If You’re Social-Distancing, You’ll Need Some Great Movies To Watch
New Orleans may be mostly shut down due to COVID-19, but these movies feel like Mardi Gras!
Girls’ Trip
This comedy, starring Tiffany Haddish, Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, and Jada Pinkett Smith, showcases female friendships and the fun of NOLA during the Essence Festival. The four friends head to New Orleans at a point when each is in a life rut, and through the magic of the city, find what they’ve been looking for. This movie is very funny and the perfect way to pass time during the pandemic.
King Creole
One of Elvis Presley’s movies, King Creole tells the story of a teen trying to finish high school, support his family, and survive life in a gang, all in New Orleans. As any Elvis movie, it features some great songs, and the rock-and-roll cool vibe that Elvis embodies.
Hours
During Hurricane Katrina, Paul Walker (R.I.P.) playing Nolan Hayes rushes his pregnant wife to the hospital to give birth. Due to the storm, Nolan spends the rest of the movie trying to survive in an abandoned hospital with a premature baby and a stray dog, after the staff flees to shelter. It’s thrilling and excellently done, so definitely take the time to watch it.
Ruby Bridges
This excellent movie tells the story of one of the first black schoolgirls to attend a white elementary school after integration. At only 6 years old, Ruby Bridges displayed the courage and dignity that most adults wouldn’t in a similar situation. Watch this if you’re prepared to cry!
Midnight Bayou
Based on the Nora Roberts novel of the same title, Midnight Bayou follows a lawyer as he buys a haunted manor house in New Orleans and finds himself plunged into a mystery that has continued for over a century. Roberts’ impeccable writing translates well on screen, and the beautiful footage in the movie highlights the steamy, sultry summers of the Deep South.
Last Holiday
Another Queen Latifah, Georgia is working a dead-end job in New Orleans when she recieves a fatal medical diagnosis. Rather than seeking futile medical treatment, she travels to Eastern Europe to “blow” her life savings on an extravagant vacation. The movie highlights Latifah’s comedic chops, and the end highlights the innate sense of community and home of New Orleans.