The shortest month on the calendar, February on the East Coast occupies a holding space between the onset of the new year and the coming spring in March. These seven films out onHuluthis month don’t shy away from exploring the insides - the greys - of humanity. These are the depths we reach to estrange ourselves from each other and the depths we also reach to bring together. With that in mind, here are the best new movies coming to Hulu in February 2023.
The Best Horror Movies on Hulu Right Now
The Best Romantic Movies on Hulu Right Now
The Best Thrillers on Hulu Right Now
If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
Available: February 1 |Director: Barry Jenkins
Cast: Kiki Lane, Regina King, Stephan James, Brian Tyree Henry, Colman Domingo
Based on the novel byJames Baldwin,Barry Jenkins’sIf Beale Street Could Talkfollows a family through life cycles of motherhood and understanding friendship. Ultimately, the story is about loyalty - the way we demonstrate our love towards ourselves and others - and the journeys our souls take us on, as we learn what all kinds of love mean.
Watch on Hulu
Kissing Jessica Stein (2001)
Available: February 1 |Director: Charles Herman-Wurmfeld
Cast: Heather Juergensen, Jennifer Westfeldt, Tovah Feldshuh
WLW films can range from the rom-com side, likeImagine Me & You, toHigh Art, decidedly not a com, but definitely romantic.Kissing Jessica Steinoffers something in the middle. The premise is simple: a woman looks for a man but instead finds a woman. The story looks inward and outward with a range of emotions and starsHeather JuergensenandJennifer Westfeldt, both of whom co-wrote the script as well.
Scarface (1983)
Available: February 1 |Director: Brian De Palma
Cast: Michelle Pfeiffer, Al Pacino, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Steven Bauer
Including the elevator scene to (begin and) end all elevator scenes,Michelle PfeifferandAl Pacinolead a phenomenal cast from the beginning to the end of the over-two-hour film. A classic for many reasons - the story, the script, the actors, production, and its pitch-perfect genre meld of crime, drama, and, humanity -Scarfaceis a film to watch and revisit, both for dedicated cinephiles and casual moviegoers.
Thank You for Smoking (2005)
Available: February 1 |Director: Jason Reitman
Cast: Maria Bello, Katie Holmes, Aaron Eckhart, Cameron Bright
Thank You for Smokingis one of the great satirical comedies of the early- to mid-2000s.Aaron Eckhartis excellent as a layered character, a father who is authentically loving and vulnerable, but who also works as a lobbyist, telling people that smoking is good for our health. While the film mostly plays up its comedic element, the farfetchedness is profound, because - is it really all that farfetched?
Water for Elephants (2011)
Available: February 1 |Director: Francis Lawrence
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson, Christoph Waltz
Water for Elephants,Francis Lawrence’s screen adaption of the novel bySara Gruen, feels mythical and prescient, based in a traveling circus with evergreen social class segregation, tension, and erotic tendency.Christoph Waltzwill have you crawling in your skin, whileReese WitherspoonandRobert Pattisonshare a believable chemistry that will make you want to read the book, if only just to get ahold of it all.
I’m Totally Fine (2022)
Available: February 2 |Director: Brandon Dermer
Cast: Natalie Morales, Jillian Bell, Cyrina Fiallo
One of the best films in the past ten years about female friendships, friendship in general, and grief,Natalie MoralesandJillian Bellare sensational inI’m Totally Fineas best friends, sort of (no spoilers here). The film’s comedic timing melded with the perpetual question - when we lose someone whom we love, what happens to that love? - delivers and is explored with grace.
The Book Thief (2013)
Available: February 28 |Director: Brian Percival
Cast: Sophie Nélisse, Emily Watson, Geoffrey Rush
Set during the Second World War,The Book Thiefexplores the expansive meaning of family and the power of literature to be a source of saving, in and of itself. A drama and war film, fans ofThe PianistandLife Is Beautifulwill find echoes here of the horrors of war and the joys of humanity existing alongside each other.
