The first weekend in May has arrived, and Hulu fans should be happy to hear that there’s a new lineup of movies to enjoy. Like most of the major streamers, Hulu debuts the majority of its library additions on the first of the month. But there will more movies released on Hulu throughout May.
Since the first weekend of May is traditionally timed around the opening of a superhero movie, our first choice this weekend is a comic book film that’s celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Our other two picks include Tom Hanks’ directorial debut, and a generation-spanning drama that holds up three decades after its release.
The Mask (1994)
Many modern comic book movies fall over backward trying to be funny and fail miserably. Exhibits A, B, and C are Thor: Love and Thunder, The Marvels, and Shazam! Fury of the Gods. So why is The Mask so hilarious 30 years after its release? It’s because Jim Carrey was so endearing as Stanley Ipkiss and truly laugh-out-loud funny as his alter ego, The Mask. Carrey was at the peak of his comedic prowess when he took the role, and his jokes are still great even when you know them by heart.
In Edge City, Stanley was just a lowly bank employee until he found a mystical mask that brought out a new side of his personality. As The Mask, Stanley’s a one-man crime spree, and he’s already stolen the heart of singer Tina Carlyle, as played by Cameron Diaz, who is mesmerizing in her screen debut. But for all of Stanley’s newfound gifts, he’s still vulnerable without the mask. And when someone truly evil gets ahold of the mask, Stanley needs to find a way to be a hero without any powers at all.
Watch The Mask on Hulu.
That Thing You Do! (1996)
Tom Hanks hasn’t written and directed many movies, but he did both for That Thing You Do!, which is so good that we’ve often wondered why Hanks didn’t helm more films. Hanks cast himself in a supporting role as Amos White, the man who takes a liking to a young band in the ’60s. Under White’s guidance, Guy Patterson (Tom Everett Scott), Jimmy Mattingly (Johnathon Schaech), Lenny Haise (Steve Zahn), and T.B. Player (Ethan Embry) become The Wonders.
However, the band’s rise in fame quickly causes tensions in the group, even as White brings in Jimmy’s girlfriend, Faye Dolan (Liv Tyler), to tour with The Wonders as their costume mistress. The Wonders’ biggest hit has the same title as the movie, but if these guys can’t get on the same page, then they’ll be forever doomed to one-hit wonder status.
Watch That Thing You Do! on Hulu.
The Joy Luck Club (1993)
Decades before Crazy Rich Asians proved that there was a mass audience for movies led by Asian casts, the adaptation of Amy Tan’s novel The Joy Luck Club broke new ground of its own through its depiction of a group of Chinese immigrant mothers and their adult Chinese-American daughters.
The actual members of the Joy Luck Club are the first-generation mothers Suyuan Woo (Kieu Chinh), Lindo Jong (Tsai Chin), Ying-Ying St. Clair (France Nuyen), and An-Mei Hsu (Lisa Lu). Their hopes and dreams for their respective daughters, June Woo (Ming-Na Wen), Waverly Jong (Tamlyn Tomita), Lena St. Clair (Lauren Tom), and Rose Hsu Jordan (Rosalind Chao), don’t always line up with what the daughters want for themselves. There’s some emotionally fraught tension between the two generations, but also bonds of love that transcend their temporary conflicts.
Watch The Joy Luck Club on Hulu.
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