It’s nice to head to the theaters to watch a new movie once in a while, especially with anticipated films playing now and coming later this month like Joker: Folie à Deux, Smile 2, Venom: The Last Dance, and The Wild Robot. But sometimes, it’s also nice to sit in the comfort of your own home in sweatpants with microwave popcorn and a streaming service. If you’re looking for a hidden gem to check out for a quiet night in, there are three underrated movies on Amazon Prime Video you need to watch in October.
From old favorites to new movies, you’ll find some notable actors in these films. Critics weren’t totally fond of these movies, but audiences that have watched love them.
Need more recommendations? We also have guides to the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
Gifted (2017)
Criticized for its predictability, sometimes that’s precisely what you want in a movie as long as it has a solid beginning, middle, and end, along with a cast of talented actors. That’s the case with Gifted, a drama starring Chris Evans, Mckenna Grace, Lindsay Duncan, Jenny Slate, and Octavia Spencer. Frank Adler (Evans) is uncle and guardian to 7-year-old Mary (Grace), a gifted child with impressive mathematical prowess. Frank is adamant that she should attend a normal school and have a regular childhood. But others don’t agree, believing the young girl is wasting her potential.
The situation gets heated when Mary’s grandmother Evelyn (Duncan) disagrees with Frank’s choices, and fights for custody. But there’s a reason Frank believes Mary shouldn’t be pushed too far. The story in Gifted explores the complexities of childhood, parenting, and getting it “right.” Michael Clark of Epoch Times praises the film for the “insight and lessons for a lifetime” that “might actually make you and your children better people.”
Stream Gifted on Amazon Prime Video.
Sweet Home Alabama (2002)
“You have a baby…in a bar!” The defining line from this movie perfectly encapsulates the endearing theme. Reese Witherspoon is Melanie in Sweet Home Alabama, a fashion designer from New York who has tried to leave her Southern roots behind her as she embarks on this new high-profile lifestyle. Before she can put the icing on the cake of her new beginnings by marrying her wealthy, handsome boyfriend Andrew (Patrick Dempsey), however, Melanie has some loose ends to tie up back home.
With Candice Bergen as Andrew’s disapproving mother (and mayor of New York City) and Josh Lucas as Melanie’s estranged husband Jake, the dichotomy between Melanie’s two worlds as they collide is downright hilarious. Is Sweet Home Alabama predictable? It’s a rom-com, so of course it is. But that’s what makes it such a light-hearted and sweet movie that brings you to a satisfying end. It’s the perfect date-night movie.
Stream Sweet Home Alabama on Amazon Prime Video.
American Dreamer (2022)
Game of Thrones‘ Peter Dinklage stars in this black comedy based on a segment from the radio show This American Life. He’s Dr. Phil Loder in American Dreamer, an adjunct professor of economics who ironically doesn’t own a home. But he dreams of doing so one day and thinks he has found the perfect way to get exactly the type of lavish abode he wants. There’s an estate belonging to a lonely widow named Astrid (Shirley MacLaine) for sale for a killer deal. The catch? She’ll sell it for a steal only if whomever buys the property resides in the humble upper level and allows her to continue living the rest of her days in the main home.
Once she perishes, the home is all theirs. It sounds like an easy enough waiting game, but when Phil moves in and learns of Astrid’s two kids, plumber Boris (Raresh DiMofte) and lawyer Maggie (Kim Quinn), he believes staking ownership could prove more challenging than he anticipated.
So begins a battle between daughter and new homeowner, with Phil growing closer and closer to the elderly woman through a series of mishaps that keep working in his favor. Audiences loved American Dreamer far more than critics, but some critics appreciate the humor, too. Observer’s Rex Reed, for example, calls the movie “fresh, original, unpredictable, and unexpectedly funny.”
Stream American Dreamer on Amazon Prime Video.