April 2026 ~ IN TREND

Amanda Peet Gets Real About Menopause Rage in 'Your Friends & Neighbors'

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Minor spoilers below.

In a scene early in season 2 ofYour Friends & Neighbors, I noticed something on Amanda Peet I hadn't seen on television in ages: dynamic glabellar lines. Exes Mel (Amanda Peet) and Coop (Jon Hamm) sit on the stairs of her Westchester mansion and reminisce about bringing their first baby home from the hospital—a girl who is now a defiant high school senior about to leave and turn Mel into "some lonely old hag living in a big empty house." Yes, these characters are rich, gorgeous, and prone to terrible decision-making, but Peet's egoless performance (including those believable frown lines) makes the moment genuinely moving.

Freshly single and fired from her psychologist job, Mel has a lot to furrow her brow about in the new season of the Apple TV hit, going through a wild ride of menopause symptoms, teen-daughter drama, and a feud with neighbors whose dog is leaving literal shit on her lawn. The metaphors are not subtle, but Peet always feels grounded. If season 1 ofYour Friends & Neighborsfelt at times like fantasy fulfillment for middle-aged men—as financier Coop bottoms out and finds new life as a gentleman thief—season 2 asks what a messy midlife spiral might look like for a woman.

Numerous female writers, directors, and producers have joined the show this season, but Peet primarily credits show creator and executive producer Jonathan Tropper for guiding Mel's menopause storyline. "I just couldn't be more grateful to Tropper for having the guts and the wherewithal and the skill to bring an angry middle-aged woman to the table," she says. She plays another complicated woman in her new filmFantasy Life, for which she won a special jury award at the 2025 SXSW festival; the indie opens today, the same dayYour Friends & Neighborsdrops its season 2 premiere.

The actress, 54, who shared her breast cancer diagnosis inaNew Yorkeressaythe day after we spoke, joined our video call with an unmade face and undone hair from her couch in Los Angeles, confessing that all things considered, she might rather be in chilly New York. In conversation, Peet is unpretentious and dryly funny—the kind of person you find yourself oversharing with five minutes after you've met. Below, she talks about the pleasures of playing an angry woman and how her own experiences informed Mel's storyline.

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Your Friends & Neighborssurprised me with the tone of this season—there was the thieving, moneyed suburbs, and satire, but it was also emotional and honest about how hard it is to get older. Were you surprised by Mel's menopause journey?

When I saw the scripts, I was like, "Yeah, of course." I mean, what else is there to obsess about? And Jonathan Tropper has a deep interest and a good take on it. He was talking about the movie with Michael Douglas where everything goes wrong,Falling Down. It's like a white man, middle-aged, midlife crisis, a kind of briefcase Joe who goes off the rails. I had never seen it, but he said how that inspired him in terms of menopause: When we're not in a good place, we as people tend to feel more like a victim. We feel like someone's taking advantage of us; that kind of paranoia about neighbors. So as soon as he said Michael Douglas inFalling Down, I was like, "Oh my God, I'm in." I was salivating.

Is there a moment for Mel that was the most fun for you to play this season?

I'm always asking for more pratfalls. I think he's going to probably start putting them in as a joke. And I'm old as shit, so it's actually really dangerous for me to do pratfalls sometimes. I have a frozen shoulder and surgery for my torn labrum on my hip, and I'm just a mess. So everyone holds their breath, just being like, "Amanda, maybe you should let your stunt double do this one." And I'm like, "Let me just try." I also like how much she drinks. Playing drunk is always very fun and challenging as an actor.

How do you approach that?

Oftentimes with a shot of tequila.

Method, I see.

"Ever heard of acting, my dear boy?" But no, I mean, it's something that in your twenties, you always want to do a scene where you're drunk, so you can do that sensory recall and try to be really good. So that's really fun. And I love my stuff with Jon Hamm, obviously. He's the perfect combination of caring about it and also having a good perspective about it.

I'm not going to spoil our readers too much, but there is a funny scene late in the season where Mel realizes menopause is not as taboo a topic as she thinks. But I do think it's true you don't see this part of life portrayed that often in film and TV in such a frank way.

There wasAll Fours—although to me, with Miranda July, it's like, "Aren't you like 39? Are you really in menopause?"—and then Naomi Watts. So I feel like it's starting to move into the zeitgeist, but I was still really excited to do my angry Michael Douglas version of it.

Is this something that you and your friends talk about?

Yeah, nonstop. It's hard. The emotional dysregulation is part of it, and it's hard to decide what is menopause and what is the thing where you name something and it becomes true. My husband always tells me that I've been blaming everything on menopause or perimenopause for two decades. As soon as I had [my son] Henry, I was like, "I left the room a mess. I forgot something. I have foggy brain." Really? You're 43 and all of a sudden you are in perimenopause? Okay.

So much of what Mel is going through is also about being the mother of teenagers, which is not for the faint of heart. Did you bring your experience to it?

For sure. We went through the college thing the year before, so I didn't have to tap into it. It was just right there. It's very real, losing your looks coupled with losing a daughter to college. Maybe there's sort of a combination of launching your daughter, but then wishing you could do it again, but better. And all of this is kind of a mishmash of emotions that are probably not good for any teen girl to deal with.

It's quite a brew, but there's also so much joy to it. Was it important to you to show the pleasures of parenting, too?

I think so. It's such an important part of the story because it's what's at stake for [Coop]. If he's caught, if he's found out...I mean, I love that Tropper made his lovely wife someone who keys cars and transgresses in so many different ways, but I think that that conceit has to still be there, that this is the family he wants to get back to, and this is what's at stake for him.

Getty Images Portrait Studio Presented By IMDb And IMDbPro At SXSW 2025

There's a risk in a show that's a sort ofSkyler White syndrome, where people see the wife as the nagging impediment to the anti-hero. Were you guys aware of that risk when crafting Mel to be more complicated—not just a drag?

Yes. When Tropper pitched it to me, he promised me that it wouldn't be the wife role where you're like, "Bye, honey." And there are a lot of scenes of packing lunches and you're like, "Have a good day!" and then everybody else goes off to perform the plot of the show. He was true to his word and did, I think, also want to make her, like you just said, not kind of a lovely wife role or a naggy wife role, which I have played many, many times. And it's just not that interesting.

One of the triumphs of Mel is that she is angry and doing ill-advised things the whole season, but you are still rooting for her…

I, at least, was. To me, she's understandable. And, while I know women characters don't have to be likable, I'm curious if you find her likable?

I do. And I think if you portray menopause well—and Jonathan Tropper did—hopefully you see what's underneath the rage and what's causing it.

She says about the neighbors she's feuding with, "They made me feel like nothing." I thought that was so key to what she's going through the whole season.

We talked about that line a lot. I find it very moving, and I find that there's so many layers to that idea of being unseen. You're losing your looks. Nobody's looking at you anymore. You're hitting that age where it's a new, rude awakening every day—either looks-wise or pain-wise. And then if you stopped work to become a mother and your kids are leaving, now what? Even if you lamented the fact that all you were doing was making lunches and doing pickups and drop-offs and being a soccer mom. I really feel that.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

byDamon Long

in

April 03, 2026

Amanda Peet Gets Real About Menopause Rage in 'Your Friends & Neighbors'

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Min...

From 'Five Nights at Freddy's 2' to 'Crime 101,' 10 movies to stream now

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Just in time for Easter weekend, here come a bunch of killer animatronic creatures. Chuck E. Cheese, eat your heart out.

The robotic menaces of"Five Night at Freddy's"return for the sequel now streaming on Netflix, and it's one of several new flicks on your favorites services such asHulu, HBO Max, Paramount+ and Amazon's Prime Video. There are theatrical releases to check out at home, like a crime thriller with Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo andHalle Berry, plus original fare including an R-rated college comedy starring "Stranger Things" standout Gaten Matarazzo and "The Goldbergs" breakout Sean Giambrone.

Here are 10 new and notable moviesyou can stream right now:

'Anaconda'

A wedding video director (Jack Black) and his best pal, a Hollywood actor (Paul Rudd), head off to the Amazon to remake their favorite movie from their youth, the 1997 Jennifer Lopez B-flick "Anaconda." The large snake they were going to use perishes, and deadly shenanigans ensue when their replacement is a gigantic monster reptile.

Where to watch:Netflix

'Ballerina'

In this fab"John Wick" spinoff, dancer/assassin Eve (Ana de Armas) goes rogue from her crime family to track down the cult who murdered her dad. Her path of vengeance includes an amazing flamethrower shootout and a brawl involving dinner plates as she makes new friends and enemies, plus faces off with Wick (Keanu Reeves) himself.

Where to watch:HBO Max

'Crime 101'

Chris Hemsworth stars in the crime thriller as a high-end jewel thief aiming for a big score. He teams with a disillusioned insurance agent (Halle Berry) for a $11 million heist job - of which she wants a large cut – but a dogged detective (Mark Ruffalo) and a young criminal wild card (Barry Keoghan) could mess up their plans.

Where to watch:Prime Video

'Five Nights at Freddy's 2'

Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail) and Mike (Josh Hutcherson) again have to deal with the murderous animatronic animals of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza in the horror film "Five Nights at Freddy's 2."

In the horror sequel, Josh Hutcherson and Elizabeth Lail return to face new foes as well the old murderous animatronic animals of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. The robotic characters break free from their restaurant resting place to cause chaos in town, while the villainous Marionette pops up to possess victims for her own nefarious purposes.

Where to watch:Peacock

'Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice'

Alice (Eiza González, far left) and Mike (James Marsden) are in for one wild night teamed with Present Nick (Vince Vaughn) and Future Nick (Vaughn) in the action comedy "Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice."

In the time-travel action comedy, mob enforcer Mike (James Marsden) is told by his partner Nick (Vince Vaughn) – well, Nick from six months in the future – that he's been framed and their boss wants him dead. To survive the night, Mike has to get help from present-day Nick (also Vaughn) and Alice (Eiza Gonzalez), Nick's wife/Mike's girlfriend.

Where to watch:Hulu

'Pizza Movie'

Gaten Matarazzo (far left), Lulu Wilson and Sean Giambrone play college kids who desperately need pizza to counteract an experimental drug in the comedy "Pizza Movie."

In the gonzo college comedy, Gaten Matarazzo and Sean Giambrone play roommates who find an experimental drug left in the ceiling of their dorm room a decade ago. A pizza is the only thing that will stop the insane phases of their an trip, but they have to battle through two floors of obstacles to get their pie.

Where to watch:Hulu

'Pretty Lethal'

Avantika (far left), Lana Condor, Maddie Ziegler, Millicent Simmonds and Iris Apatow play ballerinas who have to fight their way out of a bad spot in the action thriller "Pretty Lethal."

This action thriller is on pointe with Maddie Ziegler, Lana Condor, Millicent Simmonds, Iris Apatow and Avantika as ballerinas whose bus breaks down going to a major competition in Budapest. They get captured by Hungarian gangsters and have to fight (and kill) their way out of an inn run by a shady former dance prodigy (Uma Thurman).

Where to watch:Prime Video

'Primate'

In this simian spin on the slasher movie, college kid Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah) returns home to Hawaii for a visit with family and Ben, a super-smart chimp and her late mom's research project. One rabid mongoose bite later, and Ben is a skull-crushing, face-ripping menace terrorizing Lucy and her friends.

Where to watch:Paramount+

'The Testament of Ann Lee'

Amanda Seyfried (center) stars as Ann Lee, the founder of the Shakers religious movement in the 18th century, in the historical musical drama "The Testament of Ann Lee."

Amanda Seyfried earned a Golden Globe nod playing the title character, the charismatic founder of the Shakers religious movement and a somewhat controversial figure in 18th-century America. The engrossing historical musical drama digs into Lee's complicated life plus features a slew of amazingly choreographed song-and-dance numbers.

Where to watch:Hulu

'28 Years Later: The Bone Temple'

You haven't lived until you've seen Ralph Fiennes do fiery performance art and sing Iron Maiden's "The Number of the Beast" in a horror movie. The sequel improves on "28 Years Later" with an excellent study of religion vs. science, featuring Fiennes as a doctor trying to help people and a flamboyantly creepy Jack O'Connell as a satanic cult leader.

Where to watch:Netflix

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:New movies streaming on Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Prime Video

byDamon Long

in

April 03, 2026

From 'Five Nights at Freddy's 2' to 'Crime 101,' 10 movies to stream now

Love movies? Live for TV? USA TODAY's Watch Party newsletter has all the best recommendations, delivered right to yo...

Is 'The Drama' with Zendaya, Robert Pattinson safe for teens to see?

Spoiler alert! The following story contains major details about the plot twist of "The Drama."

Save the date for the most polarizing film of the year.

"The Drama" (in theaters April 3) has been marketed as an offbeat romantic comedy about a woman named Emma (Zendaya) who, during a wine-fueled game with friends, reveals a horrible secret that makes her fiancé, Charlie (Robert Pattinson), question whether he's marrying a sociopath. The unsettling revelation is even darker than anything that Zendaya has been asked to do on her HBO series "Euphoria," and will most certainly shock fans who have been following the A-lister since her Disney Channel and "Spider-Man" days.

Here's everything that parents need to know about "The Drama," and whether it's safe for kids and teens to see:

What is the twist in 'The Drama' movie?

Emma (Zendaya) is partially deaf after firing a gun too close to her ear in "The Drama."

Written and directed by Kristoffer Borgli ("Dream Scenario"), the pitch-black satire follows Emma and Charlie in the week leading up to their wedding. Late one drunken night, she makes the disquieting revelation that at age 15, she was ruthlessly bullied and planned a school shooting. But just as Emma was about to carry out her attack, there was another mass shooting at a local shopping mall that killed a student.

Emma's shaken classmates welcome her in, and she's soon recruited into a gun violence prevention group – effectively burying her brutal inclinations. But when Charlie eventually discovers her past, he's forced to ask himself whether it's OK to wed someone who could even conceive of doing such a terrible thing.

What is 'The Drama' rated?

The film has been rated R by the Motion Picture Association for language, sexual content and some violence.

What age is 'The Drama' appropriate for?

Charlie (Robert Pattinson, left) starts to see Emma (Zendaya) in a whole new light after learning about her dark past.

We would have to side with the Motion Picture Association here and advise that you should be 17 or older to see the film. The movie deals with extremely serious subject matter, with multiple flashbacks to a younger version of Emma, who is physically and verbally bullied during high school.

There are sequences of teenage Emma practicing shooting her gun outside, walking around her house with a rifle and filming a suicide manifesto. During the video, she uses explicit language as she lists off the names of her classmates, saying that one girl will be the first to die.

In an earlier scene, Emma's friend, Rachel (Alana Haim), confesses that she once locked a developmentally disabled kid in a closet and left him there, which prompted a search party to find him. Charlie, too, ultimately gets fed up with Emma and decides to cheat on her with his assistant (Hailey Benton Gates).

"The Drama" is both macabre and morally complex, and could be triggering in a variety of ways for teenagers. If your kid does indeed go see the film, it would be prudent for parents to start a discussion about it and welcome any questions that they might have.

How much sex and nudity are in 'The Drama?'

Zendaya and Robert Pattinson attend the Los Angeles premiere of A24's "The Drama" at DGA Theater Complex on March 17, 2026, in Los Angeles.

The romantic comedy, written and directed by Kristoffer Borgli, tells the story of a "happily engaged couple," whose union is "put to the test when an unexpected revelation sends their wedding week off the rails," according to the film's IMDb page.