The holidays are here, which means it’s a perfect time to gather ’round with loved ones and throw on some crowd-pleasing movies. Whether you’re looking for action and adventure, romance or comedy, there’s something for everyone in our curated list of the best new movies on Hulu in December 2023. You can find Hulu’s full list of new streaming movies here.
Check out the best new movies streaming on Hulu this month:
Paddington 2 (2017)
With “Wonka” headed to theaters on Dec. 15, now is a perfect time to revisit “Paddington 2,” director Paul King’s last film. About as universally beloved as a non-nostalgic kids’ movie can get, “Paddington 2” is among the most crowd-pleasingest films of its era; vibrant, joyful, full of playful performances — Hugh Grant and Brendan Gleeson perhaps the most delightful of all — and unabashedly optimistic about anyone’s potential for good.
National Treasure (2004)
A rarity in the modern era, “National Treasure” is a delightful, old-fashioned action-adventure romp that veers in to camp Americana-sploitation, but that honestly just makes it all the more idiosyncratic and endearing. Nicolas Cage plays a historian named Benjamin Franklin Gates, who goes on a mission to find lost Freemason treasure, the map which is hidden on the back of … the Declaration of Independence. It’s silly, and it knows it, a tongue-in-cheek adventure that’s unafraid to have a good time and lean into Cage’s unique leading man charms.
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019)
Quentin Tarantino recreates and reimagines the swagger, splendor and sleaze of 1969 Hollywood with a Tarantino signature A-list ensemble in the 2019 drama “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.” Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt star as movie star Rick Dalton and his stunt man Cliff Booth, respectively. Pinpointing a moment of transformation in the film industry, “Once Upon a Time” follows the duo through the streets and sets of LA, from fist-fighting Bruce Lee to a ride through Charles Manson’s compound.
Ever After (1998)
Among the gentlest and most enchanting of the many, many Cinderella adaptations, “Ever After” reinvents the tale by dropping Drew Barrymore’s version of the fairytale character in Renaissance France and presenting the tale as historical fiction — including Leonardo da Vinci as the “fairy godmother.” Brace your ears for Barrymore’s British accent, but the actress is otherwise at the height of her endearing powers, megawatt charismatic and relentlessly lovely as the literary character defined by her kindness. The film also looks downright beautiful, all neutrals, blushes and soft blues, with gorgeous locations and stylish costuming. Anjelica Huston eats up the role of the wicked stepmother, too, naturally.
Magic Mike XXL (2015)
All-time feel-good movie, surprisingly sweet and unsurprisingly sexy, “Magic Mike XXL” gets the boys back together for a brawnier, even better sequel. Channing Tatum stars again as the steadfast leader of his swaggering band of male strippers, but this time, the film follows them on a road trip to Myrtle Beach, making more space for the delightful ensemble. It’s lighter and goofier than the first film, but it still has all the heart that turned “Magic Mike” into a surprise hit franchise. Hulu also has the original and the bafflingly underappreciated 2023 sequel “Magic Mike’s Last Dance,” which swaps raucousness for romance, sending Mike to London, where he stages a production based on his life and finally finds love.
The Matrix (1999)
You can never go wrong with “The Matrix,” the definitive action movie of its era, which fundamentally altered the way American action has been made since with its extravagant set-pieces, between-worlds narrative and hyper-stylized embrace of VFX-meets-old-fashioned-wire-work fight sequences. Hulu currently has the original trilogy, and the heartfelt, if underseen, 2021 sequel “The Matrix Resurrections” arrives on Dec. 10.
Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
Jon M. Chu’s swoon-worthy romantic comedy has extravagant spectacle and sweep-you-off-your-feet romance, but the real knockouts are the cast. Michelle Yeoh is at her most elegant and commanding, Henry Golding is the handsomest prince charming and Constance Wu is magnetic as the heroine of this class-conflict romance. “Crazy Rich Asians” revitalized the rom-com genre and expanded the scope of whose stories get told at the same time. It’s a dazzling, effervescent film.
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