This post is updated regularly as movies leave and enter Hulu. *New additions are indicated with an asterisk.
Still considered largely a streaming service for television fans, Hulu has struggled to carve out its own reputation as a home for movie lovers too. To that end, they have become one of the most prominent supporters of recent arthouse cinema, particularly critical darlings like The Banshees of Inisherin, Broker, All of Us Strangers, and more. They also have an interesting revolving door of beloved recent films of all genres, mostly from 2010 and beyond. Take the time you were going to use to catch up on your latest sitcom and check out one of the films below in this list that will be updated as titles come and go, starting with our pick of the week.
This Week’s Critic’s Pick
*Nightbitch
Year: 2024
Runtime: 1h 38m
Director: Marielle Heller
Amy Adams gives one of her best performances as the unnamed protagonist of this dark comedy about a stay-at-home mom who may actually be turning into a dog. Heller adapts the novel by Rachel Yoder into a surreal commentary on the pressure on mothers in American society, and Adams is ably supported by a great turn from Scoot McNairy too.
Drama
Ad Astra
Year: 2019
Runtime: 2h 3m
Director: James Gray
James Gray’s best film charts the journey of an astronaut (played by Brad Pitt in one of his best performances) into space to find his estranged father, played by Tommy Lee Jones. More of an emotional journey than a sci-fi-thriller, it’s a powerful parable about the dynamics between fathers and sons.
All of Us Strangers
Year: 2023
Runtime: 1h 45m
Director: Andrew Haigh
One of the best films of 2023 is exclusively available on Hulu thanks to the relationship between the company and Fox Searchlight—both owned by Disney, essentially. Andrew Scott is stunning as a man who essentially travels in time to visit the parents (Jamie Bell & Claire Foy) who died when he was young, all while starting a relationship with one of his neighbors (Paul Mescal). Imagine getting to say what you never could to those you lost and allowing them a chance to see how you’ve changed too. It’s a beautiful, moving piece of work.
Anatomy of a Fall
Year: 2023
Runtime: 2h 31m
Director: Justine Triet
The latest Oscar winner for Best Original Screenplay is already exclusively on Hulu thanks to their relationship with Neon. The great Sandra Huller stars as a woman whose husband dies from a fall at their home. Was it suicide or murder? More than a mere courtroom drama, this is a dissection of a marriage that’s raw, brutal, and real.
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
Year: 2007
Runtime: 1h 57m
Director: Sidney Lumet
The masterful director of 12 Angry Men, Dog Day Afternoon, and so many more American classics ended his career with a banger in this intense thriller featuring performances from Ethan Hawke, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Marisa Tomei, and Albert Finney that stand among their best. A chronological puzzle of a film that would impress Christopher Nolan with its structure, this is one of the best films of the 2000s.
Ferrari
Year: 2023
Runtime: 2h 10m
Director: Michael Mann
Michael Mann’s first film in eight years wasn’t given nearly the theatrical attention it deserved, which means people can now catch up with it on Hulu! A masterful dissection of obsession and ego, Ferrari stars Adam Driver as Enzo Ferrari, captured here in 1957 as he juggles a collapsing personal life with a drive to win the 1957 Mille Miglia. Driver is underrated here, but that’s because Penelope Cruz drives off with the movie, giving one of the best performances of the last few years.
The Last Duel
Year: 2021
Runtime: 2h 33m
Director: Ridley Scott
Based on a true story, this underrated drama is set in medieval France and tells the same story from three different perspectives. Adam Driver, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Jodie Comer star in a powerfully written and directed piece of dramatic filmmaking, a story with themes of sexual violence and bodily autonomy that’s relevant today.
Poor Things
Year: 2023
Runtime: 2h 21m
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Emma Stone took home a second Oscar for her fearless portrayal of a Bella Baxter in the latest mindfuck from the director of The Lobster and The Favourite. Bella is the Frankenstein-esque creation of a mad scientist (Willem Dafoe), who teaches her the way of the world, until she discovers sex and her own identity. Visually stunning, it’s like nothing else on Hulu. Or anywhere really.
Y Tu Mamá También
Year: 2001
Runtime: 1h 46m
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Have you been watching Disclaimer over on Apple? It’s a reminder that Alfonso Cuaron is one of our best living filmmakers. Go back and watch this deeply personal, gorgeous film. Two teenage boys – Gael Garcia Bernal & Diego Luna (recently appearing in La Máquina on Hulu) – fall for an older woman who has a secret. It’s a sweet, moving film from a modern master.
Documentaries
Bad Axe
Year: 2022
Runtime: 1h 42m
Director: David Siev
This charming documentary about a family living in Michigan during the pandemic and all the things that came after it is one of the most empathetic and moving pieces of filmmaking about the 2020s to date. The Siev family own a family restaurant in Michigan, but it threatens to go under after the restrictions put in place by the pandemic. That is followed by divisions within the community that arise during the Black Lives Matter movement that same summer. Bad Axe is a phenomenal piece of work that you probably haven’t seen.
*Sugarcane
Year: 2024
Runtime: 1h 47m
Director: Emily Kassie, Julian Brave NoiseCat
This daring and brave Sundance documentary is about the system of Canadian schools that basically kidnapped Indigenous children, speaking to survivors and relatives to form a document of shattered history. It’s a devastating watch but a story that’s still underreported. There’s a reason it was named the Best Documentary of 2024 by the National Board of Review.
Summer of Soul
Year: 2021
Runtime: 1h 58m
Director: Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
It’s unfair how talented Questlove is. The drummer for The Roots proved to have an incredible touch with documentaries, too, when this future Oscar winner premiered at Sundance 2022, where it won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award. It’s the story of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, an unforgettable display of creativity and passion that was almost forgotten, the footage buried in a basement for generations. Watch this one loud.
Comedy
The Banshees of Inisherin
Year: 2022
Runtime: 1h 54m
Director: Martin McDonagh
One of the best films of 2022 and a multiple Oscar nominee last year, this dark comedy is already on streaming services, less than a year after its release. Colin Farrell does career-best work as a hapless Irishman who discovers that his best friend, played by Brendan Gleeson, doesn’t want to talk to him anymore. A film about how neighbors become enemies feels particularly timely in the currently fractured world, and this one is brilliant, funny, and moving.
*The King of Comedy
Year: 1983
Runtime: 1h 49m
Director: Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese is often more recognized for his gangster movies, classics like GoodFellas and Casino, but he’s really a filmmaker who can do absolutely everything. One of his most underrated genre experiments is this black comedy that really now looks prescient about how much everyone would want their 15 minutes of fame almost four decades later. Robert De Niro gives one of his best performances as Rupert Pupkin, an unhinged stand-up comedian who becomes obsessed with a talk show host, unforgettably played by Jerry Lewis.
*Little Miss Sunshine
Year: 2006
Runtime: 1h 42m
Director: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris’s Sundance comedy is one of the most notable breakthroughs in the history of the Park City event. It went all the way from its premiere in Utah to become a multiple Oscar nominee and brought in over $100 million along the way. People were drawn to a story that encourages them to just be who they want to be, along with an incredibly likable supporting cast that includes Steve Carell, Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Abigail Breslin, and Alan Arkin, who won the Oscar.
Rye Lane
Year: 2023
Runtime: 1h 22m
Director: Raine Allen Miller
The best romantic comedy in years premiered at Sundance in January 2023 and is now on Hulu. David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah star in a film that’s reminiscent of Before Sunrise in the way it captures two people meeting and walking through a city as they slowly fall in love. Heartbroken, creative people, these characters are so incredibly likable in this film that has a sharp, brilliant screenplay, and stunning use of setting. The world around these people comes so vibrantly to life that it almost feels like a character.
Thelma
Year: 2024
Runtime: 1h 37m
Director: Josh Margolin
A wonderful homage to the filmmaker’s actual grandmother, this Independent Spirit nominee stars the irreplaceable June Squibb as the title character, a woman who gets conned by a phone scam. Rather than just let it happen, Thelma gathers her best friend (the excellent Richard Roundtree, in his final role) and seeks vengeance. It’s funny and surprisingly moving. It will make you want to call your grandma.
The Worst Person in the World
Year: 2021
Runtime: 2h 8m
Director: Joachim Trier
The partnership between Neon and Hulu continues to pay off for subscribers as the streamer is the exclusive home of one of the most acclaimed films of 2021 in this Best Original Screenplay and Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nominee. Renate Reinsve is stunning as a young woman named Julie who navigates career, love, and life in a film that’s funny, moving, and true.
Horror
Crimes of the Future
Year: 2022
Runtime: 1h 47m
Director: David Cronenberg
The master of body horror returned to the form for the first time in a generation and delivered one of the most mesmerizing films of 2022. Viggo Mortensen plays a man in a future where evolution has gone awry, creating new organs in human bodies. His is particularly active, and it draws the attention of characters played by Kristen Stewart and Lea Seydoux. It’s a fascinating film. You won’t be able to turn away.
*Cuckoo
Year: 2024
Runtime: 1h 42m
Director: Tilman Singer
Euphoria star Hunter Schafer rocks in this twisted horror flick about a teenager who ends up moving to the Alps with her father, stumbling into a truly dark and twisted corner of the world. Of course, Dan Stevens is there, giving one of his most truly demented performances.
The First Omen
Year: 2024
Runtime: 1h 59m
Director: Arkasha Stevenson
There’s no reason for The First Omen to be as good as it is. First off, most studio horror films don’t take anywhere near the kind of risks that this daring genre flick takes. Second, horror prequels are very rarely good. Nell Tiger Free (Servant) plays an American novitiate in Rome who discovers a vile plan to bring the antichrist to life. With stunning use of practical effects and an incredible lead performance, director Arkasha Stevenson crafted one of the best horror films of the 2020s.
Action
Die Hard
Year: 1988
Runtime: 2h 12m
Director: John McTiernan
Finally! Streamers have a habit of dropping parts of the Bruce Willis series but never the whole thing, until now! Watch from the masterful original through the abysmal A Good Day to Die Hard in one sitting, only on Hulu. The original is still the masterpiece, a film that truly rewrote the rules for the genre, shifting it more to everyman characters like Willis and away from muscular stars like Sly and Ah-nuld. It’s held up perfectly, as entertaining today as when it came out.
*Heat
Year: 1995
Runtime: 2h 51m
Director: Michael Man
Robert De Niro and Al Pacino star in one of the best movies of the ‘90s, a stunning cat-and-mouse game between a career criminal and a workaholic cop. The book release of Heat 2 in 2022 brought a lot of people back to this movie, one that has held up remarkably well over the nearly three decades since it was released. It’s a masterpiece.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Year: 2024
Runtime: 2h 25m
Director: Wes Ball
The director of Maze Runner picks up the saga of Planet of the Apes for the start of another planned trilogy of films to continue the brilliance of Rise/Dawn/War. Set a couple centuries after the end of that last trilogy, Kingdom is a world in which different ape factions are fighting for dominance, most of them using the teachings of Caesar as a guide. When a young ape (voiced perfectly by Owen Teague) meets a human (Freya Allen), they discover they may have common goals. It’s a smart, ambitious blockbuster filmmaking that’s exclusively on Hulu.
*The Town
Year: 2010
Runtime: 2h 4m
Director: Ben Affleck
Adapted from a Chuck Hogan novel, The Town is an essential modern crime movie, especially for the city of Boston. Affleck, Jeremy Renner (Oscar-nominated), Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, and Chris Cooper star in the story of a group of bank robbers from Boston who set out to pull the ultimate job, robbing Fenway Park.
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