Remember when Hulu was created for audiences to watch their favorite TV shows on their own time? Well, now there are so many great movies on Hulu to watch as well, making it one of the best streaming services to subscribe to today.
You can use your Hulu subscription to watch an older cinematic classic or discover some more recent favorites. Allow me to help narrow down your search by presenting my picks for the best movies on Hulu, as of November 2024.
Labyrinth (1986)
Director: Jim Henson
Starring: David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly
What it’s about: A teenager must travel to a bizarre and dangerous other world to rescue her infant brother from a cruel king.
Why it is one of the best movies on Hulu: While not the most family-friendly movie in retrospect, Labyrinth captured the imagination of audiences of all ages with its brilliant puppetry and audacious visuals.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Starring: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment
What it’s about: A child psychologist discovers his latest client possesses an astonishing, but frightening, gift.
Why it is one of the best movies on Hulu: Still widely considered the best M. Night Shyamalan movie is the filmmaker’s chilling breakthrough feature, The Sixth Sense, which is also one of the best horror movies on Hulu.
Donnie Darko (2001)
Director: Richard Kelly
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone
What it’s about: A gifted, but disturbed, teen receives foreboding messages from a seemingly imaginary man in a grotesque rabbit suit.
Why it is one of the best movies on Hulu: The bleak, surreal, and even funny cult favorite Donnie Darko is many things, including a great time travel movie, a beloved high school movie, and a few other genres packed into one wild and perplexing thriller.
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder
What it’s about: A door-to-door salesperson finds a young man with knives for fingers and invites him to stay with her family.
Why it is one of the best movies on Hulu: In addition to its inventive concept and bewildering imagery, what makes Edward Scissorhands one of Tim Burton’s best movies is its rich and absorbing story of an outcast searching for acceptance.
Snatch (2000)
Director: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Jason Statham, Brad Pitt
What it’s about: A disparate group of people – ranging from amateur crooks to ruthless professionals – search for a priceless diamond in London.
Why it is one of the best movies on Hulu: One of the most definitive and best Guy Ritchie movies is his sophomore effort, Snatch – a hilarious quasi-anthology-style caper.
Birdman Or (The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance) (2014)
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Starring: Michael Keaton, Emma Stone
What it’s about: A former superhero movie star struggles to make a comeback by writing, producing, directing, and starring in a play based on a classic short story.
Why it is one of the best movies on Hulu: Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Best Picture Oscar winner Birdman (also one of the best Michael Keaton movies) is a brilliantly meta satire with wonderful performances and dazzling cinematography made to appear as if it is one unbroken take.
Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003)
Director: Gore Verbinski
Starring: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley
What it’s about: A legendary pirate and a blacksmith team up to rescue the governor’s daughter from a dangerous crew with a strange curse.
Why it is one of the best movies on Hulu: There may not be a better movie based on a theme park ride than the exciting adventure that started the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, The Curse of the Black Pearl.
The Woman King (2022)
Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Starring: Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedo
What it’s about: The story of the all-female unit of African warriors who sought to protect the Kingdom of Dahomey in the 19th Century.
Why it is one of the best movies on Hulu: Based on true events, The Woman King is a thrilling historical epic with a winning lead performance by Academy Award winner Viola Davis.
Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
Starring: Robin Williams, Sally Field
What it’s about: A divorced father takes on the appearance of an elderly woman to convince his wife to hire him as a nanny and spend time with his children.
Why it is one of the best movies on Hulu: One of Robin Williams’ best movies, Mrs. Doubtfire, is a cavalcade of the comedic actor’s impressive talents, as well as a heartbreaking and heartwarming family story.
Dead Poets Society (1989)
Starring: Robin Williams, Ethan Hawke
What it’s about: A Catholic boarding school English teacher’s unconventional methods inspire a close-knit group of students in life-altering ways in the late 1950s..
Why it is one of the best movies on Hulu: The uplifting, but also tragic coming-of-age drama Dead Poets Society will have you longing to “seize the day.”
A Walk To Remember (2002)
Starring: Shane West, Mandy Moore
What it’s about: A shy reverend’s daughter forms an unlikely bond with a troubled popular teen after agreeing to help him with his mandatory community service.
Why it is one of the best movies on Hulu: Based on the book by Nicholas Sparks, A Walk to Remember is a moving teen romance, enriched by Mandy Moore’s performance.
Office Space (1999)
Starring: Ron Livingston, David Herman, Ajay Naidu
What it’s about: Three dissatisfied office workers conspire against their soul-sucking software company.
Why it is one of the best movies on Hulu: One of cinema’s funniest and most inventive indictments on workplace culture is the iconic and highly quotable Office Space.
Independence Day (1996)
Starring: Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum
What it’s about: The world comes together in unison to fight a new common enemy: malevolent extraterrestrials descending upon Earth in miles-wide ships.
Why it is one of the best movies on Hulu: One of Will Smith’s best movies and the thriller that cemented his A-list star status is the blockbuster alien invasion movie classic, Independence Day.
I Am Not Your Negro (2016)
Starring: James Baldwin, Samuel L. Jackson
What it’s about: The life and career of prolific author and activist James Baldwin, featuring Samuel L. Jackson as his voice.
Why it is one of the best movies on Hulu: The Oscar-nominated documentary, I Am Not Your Negro, crafts James Baldwin’s unfinished manuscript for Remember This House into a moving portrait of his life and a shockingly relevant indictment of modern racial injustice.
Fight Club (1999)
Starring: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton
What it’s about: An unlikely pair creates a support group for men to let out their frustrations through violence, which soon evolves into something more sinister.
Why it is one of the best movies on Hulu: David Fincher’s cult classic adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk’s novel, Fight Club, is best ‘90s movies on Hulu for its brilliantly bleak commentary on toxic masculinity and modern consumerism.
Alien And Aliens (1979, 1986)
Director: Ridley Scott, James Cameron
Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Michael Biehn
What it’s about: A commercial freighter crew is hunted by a vicious creature on their ship and, years later, the sole survivor of the incident volunteers to help a military team wipe out a horde of the beasts.
Why it is one of the best movies on Hulu: The movies that made Sigourney Weaver one of the all-time greatest horror Scream Queens are Ridley Scott’s slasher-style, claustrophobic creature feature, Alien, and James Cameron’s more action-packed follow-up, Aliens – both of which are considered some of the best space movies of all time.
Romy And Michele’s High School Reunion (1997)
Starring: Mira Sorvino, Lisa Kudrow
What it’s about: Two best friends decide to stretch the truth about their adult lives when returning to their hometown for their high school reunion.
Why it is one of the best movies on Hulu: Mira Sorvino and Friends cast member Lisa Kudrow make a charming and hilarious pair in Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion.
That Thing You Do! (1996)
Starring: Tom Everett Scott, Liv Tyler
What it’s about: An up-and-coming pop band rides the wave of success from their chart-topping single in the 1960s.
Why it is one of the best movies on Hulu: Tom Hanks makes his feature-length directorial debut with one of the best music movies of its time, That Thing You Do!
Little Women (2019)
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh
What it’s about: The personal and professional struggles of the March Sisters in 19th-century Massachusetts.
Why it is one of the best movies on Hulu: While another adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s seminal novel, Little Women seemed unnecessary in 2019, Greta Gerwig’s refreshing take on the source material and wonderful performances by the cast proved that notion wrong.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Starring: George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson
What it’s about: A trio of prison escapees search for a lost fortune in 1930s Mississippi.
Why it is one of the best movies on Hulu: A 20th-Century-set retelling of Homer’s The Odyssey, O Brother, Where Art Thou? is one of the Coen Brothers’ most acclaimed movies, especially for its hit, Grammy-winning soundtrack.
High Fidelity (2000)
Starring: John Cusack, Lily Taylor
What it’s about: A fourth-wall-breaking Chicago record store owner recalls the Top Five most pivotal heartbreaks he has ever endured.
Why it is one of the best movies on Hulu: Based on Nick Hornby’s novel, High Fidelity is not just an impassioned celebration of music, but an insightful analysis of its connection to the most important aspects of life, including love.
Poor Things (2023)
Starring: Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo
What it’s about: A woman brought back from the dead and with the mind of a child experiences the joys and pains of life from a one-of-a-kind perspective.
Why it is one of the best movies on Hulu: Emma Stone won her second Oscar at the 2024 Academy Awards for playing Bella Baxter in this adaptation of Alasdair Gray’s novel, Poor Things – a one-of-a-kind film, with gorgeous, experimental cinematography, wondrous production design, and out-of-this-world costumes.
My Cousin Vinny (1992)
Starring: Joe Pesci, Ralph Macchio, Maris Tomei, Mitchell Whitfield
What it’s about: A New York attorney with a wiseguy attitude is tasked with clearing his wrongfully accused cousin and his buddy of murder in a southern town.
Why it is one of the best movies on Hulu: Few courtroom movies are nearly as funny as director Jonathan Lynn’s brilliant culture clash satire, My Cousin Vinny, for which Marisa Tomie won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar.
Anatomy Of A Fall (2023)
Starring: Sandra Hüller
What it’s about: A mother struggles to prove her innocence after the tragic and mysterious death of her husband.
Why it is one of the best movies on Hulu: Had the captivating French-language courtroom drama Anatomy of a Fall been submitted for Best International Feature at the 2024 Academy Awards, it very likely could have won, based on its four other Oscar nominations – including Best Picture and Best Actress for Sandra Hüller – and win for Best Original Screenplay.
The Abyss (1989)
Starring: Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Biehn
What it’s about: A search and recovery team makes a startling discovery on a mission to retrieve a lost submarine.
Why it is one of the best movies on Hulu: Nominated for four Academy Awards, what makes The Abyss one of James Cameron’s best movies is its intense, claustrophobic suspense and cutting-edge visual effects.
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie
What it’s about: The lives of an actor struggling to transition from TV to film, his longtime friend and stunt double, and blossoming star Sharon Tate intersect in late 1960s Los Angeles.
Why it is one of the best movies on Hulu: All Quentin Tarantino movies are love letters to cinema but Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is his first time exploring what goes on behind the scenes with a dazzling spin of revisionist history.
Juno (2007)
Starring: Elliot Page, Michael Cera
What it’s about: A charmingly sarcastic teen struggles with an unwanted pregnancy.
Why it is one of the best movies on Hulu: Diablo Cody earned an Oscar for her screenplay for Juno – a sharply funny and heartfelt coming-of-age story.
Tombstone (1993)
Starring: Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer
What it’s about: A lawman’s pursuit for retirement is interrupted by a gang of vicious outlaws who stir up trouble in a quaint Arizona town.
Why it is one of the best movies on Hulu: With brilliant performances and breathtaking action sequences, not only is Tombstone one of the best Kurt Russell movies but is considered by many one of the best Western movies of its time, if not ever.
The Banshees Of Inisherin (2021)
Starring: Brendan Gleeson, Colin Farrell
What it’s about: A longtime friendship between two Irish men suddenly comes to an end, causing drastic consequences for both on a remote island in 1923.
Why it is one of the best movies on Hulu: The Banshees of Inisherin is a beautifully acted perfect blend of sharp, thought-provoking satire and occasional pitch-black drama of even a heartbreaking sort.
Summer Of Soul: (... Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021)
Starring: Gladys Knight, Jesse Jackson
What it’s about: A documentary that blends footage of 1969’s Harlem Cultural Festival with a modern investigation of why this massive event has become forgotten by pop culture.
Why it is one of the best movies on Hulu: The debut film from famed musician Questlove, Summer of Soul (... Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), earned him an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.
This list will absolutely give you a great place to start when it comes to the best movies streaming on Hulu right now.
