Looking for something new to watch on Hulu? The so-called streaming wars have ensured a constant content churn that makes it just about dang near impossible to keep up with what’s streaming where.
Not to worry. To help cut through the endless scroll, we’ve assembled a list of seven new movies on Hulu this month that are worth watching any time. From celebrated old favorites like “The Social Network” and “The Fisher King” to more recent fare like “The Last Duel” and the long-awaited streaming arrival of 2020 indie romance “Dinner in America,” here are the best new movies on Hulu in September.
The Social Network
Available Sept. 1
A fierce contender for the title of David Fincher’s best film, “The Social Network” explores the origins of Facebook and the questionable early rise of Mark Zuckerberg with an eye for nuance and humanity and steady-handed critiques of social structures that ensure the film has only become more timely as Meta’s extraordinary grip on the world grows. With a sharp script by Aaron Sorkin and an astute, slippery lead performance from Jesse Eisenberg, “The Social Network” endures not just as an incisive look at a man who would change the world but as a downright gripping character drama and technically marvelous film. From the script to the direction to the score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross to early Andrew Garfield, everything in this film fires on all cylinders.
The Mask of Zorro
Available Sept. 1
Just because blockbuster season is over at the 2022 box office doesn’t mean you can’t keep the summer spectacle going at home, and 1998’s “The Mask of Zorro” is an epic swashbuckling adventure well worth a revisit. Embroiled in a generational saga of vengeance, Antonio Banderas’ Zorro is not just charming, puckish and quick to action, he’s got excellent counterparts in Catherine Zeta-Jones as romantic interest and fellow adventurer Elena Montero, and Anthony Hopkins as the former wearer of the iconic mask. Directed by Martin Campbell as his follow-up project after “GoldenEye,” “The Mask of Zorro” delivers the filmmaker’s signature eye for action, balancing explosive contemporary effects with a throwback adventure movie narrative.
The Dark Knight
Available Sept. 1
Superhero movies are still chasing “The Dark Knight’s” high more than a decade later, and for good reason – Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Begins” sequel isn’t just one of the great superhero movies, it’s one of the great crime films, transforming Gotham into a tangible den of decay and disarray where Heath Ledger’s chilling Joker emerges as the unlikely, chaos-incarnate kingpin. Ledger’s performance is genuinely remarkable — a candle burning on both ends towards a shrapnel bomb core of confetti and carnage — and he weeble-wobbles through Bruce Wayne’s (Christian Bale) meticulous methods of crime-fighting wreaking havoc and relentless tension in every scene.
The Fisher King
Available Sept. 1
A heartbreaking, fantastical journey through grief, guilt, friendship and redemption, Terry Gilliam’s 1991 comedy-drama stars Jeff Bridges as Jack, a shock jock whose world falls apart after he accidentally provokes an act of horrific violence, and Robin Williams as Perry, an eccentric man living on the street who insists he’s on the quest to find the Holy Grail. When they cross paths at Jack’s darkest moment, they find an unlikely connection and embark on a wild, often hilarious and equally moving city-set semi-fairytale adventure. A must-watch all around, but especially for Williams’ performance, which is a true benchmark in his exceptional career and perhaps the most fully he was ever allowed to display his on-screen gift for exploring the intersection of the tragic and the comic.
The Last Duel
Available Sept. 14
Ridley Scott’s historical drama surprisingly fumbled at the box office during those unsteady early post-lockdown months when audiences returned to theaters, but don’t let that fool you into thinking “The Last Duel” is one to sleep on. Assembling an A-list ensemble led by “Killing Eve” breakout Jodie Comer, the film examines an alleged rape in three chapters, told from three different perspectives, during the midst of the Three Hundred Years War. Action-packed but thoughtful, it’s a proper prestige drama by way of a thrilling historical epic, also starring Adam Driver, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
Love, Simon
Available Sept. 15
An ideal back-to-school season pick, “Love, Simon” offers a teen romance meets mystery through the story of a gay high schooler, Simon (Nick Robinson), and an anonymous classmate he falls for after exchanging messages online. Groundbreaking as the first LGBTQ teen romcom from a studio, “Love, Simon” is well worth watching even without the historical asterisk thanks to a charming cast, thoughtful coming-of-age script and, of course, the essential part of any pen-pal romance — a satisfying and heartwarming payoff to the hidden identity courtship. And good news, if you’re in the mood for more of the film’s affirming, feel-good teen drama after the film is done, Hulu also has all three seasons of the spinoff series “Love, Victor.”
Dinner in America
Available: Sept. 24
At long, long last 2020 festival gem “Dinner in America” is finally coming to streaming. Break out your denim vests and ski masks because this delightful romcom is proudly “punk as f—” and fittingly, an irreverent, heartwarming oddball love story to boot. Kyle Gallner stars as Simon, a punk rocker on the run after a string of petty crimes who crosses paths with Patty (Emily Skeggs), a timid outcast college dropout with a hidden anti-establishment bent. Together, the duo — who have catch-fire screen chemistry — unleash chaos, make music and pound the beating heart of “Dinner in America,” which is so much sweeter and more tender than just about any other love story in recent memory. Written, directed and edited by Adam Rehmeier, the film is a one-of-a-kind crowd-pleaser with the cathartic nonconformist kick of steel-toed boots.
