Let's face it, feature films have gotten a bit long these days. Recent Oscar standouts from the likes of Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon ran a solid three-and-a-half hours) and Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer clocked in at over three hours, too) had us running for the bathrooms mid-screening.
It's not to say that some films don't deserve to reach the full breadth of their director's vision, but nobody wants to finish an extra-large tub of popcorn and stagger out of movie seats with sleeping buns due to excessive runtimes.
Luckily, there are a few filmmakers out there willing to tell their stories within a tidy 90-minute time frame, and rarely does a movie audience feel that a film could have been "a bit longer." With that said, let's put some respect on recent movies that have dared to err on the side of stubbiness.
In the age of instant social media gratification and with a nod to the short attention spans of our younger generations, here are some great films that have been thoughtful enough to fit inside 90-minute runtimes.
10 Love at First Sight
Love at First Sight caught a young cast at an early apex, with Haley Lu Richardson following up her standout performance in The White Lotus with a tightly-delivered romance from Netflix. The film has all the romantic comedy tropes, including a great meet-cute, right in the first scene, which launches the film into a transatlantic love story. Still, it has a soul that teeters in the direction of beloved rom coms like When Harry Met Sally.
For Fans of Lighter Fare, Love at First Sight Hits the Spot
After a brief encounter in the terminal, the two fall in love on their flight thanks to serendipity seating them together, but as her phone dies, Haley (Richardson) loses Oliver's (Ben Hardy) number. When she gets wind of Oliver's family's memorial service, the plot kicks into gear, with themes of 'fate vs. chance' and an undertone of mortality helping along a super-romantic film made with perfect economy.
9 Zola
Zola
A stripper named Zola embarks on a wild road trip to Florida.
- Release Date
- June 30, 2021
- Runtime
- 1hr 26min
Zola was the brainchild of Renaissance man Jeremy O. Harris, who had already received a Tony nomination and acted on the Max series Gossip Girl. For Zola, he crafted an engaging script about two exotic dancers who get drawn into sex work after an ill-conceived road trip to Tampa. The film provides a rare window into a world of back page ads, strip clubs and seedy motels, with a glittery production design that belies the darkness of the story.
At a Tidy 86 Minutes, Zola Leaves Us Wanting More
Before you know it, Zola moves from a down-and-out small town story, to a road movie, and culminates in a bloody killing and cover up. Jeremy O. Harris proved his ability to weave together multiple narratives within a small shell, and resolves all the film's relationships tidily before the credits unexpectedly roll.
8 Shiva Baby
Shiva Baby signaled the rise of Emma Seligman with a standout indie that came completely out of left field, not unlike Lena Dunham's meteoric rise with her first film, Tiny Furniture. Seligman adapted her tiny short of the same name into this tiny film, which runs a mere 78 minutes. In the film, Danielle (Rachel Sennott) attends a shiva (a week-long period of mourning in Judaism), where her universes collide as her sugar daddy, parents and ex-girlfriend are all in attendance.
Shiva Baby Packed Themes of Religion and Sexuality into a Compact Film
Danielle's sexuality, choice of partners and lifestyle flies in direct conflict with her Jewish upbringing and relationship with her parents. For writer/director Seligman, this script clearly came from a personal space, and the perfectly cast film uses superb dialogue as its greatest asset, raising major questions and answering them with very little runtime necessary. Stream Shiva Baby on Max
7 The Breaker Upperers
Between Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement and now Madeleine Sami and Jackie van Beek, New Zealand has quickly risen to the top of the international comedy film scene. Sami and van Beek wrote, directed and starred in this little comedy, about two women who run an agency to help people break up with their significant others. Their unorthodox methods of helping create side-splitting hilarity in a truly inventive way, one that doubles the off-kilter hilarity of previous Kiwi products What We Do in the Shadows and Flight of the Conchords.
This Kiwi Film Has No Shortage of Hilarious Interactions
With conflicts and allegiances, two main characters who once dated the same person, and a client base full of crazy characters in emotional turmoil, The Breaker Upperers has plenty of fodder for great comedy. The film plays out almost like a sketch comedy show, with Sami and van Beek putting their improv skills on full display in one far-fetched scenario after another. Stream The Breaker Upperers on Netflix
6 Marcell the Shell With Shoes On
Marcell the Shell With Shoes On had a unique blend of stop-motion animation, a mockumentary premise, and a quirky script co-written by Jenny Slate, the multi-talented comedian who already has SNL, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Girls and some hilarious stand-up specials on her prolific resume. Slate and cohort Dean Fleischer Camp extrapolated the film out of an earlier short, crafting a narrative around a man who finds his Airbnb occupied by a one-inch-tall talking seashell.
This Cute Animated Comedy Rivaled Pixar's Films in Indie Format
Despite a shoestring budget, a pocket premise that never really gets explained, and no major stars to voice the film's roles, Marcel had the imagination to rival any animated product from Disney or Pixar. The mockumentary aspects are where it differs from other family fare, grounding the concept in the real world despite its many magical elements.
5 Paddleton
paddleton
- Release Date
- February 22, 2019
- Director
- Alexandre Lehmann
- Runtime
- 89
Paddleton was an irreverent comedy with a tender heart, brought to you by the Duplass Brothers, with Mark Duplass starring opposite Ray Romano. In the film, Duplass plays Michael, a man diagnosed with terminal cancer. His best buddy Andy (Ray Romano), with whom he invented the semi-idiotic sport of Paddleton, is unwilling to accept his best friend's end-of-life decision.
Nonetheless, he joins him on a road trip to find a lethal dose prescribed, and the resulting hijinx shades from tenderness to pitch black comedy.
A Brief but Impactful Film
Even in its darkest moments, Paddleton elicits laughter, toying with the audience's emotions in a truly unique manner. It's a film that, at its core, is about the nature of friendship, and its smallness is what creates it's charm.
Stream Paddleton on Netflix
4 Bad Trip
bad trip
- Release Date
- March 26, 2020
- Director
- Kitao Sakurai
- Runtime
- 84
Bad Trip follows every trope of a good road comedy — but it's anything but predictable. It fell under the radar thanks to some odd circumstances, where it was accidentally released on Prime Video before later getting distribution from Netflix. No matter, as it still utilized the everyman charm of Lil Rel Howery and the bonkers comedy of Eric Andre to create a fun little movie that's certainly worth a watch.
Bad Trip Has All the Politically Incorrect Content You Hope for in a Comedy
As Chris and Bud, two close friends stuck in dead end jobs, embark on their road trip to New York City to track down the love of Chris' life, they find themselves in all the trouble that heavy drinking leads to. By the end of the film, we've seen both characters in their birthday suits, sometimes even with the company of zoo animals. Yeah, this is one you probably shouldn't watch with the kids.
3 My Octopus Teacher
My Octopus Teacher was the documentary revelation of the pandemic's first year, causing a stir around free diver Craig Foster. Foster, after undergoing an existential crisis of sorts, befriends an octopus in a kelp forest that he frequents on his diving excursions. Slowly, Foster gains the trust of the highly-intelligent mollusk, and begins to document their developing friendship.
This Economic Film Earned the Highest Honor
Though he started the project for his personal amusement, Foster quickly realized his footage should be expanded into a film, enlisting the help of Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed. It turned out the decision was smart, with the compact documentary reaching the masses via Netflix and going on to secure the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, after this tender tale of cross-species friendship captured hearts in a mere 85 minutes.
2 Rye Lane
Rye Lane was another short-but-sweet romantic comedy, set in the gray streets of South London. In the film, a chance encounter sees Dom (David Jonsson) and Yas (Vivian Oparah) connect while both are still reeling from break-ups. At first, they just pose as a couple, and an endearing will they, won't they dynamic develops as the two put the ghosts of their prior relationships to bed.
A Cute Tale of Love Lost Then Rediscovered
Rye Lane's strongest quality is its character development. By the film's second act, you truly care for Dom and Yas, but also find yourself wanting to see them unite under the right circumstances. The writing, direction, and performances coalesce perfectly, and despite its short runtime, the film speaks volumes about the nature of romance.
1 The Last Stop in Yuma County
The Last Stop in Yuma County (2024)
4/5
Stranded at an Arizona rest stop, a traveling knife salesman gets thrust into a high-stakes hostage situation by the arrival of two bank robbers who will stop at nothing to protect their ill-begotten fortune.
- Release Date
- May 10, 2024
- Director
- Francis Galluppi
- Runtime
- 1h 30m
The Last Stop in Yuma County is a film with such perfect economy that its well-worn tropes seem inconsequential. The lack of name recognition for the cast is also a strong suit, making it more difficult to assert who is innocent and who is guilty after a bank robbery leads to a quiet hostage situation in a middle-of-nowhere coffee shop.
Some Up-And-Comers Pace This Highly Entertaining Flick
Filmmaker Jim Cummings, whose become a darling of the film festival circuit of late, gives a great performance as a mild-mannered sales agent suddenly thrust into crisis mode. But it's the little-known Jocelin Donahue who gives the film's breakout performance as she bravely deals with her captors and tries to plot a way out. The film isn't a minute too long, and by the end, it's easy to see why it has earned such high critical marks.
Rent The Last Stop in Yuma County on AppleTV+
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