Stanley & Iris

Stanley & Iris has built a devoted following in Australia on Amazon Prime Video, and in the US on Amazon Prime Video and fuboTV among viewers who want their romance taken seriously. The runtime earns every minute, with nothing here that feels like padding. 176 viewers have already rated it on TMDB — the kind of consensus that does not happen by accident. Jane Fonda carries the emotional throughline with real conviction. Put it on tonight on Amazon Prime Video and see for yourself.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Stanley & Iris earns its spot. Stanley & Iris treats its central relationship as something worth taking seriously. An illiterate cook at a company cafeteria tries for the attention of a newly widowed woman. As they get to know one another, she discovers his inability to read. When he is fired, she takes on trying to teach him to read in her kitchen each night. Jane Fonda and Robert De Niro lead a cast that makes the relationship feel genuine, not scripted. It hit screens in 1990. Romance lives or dies on chemistry, and Stanley & Iris has it in the cast combination that the writers chose to put at the centre of everything. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

Romance fans and drama viewers alike will find something to love in Stanley & Iris. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. The chemistry Jane Fonda brings to it is the engine that drives everything. A rarer quality than it sounds — earning the romantic beats rather than assuming them.

Stanley & Iris was released in 1990, directed by Martin Ritt. The full 104-minute film is available to watch now. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.