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We are in the thick of Black Friday season, and as a consumer, it's totally overwhelming. You're getting inundated with so many deals from every single retailer, and it's hard to stay focused and find the best deals. Right now, we're focusing on one retailer's Black Friday sale: Walmart.

Walmart Black Friday deals at a glance Apple AirPods 4 $69 (save $60) Get Deal Magic Bullet Essential Blender $15 (save $24.99) Get Deal PlayStation 5 Disc Console Slim (1TB) $449 (save $100.99) Get Deal Fitbit Inspire 3 $69.95 (save $30) Get Deal Philips 50-inch Class 4K Ultra HD (2160p) $228 (save $50) Get Deal

While Amazon dominates the online space, Walmart is where you go to shop low prices in person. If you prefer to avoid shipping costs and want to go hands-on with products before buying, Walmart will be open at the crack of dawn on Black Friday. For online shoppers, Walmart+ members will also get early access to Walmart's top deals and doorbusters.

Here's everything you need to know about the Walmart Black Friday 2025 sale, including what time stores will open on Black Friday, when the sale ends, and the best deals to shop early.

SEE ALSO: Black Friday 2025: Live updates on the latest deals from Amazon, Target, Walmart, and more When exactly is Walmart's Black Friday Sale?

Black Friday officially takes place on Nov. 28, but like most retailers, Walmart's sale will start early. Walmart's Black Friday sale officially starts today, on Nov. 25, and runs through Nov. 30, which includes in-store and online savings. On Dec. 1, Walmart will run a Cyber Monday deal that takes place exclusively online. Leading up to the event, Walmart already hosted a Black Friday sneak peek event from Nov. 14 to 16, featuring early holiday deals.

Walmart Black Friday early access

For both Walmart's Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, Walmart+ members get five hours of early access to the sale starting the day before the event at 7 p.m. ET.

If you're not already a Walmart+ member, the retailer has a promotion going on for new members. You can either take advantage of the usual 30-day free trial or score 50% off a one-year membership and pay just $49. A Walmart+ membership comes with tons of free perks, including free delivery (including local grocery delivery), free access to either Paramount+ or Peacock, pharmacy delivery, and more.

Opens in a new window Credit: Walmart 1-Year Walmart+ Membership $49 at Walmart
$98 Save $49   Get Deal What time does Walmart open on Black Friday?

Since Walmart's Black Friday sale takes place in-store in addition to online, its stores will be open, too. Walmart's store will open at 6 a.m. local time on Nov. 28. However, there may be some exceptions to those hours, so it's best to check Walmart's store locator for exact opening hours.

Best Black Friday deals at Walmart

Looking to get a head start on Black Friday sales? Here are the best deals we've spotted at the retailer. Included in Walmart's deals is a discount on the brand's Walmart+ membership, which is now 50% off during Black Friday.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple AirPods 4 $69 at Walmart
$129.99 Save $60.99   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: PlayStation PlayStation 5 Disc Console Slim (1TB) $449 at Walmart
$549.99 Save $100.99   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Oura Oura Ring 4 $249 at Walmart
$349 Save $100   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: JLab JLab JBuds Lux Headphones $27 at Walmart
$79.99 Save $52.99   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Magic Bullet Magic Bullet Essential Blender with To-Go Lid $15 at Walmart
$39.99 Save $24.99   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M1, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD $549 at Walmart
$649 Save $100   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Hisense Hisense 75-inch H5 QLED 4K Roku TV $378 at Walmart
$499 Save $121   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Nintendo Super Mario: Odyssey for Nintendo Switch $30 at Walmart
$59.99 Save $29.99   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Roborock Roborock Qrevo Series Robot Vacuum and Mop $459.99 at Walmart
$749.99 Save $290   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Dyson Dyson V12 Detect Slim Cordless Vacuum Cleaner $399.99 at Walmart
$729.99 Save $330   Get Deal Best Walmart Black Friday ad highlightsTV deals

• Vizio 32-inch Class HD 720p LED Smart TV — $98 $118 (save $20)

• Vizio 50-inch Class — $128 $214 (save $86)

• Philips 50-inch Class 4K Ultra HD (2160p) — $228 $278 (save $50)

• LG 55-inch 4K UHD AI Smart TV (55UA7000) — $248 $328.99 (save $80.99)

• Hisense 75-inch Class H5 Series — $378 $499 (save $121)

• Hisense 75-Inch Class U6H — $478 $698 (save $220)

• Samsung 85-inch Class Crystal UHD 4K Smart TV — $698 $999 (save $301)

• LG 65-inch C5 Series 4K UHD OLED evo AI Smart webOS TV (OLED65C5PUA) — $1,295 $2,499.99 (save $1,204.99)

Apple deals

• Apple AirTag 4-pack — $64.98 $99 (save $34.02)

• Apple AirPods 4 — $69 $129.99 (save $60.99)

• Apple Pencil Pro — $94.99 $129 (save $34.01)

• Apple AirPods Pro 2 — $139 $239 (save $100)

• Apple AirPods Pro 3 — $219.99 $249 (save $29.01)

• 2022 Apple 10.9-inch iPad — $349 $449 (save $100)

• 2025 Apple 11-inch iPad — $379 $449 (save $70)

• Apple AirPods Max (USB-C) — $429.99 $549 (save $119.01)

• Apple 14-inch MacBook Pro M5 — $1,441.61 $1,599 (save $157.36)

Fitness tracker deals

• Fitbit Inspire 3 — $69.95 $99.95 (save $30)

• Fitbit Versa 2 — $93.01 $200 (save $106.99)

• Garmin vívoactive 5 — $189.95 $214.05 (save $24.10)

• Apple Watch SE 3 GPS 40mm — $199.99 $239.99 (save $40)

Gaming deals

• Wired Gaming Keyboard & Mouse Combo — $15.99 $35.98 (save $19.99)

• GTRACING 55-inch Large RGB Gaming Computer Desk with Mouse Pad — $64.99 $149.99 (save $85)

• Bigzzia Gaming Chair — $75.99 $149.99 (save $74)

• CRUA 24-inch 75HZ Curved Monitor — $89.99 $129.99 (save $40)

• Zhic Gaming Desktop PC — $429.89 $599 (save $169.11)

• PlayStation 5 Pro — $649 $749 (save $100)

• CyberPowerPC Gamer Master Gaming Desktop — $799 $979.99 (save $180.99)

Laptop deals

• Acer Chromebook 315 (Intel Celeron N4500, 4GB RAM, 64GB eMMC) — $109 $209 (save $120)

• Asus Vivobook Go 15 (Intel i3-N305, 8GB RAM, 256GB UFS) — $219 $349.99 (save $130.99)

• HP Laptop 15 (Intel Core i5-1334U, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $299 $589.99 (save $290.99)

• HP OmniBook 5 (Intel Core Ultra 7 255U, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $479 $979.99 (save $500.99)

• Acer Nitro V 15 (Intel Core i5-13420H, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $599 $929 (save $330)

Robot vacuum deals

• Shark Matrix 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum — $200 $379.99 (save $179.99)

• iRobot Roomba 1010 — $198 $339.99 (save $141.99)

• Roborock Q10 X5+ — $249.99 $499.99 (save $250)

Headphone deals

• JBL Tune 520BT On-Ear Headphones — $29.95 $59.95 (save $30)

• Beats Flex — $30.01 $69.95 (save $39.94)

• JBL Tune 670NC Headphones — $54.95 $109.95 (save $55)

• Beats Fit Pro (ANC) — $149 $199.99 (save $50.99)

• JBL Tour One M2 Bluetooth Wireless Headphones — $149.95 $299 (save $149.05)

SAVE $500: The 65-inch Samsung The Frame LS03F 4K TV has dropped to $1,197.99 in the Amazon Black Friday sale. This is $500 off its list price of $1,697.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 65-Inch Class The Frame LS03F 4K QLED TV (2025) $1,197.99 at Amazon
$1,697.99 Save $500   Get Deal

As winter creeps in, nothing beats settling in for a movie night to avoid the chilly weather. That's especially true over the holidays. And if you've been looking for a new TV to watch it all on, there's plenty of discounts to explore with Black Friday sales going hard this year. Right now, Amazon is offering a particularly nice deal on the 65-inch Samsung The Frame LS03F 4K TV.

While not exclusively part of Amazon's Black Friday sale, the retailer is still offering a nice $500 discount on the 65-inch Samsung The Frame LS03F 4K TV. This has dropped its price from $1,697.99 to $1,197.99, which is very close to its lowest-ever price of $1,147.99.

SEE ALSO: Black Friday 2025: Live updates on the latest deals from Amazon, Target, Walmart, and more

What sets Samsung's The Frame apart from other TVs is the fact that it can be used as an art display as well. When you're not using it to marathon a new TV show or host a movie night, it can display beautiful pieces of art or some of your favorite photos. Its glare-free screen allows these to be shown off at their best without any reflections getting in the way, too.

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And for those moments when you're actually watching, this 2025 model of The Frame boasts 4K resolution and a QLED display that makes images pop with vibrant color and sharp detail. The picture quality will look smooth as well thanks to a 144Hz refresh rate, which is good news for gamers.

Treat yourself to this sleek 65-inch Samsung The Frame LS03F 4K TV at Amazon while it's still on sale. And if you're curious what other TVs are discounted right now, check out our breakdown of the best Black Friday TV deals.

TL;DR: As of Nov. 26, the Phantasmal Flames Booster Box has dropped to $259.95 at Amazon, which is $10 below TCGplayer's market value.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Phantasmal Flames Booster Box $259.95 at Amazon
$299.99 Save $40.04   Get Deal

The first expansion for Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution, Phantasmal Flames, is now in the wild and trainers are going mad for it. The beautiful thing about this set is seeing more stock floating around in general. Hopefully this is a sign of Pokémon TCG being printed into oblivion, which should in turn put scalpers off and we can enjoy collecting and playing.

Big box retailers are slowly getting the message, with the Phantasmal Flames Booster box $10 cheaper than market value right now in the Amazon Black Friday sale compared to TCGplayer's price of $269.93. Yes, it's over MSRP, but unfortunatley that's the market and it's what people are willing to pay.

SEE ALSO: Where to buy Pokémon cards in 2025 — avoid overpaying or missing out on new sets

Trainers can look forward to ripping open 36 packs that could very well have a Mega Charizard X ex card in there. I'm talking about the standard ex, Alt Rare, Secret Illustration Rare, and Gold Hyper Rare. They all look insane and are some of the most expensive chase card in the modern era right now. I've also been keeping an eye out for other Black Friday Pokémon deals for those who fancy a new Funko or Squishmallow.

Most valuable Phantasmal Flames Pokémon cards Credit: Mashable Photo Composite / The Pokémon Company

Having 36 booster packs to open doesn't mean you're going to find your chase card. Phantasmal Flames individual card values have been dropping rapidly since launch, and it's probably going to save money just buying your favorite card outright:

1. Mega Charizard X ex - 125/094
   Near Mint Holofoil: $598
   Market price: $590.16
   Most recent sale: $575

2. Mega Charizard X ex - 130/094
   Near Mint Holofoil: $445
   Market price: $495.43
   Most recent sale: $420

3. Mega Charizard X ex - 109/094
   Near Mint Holofoil: $42.49
   Market price: $36.04
   Most recent sale: $43.25

4. Mega Lopunny ex - 128/094
   Near Mint Holofoil: $33.98
   Market price: $37.32
   Most recent sale: $32.69

5. Mega Sharpedo ex - 127/094
   Near Mint Holofoil: $38.99
   Market price: $42.05
   Most recent sale: $41.20

MARKET VALUE: As of Nov. 26, the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Three Booster Blister is $29.99 at Amazon, which is market value when compared to listings at TCGplayer.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Mega Evolution Three Booster Blister $29.99 at Amazon
  Get Deal

The Mega Evolution Three Booster Blister is $29.99 right now at Amazon, which is market value and a cracking Black Friday offer. I get that it's still not MSRP, but market value is what people are willing to pay whilst Pokémania 2025 is still in full swing.

The Mega Evolution era of Pokémon TCG is off to a strong start, with the release of it's first expansion, Phantasmal Flames, knocking it out of the park. In the base set, Mega Garevoir ex, Mega Lucario ex, and Mega Venusaur ex are ruling the top chase cards, with the Illustration Rare / Secret Art Rare artset of the Bulbasaur evolution line a star of the show.

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We're also seeing significant drops across most modern Pokémon TCG card values, which means it's a great time to snag single cards before they go back up in value over time. Here's the top five chase cards from Mega Evolution, including where to buy them and up-to-date values:

1. Mega Gardevoir ex - 187/132
   Near Mint Holofoil: $350
   Market price: $345
   Most recent sale: $300

2. Mega Lucario ex - 188/132
   Near Mint Holofoil: $423.99
   Market price: $459.96
   Most recent sale: $398

3. Mega Gardevoir ex - 178/132
   Near Mint Holofoil: $218.47
   Market price: $205.13
   Most recent sale: $193.99

4. Mega Lucario ex - 179/132
   Near Mint Holofoil: $191.69
   Market price: $201.19
   Most recent sale: $199.99

5. Mega Venusaur ex - 177/132
   Near Mint Holofoil: $147
   Market price: $154.12
   Most recent sale: $145

SAVE $70: As of Nov. 26, the Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet is on sale for $69.99 in the Amazon Black Friday sale. That's a 50% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet $69.99 at Amazon
$139.99 Save $70.00   Get Deal

Amazon's Black Friday event has been underway for almost a week now, and the deals show no signs of slowing down. Everything from robot vacuums to headphones are seeing great discounts, and even Amazon's own products are down in price.

The Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet is now down to its best-ever price. As of Nov. 26, it's on sale for $69.99. That's a $70 saving, only reaching this low during Amazon's October Prime Day. It's a great tablet for most people, especially if you don't want to spend over $100.

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It has a 10.1-inch 1080p Full HD display that's perfect for watching shows on various streaming apps, browsing social media, or even using for work. The 13-hour battery life will keep you going all day, so it's an ideal choice if you plan to use it on the go. It's also lightweight and durable, with strengthened aluminosilicate glass, so it can handle being carted around in your bag all day. There's even a 5 MP front camera that's ideal for video calls or selfies.

The tablet is also packed with smart tools for things like summarizing webpages, sending clear emails, and creating wallpapers. If it's going to be a tablet for the whole family, it has features like Amazon Kids parental controls and an optional Amazon Kids+ subscription for extra books, apps, and media.

Pick up this Amazon tablet deal in the Black Friday sales now.

OnePlus is back again with a new phone—this time, the third device launch in 2025. With a massive 7,300mAh battery, a triple 50MP camera array (with 4K 120FPS and Dolby Vision recording), and gaming capabilities never before seen on a phone, here’s why I think the OnePlus 15 is one of the best Android phones of the year.

SAVE $483: As of Nov. 25, the LG 32-inch Ultragear 4k Gaming Monitor is on sale for $916.99 in the Amazon Black Friday sale. That's a 35% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: LG LG 32-inch Ultragear 4K $916.99 at Amazon
$1,399.99 Save $483   Get Deal

Choosing the right screen for your gaming setup is important. You need something that will enhance the quality while also keeping your eyes and neck happy and comfortable. With Black Friday sales underway, this is the perfect time to treat yourself to an upgrade, and we've spotted a great deal on the LG 32-inch Ultragear 4K at Amazon.

As of Nov. 26, the LG 32-inch Ultragear 4k Gaming Monitor is down to its best-ever price, now $916.99. That's an extra $483 in your pocket.

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It's an impressive monitor that is able to run in two modes: 4K at up to 240Hz or Full HD at up to 480Hz, and you can switch between them with a helpful hotkey. It has a very fast 0.03ms response time to cut down on lag, and it works with both NVIDIA G-SYNC Compatible and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro to reduce tearing and stutter.

It has a thin design, with small borders and for comfort it offers height, tilt, swivel, and pivot adjustments. It also has an anti-glare surface to help protect your eyes during long gaming sessions. And with the Switch app, you can easily split the screen into multiple layouts and move between your PC and the built-in webOS features.

Pick up this Black Friday deal from Amazon now.

SAVE OVER $500: As of Nov. 26, the Samsung 49-inch Odyssey G9 is on sale for $701.58 at Amazon. That's a savings of 46% on list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 49-inch Odyssey G9 $701.58 at Amazon
$1,299.99 Save $598.41   Get Deal

If your gaming setup isn't quite up to scratch, Black Friday is the perfect excuse to make those extra little purchases that sort everything out. And by little purchases, we mean the Samsung 49-inch Odyssey G9. This impressive monitor is currently on sale as part of Amazon's Black Friday event, and it's never been priced lower than this. As of Nov. 26, it is now priced at $701.58, a saving of almost $600 on list price.

This is a curved gaming monitor with Dual QHD resolution, designed to give you a much larger field of view for a better, more immersive gaming experience. It features a 240Hz refresh rate and 1ms (GtG) response time for smooth, non-laggy gameplay, along with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro support to help reduce stutter.

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It also comes with an adjustable stand that allows for height, tilt, and swivel movements and supports VESA mounting. The monitor also includes PBP and PIP modes for viewing multiple inputs at once. It even benefits from Auto Source Switch+ for quicker device detection, TÜV-certified eye comfort features to reduce strain during long gaming sessions, and Adaptive Picture, which automatically adjusts brightness based on your environment.

Pick up this gaming monitor deal in Amazon's Black Friday sale now.

Newsletter platform Substack will require users in the UK to verify their age to comply with the Online Safety Act.

The Online Safety Act, which went into effect late July this year, requires websites containing explicit content to install one of several possible ways to assure a visitor's age, such as one's banking information or a facial recognition scan. It's just one of many age-verification laws that have been enacted globally in the last few years. Adult site Pornhub complies with the UK's law — but some "SFW" sites have started age-verifying as well, such as YouTube.

SEE ALSO: Pornhub asked tech platforms to enable device-level age verification

Now, Substack has become the latest to require more data from its users. On October 20, Substack published a blog post about its position on the Online Safety Act, stating that it "cautions against regulatory measures like these."

"Though they are often well-intentioned, these laws are not necessarily effective at achieving their stated aims, and they come with real costs to free expression," the post states. "They introduce friction, forcing an identification step before people can read on the internet."

The post went on to state that despite this, "we respect the right of countries to set their own laws, and we comply with local regulations where required."

It outlined the steps it would take to comply, including that if content is labeled under a category covered by the law, anyone viewing it on a browser or the Substack app may see a notice requiring them to complete age verification before viewing it. Substack caveated that paid subscribers are verified due to their banking information, and other subscribers may be verified already through other platforms. (This blog also mentions Australia's upcoming age-verification law, but subsequent posts don't.)

The list of content restricted to adults, according to Substack's Help Center, includes:

• Sexually explicit or pornographic content

• Content that encourages self-harming behaviors (i.e. eating disorders and suicide)

• Bullying or harassment

• Hate targeting people based on protected characteristics (like race and sexual orientation)

• Violent or graphic material

The platform updated a Help Center page titled, "Why is Substack asking to verify my age?" on Tuesday. Substack explained that a publication's chat, DMs, comments, and Notes may be blurred or blocked if they fit within the Online Safety Act's definition of "potentially harmful content."

It also laid out instructions for how to complete a facial scan. It recommends grabbing a government ID "in case the selfie verification fails," as well.

Substack stated it will retain the age estimate following the verification process.

If content is blurred that you don't believe falls under the Online Safety Act, you can request a manual review.

In the last few years, many users left Substack due to the platform hosting alt-right and Neo-Nazi content. Those posts will now likely get blurred in the UK for non-verified users.

SAVE $200: As of Nov. 26, the Alienware AW3423DWF is on sale for $499.99 in the Amazon Black Friday sale. That's a 28% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Alienware Alienware AW3423DWF Gaming Monitor $499.99 at Amazon
$699.99 Save $200   Get Deal

It's one of the biggest retail weeks of the year, and the discounts are flying in. Black Friday isn't technically for a couple more days, but retailers have kicked things off early with deals on gaming tech really taking off. And if you've been on the lookout for a new monitor to add to your setup, check out this great deal on the Alienware AW3423DWF.

As of Nov. 26, this curved gaming monitor has a $200 discount, now down to $499.99. This price is for the 34-inch model, which is now at its lowest-ever price according to camelcamelcamel.

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This monitor uses Quantum Dot Display Technology to give you a higher peak brightness and a wider color gamut than standard WOLED panels. Gaming is nice and smooth, and it supports ultra-low latency gameplay, HDR, and smooth performance with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and VESA AdaptiveSync Display certification.

This screen is also designed with a curved 1800R panel, AlienFX RGB lighting, improved ventilation, better cable management, and a height-adjustable stand with tilt, swivel, and slant options. There's even a Creator Mode in the OSD that lets users switch between DCI-P3 and sRGB color spaces and adjust gamma settings

Pick up this Black Friday gaming monitor deal from Amazon now.

SAVE $600: As of Nov. 26, the Roborock Saros 10R robot vacuum and mop is on sale for $999.99 in the Amazon Black Friday sale. This is a 38% discount and marks a return to its lowest-ever price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Roborock Roborock Saros 10R Robot Vacuum and Mop $999.99 at Amazon
$1,599.99 Save $600   Get Deal

Robot vacuums are a seriously helpful investment in your home. Especially with the holidays approaching and friends and family coming over, they give you one less thing to worry about when it comes to cleaning. If you've been interested in getting one, Black Friday is a great time to buy. Right now there's some stellar discounts available, including on the Roborock Saros 10R robot vacuum and mop at Amazon.

In Amazon's Black Friday sale, the Roborock Saros 10R has dropped to $999.99. This is a $600 discount from its usual price of $1,599.99, but more importantly, this price marks a return to its lowest-ever price. No better time to pick it up.

SEE ALSO: Black Friday 2025: Live updates on the latest deals from Amazon, Target, Walmart, and more

No matter if there's pet hair on the floor or maybe some crumbs from tasty holiday meals, the Roborock Saros 10R can clean it all up with the help of its powerful 22,000Pa HyperForce suction. Its mopping system can scrub up any annoying stains on harder surfaces, too. It even boasts a slim profile at just 3.14-inches tall, so it can easily navigate under furniture and give your house a deep clean.

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The Roborock Saros 10R even ranks on our list of the best robot vacuums as the best option for corner cleaning. According to Mashable's Leah Stodart, this is because "One of its spinning mops is hinged and can swing out a few inches past the vac's circular body." So you can feel content knowing every corner is getting the clean it needs.

Don't miss out on this Roborock Saros 10R robot vacuum and mop deal at Amazon. For even more discounts on these helpful cleaners, check out our breakdown of the best robot vacuum deals.

SAVE OVER $700: The Microsoft Surface Pro 2-in-1 Laptop/Tablet is on sale for $1,399 in the Amazon Black Friday sale. That's 33% off the list price of $2,099.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Surface Pro 2-in-1 Laptop/Tablet (2024) $1,399 at Amazon
$2,099.99 Save $700.99   Get Deal

If you’re looking to pick up a new device this Black Friday, you can do a lot worse than the 2024 edition of the Microsoft Surface Pro. It’s a great alternative to Apple and is even more tempting thanks to a Black Friday saving of over $700.

The Microsoft Surface Pro 2-in-1 Laptop/Tablet (2024) has been marked down to just $1,399 — 33% off the list price of $2,099.99. That’s an overall saving of $700.99.

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This 13-inch hybrid is part of Microsoft’s Copilot+ range, which means it comes equipped with Microsoft’s AI features. It’s also powered by the impressive Snapdragon X Elite processor. You also get a full 1TB of storage and a dazzling OLED touchscreen display. That makes this a great option for streaming movies and shows. Unfortunately the keyboard will cost you a little extra but that’s also marked down for Black Friday.

Pick up the Microsoft Surface Pro 2-in-1 Laptop/Tablet (2024) for $1,300 — a saving of $700.99 — as part of the Amazon Black Friday sale.

SAVE ALMOST $350: The Shark AI Ultra Robot Vacuum is on sale for $249.99 in the Amazon Black Friday sale. That's 58% off the list price of $599.

Opens in a new window Credit: SharkNinja Shark AI Ultra Robot Vacuum $249.99 at Amazon
$599.99 Save $350   Get Deal

What could be more appropriate to purchase during Black Friday than a robot vacuum? It’s one of those luxury items that goes for a high price most of the time, but is suddenly much more affordable when the biggest sale event of the year rolls around. And that’s very much what the Shark AI Ultra Robot Vacuum will do — roll around your home using Matrix Clean and precision perfect mapping — if you pick it up at Amazon with a massive Black Friday discount of 58%.

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Shark has a rep for nipping at the heels of Dyson when it comes to advanced vacuums. This model has powerful suction and serious smarts. The Matrix Clean technology creates a grid that ensures the robot makes multiple passes across the floor for maximum cleaning, while 360° LiDAR vision maps your home and avoids any obstacles. It’s good for carpets, hard floors, and pet homes, and it returns to its base station to self-empty. All you need to do is grab this Black Friday bargain and put your feet up.

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The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: How to play Pips, the newest NYT game

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025:

AcrossGreyhound, e.g.

• The answer is Bus.

Passenger's walkway on a 1- or 6-Across

• The answer is Aisle.

The Wolverine to Chicago's Union Station, e.g.

• The answer is Train.

Barely beat, with "out"

• The answer is Edged.

"___ out!" (ump's cry)

• The answer is Yer.

DownFeathered creature, in kid-speak

• The answer is Birdy.

Electricity bill calculation

• The answer is Usage.

More like a fox

• The answer is Slier.

Past-tense verb that sounds like a number

• The answer is Ate.

Redundant word before "result"

• The answer is End.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to the latest Mini Crossword.

When I first lifted the lid of the Dell 16 Premium, I let out a small gasp. This is unquestionably one of the most attractive clamshell Windows laptops I’ve seen, with a gorgeous silver and off-white color scheme, a fingerprint-resistant aluminum lid, and smooth glass above and below the zero-lattice keyboard.

And here’s the kicker: it’s not just a pretty face. The Dell 16 Premium has wildly powerful internals that run Cyberpunk 2077 like a dream, a speaker system that slaps, and fairly decent battery life considering how draining its 4K OLED display and dedicated GPU are.

Of course, it’s too much to expect perfection from a single laptop. The Dell 16 Premium’s keyboard ultimately disappointed me, but I am a self-proclaimed keyboard snob, so take that as you will. Looking past that minor hangup, the Dell 16 Premium might just be one of the best Windows laptops I’ve tested to date, as long as you have the money to splurge on it.

Dell 16 Premium price and specs 

As its name implies, the Dell 16 Premium is a high-end laptop, and it has quite an exorbitant price to match. That said, it’s been on sale up to $400 off recently, and Dell has a price match policy that will refund you the difference if it goes on sale within 30 days of purchase. 

Our Dell 16 Premium review unit is $3,199 at Dell and comes with the following specs: 

• Intel Core Ultra 7 255H CPU

• Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 GPU

• 32GB RAM

• 1TB of SSD storage

• 16-inch 4K (3840 x 2400) OLED touch display

The base configuration for the Dell 16 Premium is $1,799 at Dell and features the same processor listed above, but opts for integrated Intel Arc 140T graphics, half the RAM and storage, and a non-touch, non-OLED 2K display. There are also options for an RTX 5050 or 5060 GPU instead of a 5070, along with an Ultra 9 285H processor instead of an Ultra 7 255H processor.

Sleek, MacBook-rivaling design for the win

The Dell 16 Premium is, hands down, one of the most attractive Windows laptops I’ve ever tested. It even rivals the MacBook’s aesthetic. The laptop is covered with machined aluminum that gives off a silvery sheen, and the keyboard and trackpad area inside is a beautiful off-white, light gray shade. Our review unit’s color scheme is platinum, but there’s a gray graphite colorway if that’s more your vibe.

The Dell 16 Premium has a gorgeous, finger print-resistant lid. Credit: Sarah Chaney / Mashable

It’s cool to the touch, resists fingerprints wonderfully, and exudes luxury. Despite how delicate it looks, Dell’s 16 Premium is a solidly constructed laptop. There’s no give or creaking in the bottom chassis when pushed, and the hinge operates strongly and smoothly.

That durable construction translates to quite a hefty footprint, so this might not be the best laptop for you if you want something lightweight to travel with. The Dell 16 Premium measures 14.1 x 9.4 x 0.8 inches, so it’s fairly thin albeit long, and it weighs 4.7 pounds.

This display is made for royalty

The Dell 16 Premium features a 16.3-inch, 4K (3840 x 2400) OLED touch display with thin bezels, and it’s nearly perfect. Its OLED panel looks stunning, delivering rich, vivid colors and deep, accurate blacks, and its 4K resolution is crystal-clear icing on the proverbial cake. 

Whether you’re streaming the latest season of Wednesday, doing a bit of online shopping, or even playing a beautiful AAA game, this display makes the experience better. For gaming specifically, the display is fitted with a variable refresh rate up to 120Hz, a step up from its predecessor’s 90Hz max refresh rate.

The colors look vivid and accurate on this laptop's display. Credit: Sarah Chaney / Mashable

My only minor gripe with the Dell 16 Premium’s display is its max brightness of 400 nits. Don’t get me wrong, it’s bright enough to comfortably work in a fully lit room or even sunlight, but at this laptop’s steep price, a max brightness of 500 nits would have been better.

This laptop’s display also has smooth and responsive touch functionality, though, because it’s not a 2-in-1 laptop, it might not get a ton of use.

Only USB-C ports, but at least they’re conveniently placed

I appreciate the Dell 16 Premium sporting USB-C ports on both its left and right edges. With this design, you don’t have to worry about awkwardly finagling a cable around the laptop when your charging port is on the ‘wrong’ side. That said, I wish this laptop had a greater variety of ports.

Left side: Two USB-C ports. Credit: Sarah Chaney / Mashable Right side: One USB-C port, an audio jack, and a microSDXC card reader. Credit: Sarah Chaney / Mashable

On the left, you’ll find: 

• Two USB-C ports (Thunderbolt 4 Gen 2, DisplayPort 2.1, and power delivery)

And on the right: 

• One USB-C port (Thunderbolt 4 Gen 2, DisplayPort 2.1, and power delivery)

• Audio jack

• A microSDXC card reader

Considering this laptop’s premium price and its discrete GPU, it would have been nice to see an HDMI port or a USB-A port added. Many modern peripherals connect via Bluetooth or via USB-C (or at least come with an adapter), but for those who already have a collection of USB-A peripherals, a native USB-A port would be great.

A speaker setup other laptops should aspire to

The Dell 16 Premium is equipped with a quad-speaker design, and put simply, it sounds amazing.

Diving into the details, every song I listened to came through well-balanced, with crisp vocals, punchy bass that resonates (as opposed to sounding clipped or short), and definable high notes. I played my go-to song for testing speakers, “Real” by Unprocessed (feat. Tim Henson and Clay Gober), and these speakers surprised me with how well they were able to capture the tiny details you can typically only hear with a great standalone speaker.

The speakers are loud enough for casual, personal use at only 20 to 30 percent volume. Turning the volume up to max, they’re loud enough to fill a large room without any distortion or tinny-sounding vocals.

For some odd reason, the Dell 16 Premium doesn’t come with the Dolby Access app pre-installed, but it’s available through the Microsoft Store for free. After downloading it, the quality noticeably improves slightly, and there are preset profiles available for switching between music, movies, games, and more.

A so-so keyboard paired with a glamorous haptic touchpad

There’s no denying the keyboard and trackpad design of Dell’s 16 Premium laptop is eye-catching. Both the keyboard and trackpad are a beautiful off-white shade, the trackpad is nestled within a seamless glass area that spans the entire length of the laptop, and a fancy touch-controlled function bar sits above a sleek, zero-lattice keyboard. 

The keyboard leaves something to be desired for keyboard snobs like me. Credit: Sarah Chaney / Mashable

The zero-lattice design isn’t for everyone, but I don’t mind it. What bothers me is how typing on this keyboard feels. There’s minimal travel, so it doesn’t take much for the keys to fully depress, and there’s no satisfying feel or sound with each keypress, which results in a disappointing typing experience, at least for a keyboard snob like me.

I also didn’t like how the keyboard’s matte surface felt under my fingers. All of the keys feel like this, but the spacebar is the worst, with an audibly scratchy, sort of nails-on-a-chalkboard sound when I rub my thumb over it. That said, this could simply be something that only affects people sensitive to specific sounds and certain textures.

One feature that may be more universally disliked is the touch-controlled function bar above the keyboard. It’s a unique, good-looking attribute of the Dell 16 Premium, but in practice, it can be a bit annoying for frequently used keys, like the Delete key while typing in Google Docs and the Escape key when gaming. Whereas I can usually hit these keys without looking, thanks to muscle memory, I had to stop typing and actively look for these keys to make sure I pressed the right one.

The touch-controlled function bar took some getting used to. Credit: Sarah Chaney / Mashable

Moving on, the seamless glass area below the keyboard is one of my favorite parts of this laptop. The smooth glass stretches from left to right, but the trackpad is only in the center. It feels great to operate, especially with built-in, customizable haptics that make clicking much more satisfying.

There aren’t any lines to indicate where the trackpad starts and stops, but that didn’t impact ease of use for me. After a while, you just remember where the trackpad is without looking, even for left- and right-clicking as well.

An above-average webcam for this premium laptop

The Dell 16 Premium has an above-average webcam, but for built-in laptop webcams, that’s not saying much. 

Through its 1080p RGB-IR camera, my complexion and sky blue hoodie come through accurately shaded, and the overall picture looks fairly sharp at first glance. Closer inspection reveals a blurry background, a smoothed face, and a lack of fine details with defined edges, like individual strands of hair.

Like most webcams, this one blurs and smooths, leaving a lack of fine details. Credit: Sarah Chaney / Mashable Dell 16 Premium benchmarks and performance

Equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 7 255H and an Nvidia RTX 5070 GPU, the Dell 16 Premium is set up well for performance success. 

It sailed smoothly through our traditional stress test, which involves opening multiple apps and 20 RAM-hungry Chrome tabs. With all these tabs open, I had no issue loading new pages, typing in Google Docs, or switching between apps. The fans also stayed insanely quiet. They were definitely on, but I had to turn off my music and lean toward the laptop to make sure. 

After hours of use, the laptop’s underside is only warm, not hot. The only activity that made the underside get hot was playing Cyberpunk 2077 for about an hour, and even then, it was never too hot to touch. In that hour of play, the fans were noticeably louder than during the traditional stress test, but still shockingly quiet compared to most gaming laptops. I was able to clearly hear the game over the fans with the volume set to only 20 percent.

In addition to real-world performance tests, we also run a few standard benchmarks on our laptops. The Dell 16 Premium delivered a highly impressive Geekbench 6 multi-core score of 16,881 and a decent 3DMark TimeSpy score of 10,129. For comparison, the Acer Predator Helios 16, a gaming laptop, earned scores of 17,462 and 16,837 on the same tests, respectively.

Although Dell’s 16 Premium isn’t technically a gaming laptop, it does have a discrete GPU, and it ran Cyberpunk 2077 like a dream. For a decent frame rate, I wouldn’t recommend playing at this laptop’s native 4K resolution, but if you drop it to just 2560 x 1600, it runs beautifully. 

We also ran the in-game benchmark for Cyberpunk 2077 at 1920 x 1080 resolution with High presets and DLSS turned off, and the laptop averaged 87.98 frames per second (fps). Keeping the same settings and turning DLSS on resulted in an average of 106.35 fps. Considering this isn’t a laptop designed with gaming in mind, those results are pretty great.

Lastly, if you want a laptop with AI features that’ll supercharge your work experience, I’d go with a Copilot+ PC instead of the Dell 16 Premium. This laptop features built-in Copilot, so you’ll have easy access to your own AI chatbot, but it lacks a lot of the perks reserved solely for Copilot+ laptops.  

Dell 16 Premium battery life

Every laptop we test endures the same battery rundown test, which involves looping a 1080p video at 50 percent brightness until the laptop dies. The Dell 16 Premium lasted 13 hours and 49 minutes on this battery test. That’s an impressive feat for a laptop with a 16-inch OLED display and a discrete GPU.

If you’re trying to find the best laptop for battery life from Dell, there are better options out there, like the Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 that lasted 20 hours and 52 minutes on the same battery test. But if you’re trying to find a good middle ground between top-tier battery life and jaw-dropping specs, the Dell 16 Premium delivers.

Is the Dell 16 Premium worth it?

Whether the Dell 16 Premium is worth it depends entirely on what you’re looking for in your next laptop. There are quite a few objectively great features of the Dell 16 Premium, like its colorful and sharp OLED display, well-balanced speaker setup, and solid all-around performance, capable of running AAA titles with ease, answering emails, and everything in between. If you’re looking for a laptop with premium looks and plenty of power, Dell’s 16 Premium is an excellent choice.

However, one of the biggest drawbacks of the Dell 16 Premium is its price, which could be an instant dealbreaker if you’re shopping on a budget. At full price, our review unit is $3,199. For an inconspicuous gaming laptop, that price might be worth it to some people; though, I’d recommend waiting for it to go on sale for $2,799 if you can.

If you don’t need your laptop to play games, edit videos, or perform any other graphically intensive tasks, here’s the configuration I’d opt for instead: an Intel Core Ultra 7 255H processor, integrated graphics, 16GB of RAM, 1TB of SSD storage, and the same beautiful 4K OLED display as our review unit, for only $2,099 at Dell full price. Or, check out the best laptops we’ve reviewed to date if that’s still too far out of your price range.

Dell 16 Premium laptop $3,199.99 at Dell
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Aquarius and Bacurau director Kleber Mendonça Filho's The Secret Agent weaves a complex, time-jumping political crime thriller, focusing on one man's experience of persecution. 

Mainly set in the late '70s in the Brazilian writer/director's hometown of Recife, Pernambuco, but moving fluidly between the past and present, the film predominantly takes place in the tumultuous years of Brazil's military dictatorship. It's a heavy topic explored with humanity, boasting such a compelling script, impeccable acting, and striking 1970s aesthetic that it's impossible to look away.

SEE ALSO: Alex Garland and Wagner Moura on creating an anti-war war film with 'Civil War'

In the lead, Narcos and Civil War star Wagner Moura gives a tremendously interior performance as a man justifiably paranoid in his mission to escape his country's authoritarian regime. There's a reason Moura took Best Actor at Cannes, with Mendonça Filho snatching Best Director; The Secret Agent sees both dive headfirst into the complexities of rampant corruption and desperately searching for a way out.  

The Secret Agent flicks between past and present to craft a complex narrative. Wagner Moura in "The Secret Agent." Credit: Victor Juca

Over three acts superbly edited by Eduardo Serrano and Matheus Farias, Mendonça Filho's film runs on multiple timelines in the past and present. In 1977, we meet Armando (Moura), who's going by the alias Marcelo, a man newly arrived in a residential complex in Recife during the annual Carnival period. A small Kodak box fits all of his possessions, and he gives little away about himself. The apartments are run by vigilant matriarch Dona Sebastiana (Tânia Maria), and Armando is welcomed with open arms. Among omnipresent Carnival celebrations, Armando is warmly introduced by his septuagenarian guardian to his neighbours. They're also political refugees, though not all enjoy using the term. There's Thereza Vitória (Isabél Zuaa), who has fled the Angolan Civil War with her partner; there's single mother Claudia (Hermila Guedes) whose past beyond her dental profession remains her own mystery to bear. Many live under threat of death, like our protagonist.

Meanwhile, corruption runs rife through the city streets, as do careening cop vans full of crooked officials, hooting, hollering, and unabashedly lawless. The most prominent in The Secret Agent is police chief Euclides (Robério Diógenes) and his bodyguard-like sons Arlindo (Ítalo Martins) and Sergio (Igor de Araújo), who enter the story by being pulled out of Carnival when a man's severed leg is found in a dead shark — and this is by no means the limit of the violence ahead in The Secret Agent.

Featured Video For You Alex Garland and Wagner Moura on creating an anti-war war film with 'Civil War'

Slowly, the film reveals the seriousness of Armando's situation: he's a widowed university professor, specialising in electrical engineering, who is fleeing persecution amid the country's military dictatorship. In his past, standing up to corporate greed and corrupt government bureaucracy has left him vulnerable and robbed him of his beloved wife Fátima (New Bandits' Alice Carvalho). Getting out is no easy feat, as corruption, surveillance, and sinister men orbit Armando at every turn — including two unnervingly unflappable hitmen, Bobbi (Ferrari's Gabriel Leone) and his stepfather Augusto (Roney Villela), on his trail. 

As well as Dona Sebastiana, others work under the radar to help those persecuted escape the country, such as Elza (Vermelho Monet's Maria Fernanda Cândido), who offers a form of witness protection, promising passports in a few days. A placement within the city's Identification Institute is Armando's best chance of finding physical proof of his mother's identity before he leaves Brazil with his young son, who lives with his grandparents. 

In the present, two young investigators in São Paulo listen to cassettes of recorded conversations from Armando's time, and we're left wondering where exactly their research is leading. Here, and through Mendonça Filho's use of archival photographs, the film becomes a fictional artifact in itself, a story worthy of study and examination. But it's the lived-in performances by the actors themselves that bring this unstable historical period to life, with Moura out front. 

Wagner Moura gives a tremendous performance in The Secret Agent.

Tasked with multiple roles across time periods, Moura earns every inch of his Cannes Best Actor award in The Secret Agent. The role was specifically written by Mendonça Filho for him, after all. A classic hero brave enough to challenge powerful, corrupt entities while rightly fearing for his life and his family, Armando predominantly internalises the level of serious threat constantly weighing on him. Moura's subtlety and frustration imbues our protagonist with a deeply human valiance, one that makes us as viewers want to protect him at all costs. 

Embodying a true ensemble affair, The Secret Agent sees Moura surrounded by bold, outlandish performances, all the way from iconic German actor Udo Kier as expat tailor Hans to Greta star Diógenes as the city's corrupt chief of police. Notably, Armando finds sanctuary with his father-in-law Sr. Alexandre (a wonderful performance by Bacurau's Carlos Francisco) who owns the local Cinema São Luiz, showing Brazilian films alongside American horror films like Jaws and The Omen that cause outright hysteria in audiences. Here, and through Evgenia Alexandrova's exquisite cinematography, you can feel Mendonça Filho's reverence for cinema as a filmmaker, critic, and curator — and its importance in turbulent times. In fact, The Secret Agent is a perfect pairing with the director's 2023 documentary Pictures of Ghosts (Retratos Fantasmas), which traces cinema in his hometown of Recife.

The Secret Agent runs on a striking '70s aesthetic.  Ítalo Martins, Robério Diógenes, Wagner Moura, and Igor de Araújo in "The Secret Agent." Credit: Victor Juca

Despite the paranoia and corruption that pervades the narrative, Mendonça Filho's film is a stunning '70s affair. Shot in anamorphic Panavision, it's nothing short of a feast for the eyes (before it's not). Each scene comes awash with the decade's signature oranges, browns, and yellows, with production designer Thales Junqueira's meticulous work on full display. Architect Chu Ming Silveira's iconic, egg-shaped, yellow public phone booths known as Orelhões (or "Big Ears") form a vital part of both the storyline and city landscape, while costume designer Rita Azevedo finds glorious authenticity in period-specific outfits.

Despite the political upheaval on the ground, Mendonça Filho also reverently and accurately captures the visuals of Recife, with Armando taking in gorgeous cityscapes from the Cinema São Luiz projection room, bathed in sunlight, and the street scenes often focusing on the members of the community caught up in the chaos. There's also a little magical realism thrown in for unexpected measure, and composers Mateus Alves and Tomaz Alves Souza pull everything together with an immersive, atmospheric score.

Ultimately, Mendonça Filho's film explores a time of political corruption, violence, and warranted paranoia through a human lens, with the director saying in a press statement, "The challenge was to make a film about the logic of that time without ticking all the boxes of the dictatorship movie." With Moura's powerful performance framed by a reverent, authentic aesthetic, The Secret Agent is a deeply humanised look at a historical moment of authoritarianism and government corruption. It's a must-see.

UPDATE: Nov. 20, 2025, 6:14 p.m. EST "The Secret Agent" was reviewed out of BFI London Film Festival. This article was originally published on Oct. 11, 2025.

The Secret Agent hits cinemas in New York on Nov. 26 and Los Angeles Dec. 5, with nationwide release to follow. The film will be released in the UK and Ireland Feb. 20, 2026.

When it comes to sweeping heteronormative love stories, there are typically two categories: 1) The couple lives together, happily ever after, or 2) Their love ends tragically, potentially with a death or two. In Eternity, filmmaker David Freyne says "why not both?" with all the knowing cheek that meme reference implies. 

Freyne's screenplay, co-written with Patrick Cunnane, folds together these romantic drama tropes with a dash of Defending Your Life. Miles Teller stars as Larry, a devoted husband who spent 65 years making his wife, Joan (Elizabeth Olsen), happy. When he chokes on a pretzel, Larry ends up in the afterlife in a younger version of his body and eager to reconnect to his wife. But he's not the only one waiting on Joan. Also on the other side is her dashing first husband, Luke (Callum Turner), who died valiantly in "the war." (Which one? Well, that's a whole thing.) 

When Joan shows up in the afterlife, a new war brews between her two beaus, fighting for who she'll spend eternity with. The result is a chaotic and winsome comedy that's heartwarming fun. 

Eternity re-imagines the afterlife with plenty of irreverence. Credit: Leah Gallo / A24

Forget typical cinematic depictions of the pearly gates or Tim Burton's Beetlejuice dead-world weirdness. In Freyne's movie, the entrance to the afterlife looks like a train station and a doctor's waiting room had a boring baby. But that's precisely the point. White walls lead to white halls and on to unremarkable hotel rooms and a convention center, because this is not a place for staying but instead for making one big decision: What will your eternity look like? 

Once Larry arrives, he's connected with his afterlife counselor, Anna (Da'Vine Joy Randolph), who lays down the rules: He has to pick which destination he wants, and it's forever. No turning back. These eternal locales range from mountains to beaches, museums to outer space. There's even a 1930s Germany that's all decadence and cabaret and no Nazis! Or perhaps you'd prefer a Capitalist World? For the religious, there's an array of options allowing them to live out the afterlife they imagined.

Credit: Leah Gallo / A24

These options mostly serve as background gags through posters and costumes, with overeager salespeople trying to score clients. Beyond that, however, there's the entertaining clash between Larry and Luke. 

Where Luke is suave, patient, and knows when to swoop in for a moment of chivalry, Larry is an impatient, cranky man in his mid-30s body. Where Luke might sweep Joan into his arms with an almost parody precision, Larry is giddy to show her their afterlife bodies allow them to squat again! No cracking knees or mobility issues! 

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Within this comparison, Cunnane and Freyne smartly play the romantic ideal of love against its everyday reality. Bringing the bubbly energy of a grandma given a new hip, Olsen is radiant as the love interest, but even better as the frustrated heroine torn between two very different men. Callum meets her in the sweeping romance tone, but is able to get down with Teller for some physical comedy/fighting. (The squatting bit is solidly funny.) However, it's Teller taking the brunt of the punchlines. All is fair in love and war, and for Larry, that means some low blows, including about the war that killed Luke! 

Da'Vine Joy Randolph and John Early are sublime as snarky sidekicks.  Credit: Leah Gallo / A24

Randolph, who's earned rave reviews for her turn in the drama The Holdovers and her hard-nosed detective in Only Murders in the Building, gets to be far sillier here. After eras of pointing the dead to their afterlives, Anna's become a bit jaded about her job. But seeing Larry and Joan's predicament, a fire ignites in her as she pulls for the underdog.

Her professional rival, then, is Ryan (the director and star of TIFF standout Maddie's Secret, John Early). As Luke's afterlife counselor, the sharply ambitious Ryan has been waiting 67 years to see Luke and Joan reunited. He's not about to give up on them just because of some schlub named Larry. 

Within this subplot, Eternity offers a bit of petty office politics that the actors make a meal of. Beyond that, these supporting players are tasked with much of the film's exposition, but they are never weighed down. They smile, sneer, and soar, turning little moments into laugh-out-loud events. Randolph and Early push every moment onscreen to something outrageous and hilarious. 

Even the bland colors of their uniform (beige suits with white button-downs and a red tie), proves a sharp comedic contrast to the world around them. Brilliant in deep reds, greens, blues, and golds, the palette suggests a world where everything is better than real life; it's perfect. So many scenes of Eternity look like postcards, vivid and gorgeous. Looking at such views, it seems impossible to imagine there could be a wrong choice. But the same palette means that flushed cheeks and teary eyes are all the more radiant, displaying the pain of Elizabeth's choice with simple details. 

Altogether, Eternity delivers a charming parody of romantic comedies without mocking the viewers who love them. The conflict between two kinds of romantic love, and the two robust love interests on offer, makes for exciting tension. The wild spin of their stories leads to moments silly, sexy, and warm. Yet Eternity's afterlife backdrop allows for a slew of more provocative jokes to sneak through. 

The result is a rom-com that's smart, sensational, and swoon-worthy. 

UPDATE: Nov. 20, 2025, 5:52 p.m. EST "Eternity" was reviewed out of its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. This article was originally published on Sept. 17, 2025.

Eternity opens in theaters Nov. 26.

Before Hamlet, there was Hamnet. He was the young son of William Shakespeare who died in his youth, inspiring the playwright to spin the timeless tragedy of a doomed Danish prince. Hamnet explores that true story through a mystical and matriarchal lens of Maggie O'Farrell's heralded novel of the same name, adapted by the Academy Award–winning director of Nomadland, Chloé Zhao, and her Academy-nominated actors, Paul Mescal (Aftersun) and Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter). 

This period drama seems primed to be a contender this award season. But Oscar buzz tends to mold the expectations of dramas — especially those even loosely biographical — into one box: star-stuffed theatrics festooned with tears, a soaring emotional score, and pretty scenes of pain, perfect for an award ceremony sizzle reel. To expect such a thing from Zhao, Mescal, and Buckley would be to ignore what's brought them acclaim to begin with. 

This trio has separately won praise for their nuanced expressions of joy and pain, from Buckley's star-making as an aspiring singer in Wild Rose to Zhao's bittersweet character drama Nomadland to Mescal's heart-wrenching turn as a lost love in All of Us Strangers. In Hamnet, their powers combined make for a drama that is more than a sentimental tearjerker poised for Oscar accolades; it is an earthy and poetic raw tale of love and loss. 

Hamnet focuses on the story of Shakespeare's witchy wife, Agnes.  Jessie Buckley stars as Agnes in "Hamnet." Credit: Agata Grzybowska / Focus Features

Rather than an earnest recreation of the real-life marriage of William Shakespeare and Anne "Agnes" Hathaway, Hamnet follows O'Farrell's interpretation, which imagines Agnes (Buckley) as a woman in touch with the woods and prone to premonitions of the future. 

In the film, Agnes scoffs at gossip that she is a witch. But her woodsy appeal — which includes wearing brash red robes and having a pet hawk — attracts the passionate and bookish son of a local glove-maker. Playing Will and Agnes from their youth into adulthood, Mescal and Buckley easily capture the lusty impulsiveness of young love. Their arms entangle with a violent intensity as they claw private moments from the mundane routines demanded of their families. 

Unlike in his yet-to-be-written comedies, marriage is not a happily-ever-after for the pair — as tragedy will follow. Still, marriage is a newfound freedom as they redefine what their married life looks like. For the Shakespeares, that means Will going off to London to write plays and express his soul in tales of star-crossed lovers and fortune-telling witches. For Agnes, that means raising their three children: Susanna and twins Judith and Hamnet. But a vision of her own deathbed makes Agnes certain that one of her children will die before her. 

Jacobi Jupe is a rare find as Hamnet.  Jacobi Jupe, Bodhi Rae Breathnach, and Olivia Lynes in "Hamnet." Credit: Agata Grzybowska / Focus Features

Whether you know the history of Shakespeare's home life, are a fan of O'Farrell's novel, or can just read the room, it's clear early on that Agnes is off with her expectation that the child to die will be her youngest, Judith. This gives an enhanced tension to every moment that she experiences with her bright, adventurous, and caring boy, Hamnet, because we know their time together is short, and she has no clue. 

Such a setup would be ripe for agony regardless. But young Jacobi Jupe is stupendous as the 11-year-old Hamnet. Under Zhao's direction, he avoids the pitfalls all too common to child actors in family dramas. He is neither precocious nor ethereal. He galumphs about with his sisters, chuckling in play, swapping clothes for a childlike prank in which the twins trade identities. Before his mother, he dreams of being on the stage, where he gets to sword fight to the cheers of an audience. Jupe frolics with a mix of clumsiness and earnestness that reads simply as authenticity. So when the plague hits the Shakespeare home, and Judith specifically, it's natural that this sweet boy would curl into his twin sister's cot to comfort her.

When Hamnet speaks in a whisper of an ominous "him" that's watching the twins, things get eerie — suggesting he has the same gift for premonition as his mum. But even here, Jupe avoids cliché, in this case that of the haunted house child, wide-eyed in terror. Instead, he is a boy who is scared, but accustomed to playing the hero, and so soldiers on to help his sister with one more switcheroo. And because he feels so real, the pain of his end will take your breath away. 

Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal are riveting in Hamnet.  Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal in "Hamnet." Credit: Agata Grzybowska / Focus Features

In early scenes of courting, they sizzle, each utilizing their well-reputed onscreen intensity. As the Shakespeare marriage gets complicated by distance and grief, they become explosions, destined to collide. But beautiful work is done in scenes without each other. Buckley, who is unquestionably the lead in the film, harnesses the focus seen in Wild Rose and the ferality of Men for a distinct portrait of grief. 

Her rage and resentment are both irrational and understandable. While she is in the home where her boy was lost, her husband is off in London. She can't see that he doesn't escape the loss of Hamnet, but is, in fact, consumed by it. Hamlet begins to take shape as Will's means of making sense of his own guilt and mourning. 

The "to be or not to be" speech becomes Mescal's greatest challenge to date. Not only because it's the iconic speech by which the greats are judged, but also because he's not playing Hamlet within it, but the man who wrote that speech to make sense of his own helplessness in the face of mortality. It's a layered and profound moment of pain and pondering, unfurling a labyrinth of dark feelings and darker thoughts. And yet, it's not even Mescal's best scene. 

That comes before Will knows Hamnet is dead. Rushing home because he's heard his little Judith is at death's door, Will barrels into the family home to see the girl alive and well. They hug, and he bursts with smiles and relief. But then he sees the little form covered in a white sheet, posed before the fire. 

Paul Mescal in "Hamnet." Credit: Agata Grzybowska / Focus Features

"Where is he?" Will says, and in that simple question, Mescal channels a mix of dread, hope, and fear that could bring down the Globe theatre. It's not booming. That's not Zhao's way. It's delivered strong but raw, quavering. It is what pain sounds like when stripped of Hollywood shine. It's too human for an Oscar reel. It's too heartbreaking. 

And all of this leads to a climax that takes Agnes and Will's pain to the stage, that of the Globe, to be specific. There Hamnet becomes Hamlet, in a prolonged and nerve-shredding sequence that is fueled by the couple's loss and their divide. No matter how many times you've seen Hamlet, this section hits different because it becomes about the pain that inspired the Dane. 

Props to Noah Jupe, who plays the onstage Hamlet, simultaneously channeling an actor striving to impress an audience and the dreamy wish of a mourning mother all at once. In a shrewd move from Zhao, she cast the older brother to play Hamlet to the younger's Hamnet, and the vague familial appearance makes this climax all the more haunting. Noah offers a pitch-perfect echo of his brother Jacobi's performance with flourishes of maturity and theater-worthy showmanship.

Still, I have one qualm with Hamnet. 

Jessie Buckley in "Hamnet." Credit: Agata Grzybowska / Focus Features

While I can see Zhao's vision and admire her restraint, I must confess I wished for a bit more cinema. I'm not asking for the emoting common in biopics aiming for Oscar glory — which this film is not strictly, on either point. Instead, I wish Zhao had embraced the visual storytelling of Agnes' premonitions as she did with the earthiness of Will's environment. 

As Agnes' visions are not just key to the plot but also to the core to her motivations, I wish Zhao had let us see them with her. Hamnet is rooted in Agnes' perspective, yet the screenplay by Zhao and novelist O'Farrell only has dialogue describing these visions of a deathbed with two guests, a landscape of trees, and a dark, infinite cave. By not using this visual medium to show us what Agnes sees, the filmmakers keep Agnes a bit at a distance. 

By contrast, Will's view of things gets a visual component through the climactic production of Hamlet. So, in a way, we are given more access to his inner world than Agnes'. And while the film is moving, I sometimes felt like I was watching Agnes' experience instead of feeling it with her — like I was on the outside looking in. Where with Mescal's Will, the play is the thing… that shows the heartache of the scribe. 

Still, Hamnet is a bold rebellion, and I respect that. Not only does Zhao reject the temptations of glossy Hollywood biopics, but also the regal romance or cerebral theatricality of a barrage of Oscar-adored Shakespeare adaptations, from a handful of intense Hamlets to The Tragedy of Macbeth to the winsome Shakespeare in Love. Her Shakespeare and company are more feral, bringing this historic tragedy fresh blood and true grit. 

For these big swings, Hamnet could be an unconventional but strong Oscar contender. But whether you're invested in awards season or just seeking a powerful drama from actors at the top of their form, be sure to bring tissues. Hamnet could leave you tear-soaked and in tatters. 

UPDATE: Nov. 20, 2025, 6:03 p.m. EST "Hamnet" was reviewed out of its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. This article was originally published on Sept. 7, 2025.

Hamnet opens in theaters Nov. 26.

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