Paramount
Last Updated: August 22nd
While it may live in the shadow of other better-known streaming services, Hulu, once regarded simply as “that TV thing,” has managed to maintain itself as a viable competitor in terms of offering a great variety of content online. This includes an impressive selection of quality movies, but it’s not always easy to browse through their catalog if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Which begs the question: What is the best movie on Hulu right now? From iconic classics to contemporary indie fare, here’s a look at the 30 best films available to stream, ranked.
Related: The Best Hulu Original Series Right Now, Ranked
Sony
1. Taxi Driver (1976)
Run Time: 114 min | IMDb: 8.3/10
Director Martin Scorsese’s neo-noir chronicles one lonely cab driver’s slow descent into madness. A Vietnam vet with a bad case of insomnia, Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) takes a job driving a taxi during the graveyard shift in pre-Guiliani New York City. After crossing paths with an underaged prostitute, Iris (Jodie Foster), he becomes obsessed with the idea of saving her, and proves he’s willing to go to any lengths to do so. It was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, but lost to Stallone’s boxer epic Rocky.
Magnet
2. Let The Right One In (2008)
Run Time: 115 min | IMDb: 7.9/10
Director Tomas Alfredson shrugged off the conventions of vampire movies when he crafted a disarmingly charming tale that focuses on the unusual friendship that develops between a bullied young boy, Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) and a vampire girl Eli (Lina Leandersson). Based on the novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist (who also penned the screenplay) the film received near-universal acclaim, winning multiple awards across the globe. It was remade in 2010 as Let Me In, which managed to be considered a successful endeavor that stayed true to the original while differentiating itself enough to stand on its own.
Neon
3. I, Tonya (2017)
Run Time: 120 min | IMDb: 7.5/10
As flashy and over-the-top as the sequin-spandex numbers that graced the ice back in the ’80s, I, Tonya manages to straddle a thin line. It’s both a biopic of one of the most notorious female athletes in the history of figure skating and a raucous comedy intent on mocking everything troubling about American culture at the time. Margot Robbie is brilliant in her role – playing a woman tortured by talent and her inability to capitalize on it – and you can literally hear Allison Janney chewing every scene she’s in as Harding’s narcissistic, chain-smoking mother. Plus that parrot bite is as funny as you could hope.
TriStar
4. Trainspotting (1996)
Run Time: 94 min | IMDb: 8.2/10
This British dark comedy from director Danny Boyle became a cult phenomenon when it hit theaters over 20 years ago. The film follows Ewan McGregor, who plays a young man immersed in the Edinburgh drug scene, desperately trying to get clean despite the negative influences of his rag-tag group of friends. The sequel didn’t really live up to the brilliance of the first, but luckily, Hulu just gave the original a new home.
Universal Pictures
5. Jackie Brown (1997)
Run Time: 154 min, IMDb: 7.5/10
There was a lot riding on Quentin Tarantino’s third film. What do you do when your last movie, Pulp Fiction became a sensation that countless films had tried to imitate in the years since its release? For Tarantino the answer was to take a book from one of his favorite authors — Elmore Leonard’s Rum Punch — retrofit it as a vehicle for two of his favorite underemployed stars — Pam Grier and Robert Forster — and slow the pace down to a mellow groove. The result is a great, in Tarantino’s words, “hang out” movie in which much of the pleasure comes from just spending the time in the company of the characters. Forster and Grier are especially great as characters on the opposite side of the law who find themselves attracted to each other as the world around them grows more dangerous. Though it’s another crime film set in Los Angeles, Jackie Brown doesn’t try to top Pulp Fiction. Yet in going its own way, it proves its match.
Paramount
6. Everybody Wants Some!! (2016)
Run Time: 117 min | IMDb: 7.0/10
Richard Linklater’s spiritual sequel to 1993’s Dazed and Confused follows a group of college baseball players in the fall of 1980, just before they start college. The film premiered at SXSW in 2016, and enjoyed praise across the board from critics during its limited release nationwide. Filmed in and around central Texas, the care-free, nostalgic tale is perfectly fit for Linklater’s relaxed style of filmmaking.
Paramount
7. Arrival (2016)
Run Time: 116 min | IMDb: 7.9/10
A methodic, thoughtful approach to an alien invasion story, Arrival follows linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) as she struggles to figure out a way to communicate with two creatures that have inexplicably shown up in Montana. While Louise tries to buy more time in understanding the visitors, she butts heads with the military side of the operation who keep pressuring her for quick answers. After its release, it exceeded expectations at the box office, grossing more than $200 million worldwide. That year it was nominated for seven Academy Awards, winning one for Best Sound Editing.
PARAMOUNT
8. Shutter Island (2010)
Run Time: 138 min | IMDb: 8.1/10
DiCaprio and Scorsese team up again, this time for a dramatic thriller that feels different from their normal fare but still just as intense. DiCaprio plays a detective drawn to a mysterious island that houses a psychiatric facility for the criminally insane. He’s investigating the case of an escaped convict, but a conveniently-timed storm, a hostile staff, and some strange happenings lead him down a rather dark and dangerous rabbit hole. There’s a twist ending here worthy of its build-up, and DiCaprio shares the screen with some notable talents including Mark Ruffalo, Michelle Williams, Sir Ben Kingsley, and Emily Mortimer.
Roadside Attractions
9. Winter’s Bone (2010)
Run Time: 100 min | IMDb: 7.2/10
A film noir set in the Ozarks of Missouri, Winter’s Bone was the breakthrough role for Jennifer Lawrence, who plays Ree Dolly, a 17-year-old who looks after her family since her father disappeared. With the looming threat of losing her home, Ree goes in search of her missing father, drawing her into a world of distrust and violence. It was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and though it didn’t take any Oscars home, it did win the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.
Columbia Pictures
10. Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
Run Time: 216 min | IMDb: 8.3/10
Widely considered one of the greatest films of all time, this historical epic stars Peter O’Toole as real-life archeologist, diplomat, and writer T.E. Lawrence. Starting at Lawrence’s funeral, the film is told in two parts, covering his life through WWI and beyond. While some of the film’s accuracy at depicting both Lawrence and the events it chronicles, the film was a smashing success, and nominated for ten Academy Awards, winning seven — including Best Actor for O’Toole, Best Director for David Lean, and Best Picture.
Getty Image
11. The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years (2016)
Run Time: 137 min | IMDb: 7.8/10
Set during the touring years of The Beatles’ career, from 1962-1966, director Ron Howard crafts an intimate portrayal of the world’s most popular band with the help of both Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with widows Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison. Featuring 4K restorations of some of the band’s most memorable concerts, this documentary is a must for any film lover, Beatles fan or otherwise.
STX
12. The Edge of Seventeen (2016) (requires Showtime)
Run Time: 104 min | IMDb: 7.4/10
Hailee Steinfeld is equal parts charming and cringingly-awkward in this coming of age comedy about a young woman reconciling with the worst parts of her teenage self. Steinfeld plays Nadine, a socially-inept junior in high school, who has a strained relationship with her mother and an ongoing feud with her older, more popular brother. She decides to commit suicide, first relaying her tale of woe to her favorite teacher (the always-fun-to-watch Woody Harrelson). What follows is a bit of typical teenage angst with some hilariously embarrassing bits thrown in, but the real draw here is Steinfeld, who continues to prove her range with some spot-on comedic timing.
Disney
13. The Emperor’s New Groove (2000)
Run Time: 78 min | IMDb: 7.3/10
Here’s an over-reaching statement that we will defend until the end of time: The Emperor’s New Groove is one of the greatest animated films of our generation. The film follows a spoiled king (voiced by David Spade), who is accidentally turned into a llama and goes on the run from his evil adviser Yzma (Eartha freaking Kitt people). He’s befriended by a lovable llama herder named Pacha (John Goodman) who helps him take back his thrown. Llamas don’t get enough screen time, to be honest, and they make for hilarious heroes, but the real star of this show is Kronk (Partick Warburton), Yzma’s dim-witted, kind-hearted sidekick who can talk to squirrels and was so entertaining, he got his own spin-off.
Universal Pictures
14. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Run Time: 135 min | IMDb: 8.2/10
Russell Crowe’s follow-up to Gladiator traded in bloody arenas for blackboards and mathematics seminars. Crowe brought real-life mathematician John Nash to life in this thrilling drama directed by Ron Howard. Nash was a genius but the film also shows the darker side of his gifted mind, especially once secret government agencies and cryptic missions begin to take shape.
Paramount
15. Fences (2016)
Run Time: 139 min | IMDb: 7.2/10
Directed by and starring Denzel Washington, this period family drama was adapted from the play by the late August Wilson, who’d completed a screenplay prior to his death. Washington reprised his role of Troy Maxson, who he played on Broadway back in 2010. The film was released on Christmas of 2016, and was a huge critical success, and ended up nominated for four Academy Awards. Viola Davis took home the trophy that year for Best Supporting Actress.
New World Pictures
16. Heathers (1988)
Run Time: 103 mins, IMDb: 7.3/10
Helping to close out a decade of memorable teen films on a dark note, Heathers is a savagely funny deconstruction of the frivolousness of popular cliques that helped set the tone of many dark comedies that would follow in its wake. The plot involves a popular group of girls known as The Heathers who invite Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder) to join them, guaranteeing that she would gain popularity by association. Eventually, Veronica finds herself teaming up with a dangerous sociopath (Christian Slater) in an attempt to break the Heathers’ tyrannical hold on the school.
Toho
17. Akira (1988)
Run Time: 124 min | IMDb: 8.1/10
Loosely based on the ground-breaking manga of the same name, Akira is considered a landmark in Japanese animation, as well as one of the best animated films ever produced. Set in a dystopian future in 2019, a teenager named Tetsuo gains tremendous telekinetic powers after a motorcycle crash, eventually going mad with power before bringing the military-industrial complex to its knees. A live action adaptation has been in the works in some form since 2002, but remains in development purgatory for the time being.
Paramount
18. 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
Run Time: 104 min | IMDb: 7.2/10
A sort-of sequel (at least in spirit) to J.J. Abrams’ 2008 found-footage monster movie Cloverfield, 10 Cloverfield Lane takes place largely inside the confined space of a secured bunker ran by the mysterious Howard (John Goodman). Directed by Dan Trachtenberg, the film follows a young woman named Gloria (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), who’s driving through Louisiana when she hears reports of major blackouts on the radio. After wrecking her car, she wakes up to find herself inside Howard’s bunker, who refuses to let her out for fear of a fallout. Tensions steadily escalate between Gloria, Howard, and the bunker’s other resident, John (Emmit DeWitt), as they all begin to question each others’ true motivations.
Paramount
19. Election (1999)
Run Time: 103 min | IMDb: 7.3/10
Matthew Broderick plays a depressed high school teacher, who tries to manage his imploding marriage while facing off against a determined and cunning student in this dark comedy that features Reese Witherspoon in one of the best performances of her career. Witherspoon plays Tracy Flick, an overachieving student with dreams (of becoming the student body president) that are quickly dashed by the school’s popular jock. Tracy’s willing to go to extreme lengths to win the race, but when Broderick’s Mr. McAllister thinks to intervene, his own failing personal life is put on display.
Magnolia Pictures
20. Melancholia (2011)
Run Time: 137 min | IMDb: 7.1/10
Merging high art and science fiction, director Lars Von Trier found inspiration for his story after suffering a depressive episode. Focused on two sisters with a strained relationship, they must now face the reality of a rogue planet set to collide with Earth. It premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, where Kristen Dunst was given the Best Actress Award, and the following year the British Film Institute named it one of the greatest films of all time — a rare honor for any film made in the 21st century.
Magnet
21. Bronson (2009)
Run Time: 92 min | IMDb: 7.1/10
The role that basically put Tom Hardy on the map, Bronson, is a strange, enthralling look at the criminally insane mastermind that’s become a bit of an enigma. Michael Peterson became one of the U.K.’s most dangerous criminals, who spent most of his time behind bars in solitary confinement. Hardy is bewitching in the role, and the film teeters between the surreal and the factual in a nonlinear fashion that can make it hard to keep up. Whether you know what’s really going on or not, though, you’ll have a damn good time watching Hardy brawl his way through prison guards, give one-man vaudeville performances, and pretend to be insane.
Oscilloscope Pictures
22. We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011)
Run Time: 112 min | IMDb: 7.5/10
Eva Khatchadourian (Tilda Swinton), who’s unwilling and unable to properly care for her troubled son Kevin, watches her life unravel as her husband (John C. Reilly) ignores their problems and Kevin grows more and more sociopathic and violent. The story jumps around in time, showing Swinton’s character as both a new mother who blames her son for ruining her life and as a woman who eventually blames herself for what becomes of her son. Swinton proves once again that she’s the actress that indie movies need for complex characters that live their lives in grey areas. At its core, We Need To Talk is about the importance of proper parenting, communication, and probably therapy. And it’s not for the faint of heart.
Showbox
23. The Host (2006)
Run Time: 119 min | IMDb: 7.0/10
Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s monster-run-amock movie was first inspired by reports of a fish with an S-shaped spine being caught in the Han River. For The Host, he made the creature significantly more menacing, as it eventually emerges from the Han River and causes immense havoc. Local snack bar vendor Park Gang-du (Song Kang-ho) tries to escape with his daughter, before realizing he’s escaped with the wrong girl. Soon, the U.S. military arrives and quarantines all those who’ve come into contact with the creature, making Park Gang-du’s attempts to rescuing his daughter from the creature’s lair significantly more difficult.
Warner Brothers
24. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Run Time: 206 min | IMDb: 7.8/10
Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett star in this drama about a man experiencing life backward. Pitt plays the titular Button, born an old man and growing younger as he ages. This twist of time causes Button to have strained relationships with those he loves including Blanchett, a girl he’s known since childhood, who eventually becomes his wife. It also allows for Button to live an unusual and adventurous life well into his “old age.” It’s a pretty unique story, and Pitt does some of his best work here, two good reasons to give it a watch.
Magnet Releasing
25. 13 Assassins (2010)
Run Time: 141 min | IMDb: 7.6/10
Controversial director Takashi Miike’s remake of a 1963 film starts as a slow burn and builds to one of the longest, most elaborate sword battles you’ll ever see, complete with weaponized burning bulls. When the psychotic half-brother of the Shogun edges ever closer to assuming too much power in 1840s Japan, a group of samurai band together to assassinate him, shirking their honor for the good of the people. Despite being slightly based on true events, 13 Assassins retains Miike’s trademark uncompromising and slightly stylized brutality, but this is certainly more accessible than some of his well-known works like Ichi The Killer. Like the dying-out warriors of the time, they don’t make samurai films like this anymore.
Tribeca
26. Hunt For The Wilderpeople (2016)
Run Time: 101 min | IMDb: 7.9/10
A charming, unconventional story about what it means to be a family, Hunt for the Wilderpeople follows a juvenile delinquent named Ricky (Julian Dennison), who is adopted by a couple living on a farm in a remote region of New Zealand. After Ricky fakes his suicide and escapes into the bush, his (reluctantly) adopted father Hec (Sam Neill) goes looking for him, and after a series of mishaps, the two are forced to survive in the woods together for months. It was released during SXSW in 2016 (you can read our review here), and after rave reviews from critics the world over, it’s gone on to become the highest-grossing film in New Zealand history.
IFC
27. Super (2010)
Run Time: 96 min | IMDb: 6.8/10
The Office funnyman Rainn Wilson dons a spandex suit and a poorly-made mask for this superhero comedy that follows a regular Joe-turned-crime-fighting-vigilante. What sets Super apart from basically every other legit genre offering is the fact that the hero sucks at saving the day. Wilson’s character has good intentions — to clean up the streets and save his wife from drug dealers — but he lacks the know-how to get the job done.
Oscilloscope
28. Coherence (2014)
Run Time: 89 min | IMDb: 7.2/10
Coherence is one of those low-budget sci-fi stories that is extremely tough to explain without either giving too much away or requiring an extended entry. Essentially, a group of friends sifts through their own issues and insecurities during a mind-bending paradoxical experience. Taking place almost entirely in the same room on a single night, the characters struggle to find answers just as much as the viewer. It’s a challenging yet enthralling film, perfect for those who love to overthink things.
Magnolia
29. The Square (2017)
Run Time: 142 min | IMDb: 7.3/10
This Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Film follows Christian, an art curator whose life starts to unravel after he’s robbed and a new controversial piece opens at his exhibit. Co-starring Elisabeth Moss, Dominic West, and an aggressive man-ape artist, the movie shifts seamlessly from an awkward and bitingly funny satire to a dramatic examination of life. Despite a running time of 150 minutes, it never seems to lag, jumping from extremely tense moments to eccentric characters while being undercut with haunting music. Like a work of modern art, it’s very much left open to interpretation.
Neon
30. Colossal (2017)
Run Time: 109 min | IMDb: 6.2/10
A decidedly unusual twist on the giant monster movie, Nacho Vigolando’s Colossal follows Gloria (Anne Hathaway), an unemployed writer who moves back to her hometown after her boyfriend Tim (Dan Stevens) breaks up with her. After moving into her childhood home, Gloria’s heavy drinking starts to take a toll on her before she starts to realize that she may have a significant connection with a towering monster that spontaneously appears over Seoul, South Korea.
Recent Changes Through July 2018:
Removed: Zodiac, Room 237
Added: I, Tonya, Shutter Island
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