3 New Movies Streaming in September 2023 You Won’t Want to Miss

Since neither the WGA nor SAG-AFTRA has issued an official call to boycott streaming services, we’re still bringing you our September picks of new movies premiering on streamers next month. During these strike times, may you find a bit of respite in the form of new cinema, including the noteworthy performances that each feature holds.

You won’t want to miss these three new movies, which may just reinforce the idea that human writers and actors are vital to the success of streaming content and should be paid accordingly.

Sitting in Bars with Cake

Prime Video sums up one of its upcoming features with some seriously strong alliteration. It promises that Sitting in Bars with Cake includes “baking, best friends, bars and one big, life-changing diagnosis.” The upcoming film is based on true events and inspired by Audrey Shulman’s book of the same name. The author also penned the screenplay for the feature, and Yara Shahidi made her debut as an executive producer with the title. Shahidi also stars in Sitting in Bars with Cake as a shy and talented home baker named Jane whose best friend Corinne (Odessa A’zion) convinces her to commit to a year of “cakebarring” — bringing homemade cakes to bars in order to meet people.

Amidst such a fun undertaking and exploration of the various watering holes across Los Angeles — where they reside — the two twenty-somethings suddenly find themselves facing a life-altering diagnosis for Corinne. The Sitting in Bars with Cake trailer teases that Jane becomes her friend’s caregiver at one point in the film, which is being called “a moving celebration of female friendship, forging identity and finding joy in the most unexpected places.”

Besides performances from Shahidi and A’zion in the lead roles, you can also keep an eye out for a strong supporting cast — that includes the likes of Bette Midler — when Sitting in Bars with Cake premieres on Prime Video come September 8.

Self Reliance

If Nick from New Girl wrote a screenplay in real life, it may not be too far from the plot of Jake Johnson’s directorial debut. The New Girl alumnus also wrote, produced and starred in Self Reliance, a film that was initially inspired by Japanese reality shows from the late 90s and early 2000s, according to Johnson. He also detailed during an IMDb interview how he wanted his experience during the pandemic — and feelings while in the midst of it — to inform the story of Self Reliance.

So where does that leave the film’s plot? We thought you’d never ask.

Self Reliance centers on Tommy (Johnson), who’s a passive bystander in his own life until he’s offered the chance to win a million dollars by a pair of reality show producers. The catch? He has to survive 30 days of highly-trained “hunters” trying to kill him. Tommy agrees to participate in the high-stakes game, which includes the clause that he can’t be touched when others are around. But when friends and family don’t believe his situation, Tommy is faced with figuring out how to survive on his own.

Anna Kendrick stars opposite Johnson as Maddy, another contestant in the deadly game, and you can catch Mary Holland and Emily Hampshire playing Tommy’s sisters. You can also take in performances from names like Christopher Lloyd, Andy Samberg, Wayne Brady and Natalie Morales when Self Reliance drops via Hulu on September 8.

Love at First Sight

We’ve got another feature directorial debut for your viewing pleasure, with this one coming from Vanessa Caswill. She helms the similarly entitled film adaptation of Jennifer E. Smith’s best-selling novel The Statistical Odds of Love at First Sight.

White Lotus breakout Haley Lu Richardson stars in the upcoming feature as Hadley, a young American woman on her way to London to see her father get remarried. After missing her flight, Hadley manages to get on the next one out of JFK Airport, which includes meeting and finding instant chemistry with another passenger.

Ben Hardy plays said love interest, a Yale student from the UK named Oliver. Sparks fly across the sky during the 6 hours and 47 minutes they spend sitting next to each other en route to London, and the immediate strength of their attachment points to a true soulmate connection. But upon landing, before they can properly exchange numbers, Hadley and Oliver lose each other in customs.

The Love at First Sight trailer estimates — via voiceover from the film’s narrator (Jameela Jamil) — a 0.2% chance that the two will ever find each other again after their missed opportunity. You’ll have to watch and find out if they beat the odds when the film releases on Netflix come September 15. At that time, you can also observe the work of supporting cast members such as Rob Delaney, Sally Phillips and Dexter Fletcher.

From a moving tale of friendship to a swoon-worthy romance story, you can enter into the new month — and whatever it holds for these strike times — with a stacked watchlist of movies premiering in September full of noteworthy performances to take in.

There are plenty of strike-compliant roles available on Casting Networks. Sign up or login and see what’s casting near you today!

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