Christmas movies are wonderful, but who said they’re the only thing you’re allowed to watch on or around Christmas? Sometimes, at the end of a long day of festivities, you’re looking for something totally different than the movies you’ve been watching for the previous month.
If that’s the case for you, then we’ve pulled together a list of movies on Hulu that might fit the bill. And yes, a couple of them are set on Christmas, but they are not movies that put Christmas at the forefront of their storytelling. Here are five Hulu movies worth watching on Christmas.
We also have guides to the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
Thelma (2024)
One of the most underrated movies of 2024, and one that will leave you with a smile on your face, Thelma stars June Squibb as an elderly woman who loses $10,000 in a telephone scam and then teams up with a friend to get her money back.
Squibb remains one of the most remarkably charismatic actors alive, and Thelma is one of the great showcases for her talents. It’s also a reminder of the many ways elderly people are vulnerable to a society that seems hellbent on taking them for everything their worth.
You can watch Thelma on Hulu.
Die Hard (1988)
If you’re looking for something a little more conventionally Christmas-y, Die Hard is a good bet. The movie, which is hotly debated every year for its Christmas credentials, is undeniably set in the immediate aftermath of a holiday party.
Following a New York cop who gets trapped in an L.A. skyscraper after trying to salvage his marriage, Die Hard is basically just one brilliant, extended-action set piece. It’s carried in large part by Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman, two performers who know how to make the most of their charisma during every moment they get on screen.
You can watch Die Hard on Hulu.
Spencer (2021)
Another movie that is set during Christmas but is not often thought of as a typical Christmas film, 2021’s Spencer tells the story of Princess Diana during a visit to her in-laws for the holidays. Of course, for Diana, those in-laws arethe British royal family, and she’s forced to reckon with their pretense even as she also wrestles with personal demons of her own. Kristen Stewart is the magnetic center of Spencer, and her performance as the people’s princess is a reminder of just how much pain she was put through.
You can watch Spencer on Hulu.
All of Us Strangers (2023)
If you missed one of the best movies of 2023, now is the perfect time to catch up with it. All of Us Strangers follows a screenwriter who lives in a nearly empty apartment building and begins revisiting his childhood home. While there, he reunites with his parents, who both died while he was still quite young.
The movie is wistful and sad, featuring a genuinely heartbreaking performance from Andrew Scott as a man just trying to reconnect with the feelings he had when he was a kid and understand his parents just a little bit better.
You can watch All of Us Strangers on Hulu.
The Fly (1986)
Look, if you’re looking for something wholesome to watch on Christmas, this is not the movie for you. If you’d like something a little messed up, you might enjoy The Fly. The movie tells the story of a scientist who discovers how to teleport living things.
When a fly gets caught in the machine with him, though, he slowly undergoes a hideous, remarkable transformation that has to be seen to be believed. The Fly is really, really gross, but it’s also a romantic tragedy featuring excellent performances from Geena Davis and Jeff Goldblum.
You can watch The Fly on Hulu.