We're just about halfway through 2025 and while the theatrical options are (finally) starting to spruce up, streaming offerings have quieted down as we hit the summer months.
Toronto men find themselves at the heart of two streaming offerings this month, one being the late Rob Ford and the other a romance scammer. Neither show the city in the best light, but it's hard to argue that both don't perfectly encapsulate a facet of Toronto that continues to ring true today.
Adding to the multitude of documentaries recently released, two films about the Titan implosion in 2023 drop, while Paul Reubens becomes the subject of another celebrity doc. In the fiction department, Elizabeth Banks and Steve Carell star in new projects that allow them to continue straddling the fine line that is dramedy, but ultimately fail to serve either of their talents in any meaningful way
For more streaming recommendations, be sure to read our past editions of Tune In or Turn Off here.
Turn Off: The Better Sister
(Prime Video)
There's a lot going on in The Better Sister: two estranged sisters reunite after the murder of one sister's husband, who also happens to be the ex-husband of the other sister; the son/stepson is the police's primary suspect; the detective investigating has her own issues, and oddly (and sporadically) becomes the comic relief. The first few episodes begin strongly enough, building up the tension and relationships, with the help of solid performances from Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks. Unfortunately, though, the series can't carry its weight to the finish line, coming apart in the final two episodes. In spite of its binge-worthy promise, The Better Sister concludes as unremarkable television.
Tune In: Implosion: The Titanic Sub Disaster
(CBC Gem)
Similar to the duelling documentaries about the Fyre Festival and the Thailand cave rescue, the implosion of the Titan — a submersible operated by OceanGate to view the wreckage of the Titanic in 2023 — has also gone in a double doc direction. Co-commissioned by the CBC, BBC and Discovery US, Implosion: The Titanic Sub Disaster takes a holistic approach to the accident, considering the implosion itself, its after-effects and the history of this type of "experience." Notably, Implosion includes an interview with Christine Dawood, whose husband and son were both among the five victims on board. The documentary doesn't pull its punches in considering who's responsible and the safety concerns surrounding the Titan, serving as a historical document that proves both fascinating and horrifying in equal measures.
Turn Off: Mountainhead
(Crave)
"Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith and Ramy Youssef walk into a remote mountain home for a rich man's retreat" is as funny as Mountainhead can muster. The Jesse Armstrong-directed and -written movie that satirizes a social media platform's AI tool causing global upheaval as a result of spreading misinformation doesn't gain any ground in the poignancy department, either. Mountainhead fails to do anything but wink hard at its audience. Neither particularly comical nor thought-provoking, it's as bland and bare as the mountain home the men occupy. No lie — it took me five sittings to get through Mountainhead, and it wasn't for lack of time, but simply sheer boredom.
Tune In: Pee-wee as Himself
(Crave)
Possibly one of the greatest celebrity documentaries ever made, Matt Wolf's two-episode docuseries Pee-wee as Himself captures the nuanced humanity of a complicated comedian who both hid behind and was trapped by a character that took on a life of its own. For those of us not too familiar with Paul Reubens, Pee-wee as Himself offers an incredible character study; for his long-time fans, the series serves as both a deep dive into the comedian's work and a bittersweet goodbye. Not many public figures are afforded the chance to have the final say over their image and story, but Reubens (who filmed his interviews just before his passing in 2023) finally sets the record straight.
Tune In: Romcon: Who the F*** Is Jason Porter?
(Prime Video)
It's too simplistic to say that Romcon: Who the F*** Is Jason Porter? highlights the "horrors of modern dating." By exposing a predatory Toronto-area con-man, the women of Romcon, especially real estate broker Heather Rovet, exposed the failings of our legal system in protecting and helping those who become victim to such behaviour. A bite-sized documentary (with only two 45-minute-ish episodes), Romcon is a great conversation-starter about dating woes, and an unlikely reminder of how one person's courage and strength can inspire others.
Tune In: Titan: The OceanGate Disaster
(Netflix)
Where Implosion: The Titanic Sub Disaster provides an accounting of the disaster itself, Netflix's documentary Titan: The OceanGate Disaster focuses its efforts on exposing the reasons for the incident, unafraid to point multiple fingers. Similar to the CBC doc, Titan includes a personal touch, with an interview with the daughter of one of the victims, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, as well as input from former OceanGate employees. Unlike past warring documentaries about the same subject, Implosion and Titan work well as complementary pieces. Some overlap occurs, as expected — but, more than not, both provides a distinctive insight into the underwater tragedy.
Turn Off: Trainwreck: Mayor of Mayhem
(Netflix)
Finally Toronto has received Netflix's Trainwreck treatment. Woo-hoo? Adding to its docuseries about various "trainwrecks" in contemporary history (previous instalments include Woodstock '99, The Cult of American Apparel and The Astroworld Tragedy), the streamer recalls the late Rob Ford's wild tenure as Mayor of Toronto. The doc interviews members of Ford's team as well as journalists reporting on City Hall at the time, but, without any new insights, Mayor of Mayhem never goes beyond simply presenting the events. A lot has happened in the world since those videos of Ford smoking from a crack pipe emerged; Mayor of Mayhem provides an almost nostalgic trip down memory lane, but nothing more.