Film Previews: February 2025

The cast of "Millers in Marriage." Republic Pictures

Compared to most of the recent past year’s just-meh February offerings, there are more than a few 2025 releases that actually look to be not so bad. This is good news as the second month of the year is traditionally considered the cinematic equivalent of a discount bin at a retail store.

Here are some of the titles coming out next month. Please note: All opening dates are subject to change.

Feb. 4

‘Cash For Gold’

(L–R) Hasan (Farshad Farahat), Mohammad (Marcelo Tubert) and Grace (Deborah Puette), in "Cash for Gold." Freestyle Releasing

Based on an eight-minute 2013 short film of the same name, this Christmas-themed drama stars writer and co-director Deborah Puette. Puette’s character, a recovering alcoholic and widow of a KIA soldier, is facing eviction from her home. She begins working for two apolitical Muslim men operating a retail store in a conservative American small town. (Freestyle Releasing)

Feb. 7

‘Love Hurts’

Smacking of “John Wick” and “Nobody,” this action comedy stars Oscar-winner Ke Huy Kwan as Marvin Gable, a meek and way-too-perky real estate agent who used to be a lethal secret agent. Along with Rose (fellow Oscar-winner Ariana DeBose), Marvin must revisit his past when he becomes the target of his evil gangster brother Alvin “Knuckles” Gable (Daniel Wu). (Universal)

‘Renner’

Former child actor Frankie Muniz (“Malcolm in the Middle”) stars as the meek and tongue-tied title character Renner, a computer programmer with a crush on his new neighbor, Jamie (Violett Beane). With advice from one of his inventions (“Selenus” voiced by Marcia Gay Harden), Renner wins Jamie over, but in the process, he realizes Selenus has multiple hidden agendas. (Seismic Releasing)

Feb. 13

‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’

The fourth installment in the wildly (financially) successful romantic comedy franchise promises more of the same. Returning cast members include Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, and Renee Zellweger, as the title character, who are joined by new arrivals Chiwetel Ejiofor and Leo Woodall as Bridget’s prospective love interests. (Universal)

Feb. 14

‘Captain America: Brave New World’

Red Hulk (Harrison Ford, L) and the Falcon (Anthony Mackie), in "‘Captain America: Brave New World." Disney+/Marvel

This is positioned as a sequel to the TV mini-series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” and the 35th overall feature in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It stars Anthony Mackie as the title character battling an antagonist played by Tim Blake Nelson. The wild card here is Harrison Ford in dual roles as the sitting U.S. President and the motion-captured “Red Hulk.” (Disney/Marvel)

‘The Gorge’

The premise for this action thriller is both fuzzy and intriguing. Elite snipers (Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy) are stationed in opposing towers overlooking a mysterious gorge inhabited by an unspecified threat. The twist: The snipers can see each other but are prohibited from communicating in any way. Sigourney Weaver co-stars. (Apple TV+)

Feb. 21

‘Millers in Marriage’

The cast of "Millers in Marriage." Republic Pictures

For his first directorial feature in five years, Edward Burns leads a dream cast (Morena Baccarin, Gretchen Mol, Julianna Margulies, Benjamin Bratt, Campbell Scott, Minnie Driver, and Patrick Wilson) in this comedic drama about three siblings dealing with their assorted romantic tribulations. (Republic Pictures)

‘Old Guy’

Directed by Simon West (“Con Air,” “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider”), this action comedy stars Christoph Waltz as Danny, an aging hitman facing reluctant retirement due to the onset of arthritis. Co-stars include Lucy Liu and Cooper Hoffman as Danny’s dubious trainee/replacement. (The Avenue/Dark Castle Entertainment)

‘Cleaner’

Based on the trailer, the latest from director Martin Campbell (the James Bond movies “GoldenEye” and “Casino Royale”) looks to be a British riff on “Die Hard.” A disgraced ex-soldier-current window cleaner (Daisy Ridley) is the last hope in stopping a terrorist attack (led by a rather menacing looking Clive Owen) in a London high-rise. (Quiver Distribution)

Feb. 28

‘Last Breath’

Woody Harrelson, Djimon Hounsou, Simu Liu, and Cliff Curtis star in this live-action remake of the 2019 documentary of the same name. It’s a fact-based survival thriller about a deep sea diver, who is trapped under hundreds of feet of water below sea level and separated from his crew. (Focus)

Duncan Allcock (Woody Harrelson), in "Last Breath." Focus

‘The Legend of Ochi’

This family-friendly adventure fantasy shot in Romania is equal parts “Gremlins,” “The Hobbit,” and “E.T.” Helena Zengel (“News of the World”) stars as Yuri, a teen girl who befriends the very young, mythical title woodland creature that gets separated from its family. The movie also features Finn Wolfhard, Emily Watson, and (in his fifth full-length film released over the last seven months) Willem Dafoe. (A24)

‘My Dead Friend Zoe’

In this dramatic comedy, returning Afghanistan War veteran Merit (Sonequa Martin-Green) tries to readjust to civilian life upon returning home, a process that is both aided and hindered by the ghost of her droll deceased friend Zoe (Natalie Morales). Co-stars include Morgan Freeman as a group counselor and Ed Harris as Merit’s high-strung grandfather. (Briarcliff Entertainment)

(L–R) Dale (Ed Harris), Zoe (Natalie Morales), and Merit (Sonequa Martin-Green), in "My Dead Friend Zoe." Briarcliff Entertainment

What to Watch For

For established fans of their respective franchises, the “Bridget Jones” and “Captain America” installments will likely deliver recycled plots, which is both good and bad.

For my money, “Cash For Gold,” “The Gorge,” “Millers in Marriage,” “The Legend of Ochi,” and “My Dead Friend Zoe” hold the most promise. For a February, this is pretty good.

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