the anger of the community that assumes Jamie is guilty. This intense series focuses on one aspect of the case at a time, building to a crescendo that is shocking. 4 cans.
32. Sly Lives*! (2025, Hulu) – Sylvester Stone was hardly what you would call “Everyday People.” Sly started writing songs before he was 21 and went on to establish his groundbreaking band, Sly & the Family Stone, a few years later. He tapped the best musicians he could find and wrote, produced and performed his unique brand of soul, rock and funk music with great success. The film asserts that “without Sly & the Family Stone, there would be no Prince,” and you can feel the connection. The music told a story and showed an evolution as Sly became the hallmark of success, a burden not always easy to carry. As talented as he was, and as closeknit as his band became, Sly’s use of drugs took on an increasing toll on the group. Sly & the Family Stone gave us such memorable songs as “Thank You for Letting Me Be Myself,” “Family Affair,” “Hot Fun in the Summer Time” and many more hits that built the legacy of this unique artist. 3½ cans
33. Breach* (2007, Prime Video) – In the wake of the current crisis in security, I thought I’d revisit this excellent movie about an FBI agent who was the top person from the US dealing with the Russians. And deal he did. Young and eager FBI staffer Eric (Ryan Philippe) is given the task of spying on his boss Robert Hanssen, (Chris Cooper) whom FBI management suspects is a double agent. Eric is working with and against Robert and he must be extremely careful not to tip off the boss to the internal investigation. This is a taut and suspenseful movie, and both Cooper and Philippe deliver solid performances. It also gave me a chuckle when much was made about information stored on Robert’s Palm Pilot – remember them? This movie is based on a true story and really held my attention. 4 cans.
34. Mid-Century Modern* (2025, Hulu) – This 10-part limited series is almost like a remake of “The Golden Girls” – except the main characters are gay men who live together in Palm Springs California, and, because it is on cable, the language and situations are more salty. Nathan Lane is Bunny Schneiderman, the leader of the pack, who invites his long-time friends Arthur (Nathan Lee Graham) and Jerry (Matt Bomer, who is a doppelganger for Jeff Probst of “Survivor” fame) to move in. Also on hand is the perfectly cast Linda Lavin, Bunny’s disapproving and difficult but hilarious mother, Sybil Schneiderman. Sadly, Lavin passed away after filming most of her role; the show deals with the loss in a touching but funny way. The series is a bright, clever and comedy about middle-aged gay men, stressing the gay. Nathan Lane is hilarious and over-the-top as beleaguered Bunny. There were many lines here that made me laugh out loud. I don’t know how they will replace Linda Lavin, who practically stole the show, but I’ll be back next season to see for myself. 4 cans.
35. A Complete Unknown* (2024, Hulu) – To me, Bob Dylan WAS practically a complete unknown. I wasn’t a fan of his music and didn’t know much about his life. Here, Timothee Chalamet portrays the talented songwriter and singer as someone who crossed genres, starting as an admirer of folk heroes like Pete Seeger and Woodie Gutherie but who moved from acoustic to electric guitar to create more of a rock vibe. He is singularly devoted to his music, eschewing the advice from industry people and his own mentors. At a time when folk singers were seen as activist protestors, Dylan was an iconoclast, transfixed on doing his music, his way. Chalamet learned to play guitar for the movie and did his own singing, and he is absolutely credible on both fronts. In the movie, Dylan starts out as penniless and modest, but as his career and fame explode, he becomes less than gracious to those with more experience in the music business. He never smiles – which might be the truth, but which reduces his charm to stubbornness. Considering that I am not a Dylan fan, this movie won me over because of Chalamet’s performance and the interesting take on the story. I won’t be listening to “Blowing in the Wind” anytime soon, but I enjoyed the movie. 4 cans.