32 Best Movies on Hulu to Watch Right Now (November 2024)
Each night, you look into your loverâs eyes and ask, âWill no legacy media outlet tell me what are the best movies on Hulu?â Luckily, Vanity Fair is here for you. One glance at the platformâs 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?), weâve 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 The Wizard of Oz. Hu loves ya?
A Glitch in the Matrix (2021)Director: Rodney Ascher
Genre: Documentary
Notable Cast: Keanu Reeves (archival), Elon Musk (archival), Philip K. Dick (archival)
MPA Rating: Not rated
Rotten Tomatoes: 66%
Metacritic: 62
A gem awaiting rediscovery, this good-faith analysis of individuals who are convinced we live in a simulation is either an eerie exploration of insanity or the most important documentary youâll ever watchâŠbecause itâs all true. Rodney Ascher, whose previous work includes the Shining-obsessed Room 237, uses The Matrix as a touchpoint for this (expanding?) syndrome, and interviews his subjects virtually, using gaming avatars. Read our mind-scrambling interview with the director here, then prepare to soak your brain in a vat for a while.
Alien (1979)Director: Ridley Scott
Genre: Sci Fi/Horror
Notable Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerrit, John Hurt, Veronica Cartwright
MPA Rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Metacritic: 89
The original and still the best. A haunted house story, a workplace drama, and a twist-filled mysteryâall set in outer space. Sigourney Weaverâs rocket to superstardom started here when she played the greatest interplanetary final girl, and John Hurtâs 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 youâve seen Alien, you will always find something new in it.
Beyond the Lights (2014)Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Genre: Romantic drama
Notable Cast: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Nate Parker, Minnie Driver
MPA Rating: PG-13
Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
Metacritic: 73
A classic showbiz romance updated for today (or 2014, but thatâs close enough), with Gugu Mbatha-Raw as an R&B/pop sensation trapped by fame and Nate Parker as the hunky security guard/would-be politician who first saves her life, then takes her heart. This is glossy soap opera filmmaking at its finest, with an extended sequence at a beachside hideaway that may have you hitting pause and heading to Travelocity. One of the better romantic movies to watch on Hulu.
Blackberry (2023)Director: Matt Johnson
Genre: Comedy
Notable Cast: Jay Baruchel, Glenn Howerton, Michael Ironside
MPA Rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Metacritic: 78
Canadian indie stalwart Matt Johnson, creator of marvelous mock-documentaries 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 Howertonâs increasingly antic pursuit of money. Research shows thereâs a great deal thatâs been fictionalized here, but the essence of IPO bubbles remains sincere.
La Chimera (2024)Director: Alice Rohrwacher
Genre: Crime/Comedy
Notable Cast: Josh OâConnor, Isabella Rossellini, Alba Rohrwacher
MPA Rating: Not rated
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Metacritic: 91
This charming Italian film (which had a rare, unplanned âextended runâ throughout 2024 in New York arthouses, a once-common phenomenon that hardly exists in the streaming era) stars Josh OâConnor 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 sunsoaked and very amusing taleâone of the best new movies on Hulu.
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)Director: J. Lee Thompson
Genre: Sci Fi
Notable Cast: Roddy McDowall, Ricardo MontalbĂĄn, Severn Darden
MPA Rating: PG
Rotten Tomatoes: 52%
Metacritic: 49
If you want to see a group of nerds go bananas, ask them which of the original Planet of the Apes is best. A militant faction will always stump for Conquest (the fourth entry in the series), a reflection of the radical political movements of the day. But ⊠like ⊠with talking gorillas. The Möibus strip time logic of the series takes us to the moment human society falls, embracing totalitarianism on the way down. The brutalist architecture of the University of California, Irvineâs campus makes a perfect backdrop for this struggle.
Dead Poets Society (1989)Director: Peter Weir
Genre: Drama
Notable Cast: Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke
MPA Rating: PG
Rotten 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, where he proved he had more in him than zany Mork from Ork stunts. (Indeed, Williams received an Academy Award nomination for best actor.) Heâs marvelous as that one mentor teacher we all wish we had, showing a group of conformity-primed rich kids that they donât necessarily have to follow their familyâs scripts. His methods are filled with vitality and intellectâuntil one kid shoots himself. But you canât have everything!
© Universal/Everett Collection.
Do The Right Thing (1989)Director: Spike Lee
Genre: Drama/Comedy
Notable Cast: Spike Lee, Danny Aiello, Giancarlo Esposito, Rosie Perez
MPA Rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Metacritic: 93
With the possible exception of GoodFellas, no single work of cinema has more quotable lines than Spike Leeâs masterpiece Do The Right Thing. Set on a blazing hot summer day in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Brooklyn, racial tensions heat up and explode into violence thanks to a thousand small grievances, flippant responses, and stubborn refusals to listen. This movie is 35 years old, but could have been made yesterday.
Fire of Love (2022)Director: Sara Dosa
Genre: Documentary
Notable Cast: Katia Krafft (archival), Maurice Krafft (archival), Miranda July (narrator)
MPA Rating: PG
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
Metacritic: 84
One of the best films on Hulu from the 2022 Sundance Film Festival (which was switched to a âvirtualâ event at the last minute, thanks to the omicron variant of the coronavirus pandemic), this is a fascinating look at true kindred spiritsâmarried 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 Julyâs poetic voiceover adds to the mesmerizing effect.
Firestarter (1984)Director: Mark L. Lester
Genre: Horror
Notable Cast: Drew Barrymore, David Keith, Art Carney
MPA Rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 40%
Metacritic: 32
Donât pay attention to those low critic scores: this is by far the best movie ever made about hippie students who sign up for a drug experiment secretly funded by the CIA that gives them telekinetic powers, which later mutate their kid. When said kid (Drew Barrymore, absolutely terrific) grows older, she begins to get a handle on her abilities, which leads to an insane crescendo of a wee blonde moppet broiling people alive and chucking flaming rock into human flesh. I saw this movie, based on Stephen Kingâs book, when I was nine, and I didnât sleep for a week.
Flux Gourmet (2022)Director: Peter Strickland
Genre: Horror/Comedy
Notable Cast: Gwendoline Christie, Asa Butterfield, Fatma Mohamed
MPA Rating: Not Rated
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Metacritic: 79
Stranger, even, than Peter Stricklandâs Duke of Burgundy, this dreamlike, highly stylized fantasy imagines an arts retreat for âculinary and alimentary performance.â Played absolutely straight, we follow an in-house diarist at the Sonic Catering Institute whoâs attempting to summarize the work of visiting chef-musicians. (Naturally, he suffers horrifying intestinal gas.) Several sequences of psychedelic jams, freakout sessions, and food-related orgies ensue. I realize none of that makes any sense, but trust me: this movie is real, and it is spectacular.
Ford v Ferrari (2019)Director: James Mangold
Genre: Drama
Notable Cast: Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Tracey Letts
MPA Rating: PG-13
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Metacritic: 81
A best picture Oscar-nominee (and winner for best editing and best sound), James Mangoldâs 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 Fordâs visionary 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 sequencesâand many of them are found right here.
Free Solo (2018)Directors: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin
Genre: Documentary
Notable Cast: Alex Honnold, El Capitan
MPA Rating: PG-13
Rotten 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 âare you nuts?!?!â 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 isnât terrifying enough. It is a fascinating and riveting portrait.
The Host (2006)Director: Bong Joon-ho
Genre: Horror
Notable Cast: Song Kang-ho, Bae Doona
MPA Rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Metacritic: 85
The film that broke South Korean auteur Bong Joon-ho into the American market (though his earlier ones are certainly worth watching, too), The Host breathed new life into the creature feature, and opens with one of the most terrifying sequences in the genre. Just what would it be like, seriously, if an enormous monster rampaged through a park on a pleasant day? Watch this one on Hulu, and youâll knowâand maybe be a little freaked out forever.
The Hummingbird Project (2018)Director: Kim Nguyen
Genre: Drama
Notable Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Alexander SkarsgÄrd, Salma Hayek
MPA Rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 57%
Metacritic: 58
A weirdly overlooked movie detailing a baffling contour of cutting edge capitalismâthe race to install a direct, high-frequency cable from a commodities exchange in Kansas City to Wall Street in New York City. Having access to information a fraction of a second before the competition could make or break fortunes, but actually building the thing is a tall order. Jesse Eisenberg and Alexander SkarsgĂ„rd (hardly recognizable in this) are tremendous as the greedy visionary and his tech whiz cousin overseeing the project.
I Am Not Your Negro (2016)Director: Raoul Peck
Genre: Documentary
Notable Cast: James Baldwin (archival), Samuel L. Jackson (narrator)
MPA Rating: PG-13
Rotten Tomatoes: 99%
Metacritic: 95
I Am Not Your Negro is not just one of the most insightful looks at the civil rights era: Raoul Peckâs remarkable work is ostensibly a cinematic memoir from the author and public intellectual James Baldwin, even though he died 30 years prior to its release. Weaving archival clips with text from essays narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, this wide-ranging film is grandly philosophical but also deeply personal.
Late Night With The Devil (2024)Directors: Colin Cairnes and Cameron Cairnes
Genre: Horror
Notable Cast: David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss
MPA Rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Metacritic: 72
This very funny and deeply scary breakout festival hit is a clever spin on the âfound footageâ genre. Presented as a mock investigation into âwhat really happenedâ during the broadcast of a live â70s talk show that went haywire, the bulk of the film plays out like a night of amusing Halloween-themed TV that, naturally, conjures up dark forces to deadly ends. If you ever wondered how Johnny Carson would handle a demon on his couch, look no further.
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)Director: David Lean
Genre: Epic
Notable Cast: Peter OâToole, Omar Sharif, Alec Guinness, No Women
MPA Rating: PG (given upon rerelease)
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Metacritic: 100
It may seem a little sacrilegious to suggest you stream one of the most âbig screenâ movies ever made on Hulu, but sometimes you yearn for the virgin dunes of Arabia and donât want to get off your couch. Easily one of the most gorgeous and thrilling motion pictures of all time, in David Leanâs nuanced examination of war, rebellion and soft colonialism, one can find the roots of many of the worldâs problemsâparticularly during the haphazard border creation scenes at the filmâs conclusion. It almost hurts to watch. (The trick, of course, is not minding that it hurts.)
My Cousin Vinny (1992)Director: Jonathan Lynn
Genre: Comedy
Notable Cast: Joe Pesci, Marisa Tomei, Ralph Maccio
MPA Rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Metacritic: 68
The most righteous of all best supporting actress Oscar winners, Marisa Tomei revolutionized outer borough representation with her sharp, sassy and sexy performance as auto enthusiast Mona Lisa Vito. Her fiancée, a dopey personal injury attorney played by Joe Pesci, must decamp Brooklyn for Alabama to rescue two unjustly accused nice guys, and tell a whole lotta jokes along the way. An added (and unexpected) benefit to the film is how trial litigators list it as one of the top movies that actually show courtroom proceedings in a factual light.
© Searchlight Pictures/Everett Collection.
Nightmare Alley (2021)Director: Guillermo Del Toro
Genre: Drama/Horror
Notable Cast: Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, David Strathairn
MPA Rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 8%
Metacritic: 70
This carnival-set motion picture has pulled a disappearing act. It was nominated for the best picture Academy Award (as well as best cinematography, costumes and production design), but it came out during pre-vax Covid times, when few were going to see 150-minute remakes of Tyrone Power movies. But guess what: itâs a terrific, moody look inside the tarot-reading tent, treating classic B picture tropes with a respect and care rarely seen, as well as an absolutely stacked cast.
Ordinary People (1980)Director: Robert Redford
Genre: Drama
Notable Cast: Timothy Hutton, Judd Hirsch, Mary Tyler Moore
MPA Rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Metacritic: 86
Remembered by some only as the movie that knocked out Raging Bull for the best picture Oscar, this emotional workout was a major step forward in terms of representing mental health practices onscreen. (Thereâs quite a difference between Shock Corridor and Judd Hirsch.) Timothy Hutton is a sensitive young man recovering from a boating accident that killed his brother, while his parents, Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore, have their own coping mechanisms. Long before anyone knew phrases like âall the feels,â this movie had all the feels.
Oscar Peterson: Black + White (2021)Director: Barry Avrich
Genre: Documentary
Notable Cast: Oscar Peterson (archival), Ella Fitzgerlad (archival), Quincy Jones
MPA Rating: Not rated
Rotten Tomatoes: 73%
Metacritic: 62
Barry Avrichâs documentary about the late, great jazz pianist Oscar Peterson does not do anything clever with form, or even have much of an aesthetic agenda. But thatâs okay. Its subject, one of the finest musicians that ever lived, takes care of that all on his own with the ample archive footage on display. Peterson, who conquered mid-century jazz from unlikely origins in Montreal, was innovating at a level so far beyond his peers that his records and concerts from 60 years ago still amaze. As such, this is one of the best Hulu movies to watch in the background a second time after youâve already seen it.
Quiz Lady (2023)Director: Jessica Yu
Genre: Comedy
Notable Cast: Awkwafina, Sandra Oh, Will Ferrell
MPA Rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 82%
Metacritic: 62
âCanât stop the quiz!â This lovable and idiotic comedyâwhich debuted directly on Huluâis 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 trainwreck 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 Ferrellâs appearance as a friendly, Trebek-esque presence is actually his finest, warmest performance in years. This movie is so incredibly dumb, but I guarantee it will make you laugh.
Rachel Getting Married (2008)Director: Jonathan Demme
Genre: Drama
Notable Cast: Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt, Tunde Adebimpe
MPA Rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Metacritic: 85
Jonathan Demme, one of Hollywoodâs most deeply humanist filmmakers, knocked it out of the park with this character drama set during a weekend wedding party. Anne Hathaway is the younger sister just out of rehab, searching for a way to get her life back on track, but inevitably making a mess of things. Best are the near-documentary moments of toasts, serenades, and plain-old hanging out. Watching this movie is an all-enveloping experience, not unlike real lifeâin which disparate people bond over shared connections to a couple, then never see one another again.
© 20th Century Fox/Everett Collection.
Raising Arizona (1987)Director: Joel and Ethan Coen
Genre: Comedy
Notable Cast: Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, Randall âTexâ Cobb
MPA Rating: PG-13
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Metacritic: 69
âYou ate sand?â The Coen Brothers at their most madcap, Raising Arizonaâs screwball crime caper zooms by at such supersonic speed that youâll be forgiven if you only clock some of the gags on the second or even third viewing. Nicolas Cage is a petty thief trying to go straight, especially now that heâs married to a corrections officer (Holly Hunter). But when they are unable to have children and avenues of adoption are closed to them, well, they turn to kidnapping. There is so much screeching and hollering and yodeling in this filmâan absolute masterpiece, and one of the top movies on Hulu.
RioDirector: Carlos Saldanha
Genre: Animated
Notable Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, will.i.am,
MPA Rating: G
Rotten Tomatoes: 72%
Metacritic: 63
Remember the time Jesse Eisenberg played a neurotic blue macaw? Well, if you donât, you can fire this one up on Hulu. This antic animated picture is better than Minions because it is set in Rio de Janeiro, so the music is pretty good. Itâs about a bunch of birds who have to, I dunno, escape or something. Anne Hathaway is the smart bird, and will.i.am is the cool bird, and Tracy Morgan is a bulldog. Itâs all very cute.
RoboCop (1987)Director: Paul Verhoeven
Genre: Action-Adventure
Notable Cast: Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Ronny Cox
MPA Rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Metacritic: 70
Sometimes you just want to watch a bad guy get shot in his sex organ. Luckily, Hulu is there for you with RoboCop, the startlingly violent action-adventure movie that, if you are tuned to the right wavelength, reveals itself as an anti-authoritrian satire. (ACAB includes robocops, too.) Paul Weller plays a Detroit police officer brought back from the dead after heâs brutally killed by the mob, transformed into a law enforcement machineâbut his programmers reveal themselves to be more evil than the mob. There is so much ludicrous shooting and smashing and acid-soaked boiling flesh in this movie. Fun for the whole family!
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)Director: Jim Sharman
Genre: Musical
Notable Cast: Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Meat Loaf
MPA Rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 80%
Metacritic: 65
Yes, yes: if ever there were a motion picture that was meant for the theater itâs The Rocky Horror Picture Show, with its shadow casts and talk backs. But maybe you want to have a smaller version of the experience in the intimacy of your own home? (Whatever could that lead to?) In addition to the B-movie tropes and LGBT themes, however, you must be forewarned: a re-watch of this film means Richard OâBrienâs enduring songs (âOver at the Frankenstein Placeâ being my favorite) will get stuck in your head and simply will never leave.
Summer of Soul (…or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021)Director: Questlove
Genre: Documentary
Notable Cast: The Fifth Dimension, Stevie Wonder, Mahalia Jackson
MPA Rating: PG-13
Rotten Tomatoes: 99%
Metacritic: 96
The ubiquity of cellphone cameras and the internet means that what happened with the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival could never happen again. I donât mean there couldnât be a great and meaningful celebration of musicâI mean that it couldnât 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 Awardâwinning documentary.
From the Everett Collection.
The Wizard of Oz (1939)Director: Victor Fleming
Genre: Fantasy
Notable Cast: Judy Garland, Margaret Hamilton, Ray Bolger,
MPA Rating: G (given upon 1970 rerelease, with a PG given to the 2013 PG 3D version)
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
Metacritic: 92
One time a friendâs father cornered me and explained how The Wizard of Oz was a thinly veiled allegory about the Gold Standard Act of 1900. I never went to a sleepover there again. Still, a classicâs a classic, and Huluâs rich well of great movies is a good excuse to watch this one againâespecially if youâve just seen Wicked. Just remember: Oz never did give nothing to the Tin Man that he didnât already have.
Y Tu Mamå También (2001)Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Genre: Drama
Notable Cast: Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna, Maribel VerdĂș
MPA Rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
Metacritic: 89
This Spanish-language romantic drama introduced international audiences to Alfonso CuarĂłn, Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna, all in one heady, lusty swoop. Y Tu MamĂĄ TambiĂ©n follows two, sexually ripe young men who have their first adult affairsâwith 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.
Zappa (2020)Director: Alex Winter
Genre: Documentary
Notable Cast: Frank Zappa (archival), Ruth Underwood, Steve Vai
MPA Rating: Not rated
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
Metacritic: 76
Like Yoko Ono, Frank Zappa is among the most famous musicians whose music very few people have heard. Alex Winterâs documentary does a great job of Zappa-splaining what made this genre-resistant man so special. Of course, he is extremely not for everyone, but even those repulsed by his bratty humor and complex compositions will come away impressed (one hopes) by his dedication to art and his passion for individuality.
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 Ordinary People if you want to cry or Quiz Lady if you want to laugh.
What is the number one movie on Hulu?I donât know what you mean. The one with the most streams? Probably something for morons. My number one is either an epic like Lawrence of Arabia or a documentary like Free Solo.
Whatâs the funniest movie on Hulu right now?Itâs gotta be Raising Arizona, with Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter. When was the last time you saw it? What, you never saw it?!!? Correct that now.
Whatâs the #1 scariest movie on Hulu right now?Boy, youâve really got a hangup about ânumber one,â donât you? Do you have to go to the bathroom or something? Anyway, the scariest movie on Hulu right now is Alien.
