Hulu always serves up a great offering of critically acclaimed movies. And each month, it adds more and more movies to its deep library, which is why it's one of the best streaming services out there.
But sometimes it can be a struggle to find exactly what new arrivals are worth watching first. Lucky for you, we've sifted through the new movies on Hulu this November and landed on a group that meets the rarified threshold of 90% "fresh" or higher on Rotten Tomatoes.
This month, that means a few awards season and festival darlings from the past few years. "Thelma" was a hit at Sundance earlier in 2024 and will certainly get some awards buzz this season. Meanwhile "The Taste of Things" and "Robot Dreams" also arrive this month, and they were Oscar candidates at the 96th Academy Awards.
So without further ado, here are five new-to-Hulu movies this month with 90% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes. And don't forget to check out the full list of everything new on Hulu in November 2024.
'Second Best' (1994)
"Second Best" stars William Hurt as Graham Holt. Graham is a single, man pushing middle age. He's decided that he wants to adopt a son. He's paired with James (Chris Cleary), a young man who is disturbed from his time in the foster home system and will act out, including with bouts of self-mutilation.
This British drama based on the 1991 novel of the same name isn't for the faint of heart. James's tendency toward self-harm alone could be triggering enough to turn you away from this movie, but the struggle for Graham and James to connect is an emotional one with twists and turns. If you can handle it, this critically-acclaimed drama could be worth your time.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%
Watch on Hulu now
'Thelma' (2024)
"Thelma" was a hit at the Sundance Film Festival this year. This comedy-drama stars June Squibb as Thelma, a wonderful grandmother who one day is scammed out of $10,000 by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson Danny (Fred Hechinger).
But that's not stopping Thelma. With her family panicked and the police unwilling to help, she sets out to find her friends and get her money back. The only problem? She's 93 and most of her friends are dead or gone. So she teams up with Ben, a friend Thelma has largely ignored since her late husband's death and the chase is on. Of course, hilarity also ensues.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%
Watch on Hulu starting November 15
'Robot Dreams' (2023)
"Robot Dreams" is an animated tragicomedy, which I'll admit is a genre I hadn't heard of before. But I had heard of this movie, and I've been waiting for it to finally hit an SVOD streaming service since it debuted at Cannes last year. While "Robot Dreams" didn't win Best Animated Feature at this year's Oscars, the Academy Award-nominated movie is beloved by basically everyone who sees it.
This animated movie stars ... well, nobody. There's no dialogue for the entire 102 minutes. But you don't need dialogue to enjoy this incredible story about Dog, who orders a robot friend with whom he shares an incredible summer that sadly takes a tragic turn. Don't miss "Robot Dreams" when it hits Hulu at the end of the month.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%
Watch on Hulu starting November 26
'The Taste of Things' (2023)
"The Taste of Things is a weirdly controversial movie, but only because it beat out "Anatomy of a Fall" for the French entry for Best International Feature Film at this year's Oscars. Normally, that wouldn't be controversial, except "Anatomy of a Fall" was nominated for five Academy Awards and won for Best Original Screenplay, while "The Taste of Things" ultimately didn't even receive a nomination.
But don't let the politics of award season put you off this French romance movie about the love between a cook in 1889 and the gourmet (what we'd call a foodie) that she works for. The performances of Juliette Binoche as Eugénie (the cook) and Benoît Magimel as Dodin Bouffant (the gourmet) are worth watching, and the movie has drawn near-universal praise.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Watch on Hulu starting November 15
'Aliens' (1986)
"Aliens" is James Cameron's 1986 follow-up to Ridley Scott's incredible 1979 movie "Alien." But unlike Scott's horror/thriller about an alien hunting down and killing nearly the entire crew of a ship, Cameron's movie is pure sci-fi action gold. And this time, the humans are hunting the alien.
"Aliens" stars Sigourney Weaver reprising her role as Ellen Ripley. Ripley was the sole survivor of the first movie, and when humanity loses communications with a human colony near where she encountered the alien creature of the first movie, she agrees to return to the site. She's joined by a unit of Colonial Marines that includes Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton and others, and they're ready for some action.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
Watch on Hulu now
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