It’s the end of March and the birth of spring here at What to Watch, which means there are more movies to see and recommend.
In movie theaters, Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega are investigating the Death of a Unicorn while Netflix is streaming its latest Harlan Coben mystery series, Caught. Those options all look good, but what if you’re craving something older and more substantial this weekend?
Hulu is home to a lot of underrated movies, and the following three films are guaranteed to entertain you. With stars like Avengers: Doomsday’s Vanessa Kirby and Gladiator 2’s Fred Hechinger, how could they not?
‘Greta’ (2018)
One late evening in New York City, young waitress Frances (Chloë Grace Moretz) finds a handbag on her subway train. Looking at the ID inside it, she obtains the address of the owner and visits her apartment to return it. That’s when she meets Greta (Isabelle Huppert), a fiftysomething French woman who thanks Frances by offering her tea and, soon, friendship. But Frances later discovers Greta has a closet full of identical handbags with names of different women, including her own, and that this random encounter doesn’t seem so random at all.
Greta is a thriller about obsession, but to reveal what kind of obsession would be spoiling the fun. As the titular villain, Huppert brings some pathos to a role that could’ve been a stock psycho.
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Greta has the right amount of twists and turns to keep you entertained, and the ending is both satisfying and creepy. The movie ends up teaching its audience a valuable lesson: if you see someone leave something on the subway, don’t pick it up!
Greta is streaming on Hulu.
‘Thelma’ (2024)
93-year-old Thelma (June Squibb) loves her slacker grandson Danny (Fred Hechinger) and will do pretty much anything for him. So when he calls one day needing $10,000 for bail, she sends it to him without hesitation. But when she realizes she’s been scammed, Thelma enlists the help of an old friend, Ben (Richard Roundtree), to get the money back.
Thelma’s been described by some as an action movie, but it’s really more of a sweet comedy about a feisty grandma who doesn’t like being lied to. The movie is pleasant in a low-stakes kind of way, and Squibb is terrific as the no-nonsense granny. Her scenes with Roundtree carry a bittersweet poignancy and make you invested in Thelma’s polite quest for revenge.
Thelma is streaming on Hulu.
‘Italian Studies’ (2021)
A thirtysomething woman (Vanessa Kirby) wanders aimlessly in an unnamed city, and she appears not to know where she’s going or even who she is. As she travels from place to place, she gradually remembers some details of her life: a room number to a hotel room she might have frequented and a diner where she has eaten vegetarian food. One person recognizes her as Alina Reynolds, a famous author of the book Italian Studies. But is she really that woman? And what happened to her that caused her memory to be so fractured?
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Italian Studies is a disorienting movie to watch — scenes sometimes flow with no logic or clear order and like the protagonist herself, we’re left wondering where we are and what’s happening. That sounds like a drag, but Italian Studies is often fascinating to watch and that’s due to Kirby’s fearless performance. Her character may have little memory of who she is, but her journey to figure out her identity is never boring ad always illuminating.
Italian Studies is streaming on Hulu.
