44 Of The Best Movies To Stream On Hulu In February
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1.*Airplane! (1980)
"I am serious. And don't call me Shirley." Folks, to risk sounding like an old man, they just don't make 'em like this anymore. Airplane! is all about the laughs, and whether you're watching this classic for the very first time or have seen it more times than you can count, you will be astonished at how many jokes are crammed into a movie that doesn't even have a 90-minute runtime. Every subset of humor imaginable is on full display here, including wordplay, slapstick, surrealism, and they even manage to establish a few recurring jokes for good measure. Does every joke land? No! But even if you don't find a one-liner or visual gag funny, just wait 10 seconds and another joke will be flying your way.
Watch it on Hulu.
2.*Almost Famous (2000)
William Miller (Patrick Fugit) is a 15-year-old aspiring journalist who lives and breathes rock and roll. Thanks to some good timing and some light fibbing about his age, William ends up hitting the road with Stillwater, an up-and-coming band led by Russell (Billy Crudup), the enigmatic guitarist. Director Cameron Crowe, who based the movie on his real-life experience as a teen rock critic in the '70s, has always worn his heart on his sleeve, and his shameless sentimentality works perfectly here, as Almost Famous is a coming-of-age classic that also functions as a love letter to a bygone era. And with only a handful of scenes, Philip Seymour Hoffman nearly manages to steal the entire movie as jaded but deeply passionate rock critic Lester Bangs.
Watch it on Hulu.
3.Another Round (2020)
The winner for Best International Film at this year's Academy Awards, Another Round tells the story of four middle-aged, disillusioned teachers in Copenhagen who decide to start consuming a small amount of alcohol throughout the day in order to see how it affects their social and professional lives. The entire cast is phenomenal, but Mads Mikkelsen steals the movie as Martin, a depressed man who rediscovers his zeal for life when he begins incorporating drinking into his daily life. What really makes the film work is its balance; while Another Round never shies away from the very real risks of drinking, at the same time, it manages to resist getting preachy as its main characters explore the pros and cons of alcohol consumption. This dark, funny, strange story walks that delicate line to the very end of the film, leaving it up to the viewer to decide what to make of these four friends' bizarre experiment.
Watch it on Hulu.
4.Arrival (2016)
When you think of alien invasion movies, your mind likely goes to massive explosions and gigantic battle sequences with the fate of the Earth on the line. You won't find any of that in Arrival. Instead, when extraterrestrial spaceships appear in different locations around the planet with no explanation, linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is the unexpected hero who is charged with the task of figuring out how to understand and communicate with the otherworldly visitors. Director Denis Villeneuve proves to be a master of suspenseful storytelling, as he is able to create a tense atmosphere and explore several thought-provoking themes without getting too heavy-handed, all while subverting nearly every trope of alien cinema. The movie is a worthy entry into the pantheon of great sci-fi films, but the eight Academy Award nominations it received, including Best Picture and Best Director, proved that Arrival had managed to transcend genre altogether. Though, in a just world, Adams would have finally won her much-deserved Oscar for her subtle performance. (Criminally, she wasn't even nominated.)
Watch it on Hulu.
5.The Assistant (2019)
Years deep into the #MeToo movement, the entertainment industry is still figuring out how to effectively hold a mirror up to itself and tell stories about the pervasive culture of sexual harassment onscreen. The Assistant manages to do so by delivering a master class in "show, don't tell," as viewers get a front row seat into the devastating effects of systemic oppression women face in the workplace through the eyes of Jane (Julia Garner), a young and ambitious junior assistant working at a production company in New York. Even in the most mundane moments of her job, Jane experiences subtle yet potent sexism while persistent rumors float around the office about her unnamed and unseen boss using his position of power to sleep with young women. The understated tone of the movie quietly creates an almost horrorlike atmosphere as even a meeting between Jane and the company's head of HR (Matthew Macfadyen, best known as Tom on Succession) becomes a terrifying display of how powerless she is to fight against a system built to protect those in power.
Watch it on Hulu.
6.Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021)
Barb (Annie Mumolo) and Star (Kristen Wiig) leave their suburban existence behind for a getaway in beautiful Vista Del Mar. The two friends just want to ride an inflatable banana and enjoy some nice drinks by the pool, but they end up accidentally in the crosshairs of a bizarre evil plan that involves lethal mosquitoes. Wiig is as fantastic as ever, but it's a blast to watch Mumolo, a relative unknown who has mostly made a name for herself as a writer (including earning an Oscar nom for cowriting Bridesmaids with Wiig), deliver a breakout performance. The two are fantastic as the titular best pals, and their script is packed with goofy gags and absurd one-liners. As a result, Barb and Star is the type of movie that tragically doesn't really get made anymore: a comedy where the primary goal is to make the audience laugh as much as possible.
Watch it on Hulu.
7.Beatriz at Dinner (2017)
Beatriz (Salma Hayek) is a working-class masseuse who ends up as an unexpected guest at a fancy dinner of one of her wealthy clients after her car breaks down. Over the course of the evening, Beatriz is forced to endure thinly veiled racist condescension from the rest of the guests (as well as the host) as she is treated more like a prop than a person. Hayek is great in the titular role, concealing the frustration Beatriz is constantly feeling as she struggles to speak up for herself while also being a respectful guest. The film was well received by critics, who celebrated it as a successful social commentary on the modern state of race and class in America.
Watch it on Hulu.
8.Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020)
It's the year 2020, and time and space have started to crumble because Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves) have failed to write the prophesied song that would unite the universe in peace and harmony. While they head to the future to try to discover the song, their daughters, Billie (Brigette Lundy-Paine) and Thea (Samara Weaving), head into the past in order to assemble the greatest band roster in the history of music. Reeves and Winter remain as charming as ever, but Weaving and Lundy-Paine manage to hold their own and arguably end up with most of the best jokes and shenanigans in the movie. It never quite captures the magic of Excellent Adventure or even Bogus Journey, but Face the Music is a worthy third entry in this beloved time-traveling franchise.
Watch it on Hulu.
9.Black Swan (2010)
Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) is a ballerina who is obsessed with being the best. She is cast in the lead dual roles in Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, but as she struggles to capture the dark and complicated performance of the Black Swan, her understudy, Lily (Mila Kunis), threatens to take the part from her. As Nina begins to lose her grip on reality, the viewer experiences her intense paranoia and slow descent into madness, thanks to director Darren Aronofsky's one-of-a-kind talent. The psychological thriller earned five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, with Portman winning an Oscar for her career-defining performance.
Watch it on Hulu.
10.Borat! Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)
We all remember the catchphrases ("My wife!") and absurd antics, but what really makes Borat one of the best comedies of this century is how Sacha Baron Cohen manages to hold up a mirror to the racism, misogyny, and casual cruelty that are so prevalent in American culture through the character of Borat. Whether he is corralling a group of people at a bar to sing along to a horrifyingly antisemitic song or lamenting the end of slavery with drunk frat boys, Cohen always manages to get the people around him to tell on themselves in a way that is equal parts hilarious and depressing.
Watch it on Hulu.
11.Charlie's Angels (2000)
Reboots are notoriously difficult to pull off and Charlie's Angels is a franchise that seems to get remade over and over again. But this movie is unquestionably the best of the bunch, as it does not take itself too seriously, instead delivering an extremely fun viewing experience that does not have any of the pretension of later iterations. Action comedies almost never work but in this case, the balance between the two genres is effortlessly achieved. It certainly doesn't hurt that the titular angels are three megastars at the peak of their powers and Lucy Liu, Drew Barrymore, and Cameron Diaz are all delivering truly fantastic performances, as well as working perfectly together as an unlikely trio of badass secret agents.
Watch it on Hulu.
12.Collective (2019)
Collective follows Romanian journalists as they uncover widespread corruption by the government's handling of healthcare. What really sets Collective apart from most modern documentaries is its confidence in not needing to use the genre's clichés to overexplain everything to the audience. There is no voiceover or dramatic score to try to manipulate you as a viewer; instead, you just get to see what is unfolding onscreen. Collective made less than $150,000 at the global box office, but it has received universal praise from critics, winning Best Documentary at the European Film Awards and London Film Critics Circle. It even became the first-ever Romanian film to earn a nomination at the Academy Awards.
Watch it on Hulu.
13.Crazy Heart (2009)
Otis "Bad" Blake (Jeff Bridges) was once a famous country star, but now he's forced to play at small bars around the country just to make ends meet. On top of that, he has four divorces, a son he hasn't seen in over 20 years, and a severe case of alcoholism. But that all changes once he meets Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a journalist who encourages him to get his life back on track. Think of it as a more grounded and less memeable prequel to A Star Is Born. Bridges gives one of the best performances of his career, which won him a long-overdue Oscar and reestablished him as one of the premier elder statesmen in cinema.
Watch it on Hulu.
14.Election (1999)
Jim McAllister seems to be living his best life as a happily married civics teacher at a high school in Omaha. But everything starts to fall apart when Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon), an ultra–type A go-getter, decides to run for student council president. McAllister makes it his mission to take her down, and the two end up in a showdown that nearly destroys the school. This surprisingly dark comedy is a blast, as it's hilarious to watch how far Flick will go to win and how far McAllister will go to stop her from winning. What's really incredible is that Witherspoon was still unknown at this point. Her terrifyingly uptight performance rightly earned her the first Golden Globe nomination of her career.
Watch it on Hulu.
15.*Fight Club (1999)
Fight Club is a difficult movie to discuss because of its strange impact on the culture at large. Through no fault of its own, Fight Club's satirical messaging flew right over the heads of a good chunk of viewers, who decided that the movie is about how Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) is a total badass and how cool it would be to start a fight club. In reality, Fight Club is a thoughtful and pointed examination of the alienated existence found in a consumerist society, as well as a takedown of responding to this modern dilemma with destruction for the sake of destruction. Don't let the willful misinterpretation of others keep you from enjoying Fight Club for yourself, as it remains an effectively grim cultural commentary that feels as relevant two decades later as it was when it was released.
Watch it on Hulu.
16.*Flee (2021)
As he is about to marry his husband, Amin Nawabi shares the story of how he fled his home in Afghanistan and became a refugee in Denmark. Since its debut at Sundance at the beginning of 2021, Flee has been deemed an "instant classic" by critics, and its animation style, themes, and representation of LGBTQ+ relationships have all been celebrated by viewers, including Parasite director Bong Joon-ho, who listed it as one of his favorite films from 2021. The animated docudrama was recently nominated for a trio of Academy Awards, including Best International Feature Film, Best Documentary Feature, and Best Animated Feature.
Watch it on Hulu.
17.Gone Girl (2014)
When Amy (Rosamund Pike) goes missing on her fifth wedding anniversary, suspicion quickly begins to grow that her husband, Nick (Ben Affleck), may be hiding something. What sounds like a fairly straightforward whodunit turns out to be so much more. For much of Gone Girl, you think you are watching one story, only to discover about halfway through that you are being told a different story altogether. The movie works almost entirely thanks to Pike, who gives one of the best acting performances of the last decade as Amy, a character who excels at keeping her true motivations close to her chest. Keeping up with Pike is a tall order, yet Affleck, who has become better known for his directing than acting, proves himself to be up to the task, playing Nick with just the right blend of scumbaggery, self-loathing, and sad-eyed charm. At its core, Gone Girl is a movie about the tenuous nature of connection and whether or not qualities like loyalty and trust are as powerful as mutually assured destruction.
Watch it on Hulu.
18.Her Smell (2018)
The rise and fall of a musical artist is well-trodden territory in movies, but Her Smell gives a unique perspective on the genre by really diving into the complex and self-destructive nature of its lead, Becky Something (Elisabeth Moss). As a viewer, you'll find yourself simultaneously repulsed by Becky's selfish behavior and sympathizing with her struggle to maintain control of her constantly spiraling existence. And all credit for this nuanced character study should go to Moss, who has quietly established herself as one of the best actors of her generation and deserved an Oscar nomination for her performance here.
Watch it on Hulu.
19.*Hitch (2005)
Hitch (Will Smith) is a "date doctor" who helps hapless men get the woman of their dreams with a few neat tricks and tips. But after he finds himself falling for Sara (Eva Mendez), Hitch discovers his usual moves don't work on her and he may actually have to try forging a genuine connection to win her over. Hitch is a pretty paint-by-numbers rom-com, but none of that matters when you have the effortless charm of Will Smith at your disposal, who manages to keep Hitch from feeling like too much of a scumbag or bitter incel type. The chemistry between him and Mendez is what carries the film, as their playfully combative banter is really masking both characters' struggles to let their guard down and give vulnerability a real shot.
Watch it on Hulu.
20.The Hunger Games (2012)
Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is just your average 16-year-old living in a postapocalyptic world, but that all changes when she volunteers to participate in the Hunger Games, a fight-to-the-death competition put together every year, after her sister is selected to represent their district. The series lost its way a bit as it went on, but the first entry in the Hunger Games film franchise remains a highly entertaining dystopian adventure that touches on themes like wealth disparity and the ways that the rich exploit the poor for their own entertainment. Plus, it was the role that made Lawrence a star before she established herself as a bona fide star by winning an Oscar.
Watch it on Hulu.
21.Hustlers (2019)
The mostly true story of a group of strippers who were able to con rich customers out of large amounts of money, Hustlers became a runaway success upon its release. The movie earned more than $150 million at the box office and received widespread critical acclaim. It even developed some serious Oscar buzz, and while it (along with Jennifer Lopez's incredible performance) ended up getting snubbed by the Academy Awards, Hustlers' cultural impact is undeniable at this point. Plus, it's just a really fun, well-made movie that you enjoy just as much the fifth time watching as you did the first time.
Watch it on Hulu.
22.I, Tonya (2017)
Tonya Harding (Margot Robbie) was a rising star in the world of figure skating in the early '90s, and in I, Tonya we get an up-close look at her meteoric rise and subsequent fall from grace. I, Tonya is by no means a completely accurate retelling of the rise and fall of Harding, and critics have complained that the film lets the titular skater off the hook when it comes to her role in the infamous attack on Nancy Kerrigan. But the film is not pretending to be a history lesson — it's a character study; and in that respect, it's a highly entertaining journey into the life of one of the most controversial figures in American sports. And the entire cast delivers Oscarworthy performances, with Allison Janney even winning a well-deserved Academy Award as Harding's casually abusive mother.
Watch it on Hulu.
23.Jacinta (2020)
After spending most of the last decade of her life in and out of prison, 26-year-old Jacinta plans to get clean and become a better role model to her 10-year-old daughter. This harrowing documentary takes a brutally honest look at the struggles that addicts face in trying to get their lives back on track, and explores the unhealthy dynamics of the codependent relationship between Jacinta and her mom, Rosemary. Since its release, Jacinta has been unanimously praised by critics and generated lots of buzz along the film festival circuit.
Watch it on Hulu.
24.La La Land (2016)
What happens when a struggling actor and a struggling jazz musician cross paths in Los Angeles? Movie magic, baby! While it didn't actually end up winning Best Picture (to be fair, Moonlight totally deserved it), La La Land remains a remarkably entertaining movie and one of the best movie musicals of the 21st century. That's in no small part thanks to Emma Stone (who did end up winning an Oscar) and Ryan Gosling, who manage to effortlessly carry the movie with their dynamite chemistry and surprisingly great dance moves. Even if you find yourself (justifiably) rolling your eyes when Sebastian (Gosling) is explaining jazz to Mia (Stone), you'll find yourself tapping your toes during the outstanding musical numbers.
Watch it on Hulu.
25.Melancholia (2011)
When it comes to depicting mental illness onscreen, the movie industry has a less-than-stellar track record, often resorting to lazy stereotypes or reinforcing false notions about people suffering from anxiety, depression, or any number of other mental afflictions. But Melancholia is the rare exception as Lars von Trier, the film's writer and director, manages to channel the hopeless, directionless exhaustion of a depressive episode into Justine (Kirsten Dunst). Although it's her wedding day, Justine shows no interest in her marriage, her husband, or anything else going on around her, while her family is too focused on how her behavior reflects on them to really care about her. At the same time, a rogue planet named Melancholia begins heading toward Earth, which some predict could mean the end of the world. Dunst has never been better than she is here as she imparts a sense of despondent apathy toward everything happening around her that goes from disheartening to frightening as the world faces possible extinction.
Watch it on Hulu.
26.Moneyball (2011)
Sports movies tend to skew more toward the inspirational aspects of competition and overcoming adversity than the actual nuts and bolts it takes for a team to win. But Moneyball firmly favors the latter, as we see Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) embrace advanced stats in order to field a competitive team despite having one of the smallest payrolls in the league. Aaron Sorkin delivers one of his best scripts, effortlessly infusing his patented rapid-fire dialogue to keep discussions about sabermetrics from ever becoming dull or confusing for someone who knows nothing about baseball. Moneyball proved to be a success both financially (earning $110 million against a $50 million budget) and critically (it was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture), firmly establishing it as this century's best baseball movie.
Watch it on Hulu.
27.The Nice Guys (2016)
Shane Black is one of the defining voices of the buddy cop movie, and The Nice Guys is arguably his best take on the genre. Bumbling private eye Holland March (Ryan Gosling) reluctantly teams up with Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe), a brutish enforcer, to investigate the possible death of porn star Misty Mountains (Murielle Telio). But as in any good buddy cop movie, the actual plot takes a backseat to the chemistry between the lead duo, and Gosling and Crowe are sensational together. Gosling is the funniest he has ever been and delivers one of the best slapstick performances in recent memory. And Crowe has no problem keeping pace, giving his best performance since Master and Commander.
Watch it on Hulu.
28.Night of the Kings (2020)
A new prisoner arrives at La Maca, an infamous prison in the Ivory Coast that is run by inmates, and is selected to be the new "Roman," which requires him to tell a story to the prisoners. He begins to tell the story of the death of Zama King, a leader of the gang he belonged to, but he soon learns that he must keep telling the story until dawn or he will lose his life. Night of the Kings has received widespread critical acclaim since its release, winning the African American Film Critics Association Award for Best Foreign Film and the NAACP Image Awards 2021 for Outstanding International Motion Picture.
Watch it on Hulu.
29.Nomadland (2020)
You know those movies that your cinephile friends have been telling you to watch for months? Nomadland is probably at the top of that list, and after its big showing at the Oscars back in April, you have no more excuses for putting it off. And once you finally watch it, you’ll wonder why you didn’t see it sooner. Based on the 2017 nonfiction book of the same name, the film centers on Fern (Frances McDormand), who sells most of her possessions and takes to life on the road shortly after losing her job. McDormand won her third Oscar for her intimate portrayal of a woman trying to rediscover her place in the world, but what’s really impressive is how well the rest of the cast keeps up with her despite being composed almost entirely of "nonactors."
Watch it on Hulu.
30.Palm Springs (2020)
It's Nov. 9, and Nyles (Andy Samberg) is attending his cheating girlfriend's best friend's wedding for the thousandth (or possibly millionth) time, as he's been forced to relive the same day over and over. Nyles seems to have accepted his fate until sister of the bride Sarah (Cristin Milioti) ends up stuck in the same time loop. In lesser hands, this movie could easily feel unoriginal or trite, but Palm Springs proves to be a clever rom-com reimagining of Groundhog Day instead of a shameless rip-off. Having two people stuck in an endless time loop together instead of one poor schmuck trapped all alone may seem like a small change, but it turns out to give the movie its own vibe entirely. Palm Springs largely ignores the self-improvement aspect of Groundhog Day in favor of addressing the complex nature of human connection. And thanks to the dynamite chemistry between Samberg and Milioti, it totally works.
Watch it on Hulu.
31.Parasite (2019)
There's not much to say about Parasite that hasn't already been said in a million think pieces, but this is a rare film that not only justifies but somehow surpasses its own massive hype. But while much of the praise goes to Bong Joon-ho, who won Best Director and Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars, the performances from the actors tend to get overlooked. The entire Kim family is outstanding, as all four actors manage to display the family's growing sense of desperation and bitterness as they try to survive their life in squalor. Park So-dam's performance as Kim Ki-jung is awardworthy, as she is able to bring in a layer of dark humor into the role while remaining entirely in character.
Watch it on Hulu.
32.Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
If you're a sucker for once-in-a-lifetime love stories, you are going to love Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Set in France in the late 18th century, the film tells the story of Marianne (Noémie Merlant), a painter who is commissioned to paint a portrait of Héloïse (Adèle Haenel), a young aristocrat set to marry a wealthy nobleman. Romance movies have a tendency to be melodramatic, but Portrait opts for a more subtle approach, allowing the tension to grow as Marianne and Héloïse slowly gravitate toward each other. The film also makes no attempt to hide the lack of social freedom granted to women during this time period, which adds a certain level of tragedy to the love these two share.
Watch it on Hulu.
33.*The Proposal (2009)
Margaret (Sandra Bullock) is a workaholic executive who discovers that she is at risk of being deported due to violating her work visa. Rather than returning to Canada, she pretends she is engaged to her assistant, Andrew (Ryan Reynolds), who agrees to go along with the charade in order to receive a long-overdue promotion. Of course, once they head to Alaska so Margaret can meet Andrew's family, the fake couple begins to develop real feelings for each other. Like any good rom-com, The Proposal only works because of the chemistry between its two leads, as Bullock delivers another iconic performance and Reynolds is able to get his career back on track with this performance. It also features the late Betty White in a small but unforgettable role that she became known for in the late stage of her career.
Watch it on Hulu.
34.Shanghai Noon (2000)
Chon Wang (Jackie Chan) is a Chinese imperial guard who heads to the Wild West after the princess is kidnapped and ends up reluctantly teaming up with Roy O'Bannon (Owen Wilson), a ne'er-do-well outlaw. Chan had already proved himself a master of the art of buddy-action comedies, and he delivers again here, as his chemistry with Wilson is hysterical. The plot is perfectly simple and straightforward, allowing space for the two leads to deliver laughs and the occasional ass kicking, which is exactly what every buddy-action comedy should be focused on.
Watch it on Hulu.
35.Silence (2016)
Director Martin Scorsese has wrestled with faith and religion for much of his legendary film career, but never as directly or deeply as he does in Silence. When Jesuit priests Sebastião Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield) and Francisco Garupe (Adam Driver) receive news that their mentor, Cristóvão Ferreira (Liam Neeson), has renounced his faith after being tortured in Japan, they embark on a journey to find him and convert the Japanese people. The duo arrive in Japan with wide-eyed confidence in their mission, but as they get deeper into their search for Ferreira, they are faced with myriad challenges, including the constant threat of torture. Garfield was so dedicated to his performance that he lost 40 pounds, but his commitment to the role was not enough to attract moviegoers, as Silence made only $23 million at the global box office against a $40 million–$50 million budget.
Watch it on Hulu.
36.Skyfall (2012)
By far the best James Bond film of the Daniel Craig era, Skyfall gives 007 fans everything they've come to expect from the franchise while also adding some fun new wrinkles to the mythology of everyone's favorite British spy (apologies to Austin Powers). After faking his death to escape his life of espionage and one-night stands, Bond is forced to unretire after an MI6 building is blown up. He eventually faces off with Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem), a former agent who is hell-bent on getting revenge against M (Judi Dench). Silva is the best Bond villain in decades, ranking right up there with the all-time greats like Blofeld, Goldfinger, and Jaws. From the second he appears onscreen waxing philosophical about rats, the former MI6 agent takes over the movie and even forces Bond (and, by extension, viewers) to reflect on the "by any means necessary" approach he has long embraced. Even though it goes off the rails a bit by the end, Skyfall remains entertaining from start to finish.
Watch it on Hulu.
37.*Spencer (2021)
Nearly 25 years after her tragic death, Princess Diana remains a cultural fixation, as her short but memorable life is still discussed by countless admirers to this day. Spencer is hardly the first Diana biopic, but it is undoubtedly the best, as it focuses on her decision to end her marriage to Prince Charles and leave the royal family. And Kristen Stewart does a fantastic job portraying the internal struggle that the Princess of Wales is facing during this trying time, rightfully earning the first Oscar nomination of her career. Whether you are a borderline Princess Diana historian or completely clueless to her story, you'll enjoy this intimate look into someone discovering that living a fairy tale isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Watch it on Hulu.
38.Summer of Soul (2021)
During the summer of 1969, Harlem hosted a six-week music festival to celebrate African American music and to promote Black pride in the larger culture. Nearly 300,000 people attended to watch some of the biggest names in music, including Nina Simone, B.B. King, Sly and the Family Stone, and Stevie Wonder, perform. And yet, it is rarely mentioned in pop culture. Why? That is the question that Questlove, who directed the documentary, is looking to answer, by showing footage from the festival that was restored. The result is what documentarian Mark Kermode called "the best music documentary I've ever seen" and earned Summer of Soul an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature.
Watch it on Hulu.
39.Together Together (2021)
Matt (Ed Helms) is a successful app developer who decides he wants to become a father as he approaches middle age. He selects Anna (Patti Harrison), a twentysomething working a coffee shop, as his surrogate, and as the pregnancy progresses, their relationship grows as well. The chemistry between Helms and Harrison is fantastic, as their odd-couple dynamic has a warm and hilarious intimacy. Since its debut at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, Together Together has received universal praise from critics, with Harrison being singled out for her breakout performance. The movie also features a killer supporting cast that includes Tig Notaro, Jo Firestone, Anna Konkle, and Julio Torres.
Watch it on Hulu.
40.The Warriors (1979)
The titular Warriors are a mid-tier gang in New York who are forced to go on the run after they're falsely accused of killing the head of the largest gang in the city. Along the way, you get to see one of the most bizarre depictions of New York ever shown onscreen, and I mean that in the best way possible. Different gangs wear different uniforms, including one gang whose members all dress up like baseball players, and another that wears roller skates. It's absolutely ridiculous and campy in a way that feels fun instead of forced, which is why the movie has developed a highly devoted cult following over the last several decades.
Watch it on Hulu.
41.We Broke Up (2021)
Lori (Aya Cash) and Doug (William Jackson Harper) are forced to attend a wedding together just after they decide to call off their long-term relationship. It's a simple premise that allows the film to explore the complexities of a couple who no longer want to be together yet remain drawn to each other. We Broke Up has received mixed reviews from critics so far, but Cash's and Harper's performances have been praised. As the two effortlessly make the jump from television to the big screen, their natural chemistry brings a depth to the fractured relationship between Lori and Doug.
Watch it on Hulu.
42.*White Men Can't Jump (1992)
Billy (Woody Harrelson) is a former college basketball player who now spends his days hustling people out of money who assume he can't play basketball because he's white. After successfully hustling Sidney (Wesley Snipes) twice, the two team up and begin running a joint con that eventually leads them to entering a two-on-two tournament that Billy needs to win to pay off gambling debts and convince his girlfriend, Gloria (Rosie Perez), not to leave him for good. White Men Can't Jump became a surprise hit with critics and at the box office, and it has remained a beloved classic in the 30 years since, earning a spot as one of the best basketball movies ever made.
Watch it on Hulu.
43.World War Z (2013)
Based on the novel of the same name, World War Z doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel in the world of zombies, but the movie is both smart and entertaining while using the tropes of the genre well without getting stale. When a zombie outbreak begins, former UN agent Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) is tasked with figuring out a cure before things reach the apocalyptic point of no return. As Lane travels around the globe hoping to trace the source of the zombification, he must also avoid getting bitten and turned into a mindless, flesh-eating monster.
Watch it on Hulu.
44.*The Year of the Everlasting Storm (2021)
One of the most critically acclaimed cinematic achievements from last year was this anthology film that featured seven shorts from filmmakers around the world, including Iran, Chile, Thailand, and the United States. Each of the short films was written and directed by a different filmmaker, giving them their own distinct style and perspective that keeps you engaged from start to finish. But they are all connected as representations of this very specific and, dare I say, unprecedented moment in time, so much so that The Year of the Everlasting Storm has been praised as "a noteworthy achievement in anti-escapism."
Watch it on Hulu.
* Denotes title has been newly added to Hulu for February.
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