Summer's not just for movies in theaters, as August's delivered a new batch of movies to Hulu. The quantity, quality and diversity of the best movies on Hulu is why we rank it among the best streaming services.
Still, selecting a title on movie night can really test your patience. I am quite familiar with experiencing decision paralysis while scrolling through rows and rows of options.
That's why I've plucked out some recommendations after perusing Hulu's new movie offerings in August 2023. I like to think I have pretty good taste in movies and TV shows. Here are my picks, all of which I have watched and vouch for (in alphabetical order).
The Craft (1996)
Not only was The Craft a surprise hit when it first opened in theaters in 1995, it went on to attract a devoted cult following (and generate a 2020 sequel). The story of outcasts who gain powers to exact revenge on their enemies is appealing to almost anyone who’s been a teenager.
Sarah (Robin Tunney) is the new kid at a Los Angeles high school. There, she becomes friends with three other pariahs, who are rumored to be witches: Bonnie (Neve Campbell), Nancy (Fairuza Balk) and Rochelle (Rachel True). When Sarah completes their coven, they discover their powers are magnified and begin casting spells on cast mates. But the repercussions are much more than they bargained for.
Genre: Supernatural horror
Rotten Tomatoes score: 57%
Stream on Hulu
Game Night (2018)
What a dream cast! Jason Bateman. Rachel McAdams. Kyle Chandler. Jesse Plemons. Michael C. Hall. Sharon Horgan. And more! They convene for this rip-roaring dark comedy about a weekly game night gone very awry.
Married couple Max and Annie usually host the eponymous event, but one week, his brother Brooks offers to take the reins. He arranges a role-playing murder mystery party, with the winner getting his Corvette. When Brooks is kidnapped, everyone thinks it’s part of the game, but it quickly becomes clear that nothing is as it seems. As they encounter twists and turns, the evening devolves into pure chaos.
Genre: Action comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 85%
Stream on Hulu
The Lincoln Lawyer (2012)
The McConaissance first kicked off in 2011, with Matthew McConaughey’s starring role in The Lincoln Lawyer. The gritty legal thriller (which has since been rebooted into a Netflix series) is based on the bestselling book by Michael Connelly, the first in a series about defense attorney Mickey Haller.
Mickey works out his chauffeur-driven black Lincoln Town Car and his clients are usually low-rent criminals — which his ex-wife Maggie (Marisa Tomei) disapproves of. Then, unexpectedly, he’s hired to represent a wealthy real estate mogul’s son (Ryan Phillippe) when he’s charged with beating up a prostitute. The case bears an uncomfortable resemblance to a previous one Mickey lost that still haunts him.
Genre: Crime drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 83%
Stream on Hulu
Notting Hill (1999)
I’m just a girl, standing in front of a streaming service, asking it to love me by delivering a delightful rom-com. And here comes Hulu with Notting Hill to sweep me off my feet. This butterflies-inducing classic stars two of the genre’s royals, Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant.
He’s William Thacker, a bumbling but handsome London bookstore owner. She’s Anna Scott, a famous and glamorous actress who throws his humdrum existence into turmoil when she visits his shop. After some spilled juice, a surprise kiss and a press conference, their initial attraction turns into a full-blown affair. But their radically different lifestyles might doom their fledgling relationship.
Genre: Romantic comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 84%
Stream on Hulu
The One I Love (2014)
This trippy funhouse of a film features an intriguing premise and dynamite performances from Elisabeth Moss and Mark Duplass. Moss and Duplass play a married couple, Sophie and Ethan, who are experiencing some trouble in their relationship. To reconnect, their therapist (Ted Danson) suggests they go away for the weekend at a secluded estate consisting of a main house and a guest cottage.
As they settle in, they encounter two enigmatic guests with whom they have bizarre, yet invigorating interactions. Perhaps all Sophie and Ethan need is to rediscover each other as if they’re different people.
Genre: Comedy/thriller
Rotten Tomatoes score: 82%
Stream on Hulu
Practical Magic (1998)
Like the other witchy movie on this list, Practical Magic was panned by critics only to later become a cult classic. So, ignore its low score and focus instead on the palpable energy between leads Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman (and a fantastic soundtrack).
Sisters Sally and Gillian are descended from a heartbroken witch who cast a curse against any man loved by a woman of her family. When Gillian’s abusive boyfriend Jimmy (Goran Visnjic) dies in an accident caused by Sally, the sisters try to use magic to revive him. But they end up creating an evil being that threatens them all.
Genre: Fantasy romantic drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 23%
Stream on Hulu
Unfaithful (2002)
In the ‘80s and ‘90s, director Adrian Lyne made a string of successful erotic thrillers, including Fatal Attraction and Indecent Proposal. His second-to-last film, the steamy Unfaithful, arrived in 2002 to high praise and an Oscar nomination for star Diane Lane.
Lane is a bored suburban housewife named Connie, who has a loving but complacent husband Edward (Richard Gere) and young son. She literally runs into handsome book dealer Charlie (Olivier Martinez), who entices her into an affair. When Edward discovers his wife’s infidelity, he confronts her lover — to devastating ends.
Genre: Erotic thriller
Rotten Tomatoes score: 50%
Stream on Hulu
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