Amazon’s Prime Video: 5 Classic Films to Watch This Weekend

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – Follow me on X.

Amazon’s Prime Video is free to Prime members and one of the best perks is the service’s extensive library of classic films. With the Easter Weekend upon us, which means an extra day off for some viewers, let’s look at five classic movies that are available on Prime Video that I would highly recommend.

Amazon’s Prime Video – 5 Classic Movies to Watch This Weekend

The Graduate (1967)
The Mike Nichols-directed film stars then-unknown Dustin Hoffman as a recent college graduate whose confused outlook on post-education life is made all the more confounding when he begins an affair with an older woman played deliciously by Anne Bancroft. And his dilemma becomes even more of a pickle when he falls in love with the woman’s daughter (Katharine Ross.)! Hoffman is superbly sublime here as is the pitch-perfect supporting cast including William Daniels as his Dad, Murray Hamilton as Bancroft’s husband and Buck Henry as a hotel clerk. (Henry also co-wrote the script with Nichols.) The Graduate was then and remains today a sharp satire of the inexorable life cycles of the American culture.

Annie Hall (1977)
Woody Allen’s comedy masterpiece is based loosely on the actor/director’s romance with Diane Keaton, who plays the title character. The film, which captured the 1978 Academy Award for Best Picture, combines Woody’s comic brilliance with an insightful take on relationships and human foibles. Such a great movie and one that filmmakers have tried to replicate ever since with varying degrees of success. (Looking at you, Rob Reiner, director of When Harry Met Sally.)

Lost in Translation (2003)
Lost in Translation is a hidden gem from director Sofia Coppola (Priscilla) who captures the human need for connection through the weary eyes of an over-the-hill TV actor (Bill Murray) and a beautiful ingenue (Scarlett Johansson). Set in the over-crowded but still isolating city of Tokyo, the film’s delicate exploration of cross-cultural encounters, coupled with Murray and Johansson’s on-screen chemistry, evokes an indelible and bittersweet emotional resonance. Beautiful, charming movie.

Fargo (1996)
The Oscar-winning film from the Coen Brothers stars William H. Macy and Frances McDormand (wife to Joel Coen) who both turn in career performances as a bumpkin car salesman and pregnant police chief respectively. Steve Buscemi and Peter Stomare are equal parts funny and creepy as two kidnappers who bungle the job. This is comedy as black as a 6 a.m. 7-Eleven coffee and no film buff should wait another day before seeing it. Brilliant, brilliant stuff from all involved. You betcha!

Eight Men Out (1998)
Director/writer/actor John Sayles’ underrated 1998 drama about the Chicago ‘Black Sox’ scandal in the 1919 World Series is a winsome look at an American tragedy through the lens of modern socialism. If that seems a bit much for you, you’ve never seen a Sayles film before.  You’ll be ready to vote Joe Jackson into the Hall of Fame before the final credits roll.

Have a Question? Ask The  TV Answer Man!
Have a question about a favorite show, streaming service or new TV product? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com. Please include your first name and hometown in your message.

The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered television for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.