It’s the middle of August, and for some, summer is wrapping up. Not so on Hulu — the streamer is going strong with such hit movies as The Monkey with Theo James and more.
Hulu’s library is filled with blockbusters, but it also has some hidden gems, too.
This weekend, Watch With Us recommends you stream the following three films: the thriller One Hour Photo with Robin Williams, the drama Take Shelter with Jessica Chastain and the comedy Date Night with Tina Fey.
Why? Because they’re all fantastic films that deserve your attention and appreciation.
‘One Hour Photo’ (2002)
Sy Parrish (Robin Williams) is a lonely photo technician who works at a Wal-Mart-like store processing photos for his customers. Over the years, he’s grown attached to one family, the Yorkins, since he’s developed photos of their growing brood over the years. When Sy finds out the father is having an affair, something snaps — he can’t handle the harsh reality of a family he’s idealized for years not living up to his perfect standards. Sy’s mad, but is he mad enough to jeopardize his job to stop the affair? Or do something worse?
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One Hour Photo is a small movie with small aims — it’s no more or less than a portrait of a man who has nothing but his job and photos of strangers to cling to. As Sy, Williams is a revelation — the warm, jovial comedian known for Mrs. Doubtfire and The Birdcage is absent here. In his place is someone who nails Sy’s icy, creepy demeanor, which hides a dark secret that explains his present behavior. One Hour Photo is a thriller that’s truly unsettling and unforgettable.
One Hour Photo is streaming on Hulu.
‘Take Shelter’ (2011)
Curtis LaForche (Michael Shannon) is a construction worker in Ohio who has been experiencing alarming dreams of an impending apocalypse. As he begins preparing for the end times, he starts to alienate his friends and family, including his wife, Sam (Jessica Chastain). She urges him to seek professional help, but Curtis is adamant that his visions of a dystopian future are real. Is he right? Or are these symptoms of a long-buried trauma that involves his deceased mother, who also experienced the same visions?
For most of the movie, Take Shelter has it both ways, with Curtis’ prophetic visions taken seriously while also supporting Sam’s belief that her husband is mentally ill. That’s undone by the film’s ending, which very explicitly tells you if Curtis is right or not, but that makes the film even more powerful. Director Jeff Nichols fully commits to his portrait of a man coming undone by what he thinks is the future, and the loved ones around him who are helpless to stop his descent into madness.
Take Shelter is streaming on Hulu.
‘Date Night’ (2010)
It’s amazing how fast things change. 15 years ago, movies like Date Night were commonplace; mid-budget movies that straddled the comedy and romance genres that starred network TV personalities like Tina Fey and Steve Carell. Now, Date Night would be a streaming exclusive on Prime Video or Netflix, if it’s made at all. That knowledge of the dire current state of things makes an already decent movie better in hindsight.
Phil and Claire Foster (Carell and Fey) are a married couple who love each other, but the spark has disappeared. To reignite it, they decide to go on a “date night” at a fancy Manhattan restaurant, where they impulsively take another couple’s reservations. Little do they know that swapped places with a couple who are wanted by the mob. Now on the run without anywhere to turn, they’ll have to rely on each other to survive the night — and maybe save their marriage in the process.
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It’s a silly setup, but it’s milked for all its comedic worth by director Shawn Levy, who would later helm the action-comedies Free Guy and The Adam Project. He largely provides enough space for Carell and Fey to do their thing, which is to be as funny as possible. Thankfully for us, they are, and they made a plausible couple who are in way over their heads — and love every minute of it.
Date Night is streaming on Hulu.
