Credit: Lucas Gouveia/How-To GeekNetflix subscribers in the U.S. have been busy lately, what with new originals like Office Romance and The Boroughs (if you haven’t watched it yet, what are you waiting for?), and the buzziest documentaries streaming right now with Michael Jackson: The Verdict and The Crash. It’s nice to be spoiled for choice, isn’t it?
If you’re looking for a good movie to get you through this week, I’ve got a few suggestions for you. This first is a new Netflix animated release that retells one of history’s most famous underdog stories, the second is a classic thriller from the ’90s that made everyone suspicious of nannies, and the last pick is one of the most dramatic sports movies of all time.
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David
An animated shepherd boy faces down a giant
If you’re looking for a wholesome animated feature to watch with the kids, David is a fun musical bible story with a positive message that still rings true today. In ancient Bethlehem, David (voiced by Phil Wickham and Brandon Engman as the younger David), is a young shepherd loving life, tending to his father’s flock while singing away in the fields. But when the prophet Samuel (Brian Stivale) secretly proclaims that David is to be the future king, it puts him on a path destined to come face to face with a seemingly unbeatable foe—the giant Philistine champion warrior, Goliath (Kamran Nikhad).
It’s the epic underdog story of the ages, as David not only has to prove his bravery and faith by defeating Goliath, but he also has to contend with the paranoid and jealous King Saul (Adam Michael Gold), who learns of the prophet’s proclamation and doesn’t want to give it up without a fight.
The music-filled animated film retells the Old Testament tale with sweeping action and loads of original songs. It currently has an 80% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes.
David
Release Date
December 19, 2025
WHERE TO WATCH
Cast
Brandon Engman, Phil Wickham, Asim Chaudhry, Mick Wingert, Mark Whitten, Ashley Boettcher, Sloan Lucas Muldown, Lauren Daigle, Brian Stivale, Shahar Taboch, Miri Mesika, Mike Ciporkin, Will De Renzy-Martin
Runtime
109 Minutes
Director
Brent Dawes, Phil Cunningham
Writers
Brent Dawes, Kyle Portbury, Sam Wilson
Producers
Phil Cunningham, Jacqui Cunningham, Steve Pegram, Tim Keller, Rita Mbanga
Main Genre
Animation
Executive Producer(s)
Jay Beutler, Stuart Baxter, John Brandon, Jacqui Cunningham, Phil Cunningham, Denise George, Erick Goss, Nancy Brandon, Michael Jenkins, Bernard Lans, Jason Melton, Dan Raines, Tim Tebow, Jon Walter, Tyler Zacharia, David L. Hunt
2
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992)
The ’90s nanny thriller that defined a subgenre
In the late ’80s and early ’90s, there was a breakout genre of thriller movies that some critics dubbed the “blank from hell” or “perfect life under siege”-style of movies that often centered around an unhinged antagonist, like a roommate (Single White Female) or a weekend fling (Fatal Attraction) that goes off the rails. The Hand That Rocks the Cradle helped cement the genre in 1992, while making parents everywhere just a little jumpy about their nannies.
QuizSeattle housewife Claire Bartel (Annabella Sciorra) and her husband Michael (Matt McCoy) have it all—a loving marriage and two beautiful children. When Claire and Michael hire the warm and loving Peyton (Rebecca De Mornay) to be their nanny, she’s a godsend. The children love her, and everything is peachy. But Peyton’s got a dark secret and isn’t there by chance. Unbeknownst to Claire, Peyton has a score to settle, and she systematically starts to dismantle their perfect lives, which includes destroying Claire’s bond with her children and stealing her husband.
As the saying goes: “The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world,” and Peyton is the nanny from hell. The Hand That Rocks the Cradle is a chilling thriller that also stars a young Julianne Moore as Claire’s suspicious best friend.
Cast
Annabella Sciorra, Rebecca De Mornay, Matt McCoy, Ernie Hudson, Madeline Zima, Julianne Moore, John de Lancie, Kevin Skousen
Runtime
110 Minutes
Director
Curtis Hanson
Writers
Amanda Silver
Main Genre
Thriller
1
Rudy
Football’s greatest underdog chases an impossible Notre Dame dream
Want to see a grown man cry? Just put on Rudy. Based on the true story of University of Notre Dame student Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger (Lord of the Rings‘ Sean Astin), Rudy dazzled critics when it came out in the mid-’90s, and the film has become beloved as a symbol of triumph over adversity and how heart and perseverance can trump all odds. OK, that’s laying it on pretty thick, but tears don’t lie.
After his best friend is killed in a steel mill explosion, Rudy is inspired to chase his dream of playing football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, but his grades aren’t good enough to enroll at the college, and his five-foot-nothin stature puts him at a significant disadvantage on the team. Nonetheless, Rudy enrolls at the nearby Holy Cross College with the hopes of transferring, gets a job as a groundskeeper at Notre Dame, and, with the help of a teacher’s aid, D-Bob (Jon Favreau), he fights through dyslexia to get his grades up to get in.
Spoiler alert, he does. But that’s just the beginning of Rudy’s inspiring journey to becoming a uniformed player of the Fighting Irish. Will Rudy ever step foot on the field? Have your tissues at the ready and find out.
Cast
Sean Astin, Jon Favreau, Ned Beatty, Lili Taylor, Charles S. Dutton, Vince Vaughn, Greta Lind, Christopher Reed, Deborah Wittenberg, Kevin Duda, Amy Pietz, Scott Benjaminson, Mary Ann Thebus, Christopher Erwin, Robert Benirschke, Luke Massery, Robert J. Steinmiller Jr., Lauren Katz, Gerry Becker, Robert Prosky, Jason Miller, John Beasley, Ron Dean, Mitch Rouse, Chelcie Ross
Runtime
114 minutes
Director
David Anspaugh
Writers
Angelo Pizzo
Producers
Cary Woods, Lee R. Mayes
Main Genre
Biography
Cinematographer
Oliver Wood
Producer
Robert N. Fried, Cary Woods
Production Company
TriStar Pictures
Sfx Supervisor
Joe Digaetano
Budget
$12 million
Executive Producer(s)
Lee R. Mayes
Mix it up this week
Faith, fear, and a whole lot of heart—this week’s pick offers a nice range that you’ll hopefully enjoy. If your queue’s still hungry once the credits roll, howtogeek.com/streaming has plenty more where these came from.
Subscription with ads
Yes, $8/month
Simultaneous streams
Two or four
Live TV
No
Price
Starting at $8/month
Stream licensed and original programming with a monthly Netflix subscription.
