Heading into the long Memorial Day holiday weekend, Hulu is adding The Last Showgirl, a film that went under the radar last year and it could have disappeared entirely if not for a fantastic performance by Pamela Anderson. That’s why it was an easy pick to be the first choice among the three great Hulu movies you need to stream this weekend.
Our other picks include one of Tom Cruise’s best Mission: Impossible films, which is timely since Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is now in theaters. The final pick of the weekend is comedy/drama starring Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper just three years after their acclaimed performances in Silver Linings Playbook.
Need more recommendations? We also have guides to the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
The Last Showgirl (2024)
Some industry observers believed that Pamela Anderson was going to get an Oscar nomination for her leading role in The Last Showgirl. While that didn’t ultimately come to pass, Anderson’s performance was very powerful and it changed perceptions about what she can do as an actress. Anderson plays Shelly Gardner, a showgirl who has starred in a single Las Vegas revue for three decades. Shelly dedicated her life to the show, even at the expense of her only daughter, Hannah Gardner (Billie Lourd).
However, Shelly is completely unprepared when she learns that the revue is closing in two weeks, and this isn’t the kind of job that sends its employees into a comfortable retirement. For the first time in years, Shelly is truly terrified about her future prospects, because being a Las Vegas showgirl is all that she knows. Taking that away from Shelly might destroy her.
Watch The Last Showgirl on Hulu.
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is probably the fourth or fifth best Mission: Impossible movie… but it’s still pretty great! Animation director Brad Bird made his live-action debut with this sequel, which puts the entire Impossible Mission Force under the gun. Kurt Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist) has framed the IMF for bombing the Kremlin, which is why Russian agents are after Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his entire field team, including Jane Carter (Paula Patton) and Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg). Officially, the U.S. has also disavowed and disbanded the IMF. Unofficially, Ethan still has some leeway to clear their names.
Ethan gets some additional assistance from William Brandt (Jeremy Renner), a man who is hiding some secrets of his own. Brandt’s fighting skills are far too advanced for someone who isn’t supposed to be in the field, and his connection to Ethan is something that’s haunted him. But before they can deal with that emotional baggage, they’ll have to work together to save the world from Hendricks’ plans to unleash a nuclear war between the United States and Russia.
Watch Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol on Hulu.
Joy (2015)
The Silver Linings Playbook team of director David O. Russell, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, and Bradley Cooper reunited in 2015 with Joy, a biopic about the creator of the Miracle Mop. Joy Mangano (Lawrence) is a put upon young woman who is not only supporting her kids, but also her mother, Terri Mangano (Virginia Madsen), her ex-husband, Rudy Mangano (De Niro), and even Joy’s ex-husband, Tony Miranne (Édgar Ramírez).
Joy’s invention leads her to QVC executive Neil Walker (Cooper), who helps her change her life when the mops become a success. However, Joy doesn’t get to have a happy ending at that point. There are members of her own family who try to steal her success out from under her, as well as some underhanded tactics from a business rival that may cost Joy everything she has.
Watch Joy on Hulu.