Gaten Matarazzo takes a sharp turn from Hawkins, Indiana, to a wild college dorm room. His new movie, Pizza Movie, just landed on Hulu, and the early reviews are in. The stoner comedy, which premiered at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival on March 13, 2026, is now streaming, and critics are mostly laughing along with the chaos.
The film follows two college roommates, Jack (Gaten Matarazzo) and Montgomery (Sean Giambrone). Their simple plan to grab a pizza goes completely off the rails after they take a strange experimental drug called M.I.N.T.S. The only way to stop the scary side effects? Eat pizza. What follows is a wild trip down two flights of stairs, filled with hallucinations, exploding heads, and a very angry dorm advisor.
Pizza Movie Reviews: What Critics Are Saying About The Hulu Comedy
Shortly after its streaming release on April 3, Pizza Movie earned a solid score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film holds an 81% critics score based on over 20 reviews. Many reviewers agree that the movie is loud, silly, and surprisingly fun.
ScreenRant gave the film a near-perfect 9 out of 10 stars. Their review called it “an innovative and inspired stoner comedy,” saying it is “way more than its simple title suggests.” The review praised the chemistry between Matarazzo and Giambrone, noting that the movie stands on its own compared to classics like Harold & Kumar.
The New York Times also enjoyed the film, comparing its fast-paced style to early Edgar Wright movies like Shaun of the Dead. The review pointed out a specific scene where using curse words makes characters’ heads explode, calling it “a ribald tour de force that had me laughing painfully hard.”
Collider described the film as “a charming throwback to the stoner comedies that inspired it.” They noted that the movie is “a clever bit of fun” and that the world needs more broad comedies like this.
RogerEbert.com called it “the type of low-calorie guilty pleasure that offers just enough new ingredients to a meal you’ve had many times before,” highlighting how the movie lifts up its genre rather than just copying it.
The Cast Brings The Energy And The Laughs
The movie benefits from a strong young cast. Lulu Wilson (The Wrath of Becky) plays Lizzy, a friend who starts hanging out with the wrong crowd. Peyton Elizabeth Lee (Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.) appears as Ashley, Montgomery’s crush. Jack Martin plays Blake, the terrifying resident advisor, in a performance one review called an “uproarious nod” to a villain from Inglourious Basterds. Daniel Radcliffe even shows up to voice a butterfly.
JoBlo’s review noted that Matarazzo is “not far off from playing Jack as a modern variation on Dustin from Stranger Things,” but his personality comes through much more naturally here. Sean Giambrone, known for The Goldbergs and voice work, has several standout moments dealing with his pet butterfly, Lysander.
The directors, Brian McElhaney and Nick Kocher, are the comedy duo known as BriTANicK. They previously wrote for Saturday Night Live. Their sketch comedy background is on full display. Nick Kocher admitted on a podcast that he initially hated the movie’s title. He only agreed to it after they wrote a joke into the film where his character complains about the name.
“We love moving things at a hyper pace. When you’re making videos for the internet, people’s attention span is very short. And now that’s true for streaming movies too.” – Nick Kocher, Director
A Promotional Stunt Trolls Timothée Chalamet
The cast had some fun marketing the movie. Right before the release, Gaten Matarazzo and Sean Giambrone posted a video of themselves standing on a picnic table and yelling about the movie’s release date. The video directly copies a similar promo Timothée Chalamet did for his film Marty Supreme.
At the end of their video, Matarazzo shouts, “By the way, we want to be clear that we love the ballet and we love the opera!” This is a clear joke about Chalamet’s recent comments where he seemed to dismiss those art forms. Giambrone then yells, “I don’t,” causing Matarazzo to react in fake shock. The bit got a lot of attention on social media right as the movie was coming out.
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Release Details and Where To Watch
Pizza Movie is available to stream starting April 3, 2026. Viewers in the United States can watch it exclusively on Hulu. In select regions, it is also available via Hulu on Disney+ for those with the bundle package.
The movie has a run time of 92 minutes and is rated Not Rated. It is a low-budget independent film, and reviewers say it works best as a late-night watch with friends.
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