Each night, you look into your lover’s eyes and ask, “Will no legacy media outlet tell me about the best movies on Hulu?” Luckily, Vanity Fair is here for you. One glance at the platform’s A-to-Z listing reveals that there are almost too many good movies on Hulu to choose from, and it can become a chore to figure out which to choose.
After a deep dive into the Hulu archive (the Hu-chive?), we’ve selected a top mix of classics, comedies, dramas, horror pictures, documentaries, and, importantly, a few titles that got overlooked upon their initial release. Our list is in alphabetical order, so you gotta scroll close to the bottom to get to Y Tu Mamá También.
A Complete Unknown (2024)
Director: James MangoldGenre: Drama/MusicalNotable Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Monica Barbaro, Elle Fanning, Edward NortonMPA Rating: RRotten Tomatoes: 82%Metacritic: 70
The mercurial Minnesota-born Robert Zimmerman, best known to humanity and the Swedish Academy as Bob Dylan, gets as good a straightforward musical biopic as the genre allows in A Complete Unknown. Timothée Chalamet nails the nasal twang and aloof demeanor of the musician as he transitions from politically relevant folk music to electric rock and roll. While there’s plenty in the movie that is pure Hollywood, it captures the essence of the Dylan phenomenon, and how the transformation affected colleagues like Joan Baez and Pete Seeger, as well as his romantic life.
Alien (1979)
Director: Ridley ScottGenre: Sci Fi/HorrorNotable Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerrit, John Hurt, Veronica CartwrightMPA Rating: RRotten Tomatoes: 93%Metacritic: 89
The original and still the best. A haunted house story, a workplace drama, and a twist-filled mystery—all set in outer space. Sigourney Weaver’s rocket to superstardom started here when she played the greatest interplanetary final girl, and John Hurt’s legendary tummy ache was a milestone for practical special effects. Several (not all!) of the sequels and prequels to this movie are good, but no matter how many times you’ve seen Alien, you will always find something new in it.
BlackBerry (2023)
Director: Matt JohnsonGenre: ComedyNotable cast: Jay Baruchel, Glenn Howerton, Michael IronsideMPA rating: RRotten Tomatoes: 97%Metacritic: 78
Canadian indie stalwart Matt Johnson, creator of marvelous mockumentaries like The Dirties, Operation Avalanche, and Nirvanna the Band the Show, tackles the rise and fall of the once ubiquitous titular tech gadget in this hilarious boardroom comedy. Jay Baruchel is particularly spectacular as a brilliant and creative inventor pulled between his desire for perfection and Glenn Howerton’s increasingly antic pursuit of money. Research shows there’s a great deal that’s been fictionalized here, but the essence of IPO bubbles remains sincere.
Dead Poets Society (1989)
Director: Peter WeirGenre: DramaNotable cast: Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan HawkeMPA Rating: PGRotten Tomatoes: 85%Metacritic: 79
Never has standing on top of a desk seemed so heroic! This was among the first dramatic (though still funny) turns from Robin Williams, proving he had more in him than zany Mork-from-Ork stunts. (Indeed, Williams received an Academy Award nomination for best actor.) He’s marvelous as that one mentor teacher we all wish we had, showing a group of conformity-primed rich kids that they don’t necessarily have to follow their families’ scripts. His methods are filled with vitality and intellect—until one kid shoots himself. But you can’t have everything!
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Director: Tim BurtonGenre: FantasyNotable cast: Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne WiestMPA Rating: PG-13Rotten Tomatoes: 90%Metacritic: 74
A discussion needs to be had about the fact that one Generation X’s quintessential films hinges on topiary. Surely this is symbolic of something. Anyhow: Johnny Depp was in peak sad-clown form in this team-up with director Tim Burton, the first of eight collaborations between the two. The mix of the kitschy and the macabre—exemplified by casting the chiller legend Vincent Price, in his last significant role, as a madman who dreams up a golem with a cookie for a heart—created a road map for both the director and his star. While the sets, costumes, and hairstyles get an understandable amount of attention, let’s also be sure to salute any movie that includes Alan Arkin looking like a zhlub in a bathrobe drinking whiskey.
Fire of Love (2022)
Director: Sara DosaGenre: DocumentaryNotable cast: Katia Krafft (archival), Maurice Krafft (archival), Miranda July (narrator)MPA rating: PGRotten Tomatoes: 98%Metacritic: 84
One of the best films on Hulu from the 2022 Sundance Film Festival (which, thanks to the omicron variant of the coronavirus pandemic, was switched to a virtual event at the last minute), this is a fascinating look at true kindred spirits—married volcanologists who ignore danger in pursuit of their passion. The archival imagery ranges from terrifying to beautiful, a mix of hard science and abstract expressionist art. Miranda July’s poetic voice-over adds to the mesmerizing effect.
Ford v Ferrari (2019)
Director: James MangoldGenre: DramaNotable cast: Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Tracy LettsMPA rating: PG-13Rotten Tomatoes: 92%Metacritic: 81
A best-picture Oscar nominee (and winner for best editing and best sound), James Mangold’s look at the 1966 Le Mans race turns the battle of corporate egos into a terrific underdog story. Most of that is due to the chemistry between Christian Bale as the crazy-like-a-fox driver Ken Miles and Matt Damon as visionary Ford designer Carroll Shelby. Auto racing is the most pointless of all sports (imagine driving in circles and not even picking up milk!), but it can lead to some breathtaking movie sequences—and many of them are found right here.
Free Solo (2018)
Directors: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy ChinGenre: DocumentaryNotable Cast: Alex Honnold, El CapitanMPA Rating: PG-13Rotten Tomatoes: 97%Metacritic: 83
Free Solo is a great movie to stream on Hulu because if you watch it in a theater, they may throw you out for gasping, moaning, and shouting, “Are you nuts?!?!” Alex Honnold (who did not die, to paraphrase Gonzo the Great) is a professional meshuggeneh who climbs the sides of mountains with no safety gear, because I guess the world isn’t terrifying enough. It is a fascinating and riveting portrait.
Fruitvale Station (2013)
Director: Ryan CooglerGenre: DramaNotable cast: Michael B. Jordan, Melonie Diaz, Octavia SpencerMPA rating: RRotten Tomatoes: 94%Metacritic: 85
The first collaboration between Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan is a devastating drama about the final day in the life of Oscar Grant III, a real-life young man killed by a transit officer on an Oakland train. The film was developed with the Sundance Lab, and parts were filmed on the same platform where the deadly shooting took place. This low-budget production was a substantial box office hit, readying Coogler for the major Hollywood career he’s had ever since.
Jennifer’s Body (2009)
Director: Karyn KusamaGenre: HorrorNotable cast: Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, J.K. SimmonsMPA rating: RRotten Tomatoes: 46%Metacritic: 47
Pay no attention to those low critic scores. (Or if you do, search my name and see that I was always on the right side of history.) This teen supernatural horror-comedy, scripted by Diablo Cody not long after she won an Oscar for Juno and created United States of Tara, was shrugged aside at the time of its release, but it’s now been fully embraced as a sharp critique of exploitation tropes and a modern spin on feminism (as well as a win for bisexual representation). That doesn’t mean it’s a college lecture: Jennifer has plenty of guts and gore, zingy dialogue, and music by Florence + the Machine, Panic! at the Disco, and other groups of the era.
La Chimera (2023)
Director: Alice RohrwacherGenre: Crime/comedyNotable cast: Josh O’Connor, Isabella Rossellini, Alba RohrwacherMPA rating: Not ratedRotten Tomatoes: 94%Metacritic: 91
This charming Italian film (which had a rare, unplanned “extended run” throughout 2024 in New York art houses, a once common phenomenon that hardly exists in the streaming era) stars Josh O’Connor as a sensitive thief returning to his band of artifact bandits. He possesses an ability to know where to dig while sniffing out Etruscan treasure in tiny towns. A kaleidoscope of colorful characters emerge, as does a criminal plot in this sun-soaked and very amusing tale—one of the best new movies on Hulu.
Late Night With the Devil (2023)
Directors: Colin Cairnes and Cameron CairnesGenre: HorrorNotable cast: David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Ian BlissMPA rating: RRotten Tomatoes: 97%Metacritic: 72
This very funny and deeply scary breakout festival hit is a clever spin on the found-footage genre. Presented as a mock investigation into “what really happened” during the live broadcast of a ’70s talk show that went haywire, the film largely plays out like a night of amusing Halloween-themed TV that, naturally, conjures up dark forces to deadly ends. If you’ve ever wondered how Johnny Carson would have handled a demon on his couch, look no further.
Nightmare Alley (2021)
Director: Guillermo del ToroGenre: Drama/horrorNotable cast: Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, David StrathairnMPA rating: RRotten Tomatoes: 80%Metacritic: 70
This carnival-set motion picture has pulled a disappearing act. It was nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards (as well as best cinematography, costumes, and production design), but it came out during COVID times, when few were going to see 150-minute remakes of Tyrone Power movies. But guess what: Featuring an absolutely stacked cast, the film is a terrific, moody look inside the tarot-reading tent, treating classic B picture tropes with a respect and care rarely seen.
Quiz Lady (2023)
Director: Jessica YuGenre: ComedyNotable cast: Awkwafina, Sandra Oh, Will FerrellMPA rating: RRotten Tomatoes: 82%Metacritic: 59
“Can’t stop the quiz!” This lovable and idiotic comedy—which debuted directly on Hulu—is a tribute to the bonds of sisterhood despite all odds. Awkwafina is a frumpy mess whose sole passion in life is watching a Jeopardy!-like show, and Sandra Oh is an unemployed train wreck living in her car. Shenanigans ensue as they get mixed up with the Mob, and their only path to safety is to win big on the quiz show. Will Ferrell’s appearance as a friendly, Alex Trebek–esque presence actually marks his finest, warmest performance in years. This movie is so incredibly dumb, but I guarantee it will make you laugh.
A Real Pain (2024)
Director: Jesse EisenbergGenre: Comedy-dramaNotable cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Jennifer GreyMPA rating: RRotten Tomatoes: 96%Metacritic: 86
Writer-director-star Jesse Eisenberg was inspired to make A Real Pain after an actual visit he made to the former home of a beloved family member who grew up in Poland. He and Kieran Culkin play very different cousins who make the trip and philosophize in settings that see-saw from the gorgeous to the unthinkable. Culkin’s role as an annoying-yet-lovable extrovert is an extraordinary example of “the part he was born to play,” and the actor is well deserving of the praise he has received for his magical performance.
Summer of Soul (…or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021)
Director: QuestloveGenre: DocumentaryNotable cast: The 5th Dimension, Stevie Wonder, Mahalia JacksonMPA rating: PG-13Rotten Tomatoes: 99%Metacritic: 96
The ubiquity of cell phone cameras and the internet means that what happened with the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival could never happen again. I don’t mean there couldn’t be a great and meaningful celebration of music—I mean that it couldn’t almost be forgotten thanks to poor archiving. Luckily, Questlove made the effort to unearth this important milestone in Black culture, and this reflection/celebration, which does not skimp on the footage, became an Academy Award–winning documentary.
Sunshine (2007)
Director: Danny BoyleGenre: Science FictionNotable cast: Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Michelle YeohMPA rating: RRotten Tomatoes: 77%Metacritic: 64
Director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland pack their journey to the sun with equal parts thrilling sci-fi action and interplanetary weltschmerz. Cillian Murphy is part of a crew on a one-way mission to save humanity that very quickly becomes an exercise in philosophy, while still maintaining a “how will the next guy die?” Poseidon Adventure–like horror show. The movie was not a box office success, but its star has rightly risen in the years after its release.
Tangerine (2015)
Director: Sean BakerGenre: DramaNotable cast: Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, James RansoneMPA rating: RRotten Tomatoes: 96%Metacritic: 86
For many, this was the film that brought Anora director Sean Baker to their attention; a delirious, warts-and-all portrait of transgender sex workers in Los Angeles. It was shot on a minuscule budget, using three iPhone 5S cameras with then cutting-edge enhancement apps and Steadicam rigs. This lent itself nicely to Baker’s documentary-inclined sensibilities, while his artistic eye shined through the common “cell phone” format. Finding beauty among the downtrodden, which is inherent to the script, is reflected in the look of the movie itself. It’s a groundbreaking work.
Twilight (2008)
Director: Catherine HardwickeGenre: FantasyNotable cast: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor LautnerMPA Rating: PG-13Rotten Tomatoes: 48%Metacritic: 56
Either you hated this movie to the point of blogging about it when it first came out, or you’ve never turned your back on your friends from Forks, W.A.—and may have named a pet (or child!) Bella, Edward, or Jacob. As many have noted, this movie, which did not exactly wow the critics upon its release, gave us two of the most substantial and genuinely talented movie actors of our time: Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. (It also gave us 50 Shades of Grey via some lusty fan-fiction, but let’s not get into that.) Is the movie actually good? This is hard to quantify. Will rewatching it, particularly in a group setting, be a blast? Absolutely.
Y Tu Mamá También (2001)
Director: Alfonso CuarónGenre: DramaNotable cast: Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, Maribel VerdúMPA rating: RRotten Tomatoes: 90%Metacritic: 89
This Spanish-language romantic drama introduced international audiences to Alfonso Cuarón, Gael García Bernal, and Diego Luna, all in one heady, lusty swoop. Y Tu Mamá También follows two sexually ripe young men who have their first adult affairs—with the same older woman. The three take a road trip, that most liberating of cinematic forms, and ride it until, eventually, the wheels come off. The journey, however, will provide memories for a lifetime.
Are there any good movies on Hulu right now?
Did you not just read the list? I spent hours on this damn thing. Yes, there are many good movies on Hulu right now. Watch Dead Poets Society if you want to cry or Quiz Lady if you want to laugh.
What is the number one movie on Hulu?
I don’t know what you mean. The one with the most streams? Probably something for morons. My number one is probably an epic like Ford v Ferrari.
What’s the funniest movie on Hulu right now?
It’s gotta be The Rocky Horror Picture Show, especially if you dress up. When was the last time you saw it? What, you never saw it?!!? Correct that now.
What’s the number one scariest movie on Hulu right now?
Boy, you’ve really got a hang-up about “number one,” don’t you? Do you have to go to the bathroom or something? Anyway, the scariest movie on Hulu right now is The Host.
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