Each night, you look into your lover’s eyes and ask, “Will no legacy media outlet tell me about 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 Y Tu Mamá También. 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.

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 police officer/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 mockumentaries 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 (2023)

Director: Alice Rohrwacher
Genre: Crime/comedy
Notable cast: Josh O’Connor, Isabella Rossellini, Alba Rohrwacher
MPA rating: Not rated
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Metacritic: 91

This charming Italian film (which had a rare, unplanned “extended run” throughout 2024 in New York art houses, a once common phenomenon that hardly exists in the streaming era) stars Josh O’Connor 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 sun-soaked and very amusing tale—one of the best new movies on Hulu.

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, proving he had more in him than zany Mork-from-Ork stunts. (Indeed, Williams received an Academy Award nomination for best actor.) He’s marvelous as that one mentor teacher we all wish we had, showing a group of conformity-primed rich kids that they don’t necessarily have to follow their families’ scripts. His methods are filled with vitality and intellect—until one kid shoots himself. But you can’t have everything!

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, thanks to the omicron variant of the coronavirus pandemic, was switched to a virtual event at the last minute), this is a fascinating look at true kindred spirits—married 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 July’s poetic voice-over adds to the mesmerizing effect.

Ford v Ferrari (2019)

Director: James Mangold
Genre: Drama
Notable cast: Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Tracy Letts
MPA rating: PG-13
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Metacritic: 81

A best-picture Oscar nominee (and winner for best editing and best sound), James Mangold’s 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 visionary Ford 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 sequences—and many of them are found right here.

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Director: Wes Anderson
Genre: Comedy (for the most part)
Notable cast: Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Saoirse Ronan
MPA rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Metacritic: 88

The Grand Budapest Hotel is a rich and remarkable film that showcases all of Wes Anderson’s unique talents. It’s a story within a story within a story (and maybe one more? I should watch it again on Hulu…) that seems, at first, like a delicate puff pastry, but eventually sours as the clicking boots of history muddy up our reveries of the past. The cast is ludicrously packed, but Ralph Fiennes is at his madcap best in the center of it all—part Jerry Lewis, part Cary Grant.

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 projects are certainly worth watching too), The Host breathed new life into the creature feature, opening 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 you’ll know—and maybe be a little freaked out forever.

Jennifer’s Body (2009)

Director: Karyn Kusama
Genre: Horror
Notable cast: Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, J.K. Simmons
MPA rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 46%
Metacritic: 47

Pay no attention to those low critic scores. (Or if you do, search my name and see that I was always on the right side of history.) This teen supernatural horror-comedy, scripted by Diablo Cody not long after she won an Oscar for Juno and created United States of Tara, was shrugged aside at the time of its release, but it’s now been fully embraced as a sharp critique of exploitation tropes and a modern spin on feminism (as well as a win for bisexual representation). That doesn’t mean it’s a college lecture: Jennifer still has plenty of guts and gore, zingy dialogue, and music by Florence + the Machine, Panic! at the Disco, and other groups of the era.

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 Peck’s remarkable work is ostensibly a cinematic memoir from the author and public intellectual James Baldwin, even though he died almost 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 (2023)

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 “found footage” genre. Presented as a mock investigation into “what really happened” during the live broadcast of a ’70s talk show that went haywire, the film largely plays out like a night of amusing Halloween-themed TV that, naturally, conjures up dark forces to deadly ends. If you’ve ever wondered how Johnny Carson would have handled a demon on his couch, look no further.

Nomadland (2020)

Director: Chloé Zhao
Genre: Drama
Notable cast: Frances McDormand, David Strathairn, Swankie
MPA rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Metacritic: 87

Few people actually saw this one in the theaters, what with society in disarray thanks to COVID—but this best-picture Academy Award winner still impresses on the small screen. (Though you may want to dim the lights and put your phone in the other room, as this character-driven, episodic look at solitude in the American West does demand a little patience.) In addition to best picture, Chloé Zhao won for best director, and Frances McDormand got her third acting Oscar for what she had to do in that bucket. Yet somehow Joshua James Richards missed out on a best-cinematography victory, with the honor going to Erik Messerschmidt for his work on Mank.

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: 80%
Metacritic: 70

This carnival-set motion picture has pulled a disappearing act. It was nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards (as well as best cinematography, costumes, and production design), but it came out during COVID times, when few were going to see 150-minute remakes of Tyrone Power movies. But guess what: Featuring an absolutely stacked cast, the film is a terrific, moody look inside the tarot-reading tent, treating classic B picture tropes with a respect and care rarely seen.

Quiz Lady (2023)

Director: Jessica Yu
Genre: Comedy
Notable cast: Awkwafina, Sandra Oh, Will Ferrell
MPA rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 82%
Metacritic: 59

“Can’t stop the quiz!” This lovable and idiotic comedy—which debuted directly on Hulu—is 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 train wreck 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 Ferrell’s appearance as a friendly, Alex Trebek–esque presence actually marks his finest, warmest performance in years. This movie is so incredibly dumb, but I guarantee it will make you laugh.

A Real Pain (2024)

Director: Jesse Eisenberg
Genre: Comedy-drama
Notable cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Jennifer Grey
MPA rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
Metacritic: 86

Writer-director-star Jesse Eisenberg was inspired to make A Real Pain after an actual visit he made to the former home of a beloved family member who grew up in Poland. He and Kieran Culkin play very different cousins who make the trip and philosophize in settings that see-saw from the gorgeous to the unthinkable. Culkin’s role as an annoying-yet-lovable extrovert is an extraordinary example of “the part he was born to play,” and the actor is well deserving of the praise he has received for his magical performance.

Ricki and the Flash (2015)

Director: Jonathan Demme
Genre: Drama
Notable cast: Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Mamie Gummer
MPA rating: PG-13
Rotten Tomatoes: 65%
Metacritic: 54

On paper, there’s nothing special about Ricki and the Flash. It’s another movie about a family in crisis, trying to patch up old wounds. But it stars Meryl Streep, her actual daughter Mamie Gummer, and others (like a young Sebastian Stan!)—and, most importantly, it was directed by Jonathan Demme in peak humanist form. (Sadly, this was his last narrative feature.) Streep’s Ricki Rendazzo (real name Linda) walked away from her life to become the next Bonnie Raitt, but she actually earns her living bagging groceries. A wedding-slash-reunion won’t fix the past, but it might start to pave a new future—and the film’s big concert finish proves that no one could capture the cinematic possibilities of live music performances quite like Demme.

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, it’s The Rocky Horror Picture Show, with its shadows cast 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?) However, in addition to being reminded of the B movie tropes and LGBTQ+ themes, you must be forewarned: A rewatch of this film means Richard O’Brien’s enduring songs (“Over at the Frankenstein Place” being my favorite) will get stuck in your head and simply never leave.

Speed (1994)

Director: Jan de Bont
Genre: Action-adventure
Notable cast: Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, Dennis Hopper
MPA rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
Metacritic: 78

This Keanu Reeves–led hit is such a classic work that a young person watching Die Hard might describe that film as “Speed in a skyscraper.” Dennis Hopper is the world’s most high-concept terrorist, strapping a bomb to a bus that will explode should it go slower than 50 miles per hour. Why would he do this? How would he do this? More importantly, how can we thank him for doing this? Reeves, a determined cop, teams up with Sandra Bullock, no shrinking Fay Wray, who moves from passenger to heroine in just 116 minutes. Step on it.

Summer of Soul (…or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021)

Director: Questlove
Genre: Documentary
Notable cast: The 5th Dimension, Stevie Wonder, Mahalia Jackson
MPA rating: PG-13
Rotten Tomatoes: 99%
Metacritic: 96

The ubiquity of cell phone cameras and the internet means that what happened with the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival could never happen again. I don’t mean there couldn’t be a great and meaningful celebration of music—I mean that it couldn’t 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 Award–winning documentary.

Tangerine (2015)

Director: Sean Baker
Genre: Drama
Notable cast: Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, James Ransone
MPA rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
Metacritic: 86

For many, this was the film that brought Anora director Sean Baker to their attention; a delirious, warts-and-all portrait of transgender sex workers in Los Angeles. It was shot on a minuscule budget, using three iPhone 5S cameras with then cutting-edge enhancement apps and Steadicam rigs. This lent itself nicely to Baker’s documentary-inclined sensibilities, while his artistic eye shined through the common “cell phone” format. Finding beauty among the downtrodden, which is inherent to the script, is reflected in the look of the movie itself. It’s a groundbreaking work.

Y Tu Mamá También (2001)

Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Genre: Drama
Notable cast: Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, Maribel Verdú
MPA rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
Metacritic: 89

This Spanish-language romantic drama introduced international audiences to Alfonso Cuarón, Gael García Bernal, and Diego Luna, all in one heady, lusty swoop. Y Tu Mamá También follows two sexually ripe young men who have their first adult affairs—with 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.

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 Dead Poets Society if you want to cry or Quiz Lady if you want to laugh.

What is the number one movie on Hulu?

I don’t know what you mean. The one with the most streams? Probably something for morons. My number one is probably an epic like Ford v Ferrari.

What’s the funniest movie on Hulu right now?

It’s gotta be The Rocky Horror Picture Show, especially if you dress up. When was the last time you saw it? What, you never saw it?!!? Correct that now.

What’s the number one scariest movie on Hulu right now?

Boy, you’ve really got a hang-up about “number one,” don’t you? Do you have to go to the bathroom or something? Anyway, the scariest movie on Hulu right now is The Host.