Three Netflix Films This Weekend That Are Actually Worth Your Time
TL;DR: Netflix is serving up three genuinely different options for the May 22 weekend: Ladies First (new gender-swap comedy), Nope (Jordan Peele's divisive 2022 sci-fi horror), and Safe Haven (2013 Nicholas Sparks romance). US availability confirmed; check Movie OTT for your region before queuing.
If you're planning to stay home this weekend, Netflix just handed you something better than the usual filler. The May 22 lineup doesn't have the hype machine of The Mandalorian and Grogu hitting theaters the same day — but that's actually the point. Sometimes the best weekend watch is the one that doesn't require leaving your couch.
Three films, three completely different moods. Here's what matters.
New This Weekend: Ladies First and Why a Gender-Swap Comedy Works Right Now
Ladies First (2026) is a 90-minute Netflix Original starring Sacha Baron Cohen and Rosamund Pike, directed by Thea Sharrock. That runtime alone is refreshing — a comedy that knows when to stop.
The premise: a chauvinistic man wakes up in a world where gender roles have reversed. It's based on the French film Je Ne Suis Pas Un Homme Facile (2018), which Netflix France produced to solid viewership. Eight years later, Netflix is betting the English-language remake lands with American audiences. Most coverage is treating Ladies First as a lighthearted gender-swap romp, but the more honest read is that it's a controlled remake wearing original clothing — the French version already proved the beats work, and Sharrock's job is execution, not invention. That's not a knock; it's just what the project actually is.
What's interesting here is the creative team. Thea Sharrock directed Me Before You (2016), a romantic drama that earned over $200 million worldwide — which means she knows how to handle emotionally loaded material without tipping into parody. That's exactly what a gender-swap comedy with political teeth needs.
Sacha Baron Cohen playing a straightforward chauvinist protagonist in a narrative comedy (not a mockumentary) is different territory for him. Rosamund Pike, meanwhile, proved in Gone Girl (2014) that she can carry a film's moral weight while being genuinely funny. The pairing works.
Nope: The Jordan Peele Film That Divides Rooms
Nope (2022) is the outlier on this list — and that's worth knowing upfront.
Jordan Peele's third feature opened to $44 million domestically against a reported $68 million budget in July 2022. Not a blockbuster opening. But then it earned $171 million worldwide, the kind of slow-burn audience-building that produces devoted rewatchers. Daniel Kaluuya anchors it with a quietness that's easy to underestimate. Keke Palmer matches him energy for energy.
Here's what matters: critics gave it an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes. IMDb users gave it a 6.8 out of 10. That gap tells you something real happened during the viewing experience — critics and general audiences landed in different places.
Peele described the film's central theme this way: "I wanted to make a spectacle about our addiction to spectacle," he told Entertainment Weekly, "and I wanted the audience to feel complicit in that addiction by the time the credits rolled." It's not really about the thing in the sky. It's about why we can't look away from it.
The thing nobody mentions is how Brandon Perea's Fry's Electronics employee becomes the emotional spine of the whole thing. Watch for that on the rewatch — it sneaks up on you.
If you liked Get Out (2017) or Us (2019), Nope is the logical next step. Weirder. Wider. Better the second time through, honestly.
Safe Haven: The Comfort Watch
Safe Haven (2013) is Nicholas Sparks territory, full stop. Directed by Lasse Hallström, starring Julianne Hough and Josh Duhamel. It grossed $97 million domestically against a $28 million budget, making it the fourth highest-grossing Sparks adaptation behind The Notebook ($115M), Dear John ($115M), and The Lucky One ($99M). That's a quiet commercial win for a film that barely registered with critics (a brutal 13% on Rotten Tomatoes, for the record).
If The Notebook (2004) or A Walk to Remember (2002) worked for you, this will too. It's the kind of film that keeps accumulating quiet viewership long after its theatrical run, which is exactly why it's still on Netflix. No surprises. No agenda. Just a straightforward romance that knows what it is.
Sometimes that's what you need on a Saturday night.
How to Actually Pick One
Three films is generous. You probably won't watch all three. So here's the direct answer:
Want something new? Ladies First. Ninety minutes, two strong lead performances, low commitment.
Want something that sticks with you? Nope. It gets better the more you think about it afterward.
Want to feel something uncomplicated? Safe Haven. No shame in it.
The Regional Availability Catch
This is where it gets complicated — especially if you're streaming outside the US.
All three titles are confirmed on US Netflix for this weekend. But Netflix's regional libraries shift constantly. Movie OTT tracks availability across India, the US, the UK, and Spain in real time, which saves you the frustration of queuing something up only to find it's not actually in your region.
Nope has had a consistent presence on Indian Netflix since late 2022, with English audio and subtitles available.
Safe Haven has appeared on and off Indian Netflix over the years — verify before you queue it.
Ladies First, as a 2026 Netflix Original, is the strongest bet for Indian availability since Netflix Originals typically launch simultaneously across most regions.
For Hindi, Tamil, or Telugu dubbed audio? Don't count on it. These films weren't produced with Indian-language dubbing in mind (though Netflix's newer originals increasingly are). Movie OTT's where-to-watch tracker shows current audio options for each title in your region — saves about twenty minutes of searching.
What Cast and Crew Track Records Tell You
Thea Sharrock bringing Me Before You's emotional intelligence to a gender-swap comedy is the right choice. She doesn't let material tip into parody.
Sacha Baron Cohen playing a chauvinist protagonist who actually has to grow is different from his usual mockumentary work. Rosamund Pike has proven she can balance comedy and moral weight without sacrificing either.
Jordan Peele under his Monkeypaw Productions banner brings his full toolkit: he wrote, produced, and directed Nope. Daniel Kaluuya — who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Judas and the Black Messiah (2021) — anchors the whole thing with controlled understatement.
Lasse Hallström directing Safe Haven is the most conventional choice here. A Nicholas Sparks adaptation from 2013 is exactly what it sounds like.
The Honest Comparison: What You're Actually Choosing Between
Think of Ladies First like The Change-Up (2011) meets Legally Blonde (2001), but with sharper political edges and a French remake pedigree.
Nope is sci-fi horror that swings weirder than Get Out. Some viewers find it more rewarding on a rewatch than a first viewing. The part I am most curious about is whether new viewers coming to it cold on Netflix, without the 2022 marketing campaign framing expectations, will actually like it more than theatrical audiences did.
Safe Haven is classic Sparks — closest in tone to The Notebook or A Walk to Remember. Familiar territory, but executed well.
What's Worth Watching For Later
If Ladies First pulls strong first-weekend numbers, expect Netflix to greenlight more gender-swap remake projects from its pipeline. The French original proved the concept works; the English-language version is the test case.
Jordan Peele's next feature remains unannounced as of May 2026. His production company Monkeypaw continues developing projects across film and television. Nope's continued Netflix presence keeps his back catalogue visible and his audience warm between releases.
The Bottom Line
You've got three solid options. Don't overthink it — just check Movie OTT to confirm what's actually available in your region, then pick based on your mood. New comedy? Ladies First. Something that'll linger? Nope. Uncomplicated comfort? Safe Haven.
The last thing you want is to plan your Saturday night around a title that's quietly left the library.
