The 40 Best Movies on Hulu Right Now (July 2021)

Hulu had some rough patches in its early days, but it's quietly become a serious streaming player. While Netflix is still ahead of the pack, and Amazon loops you in because you're already signed up for their Prime service, you'd be wise to give Hulu a look. The streaming service isn't just amassing quality TV series like The Handmaid's Tale and Castle Rock; it also has a surprisingly robust selection of movies.

So if you feel like nothing on Netflix or Amazon is catching your fancy, or if you just want to get the most out of your subscription, take a look at some of the best movies currently available on Hulu.

Editor's note: This post was last updated July 14th to add Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar and Bill & Ted Face the Music.

RELATED: Here's What's New on Hulu in July 2021

Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar

Director: Josh Greenbaum

Writers: Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig

Cast: Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo, and Jamie Dornan

One of the best films of 2021 and one of the funnier comedies you’ll see is one that kind of flew under the radar, Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar. The premise seems fairly simple—lifelong friends Barb (Annie Mumolo) and Star (Kristen Wiig) decide to leave their small midwestern town for a vacation in Vista Del Mar. Oh, and there’s a supervillain (also Wiig) who wants to unleashed a deadly plague of mosquitos on the town as an act of revenge so she sends her henchman Edgar (Jamie Dornan), who is also in love with her even though she’s not really interested in him. So maybe it’s not that simple, but the chaotic, cheerful energy pulsating through Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar make it one of the more outlandish, silly, and delightful comedies in recent memory. – Matt Goldberg

Bill and Ted Face the Music

Director: Dean Parisot

Writers: Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, Samara Weaving, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Anthony Carrigan, Kid Cudi, and William Sadler

Bill & Ted 3 should not be as good as it is, and yet this long-awaited sequel is terrifically entertaining while also feeling like an evolution of the franchise. The film picks up in real time as Bill and Ted – Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter – have reached middle-age and have yet to write the song that will save the universe. They’re forced to self-reflect on overdrive when they’re given a ticking clock: they must write the song before time runs out. Their fix? Go forward in time to when they’ve written the song, and steal it from themselves! The film is wonderfully goofy and silly, but grounded in a true empathy for all of its characters. Bill and Ted Face the Music is a time-travel comedy with a huge, beating, softie heart. – Adam Chitwood

Beetlejuice

Director: Tim Burton

Writers: Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren

Cast: Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Catherine O’Hara, and Jeffrey Jones

Surely one of the best films Tim Burton has ever made, 1988’s Beetlejuice is a horror comedy classic. It’s spooky and silly and macabre in the best way, as it charts the journey of a married couple who die and become ghosts, stuck inside their house as they watch a new family move in and renovate the entire place. Frustrated, they seek the help of a controversial “bio-exorcist” demon named Beetlejuice. Burton’s film is colorful and bold, with Geena Davis, Alec Baldwin, Winona Ryder, and Michael Keaton all delivering incredible performances, while Catherine O’Hara continues to prove she can steal just about anything. If you want to watch something that’s silly-spooky and not scary-spooky, which also happens to have some incredible world building, fire up Beetlejuice. – Adam Chitwood

Galaxy Quest

Director: Dean Parisot

Writers: David Howard and Robert Gordon

Cast: Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Justin Long, and Sam Rockwell

1999’s Galaxy Quest is one of the best comedies ever made, hands down. If you like sci-fi movies and laughing, this one’s for you. The story revolves around a gang of washed-up actors who are famous for starring in a Star Trek-like TV show decades ago, and are clinging to their glory days. Their lives are thrown for a loop when they’re abducted by actual aliens who mistook their TV episodes for “historical documents” and think this crew of galactic warriors can help save them from a villainous threat. Chaos, comedy, and a bit of heart ensue. – Adam Chitwood

They Came Together

Director: David Wain

Writers: David Wain and Michael Showalter

Cast: Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Cobie Smulders, Christopher Meloni, Bill Hader, Max Greenfield, Ellie Kemper, Jason Mantzoukas, and Melanie Lynskey

If you’re into absurdist comedies, you’ll love They Came Together. But fair warning: if you think this is just a sweet romcom starring Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler, you may not be satisfied with the result. From the filmmakers behind Wet Hot American Summer, this film takes aim at the absurdity of the romantic comedy genre, taking aim at various tropes that populate those types of films. It’s not a parody – it does actually have a romcom storyline – but it is hilariously absurd as Poehler and Rudd get to showcase their sillier sides, and Christopher Meloni brings the house down with one single scene. – Adam Chitwood

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Director: David Fincher

Writer: Steven Zaillian

Cast: Rooney Mara, Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgard, and Robin Wright

If you like crime thrillers and for some reason haven’t seen David Fincher’s adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, there’s no time like the present. Based on the bestselling book of the same name, the film is part murder mystery part origin story, as Rooney Mara’s idiosyncratic hacker Lisbeth Salander is tasked with helping disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) try to solve a young girl’s disappearance from 40 years ago, which puts them on the path of a suspected serial killer. It’s chilling and engrossing, with top-notch craft courtesy of Fincher and Co. – Adam Chitwood

Big Fish

Director: Tim Burton

Writer: John August

Cast: Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange, Helena Bonham Carter, Alison Lohman, and Marion Cotillard

While filmmaker Tim Burton is best known for making films that are whimsical and/or fantastically dark, 2003’s Big Fish is his most successful dramatic effort by far. Burton made the movie in the immediate wake of his father’s death, which brings added emotional heft to the story of a dying man (Albert Finney) telling his life’s story to his son (Billy Crudup). The father embellishes just about everything (or does he?), and flashbacks find Ewan McGregor playing his younger self as he goes on a series of fantastical adventures. It all builds to a really emotional finale that will have you in tears. – Adam Chitwood

Batman Begins

Director: Christopher Nolan

Writers: Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer

Cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Katie Holmes, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, and Ken Watanabe

Before he crafted the masterful sequel The Dark Knight, filmmaker Christopher Nolan had to first reinvent the Batman franchise from the ground up with the “gritty reboot” Batman Begins. This movie came on the heels of the exceedingly goofy Batman & Robin and thus had to prove to audiences a grounded, realistic Batman story was one worth watching. Casting Christian Bale in the lead role helped, but Nolan’s sprawling, Gotham-centric story feels more in line with a compelling character drama than a superhero movie—and that was by design. Batman Begins spawned not only two direct sequels but a trend in Hollywood of revitalizing franchises with the “gritty reboot” treatment, and this wholly influential redo still holds up over a decade later as a terrific Batman origin story. – Adam Chitwood

The Dark Knight

Director: Christopher Nolan

Writer: Jonathan Nolan

Cast: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine

One of the best superhero movies ever made, full-stop, The Dark Knight is a masterpiece. Christopher Nolan crafted an epic, surprising, and downright thrilling story of escalation for his Batman Begins sequel. Heath Ledger’s take on The Joker is iconic, offering up an enigmatic villain who consistently throws Christian Bale’s Batman for a loop. Then you have Aaron Eckhart’s Harvey Dent, as The Dark Knight crafts a meaty, fulfilling, and heartbreaking arc for this Bruce Wayne foil. On top of all of that, Nolan is essentially making a film about the post-9/11 world—one in which fighting “the bad guys” only leads to bigger and more severe devastation. How do you confront an enemy that just wants to watch the world burn? There’s a reason The Dark Knight has lingered in the public consciousness for a decade, and it still holds up as the best of the best in the face of the bevy of superhero movies that soon followed. – Adam Chitwood

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

Director: John Ford

Writer: James Warner Bellah and Willis Goldbeck

Cast: John Wayne, James Stewart, Vera Miles, Lee Marvin, Edmond O’Brien, Woody Strode, Andy Devine, John Carradine

Sometimes you’re just in the mood for a good Western, so what better film to scratch that itch than one starring two cinematic icons: John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart. Wayne plays the cowboy to Stewart’s naïve do-gooder who’s planning on opening up a law office in the town of Shinbone, where trouble surfaces in the form of outlaw Liberty Valance, played by Lee Marvin. Legendary director John Ford takes the opportunity here to comment on the state of the Western genre in 1962, after decades of personally making some of the best and most successful Westerns in history. Wordplay, gunfights, and a surprisingly emotional finale ensue, as The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance stands as one of the best Westerns ever made. – Adam Chitwood

The Adventures of Tintin

Director: Steven Spielberg

Writers: Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright, and Joe Cornish

Cast: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Nick Frost, and Simon Pegg

Steven Spielberg made a splash in 2011 when experimenting with new technology to bring The Adventures of Tintin to life, and while some were underwhelmed by the final product, it remains a daring and dashing adventure if you allow yourself to be won over. Jamie Bell fills the titular role in the comics adaptation, as Tintin is whisked away on an adventure promising buried treasure. Andy Serkis is a hoot as his drunken companion, while Daniel Craig gets his villain on. Spielberg’s knack for blocking and pitch-perfect action is on full-display and then some, as his camera is untethered to the natural world. This movie’s a lot of fun. – Adam Chitwood

Something’s Gotta Give

Director/Writer: Nancy Meyers

Cast: Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholason, Keanu Reeves, Frances McDormand, and Amanda Peet

Nancy Meyers makes very nice movies, and Something’s Gotta Give certainly fits that bill. The 2003 romantic comedy stars Diane Keaton as a successful playwright who is forced to look after her daughter’s much-older boyfriend (Jack Nicholson) after a heart attack, and against all odds these two complete opposites begin to attract. The film has the wit and humor of Meyers’ other films, but also a strong emotional center as the story of a successful 50-something single woman. Keaton and Nicholson are both pretty terrific here, and as with all of Meyers’ films, the house at the center of it is to die for. This is a great pick for a feel-good movie. – Adam Chitwood

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

Director: Brad Bird

Writers: Josh Applebaum and André Nemec

Cast: Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Anil Kapoor, and Michael Nyqvist

One of the things that makes the Mission: Impossible franchise great is how it allows each new director to bring a unique vision to the series. And if J.J. Abrams’ emotion-centric Mission: Impossible 3 laid the seeds for the franchise to head into a more team-based direction, Brad Bird’s joyous Ghost Protocol solidifies the benefits of making M:I an ensemble. The sequel marked Bird’s first live-action film after wowing critics and audiences with films like The Iron Giant and The Incredibles, and he brings a jubilant quality to the action during which Tom Cruise and Co. are clearly having a blast. Ghost Protocol also boasts the best stunt sequence of the entire franchise so far, as Cruise literally hangs off the side of the tallest building in the world. Five stars. – Adam Chitwood

Nomadland

Writer/Director: Chloé Zhao

Cast: Frances McDormand, David Strathairn, Linda May, Swankie

Don’t let its Oscar-season prestige scare you off. The 2020 Best Picture winner is a moving and elegiac reflection of a post-recession America that still manages to capture the beauty and humanity of a country where, for countless reasons, we’ve become so disconnected from each other. The story of Nomadland follows Fern (Frances McDormand), who lost her husband, her job, and her town in the aftermath of the Great Recession. She resolves to become a nomad, living her life out of a van and traveling across the American West. The trick of Zhao’s film is that it never romanticizes Fern’s circumstances while also not falling into the trap of equating anything outside the American Dream with failure. It’s a deft, thoughtful film held together by the intelligence of Zhao’s direction and the strength of McDormand’s performance. – Matt Goldberg

The Social Network

Director: David Fincher

Writer: Aaron Sorkin

Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Max Minghella, Rooney Mara, and Rashida Jones

The Social Network is a masterpiece. It also happens to be one of the most rewatchable movies ever made. Rarely has a director and screenwriter pairing been so better matched, with David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin elevating each other’s best instincts and dampening each other’s worst. This cool, incisive drama is far more than a “Facebook” movie, as it uses the dramatic “origin story” of Facebook by Mark Zuckerberg to tell a much larger story about what happens when the people running the world’s largest companies are barely out of college. There’s an almost mythic quality to the rise and fall of Zuckerberg here—the “was it worth it in the end?” philosophical questions. But this movie also just absolutely slaps/rules/slays so hard. The Oscar-winning score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is an all-timer, the performances are phenomenal, the script is perfect, and the direction is absolutely masterful. Watch this movie! – Adam Chitwood

You’re Next

Director: Adam Wingard

Writer: Simon Barrett

Cast: Sharni Vinson, Nicholas Tucci, Wendy Glenn, A. J. Bowen, Joe Swanberg, Barbara Crampton and Rob Moran.

Before he went on to direct the battle of Godzilla and Kong, filmmaker Adam Wingard helmed this terrific home invasion thriller. The tranquil opening of a young woman (Sharni Vinson) going to meet her boyfriend’s family to a reunion at their vacation home is shattered when masked attackers descend on the house and start picking off the family members one-by-one. Wingard creates a terrific blend of horror and exhilarating thrills by pushing back against the attackers, which gives the film a terrific tension where you’re never quite sure how everything is going to unfold. If you’re looking for a bloody good time for a film that continues to fly under the radar, you couldn’t do much better than You’re Next. – Matt Goldberg

Young Adult

Director: Jason Reitman

Writer: Diablo Cody

Cast: Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Patrick Wilson, and Elizabeth Reaser

This 2011 film was hotly anticipated given that it marked a reunion from the writing/directing team behind Juno, but Young Adult is a very different kind of movie. Charlize Theron anchors this comedy/drama as a divorced, alcoholic ghost writer of a series of young adult novels who up and decides to go back to her hometown and strike up a relationship with her now-married high school boyfriend. Theron doesn’t shy away from the prickly aspects of this hard-to-love protagonist, but that’s what makes Young Adult special. A mix of cringeworthy comedy and heartbreaking drama, this one probably isn’t for everyone, but if it’s for you, you’ll love it. – Adam Chitwood

Collective

Director: Alexander Nanau

Writers: Alexander Nanau and Antoaneta Opris

A riveting journalism thriller that has the benefit of being true and unfolding before the eyes of documentarian Alexander Nanau. The film starts with a fire at the Collectiv nightclub in Romania, but the scandal begins when it’s discovered that victims of the fire who should have survived died due to infection at various hospitals. Thus begins a look into the Romanian health care system and exposing those who sought to profit by cutting corners at the expense of people’s health. While Collective has its heroic journalists looking to expose the corruption in the system, it also shows people who are either hiding and hedging while others seek to reform the system while running up against obstacles set in place by their predecessors. It’s a stunning portrait of the strength required to not only show the faults in a society, but the herculean task of changing that society for the better. – Matt Goldberg

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Director: Nicholas Meyer

Writer: Jack B. Sowards

Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Walter Koenig, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, Kirstie Alley, and Ricardo Montalban.

The good news about The Wrath of Khan is you do not need to be a Star Trek fan to enjoy it. If you're a Trek fan, it certainly enriches the experience, but the stakes are simple: Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) feels old and out of place in the universe, and then an old foe from his past, Khan (Ricardo Montalban) resurfaces with a weapon that could wipe out the galaxy, so it's up to Kirk to stop him. It's a story about the sins of the past, learning how to lose, and making the ultimate sacrifice. Wrath of Khan is not just a great Star Trek movie. It's a great movie, period. – Matt Goldberg

Possessor

Writer/Director: Brandon Cronenberg

Cast: Andrea Riseborough, Christopher Abbott, and Jennifer Jason Leigh

Possessor is not only one of the best movies of 2020, it’s also one of the best (and most disturbing!) body horror movies of the last decade, period. So, yeah, maybe watch on an empty stomach. Director Brandon Cronenbergproves he got his father’s gross-out gene as he guides the story of Tasya Vos (Andrea Riseborough, chameleonic as always), a high-level assassin with a strange set of skills. Tasya carries out her kills by taking control of other people’s bodies, puppeteering their thoughts and movements just long enough to finish the job. But she’s been doing this macabre job for too long, losing her own sense of self every time she jumps into a new shell. Cronenberg cooks up a host of horrifying images, turning Tasya’s fractured psyche into the image of a melting plastic mask. But it’s the questions Possessor asks that stick with you long after the credits roll, questions of what actually makes you...you? And if you suddenly weren’t “you” anymore, would you even notice? It’s very rare that a whole day goes by where I don’t think about this movie. --Vinnie Mancuso

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By: Collider Staff
Title: The 40 Best Movies on Hulu Right Now (July 2021)
Sourced From: collider.com/best-movies-on-hulu/
Published Date: Wed, 14 Jul 2021 22:06:00 GMT