The 3 Best Movies to Watch on Hulu This Weekend

“13 Going on 30”

When’s the last time you watched “13 Going on 30”? Because I rewatched it fairly recently, and the movie is kind of wild.

Jenna Rink (Christa B. Allen) wishes that she could skip ahead to being 30 years old (weird wish but OK) after middle school bullies ruin her 13th birthday. The wish comes true, sending her into a future where she’s played by Jennifer Garner and working as an editor for her favorite fashion magazine. Adult Jenna has everything: a hot boyfriend, a swanky apartment, Andy Serkis as a boss, a framed photo of herself with Rudy Giuliani.

But Jenna quickly starts to realize how hollow her adult life is. This is largely spurred by her reuniting with Matty Flamhaff (real name), her dorky childhood best friend played as an adult by Mark Ruffalo in what can only be described as one of the most hangdog performances of all time. At first, Matty seems put off by Jenna (who ditched him for the cool kids after her 13th birthday), but he quickly warms up to this new version of her — especially after they do the “Thriller” dance together at a big magazine party. He even considers leaving his adult fiancée for this 13-year-old in an adult body (this movie kind of has the “Big” problem, but it’s best not to get hung up on that).

For as much as you can pick it apart, “13 Going on 30” is a genuinely fun and enjoyable rom-com that is both quality and committed. Garner gives a fantastic performance, even if she and Allen don’t fully line up on their portrayals (though they’re much closer than other attempts like “Shazam”). This is unadulterated early 2000s nostalgia, and a great way to pass a few hours.

“Perfect Days”

The best word to describe Wim Wenders’ Oscar-nominated film “Perfect Days” is right there in the title — perfect. The film comes from humble beginnings, with Wenders originally invited to make a series of short films about special toilets installed in Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics (which were eventually delayed by COVID, disrupting their original rollout). Wenders fleshed this idea out into a full slice-of-life feature following a man who cleans them. That may sound dry on paper, but the result is beautiful, poignant and a perfect watch for the long weekend.

“Twinless”

As this year’s Sundance prepares to begin, revisit one of the buzziest titles from last year’s film festival: “Twinless.” James Sweeney writes, directs and stars in his second feature as Dennis, a young gay man who meets Roman (Dylan O’Brien) at a support group for twins who have lost their siblings. The two strike up an unlikely friendship, and things spiral from there.

I am disinclined to say much more about this film for those who are unfamiliar with it. Like most movies of this size, I often relish the ability to go in as blind as possible, and I think “Twinless” benefits from that. It’s funny, incredibly awkward and an all-around good watch — new on Hulu this weekend.