I put a lot of thought into the airline-provided movies I watch on a plane trip. 

It’s a timed trip to the video rental store. There are titles and categories I would usually not be exposed to — one of my favorite categories is what I’ll call “movies that I’m willing to take a chance on because of the short run time.” Another is “music documentaries I would not watch at home or in the movie theater.” 

The airlines, at least at this point, have not annoyed me with highly algorithmic lists that limit my brain’s playtime as I weigh unfamiliar titles. I’m quite content to use my own little grey cells to arrive at a decision. 

So here are the Best Movies I Watched on a Plane in 2025. 

Freaky Tales (2024)

Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck

It’s a challenge to describe this movie and do its nutty brilliance justice, so maybe the way to go is to through in the elements, which are enough to get me hooked: Four interconnected stories, set in 1987 Oakland, punks versus Nazis, Pedro Pascal, Tom Hanks, Ben Mendelsohn, Marshawn Lynch, Tim Armstrong, fictionalized characters in the movie of Golden State Warriors great Sleepy Floyd and rap legend Too Short, cameos by the real Sleepy Floyd and Too Short, a robbery, a murder, animated sequences, rap battles, revenge and proper Ninja battle at the end. 

A Disturbance in the Force (2023)

Directed by Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak

If you’ve ever seen the Star Wars Holiday Special, a 1978 television movie starring members of the original Star Wars cast that features, among many, many insane things, Wookie virtual sex, Bea Arthur singing torch songs in a Mos Eisley-like cantina and an animated sequence that introduced Boba Fett, and wondered, how in the fuck did this get made, this is the movie. Featuring clips from the special and interviews with one of the more incredible lineups of people either involved in producing it or those intrigued by it or influenced by it (Donny Osmond, Seth Green, Kevin Smith, “Weird Al” Yankovic to name a few), this is a great retelling of how the fuck this got made. 

Old Guy (2024)

Directed by Simon West

This is the kind of movie Hollywood used to churn out. West is a solid action director, and it stars two-time Oscar winner Christoph Walz, Lucy Liu and Cooper Hoffman. It’s a tried and true crime story: Aging out hit man (Walz) has to train his eventual replacement (Hoffman) and their generational, odd-couple vibes drive the comedy. Liu plays the straight gal. Nothing exotic about these kind of stories, but I admit I took them for granted when they were everywhere. Well, now they’re made because the government of Northern Ireland can provide enough tax incentives and maybe because Walz wants to keep making movies where he’s the lead and Hoffman wants to, like his dad, the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, wants to make eclectic stuff. It’s funny and fluid, and I like that it shows off a modern version of Belfast that isn’t about The Troubles.

Yacht Rock: A Documentary (2024)

Directed by Garret Price

I know I could see this on HBO, because it’s an HBO original, but there’s something about Yacht Rock, its origins and influence, that makes a plane ride go better. I love watching a movie where Michael McDonald and Thunder Cat and Kenny Loggins and Questlove get equal treatment as they get to talk about why they love the genre, how good the tunes are, and also show that they’re all kind of in on the joke. A cool breeze. 

Other movies I watched from airline-provided entertainment. All have merit, but did not elevate to the same level as the above. 

Kill ‘Em All 2 (2024)

Directed by Valeri Milev

I didn’t see Kill ‘Em All, but I don’t think it detracted much. It’s still Jean-Claude Van Damme. 

Disco’s Revenge (2024)

Directed by Omar Majeed and Peter Mishara

More about the music, the time it came from, the people behind it and who loved it, and why it’s significant. Good stuff. 

One to One: John & Yoko (2024)

Directed by Kevin Macdonald and Sam Rice-Edwards

I favor documentaries with archival footage, and this has a bunch of it, detailing the post-Beatles years when John Lennon and Yoko Ono set up house in New York City. It includes not just concert performances by Lennon but phone conversations and the tableau of everyday life.  

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