Hulu is ringing in the Huludays in November with so many Christmas movies that it’s almost like the streamer forgot that we still have to celebrate Thanksgiving before December rolls around. Nevertheless, Hulu is a great treat for cinema lovers, with a strong lineup of films from 20th Century Studios as well, as a few underrated movies that you need to watch.
Our choices for the month include a classic Christmas comedy, a terrific action film by Guillermo del Toro, and a drama that you won’t soon forget. These are the three underrated movies on Hulu you should watch in November.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
Is it too early for Christmas movies? Hulu certainly doesn’t seem to think so, but we’ll have to wait a few weeks before National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation arrives. This is the one where it’s really easy to feel for Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase). All he wants to do is give his wife, Ellen (Beverly D’Angelo), and their children, Audrey (Juliette Lewis) and Rusty (The Big Bang Theory‘s Johnny Galecki) a great Christmas. But the family is struggling, the grandparents are fighting, and Ellen’s cousins, Catherine (Miriam Flynn) and Eddie Johnson (Randy Quaid), have dropped in unannounced.
As seen in the very first National Lampoon’s Vacation, Clark’s had some anger issues before. But this holiday season will push him to his absolute limit, especially when he learns that his boss, Frank Shirley (Brian Doyle-Murray), has canceled his Christmas bonus.
Watch National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation on Hulu on November 23.
Pacific Rim (2013)
If you want to unwrap your toys early, then Pacific Rim could be the perfect choice for the holiday season. Director and co-writer Guillermo del Toro doesn’t enough credit for taking a simple idea — giant monsters (Kaiju) versus giant robots (Jaegers) — and turning it into one of the best action flicks of the last decade.
Charlie Hunnam stars as Raleigh Becket, a former Jaeger pilot who pulled off the rare feat of solo-piloting a Jaeger when his co-pilot and brother died during an attack. Years later, the alien Kaiju are emerging from the ocean with increasing frequency, which is why Marshal Stacker Pentecost (Beast‘s Idris Elba) recruits Raleigh to come out of retirement. Pentecost’s adoptive daughter, Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi), may be the most compatible co-pilot for Raleigh, but she has her own trauma to work through before they can save the world together.
Watch Pacific Rim on Hulu.
Frozen River (2008)
Frozen River does take place near Christmastime, but this isn’t one of those inspirational and uplifting family holiday movies. Instead, it’s a tale of two desperate women, Ray Eddy (Melissa Leo) and Lila Littlewolf (Misty Upham), who are strangers to each other, and yet face similar circumstances at this point in their lives. In order to turn around their respective finances, Ray and Lila make an alliance to smuggle immigrants across the U.S.-Canada border.
Despite their efforts to stay under the radar, Ray and Lila’s activities soon attract the wrong kind of attention. And neither Ray nor Lila will emerge unscathed by the consequences of their actions.
Watch Frozen River on Hulu.
