16 Must-See Movies for Spring 2016

‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2’ (March 25)

Still Greekly in love, Toula and Ian (Nia Vardalos and John Corbett) now have a rebellious teen daughter on their hands. Also, Toula’s parents (Lainie Kazan and Michael Constantine) have just learned they were never legally wed many decades ago. Could an even bigger, fatter, Greeker wedding be in the offing? 

‘I Saw the Light’ (March 25)

It’s been 52 years since George Hamilton (!) played the definitive Hank Williams in Your Cheatin’ Heart. Now British-born Tom Hiddleston (Thor) tackles the role in this biopic of the country music legend. (Note to Hiddleston: It’s pronounced “hart,” not “haht.”)

‘Miles Ahead’ (April 1)

Don Cheadle directs and stars in the life story of jazz visionary Miles Davis, tracing his artistic triumphs (both in music and in painting) and addressing his battles with addiction head-on. 

‘Demolition’ (April 8)

In a tale of love, loss and new beginnings, an investment banker (Jake Gyllenhaal) emotionally unravels after the sudden death of his wife. When his minor complaint against a vending-machine company threatens to escalate to DEFCON 1, he finds himself falling for a sweet, patient customer-service rep (Naomi Watts) with problems of her own. Chris Cooper (Adaptation) co-stars as his concerned father-in-law.

‘Criminal’ (April 15)

To foil a terrorist plot, a scientist (Tommy Lee Jones) implants the skills and memories of a dead CIA agent in the mind of a convicted killer (Kevin Costner). Not based on a true story (not yet, at any rate…). 

‘Elvis & Nixon’ (April 22)

Quick, what’s the most requested photo in U.S. National Archives history? Why, that awkward shot of the King visiting President Richard Nixon in 1970, of course. Here’s the story of their surreal summit, starring Kevin Spacey as the president and Michael Shannon (Boardwalk Empire) as Presley. 

‘Papa’ (April 22)

Longtime character actor Adrian Sparks steps into the spotlight as Ernest Hemingway in the first Hollywood feature to be shot in Cuba since the 1950s. Joely Richardson costars as the writer’s wife Mary, while Giovanni Ribisi plays a young Miami Herald reporter who adopted Papa as a surrogate father. Look for a cameo by Hemingway’s granddaughter Mariel.

‘The Meddler’ (April 22)

In a tour-de-force performance, Susan Sarandon stars as a widowed mother who moves from the Northeast to Los Angeles — to the horror of her L.A.-based daughter (Rose Byrne). In the process of winning her kid over, she charms a Harley-riding retired cop who raises chickens (J. K. Simmons).

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‘Mother’s Day’ (April 29)

Pretty Woman director Garry Marshall reunites with some of his previous stars (Julia Roberts, Kate Hudson, Hector Elizondo) and picks up some new ones (Jennifer Aniston, Margo Martindale, Timothy Olyphant) in this multi-character tale of people experiencing a fateful Mother’s Day.

‘The Man Who Knew Infinity’ (April 29)

Math whizzes make the darnedest movie heroes — remember A Beautiful Mind? Now Dev Patel stars as Srinivasa Ramanujan, a young genius from India who moves to England to pioneer modern mathematical theory — and refute the naysayers — with an older Cambridge professor, G.H. Hardy (Jeremy Irons).

‘Being Charlie’ (May limited release)

Director Rob Reiner (Stand By Me) and his screenwriter son, Nick, join forces to tell this story of a privileged young man (Nick Robinson) who enters drug rehab and falls for a fellow patient (Morgan Saylor). The film reunites Reiner with Cary Elwes, of The Princess Bride fame. Here he plays the troubled boy’s father, a fading action-movie star who is running for governor of California. Seriously, where do filmmakers get these ideas?

‘Mothers and Daughters’ (May)

Selma Blair stars as a photographer who’s bent on capturing the lives of moms and their daughters through her camera lens. Among the megastars who crop up in the viewfinder are Susan Sarandon, Courteney Cox, Christina Ricci, Mira Sorvino and Sharon Stone.

‘Money Monster’ (May 13)

Reasoning that “I might be the one with the gun here, but I’m not the real criminal,” a defrauded investor (Jack O’Connell) seizes two hostages — the financial “expert” on a hit cable network show (George Clooney) and his producer (Julia Roberts) — on live TV. The tense thriller was directed by Jodie Foster.

‘The Nice Guys’ (May 20)

Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe: this year’s most delicious odd couple? You can decide that for yourself when you catch them co-starring as a pair of private detectives who are investigating the disappearance of a young woman in the L.A. of the 1970s. Amid many a punch and car crash, and much shattered glass, they stumble upon a mob plan to take over the city.

‘Maggie’s Plan’ (May 20)

Three years ago, Maggie (Greta Gerwig) had a child with the guy she thought would be the perfect dad (Ethan Hawke). But now, having fallen out of love with the dude, she’s scheming to reunite him with his humorless ex-wife (Julianne Moore). The comedy is written and directed by Rebecca Miller (The Private Lives of Pippa Lee), daughter of playwright Arthur Miller.

‘Florence Foster Jenkins’ (May 25)

Though her concert at Carnegie Hall sold out in 1944, her audiences instantly recognized something that had never occurred to New York heiress Florence Foster Jenkins: She could not sing a note. Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant star in the true story of a woman whose biggest asset was an overabundance of belief in herself.

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