It’s not summer yet, but it sure does feel like it.
That’s especially true on Netflix, which just dropped some easy and breezy movies that should take your mind off things.
If you’re looking for a charming British comedy, stream Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris and visit the world-famous city of lights and lovers.
Fans of Only Murders in the Building star Martin Short are in for a treat with Marty, Life is Short, a documentary chronicling the legendary comedian’s impressive career.
Last but not least, watch Tom Hanks fall in love with a mermaid in the ‘80s classic, Splash.
‘Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris’ (2022)
Mrs. Ada Harris (Lesley Manville) is a widowed cleaning lady who lives a modest life in 1950s England. She dreams of a more glamorous life and, after receiving some unexpected money, decides to travel to Paris and live out her haute couture dreams. She impulsively buys a Christian Dior dress, which sets off a chain of events that unites two lovers, radicalizes the legendary fashion house’s workers to strike for better wages and opens the door for a late-in-life romance for Ada. Paris won’t be the same when Mrs. Harris leaves, and neither will Mrs. Harris once she returns to her ho-hum life in Britain.
Like The Full Monty and Waking Ned Devine before it, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a charming British picture that casts a kind spotlight on the working class. Ada may be plain-looking and set in her ways, but that doesn’t mean she yearns for some adventure and beauty in her life. That she makes the effort to get both is both a source for comedy and inspiration — nobody realizes Ada’s dream for her other than Ada. Manville is wonderful as a character who could’ve been overbearing or sentimental. She’s neither, and that’s due to Manville’s no-nonsense approach to the role.
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is streaming on Netflix.
‘Marty, Life Is Short’ (2026)
Jim Carrey. Dave Chappelle. Steve Martin. These comedians are widely praised and adored by the public. Martin Short isn’t as much, and the new documentary Marty, Life Is Short aims to change that. Directed by Lawrence Kasdan, this new Netflix documentary shines a well-deserved and long-overdue spotlight on an actor who has worked tirelessly for almost a half-century.
From his start on the Canadian sketch comedy series SCTV to his run on SNL and feature films like Innerspace and Father of the Bride, Short has always been hovering near the margins but never quite grabbing the attention that fellow costars like Chevy Chase and Eddie Murphy commanded. The doc features new interviews with colleagues and friends like Tom Hanks and Catherine O’Hara, who profess their belief that Short is one of the funniest people they know. When you finish Marty, Life is Short, you will, too.
Marty, Life Is Short is streaming on Netflix.
‘Splash’ (1984)
When he was 8 years old, Allen Bauer (Tom Hanks) was convinced he had met a mermaid when he almost drowned in Cape Cod. Twenty years later, he’s proven right when he meets the same mermaid, all grown up. Her name is Madison (Daryl Hannah), and for reasons I’m still trying to understand, she can walk on land for six days. If she stays longer, she’ll remain a human forever, which is why it’s a problem when Allen and Madison fall in love. He can join her in her underwater lair, but he can never go back to being a human. Modern relationships have all sorts of problems, but it’s safe to say no one has the same issues that Allen and Madison have to deal with.
Splash is the rare fish-out-of-water romantic comedy that actually has a fish out of water as its main character. Hannah has some funny moments as a mostly mute mermaid learning to live, talk and walk as a human, while Hanks is solid as her bumed suitor who can’t believe his mermaid childhood fantasy is real. John Candy steals every scene he’s in as Allen’s womanizing brother, who will do anything to help his sibling get the girl in the end.
