With everything that's been going on in the world, its highly likely that for a lot of people the last 12 months or so have been anything but fun-filled and humorous. As a result more people have been turning to their televisions than ever before and what better way to escape the dredges of reality than by throwing one of the many crowd pleasing comedies on. In fact, in 2020 the daily amount of time adults spent watching their televisions increased by a significant 9.2% to 4 hours 31 minutes per day. While Amazon Prime has continued to be a worthy contender and a slew of newcomers (Disney+, we're looking at you) have massively disrupted the scene, it is Netflix that still reigns supreme when it comes to streaming services with a whopping 208 million subscribers worldwide!
Netflix's huge library can be overwhelming and even a little intimidating, so with that in mind, we have taken the time to go through the streaming giant's comedy selection and have chosen 15 of the most entertaining comedy films currently available, including some classics, some newer ones and few lesser known gems. Grab some popcorn, get comfy and enjoy our pick for the best 15 comedy movies on Netflix.
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
1994 was a heck of a year for Canadian funny man Jim Carrey. Widely considered his breakout year, Carrey was catapulted into superstardom, finding himself the biggest comedy actor on the planet. It saw the release of The Mask, Dumb and Dumber and the film that kicked it all off; Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. While, at the time, reviews for Ace Ventura were mixed, the movie has since gone on to become a fan favorite and spawned the 1995 sequel film Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls and an animated television series. The movie sees Carrey playing to his strengths at his most manic as Ace Ventura, a zany private investigator who specializes in finding lost animals. In his quest to find the Miami Dolphin's missing mascot dolphin, Ace soon discovers that, in this case, there is a lot more than meets the eye in this twisty-turny, insanely enjoyable crime caper comedy.
Despicable Me
Before the numerous sequels, spin-offs and countless memes, there was Despicable Me. The 2010 computer animation and debut for Illumination Entertainment is not only a highly original spoof of the
over the top types of villains you would likely come across in a 007 James Bond movie, it's also a heartfelt ode to the importance of family and the difficulties involved with maintaining a good work-life balance. Steve Carell voices Gru, with a peculiar unidentifiable European accent, as the lead antagonist turned protagonist. He finds himself lumbered with a family of children while still trying his very best to become the most dangerous and feared super villain on the planet. The animation work is visually appealing and along with humor and storyline it still stands up today. Plus who doesn't love a little bit of Minions madness?
The Big Lebowski
The 1998 film, The Big Lebowski is widely considered to be among the greatest cult classics of all time. The plot follows a hapless lay about known only as the "Dude" and his rag tag group of bowling buddies as they get caught up in a world of kidnappings, mistaken identities, gun-play and White Russians. Boasting an eclectic soundtrack, a fantastic ensemble cast of character actors including Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore and the wonderful late Phillip-Seymour Hoffman plus superb directing from the ever reliable Coen brothers, there's a reason why, in 2014, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, being deemed 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.'
The Final Girls
The Final Girls is a 2015 comedy slasher movie starring Taissa Farmiga, Malin Åkerman and Adam DeVine. The plot follows a group of high school students who are transported into a 1986 slasher film called Camp Bloodbath, which just so happens to be the cult-hit horror movie Farmiga's character Max Cartwright's mother starred in 20 years earlier. The Final Girls takes a uniquely meta approach to the horror comedy genre, more than just a spoof, it manages to act as heartfelt homage to the slasher films that came before it. While, perhaps not as blood soaked as some slasher movies that spring to mind, the humor is wickedly dark and there are even some genuinely heart touching moments to be found as the mother-daughter relationship is explored.
Snatch
Let's flashback to to the turn of the 20th Century, Guy Ritchie was already making waves in the UK and amongst indie cinema fans with his London based gangster themed dark comedy Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. He was tipped to be the next big thing and Hollywood was watching. His follow up,Snatch, was a crime comedy starring Jason Statham as Turkish, a boxing promoter who gets caught up in match fixing and the ruthless criminal underbelly of the United Kingdom. Not only did Snatch manage to maintain everything that made Lock Stock so enjoyable; the twisting interlinking storylines, the colorful characters and snappy dialogue, the dark humor and balls to the wall violence, it actually managed to do it bigger, better and bolder. Bringing in a few major Hollywood players this time around including Benicio del Toro and a show stealing outing for Brad Pitt as an Irish travelling Gypsy 'Pikey', the film became a commercial and critical success cementing Guy Ritchie as one of the industry's most sought after directors.
Superbad
While some may argue that several of the jokes may not have aged so well, there are still some undeniably hilarious moments in this Judd Apatow produced, coming-of-age 2007 teen comedy. The movie that put Hollywood A-Listers Emma Stone and Jonah Hill on the map and introduced the world to the writing chops of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, who would later go onto write a slew of successful comedies including Pineapple Express, This Is The End and Sausage Party, was a commercial and critical hit. With mounting pressure to lose their virginity before heading to college, a group of three teenage friends, played fantastically by Michael Cera, Jonah Hill and Christopher Mintz-Plasse as the unforgettable McLovin, will stop at nothing to acquire alcohol for the house party they believe will put an end to all their sex related woes. Essentially Animal House for the 21st Century, Superbad is full of foul language, gross-out humor and a surprising amount of heart.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
To be honest, any movie made by the Coen brothers could deservedly hold a spot in a best of.. comedy' list, but the six-part 'death' focused Western anthology film The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,done in 2018, isn't necessarily the first that would spring to mind. More a drama than a comedy, the movie still provides its fair share of laughs, albeit as black as night in tone. The movie certainly delivers everything you'd expect from a top quality Coen brothers' production; eccentric characters, sharp dialogue, beautiful cinematography and a scorching soundtrack. This, the most recent entry into the Coen's cannon, is already fast on its way to being immortalized as a cult classic.
Dolemite Is My Name
Based on a true story, Dolemite Is My Name sees Eddie Murphy playing Rudy Ray Moore. In this 2019 comedy, Moore, is a down on his luck musician turned stand up comedian struggling to create a low budget blaxploitation action comedy film based on his crime fighting, foul mouthed alter ego Dolemite.
While many viewers might not be familiar with the original Dolemite, most will remember a time when Eddie Murphy was genuinely hilarious. Luckily this film manages to capture both the essence of what made Dolemite so important to the genre in his hey day and what made audiences originally fall in love with Murphy. But it's not just Eddie Murphy that audiences will take huge pleasure in seeing once again shine, Wesley Snipes also delights in every way imaginable. His boozy, flamboyant, scenery chewing portrayal of D'Urville Martin, the director of the project, steals pretty much every scene he's in. In a movie that stars some of America's funniest actors including Craig Robinson, Mike Epps and Keegan Michael Key, that is certainly saying something.
The Truman Show
In 1998, The Truman Show opened to universal acclaim and in 2021 the movie's eye opening message and portrayal of the power of media and how the public consumes it feels more relevant than ever. Jim Carrey stars as your run of the mill insurance salesman, oblivious to the fact that he is actually the star of his own reality TV show. His entire life is being secretly filmed for the show and everyone he knows are mere actors. As the story progresses, he begins to notice certain oddities and the truth starts to slowly unravel. Not as laugh out loud funny as Carrey's work up until this point, there is still plenty of humor to be found in the way the show is forced to create illogical scenarios in the name of entertainment and how it mocks the way in which the outside follow the show like a religion. Perhaps, the truth is that in the wake of shows like 'Keeping up with the Kardashians' and 'Big Brother', the audience may feel as if laughter is the only option when watching this uncomfortably prophetic, yet wildly entertaining psychological comedy.
Zombieland
The 2009 film, Zombieland is a side splitting (and head bursting) funny zom com starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin as survivors of a zombie apocalypse. Eisenberg plays a nerdy and awkward teen who is travelling cross country in an attempt to flee the hordes of zombies and find a rumored sanctuary of safety. Along the journey he meets the rest of the gang who, after the usual ups and downs that come with a zombie apocalypse, form an unbreakable family-like bond. While every one of the core cast delivers a fine performance, especially Harrelson as a grizzled, borderline psychotic, zombie slaying cowboy, it's Bill Murray's cameo which delivers possibly the biggest laugh in the whole movie. Zombieland is a constantly entertaining film that manages to provide a plethora of laughs throughout but doesn't at all lose focus on the actual zombies or action.
Bad Trip
Bad Trip is puerile, obnoxious and a little unoriginal but, my word, it's a lot of fun. Essentially a feature length extension of the hidden camera segments of The Eric André Show, Bad Trip does have some semblance of a plot revolving around Eric André and his pal Lil' Rel Howery who embark on a road trip across the states so Andre can declare is love for his high school crush. The storyline, however, plays second fiddle here to the headliner of this movie: the hidden camera stunts and pranks. Some of this might feel a little familiar to those slightly older members of the audience. Andre is the first to admit the influence shows like Jackass and The Tom Green Show have had on him, but it's still unique enough not to feel like a complete retread. The success of Bad Trip is largely down to Andre himself and his affable and fun personality. Outrageous and chaotic, when a 'bit' works, it really works, so strap in and enjoy the 'trip'.
Eurovision Song Contest; The story of the fire saga
Much like how many might approach the Eurovision Song Contest itself, last year's Eurovision Song Contest; The story of the fire saga, shouldn't be taken too seriously. No one seems more aware of this than stars themselves, Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams, who look to be having a whole heap of fun with the ridiculously over the top script, costumes, accents and Eurovision style original songs. Fortunately the fun is contagious and one can't help but smile from ear to ear while watching them. The film follows Icelandic singers Lars Erickssong (Ferrell) and Sigrit Ericksdóttir (McAdams) on their journey as they prepare to represent their country at the Eurovision Song Contest. While silly, over the top fun is Ferrell's forte this is definitely the funniest we've seen him in a long time. In conclusion ,The story of the fire saga is easy to watch, good old fashioned fun.
Easy A
Before Emma Stone was the highest paid actress in the world she was Olive Penderghast, a clean cut virgin trying to navigate her way through the complicated world of high school in 2010's teen comedy Easy A. After telling one little porky about losing her virginity, Olive ends up getting entangled in a web of lies and gaining high school notoriety for all the wrong reasons. The movie is smart, funny and heart warming all at the same time and Emma Stone truly impresses. With her husky voice, red hair and teenage sass, it's hard not to make comparisons between her and a young Lindsay Lohan, but that's certainly not a bad thing. Elsewhere there is a fantastically enjoyable performance from Amanda Bynes, as a gossip spreading, devout Christian, reminding us of how great she could be during her hey day.
The Blues Brothers
A 1980, must watch for fans of music, comedy, Belushi and film in general, Blues Brothers is a certified cult classic. Released in 1980, the movie follows two brothers played by SNL alumni Dan Aykroyd and the late great John Belushi as they travel cross country in order to reunite their old band and organize a performance to earn the $5,000 needed to save their old orphanage. Along the way they encounter a whole slew of colorful characters including Neo Nazis, an angry country and western band and an eccentric religious minister (played brilliantly by the inimitable James Brown), all the while being relentlessly pursued by the police. Stemming from a recurring sketch on SNL, The Blues Brothers feature film is a masterclass in comedy. Aykroyd and Belushi are at their all time bests and bounce off each other like a pinball machine. Throw some cameos from the likes of Aretha Franklin, Cab Calloway and Ray Charles into the mix and you have one of the best music comedy movies of all time.
The Addams Family
The Addams family find themselves somewhere truly horrific; suburban New Jersey. Unfortunately, but perhaps unsurprisingly, their arrival to the area isn't particularly well received by the neighbors. While many may harbor fond nostalgic memories of earlier iterations of The Addams Family, this 2019 computer animated reboot does a fine job of recapturing that original 'spirit'. More so than any other version, the character designs are the closest in resemblance to the original drawings done by Charles Addams for the New Yorker in the '30s and '40s, and this time around we're treated to an all star voice cast including Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron, Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Kroll, Snoop Dogg and Bette Midler. The stunning animation really brings their mysterious and spooky (and all together spooky) world to life, creating an enthralling piece of darkly humorous and macabre cinema.