What are we watching this weekend? Hilarious Liam Neeson, a furious lampoon, a classic with River Phoenix…

Cinema, streaming, VOD, TV… Find the Première selection every Friday.

The film in theaters: No other choice by Park Chan-wook

It’s the film of the week, and even of the month if we are to believe the latest issue of First : matured by Park Chan-wook for more than twenty years, this adaptation of Cleaver by Donald Westlake (already brought to the screen by Costa-Gavras with José Garcia in 2005), in which an unemployed executive decides to circumvent the competitors who threaten his job search, is a film noir with electrifying and virtuoso staging, ideally balancing drama and farce, pathos and cartoon, buffoonery and suspense – and carried by the brilliant Lee Byung-hun (world superstar thanks to his role bad guy Squid Game). Film of the week, of the month, no choice.

What’s new at the cinema this week

The series: love story

A new production from Ryan Murphy. But this time, nothing trashy or too flashy. The story of JFK Jr. and Carolyn is presented as a romantic chronicle of the 1990s, starting from their meeting in the summer of 1992. John, heir to the Kennedys and media star, crosses paths with Carolyn, a saleswoman at Calvin Klein with an elegant nature and immense self-confidence. Sarah Pidgeon and Paul Anthony Kelly play a moving couple, symbols of a strong but fragile love in a society that seeks to control it. The series explores their passion, its nuances and its intensity, without being limited to a strict chronology, in an atmosphere that immediately recalls The Crown. It must be said that the Kennedys are the closest thing to an American royal family…

Watch Love Story streaming on Disney Plus

The film on TV: Is there a cop to save the world? by Akiva Schaffer

The reboot of Is there a cop… was disavowed by David Zucker, the director of the first two films in the saga, who accuses producer Seth McFarlane of having copied the spirit of ZAZ to make money while passing by.completely off” of his subject. It’s his right, but we find him a little harsh. Liam Neeson reveals an irresistible comic potential (which we had already been able to detect here and there) as the son of Franck Drebin, just like Pamela Anderson brilliant as a blonde on duty. It’s very stupid and therefore very funny. A beautiful tribute in our eyes, more than a commercial betrayal, signed by one of the troublemakers of Lonely Island.

Watch Is There a Cop to Save the World? Friday evening on Canal Plus (and streaming on MyCanal)

The film on VOD: Yes by Nadav Lapid

Tired of Israeli “right-wing” politics, filmmaker Nadav Lapid now lives in France where he wrote the self-reflexive Synonyms (2019) before a return to his native country for the madman Ahed’s knee (2021). This Yes whose writing was hit hard by the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023 and the blind reprisals of the Israeli army on Gaza, gave his film the appearance of feverish and desperate trances. We follow the procrastination of a musician who agrees to participate in pro-IDF propaganda legitimizing strikes on Gaza. The character’s moral dilemmas lead the scene into a flood of contradictory lurches and uncontrolled mood swings. The result is a lively, vibrant, crazy, furiously political film that confronts the viewer with cruel reality. Very strong.

Watch Yes on VOD on Première Max

The documentary: Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat by Johan Grimomprez

Starting from the assassination in 1961 of Patrice Lumumba, the Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Johan Grimomprez signs a documentary about decolonization in Africa and the Cold War… against a backdrop of influence games by the CIA which had made jazz and its stars (Louis Armstrong in the lead) a tool of influence to divert attention from this coup d’état largely supported by the White House. An ambitious and captivating work based on remarkable archival work and an exceptional soundtrack. A labyrinth in which we enjoy getting lost.

Watch Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat on VOD on Première Max

The short film: Wonderwall by Róisín Burns

Liverpool 1995, colorful K-ways and kids chained to bikes. In the midst of the fiercest musical battle in history britpop English – Blur vs Oasis – Siobhan, 9 years old, tries as best she can to integrate into her older brother’s group of friends. In 24 hours, the little girl plunges into the dark and twisted world of adults: between an encounter with a skinned prostitute and ice dockers. A very realistic film with retro accents which tells the daily life of a damned city. Under false airs of Billy Elliotdirector Róisín Burns delivers a dark and captivating short film, presented at Cannes and nominated for the 2026 Césars.

Watch Wonderwall streaming on France.TV

The classic: Stand by Me by Rob Reiner

Oregon, late 1950s, four friends in search of a thrill set off with their backpack into the forest to find the body of a kid their age hit by a train. A macabre adventure in the form of an initiatory quest that will change them forever. For its 40th anniversary, the film is being released in new copies throughout France. Stand by Me by the late Rob Reiner (When Harry Met Sally, Misery…) is a magnificent adaptation of a short story by Stephen King carried in particular by the youthful grace of River Phoenix, big brother of Joaquin who died in 1993.

Stand by Me was released in theaters on February 11 throughout France