My husband and I have created, in my opinion, the perfect Friday tradition: takeout and what we’ve deemed “90s dad thrillers.” Think, A Hunt for Red October, The Fugitive, A Few Good Men…any movie in which a man yells into a phone, a helicopter is involved at some point, and the phrase “geopolitical conflict” is bandied about. Max Read did a great Substack on this a while ago, which is what set us off: https://maxread.substack.com/p/90s-dad-thrillers-a-list
We have varied from this format due to streaming service constraints, wanting to watch a movie with actually good female characters in it (although I would posit that The Net and Contact are both ideal 90s dad thrillers, despite starring strong female leads), or wanting to watch a buzzy new movie. But the 90s dad thriller is our tried and true — interesting enough to keep you entertained, far enough removed from modern day to not induce anxiety, and silly enough that you can still enjoy your takeout while watching. It is my favorite thing, and I actually get sad when we end up with plans on Friday and can’t do it.
