Picture it — it’s a cold, rainy and obnoxiously dreary afternoon. With those pitiful conditions, it’s perfectly logical that most people wouldn’t want to do anything or go anywhere. They might even turn into Eeyore and spend a mopey day at home. For cinephiles, though, a nasty weather day is an excuse to cozy up with a soft blanket, a glass of something warm and a favorite movie or TV series on a streaming platform like Netflix.
And for those looking to spend a whole afternoon in a comfy chair, there are plenty of things to look forward to. For instance, the first part of Stranger Things Season 4 will hit Netflix on May 27, and The Batman will arrive on HBO Max on April 19. But while those long-term commitments may be exactly what some people are looking for, others could be looking for something a little shorter — and Pete Davidson spent his weekend making that extremely clear in a grandiose and hilarious way.
This week’s Saturday Night Live (SNL) included everything from continuing coverage of the Will Smith and Chris Rock incident to more inclusive baby clothes. Yet, the highlight was a digital short titled “Short-Ass Movies.” Staring Pete Davidson, it lamented how movies could be unnecessarily long, leading to bathroom accidents and falling asleep midway through films. Except, Davidson didn’t just say as much — he rapped about it. He was adamant that “the one kind of movie” he was looking for on Netflix was a short-ass movie, “like at most an hour 40.” Along the way, Davidson gave some examples of quality, short cinema while calling out notoriously long films, specifically mentioning The Heat and The Batman.
Joining Davidson was a group of rappers who were just as adamant about time-efficient cinema. Gunna gave a new meaning to his hit song “Pushin P.,” and Chris Redd rapped about the benefits of movies like Bambi, which are “tiny but good.” Finally, Dirt Nasty (Simon Rex) made a plea for all nine of Jim Varney’s Ernest movies.
While long runtimes certainly have their place, Davidson and Co. made a valid point. Sometimes people want to watch a movie that doesn’t require a long attention span or extended time on the couch. The hilarious thing is that Netflix readily agreed with the SNL skit and quickly said as much on Twitter. However, Netflix didn’t just make a comment — it responded. Keeping SNL’s very quibble title, the streaming giant added a “Short-Ass Movies” category to its platform. Now, fans of short runtimes have a tailormade place where they can find movies that are “like at most an hour 40.”
Since “Short-Ass Movies” is a category, Netflix users can narrow down their search for a short movie by various genres, such as Scary, Thriller and Action. And some of the most popular films on the streaming platform that qualify for the “Short-Ass Movies” section are Peter Rabbit 2, Richie Rich and Stand by Me. With those movies in mind, it’s time for Netflix enthusiasts to find a short movie that’s worth watching.
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