Stranger Things Star’s New Sci-Fi Comedy Nets Solid Rotten Tomatoes Score Upon Hulu Debut

A Stranger Things star’s new sci-fi comedy, Pizza Movie, debuts on Hulu and is coming out of the oven hot and fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Hulu’s new stoner comedy stars Gaten Matarazzo, fresh off his five-season run as Dustin Henderson in Netflix’s popular sci-fi series Stranger Things, which ended in late December 2025. Pizza Movie premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival on March 13 and was just released on Hulu on April 3.

Now, shortly after its streaming release, Pizza Movie has debuted with an 81% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie only has 21 reviews at the time of writing, so its score should fluctuate as more are published. With fewer than 50 ratings, the film doesn’t yet have an audience score, though it should very soon.

What Is Pizza Movie About?

Written and directed by Brian McElhaney and Nick Kocher (the sketch comedy duo known as BriTANicK), Pizza Movie follows two college roommates who take some special drugs that cause a terrifying hallucinogenic trip and face an unexpectedly epic journey when they must navigate two flights of stairs to retrieve their pizza delivery, turning a simple task into a surreal adventure.

In addition to Gaten Matarazzo, the cast also includes Sean Giambrone, Lulu Wilson, Jack Martin, Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Marcus Scribner, comedian Caleb Hearon, Saturday Night Live‘s Sarah Sherman, Justin Cooley, and Daniel Radcliffe as the voice of a Butterfly.

What Critics Are Saying About Pizza Movie

Disney/Brett Roedel

In ScreenRant‘s Pizza Movie review, Grant Hermanns gave the film a near-perfect nine out of 10 stars and writes:

Hulu’s innovative stoner comedy is a new all-time great for the genre… Pizza Movie is way more than its simple title suggests as Gaten Matarazzo and Sean Giambrone lead an innovative and inspired stoner comedy…. While it’s easy enough to write its premise off as being a Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle repeat, Pizza Movie actually proves to be way more innovative and inspired in its storytelling.

Overall, reviews for Pizza Movie are mostly positive, with most agreeing that it’s loud, silly, and very much a stoner comedy built on absurd energy. Several critics find it inventive and surprisingly funny – praising its fast pace, clever punchlines, and chemistry between its lead stars. However, a few others think the jokes don’t always land, calling them uneven and overly juvenile.

Still, even the mixed reviews acknowledge its commitment to being weird and unapologetically goofy. Where opinions diverge most is in how satisfying the experience feels after the laughs fade. Supporters call it a “comfort watch” with cult potential, noting its inventive gags and “fresh” comedic spark, while detractors find it exhausting or undercooked, more style than substance.

Either way, the humor sticks with you, even if not every bite lands cleanly. Pizza Movie leaves audiences either craving more or feeling oddly full.

Release Date

March 13, 2026

Runtime

92 minutes

Director

Nick Kocher

Writers

Nick Kocher, Brian McElhaney

Producers

Billy Rosenberg, Jeremy Garelick, Max A. Butler, Molle DeBartolo, Gaten Matarazzo, Will Phelps