Graduate into Summer at the Movies in May 2023

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, The Little Mermaid and Hypnotic are among the featured films hitting the theaters in May 2023

It doesn’t seem that long ago that I sat in the movie theater with my mom laughing hysterically at the first Book Club movie. Yet, here we are and the sequel will be hitting the big screen again. That’s not the only sequel making the theatrical debut in May. The latest installments of Guardians of the Galaxy and the Fast series are as well. In between those, there are an incredible amount of touching romcoms, engaging family films and comedies to choose from. Check out the vast assortment and be sure to watch all the trailers. You may be surprised by some of the sleepers in this group!

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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3

Release Date: May 5, 2023 (Get Tickets)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Superhero, Sequel
Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, featuring Vin Diesel as Groot, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Sean Gunn, Chukwudi Iwuji, Will Poulter, Maria Bakalova

In Marvel Studios’ “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” our beloved band of misfits are settling into life on Knowhere. But it isn’t long before their lives are upended by the echoes of Rocket’s turbulent past. Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him on a dangerous mission to save Rocket’s life—a mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.

Love Again

Release Date: May 5, 2023 (Get Tickets)
Genre: RomCom
Cast: Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Sam Heughan, Celine Dion

What if a random text message led to the love of your life? In this romantic comedy, dealing with the loss of her fiancé, Mira Ray sends a series of romantic texts to his old cell phone number…not realizing the number was reassigned to Rob Burns’ new work phone. A journalist, Rob is captivated by the honesty in the beautifully confessional texts. When he’s assigned to write a profile of megastar Celine Dion (playing herself in her first film role), he enlists her help in figuring out how to meet Mira in person…and win her heart.

Book Club: The Next Chapter

Release Date: May 12, 2023 (Get Tickets)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Sequel
Cast: Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson, Giancarlo Giannini with Andy Garcia and Don Johnson

The highly anticipated sequel follows our four best friends as they take their book club to Italy for the fun girls trip they never had. When things go off the rails and secrets are revealed, their relaxing vacation turns into a once-in-a-lifetime cross-country adventure.

Hypnotic

Release Date: May 12, 2023 (Get Tickets)
Genre: Action, Mystery, Thriller
Cast: Ben Affleck, Alice Braga, J.D. Pardo

Determined to find his missing daughter, Austin detective Danny Rourke (Ben Affleck) instead finds himself spiraling down a rabbit hole while investigating a series of reality-bending bank robberies where he will ultimately call into question his most basic assumptions about everything and everyone in his world. Aided by Diana Cruz (Alice Braga), an unnervingly gifted psychic, Rourke simultaneously pursues and is pursued by a lethal specter (William Fichtner) – the one man he believes holds the key to finding the missing girl – only to discover more than he ever bargained for.

Knights of the Zodiac

Release Date: May 12, 2023 (Get Tickets)
Genre: Action/Adventure
Cast: Mackenyu, Famke Janssen, Madison Iseman, Diego Tinoco, Mark Dacascos, Nick Stahl and Sean Bean

Based on the international anime sensation, Knights of the Zodiac brings the Saint Seiya saga to the big screen in live-action for the first time. Seiya (Mackenyu), a headstrong street teen, spends his time fighting for cash while he searches for his abducted sister. When one of his fights unwittingly taps into mystical powers he never knew he had, Seiya finds himself thrust into a world of warring saints, ancient magical training and a reincarnated goddess who needs his protection. If he’s to survive, he will need to embrace his destiny and sacrifice everything to take his rightful place among the Knights of the Zodiac.

The Starling Girl

Release Date: May 12, 2023 (Get Tickets)
Genre: Drama
Cast: Eliza Scanlen, Lewis PUllman, Jimmi Simpson, Wrenn Schmidt, Claire Elizabeth Green and Ellie May

Seventeen-year-old Jem Starling struggles to define her place within her fundamentalist Christian community in rural Kentucky. Even her greatest joy of dancing with the church group is tempered by worry that her actions are sinful and she is caught between a burgeoning awareness of her own sexuality and her religious devotion. With the return of Owen, an enigmatic youth pastor, Jem soon finds herself attracted to his worldliness and charm. Slowly, he draws her into a dangerous relationship that could upend their entire community.

Fool’s Paradise

Release Date: May 12, 2023 (Get Tickets)
Genre: Comedy
Cast: Charlie Day, Ken Jeong, Kate Beckinsale, Adrien Brody,Jason Sudeikis, Edie Falco, Jason Bateman, Common with Ray Liotta and John Malkovich

Fool’s Paradise is a satirical comedy following a down-on-his-luck publicist, who gets his lucky break when he discovers a man recently released from a mental health facility looks just like a method actor who refuses to leave his trailer. With the help of a powerful producer, the publicist helps the man become a huge star, even marrying his beautiful leading lady. Their adventures lead them to cross paths with drunken costars, irreverent unhoused action heroes, unpredictable directors, a super-agent, and power-mad moguls. Fame and fortune are not all they are cracked up to be, and the two men must fight their way back to the things that matter the most.

Fast X

Release Date: May 19, 2023 (Get Tickets)
Genre: Action, Sequel
Cast: Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jason Momoa, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jordana Brewster, John Cena, Jason Statham, Sung Kang, Alan Ritchson, Daniela Melchior, Scott Eastwood, with Helen Mirren, Charlize Theron, Brie Larson and Rita Moreno

Fast X, the tenth film in the Fast & Furious Saga, launches the final chapters of one of cinema’s most storied and popular global franchises, now in its third decade and still going strong with the same core cast and characters as when it began. Over many missions and against impossible odds, Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his family have outsmarted, out-nerved and outdriven every foe in their path. Now, they confront the most lethal opponent they’ve ever faced: A terrifying threat emerging from the shadows of the past who’s fueled by blood revenge, and who is determined to shatter this family and destroy everything—and everyone—that Dom loves, forever.

Master Gardener

Release Date: May 19, 2023 (Get Tickets)
Genre: Thriller
Cast: Joel Edgerton, Sigourney Weaver and Quintessa Swindell

MASTER GARDENER follows Narvel Roth (award-winner Joel Edgerton), the meticulous horticulturist of Gracewood Gardens. He is as much devoted to tending the grounds of this beautiful and historic estate, to pandering to his employer, the wealthy dowager Mrs. Haverhill (three-time Academy Award® nominee Sigourney Weaver). When Mrs. Haverhill demands that he take on her wayward and troubled great-niece Maya (Quintessa Swindell) as a new apprentice, chaos enters Narvel’s spartan existence, unlocking dark secrets from a buried violent past that threaten them all.

Sanctuary

Release Date: May 25, 2023 (Get Tickets)
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Cast: Margaret Qualley, Christopher Abbott

A wickedly dark comedy follows dominatrix, Rebecca (Emmy Award® nominee Margaret Qualley), and her wealthy client, Hal (Christopher Abbott), as they engage in a high stakes role playing game for power and control. In the wake of inheriting his father’s hotel chain, Hal attempts to end his long and secret relationship with Rebecca. A battle of wills ensues over the course of one incredibly fraught night, with both Rebecca and Hal struggling to keep the upper hand as the power dynamics swing wildly back and forth.

The Little Mermaid

Release Date: May 26, 2023 (Get Tickets)
Genre: Family, Adventure
Cast: Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King,Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina,Jacob Tremblay, Noma Dumezweni, Art Malik, Javier Bardem, Melissa McCarthy

“The Little Mermaid” is the beloved story of Ariel, a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure. The youngest of King Triton’s daughters and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea and, while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. While mermaids are forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land but ultimately places her life – and her father’s crown – in jeopardy.

About My Father

Release Date: May 26, 2023 (Get Tickets)
Genre: Comedy
Cast: Sebastian Maniscalco, Robert De Niro, Leslie Bibb, Anders Holm, David Rasche, Brett Dier, Kim Cattrall

The hottest comic in America, Sebastian Maniscalco joins forces with legendary Italian-American and two-time Oscar® winner, Robert De Niro (Best Actor, Raging Bull, 1980), in the new comedy ABOUT MY FATHER. The film centers around Sebastian (Maniscalco) who is encouraged by his fiancée (Leslie Bibb) to bring his immigrant, hairdresser father, Salvo (De Niro), to a weekend get-together with her super-rich and exceedingly eccentric family (Kim Cattrall, Anders Holm, Brett Dier, David Rasche). The weekend develops into what can only be described as a culture clash, leaving Sebastian and Salvo to discover that the great thing about family is everything about family.

You Hurt My Feelings

Release Date: May 26, 2023 (Get Tickets)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Cast: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tobias Menzies, Michaela Watkins, Arian Moayed, Owen Teague, Jeannie Berlin

From acclaimed filmmaker Nicole Holofcener comes a sharply observed comedy about a novelist whose long standing marriage is suddenly upended when she overhears her husband give his honest reaction to her latest book. A film about trust, lies, and the things we say to the people we love most.

The Machine

Release Date: May 26, 2023 (Get Tickets)
Genre: Action, Comedy
Cast: Bert Kreischer, Mark Hamill, Jimmy Tatro, Iva Babić, Stephanie Kurtzuba, Jess Gabor

Bert Kreischer rose to fame as a stand-up comedian known as The Machine, and in his signature set he recounts his true experience with Russian mobsters while on a booze-soaked college trip. Now, 23 years later, that trip has come back to haunt him as he and his estranged father (Mark Hamill) are kidnapped back to Russia by the mob to atone for something they say he did. Together, Bert and his father must retrace the steps of his younger self (Jimmy Tatro) in the midst of a war within a sociopathic crime family, all while attempting to find common ground in their often fraught relationship.

Movies are an escape and as the school year comes to a close, sometimes escape is what we need. With a mix of action, romantic comedy, family, drama and comedy, you shouldn’t have trouble finding movies to get you into the summer mindset.

Which May movies will get you in the mood for summer?

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