Private Lessons

Right now you can watch Private Lessons in the US on fuboTV and Troma NOW — and it is funnier than its reputation suggests. A tight runtime that never overstays its welcome. With 132 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Sylvia Kristel's performance alone is worth the time investment. Start it on fuboTV whenever you need something guaranteed to land.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Private Lessons earns its spot. Private Lessons gets the fundamentals right first, then finds room to get weird with it. Phillip Filmore is a naive, 15-year-old, preoccupied with sex, who develops a crush on Nicole Mallow, the new 30-something, French housekeeper and sitter to look after him when Phillip's father is out of town for the summer on a "business" trip. But Mr. Filmore's unscrupulous chauffeur, Lester Lewis, takes advantage of Phillip's crush on Nicole to hire her to seduce the youth, then draws her into a plot to fake her own death in a blackmail scheme aimed to drain Phillip's trust fund. Sylvia Kristel and Howard Hesseman lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1981. Private Lessons earns its laughs from character rather than situation, which is why it does not wear thin the way pure farce tends to. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

If you need a comedy that actually makes you laugh, Private Lessons is a strong candidate. If you have run out of similar titles to watch, this is a strong next pick. Short enough to finish in one sitting, substantial enough to feel satisfying. Sylvia Kristel sets the tone, but the supporting cast is where a lot of the best moments come from. A reliable pick for any night you want quality comedy without the homework.