Each night, you look into your lover’s eyes and ask, “Will no legacy media outlet tell me what are 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 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 you’ll ever watch…because it’s 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 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.
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 that’s 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 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.
La Chimera (2024)
Director: Alice Rohrwacher
Genre: Crime/Comedy
Notable Cast: Josh O’Connor, Isabella Rossellini, Alba Rohrwacher
MPA Rating: Not rated
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Metacritic: 91
