My October movie wish list didn’t turn out as I had planned. The goal was to see Digger, The Social Reckoning and Klara and the Sun with Scott. Verity was on the list to see with Kennedy. Well… Kennedy’s boyfriend surprised her and took her to see that one. Digger was getting awful reviews and got pulled from many theaters. While ours still had viewings of it, nobody in our friend group wanted to go. We were busy when Klara released, so we’ll have to try to catch that one another time or wait and stream it. We DID, however, see The Social Reckoning. It was based on a true story of a whistleblower, and the things they discussed about the algorithm changes really struck a few nerves. Because we were promoting SAHM Reviews on Facebook, we were (and still are) constantly pivoting to adjust to algorithm changes. Semi-related not-fun-fact: Facebook is rolling out changes to the ability for users to share external links. It hit a couple months ago which is why we haven’t been sharing links on our Facebook page lately. If you landed on this article, it likely wasn’t thanks to Facebook. The timeliness of us watching The Social Reckoning was sourly ironic. November has a lot more comedies and dramas on the schedule than the past couple months, plus a couple highly anticipated including the latest in The Hunger Games franchise. Here are the details for your perusing pleasure:
The Cat in the Hat
Release Date: November 6, 2026 Genre: Family, Animation, Comedy Cast: Bill Hader, Matt Berry, Quinta Brunson, Xochitl Gomez, with Giancarlo Esposito, and America Ferrera. Tituss Burgess, Bowen Yang, Paula Pell and Tiago Martinez
Meet the Cat in the Hat you don’t know! In the wonderfully whimsical tradition of Dr. Seuss, The Cat in the Hat comes to the big screen in his animated theatrical feature film debut, an all-new, epic adventure with an edge, where mischief, magic and mayhem reign supreme. Doing what he does best, the Cat—voiced by Bill Hader—spreads joy to kids in his hilarious, signature and singularly irreverent way, transporting them and audiences on a fantastical journey through a world they’ve never seen before.
In the film, our hero takes on his toughest assignment yet for the I.I.I.I. (Institute for the Institution of Imagination and Inspiration, LLC): to cheer Gabby and Sebastian, a pair of siblings struggling with their move to a new town. Known for taking things too far, this could be this agent of chaos’s last chance to prove himself…or lose his magical hat!
I Play Rocky
Release Date: November 6, 2026 Genre: Drama Cast: Anthony Ippolito, AnnaSophia Robb, Toby Kebbell, P.J. Byrne, Jay Duplass, Kiki Seto, featuring Matt Dillon with Stephan James and Tracy Letts
The film is an electrifying true story about an unknown actor with an unshakable belief that he wasn’t just meant to write Rocky—he was meant to be Rocky Balboa. Told “no” at every turn, Sylvester Stallone bets everything on himself, holding the line on playing the lead against seemingly impossible odds. The result is the ultimate underdog story behind the ultimate underdog movie.
Wild Horse Nine
Release Date: November 6, 2026 Genre: Thriller, Crime, Drama Cast: John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi, Mariana di Girolamo, Ailín Salas, with Tom Waits, Parker Posey
Shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup, CIA agents Chris (John Malkovich) and Lee (Sam Rockwell) are dispatched from Santiago to Easter Island by their bureau chief, MJ (Steve Buscemi). Amongst the Island’s iconic statues, and as the longtime partners wrestle with their dark pasts and present conspiracies, Chris’s newfound bond with a pair of rebellious students (Mariana di Girolamo and Ailín Salas) threatens to send everyone’s trip to this remote paradise sideways.
Club Kid
Release Date: November 6, 2026 Genre: Comedy, Drama Cast: Jordan Firstman, Cara Delevingne, Diego Calva, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Reggie Absolom, Colleen Camp
A hard-partying New York City club promoter sees his whirlwind lifestyle upended by the arrival of the 10-year-old son he never knew he had.
Drummer Boy
Release Date: November 6, 2026 Genre: Action, Historical Romance, Musical Cast: Joel David Smallbone, Lucas Leach, India Brown, Melora Hardin, Charles Esten, Ioan Gruffudd
In this epic musical, two brothers are driven onto opposite sides of the American Revolutionary War. With love, loyalty, and family caught in the crossfire, each must decide who he will become, as the fight for freedom turns into a deeply personal battle for forgiveness.
Mouse
Release Date: November 6, 2026 Genre: Drama Cast: Katherine Kupferer, Sophia Okonedo, Tara Mallen, Chloe Coleman
When an introverted high-schooler in small-town Arkansas loses her best friend to a car accident, she forms an unexpected bond with her friend’s mother while navigating the fraught, fragile, and often funny stages of grief.
Paper Tiger
Release Date: November 13, 2026 Genre: Thriller, Drama, Crime Cast: Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Miles Teller
In James Gray’s deeply felt and intense drama, two brothers become entangled in a scheme that turns out to be too good to be true. As they try to navigate their way through the dangerous world of the Russian mafia, family bonds begin to fray with life-altering consequences.
How to Rob a Bank
Release Date: November 13, 2026 Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller, Comedy Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Zoë Kravitz, Anna Sawai, Rhenzy Feliz, Christian Slater as Walton, with Pete Davidson and John C. Reilly
In HOW TO ROB A BANK, a crew of social media-savvy bank robbers broadcasts their daring heists, unaware that their growing viral fame has put them in the crosshairs of a veteran FBI agent and a brilliant software engineer. Despite the unlikely duo closing in, the crime ring pushes past their limits, putting everything on the line for their beliefs – and their most ambitious heist yet.
Ebenezer
Release Date: November 13, 2026 Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Comedy, Holiday Cast: Johnny Depp, Rupert Grint, Andrea Riseborough, Sam Claflin, Daisy Ridley, Arthur Conti, Ellie Bamber, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Charlie Murphy, with Tramell Tillman and Ian McKellen
Johnny Depp is Ebenezer Scrooge. The name you know, the story you don’t.
Ghost Soldier
Release Date: November 13, 2026 Genre: Action, Thriller Cast: Jim Caviezel, Olivia Thirlby, Beau Knapp, Garret Dillahunt, with Shea Whigham
In the action-thriller Ghost Soldier, Jim Caviezel stars as Henry “Fitz” Fitzgerald, a solitary man with a mysterious past, living a quiet life off the grid in his hometown. But when a powerful foreign corporation descends on his community determined to seize his and his neighbors’ land for a massive payday, Fitz takes action — he’s actually a former Special Forces soldier and advanced weapons developer. Armed with weapons no one has ever seen, a lifetime of lethal military training, and an unwavering code of justice, Fitz becomes the one thing his enemies never anticipated: a one-man war they can’t win.
Victorian Psycho
Release Date: November 13, 2026 Genre: Horror, Thriller Cast: Maika Monroe, Thomasin McKenzie, Jason Isaacs
In 1858, governess Winifred Notty (Maika Monroe) arrives at the remote gothic manor known as Ensor House. Winifred’s responsibilities include teaching the children table manners and educating them about their family’s history, all whilst hiding her psychopathic tendencies. As Winifred assimilates into life at Ensor House, staff members begin to inexplicably disappear, and the owners of the estate begin to wonder if there is something amiss about their new governess.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
Release Date: November 20, 2026 Genre: Action, Adventure Cast: Joseph Zada, Jesse Plemons, Ralph Fiennes, Glenn Close, Kieran Culkin, Elle Fanning, Mckenna Grace, Maya Hawke, Whitney Peak, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Ben Wang
From acclaimed director Francis Lawrence, THE HUNGER GAMES: SUNRISE ON THE REAPING follows sixteen-year-old Haymitch Abernathy (Joseph Zada) from District 12, beginning on the morning of the reaping for the 50th Annual Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell, the biggest Games yet with twice as many tributes.
Elsinore
Release Date: November 20, 2026 Genre: Biography, Drama Cast: Andrew Scott, Olivia Colman, Billie Piper, Johnny Flynn, Luke Thompson, David Dawson, Matthew Beard, Joe Locke, Monica Dolan, Georgie Glen, Sadie Soverall, Adeel Akhtar, Dickie Beau, Kadiff Kirwan with Juliet Stevenson and Peter Mullan
The deeply emotional and inspirational true story of Ian Charleson, a gifted actor whose greatest challenge becomes his greatest triumph. Facing his own mortality with unflinching honesty, wit, and grace, Charleson delivers a courageous performance that becomes a source of healing and inspiration for those around him.
In Walt Disney Animation Studios’ all-new magical coming-of-age saga, “Disney’s Hexed,” an impulsive and unconventional teenage girl named Billie (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld) discovers secret magical abilities which, once unleashed, hurtle her into a spectacle-filled journey out of suburbia and into a vast witch realm called Hexe.
Hershey
Release Date: November 25, 2026 Genre: Biography, Drama, Romance Cast: Finn Wittrock, Alexandra Daddario
Based on the life of Milton Hershey, founder of the iconic Hershey chocolate company. Milton’s grit and determination to conquer the world of candy-making propel him from bankruptcy to monumental success, and the love of his life, Kitty, helps him build a legacy sweeter than any candy bar. But when Kitty falls ill, Milton’s wild optimism teeters on the edge of destruction, and she sparks an even bolder dream: to leave their fortune in the hands of America’s orphans.
Focker-In-Law
Release Date: November 25, 2026 Genre: Comedy Cast: Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Ariana Grande, Owen Wilson, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo, Skyler Gisondo, Beanie Feldstein, Eduardo Franco
Comedy icon and Emmy winner Ben Stiller and two-time Oscar® winner Robert De Niro reunite, joined by Grammy winner and Oscar® nominee Ariana Grande, in Focker-In-Law, a new chapter in the blockbuster Meet the Parents franchise.
There sure seem to be some sleeper movies in the November mix. I hope they’re able to get some spotlight amidst the big budget films that are also releasing. I Play Rocky and Wild Horse Nine top my list – even above The Hunger Games and Focker-In-Law! I was today years old when I learned about the story behind that amazing story.
Which November movies are on your must-watch list?
