The Best TV Shows And Movies Leaving HBO Max In March 2023
Warner Bros. Discovery has been in and out of the news a lot lately. From its ruthless new attitude toward its films and shows to its perpetual (yet worrisome) money games, there's reason to be concerned — that is, if you're one to keep tabs on that sort of thing. Recent drama aside though, Warner's streaming platform, HBO Max, still boasts one of the strongest catalogs in the game. Even with the merciless culling and routine roster rotations, there's still a ton of good to discover each month.
March will signal another shake-up for the streaming library: HBO Max will be removing quite a few movies and shows this month. Fortunately, there's still plenty of time to check out some of the best projects before they're gone. Let's take a look at the best movies and shows leaving HBO Max in March.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Andrew Dominik's latest, "Blonde," has gotten a lot of heat in recent months. The controversial film isn't quite a biopic: instead, it's a peek into the hypothetical private life of Marilyn Monroe — and it's not the first time Dominik's blurred the lines between reality, fiction and celebrity. The filmmaker pulled a similar stunt with "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" in 2007, adapting a novel of the same name and subverting its subject in one fell swoop.
"The Assassination of Jesse James" follows the titular outlaw (played by a pitch-perfect Brad Pitt) and his super-fan-turned-killer, Robert Ford (Casey Affleck). Through their relationship, Dominik carefully unspools the myths that glorified the Old West and the "heroes" that reigned at that time. It's an antithesis to the Western in every way, focusing not on Clint Eastwood-inspired shoot-outs, but the inner lives of James' infamous crew. Though it caused Warner Bros. quite the headache during production — and failed to break even at the box office — it remains one of the best neo-Westerns, and one of Dominik's best films.
Cleopatra Jones
Black female action stars are frustratingly few and far between on film. Fortunately, though, old standards remain, like the blaxploitation classic "Cleopatra Jones." The 1973 film bravely asks: "What if James Bond were a six-foot-tall Black woman?" Ironically, it premiered the same year that the Bond franchise cast its first Black Bond girl in Gloria Hendry — but "Cleopatra Jones" proved that Black women could hold it down in a franchise all their own. As the eponymous secret agent, Tamara Dobson is the image of cool, and her first adventure was successful enough to earn a sequel. Both films depart HBO Max at the end of March.
Happy Endings
If there's one television constant I will never grow tired of, it's the sitcom about a group of dysfunctional young adults. There always seems to be at least one on the air at a time, one that defines a decade (and a generation). In the '90s there was "Friends," the early aughts had "How I Met Your Mother," and the 2010s had "New Girl" — but there was also "Happy Endings." The short-lived cult comedy aired from 2011 to 2013, and the premise, if I may be so bold, is perfect. After dating for over a decade, Alex (Elisha Cuthbert) and Dave (Zachary Knighton) are finally getting married. Dave, of course, is thrilled, but Alex worries that their relationship has fizzled. So when a man on rollerblades crashes the wedding to profess his love for her, she does what any rom-com lead would do and runs into the sunset with him. That leaves Dave blindsided at the altar, and his friends — Alex's sister Jane (Eliza Coupe), her husband Brad (Damon Wayans Jr.), the perpetually single Penny (Casey Wilson) and Max (Adam Pally) — are forced to pick up the pieces.
Though it only ran for 3 seasons, the jokes and the rapport are brilliant to the very last. While its time on HBO Max is coming to a close, there's still plenty of time to binge this criminally underrated series.
Girlfriends
The concept of female friendship is a tricky one to articulate on-screen, but that hasn't stopped many filmmakers from trying. Recent iterations — think Lena Dunham's "Girls" and Greta Gerwig's "Frances Ha" — have articulated the struggle of holding onto those friendships in adulthood, but they owe a lot to the 1978 film "Girlfriends."
"Girlfriends" follows the story of Suzie (Melanie Mayron), a struggling photographer, and her best friend and roommate Anne (Anita Skinner). When Anne announces her plans to move out and marry her long-term boyfriend, Suzie is forced to move on without a confidant — and, of course, a significant portion of her monthly rent. As she tries to scrape by with gigs at bar mitzvahs and struggles to adjust to her new life, director Claudia Well paints a gorgeous portrait of New York in the '70s. It's become the blueprint for so many modern tales about female relationships (if you've seen "Frances Ha," you probably recognize the similarities in plot), but for all its cultural significance, it remains a bit under the radar.
Set It Off
F. Gary Gray's "Set It Off" is another film that, surprisingly, depicts female friendship incredibly well. Of course, this heist film is about so much more than the bond between its core quartet. It's about exploitation, a broken society, and — in a way — reparations. Frankie (Vivica Fox), Stony (Jada Pinkett Smith), Cleo (Queen Latifah), and T.T. (Kimberly Elise) are four friends who've faced more than their share of hardship. With their backs against the wall and dwindling chances of upward mobility, they choose to band together and take their fate into their own hands ... by robbing a few banks. This brilliant, bombastic, and devastating film is a must-watch for action lovers and fans of kick-ass heroines. Fox, Pinkett, Latifah, and Elise have all gone on to prove their incredible chops in other projects — and are each powerful performers in their own right — but together they bring a unique power to "Set It Off," one that Gray supports with tightly-paced, pulse-quickening action.
Everything Leaving HBO Max In March 2022
March 1:
Space Jam: A New Legacy, 2021 (HBO)
March 7:
Just a Boy from Tupelo: Bringing Elvis to the Big Screen, 2023
March 8:
Cries From Syria, 2017 (HBO)
March 14:
Arthur Miller: Writer, 2018 (HBO)
Ron's Gone Wrong, 2021
March 22:
The Suicide Squad, 2021 (HBO)
March 27:
Mandrake Telefilm Part 1, 2013 (HBO)
Mandrake Telefilm Part 2, 2013 (HBO)
March 30:
Armed and Dangerous, 1986
Hitman's Wife Bodyguard, 2021 (HBO)
March 31:
3:10 To Yuma, 2007 (HBO)
10, 1979
The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, 1999
A Happening Of Monumental Proportions, 2022 (HBO)
Aeon Flux, 2006 (HBO)
American Hustle, 2013
Annabelle, 2014 (HBO)
Around the World In 80 Days, 1956
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, 2007
Bad News Bears, 2005 (HBO)
Balls Out: Gary the Tennis Coach, 2009
Beach Rats, 2017 (HBO)
Beerfest, 2006
Before Sunrise, 1995
Before Sunset, 2004
The Best of Blaxploitation, 2023
The Big Chill, 1983
The Big Sleep, 1946
Black Hawk Down, 2001 (HBO)
Black Nativity, 2013 Director's Cut (HBO)
Blackthorn, 2011 (HBO)
Body Heat, 1981
Border, 2018 (HBO)
The Boy Who Could Fly, 1989
Camelot, 1967
The Campaign, 2012
Cannery Row, 1982
Chappelle's Show, Seasons 1-2
Charlie St. Cloud, 2010 (HBO)
Cheech & Chong's Nice Dreams, 1981 (HBO)
Cheech & Chong's Things Are Tough All Over, 1982 (HBO)
Colossal, 2017 (HBO)
Coneheads, 1993 (HBO)
Cheyenne Autumn, 1964
Children of the Damned, 1964
City Slickers, 1991
City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold, 1994
Cleopatra Jones, 1973
Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold, 1975
Colossal, 2016
Contagion, 2011
Dances With Wolves, 1990 Extended Version (HBO)
Dating Amber, 2020
Deep Impact, 1998 (HBO)
The Dirty Dozen, 1967
Dogfight, 1991
Down Terrace, 2022 (HBO)
Elvis on Tour, 1972
Elvis: That's the Way it is, 1970
Ender's Game, 2013 (HBO)
Escape Plan, 2013 (HBO)
Excess Baggage, 1997 (HBO)
The Eyes of Tammy Faye, 2021
Fair Game, 2010 (HBO)
Five Easy Pieces, 1970
Flipped, 2010
Four Weddings and A Funeral, 1994 (HBO)
Frank, 2014 (HBO)
Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home, 1995
Furry Vengeance, 2010 (HBO)
Ghostbusters, 1984
Ghostbusters II, 1989
Girlfriends, 1978
Gold Diggers of 1933, 1933
Grand Piano, 2013 (HBO)
Grumpier Old Men, 1995
Grumpy Old Men, 1993
A Guy Named Joe, 1943
Hall Pass, 2011
Happy Endings, 2011
Hooper, 1978
Hoosiers, 1986 (HBO)
House of Wax, 2005
House on Haunted Hill, 1999
House Party: Tonight's the Night, 2013
Hugo, 2011 (HBO)
The Hunger, 1983
Innerspace, 1987
Into the Storm, 2014 (HBO)
Iron Eagle, 1986
Iron Eagle II, 1988
It Happened at the World's Fair, 1963
Jailhouse Rock, 1957
Joe Versus the Volcano, 1990 (HBO)
Jumper, 2008 (HBO)
Jumping the Broom, 2011
Kick-Ass, 2010 (HBO)
Killer Elite, 2011 (HBO)
Larry Crowne, 2011 (HBO)
The Last Detail, 1973
The Last Dragon, 1985
Les Misérables, 1998
Lions for Lambs, 2007 (HBO)
Live By Night, 2016
Logan's Run, 1976
Lolita, 1962
Love & Basketball, 2000
Love Don't Cost a Thing, 2003
Love in the Afternoon, 1957
Malibu's Most Wanted, 2003
A Man Apart, 2003
The Man Who Would Be King, 1975
Matilda, 1996
Meet the Spartans, 2008 Extended Version (HBO)
Michael, 1996
Mickey Blue Eyes, 1999 (HBO)
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, 1997
Moon, 2009 (HBO)
Moscow on the Hudson, 1984
My Cousin Vinny, 1992 (HBO)
Mystic River, 2003
National Lampoon's European Vacation, 1985
New Jack City, 1991
No Place on Earth, 2013 (HBO)
Nobody, 2021 (HBO)
On the Waterfront, 1954
Only Lovers Left Alive, 2014 (HBO)
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, 2016 (HBO)
Pride and Prejudice, 1940
Profile, 2021 (HBO)
Prom Night, 2008
Promised Land, 2012 (HBO)
Rain Man, 1988 (HBO)
Red 2, 2013 (HBO)
Red Dust, 1932
Robin hOOD, 2018 (HBO)
Romance on the High Seas, 1948
Rosewood, 1997
Sesame Street Presents Follow That Bird, 1985
Set it Off, 1996
Sex and the City (Movie), 2008
Shaft in Africa, 1973
Shaft's Big Score!, 1972
She's All That, 1999 (HBO)
Showdown in Little Tokyo, 1991
Showtime, 2002
Sideways, 2004 (HBO)
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, 2005
South Central, 1992
Spawn, 1997
Super Fly, 1972
Surf's Up 2: WaveMania, 2017
Tea for Two, 1950
The Bad News Bears, 1976 (HBO)
The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training, 1977 (HBO)
The Break-Up, 2006 (HBO)
The Freshman, 1990 (HBO)
The Heartbreak Kid, 2007 (HBO)
The Incredible Hulk, 2008 (HBO)
The Last Airbender, 2010 (HBO)
The Lincoln Lawyer, 2011 (HBO)
The Perfect Host, 2011 (HBO)
The Secret Life of Bees, 2008 Director's Cut (HBO)
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, 2013 (HBO)
The Thin Man, 1934
The Thirteenth Floor, 1999
The Toy, 1982
The Truth About Cats and Dogs, 1996 (HBO)
The Two Faces of January, 2014 (HBO)
Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie, 2012 (HBO)
To the Wonder, 2013 (HBO)
Twisted, 2004 (HBO)
Upside of Anger, 2005
Vegas Vacation, 1997
Veronica Mars, 2014
Vice Versa, 1988
Village of the Damned, 1960
Viva Las Vegas, 1964
Waist Deep, 2006 (HBO)
Waiting for Guffman, 1997
Waking Life, 2001 (HBO)
Wattstax, 1973
The Way Back, 2020
Woman of the Year, 1942
What to Expect When You're Expecting, 2012 (HBO)