The 4th of July is a time for fireworks and barbecue, but if you’re subscribed to Hulu, it’s also the time to watch some high-quality films.
The streamer has an extensive library of films, which is why Watch With Us has selected three underrated Hulu movies for you to watch this weekend.
If you’re craving some drama with your hot dogs, then stream Catch and Release with Jennifer Garner.
Thrill-seekers should check out Asphalt City with Sean Penn, while action fans will enjoy watching a former James Bond as a hitman in Fast Charlie.
‘Catch and Release’ (2007)
Gray’s (Jennifer Garner) fiancé, Grady, just died, and she’s understandably upset that she can’t marry the love of her life. Her sadness soon gives way to confusion and anger when she discovers during the reading of his will that he’s been giving another woman, Maureen (Juliette Lewis), $3,000 a month. Has Grady been cheating on her throughout their relationship? What other big secrets was Grady keeping from her? And how much did his best friend, Fritz (Timothy Olyphant), know about Maureen?
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Catch and Release sounds very melodramatic, but it’s actually pretty low-key and grounded for a movie that deals with death, infidelity and grief. The movie mixes elements of tragedy and romance well, with the occasional welcome comedic interlude supplied by Kevin Smith, who plays Gray’s friend and housemate.
Best known for cheery rom-coms like 13 Going on 30, Garner is superb as a woman forced to work through all the stages of grief in a very short time. Her journey from mourning girlfriend to a single woman open to new possibilities is always involving and never less than entertaining.
Catch and Release is streaming on Hulu.
‘Fast Charlie’ (2023)
Charlie Swift (Pierce Brosnan) is very good at his job. For more than 20 years, he’s been a professional hitman and fixer who makes all of his clients happy. But when a rival hitman kills his friends and kills him, he’s determined to get his revenge. That involves teaming up with Marcie Kramer (Morena Baccarin), the widow of a mobster whom Charlie killed not too long ago. Can she forgive and forget long enough to help Charlie?
It’s been more than two decades since Brosnan last played his signature role, James Bond, but he’s lost none of his sense of humor and style. He elevates Fast Charlie and gives the titular character a cool intelligence that makes the movie more entertaining than it would be if he hadn’t played the role. Director Phillip Noyce knows his way around an action scene, having directed the excellent ‘90s action classics Patriot Games and The Saint, and he gives this movie a slick polish that works well with the simple but effective story.
Fast Charlie is streaming on Hulu.
‘Asphalt City’ (2023)
Ollie (Tye Sheridan) just started working as a paramedic in New York City, and he quickly befriends veteran coworker Gene (Sean Penn) while working brutal hours. But as Ollie learns more about Gene and experiences some pretty traumatic cases like a battered wife who refuses treatment and a heroin addict who gives birth to a stillborn baby, he’s not so sure he can handle being a first responder in the Big Apple. Can Ollie maintain some semblance of sanity — and a promising relationship with Clara (Raquel Nave) — or will he have to give up the career he always dreamed of having?
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Asphalt City is a tense “day in the life” movie that showcases the dangerous side of living and working in NYC. The movie works best when it follows its two lead characters around as they respond to numerous emergency calls, all of which take a toll on both men. Penn’s always been a terrific actor, and he’s terrific as someone who has seen too much and is trying to live with the weight of all that memory. The movie is sometimes tough to watch, but it’s one of the few films to show life as it is in a big city that’s typically romanticized by such shows as And Just Like That.
Asphalt City is streaming on Hulu.
