Hulu is blooming with new movies in May 2023. One of our best streaming services, Hulu is typically better known for its television section, yet its film library is top-notch.
Every month brings more new titles to join the best movies on Hulu, but selecting one to watch can be a time-consuming task. That’s why we've narrowed down the options by consulting, the review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.
Each of these seven films has a score of 90% or higher, or essentially an A grade. Here are our picks.
Best in Show (2000)
Christopher Guest’s MCU (mockumentary cinematic universe) features an array of comedic avengers, including Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Parker Posey and Michael McKean. Best in Show takes place in the world of cutthroat canine competitions; these pup owners are playing around.
Five entrants head to the biggest event of all, the Mayflower Dog Show. The excitement, pressure and stress soon peel back the layers of their psyches. The cast relies on their considerable improvisational skills to portray their quirky, offbeat characters. They expertly walk a razor’s edge to create a portrait that’s both believable and bonkers.
Genre: Comedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
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Boogie Nights (1997)
Paul Thomas Anderson takes a salacious topic — porn in the 1970s — and makes it feel as normal and workaday as paper sales. That's not to say Boogie Night is boring; far from it. It just makes what seems like an outrageous industry more relatable and real.
In 1977, a San Fernando Valley teen busboy named Eddie (Mark Wahlberg) is discovered by adult film director Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds). After taking Eddie under his wing, Jack transforms him into porn star Dirk Diggler. Soon, Dirk is making waves in the business and befriending fellow actors like Amber Waves (Julianne Moore) and Rollergirl (Heather Graham). But his rise to fame is threatened by an addiction to drugs.
Genre: Comedy/drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
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Frank (2014)
Prepare to laugh, and then tear up at this irreverent indie dramedy from Irish director Lenny Abrahamson (Room, Normal People). It’s inspired by the true story of British punk rocker Chris Sievey, who wore a giant papier-mâché head while performing as his alter-ego Frank Sidebottom.
Michael Fassbender plays a version of Frank, who is a lead vocalist in a band. While on tour, they’re joined by directionless aspiring songwriter Jon (Domhnall Gleeson). Frank gathers the group to record an album on what turns out to be a yearlong retreat. As the weeks pass by, he pushes Jon and the others to the brink of insanity — or is it a creative breakthrough?
Genre: Comedy/drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
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The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
The second film in the Hunger Games film franchise goes deeper and darker into the dystopian world of Panem. It raises the stakes, with bigger set-pieces, interesting new characters and provocative questions about the workings of their society.
After their unprecedented double victory in the 74th Annual Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) return home. Any hope for peace is shattered when they discover they must compete in the next games against fellow victors. As rebellion foments in the districts, Katniss makes new allies and tries to survive but soon realizes a broader conspiracy is afoot.
Genre: Action thriller
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
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Saint Omer (2022)
French filmmaker Alice Diop applies her documentary background to her first fiction feature, a compelling courtroom drama that was France’s entry for the Best International Film Oscar. Pregnant novelist Rama (Kayije Kagame) attends the trial of Laurence Coly (Guslagie Malanda), a Senegalese woman accused of murdering her 15-month-old daughter by leaving her on the beach to be swept away by the tide.
Rama plans to use the case to write a modern-day retelling of the Greek Medea myth. But as the trial goes forward and reveals more about Coly’s experiences, Rama begins to feel a connection to the other woman that leads her to question her own beliefs.
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
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Speed (1994)
Feel a need for speed, bus-style? This classic chase movie featured Sandra Bullock in her breakthrough role and Keanu Reeves at the height of his (first) peak. He plays LAPD officer Jack Traven, who foils an extortion scheme by bomber Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper).
In retaliation, Payne rigs a bus with a bomb that will explode if it drops below 50 miles per hour. When an accident incapacitates the driver, passenger Annie Porter (Bullock) takes over the wheel. Jack hops on board to find a way to save everyone on the bus, but the road, fuel and time are all running out.
Genre: Action thriller
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%
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Stan & Ollie (2018)
The comedy duo Laurel and Hardy became world-famous for their slapstick humor during the Golden Age of Hollywood. But toward the end of their careers, they struggled to get green lights for their projects.
This film depicts Stanley "Stan" Laurel (Steve Coogan) and Oliver "Ollie" Hardy (John C. Reilly) embarking on a last-ditch, grueling tour of music halls across the United Kingdom in 1953. The shows begin drawing bigger crowds, but tensions from the past cast a shadow over their success. Additionally, Ollie’s failing health threatens to break apart their long-running partnership.
Genre: Biographical comedy/drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
Stream it on Hulu
