Movies to See at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival

The Tribeca Film Festival is right around the corner! This week, the 2022 incarnation of Tribeca gets underway for me, with both in person and virtual screenings (plus perhaps some things I may have links for). The festival always has interesting movies, taking advantage of playing at a unique point in the cinematic calendar. Pre-COVID, the fest was slightly earlier in the year, but the principle still remains. Regardless, coming this year on the heels of Cannes, it’s now Tribeca’s time to shine! To commemorate the start of this feast for cinephiles, I wanted to highlight some of the most interesting titles about to unspool in New York.

Below, you can see over 25 of the movies playing this year at Tribeca. I split them into sixteen honorable mentions and ten picks that I wrote a quick bit about. Much like last year’s piece (found here), it’s meant to just whet your appetite for the festival’s offerings. If you’re in New York City, be sure to try and check out something at the fest, as it’s far more accessible than several other ones, which is always nice…

Here now are some of the many titles to look out for at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival:

Honorable Mentions: 88, Alone Together, Battleground, Corner Office, The Forgiven, The Drop, Halftime, The Integrity of Joseph Chambers, Kaepernick & America, Loudmouth, Lynch / Oz, Next Exit, Rudy! A Documusical, Taurus, There There, To the End, Wes Schlagenhauf Is Dying

American Dreamer – A comedy skewering the American dream, this film stars Peter Dinklage and Shirley MacLaine, with a script by Theodore Melfi. There’s a chance that this one is a real gem, so keep an eye out for it!

The Black Phone – A mainstream horror offering? Count me in. Scott Derrickson‘s latest fright flick has Ethan Hawke in a rare villainous role, one he seems to really be sinking his teeth into. It may not be high art like some of these other movies, but it should be a lot of fun.

Body Parts – The Tribeca documentary I’m most intrigued by, Body Parts details the process of depicting sex scenes on screen, something long dominated by the male gaze. This doc likely will be a downer, but it should have more than enough interesting bits to catch your eye.

Cha Cha Real Smooth – I loved Cha Cha Real Smooth at the Sundance Film Festival and fully expect this to be one of Tribeca’s best titles. My rave review can be found here, but Cooper Raiff really shows why he’s a filmmaker to be very excited about. Plus, Dakota Johnson is terrific here. It’s almost certainly going to be the toast of the fest.

Don’t Make Me Go – As a huge Hannah Marks fan, one who went to bat hard at Tribeca last year for her last film (interviewing her here and here), this is the most exciting title of the festival. If this road trip movie starring John Cho is half as good as Mark, Mary & Some Other People (reviewed here), we’re in for a treat!

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande – Another flick I saw at Sundance (and reviewed here), this sex comedy is a real strong showcase for Emma Thompson. Coming soon to audiences, this is one that will screen at the festival before dropping on Hulu merely days later.

Jerry & Marge Go Large – One of the most star-studded Tribeca efforts this year, this comedy is helmed by David Frankel, with the cast led by Bryan Cranston and Annette Bening. It may be a mainstream crowdpleaser, but it should be a pretty good time, if nothing else.

Official Competition – I missed this one at the Toronto International Film Festival last year, so I’m glad to be playing catch up here. Antonio Banderas and Penélope Cruz lead the way in a skewering of prestige filmmaking. Reviews at other festivals so far have been strong, so this should continue here at Tribeca.

Somewhere in Queens – Ray Romano co-writes, directs, and stars in this comedy, which immediately makes it one of Tribeca’s biggest attractions. Especially if he proves to be a talent in all of these regards, expect it to be a fairly big deal. We shall see, but my expectations are high!

Space Oddity – Kyra Sedgwick directs this romantic dramedy, which has a slight science fiction tinge to it. It feels very much like a Tribeca film, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It just makes it a bit of an X factor, to me at least.

Stay tuned for our coverage of the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival!