Friday Night Films on Hoopla

Explore free streaming movies on Hoopla this Friday night and beyond with some recommendations from HCPL staff. It’s hard wading through the digital morass - why not make searching a little easier with a curated list from a librarian? Our selections include family friendly feature films and documentaries.

These movies are available from Hoopla with your library card number. For the easiest search experience, search for the movies by title using the Hoopla app on your tablet, smartphone, or Smart TV, or in the web browser version of Hoopla on your desktop or laptop. If you’re new to Hoopla or aren’t sure how to get started with Hoopla on your device, check out Hoopla Help.

Recommendations are broken down by age group – click a link below to jump to your preferred audience, or scroll through to read them all!
All Ages
Tween to Adult
Adult Feature Films
Adult Documentary

All Ages

Ernest & Celestine (PG, 80 min.) – This animated gem follows a civilization of bears and the subterranean world of mice. Enter Ernest (a bear) and Celestine (a mouse). Their unlikely friendship grows amidst the two rival communities. Sumptuous flowing animation brings this classic Belgian book series by Gabrielle Vincent to life.

Being Elmo (PG, 76 min.) – Love Elmo? Of course you do! This documentary follows the birth of Elmo by his creator Kevin Clash. Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, this biopic follows a dreamer that got his wish, and a red furry character that has won the hearts of children of all ages.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople (NR ,101 min.) – Raised on a steady diet of Hip Hop, streetwise city kid Ricky gets more than he bargained for at his new foster family’s house in the wilds of New Zealand. Taika Waititi brings a steady diet of fun and frolic to this offbeat but compelling family adventure.

Kittens (NR, 83 Minutes) – Why watch this? Because it’s kittens, and who doesn’t like kittens. This is meme-worthy kitten fodder for all you cat lovers out there.

Australian Penguins (NR, 52 min.) – The Little Penguins of Australia’s Penguin Island are the focus of this aptly named documentary. Follow this ragtag band of misfits that have been rescued by the island’s Discovery Centre.

Back to Natural: A Documentary Film (NR, 75 min.) – Explore the intersection of hair and politics. This documentary is a shout out to healing and discovery, investigating Black hair and the African diaspora.

Some Beasts (NR, 90 min.) – Working on a farm in Appalachia, an outcast must come to grips with his place in a new society and confront his past life choices.

Tween to Adult

Little Boxes (NR, 84 min.) – In the summer before 6th grade, Clark and his family move to a small town where they face new challenges. No one is prepared for what lies ahead, including conflict both inside and outside the family unit, but they are determined to make the best of their circumstances.

Whale Rider (PG-13, 105 min.) – Mourning the loss of his grandson and successor, a New Zealand tribal leader cannot see the joy and love that radiates from his granddaughter, Pai. While only males are allowed to become chief, Pai turns to other family members to try and convince her grandfather she can be a great leader.

Cry the Beloved Country (PG-13, 111 min,) – Two vastly different South African fathers journey to Johannesburg to learn the fate of their prodigal sons.

Cinema Paradiso (R, 86 min.) – Based on the life and times of Italian Film Director Giuseppe Tonatore, this nostalgic peek into the life of an auteur illuminates his love of movies and his path away from small village life toward a career in cinema.

Adult Feature Films

The Florida Project (R, 115 min.) – A wild group of precocious young friends find fun and adventure during a summer in Florida. Their antics and odyssey of discovery mask the hard realities of life that surround their parents and neighboring adults.

Ghost World (R, 111 min.) – Two ultra-hip bestie girlfriends discover their paths will diverge after they graduate high school. These changes, and a budding rival romance, will forever alter their lives.

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (NR, 105 min.) – An Iranian, Western, Vampire, Horror Film? What? You had me at horror! Stylish, moody and very, very different, this subtle suspense film even has romance! Oh, and did we say it was in glorious black and white?

Kinky Boots (PG-13, 106 min.) – This engaging Brit-Com brings fun and frolic to Northampton England. A staid shoe factory owner finds a lifeline for his dying family business in the strangest places.

I Am Love (R, 120 min.) – This visually stunning drama follows the lives of an Italian Milanese textile family. A sprawling epic of love, sadness, and joy.

Adult Documentary

Jiro Dreams of Sushi (PG, 81 min.) – 85-year-old Jiro Ono runs the best sushi-restaurant in the world. Located in a Tokyo subway station, it is a destination for sushi cognoscenti worldwide. The story within the story is the drama played out between father and son.

The Endless Summer (G, 95 min.) – Surf documentarian Bruce Brown’s magnum opus. Released in 1966, this film gets better every year. Follow gifted surfers as they chase waves and summer weather across continents and hemispheres.

Muscle Shoals (PG, 111 min.) – Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Rock and Roll lived here! Discover the history of legendary recording house Fame Studios, told by the likes of Percy Sledge, Wilson Pickett, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Alicia Keys, and Aretha Franklin (in her final film appearance).

NO NO: A Dockumentary (NR, 100 min.) – In 1970, Pittsburgh Pirates Pitcher Dock Ellis pitched a perfect game under the influence of LSD. This moving documentary tells the story of Ellis’ transformation into an advocate for drug recovery and civil rights.