"Wicked Little Letters" brought some serious laughs to Netflix not long ago, and now the streamer's due to get another Sony Pictures Classic release very soon.
The former was a hilarious small-time British period comedy, but this new arrival is writer-director Minhal Baig's acclaimed third feature, "We Grown Now." Haig's new feature sees her following up the 2019 Apple TV Plus movie, "Hala", with an acclaimed portrait of young Black friendship and of life within Chicago's Cabrini-Green housing block.
Thanks to When To Stream, we know that the movie will be available to stream in a matter of weeks, arriving on October 3, 2024. Going by the movie's reception, you absolutely should add it to your Netflix watchlist. At the time of writing, the movie's sitting at 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics particularly impressed
Curious? Here's a little bit more info about the movie, and a round-up of the praise "We Grown Now" has earned so far.
What is 'We Grown Now' about?
Minhal Baig's "We Grown Now" is a period piece that takes in Chicago in 1992. There, we're introduced to two boys — Eric (Gian Knight Ramirez) and Malik (Blake Cameron James) — best friends who have done everything together.
The pair of dreamers have a fierce bond and fill their days together roaming the city and entertaining one another where they can. The public housing project they live in, by this point, is a difficult environment, one which tests their friendship and their community with complex issues and the threat of separation just as they're really learning to fly.
In addition to Ramirez and James, the cast also features Jurnee Smollett, Lil Rel Howery, Ora Jones, Avery Holliday, and S. Epatha Merkerson.
What are critics saying about 'We Grown Now'?
Given that high RT score, you won't be surprised to know that critics have heaped praise on "We Grown Now."
Variety's Tomris Laffly called the movie "a thoughtful and serenely paced Chicago-grown tale," adding: "With immersive beats and warm-hued visuals that sneakily envelop you, it's the kind of evocative film you just comfortably slip into."
Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, Lovia Gyarkye found some fault with the movie's structure — "There's not much in the way of a narrative, and 'We Grown Now' struggles as a result" — but as a project that "takes the idea of beauty seriously and works, with deceptive ease, to show us the tiny pleasures that make up life in Cabrini-Green."
In their 3.5/4 RogerEbert.com review, Peyton Robinson praised "We Grown Now" as a "poignantly charming" tale, singling out (as many other critics do) James and Ramirez' excellent turns: "James and Ramirez operate excellently as the film’s core duo [...] The boys’ chemistry as best friends is believable between innocently playing the dozens and cutting class, musing on love and life with charming naivety, and even navigating the increasingly complex emotions that come with their disdainfully encroaching socio-political awareness."
Finally, in their roundup of the best features from the Toronto International Film Festival for the Huffington Post, Candice Frederick wrote: "Through [Eric and Malik's] perspectives, beautifully illuminated in Blake Cameron James’ and Gian Knight Ramirez’s portrayals, we see a neighborhood with both promise and despair become a playground for their imaginations. 'We Grown Now' is a satisfying experience of home through a child’s eyes."
If you missed it earlier this year, "We Grown Now" will be available to stream on Netflix from Thursday, October 3, 2024. Need something to keep you entertained in the meantime? Here's our roundup of the best Netflix movies and the best Netflix shows so you can find your next watch.
