The season of love is around the corner. Pregame Valentine's Day with these 16 funny films on HBO Max. The 16 best romantic comedies to laugh and swoon over on HBO Max The season of love is around the corner. Pregame Valentine's Day with these 16 funny films on HBO Max. By Ilana Gordon and Angela Andaloro on January 15, 2026 11:59 a.m. ET :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/BESTEXOTICMARIGOLDHOTELJudiDenchWhenHarryMetSallyBillyCrystalMegRyanTinyFurnitureDavidCallLenaDunham011226584ba4448fe94e8980b99d69f3a39fcc.

The season of love is around the corner. Pre-game Valentine's Day with these 16 funny films on HBO Max.

The 16 best romantic comedies to laugh and swoon over on HBO Max

The season of love is around the corner. Pre-game Valentine's Day with these 16 funny films on HBO Max.

By Ilana Gordon and Angela Andaloro

on January 15, 2026 11:59 a.m. ET

Judi Dench as Evelyn Greenslade in 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'; Billy Crystal as Harry Burns and Meg Ryan as Sally Albright in 'When Harry Met Sally'; Lena Dunham as Aura in 'Tiny Furniture'. Credit:

Ishika Mohan/Fox Searchlight; MGM; Joe Anderson/IFC

When the world feels like it's falling apart, a romantic comedy can offer 90 minutes of stability. Constructed using familiar tropes and comforting formulas, the genre is like a narrative pacifier: built to soothe. The films on this list remind viewers that good things do happen in life. People fall in love and build lives together, even at the height of World War II or while navigating the depths of grief.

Love keeps the world spinning. So if you feel yourself spiraling out of control, turn on one of HBO Max's 16 best rom-coms, breathe, and laugh for a bit.

Am I OK? (2022)

Dakota Johnson as Lucy in 'Am I OK?'.

A coming-out and coming-of-middle-age movie co-directed by comics and real-life spouses Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne, *Am I Ok? *is the queer millennial movie you didn't know you needed. Dakota Johnson stars as Lucy, a woman stuck in career and romantic limbo, who is forced out of her everyday mundanity by a new understanding of her sexuality and her best friend's upcoming international move.

A comedy about love — both platonic and romantic — the movie was filmed during the pandemic and premiered at Sundance, but has since found a home on HBO Max, and a fan base amongst movie lovers who enjoy authentic comedies about late bloomers finding love and themselves. *—Ilana Gordon*

Where to watch *Am I OK?*: HBO Max

**Directors: **Tig Notaro, Stephanie Allynne

**Cast: **Dakota Johnson, Sonoya Mizuno, Jermaine Fowler, Kiersey Clemons, Molly Gordon

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012)

Judi Dench as Evelyn Greenslade in 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'. Ishika Mohan

Everything is more affordable in India, even retirement. In *The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel*, a group of British retirees uproot to South Asia to live in what they believe will be an exotic home for seniors. In typical romantic comedy fashion, the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel does not come as advertised, and the group is left to contend with their new culture and cohabitants.

*Best Exotic *is the rare comedy that explores love in life's later years without making age the butt of the joke. And the ensemble cast, led by Judi Dench as a financially strapped widow, is filled with your favorite British movie stars. If a sweet rom-com in a vibrant setting is what you're after, check into *The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel*. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel*: HBO Max

**Director: **John Madden

**Cast:** Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, Dev Patel, Celia Imrie

Casablanca (1942)

Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine and Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa Lund in 'Casablanca'. Everett Collection

Despite boasting some of the best quotes in all of cinematic history, *Casablanca* was just one of many films churned out by the studio system in the early years of World War II. But something about the movie's heart-wrenching love triangle, political and social relevance, and lush setting charmed viewers, propelling the project to an unexpected Best Picture win, and a permanent spot on almost every Best Of list.

Electricity rations were common at the time of the movie's release, but entirely unnecessary — the sexual currents pulsating between stars Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman had to have been strong enough to generate power for a small city, at the very least. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Casablanca*: HBO Max

**EW grade:** A

**Director: **Michael Curtiz

**Cast: **Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains

City Lights (1931)

Charlie Chaplin as the Tramp and Virginia Cherrill as the Blind Girl in 'City Lights'.

Courtesy Everett

HBO Max offers a number of Charlie Chaplin's movies, features and shorts — the actor, director, and composer made 81 throughout the course of his career — but *City Lights *shines brighter than most. Released in 1931, a few years after "talkies" began overtaking theaters, Chaplin chose to limit *City Light's *sound to its score. But even without dialogue, this romantic comedy creates an emotional vibe that an EW critic called a "consummate weeper."

Chaplin returns as the Little Tramp, his signature character, who falls in love with a young blind woman. When the woman mistakes him for a millionaire, the Tramp befriends an actual millionaire and hopes to use his money to pay for an operation that would restore the woman's sight. The movie is a must-see for any comedy or cinema history enthusiast. —*I.G.*

Where to watch *City Lights*: HBO Max

**Director: **Charlie Chaplin

**Cast: **Charlie Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill, Florence Lee, Harry Myers, Al Ernest Garcia

Dinner With Friends (2001)

Toni Collette as Beth, Dennis Quaid as Gabe, Greg Kinnear as Tom, and Andie MacDowell as Karen in 'Dinner With Friends'. Everett

HBO Max's cinematic adaptation of Donald Margulies' Pulitzer Prize-winning 1998 play, *Dinner With Friends *maintains the original's simple premise while mining deep for emotional and personal revelations. The story of two New England couples dealing with the fact that one of the pairs is divorcing, the film captures the unexpected moments of vulnerability and honesty that define long-term relationships — even ones that are falling apart.

Dennis Quaid and Andie MacDowell are perfectly cast as a pair of foodies who are more comfortable navigating what's on their dinner plates than what's going on in their friends' lives, and Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette toggle between insecurity and self-assurance as the couple whose marriage is broken up by an affair with a younger woman. Haute cuisine served over seven scenes, *Dinner With Friends *is the rare adaptation that remains faithful to the original while still finding new paths to tread. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Dinner With Friends*: HBO Max

**Director: **Norman Jewison

**Cast: **Dennis Quaid, Andie MacDowell, Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette

I Married a Witch (1942)

Frederic March as Wallace and Veronica Lake as Jennifer in 'I Married a Witch'.

Donaldson Collection/Getty

Fans of the '60s sitcom *Bewitched *might want to check out *I Married a Witch*, a romantic comedy whose lighthearted absurdism was likely intended to serve as a distraction from the violence happening overseas during the Second World War.

Veronica Lake stars as Jennifer, a witch who returns to Earth centuries after being burned at the stake, seeking revenge against the descendant of Jonathan Wooley, the Puritan who persecuted her. But her plans for retribution are rerouted after Jennifer meets Wallace Wooley, an aspiring politician, and falls in love with him. All of the Wooley men in the movie are portrayed by Fredric March, but it's Lake's wit and charisma that carry the film. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *I Married a Witch*: HBO Max

**EW grade: **B+

**Director: **René Clair

**Cast: **Fredric March, Veronica Lake, Robert Benchley, Susan Hayward, Cecil Kellaway

It's Complicated (2009)

Meryl Streep as Jane Adler and Steve Martin as Adam Schaffer in 'It's Complicated'.

Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal/Courtesy Everett

You can expect three things from a Nancy Meyers film: romance, comedy, and superior kitchens. The Meyers trifecta is on full display in *It's Complicated*, a movie that EW's critic at the time referred to as "middle-aged femme porn." Meryl Streep stars as Jane Adler, a successful bakery owner whose amicable relationship with her ex-husband, Jake (Alec Baldwin), takes a detour back into the romantic after a decade apart.

A broad comedy distinguished by its excellent cast and focus on romanticizing the love and sex lives of middle-aged people,* It's Complicated* keeps its story and message simple. And by doing so in such an aesthetic and well-executed style, it feels like a real treat. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *It's Complicated*: HBO Max

**Director: **Nancy Meyers

**Cast:** Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin, John Krasinski, Lake Bell

The Last of the Blonde Bombshells (2000)

Billie Whitelaw as Evelyn and Judi Dench as Elizabeth in 'The Last of the Blonde Bombshells'. HBO/Everett

A film with a sensibility that can only be described as singularly British, *The Last of the Blonde Bombshells *is a romantic comedy with some rhythm. Elizabeth (Judi Dench) spent World War II playing saxophone in a swing band called the Blonde Bombshells. After the death of her husband, Elizabeth reconnects with Patrick (Ian Holm) — the band's former drummer and only male member, who avoided conscription during the war by cross-dressing.

When the pair start dating, Elizabeth decides to get the band back together, but discovers the Bombshells have scattered with members in jail, suffering from alcoholism, and devoted to the Salvation Army. Witty and nostalgic, *The Last of the Blonde Bombshells *is another piece of evidence that blondes really do have more fun. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *The Last of the Blonde Bombshells*: HBO Max

**Director: **Gillies MacKinnon

**Cast: **Judi Dench, Ian Holm, Romola Garai, Olympia Dukakis

Let Them All Talk (2020)

Meryl Streep as Alice in 'Let Them All Talk'. HBO Max

Joan Didion once said "Writers are always selling someone out," and that is exactly what Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Hughes (Meryl Streep) is accused of doing. In *Let Them All Talk*, Alice boards the Queen Mary 2 on a transatlantic trip with the intention of writing her new book and spending time with two of her oldest friends (Candice Bergen and Dianne Wiest). But as the voyage proceeds, Alice ends up battling with Roberta (Bergen) over how much of her original book was based on Roberta's life, and watching as her nephew Tyler (Lucas Hedges) falls for her literary agent, Karen (Gemma Chan).

Funny, wise, bitter, primarily improvised, and made in barely two weeks, EW's critic describes the film as "a chance to spend two hours watching Streep & Co. make the most of Deborah Eisenberg's deliciously salty script, while Soderbergh — who also serves as cinematographer — shoots it all in ruthless, radiant light." *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Let Them All Talk*: HBO Max

**EW grade: **A–

**Director: **Steven Soderbergh

**Cast: **Meryl Streep, Candice Bergen, Dianne Wiest, Gemma Chan, Lucas Hedges

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The Lobster (2015)

Jessica Barden as Nosebleed Woman and Colin Farrell as David in 'The Lobster'.

Everett Collection

An absurdist black comedy that satirizes our culture's discomfort around uncoupled people, *The Lobster* asks what would happen if singles were given 45 days to find a mate, or be transformed into the animal of their choice. After David's (Colin Farrell) wife leaves him, he is taken to a hotel and instructed to find someone compatible. But when an incident involving a potential life partner forces him to flee into the woods to live with the loners, David discovers that it doesn't matter where you are or who you're with — falling in love is never easy. *The Lobster* is one of the most original romantic comedies, and will live in your brain rent-free for weeks after watching. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *The Lobster*: HBO Max

**EW grade: **A

**Director: **Yorgos Lanthimos

**Cast:** Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Ben Whishaw, John C. Reilly, Olivia Colman

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)

John Corbett as Ian Miller and Nia Vardalos as Toula Portokalos in 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding'. Gold Circle Films

Toula Portokalos (Nia Vardalos) embraces her role as the loyal yet overlooked member of her enormous clan until she decides to take control of her life at 30. While her parents tirelessly seek the perfect Greek man for her, Toula knows none of those suitors stand a chance against WASP English teacher Ian Miller (John Corbett), who's head over heels for her and is ready to take on the challenge of getting her family to approve their marriage. (He's really all that and a bottle of Windex!)

Adapted from Vardalos' one-woman show based on her real-life family, *My Big Fat Greek Wedding** *delves into the dynamics of growing up in an immigrant household deeply rooted in their culture, navigating a world that centers on conformity. —*Angela Andaloro*

Where to watch *My Big Fat Greek Wedding*: HBO Max

**Director:** Joel Zwick

**Cast:** Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Lainie Kazan, Michael Constantine, Gia Carides**

Singin' in the Rain (1952)

Debbie Reynolds as Kathy Selden and Gene Kelly as Don Lockwood in 'Singin' in the Rain'. Everett Collection

Widely considered one of the best musicals ever captured on film, *Singin' in the Rain* has everything from music and dance to comedy and romance. Released 29 years after the entertainment industry premiered its first movie featuring sound-on-film, the story stars Gene Kelly as a celebrated silent film actor struggling to make the jump to the talkies, and Debbie Reynolds as an up-and-coming actress trying to break into the business.

The majority of the film's comedy and over-the-top dance numbers are provided by the charismatic Donald O'Connor, and Jean Hagen makes a delightful (and Oscar-nominated) turn as Lina, a silent movie star with a face for film and a Brooklyn accent strong enough to stop traffic. A beloved treasure and shining representative from Hollywood's Golden Era, *Singin' in the Rain* continues to endure and inspire. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Singin' in the Rain*: HBO Max

**Directors: **Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly

**Cast: **Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O'Connor, Jean Hagen

Tiny Furniture (2010)

Lena Dunham as Aura and Alex Karpovsky as Jed in 'Tiny Furniture'.

Lena Dunham made a name for herself as a filmmaker in 2010 with her debut indie, *Tiny Furniture*. Written, directed by, and starring Dunham — as well as her mother and younger sibling, Cyrus Grace Dunham — this rom-com is one of the first to investigate millennial post-grad life from the perspective of a real millennial.

A definite forerunner to *Girls*, the film covers similar thematic territory and includes a few familiar faces. Dunham demonstrates an early understanding of her point of view, and whether you enjoy her particular brand of self-aware entitlement or not, the film stands up to critical analysis. EW's critic writes, " It's a tiny tale of inertia, and it's also the grand triumph of a young artist with a mature trust in her own unique voice." *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Tiny Furniture*: HBO Max

**EW grade:** A

**Director: **Lena Dunham

**Cast: **Lena Dunham, Laurie Simmons, Cyrus Grace Dunham, David Call, Alex Karpovsky

We Live in Time (2024)

Andrew Garfield as Tobias and Florence Pugh as Almut in 'We Live in Time'.

Peter Mountain/StudioCanal

A romantic dramedy about love, aging, and what it truly means to live life to the fullest, *We Live in Time* is a film told across three different timelines. From the moment Almut (Florence Pugh) and Tobias (Andrew Garfield) first meet — she hits him with her car as he's on his way to sign divorce papers — it's clear this film is not interested in employing a traditional, linear, narrative structure.

The movie jumps between past, present, and future, and while the logic for why the story moves the way it does isn't always clear, the characters, their relationship, and the chemistry between Pugh and Garfield is strong enough to ground the audience through the leaps. Director John Crowley tells EW that his film's ambition is to "hopefully capture the sense of what it feels like to be on the inside of a relationship." He pulls it off, and the result is charming. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *We Live in Time*: HBO Max

**Director: **John Crowley

**Cast: **Andrew Garfield, Florence Pugh

Wedding Crashers (2005)

Rachel McAdams as Claire Cleary and Owen Wilson as John Beckwith in 'Wedding Crashers'. Everett Collection

A bromantic comedy with more depth than meets the eye, *Wedding Crashers* tells the story of John (Owen Wilson) and Jeremy (Vince Vaughn), two D.C. mediators with little faith in the sacred bonds of matrimony. What they do believe in, however, is the power of the wedding reception to act as an accelerant for picking up women, which is why these best friends have turned the act of crashing weddings into a seasonal sport. But after John meets Claire (Rachel McAdams) at her sister's nuptials, he finds he's willing to overlook traditional crashing etiquette to get closer. And while spending the weekend with Claire's wealthy and powerful family at their Maryland compound, John and Jeremy are forced to reexamine their beliefs around love and marriage, and discover there might be more to life than crashing. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Wedding Crashers*: HBO Max.

**EW grade: **A–

**Director: **David Dobkin

**Cast:** Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Bradley Cooper

When Harry Met Sally (1989)

Meg Ryan as Sally Albright and Billy Crystal as Harry Burns in 'When Harry Met Sally'. Columbia/Courtesy Everett Collection

There are many reasons why Nora Ephron movies are considered the gold standard of romantic comedies — and *When Harry Met Sally* is one of them. A classic tale of "will they or won't they?" Rob Reiner's film follows Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan as Harry Burns and Sally Albright, recent college grads who first meet on a road trip from Chicago to New York City. As the years pass, the two grow up and settle down separately in the Big Apple, where they continue to run into each other.

Ephron's witty screenplay stands solidly on its own, but Reiner's direction takes it to the next level. *When Harry Met Sally* is one of his best films, and watching it is a beautiful way to honor his legacy. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *When Harry Met Sally*: HBO Max

**Director:** Rob Reiner

**Cast: **Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher, Bruno Kirby

- Movie Reviews & Recommendations

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Published: January 21, 2026 at 10:38PM on Source: RED MAG

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Wedding Guest Reveals New Details Of Victoria Beckham’s ‘Inappropriate’ Dance At Brooklyn Big Day

Wedding Guest Reveals New Details Of Victoria Beckham's 'Inappropriate' Dance At Brooklyn Big Day Marina UrmanJanuary 22, 2026 at 4:07 AM 0 By now, you probably know that the Beckham household has not exactly had a serene start to the year. At the center of the family feud lies what was supposed to be one of the happiest days in the life of David and Victoria Beckham's eldest son, Brooklyn, and his wife, Nicola Peltz. In a sixpage statement posted to Instagram this week, Brooklyn accused his parents of "constantly disrespecting" his wife and trying to sabotage his relationship.

- - Wedding Guest Reveals New Details Of Victoria Beckham's 'Inappropriate' Dance At Brooklyn Big Day

Marina UrmanJanuary 22, 2026 at 4:07 AM

0

By now, you probably know that the Beckham household has not exactly had a serene start to the year.

At the center of the family feud lies what was supposed to be one of the happiest days in the life of David and Victoria Beckham's eldest son, Brooklyn, and his wife, Nicola Peltz.

In a six-page statement posted to Instagram this week, Brooklyn accused his parents of "constantly disrespecting" his wife and trying to sabotage his relationship.

Two guests who attended Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz's wedding have commented on his mother's "inappropriate" dance

Image credits: nicolaannepeltzbeckham

The scathing message took particular aim at his mother, whom he alleged had "hijacked" his first dance with Nicola at their 2022 nuptials and danced "inappropriately" on him.

He also insisted that Victoria, a singer-turned-designer, pulled out of making the bride's dress "in the eleventh hour."

In the hours after Brooklyn posted his statement, two wedding guests backed his account of what happened at the nuptials.

Image credits: Getty/John Phillips

DJ Fat Tony, who performed at the ceremony four years ago, posted an Instagram video of Lucy Punch's Motherland character, Amanda, doing a wild dance routine that included twerking.

Text over the video read, "POV: Victoria Beckham during Brooklyn's first dance."

The DJ captioned the clip, "Actual video footage it's true I was there!"

Brooklyn said he was left feeling "humiliated" by his mother's "inappropriate" behavior

Image credits: Vogue

Similarly, Tony's partner, Stavros Agapiou, supported Brooklyn's claim in a since-deleted Instagram comment.

"I was there and she did he's telling the truth," Agapiou wrote. After deleting his response, he commented, "Good on him for finally speaking out!"

Brooklyn and Nicola began dating in 2020 and tied the knot in Florida in April 2022.

Image credits: victoriabeckham

In his bombshell statement posted on Monday (January 19), Brooklyn wrote, "My mum hijacked my first dance with my wife, which had been planned weeks in advance to a romantic love song.

"In front of our 500 wedding guests, Marc Anthony called me to the stage, where in the schedule was planned to be my romantic dance with my wife but instead my mum was waiting to dance with me instead.

"She danced very inappropriately on me in front of everyone. I've never felt more uncomfortable or humiliated in my entire life."

Victoria allegedly "nuzzled" Brooklyn's neck during the dance, according to an insider

Image credits: Vogue

The 26-year-old did not clarify what the "inappropriate" dance entailed. According to a Page Six insider, Victoria "wrapped her arms around Brooklyn" and "nuzzled" her child's neck.

A previous People report from May 2025 had quoted a guest saying that Victoria had slow-danced with her son in a way that "wasn't appropriate."

Image credits: victoriabeckham

According to the source, Marc Anthony, who is a friend of the Beckhams, offered to perform as a gift. Before the song began, the singer asked Brooklyn to come to the stage, and then announced, "The most beautiful woman in the room tonight, come on up…Victoria Beckham!"

Nicola allegedly felt that her mother-in-law had "ruined" her wedding by secretly arranging with the singer to be called up.

After Marc called Victoria's name instead of Nicola's, the source said, "It was such a jaw-dropping moment that it left the whole room in absolute shock — you could hear a pin drop."

When Victoria began slow-dancing with Brooklyn, the bride left the room crying, according to the insider.

However, a separate source told People that Nicola and Brooklyn had their formal first dance early in the evening to Can't Help Falling In Love.

Later on, Marc Anthony performed and "got people dancing," including Brooklyn and Victoria, as well as David and daughter Harper.

The 26-year-old chef called his family a "brand" in a lengthy social media statement

Image credits: Vogue

Brooklyn also accused the former Spice Girl of leaving Nicola to "urgently" find a wedding dress after canceling the one she had promised to design for her.

In an interview with Variety shortly after the wedding, the actress explained that she "really wanted" to wear the Victoria Beckham design but that, a few months later, her mother-in-law "realized that her atelier couldn't do it."

Victoria Beckham has not responded to her son's allegations.

Image credits: Vogue

Cruz Beckham, one of David and Victoria's four children, liked an Instagram reel ridiculing his brother's version of the alleged inappropriate dance.

In his Instagram post, Brooklyn also referred to his family as a "brand," said they have spread "countless lies" to the media about Nicola, and stressed that he has no intentions of reconciling with them.

"Family 'love' is decided by how much you post on social media, or how quickly you drop everything to show up and pose for a family photo opp," he said, claiming that his relatives had blocked him on social media after he distanced himself from them.

David Beckham appeared to address the claims when he referred to his children's "mistakes"

Image credits: Getty/Frazer Harrison

David, whom Brooklyn accused of refusing to see him to celebrate his 50th birthday, has not responded to his son's claims directly. However, the retired footballer appeared to address the accusations while speaking live on CNBC's Squawk Box.

Discussing the potential dangers of social media and the challenges of raising children in the digital age, he said, "Children are allowed to make mistakes. That is how they learn. That is what I try to teach my kids, you sometimes have to let them make those mistakes as well."

Brooklyn's accusations continue to divide opinions on social media

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Source: "AOL Entertainment"

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Wedding Guest Reveals New Details Of Victoria Beckham’s ‘Inappropriate’ Dance At Brooklyn Big Day

Wedding Guest Reveals New Details Of Victoria Beckham's 'Inappropriate' Dance At Brooklyn Big Day Marina U...

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Rachel McAdams receives star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, with support from longtime partner Jamie Linden and costar Dylan O'Brien

Rachel McAdams receives star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, with support from longtime partner Jamie Linden and costar Dylan O'Brien Neia BalaoJanuary 22, 2026 at 4:11 AM 0 Rachel McAdams can now add "star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame" to her list of accomplishments. McAdams, an Academy Award and Tony Awardnominated actress whose illustrious career includes starring roles in beloved films like Mean Girls, The Notebook and Spotlight, received the honor during an emotional ceremony held on Tuesday.

- - Rachel McAdams receives star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, with support from longtime partner Jamie Linden and costar Dylan O'Brien

Neia BalaoJanuary 22, 2026 at 4:11 AM

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Rachel McAdams can now add "star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame" to her list of accomplishments.

McAdams, an Academy Award- and Tony Award-nominated actress whose illustrious career includes starring roles in beloved films like Mean Girls, The Notebook and Spotlight, received the honor during an emotional ceremony held on Tuesday. The unveiling of McAdams's star took place in Los Angeles, just blocks from the Pantages Theatre, where a musical adaptation of The Notebook is being held.

In attendance for McAdams's milestone moment were her partner of 10 years, screenwriter Jamie Linden, actors Dylan O'Brien and Domhnall Gleeson and director Sam Raimi. Gleeson starred with McAdams in the 2013 film About Time, while O'Brien will appear alongside the actress in the forthcoming horror film Send Help, directed by Raimi.

Dylan O'Brien and McAdams at her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony. (Kevin Winter via Getty Images)

Following heartfelt speeches from Gleeson and Raimi, McAdams took to the podium, where she shared a few words of her own. The Doctor Strange actress thanked her parents for their continued support before paying tribute to a few of the legendary stars who came before her. Among the mentioned stars was the late Diane Keaton, with whom McAdams starred in The Family Stone.

"My beloved Diane Keaton, who took me under her wing like I was her own daughter," McAdams said. "She taught me that no matter how long you've been doing this, you have to leave everything you've got on the table. Each performance, you must muster up as much love as you possibly can."

Honoring "my own stars down here," McAdams then shifted her gratitude to her family and friends, including Linden and her sister Kayleen.

"It seems silly to just have my name on here, so I share this little piece of earth with all of you," McAdams said. "To Jamie, my North Star, Kayleen, my other North Star. Thank you for being such a great team in keeping me quasi-normal. I love you all so much. Thank you so much."

McAdams and Jamie Linden attend the ceremony. (Jordan/Strauss/Invision/AP)

McAdams and Linden, the screenwriter of movies including Dear John and Money Monster, have been romantically linked since 2016 and are known to keep their relationship out of the public eye. They share two children, a son born in 2018 and a daughter born in 2020.

During his speech, Gleeson joked about why he doesn't think his former costar deserves a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, before referring to her as "the loveliest person I ever met in my life."

"Rachel, I don't think you deserve this," Gleeson said. "Life, and more importantly, Hollywood, has taught me that you are not supposed to have it all. It is not fair to be everyone's favorite person on set and the best actor in the room. It is selfish of you to be a devoted mother of two, putting family above all else, and a huge movie star continually knocking it out of the park, commercially and artistically."

Gleeson continued, "While joining the icons immortalized in these streets makes this a pretty cool day for Rachel McAdams, if you ask me, this is also a really cool day for the Hollywood Walk of Fame because, as usual, Rachel McAdams is about to rock up and make it better."

Domhnall Gleeson and McAdams at the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony. (Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)

Like Gleeson, Raimi gave a similarly quippy but light-hearted tribute to McAdams. The Spider-Man director concluded his speech by telling McAdams, "Congratulations, Rachel. You are so kind and considerate. You're a brilliant collaborator and a good friend, and a real movie star — someone deserving of lighting up this Hollywood Walk of Fame. And you are really deserving of this honor. And we all love you."

Receiving this degree of recognition came as a welcome surprise for the Canadian star. When McAdams's manager, Shelley Browning, initially said that she was recommending her for a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the actress didn't pay it much attention.

"I said, 'Well, I think this is a futile exercise," McAdams recalled to Variety. "But it sounds nice, and I'll just take it on the chin and hope I'm not too disappointed when it doesn't come through."

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Published: January 21, 2026 at 10:37PM on Source: RED MAG

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Rachel McAdams receives star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, with support from longtime partner Jamie Linden and costar Dylan O'Brien

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Will Smith almost died while diving in the North Pole: 'Accidentally pulled my mask off'

Will Smith almost died while diving in the North Pole: 'Accidentally pulled my mask off' Emlyn TravisJanuary 22, 2026 at 12:07 AM 1 Phil McCarten/CBS via Getty Will Smith at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, Calif Will Smith learned the hard way that ice isn't always nice. The 57yearold actor revealed that he almost died while diving in the Arctic as part of his recently released Disney+ travel series, Pole to Pole With Will Smith.

- - Will Smith almost died while diving in the North Pole: 'Accidentally pulled my mask off'

Emlyn TravisJanuary 22, 2026 at 12:07 AM

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Phil McCarten/CBS via Getty

Will Smith at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, Calif

Will Smith learned the hard way that ice isn't always nice.

The 57-year-old actor revealed that he almost died while diving in the Arctic as part of his recently released Disney+ travel series, Pole to Pole With Will Smith.

"We went scuba diving at the North Pole, right? So we did a dive under the ice," Smith explained to host Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday's episode of The Tonight Show. "So you go under the ice, and the ice can be up to 10 feet thick. So we're under, we went out about 40 yards away… It's like an upside-down ice mountain range, right?"

Todd Owyoung/NBC

Will Smith holds an anaconda on 'The Tonight Show'

However, his underwater adventure took a turn for the worse only minutes after it had begun.

"We went under, and I start hearing, 'Abort dive! Abort dive! Abort!'" Smith recalled. "And I'm like, 'Oh no,' right? So I went to ascend and hit ice. I was like, 'Oh no, Will, calm down. Calm down.' You have a tether on, and you have to pull yourself back to the hole, right? I grabbed and accidentally pulled my mask off."

He immediately affixed his mask back to his face and tried his best to calm himself down after the heart-pounding experience. "I was like, 'If I get out of here, I'm only gonna do Black stuff from here on out,'" he joked. "I promise Lord! African American behavior from here on out!"

Smith explained that he was in the process of calming down when he felt somebody grab "my tether up top and started pulling" him to safety.

"When I realized I was good, I just relaxed and I looked around and when I tell you, the sun is coming through the ice and it went from terror to the most spiritual, beautiful thing," he said. "And I was just like, 'Whoever's up there, don't let go of my tether!'"

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That wasn't the only deadly adventure that Smith embarked on for the series. He also recalled his unique experience hunting for an anaconda while in the Amazon.

"We were with the natives, and they didn't even have no clothes on, their whole name and address was hanging out," Smith said. "And so we're going down the river, and they see the anaconda and jump out of the boat into the water and swim for the anaconda."

The Men In Black alum explained that their hunt was part of a larger "conservation" initiative.

"They had a sense that there was some kind of illegal dumping going on, and the scales of the anaconda, they hold whatever's in the water," he said. "So they would take a scale from the anaconda and test it to be able to use it in court."

Still, he added, "I don't know why they needed me!"

Watch Smith discuss his near-death experience — and hold an anaconda — in the clip above.

on Entertainment Weekly

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Published: January 21, 2026 at 07:10PM on Source: RED MAG

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Will Smith almost died while diving in the North Pole: 'Accidentally pulled my mask off'

Will Smith almost died while diving in the North Pole: 'Accidentally pulled my mask off' Emlyn TravisJanuary ...

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Travis Kelce Asks for Wedding Advice amid His Taylor Swift Engagement, but It's Not What You Think

Travis Kelce Asks for Wedding Advice amid His Taylor Swift Engagement, but It's Not What You Think Rachel McRadyJanuary 22, 2026 at 12:52 AM 0 New Heights Pocast; Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce Travis Kelce; Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift Travis Kelce asked pal Greg Olsen for wedding planning advice during his Jan. 21 appearance on the New Heights podcast But Kelce emphasized he wasn't asking for advice for his own impending wedding to Taylor Swift Kelce and Swift announced their engagement in Aug.

- - Travis Kelce Asks for Wedding Advice amid His Taylor Swift Engagement, but It's Not What You Think

Rachel McRadyJanuary 22, 2026 at 12:52 AM

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New Heights Pocast; Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce

Travis Kelce; Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift -

Travis Kelce asked pal Greg Olsen for wedding planning advice during his Jan. 21 appearance on the New Heights podcast

But Kelce emphasized he wasn't asking for advice for his own impending wedding to Taylor Swift

Kelce and Swift announced their engagement in Aug. 2025

Travis Kelce is seeking out wedding advice from his friend Greg Olsen, but it doesn't involve his impending nuptials to Taylor Swift.

The 36-year-old Kansas City Chiefs tight end welcomed retired NFL star and sports commentator Olsen on the Wednesday, Jan. 21 episode of his and brother Jason Kelce's New Heights podcast.

During the episode, the Kelce brothers mentioned that Olsen had attended NFL star Christian McCaffrey's 2024 wedding to Olivia Culpo and was seen tearing up the dance floor at the reception. Travis, who announced his engagement to Swift back in August, then noted that their producer, "Intern Brandon" Borders, is also engaged.

"Do you have any advice for him — and him alone — on the five must-haves at a good wedding?" Travis asked, grinning.

Olsen then turned his response around, joking, "Number one's me. I'm mean, let's just be honest. I just want to be clear here for anyone potentially getting married — I don't say it, but there's a lot of people sayin' it — if you want it to be memorable and you want there to be great energy and great camaraderie and fellowship and moments, I'm at the top of that list."

David Eulitt/Getty

Greg Olsen and Travis Kelce

Jason then urged his younger brother, "Send the invite, Trav! Send the invite, Trav!" as Travis laughed.

But Olsen insisted, "Listen, we don't do pity invites. There's no pressure."

Despite taking the pressure off, Olsen gave several reasons why he makes for a good wedding guest, including his ability to "dance with grandma or the bride or the bridesmaid" and his skill for karaoke, referencing his appearance alongside Travis at the Tight Ends & Friends event in 2024.

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Travis and the "Opalite" singer haven't discussed much when it comes to their wedding plans. But back in December a source opened up to PEOPLE about how the couple is handling the division of duties.

"When it comes to wedding planning, nothing feels rushed or one-sided," the source exclusively told PEOPLE. "They're both equally involved and excited, and this isn't something one or the other is carrying on their own. They're approaching it as a partnership, talking things through together and enjoying the process in a way that feels natural to them."

on People

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Published: January 21, 2026 at 07:10PM on Source: RED MAG

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Travis Kelce Asks for Wedding Advice amid His Taylor Swift Engagement, but It's Not What You Think

Travis Kelce Asks for Wedding Advice amid His Taylor Swift Engagement, but It's Not What You Think Rachel McRad...

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'The Beauty' Is Wildly Entertaining and Surprisingly Smart

'The Beauty' Is Wildly Entertaining and Surprisingly Smart Judy BermanJanuary 21, 2026 at 10:06 PM 0 Bella Hadid in The Beauty Credit Philippe Antonello—FX Ryan Murphy never gives us any peace. One month, the megaproducer is on Netflix, using Ed Gein as a vehicle to indict the audience that devours the kind of lurid truecrime tales that are his specialty; the next, he pops up on Hulu, pairing a halfdozen acclaimed actresses with one of the most famous women on the planet for what is nominally a lawyer show but actually just hollow girlboss pastiche.

- - 'The Beauty' Is Wildly Entertaining and Surprisingly Smart

Judy BermanJanuary 21, 2026 at 10:06 PM

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Bella Hadid in The Beauty Credit - Philippe Antonello—FX

Ryan Murphy never gives us any peace. One month, the megaproducer is on Netflix, using Ed Gein as a vehicle to indict the audience that devours the kind of lurid true-crime tales that are his specialty; the next, he pops up on Hulu, pairing a half-dozen acclaimed actresses with one of the most famous women on the planet for what is nominally a lawyer show but actually just hollow girlboss pastiche. In February, he'll celebrate Valentine's Day with Love Story, an FX anthology series that will dramatize real-life romances, beginning—riskily—with that of JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. But for his first contribution to the network in 2026, The Beauty, he and co-creator Matthew Hodgson have concocted a genre-hopping oddity that sounds even less likely to work. The big surprise is that, unlike so many of Murphy's recent projects, it does.

Premiering with two episodes on Jan. 21, the series proceeds from a premise that immediately calls to mind the darkly comic horror movie The Substance, an underdog 2024 Best Picture contender that earned Oscar nominations for both its director, Coralie Fargeat, and its star, Demi Moore. A revolutionary biotech product called The Beauty catalyzes—through a grotesque process involving a sort of flesh cocoon—radical physical transformations, turning the old, the sick, the ugly, and the merely average into young, healthy, stunning specimens of human perfection. Most creators would presumably want to downplay the resemblance between their new show (which is based on a decade-old comic by Jeremy Haun, an executive producer, and Jason A. Hurley) and one of the most prominent movies of the last few years. But brazenness has always been Murphy's M.O. Of all the people he could have cast as The Beauty's yassified mastermind, he chose Ashton Kutcher, a man equally famous for his career as an actor turned venture capitalist and for marrying a 42-year-old Moore when he was 27.

The BeautyFX" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/lSQTv_bhVO0mEhTGNTu9kg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD01MTk-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_time_773/9bcbc1669f2d24ed11d6324fe87fba00>The BeautyFX" src=https://ift.tt/yJOGV1H class=caas-img>Ashton Kutcher in The BeautyFX

You'd think the Substance-Beauty, Kutcher-Moore connection would be tough to get past. (Moore, who had a role in 2024's Feud: Capote vs. the Swans, is also part of the Murphyverse.) As it turned out, I basically forgot about that bit of casting-as-metacommentary within the first few installments of the 11-episode season. That's one benefit of Murphy's maximalist approach to storytelling: rarely does a single element of his shows overwhelm the rest. Yet the result is too often, especially in the past decade, as his output has exploded, exhausting—a messily assembled collage of camp, glamor, genre tropes, celebrity stunt casting, and strident sociopolitical satire. The Beauty delivers all of the above as early as its opening sequence, which sends a model played by Bella Hadid on a violent rampage through Paris. But its mix of styles, performers, tones, and ideas is organized into a tighter, more dynamic narrative than we usually get from Murphy. Instead of tiring us out with one macabre set piece after another, he switches up the mood regularly enough to keep scripts nimble and (mostly) avoid repetition.

Although the show picks up settings and storylines as it goes, the setup is fairly simple. Jordan Bennett (Rebecca Hall) and Cooper Madsen (Murphy regular Evan Peters) are FBI agents sent to Europe to investigate a string of gory supermodel deaths. (Who would give the name Cooper, first or last, to an FBI-agent character after Twin Peaks? Ryan Murphy, of course.) Partners and friends with benefits who've ruled out romance, they have potentially incompatible worldviews. He's into "embracing imperfections"; she's always chasing something better, whether it's a ritzier hotel on assignment or breast implants. They mean more to each other than either seems to realize. In a series thick with Murphy's signature schadenfreude, and one that casts its strongest actors in the few roles that require emotional realism, theirs is the rare bond that feels authentic.

The BeautyFX" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/CpoQgFCNEY8ri96kUbAhxA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD01MjA-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_time_773/1d4ad98d0529a433c58a851383271723>The BeautyFX" src=https://ift.tt/j3JwsiQ class=caas-img>Evan Peters and Rebecca Hall in The BeautyFX

As their investigation points to a sexually transmitted virus as the cause of victims' journeys from schlumpy to hot to dead, we glimpse a more deliberate path to perfection. Kutcher's character—the richest man in the world, who calls himself The Corporation—has, in defiance of all ethical, legal, and medical precepts, developed The Beauty. Though its primary purpose is to beautify, this miracle injection fundamentally alters the human body, turning back the clock on aging and illness, with profound implications on everything from gender to disability. The STI version poses a threat to The Corporation, both because it creates a black market and because patients who undergo the bootleg treatment tend to meet disgusting, public ends. So he's got a roving hitman (Anthony Ramos' The Assassin) on the payroll to kill them before they can spread it. The Beauty's portrayal of The Corporation as a sociopath (though it's The Assassin who loves Christopher Cross the way American Psycho's Patrick Bateman loved Huey Lewis) with conspicuous parallels to Elon Musk is Murphy at his broadest. He says things like: "Billionaires, we don't need friends. We have staff." In its bluster and smarm, it's the ideal role for Kutcher.

If The Corporation were its protagonist, like the many one-dimensional monsters around whom Murphy has built many hit TV franchises, The Beauty might be pretty hard to take. Instead, taking structural cues from the comic-book medium, it makes neither Kutcher's character nor the FBI lovers constant presences. More than a cat-and-mouse game between him and them, the series uses that procedural framework to imagine, in psychologically astute and electrifyingly strange ways, an entire world altered by The Beauty. There's an unexpectedly moving vignette about a trans scientist and her supportive lab partner; a pocket family melodrama in which the parents of a profoundly ill girl are faced with an unthinkable dilemma; and a mini teen soap that applies all the overused conventions of the afterschool special to this outlandish scenario.

The BeautyEric Liebowitz—FX" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/u_Fhgn39QrmV4mqJgby9lw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04ODc-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_time_773/aec019cd797f4f0e9cc72bd1b839f7f8>The BeautyEric Liebowitz—FX" src=https://ift.tt/YMAfEjK class=caas-img>Jeremy Pope, left, and Anthony Ramos in The BeautyEric Liebowitz—FX

The Beauty is sometimes an action thriller—there are a few cool fight sequences—sometimes a sci-fi thought experiment, sometimes a body horror frightfest, sometimes a screwball romance, sometimes a Succession-on-steroids wealth satire. It's a lark, except for when it's a gut punch. It's silly, except for when it's serious. A gruesome incident that goes down amid snarky fashion-world gossip in the notorious Condé Nast cafeteria threatens to eclipse this spring's The Devil Wears Prada sequel. There's great scenery chomping from Isabella Rossellini, whose operatic performance as The Corporation's trophy wife turned scathing critic reveals a perspective on beauty and its discontents accessible only to those who've possessed, then transcended it. Demographically, her character is the closest The Beauty comes to Moore in The Substance. But her relationship to her aging body is less predictable, her experience just one data point on a matrix of individuals shaped and warped by our society's obsession with beauty. The problem isn't limited to older women.

The show rarely lingers long enough in any mode to strain viewers' patience. In lieu of the subtlety we've learned never to expect from Murphy, who reliably turns subtextual references to AIDS or Ozempic or the Sackler dynasty into blunt dialogue that mentions them by name, we get brisk movement from one analogy to the next and plenty of thoughtful synergy between intersecting themes. The pleasure, as with the unpredictable FX not-quite-anthologies Atlanta and Reservation Dogs, is in never knowing what each compact episode will bring.

The BeautyPhilippe Antonello—FX" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/MMl3MD6fGxox.OrfzG0Npg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_time_773/faba21daac3091645b9065051123a0b8>The BeautyPhilippe Antonello—FX" src=https://ift.tt/l5VYnOD class=caas-img>Isabella Rossellini in The BeautyPhilippe Antonello—FX

I wouldn't put The Beauty in the same exalted league as those shows, not by a long shot. Murphy and Hodgson, longtime collaborators who wrote every episode together, throw too much low-carb spaghetti at the wall for all of it to stick. An early storyline features what might be the laziest incel caricature ever committed to video. Once we know which horrors to expect out of the standard Beauty onset, the lengthy transformation scenes get redundant. The dialogue sometimes lapses from bad-funny to just bad. As per usual for Hollywood, but in a choice that undermines this particular show's themes, characters who we're supposed to see as plain are played by extremely attractive actors. (Peters does not have "a face like a catcher's mitt," come on, be serious.)

The Beauty puts all of its ideas on the surface of the story, leaving little room for interpretation or ambiguity. But it's so entertaining—and feels so timely without being a doomy drag—that it seems uncharitable to complain that it isn't a masterpiece. The rare drama that manages to be smart without being subtle, it might make you suspect that Murphy injected himself with some professional equivalent of The Beauty and evolved, however briefly, into his ideal TV-creator self.

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Original Article on Source

Source: "AOL Entertainment"

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Published: January 21, 2026 at 07:10PM on Source: RED MAG

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'The Beauty' Is Wildly Entertaining and Surprisingly Smart

'The Beauty' Is Wildly Entertaining and Surprisingly Smart Judy BermanJanuary 21, 2026 at 10:06 PM 0 Bella Hadid i...

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