Radio

Right now you can watch Radio in Australia on Netflix and Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel, and in the US on Kanopy and Hoopla — and it holds up to as much attention as you give it. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. 858 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. Cuba Gooding Jr. Anchors it with a performance that rewards close attention. Available now on Netflix — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Radio earns its spot. Character-driven storytelling at its most effective — Radio earns every emotional beat it goes for. In the racially divided town of Anderson, South Carolina in 1976, football coach Harold Jones spots a mentally disabled African-American young man nicknamed Radio near his practice field and is inspired to befriend him. Soon, Radio is Jones' loyal assistant, and he becomes a student at T.L. Hanna High School. Cuba Gooding Jr. And Ed Harris lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. Radio came out in 2003. What elevates Radio is a refusal to let any character off the hook too easily. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Radio is what you recommend to people who say they do not really watch much. 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. Cuba Gooding Jr.'s work here is the kind that gets referenced in career retrospectives. It makes everything else feel thin by comparison.