The Hulu Top Twenty

Here are the 20 most popular movies on Hulu this week.




1. Go

Last Week's Ranking: NA
Weeks on List: 1
Notes: I love this movie and everyone in it. There, I said it. Taye Diggs, Sarah Polley, William Fichtner, Timothy Olyphant, Scott Wolf, Jay Mohr, and a just-starting-out Katie Holmes are part of the ensemble cast that Director Doug Liman brings together in a fantastic blend of youth culture and Pulp Fiction. Other movies try to shock us by increasing the amount of money that's been stolen, or demanded in ransom, or whatever. Go shows us that just a couple of hundred dollars can make the world go round in the right circles. There are some great performances, a real sense of style, and a fun, fast-paced storyline that plays with the chronology in just the right way.


2. Wimbledon

Last Week's Ranking: NA
Weeks on List: 1
Notes: Kirsten Dunst and Paul Bettany have turned in a serviceable romance centered around their lives as professional tennis players taking a shot at Wimbledon glory. Bettany is the down and out, past-his-prime, player who is making the most of his last, best, shot to recapture the title. Dunst is a driven young competitor under the tutelage of harsh father/coach Sam O'Neill.


3. A Little Sex

Last Week's Ranking: NA
Weeks on List: 1
Notes: This film barely registered a blip when it opened in theaters in 1982, but it's made a strong debut on Hulu, clocking in at #3. The story is an old one-- a man is torn between his wife and his propensity for cheating, but Kate Capshaw and Tim Matheson do their best to punch up the pseudo-intellectual dialogue. Watch for John Glover, who steals his scenes, as per usual.

4. In Her Shoes
Last Week's Ranking: 6
Weeks on List: 3
Notes: Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette star in this novel adaptation that sounds like a complete and total crapfest-- one sister is successful at work but has no social life, while the other is a popular girl with no career. What could possibly happen when these two worlds collide? So, it sounds terrible, but, surprisingly, it is not. Critics actually liked it, crediting an above-average script and some great, nuanced performances by Diaz, Collette, and Shirley MacLaine, whom they reportedly raised from the dead to perform as a kindly grandmother.

5. The Devil's Own

Last Week's Ranking: NA
Weeks on List: 1
Notes: Ten years ago, Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt teamed up in this international espionage thriller that underwhelmed critics and audiences alike. The setting is Ireland, and Pitt's accent has come under fire for not sounding quite right. I think people would have overlooked that if the overall movie were better, but it's not. Look for this one to drop off the charts quickly.

6. Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels
Last Week's Ranking: 3
Weeks on List: 3
Notes: In the style of "Snatch," this 1999 caper movie is unabashedly British, starring Jason Statham and Vinnie Jones among others. The frenetic story involves four friends who dabble in a high stakes card game and thereby get in trouble with a local mob boss.

7. Gattaca
Last Week's Ranking: 1
Weeks on List: 3
Notes: This 1997 Jude Law/Ethan Hawke vehicle is a true sci-fi film. It gives us a complete and compelling portrait of a dystopian future in which an intrusive government controls the very genes of its citizens. The romance between Hawke and Uma Thurman is just prevalent enough to give it an appealing, soft edge.

8. Virus

Last Week's Ranking: NA
Weeks on List: 1
Notes: Jamie Lee Curtis and Alec Baldwin are trying to save the world from evil aliens who consider the human race to be a virus. Donald Sutherland also stars in this stinking pile of a gorefest, which is based on a comic book.


9. We're Back: A Dinosaur's Story

Last Week's Ranking: NA
Weeks on List: 1
Notes: It's appropriate that this 1993 animated children's tale about dinosaurs would feature the voice talents of some of the biggest dinosaurs in Hollywood. Larry King, Walter Cronkite, Julia Childs, Rhea Perlman, and John Goodman are just some of the actors who lend their voices to the lowly regarded story of a pack of dinosaurs who triumphantly show up in modern day NYC, announcing: We're back!


10. Speed and Angels

Last Week's Ranking: NA
Weeks on List: 1
Notes: Any 2008 movie offering is a feather in Hulu's cap, even when it features a hackneyed story about two young fighter pilot recruits who have militaristic adventures on the way to a tour of duty in Iraq. Some places list it as a documentary, but others as a drama.

11. Private School

Last Week's Ranking: NA
Weeks on List: 1
Notes: Phoebe Cates and Betsy Russell are private school girls competing for the attentions of Matt Modine, circa 1983. It tries for a Porky's sensibility with an all-girl setting, but the raucousness and sexual energy both quickly degenerate into a fizzle of bad moviemaking.


12. The Fifth Element
Last Week's Ranking: 8
Weeks on List: 3 (7)
Notes: Bruce Willis is a cab driver...in the future! Kind of. He and Milla Jovovich tear it up in the pure action adventure that keeps drawing in the Hulu viewers. With "The Girl Next Door" gone for good, this is the most popular movie on Hulu. Strange, innit?

13. 21 Grams
Last Week's Ranking: NA
Weeks on List: 1
Notes: Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, and Charlotte Gainsbourg star in this strangely-structured drama that warms the cockles of our cold, dead hearts. The critics give it high praise, but always with a hint of frustration that this good movie fell short of being a great one.

14. Liar, Liar

Last Week's Ranking: 12
Weeks on List: 6
Notes: Jim Carrey goofs it up in a decent comedy that puts all of his face-stretching talents on display. If you can get through his current offering, "Yes Man," without puking, then this will give you paroxysms of delight.


15. My Best Friend's Wedding
Last Week's Ranking: 4
Weeks on List: 3
Notes: Julia Roberts at the peak of her career, this romantic comedy has found a spot in the DVD case of about half of all Americans (the female half, of course). Also features Cameron Diaz, Rupert Everett, and Dermot Mulroney, among others.

16. Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag
Last Week's Ranking: 15
Weeks on List: 6
Notes: There must be something I'm not getting about this I-Max documentary featuring fighter pilots. The message board for the movie has a lot of military folks chatting it up, so that may have something to do with it. After weeks near the top of this chart, it looks like this is finally losing some lift.

17. North Shore

Last Week's Ranking: NA
Weeks on List: 1
Notes: A 1987 actioner set in Hawaii featuring Matt Adler and Nia Peeples as surfers who get caught up in a larger plot.

18. Thunderbirds

Last Week's Ranking: NA
Weeks on List: 1
Notes: The 2004 crapfest featuring a group of young, attractive law enforcement officers who drive five distinct amazingly cool space-vehicles. Based on the British tv show, and featuring Bill Paxton, to his everlasting shame. Also, Ben Kingsley.

19. Basic Instinct
Last Week's Ranking: 9
Weeks on List: 6
Notes: Sixteen years on, Sharon Stone's hoohoo is still drawing eyeballs in massive numbers. I hope she has that thing insured! At any rate, this is showing some serious staying power on the list. They should make a sequel. Oh, they did? It must have done really well.

20. In The Name of the Father

Last Week's Ranking: NA
Weeks on List: 1
Notes: I haven't seen this 93 drama starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Emma Thompson, but critics went gaga for the tearjerking story of a man wrongfully imprisoned in 1974 for the bombing of a London pub. After reading a couple of reviews on it, I'm adding this to my list for future viewing.


Notably Absent:
These movies dropped off the list in the past 2 weeks.

Air Force One
Last Week's Ranking: 2
Weeks on List: 3
Notes: Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman star in this pre-9/11 actioner about the hijacking of an airplane by enemies of the United States. In this case, the airplane in question has the President (Ford) aboard, and the evil country is Kazakhstan. Where's Borat when you need him? At any rate, the critics ate this one up. After debuting in 2nd place, it proved to fly high and crash hard.

The Professional
Last Week's Ranking: 7
Weeks on List: 5
Notes: Natalie Portman debuts her acting chops alongside a career-best performance by Jean Reno. One of the few quality Hulu offerings that is ranking consistently among the most popular. If you haven't seen it, I strongly recommend that you invest the time to watch this one.

A River Runs Through It

Last Week's Ranking: 5
Weeks on List: 5
Notes: Flyfishing as therapy. This acclaimed Robert Redford-directed movie was a key stepping stone for Brad Pitt on his path to A-list stardom. A tearjerking drama about two brothers and their father trying to coexist in the face of issues. Also, don't miss 10 year old Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Jackass 2.5

Last Week's Ranking: 13
Weeks on List: 5
Notes: The strangely charismatic Johnny Knoxville leads his ragtag crew of misfits through a slew of disgusting stunts. A solid five weeks on the list doesn't speak well of the Hulu demographic.

American Virgin

Last Week's Ranking: 16
Weeks on List: 5
Notes: Bob Hoskins and Mena Suvari star in the lowly-regarded 2000 comedy. How it lasted five weeks, I'll never know.

The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes
Last Week's Ranking: 10
Weeks on List: 3
Notes: A 1970 feature directed by Billy Wilder, this is a true comedic classic, earning rave reviews from critics both then and now. Robert Stephens stars as Sherlock. Also features Christopher Lee as brother Mycroft Holmes. I'm a big Holmes fan, but I'm still surprised it lasted as long as it did.

A League of Their Own

Last Week's Ranking: 11
Weeks on List: 4
Notes: "There's no crying in baseball!" This much-beloved girlie baseball movie features an oddball ensemble cast including Madonna, Rosie O Donnell, Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, David Strathairn, Jon Lovitz, Bill Pullman, and Lori Petty. It's rare that so many disparate actors can be brought together to great effect, but that's exactly what Penny Marshall accomplished here. Four weeks on the list is a little less than I would have guessed.

National Lampoon's Spring Break

Last Week's Ranking: 18
Weeks on List: 4
Notes: Can you really call a 53 minute comedy a movie? The boobs of the hour belong to Nikki Ziering.

Starship Troopers
Last Week's Ranking: 19
Weeks on List: 4
Notes: Paul Verhoeven's futuristic thrill ride gives us a war between humans and giant space alien bugs. Guess which side Neil Patrick Harris is on?

The Russia House

Last Week's Ranking: 20
Weeks on List: 1
Notes: Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer star as two British citizens who are pulled into the world of international espionage. Based on a novel by John LeCarre.


Hall of Fame:
These are the movies that have had the longest run on the list in the past. Right now, the threshold for inclusion is 6 weeks, but I anticipate that it will go up over time.

Underworld: Evolution

Last Week's Ranking: 14
Weeks on List: 6
Notes: Kate Beckinsale as a goth-boy's wet dream can't save this dark and dreary action flick from the weight of its futuristic vampire world. Reappears on the list after a hiatus, but hurry up and watch! It has an expiration notice that should kick in tomorrow.

Dude, Where's My Car?

Last Week's Ranking: 17
Weeks on List: 6
Notes: Ashton Kutcher and Jennifer Garner teamed up in this stoner flick just before they became breakout stars. After an uninterrupted 6 weeks on the list, it's finally slipped from the top 20.