Some movies are purposefully made to be funny. We have the Adam Sandlers and the Adam McKays of the world to thank for that. Comedies bring us together and help us laugh at those moments in life that otherwise might bring us sadness or stress. Some other movies, however, only become funny because of how poorly put together they are or how misguided their message seemingly is.
Updated May 15, 2023: If you enjoy watching hilarious movies that weren't supposed to be comedic, you'll be happy to know this article has been updated with additional content.
Some movies achieve popularity and fame for their unintentional humor, transcending genre, and expectations. Although not conventional comedies, they elicit genuine laughter from those who appreciate their understated wit. A film enthusiast can celebrate these movies that deliver unexpected hilarity. Here are some classically misunderstood movies that have become popular and widely known for being unintentionally hilarious, largely thanks to how poorly they were made.
13 Catwoman
This movie was supposed to highlight one of Batman's most intense and captivating villains but ended up being infamously humorous. Catwoman is a 2004 superhero film directed by Pitof, with Halle Berry portraying the titular character. The film chronicles the transformation of timid graphic designer Patience Phillips into the sultry and powerful Catwoman after a brush with death.
Unintentional humor pervades Catwoman, stemming from the campy script, overblown acting, and dubious special effects. The film's weak, far-fetched plot revolving around a hazardous beauty product elicits unintentional laughter. Furthermore, Halle Berry's excessively sensual Catwoman, with exaggerated feline mannerisms, detracts from the movie's intended seriousness and intensity.
12 Jupiter Ascending
Spectacularly amusing but equally hilarious, Jupiter Ascending is a 2015 science fiction film helmed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski. Mila Kunis stars as Jupiter Jones, a seemingly ordinary woman who learns of her cosmic significance. Channing Tatum plays Caine Wise, a genetically engineered warrior assisting her in navigating her newfound destiny, while Eddie Redmayne embodies the villainous Balem Abrasax.
Intended as a grand space opera, Jupiter Ascending morphs into an unintentionally hilarious spectacle due to its complex plot, stiff performances, and heavy reliance on CGI. The film's maze-like narrative confuses viewers, and the intricate world-building overwhelms rather than immerses. Moreover, the stilted dialogue and underdeveloped characters add to the movie's unintended comedic appeal. In the end, what was meant to be a sci-fi epic came off as an unintentional comedy.
11 Bloodsport
Bloodsport is a movie about a martial artist in the military. It is meant to be a dramatic retelling of a true story but is more like a giant joke retelling. This would have been fine had that been what the director was going for, but most of the comedy is unintentional due to the poor making of this movie. A lot of the comedy comes from poor acting and a horrible script. In fact, the script is so bad there are even compilations of the funniest dialogue from the movie.
10 Showgirls
Dramatically entertaining, Showgirls is a 1995 film directed by Paul Verhoeven and penned by Joe Eszterhas. Elizabeth Berkley portrays Nomi Malone, an ambitious dancer pursuing stardom in Las Vegas. Kyle MacLachlan plays powerful entertainment executive Zack Carey, and Gina Gershon embodies Cristal Connors, the reigning diva of a renowned Vegas show.
Intending to provide a provocative, gritty glimpse into the lives of Las Vegas showgirls, Showgirls transforms into an unintentional comedy due to its melodramatic storyline, overstated performances, and bombastic dialogue. The film's heavy-handed depiction of the ruthless entertainment world and hypersexualized dance sequences only heightens its unintended hilarity. Additionally, the unrealistic portrayals of relationships and character motivations were meant to challenge viewers to take the movie seriously, but they are so far-fetched that they turn into acts of comedy.
9 Deadly Prey
Deadly Prey is a bad action movie and is bad enough to the point it is good. There are plenty of moments that are unintentionally hilarious, such as how long it took for anyone to notice the main character is missing. While it has some funny moments, it has many empty scenes of waiting around more than anything else.
8 The Room
The Room is a cult classic, loved by many fans. However, this isn't because it is good by any means. Instead, it is a cult classic because of how bad it is. Tommy Wiseau was taking acting lessons and was desperate to get into the acting role. He decided to make and direct his own movie in the hopes that it would allow him to break into Hollywood. This has been done before with some positive results, like with Good Will Hunting and Kissing Jessica Stein.
However, there wasn't much hope of that from Tommy. Not only did he have little acting experience, he knew nothing about the other side of a movie, like the screen-writing, producing, or directing aspects. The Room is one of the most iconic bad movies, and part of what makes it so bad is the fact that everyone making it thought they were making a drama.
7 The Happening
The Happening is a movie directed by M. Night Shyamalan. His movies are usually either loved or hated, but this one was more heavily debated than any of his others. It is about a plague sweeping through the world, causing people to commit suicide. Despite trying to be a horror film, it is Shyamalan's funniest movie.
While most people say the movie starts off alright, it quickly goes downhill. The characters don't seem too realistic, and the dialogue is awkward, even by Shyamalan's standards. This one is another cult classic that many dedicated fans of M. Night Shyamalan enjoy. Others may not find it to be good at all unless you go in thinking of it as a comedy instead of the adventure that it portrays itself to be.
6 Birdemic
Severin Films
Birdemic has it all, from an incredibly low budget to bad acting to terrible VFX. James Nguyen was the director and made the movie to the best of his ability. It was meant to be a riff on Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, but with only a $10,000 budget, he wasn't able to pull off nearly as much as he would have liked. The fact that he'd never gone to film school certainly didn't help. The acting is comically bad that it makes a Syfy Channel original movie look like an Oscar contender by comparison.
5 House of Gucci
There is actually a debate on if House of Gucci was trying to purposefully be funny or not. After all, with a cast like Al Pacino, Adam Driver, Jared Leto, and Lady Gaga, you expect it to be a little better than it is. However, most people seem to believe that it was an accident.
The movie is listed under the biography, crime, and drama categories, but it is a comedy without meaning to be. Jared Leto's comically over-the-top Italian accent sinks any attempts to make this a dramatic retelling. Ridley Scott may have some great films to his name, but even a great director can miss, and House of Gucci is a big miss.
4 2025: The World Enslaved by a Virus
Talk about aging like milk. 2025: The World Enslaved by a Virus is a movie based on the coronavirus pandemic. It was created in 2021 and was based on how the world would look five years into the future after the lockdown. The movie is a Christian movie, as it focuses primarily on how the pandemic was trying to eliminate the Christian religion and separate everyone.
If this movie aligns with your beliefs, you may find you enjoy it, but for anyone else, it is an overdramatic mess that was bathed in fear-mongering. The movie could almost be mistaken for a parody of bad faith-based movies if it wasn't trying to be so sincere. One can only imagine how much funnier it will be after 2025.
3 Batman and Robin
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
Batman and Robin is a dark blip on the Batman series radar. Though it has a great cast, such as Uma Thurman, Chris O'Donnell, George Clooney, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, the film is a tonal mess. While trying to aim for the camp value of the 1960s Adam West series, it also wants to be a big-budget action blockbuster.
Yet unlike big-budget superhero disasters like 2015's Fantastic Four or 2022's Morbius, Batman and Robin is at least entertaining in how poorly thought out it is. Its ice-pun-ridden dialogue makes for a great time, and just the absurdity of imagining Warner Bros. thinking this movie was a good idea makes Batman & Robin worth a watch.
2 Troll 2
Troll 2 is meant to be in the fantasy and horror genres. However, most people decide that it best fits the comedy genre. One of the biggest reasons for this is that the director didn't know much English at all. The costume designer was the only member of the crew that could talk with the fully American cast.
While the script is awful, that's not the only reason that this movie is terrible. There are questions about the plot everywhere and nonsensical bits of the story everywhere, including a dance routine, a mental health patient as one of the cast, and scenes when frozen people are clearly moving.
1 The Wicker Man
Of course, this list wouldn't be complete without The Wicker Man. It is one of those movies everyone references when talking about bad movies, and it sets the bar high. The movie features Nicolas Cage, so you already know it is going to be a little off. However, his personality and unique acting isn't the only problem behind the movie. There is horrible dialogue as well. Some popular quotes that are now meme-worthy come from this movie, including "Not the bees!" This film is a classic bad movie and one that will live on, yet not in the way anybody intended.