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What’s New to Stream on Amazon Prime for November 2021

This month’s new arrivals include new Prime Originals including a movie with Benedict Cumberbatch and a documentary with Australia on fire.
Amazon Prime November
By  · Published on November 7th, 2021

Crossing the Streams is our series of guides looking at all the offerings hitting the big streaming services each month. This time we’re checking out the new Amazon Prime arrivals for November 2021 including an acclaimed biopic, an epic fantasy, and more!


Amazon Prime Pick of the Month for November 2021

The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain

I’m unfamiliar with director/co-writer Will Sharpe’s past work, but his newest feature is getting all manner of buzz and acclaim despite its rather low-key topic. The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2021) is a biopic on artist Louis Wain (duh), an English artist who died in 1939 after an ongoing bout with mental illness. His last fifteen years of life were spent in a mental hospital, and the paintings kept coming up until his death. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Wain and reportedly has never been more affecting or personable, and he’s joined by Claire Foy, Andrea Riseborough, Richard Ayoade, and Toby Jones. The film is currently touring for awards season but is now available on Prime as well.


Big Fantasy!

The Wheel Of Time

The fantasy section of your favorite bookstore is filled with trilogies, series, and beloved tales just begging for adaptation, but one that’s been on the cusp of the shift for a while now is Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time (premieres November 19th). Initially intended as a mere trilogy, Jordan’s vision eventually stretched to include fourteen novels. The story involves the expected fare with magic, dragons, and medieval shenanigans, and the big name at the head of the screen is Rosamund Pike. She might not seem like a big enough draw to take top spot in an epic fantasy series, but if the cast and crew are doing their job right — and if audiences respond — Pike won’t need to carry the world all by herself. Season one runs through December, and Amazon has already greenlit a second season.

I’ll be honest, if you had asked me to name the animated film from the 2000s starring the voice talent of Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Joseph Fiennes, I would have said no such film existed. And I would have been wrong. Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003, free with ads) is a Dreamworks production that failed to make much of a splash on release and hasn’t garnered much love in the decades since either. Is it any good? Doubtful, but at least you’ll have the answer now in case anyone asks…

The sticky carpets of area multiplexes are littered with the remains of hopeful YA franchises that kicked off, failed, and never saw a sequel — Cirque du Freak (2009)? I am Number Four (2011)? The Mortal Instruments (2013)? — and one of the sad bunch is new to Prime this month. Eragon (2006) is a fantasy based on a bestselling series began when the author was just fifteen-years-old. Undoubtedly impressive, but his age shows in the resulting story which feels endlessly familiar and ultimately boring. But it has its fans, so don’t just take my word for it.


Amazon Original Documentaries!

Mayor Pete

Few things are dated as quickly as politicians who run for president and lose. Mayor Pete (2021, premieres November 12th) offers a look at Pete Buttigieg’s failed bid for the Democratic nomination, and while it all already feels like old news there are still reasons to watch. He’s currently in President Biden’s cabinet meaning he’s still a political player, and his presence as the first and most high-profile openly gay man to run deserves historical respect. The documentary looks at his prior work at a far more local level, the highs and lows of running for office, and his personal life where warranted.

Even more timely than a politician, though, is the Earth’s ecological fragility, and that’s only part of what makes Burning (2021, premieres November 29th) a more compelling watch. The film explores the devastating and deadly wildfires that savaged Australia in 2019-2020 burning nearly sixty-million acres across the continent and killing thirty-nine people. Dramatic footage and a clear, insightful message to those who disregard climate change as a real threat are the focus here, and it makes for a powerful condemnation on humankind’s inability to take this seriously.


Funny People!

The House Bunny

Sometimes you just want to laugh, and to that end November’s offerings on Amazon Prime feature all manner of comedies. Most of them are pretty meh, though, so instead, I’m here to highlight the three that stand out from the crowd. First up is an all-time favorite sports comedy of mine, Tin Cup (1996, free with ads). Kevin Costner stars as an ex-golf pro with an attitude problem, and he is terrific. Don Johnson, Rene Russo, and Cheech Marin co-star — all fantastic — but this is Costner’s show as he reteams with director/co-writer Ron Shelton (Bull Durham, 1988) for another highly entertaining look at the personalities that make up professional sports. The ending is an absolute joy.

Writer/director Wes Anderson is still making movies — his most recent, The French Dispatch, is currently making waves — but his two best in my humble opinion remain Rushmore (1999) and The Royal Tenenbaums (2001). The first of those two gems is new to Prime this month and absolutely worth a watch whether it’s your first or your seventh. A coming-of-age tale told with personality, wit, comedy, absurdity, and a stellar soundtrack, Rushmore remains a delightfully fun film about a young man searching for something to hold onto. Bill Murray shines (duh) in a supporting role while Jason Schwartzman makes the lead a standout performance.

You may have missed it if you avoided Twitter and social media the past couple of days — and if so, you lucky sob — but Anna Faris was trending due to something her ex-husband did. It’s a twisted world we live in, folks. It is a great reminder, though, that Faris is absolute magic in movies, most typically comedies, and one of her many triumphs is The House Bunny (2008). She plays a Playboy Bunny who’s booted from the Mansion and relocates to a sorority house as the den mother. Laughs, hijinks, and sweet moments follows. Kat Dennings, Emma Stone, and Colin Hanks co-star, and it’s just a good time that skirts the risque stuff to deliver a more good-natured and less rapey Revenge of the Nerds.


The Complete Amazon Prime List for November 2021

Release DateTitleNote
11/112 Years a Slave (2013)*free with ads
48 Hrs. (1982)*free with ads
50/50 (2011)
Alien (1979)
Alien 3 (1992)
Alien Resurrection (1997)
Alien Vs. Predator (2004)
Alpha Dog (2005)
American Assassin (2017)
Another 48 Hrs. (1990)*free with ads
A Belle for Christmas (2014)*free with ads
The Big Year (2011)
The Black Dahlia (2006)
The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day (2009)*free with ads
Born On The Fourth Of July (1989)
Bringing Down The House (2003)
Casanova, Last Love (2021)
Casper and Wendy’s Ghostly Adventures (2002)
Cast Away (2000)
Children Of Men (2006)
The Constant Gardener (2005)
Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011)
Dan In Real Life (2007)
The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008)
Dead Poets Society (1989)
Die Hard (1988)*free with ads
Die Hard 2 (1990)*free with ads
Divergent (2014)*free with ads
The Divergent Series: Insurgent (2015)*free with ads
The Divergent Series: Allegiant (2016)*free with ads
Dragonball Evolution (2009)
Drive (2011)*free with ads
Dude, Where's My Car? (2000)
Due Date (2010)
Eragon (2006)
EuroTrip (2004)*free with ads
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
Feliz Navidad (2006)*free with ads
Gnomeo & Juliet (2011)
Gone Baby Gone (2007)*free with ads
Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)*free with ads
The Good Shepherd (2006)*free with ads
Happy Christmas (2014)*free with ads
The Happy Elf (2005)*free with ads
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)*free with ads
Holy Man (1998)*free with ads
Hope Springs Eternal (2018)
The House Bunny (2008)
How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998)*free with ads
I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009)*free with ads
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007)
In Search of Santa (2004)*free with ads
In Time (2011)
It's Complicated (2009)
Jane Eyre (2011)
Jingle All The Way (1996)
Jingle All The Way 2 (2014)
Jingle Bells (1999)*free with ads
Johnny English (2003)
Kung Pow: Enter The Fist (2002)
Major Payne (1995)
The Mask of Zorro (1998)*free with ads
Meet Dave (2008)
Midway (2019)*free with ads
Monsters vs. Aliens (2009)*free with ads
The Monuments Men (2014)*free with ads
Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
My Adventures with Santa (2019)*free with ads
The Nutty Professor (1996)
The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000)
O’ Christmas Tree (1999)*free with ads
The Other Woman (2014)*free with ads
People Like Us (2012)*free with ads
Poetic Justice (1993)*free with ads
Predator (1987)*free with ads
Predator 2 (1990)
Rushmore (1999)
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003)*free with ads
Sixteen Candles (1984)*free with ads
Sleeping With The Enemy (1991)
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)*free with ads
Snatch (2000)
Southpaw (2015)*free with ads
Stan & Ollie (2018)*free with ads
Stuck On You (2003)
That Awkward Moment (2014)*free with ads
Three Men And A Baby (1987)
Tin Cup (1996)*free with ads
Undercover Brother (2002)
Vanity Fair (2004)
Vantage Point (2008)
White Boy Rick (2018)*free with ads
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
Wild Hogs (2007)
Wimbledon (2004)
Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)*free with ads
11/5The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2021)Amazon Original Movie
Snowmance (2017)
The Spruces And The Pines (2017)
11/11Goosebumps (2015)*free with ads
11/12Finding You (2021)
Fruitvale Station (2013)*free with ads
Mayor Pete (2021)Amazon Original Movie
11/14Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You (2017)*free with ads
11/16Beginners (2011)
11/18Nine (2009)*free with ads
11/19Everybody Loves Natti - Season 1Amazon Original Series
The Wheel of Time - Season 1Amazon Original Series
11/20Here Comes The Boom (2012)
11/24Hanna - Season 3Amazon Original Series
11/26Dog Years (2021)Amazon Original Movie
11/29Burning (2021)Amazon Original Movie

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Rob Hunter has been writing for Film School Rejects since before you were born, which is weird seeing as he's so damn young. He's our Chief Film Critic and Associate Editor and lists 'Broadcast News' as his favorite film of all time. Feel free to say hi if you see him on Twitter @FakeRobHunter.