The Best Movies Streaming on Hulu Right Now

From new releases to Academy favorites, here are the best movies streaming on Hulu in February 2024.

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group

While Netflix is often lauded for its large selection of TV shows, Hulu has its own equally impressive library, from award-winning comedy and drama content to guilty pleasure reality TV.

Hulu even came for Netflix’s Oscars glory with its original film Minding The Gap, nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 91st Academy Awards. Beyond the streaming service's original content, Hulu also has some older, more classic titles that Netflix lacks, alongside some of the best movies of the last few years, like Spencer and Palm Springs. They’re also frequently coming out with new, critically acclaimed movies that are proving to be crowd pleasers with audiences and critics alike.

From horror movies to sci-fi to comedy to drama, here are the best movies on Hulu streaming right now. If you don't have Hulu yet, sign up now.

1. SCREAM (2022)

Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Cast: Neve Campbell, Jenna Ortega, Dylan Minnette, Courteney Cox, Jack Quaid, David Arquette
Genre: Thriller, Horror
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 54m
Rotten Tomatoes: 76% (Critics), 82% (Audience)

The return of Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) can only mean one thing: Scream has made it to the modern age. Creepy phone calls get swapped for text messages in this rendition, as Ghostface appears to have reappeared in Woodsboro 25 years after his original spree left piles of dead teenagers littering the small, suburban town. Armed with his trusty knife and the help of technology, the only thing standing in his way is the girl who always had. Now grown with a gun and a franchise of experience, Sidney sets out to make sure this generation of Woodsboro teens turn out a lot better than the class of ‘97.

2. Romeo + Juliet (1996)

Characters from a film observe marine life in an aquarium, an emotional scene with poised expressions

Director: Baz Luhrmann
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, John Leguizamo, Paul Rudd, Harold Perrineau
Genre: Romance, Drama
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2h 10m
Rotten Tomatoes: 72% (Critics), 77% (Audience)

Call me uncouth but I have never been a big fan of Shakespeare, that is, until I saw Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 retelling of the Elizabethan era playwright’s most famous work. Centering on the forbidden love between Montague family heir, Romeo (Leonardo DiCaprio), and their rival faction, the Capulet family’s fair maiden daughter Juliet (Claire Danes), Luhrmann pulls the entirety of the film’s dialogue verbatim from the 400-plus-year-old text and drops it into a bacchanal of 1990s MTV-esque reimaginings. No detail is left unmodernized, as swords become guns, capes are swapped for fire Gucci shirts that will still set you back a stack on Grailed, and mandolin music is replaced with hits from house legend Kym Mazelle. Maybe it’s the familiar faces and overwhelming skill filling in even the smallest of roles, but never before have lines like “Plague o’ both your houses” hit as hard, and with as much meaning as they did the first time I saw Harold Perrineau of Lost and Oz fame scream them at John Leguizamo and a young Leo in the middle of a beach resort fresh from downing mimosas. So, whether you’re looking to take a trip back to the ‘90s by way of 1595, get some fashion inspiration for your next vacation, or merely brush up before your next English Lit exam, Romeo + Juliet is guaranteed to give you what you need.

3. Uncharted (2022)

Director: Ruben Fleischer 
Cast: Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, Sophia Ali, Tati Gabrielle, Antonio Banderas, Rudy Pankow
Genre: Action, Adventure
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1h 56m
Rotten Tomatoes: 40% (Critics), 90% (Audience)

If the recent winter weather has you dreaming of a tropical island adventure, then look no further than Uncharted. Based on the ultra-popular videogame of the same name, Tom Holland stars as Nathan Drake, a petty thief turned professional treasure hunter on the trail of his missing brother, Victor "Sully" Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) and the lost gold of real-life explorer Magellan. Traipsing the globe as he crosses paths with bandits, and is double crossed by members of his own crew, Nathan finds himself pitted against every obstacle imaginable, making for a thrilling film guaranteed to entertain.

4. Baby Boy (2001)

Two actors in a car, the woman looks concerned and the man pensive, in a dramatic scene

Director: John Singleton
Cast: Tyrese Gibson, Taraji P. Henson, Ving Rhames, Snoop Dogg, Omar Gooding
Genre: Crime, Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 2h 10m
Rotten Tomatoes: 71% (Critics), 87% (Audience)

Venturing back to the neighborhoods and personalities that launched him to stardom, director/writer John Singleton tells the story of Baby Boy, aka Jody (Tyrese Gibson), a 20-something black man wandering through life without any direction. Unemployed and still living at home with his mother despite having fathered two children from different women, Jody can’t seem to get his act together and become the adult everybody keeps begging him to be. Torn between the streets, or accepting his responsibilities, Jody must choose which way he wants his life to go before life chooses for him. An all-star cast, and Singleton’s Oscar winning ability to make L.A. stories brimming with authenticity, Baby Boy has earned itself the nod as another black classic.

5. Grandma’s Boy (2006)

Director: Nicholaus Goossen
Cast: Allen Covert, Peter Dante, Nick Swardson, Linda Cardellini, Jonah Hill, Doris Roberts, Rob Schneider
Genre: Comedy
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 34m
Rotten Tomatoes: 15% (Critics), 85% (Audience)

With only a fifteen percent critic approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, this comedian-stacked, pre-Superbad/The 40-Year-Old Virgin flick was far ahead of its time but still just as full of laughs. Video game creator and all-around man-child, Alex (Allen Covert) has just been kicked out of his apartment. With no place else to go he moves in with his grandma Lilly (Doris Roberts) whose elderly uncool behavior gets in the way of his regular routine. Forced to change, albeit very slowly, Alex’s incessant pot smoking, low self-esteem, and overall loser behaviors are broken by his new, wild living arrangements.

6. Godzilla Vs. Kong (2021)

Director: Adam Wingard
Cast: Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Julian Dennison, Brian Tyree Henry, Eiza González, Kyle Chandler,
Genre: Action/Sci-fi
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1h 53m
Rotten Tomatoes: 76% (Critics), 91% (Audience)

This one is for all the grownups who used to play what-if monster mashups on the playground. Combining cast and story worlds from the two already solid standalone films Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) and Kong: Skull Island (2017), G.V.K. gives us Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Lance Reddick, Kyle Chandler, Brian Tyree Henry, and Julian Dennison for all the top-notch acting one would expect of a blockbuster this size. You didn’t come for the acting though, you came for the action, and I’m pleased to say it does not disappoint. Packed so full of punches, bites, body slams, and radioactive fire blasts, it earned the film an Oscar nod for special effects. This larger-than-life creature feature is a must see for the biggest TV you can find.

7. The Mummy (1999)

Director: Stephen Sommers
Cast: Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, Arnold Vosloo, Oded Fehr, John Hannah,
Genre: Action, Adventure
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2h 4m
Rotten Tomatoes: 60% (Critics), 75% (Audience)

Considered the best Indiana Jones-esque film series since the classic, this massive blockbuster made Brendan Fraser one of the biggest stars on the planet while simultaneously reigniting a generation’s interest in ancient Egypt. The year is 1926, and aspiring Egyptologist Evelyn Carnahan (Rachel Weisz) has just been given a map that leads to the legendary lost city of the dead. The person who originally found the map, American ex-soldier Rick O’Connell (Brendan Fraser) agrees to help Evelyn lead an expedition to uncover the city and all its secrets. They soon find out, however, that some secrets are better left buried. Flesh eating bugs, curses, ancient cults, and the undead all make The Mummy an all time great for movie and history-buffs alike.

8. Heat (1995)

Director: Michael Mann
Cast: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Val Kilmer, Diane Venora, Ashley Judd, Amy Brenneman, Natalie Portman, Danny Trejo, Tom Sizemore, Ted Levine, Dennis Haysbert, Hank Azaria, Jeremy Piven
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Rating: R
Runtime: 2h 50m
Rotten Tomatoes: 83% (Critics), 94% (Audience)

After what should have been a routine robbery goes awry, master thief Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) and his crew fall into the sights of wildcard LAPD detective Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino). As their game of cat and mouse spreads across the city of Los Angeles, both parties become obsessed with the other. Hanna’s obsession soon leads to the neglect of his family, while McCauley’s inability to steal finds his regular spartan routine of rob, sleep, eat broken by a local woman. With both parties unable to think clearly the action erupts into a shootout so powerful it changed film forever. If you have any doubt as to what the greatest heist film of all time is, do yourself a favor and stream Heat now. There’s no telling how much longer it will be on Hulu.

9. Mandy (2018)

Director: Panos Cosmatos
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Linus Roache, Andrea Riseborough, Bill Duke, Alexis Julemont, Richard Brake
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Rating: N/A
Runtime: 2h 1m
Rotten Tomatoes: 91% (Critics), 67% (Audience)

The movie that kicked off Nicolas Cage’s incredible indie run, Mandy makes for one of the trippiest viewing experiences currently available on streaming. The year is 1983 and naturist, Red Miller’s (Nicolas Cage) forest hideaway has just been turned upside down by cult leader-turned kidnapper, Jeremiah Sand (Linus Roache). Hoping to rescue his girlfriend Mandy (Andrea Riseborough), Red soon finds himself severely outnumbered and ill prepared. After failing his first attempt, he goes all out on the second, employing every crazy means ever imagined in an 80s horror flick. Magnified by its cheap yet unique soundtrack, over the top cinematography, obscene dialogue, and otherworldly set pieces, Mandy is the antithesis of all things blockbuster, and it's so much better for it.

10. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

Director: George Seaton
Cast: Edmund Gwenn, Natalie Wood, Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, William Frawley
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Christmas
Rating: N/A
Runtime: 1h 41m
Rotten Tomatoes: 96% (Critics), 87% (Audience)

The all-time classic Christmas movie is back on streaming. After the actor paid to play Santa gets too drunk for his role in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, an old man named Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) steps in. Following his amazing job, he’s hired on by Macy’s manager to play the in-store Santa as well, but quickly runs into trouble when his claims of being the real deal land him in an asylum. One little girl soon realizes he is telling the truth, however, and it is both her belief in him and the spirit of Christmas that saves the holiday, making for a movie as heartwarming as any cup of cocoa. If you’re looking for something to get you into the holiday spirit there truly is no better film than Miracle on 34th Street.

11. Master Gardener (2022)

Director: Paul Schrader
Cast: Joel Edgerton, Quintessa Swindell, Sigourney Weaver, Esai Morales
Genre: Thriller, Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 51m
Rotten Tomatoes: 71% (Critics), 55% (Audience)

Written and directed by Paul Schrader, the same man responsible for penning Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and American Gigolo, comes a crime story unlike any other. Former gang member-turned horticulturist, Narvel Roth (Joel Edgerton) has taken up work at a charming garden under an elderly heiress (Sigourney Weaver). But when the heiress’s niece, Maya (Quintessa Swindell) arrives, Roth’s life is quickly thrown into turmoil. Bringing with her her own set of problems, such as rampant drug addiction, Maya quickly gets into trouble and it is up to Roth to save her using skills from his past he had long sought to bury. As much romance as it is a redemption story, Schrader proves once again why he is unrivaled in his ability to bring amazing characters and fascinating stories together for movies you won’t soon forget.

12. A Haunting in Venice (2023)

Director: Kenneth Branagh
Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Tina Fey, Kelly Reilly, Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Dornan
Genre: Mystery, Drama
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1h 43m
Rotten Tomatoes: 75% (Critics), 77% (Audience)

The world-famous detective Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) has returned after his 2017 smash-hit Murder on the Orient Express. Retired to Venice, Poirot has sought refuge from his gift, refusing to solve or even interact with any mystery which might lure him back into crime solving. Unable to turn away his old friend and acclaimed author Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey), however, Poirot agrees to attend a Halloween séance at the city’s most notoriously haunted palazzo. Minimizing the cast numbers while upping the suspense, A Haunting in Venice fixes many of the issues that weighed down its predecessor, while still retaining the intricate tangle of clues and touch of horror that made it the most promising series of whodunits the big screen has seen in years. For fans of Agatha Christie adaptations, or if you simply love a smart mystery, this one is a must watch. 

13. What Just Happened (2008)

Director: Barry Levinson
Cast: Robert De Niro, John Turturro, Stanley Tucci, Bruce Willis, Kristin Stewart, Sean Penn, Catherine Keener
Genre: Comedy
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 47m
Rotten Tomatoes: 50% (Critics), 22% (Audience)

Boasting some of the movie business’s most famous names both on-screen and behind the camera, actors Robert De Niro, Bruce Willis, Kristin Stewart, director Barry Levinson, and producer Art Linson have created a love/hate letter to Hollywood that is as informative as it is hilarious. A week in the life of producer Ben (Robert De Niro) is packed with more drama than most of the films he makes. As one big money meeting with a stone-cold studio executive bleeds into a separate negotiation with an agent about Bruce Willis’s facial hair, Ben can’t help but feel he’s going a little insane. His personal life isn’t doing much better. With a marriage destroyed, and his daughter Zoe (Kristin Stewart) falling into the trappings of a tinsel town upbringing, Ben tries to use his skills as a producer to put his life back in order; but that might just be the issue that got him into this mess in the first place. Undoubtedly pulling from its amazing cast’s own experiences, this dark comedy offers new laughs in a familiar setting while showing just how wild it gets behind the scenes.

14. Nightmare Alley (2021)

Director: Guillermo del Toro
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Willem Dafoe, Ron Perlman, Richard Jenkins, Toni Collette
Genre: Thriller
Rating: R
Runtime: 2h 30m
Rotten Tomatoes: 80% (Critics), 68% (Audience)

The modern king of horror, Guillermo del Toro, is back with his most terrifying film in years. Based on the novel of the same name by William Lindsay Gresham, Nightmare Alley follows Stan Carlisle (Bradley Cooper), a conman with a unique set of skills and an even more peculiar set of problems. The year is 1939, and Stan is seeking a new start without the need for turning over a fresh leaf. He finds it by way of a traveling carnival and a new-fangled science called psychiatry. Warned by the carnie folk not to use this skill for evil, Stan does just that, setting out with a big score already in mind. Playing around in people’s heads for profit is a dangerous game, but when Stan tinkers with a man far more dangerous than one he’s ever experienced, he realizes just how evil evil can get. Crafting a world like no one else can, del Toro brings his unique eye for detail and love of the obscure to a career high, creating a psychological thriller that more than earns the name of nightmare.

15. No One Will Save You (2023)

Director: Brian Duffield
Cast: Kaitlyn Dever, Geraldine Singer
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1h 33m
Rotten Tomatoes: 80% (Critics), 58% (Audience)

Trading zombies and murderers for terror from above, No One Will Save You proves that the crown of screams still belongs to the extra-terrestrial. Brynn (Kaitlyn Dever) is the text-book definition of a loner in that she rarely leaves her house, doesn’t speak to anyone, and all her friends are dead. Great! Complete isolation always adds to the spook-o-meter when a horror movie starts with the classic “bump in the night” fright. Creeping out of her room, Brynn finds that the noise isn’t coming from the front door in normal horror film fashion, but instead from up on the roof. Narrowly escaping the alien’s plan by way of some truly unique action, Brynn wakes the next day to find herself hunted as the only sentient Earthling, and humanity’s only hope. 

16. Hunt (2022)

Director: Lee Jung-Jae
Cast: Lee Jung-jae, Jung Woo-sung, Go Yoon Jung, Kim Nam-gil, Hwang Jung-min
Genre: Thriller, Spy
Rating: N/A
Runtime: 2h 11m
Rotten Tomatoes: 70% (Critics), 80% (Audience)

A fictionalized spy thriller set in the real-life aftermath of South Korean President Park Chung-hee’s 1979 assassination, Hunt sees top SK security officials Park Pyong-Ho (Lee Jung-Jae) and Kim Jung-Do (Jung Woo-sung) compete to track down a possible North Korean mole. Starting off as reluctant allies their relationship soon sours when both come to suspect the other is the leak. Pitting raw power against cunning, the two top agents wage war against each other while working to unravel the clues. Packed full of twists and action, Hunt is just another notch on the long list of superb South Korean cinema.

17. Crimes of the Future (2022)

Director: David Cronenberg
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux, Kristen Stewart, Scott Speedman
Genre: Horror, Sci-fi
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 47m
Rotten Tomatoes: 80% (Critics), 50% (Audience)

From the brilliantly twisted mind that brought you A History of Violence and Eastern Promises, director/writer David Cronenberg presents what is perhaps his most disturbing story to date. Set in a near future where much of the world has become overrun with artificial materials, the next stage in human evolution has begun. Saul Tenser (Viggo Mortensen) and his lover Caprice (Léa Seydoux) are performance artists. For their newest show they’ve decided to present the unusual changes Saul’s body has undergone. An absence of pain, extreme healing, and new pleasure centers have even gone so far as to change the experience of surgery into the new sex. A group of radical evolutionists aim to push the boundaries even further though. Tasked with infiltrating this dangerous group, Saul and Caprice must push their own boundaries, but as they change, so do their views, leaving them unsure which side is the right one.

18. Prey (2022)

Director: Dan Trachtenberg
Cast: Amber Midthunder, Dane DiLiegro, Dakota Beavers, Julian Black Antelope, Stefany Mathias, Michelle Thrush
Genre: Sci-fi, Action
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 39m
Rotten Tomatoes: 91% (Critics), 83% (Audience)

Based in the same monster survival universe as Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1980s hit PredatorPrey takes a very different approach to avoiding death at the hands of an alien killing machine. The year is 1719, and a young Comanche healer named Naru (Amber Midthunder) has just witnessed a strange light falling from the sky. The next day while out on a hunt with her brother and fellow tribesmen, Naru has the misfortune of finding out just what caused that mysterious light. Trapped and unable to defend her friends and family, Naru is forced to watch as the entirety of her hunting party is slaughtered by a single assailant. Avoiding the common mistakes of most sequels/prequels, Prey introduces a new world to a loved universe. Keeping the lore set up in the original, the differences Prey adds—such as pre-industrial weapons and family dynamics—builds on the already top-tier action while bolstering character development. Fans of the Governator’s 1987 film can relax and rejoice, because this one’s a winner.

19. The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

Director: David Frankel
Cast: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, Simon Baker, Adrian Grenier
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1h 49m
Rotten Tomatoes: 75% (Critics), 76% (Audience)

Flying its chick-flick flag proudly while dodging the connotations that go with such a categorization, The Devil Wears Prada manages a win on every level of filmmaking. Recent college grad Andy (Anne Hathaway) has just landed a spot at Runway magazine. Far from her dream job, Andy decides to put up with the fashion mag in hopes of using it as a launching point for a career in “serious journalism.” Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), Runway’s editor-in-chief, quickly changes Andy’s mind though, transforming her into a mirror image of herself: glamorous, powerful, and lonely. Exploring the friction female ambition and professionalism often creates with more traditional ideas of beauty and relationships, The Devil Wears Prada makes fun of a serious dilemma without dumbing it down. Hathaway’s every-girl charm paired with Streep’s Oscar-winning acting make this guilty pleasure one everyone can enjoy.

20. Fire Island (2022)

Director: Andrew Ahn
Cast: Joel Kim Booster, Conrad Ricamora, Zane Phillips, Bowen Yang, James Scully, Margaret Cho
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 45m
Rotten Tomatoes: 94% (Critics), 78% (Audience)

The gay rom com of the summer is officially on Hulu. Going back to the sunny oasis of New York’s Fire Island, friends Noah (Joel Kim Booster), Howie (Bowen Yang), Keegan (Tomas Matos), and Max (Torian Miller) arrive for the traditional group vacay. Desperate to find love himself, but swearing to only do so after best friend, Howie, lands a man, Noah does everything in his power to fan the flames of his BFF’s sudden summer love interest, Charlie (James Scully). Bringing the culture to the screen with unabashed truth, Fire Island shows the good and bad of the gay dating scene and creates a bromance comedy minus the bros that will last for the ages… Or at least to the hopeful sequel.

21. Spencer (2021)

Director: Pablo Larraín
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Jack Farthing, Sally Hawkins, Timothy Spall, Amy Manson, Richard Sammel
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 57m
Rotten Tomatoes: 83% (Critics), 52% (Audience)

Like day-old Burger King, the story of England’s royalty, in particular, the implosion of Princess Diana’s and Prince Charles’s marriage has been reheated more times than I’d like to count. Princess in Love (1996), Diana (2013), Whatever Love Means (2005), and The Crown (2016-) have all taken a broadly historical approach to the eventual crumbling of one of the world’s most famous matrimonies. Spencer, however, chooses a different route. The year is 1991, and the royal family is headed to the Queen’s residence to celebrate Christmas. Rumors of the Prince’s extra-marital affairs have turned Diana’s (Kristen Stewart) and Charles’s (Jack Farthing) relationship into a charade meant to uphold the crown’s public appearance.

22. I, Tonya (2017)

Director: Craig Gillespie
Cast: Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, Allison Janney, Paul Walter Hauser, Julianne Nicholson, Bobby Cannavale
Genre: Biopic, Comedy
Rating: R
Runtime: 2h
Rotten Tomatoes: 90% (Critics), 88% (Audience)

If mafia-style kneecapping and lace-clad figure skaters are too crazy an image for you to conjure in your mind, don’t. Just watch I, Tonya. This so-insane-you-can’t-believe-it’s-real, real-life story of a gold medal hopeful/Ice Queen with a killer triple axel, Tonya Harding (Margot Robbie) begins with a little girl too poor to buy skating equipment. Skip to the future and Tonya is one of the best figure skaters in the world. She’s also still dirt poor with an abusive mother, an abusive husband, and her only chance of escaping is slipping away because the judges that pick the Olympic team don’t like her. This isn’t a sob story drama though, it’s a comedy. Sebastian Stan and Paul Walter Hauser create one of the funniest and dumbest duos film has seen in years, while Bobby Cannavale brings his oblivious brand of dry-humor to new heights as a news reporter trying to wrap his head around the rise and fall of one of America’s most polarizing sports figures of the past century. You don’t have to care about skating, the Olympics, or even Tonya Harding to love this film. You just have to be ready to laugh.

23. Bernie (2011)

Director: Richard Linklater
Cast: Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey, Shirley MacLaine, Rick Dial, Brady Coleman
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1h 44m
Rotten Tomatoes88% (Critics), 73% (Audience)

Basking in its own absurdity, this true-crime spoof tells the tale of Bernie Tiede (Jack Black), the favorite son of bucolic Texas town, Carthage. Living up to the saying “Bernie, well shucks, he’s the best of us,” the-man-who-can befriends the least-liked member of the community, recently widowed Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLaine). Fulfilling his regular duties as local assistant mortician, Sunday school teacher, substitute preacher, and choir lead singer, Bernie accepts the added burden of trying to make Marjorie a better person, insisting “there’s good in everyone.” Bernie soon discovers there isn’t and ends up killing her. What ensues after is just as hilarious as what came before, creating a wild ride full of laughs.

24. Door Mouse (2023)

Director: Avan Jogia
Cast: Hayley Law, Keith Powers, Famke Janssen, Donal Logue, Elizabeth Saunders
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 37m
Rotten Tomatoes: 78% (Critics), 89% (Audience) 

As a graphic novel come to life, Door Mouse kicks over the opening credits with its unique energy and style and doesn’t stop till the very end. After Doe-Eyes (Nhi Do) disappears, her friend and fellow burlesque dancer Mouse (Hayley Law) starts to investigate. What she finds is that Doe-Eyes isn’t the only disappearance in recent months and decides to team up with her friend Ugly (Keith Powers) to get to the bottom of it. Delving further into the dirty world that she works in, burgundy wallpaper, weapons, and odd sexual kinks create a terrifying feeling of claustrophobia. With no way to retreat Mouse and Ugly are forced to push on. Plunging ever deeper into the mystery of the missing girls and just what does go on beyond the curtain makes Door Mouse one of the most enticing films of 2023 thus far, and an absolute must-watch.

25. Wyrm (2019)

Director: Christopher Winterbauer
Cast: Theo Taplitz, Lulu Wilson, Jenna Ortega, Lukas Gage, Zane Austin, Azure Brandi, Ryan Alessi
Genre: Comedy
Rating: N/A
Runtime: 1h 46m
Rotten Tomatoes: 88% (Critics), 71% (Audience)

Blending modern problems with the ever-present ones of puberty, Wyrm tells the story of middle school nerd Wyrm (Theo Taplitz) as he struggles to let go of his dinosaur-obsessed youth and venture into the world of adulthood. Things used to be simple, but ever since receiving his “first kiss collar”—a scarlet letter-esque accessory marking him as a kiss virgin for his school’s level-one sexuality requirement—he’s become even more withdrawn. Everywhere Wyrm looks, whether it’s his older sister working on her twerk, or classmates getting their collars popped at the bus stop, sex hounds Wyrm’s steps. Recalling the absurdity of Superbad, and the genuine insight of Bo Burnham’s Eighth GradeWyrm will make you laugh, cry, and cringe in a mix of emotions perfectly in sync with its hormone-addled topic.

26. Source Code (2011)

Director: Duncan Jones
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright
Genre: Sci-i, Action
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1h 33m
Rotten Tomatoes: 92% (Critics), 82% (Audience)

Underappreciated and perfectly executed, Source Code tells the story of Army pilot Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) as he works to solve a train bombing that’s already occurred. Transported back through a victim’s memory, Stevens must repeat the horrible incident eight minutes at a time, exploding repeatedly until he finishes his mission. Even with the explosion foregone, Source Code’s brilliant writing cranks up the tension using personal stakes. As more of the mystery unfolds, Stevens becomes more and more invested in the passengers he’s come to know. Driven by an urge for revenge as much as preventing another bombing, Gyllenhaal delivers a top-notch performance and proves once again that he’s one of the best script pickers in the game.

27. The Binge (2021)

Director: Jeremy Garelick
Cast: Skyler Gisondo, Vince Vaughn, Grace Van Dien, Eduardo Franco, Dexter Darden
Genre: Comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 1h 38m
Rotten Tomatoes: 22% (Critics), 81% (Audience)

If The Purge meets American Pie 2 sounds like a must-watch, or at least a weird enough movie to check out then welcome to The Binge. In a near-future where all drugs and alcohol are banned except for one day a year known as the binge, three high school friends, Griffin (Skyler Gisondo), Andrew (Eduardo Franco), and Hags (Dexter Darden) set out to create an insane night of memories and meet up with Griffin’s lifelong crush Lena (Grace Van Dien). The binge quickly turns out to be more than the three can handle as drugs, violence, parties, experienced bingers, and Lena’s father, Principle Carleson (Vince Vaughn) send the boys spiraling down a fast track of hilarious life lessons. Filling the recent void of teen comedies, The Binge checks off all the genre must-haves and delivers enough new laughs to keep you surprised and feeling nostalgic all at the same time.

28. Independence Day (1996)

Director: Roland Emmerich
Cast: Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Vivica A. Fox, Margaret Colin
Genre: Adventure, Sci-Fi
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2h 25m
Rotten Tomatoes: 67% (Critics), 75% (Audience)

Considered the film that revived the disaster genre, Independence Day imagines what would happen if Earth was targeted by aliens for complete annihilation. Two days before July 4th, 1996, U.S. Marine Captain Steven Hiller (Will Smith) is supposed to be enjoying some well-earned vacation time with his girlfriend Jasmine (Vivica A. Fox). Instead, he’s called away after alien spaceships appear over every major city on earth. With the space monsters’ motives clear, it’s up to Hiller, the president, and a crack team of scientists to find a way to stop the invading creatures. Full of high-flying action, explosions, and that classic ’90s Will Smith that everyone loved, Independence Day is the kind of blockbuster best enjoyed with a big screen and even bigger speakers. 

29. Joyride (2022)

Director: Emer Reynolds
Cast: Olivia Colman, Charlie Reid, Lochlann O'Mearáin, Olwen Fouéré, Tommy Tiernan
Genre: Comedy
Rating: N/A
Runtime: 1h 34m
Rotten Tomatoes: 51% (Critics), 75% (Audience)

With a string of Oscar nominations as long as other actors’ entire filmography do you really need a list to tell you Olivia Colman makes movie gold? After 13-year-old Mully (Charlie Reid) steals a taxi with Joy (Olivia Colman) and her newborn baby asleep in the backseat, the teenager and mother make a deal: so long as Mully accompanies Joy on her trip and helps to take care of the baby Joy won’t press charges. Mully agrees and the three set out across the scenic Irish countryside. Coming of age drama meets redemption story in this hilarious tale of finding your place in the world whether it be at birth, adolescence, or adulthood, Joyride is one of those timeless tales that’s bound to become an undercover classic.

30. All My Friends Hate Me (2021)

Director: Andrew Gaynord
Cast: Tom Stourton, Georgina Campbell, Antonia Clarke, Dustin Demri-Burns, Charly Clive, Joshua McGuire
Genre: Horror, Comedy
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 34m
Rotten Tomatoes: 89% (Critics), 65% (Audience)

Taking social anxieties a global audience can understand and mixing it with British dark comedy, All My Friends Hate Me is one of the most unique ha-ha-horrors in recent memory. Returning to his hometown after being gone for years, Pete (Tom Stourton) sets about organizing a reunion for his 31st birthday. As the group of besties try to reignite old times, Pete begins to worry about his place in the group. Odd behaviors soon overshadow the familiar, making Pete sure that not only is he trapped in a house with people he barely recognizes, but his life may be in danger. Tearing the classic growing up and growing apart crises into hilarious little tatters, All My Friends Hate Me earns its spot amongst other social comedy greats such as Birdman and The Lobster.

31. The Forgiven (2021)

Director: John Michael McDonagh
Cast: Jessica Chastain, Ralph Fiennes, Matt Smith, Christopher Abbott, Caleb Landry Jones, Ismael Kanater
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 57m
Rotten Tomatoes: 68% (Critics), 57% (Audience)

Love, loss, sin, hate, and history all find a home in this steamy mystery. Setting out to a Moroccan desert villa at night in hopes of salvaging their failing marriage, David (Ralph Fiennes) and Jo Henninger (Jessica Chastain) accidentally kill a boy in a case of drunk driving. Hoping to cover up their crime, the couple take the body with them to the villa where their friend Richard Galloway (Matt Smith) convinces David to come clean to the police. The next day David goes with the boy’s father to bury him, leaving Jo behind. As the days progress, both Jo and David begin to suspect that the grieving father may be planning more than one funeral, and Richard may have known this all along.

32. There There (2022)

Director: Andrew Bujalski
Cast: Jason Schwartzman, Molly Gordon, Lili Taylor, Avi Nash, Lennie James, Jon Natchez
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Rating: N/A
Runtime: 1h 33m
Rotten Tomatoes: 43% (Critics), N/A% (Audience)

High-concept, low budget, minimal plot, and maximal character are all terms that have been used to describe director Andrew Bujalski’s peak pandemic creation There There. Shot during the height of covid the film’s very theme was born from necessity, offering an awkward, albeit sometimes the too close-to-home experience of humanity versus isolation. Composed of six two-character scenes, There There was made with absolutely zero face-to-face interaction between cast members all while being shot on an iPhone by a single cameraman. Driven by the pace of its editing, the strength of its acting, and the genuine heart of its script, it’s a monumental achievement that the film works at all. We’re not in the business of sticking movies on this list simply for existing though, and There There shines as an amalgam of indie movie-making meets one-man theater that is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.

33. Boston Strangler (2023)

Director: Matt Ruskin
Cast: Keira Knightley, Carrie Coon, David Dastmalchian, Chris Cooper, Alessandro Nivola, Morgan Spector, Robert John Burke
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Rating: R
Runtime: 1hr 54m
Rotten Tomatoes: N/A

Fans of real-life based crime thrillers rejoice because one of the most skin-crawling tales of modern American serial killings has just landed on streaming as a Hulu exclusive. It’s the 1960s and Boston prides itself on a hard-knock police force and sharp-nosed reporters that keep its streets safe and citizens informed. Reporter Loretta McLaughlin (Keira Knightley) is challenging that claim. Noticing a trend of violent crimes carried out against women, Loretta begs her boss and the Boston PD to take a look. She is quickly brushed aside as nothing more than a hysterical woman, so she and fellow female reporter Jean Cole (Carrie Coon) set out to prove them wrong. Uncovering a continuing trail of murder and sexual assault, they publish their findings setting off one of the biggest manhunts in American history.

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