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What are some great actual comedies made in the last twenty years?
I'm a big fan of IMDB's Advanced TItle Search but it is kinda useless for finding movies that are primarily comedies. By which I mean films with a main focus on producing laughter or comedic amusement. The problem is that the genre/tag "comedy", while often present, rarely means that a movie is a comedy first and foremost. For example: technically Marvel movies are comedies, but they are really more like action with jokes. There are also many comedy dramas and "dramedies" and that is not what I am look for at all.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is maybe one of the few "almost pure" comedies on TV today.
I miss watching movies that put comedy first even if they are a mix of different genres.
Any suggestions?
I can't think of any movie that is just a comedy. They all need a theme they can make fun of where an actual story takes place. Otherwise it would just be a collection of jokes.
My favorite (horror) comedies are Tucker and Dale vs. Evil and What We Do in the Shadows.
You're right, nothing is just a comedy. I believe that is true of every genre. But some films prioritize the comedy over other aspects ;)
Tucker and Dale is possibly the best movie I've seen in ... around 2 decades? I don't watch much, because I've become jaded with movies and shows in general, but this was a gem (and only just saw it in January!)
All of Akiva Schaffer’s films: The Naked Gun, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, Hot Rod
Seth Rogen productions: This is the End, Superbad, Neighbors, The Interview
Adam McKay’s earlier work: Anchorman, Talladega Nights, Step Brothers, The Other Guys
The Hangover trilogy, Bridesmaids, Tropic Thunder, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Macgruber, 21 Jump Street and 22 Jump Street
Something more high brow: The Nice Guys
Edit: I can’t believe i forgot this but Barbie is probably the biggest comedy of the decade
Came to suggest many of these, especially Phil Lord and Chris Miller's 21 Jump Street and 22. Their "kids films" like Cloudy with A Chance of meatballs, Lego were great as well.
And Super Bad (2007)
Laughs can be easy in a theatre seat, but great writing with tight execution makes the funny last forever. Which is why Hot Fuzz has always been top of the list for me.
The Other Guy is genuinely hilarious. If you only watch one, this if the one I recommend!
The jump street movies are also really good.
I just saw the new Naked Gun movie, and haven't heard a theater full of people laughing that much in a long time.
Then there's the Cornetto Trilogy: Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and This is the End. Even the trilogy status is the result of a joke after realizing the first two both had different flavors of Cornetto ice cream.
A reminder for folks that anything before 2005 isn't in the past twenty years. My back hurts after checking a few favs
I was like "Obviously Supertroopers." Then I checked years. :(
The last real comedy I watched was Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007). Pretty funny imho :-)
I think that's a great pick because it's laser focused on being a comedy. It has some other genres mixed in (like melodrama) but they are all in service of the comedy.
There are a dozen scenes that crack me up, but my favorite is by far the rehab scene.
I would go a small caveat: it's laser focused on making sure there's comedy. It's incredibly genre-conscious the entire run time; it clearly knows every intimate detail of how music biopics are presented and chooses at every point to make the joke. It ruined music biopics for a decade.
Hundreds of Beavers jumps to mind.
Absolutely. I can’t think of a movie that made me laugh harder in the past 5 years. It’s got such a density of jokes compared to most movies.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, definitely recommend if you want something funny!
I would put Superstore in this genre. There are very few heavy moments. It even seems to make fun of the dramedy genre a little by setting up tropy drama moments and then subverting them for laughs.
That is a solid show that's for sure ;)
The funniest movie I’ve seen in the last few years (disclaimer, don’t watch a ton of movies) is The Holdovers (2023).
It’s full of all the usual prep school tropes but I found it quite funny.
I loved that movie! I thought it was going to be lame holiday stuff but it was very well done. Dominic Sessa was a hell of a find.
The Legend of Foggy Mountain from the comedy group Please Don't Destroy, is a straight up comedy. It's focused on the comedy, everything else in the movie is incidental.
This is such a breakout movie, I absolutely loved it. Every pitch and bit is so gleefully funny and whip cracking - definitely a modern comfort movie
I just recently found out about and watched this movie. It's fantastic! Is it a good movie? Not really! Is it a comedy and is every bit fully committed to? Yes! It's a fun, light, comedic film that should have done better based on starring names and should have been more fully embraced as a pure comedy released post 2020. If you want more comedies made, you have to pay to see them people!
I’d like to contribute with some non-English contents: my favourite tv show (+ movie), Boris, and the trilogy I can quit whenever I want. Both are Italian products that I love, but I don’t know how well they could be understood by foreigners, especially the first one.
Staying in the USA, Community and Arrested Development are gold.
Surreal comedies are often quite funny--even foreign ones as normal comedies usually rely more on cultural references or taboos. But you are right, there doesn't seem to be as many non-arthouse surreal films being made compared to 30 years ago. But maybe you haven't seen some of these:
All's Well, Ends Well (Hong Kong 1992)
Instant Swamp (Japan 2009)
The Holy Mountain (Mexico 1973)
There's also genre satire films like Hot Fuzz... Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) and Poor Things (2023) were popular ones made recently.
But you are right... while there are films that try to copy the Baby's Day Out formula, the Three Stooges, etc... most of them are just not that good compared to what they imitate so they don't become widely distributed. Maybe you could try The Onion Movie (2008) or MacGruber (2010)?
If you don't like any of these... what are some of the older comedies that you consider comedies?
I want to second this recommendation, I love this film, and basically everything Satoshi Miki makes.
All's Well, Ends Well -- I love it, so great. Here it is with English subtitles
Speaking of Hong Kong films, my all time favourite is Fat Choi Spirit (2002) which is older than 20 years but just narrowly.... Watch English Sub here
Thanks for the link! The wife and I watched this yesterday. Pretty funny! I didn't know you could play Mahjong with just two people
Oh I'm glad you guys gave it a shot :D
The rules can be adapted regionally for two or three, for example Wikipedia has an article on two (cn) that originates from strip mahjong games.
Maybe a bit out of left field, but two movies I watched expecting nothing and leaving pleasantly surprised recently are Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022) and Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017)
I will allow that Captain Underpants had a bit of a nostalgia factor in my enjoyment, but I still would recommend the watch.
I had similar feelings. I recently rewatched it and it’s such a departure from the average movie aimed at kids that age. It’s not nearly as cacophonous and chaotic as something like Minions is.
It's almost exclusively an 80 minute collection of skits, and even though it was filmed in 2003 its 2008 release date shoehorns it into your criteria: The Onion Movie. It's great satire, and scenes like the Armed Gunman still make me laugh to this day.
TV has a bunch of great comedies, but as far as movies go, I think the list gets pretty sparse after 2010. I haven't seen any worthwhile "pure" comedies in a while. I saw the Naked Gun remake a few days ago. It was fine, but I wouldn't give it a full endorsement.
Bridesmaids is my nominee for best pure comedy post-2010. Some of the later Apatow-style comedies like Superbad, Pineapple Express, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, etc. haven't hit the 20-year cutoff yet. Though some of those have a bit of romcom mixed in. Then there's Tropic Thunder, Ted, and Neighbors, which were all pretty good and seem to fit what you're describing.
This is right on the edge, but I think Triangle of Sadness is a comedy before anything else. It's got a decent mix of satire/social commentary and raunchy stuff, and there isn't any real "drama" to it. The pacing doesn't feel like a comedy, but I've laughed harder at that than anything in recent memory.
Psych is one of my favorite TV shows of all time, and it's pretty much nonstop comedy. I'm a little disturbed that it's barely in the "twenty years" timeframe now, but whatever.
Here's a weird-ass list of stuff not mentioned elsewhere ITT for you:
I’m not sure if it crosses into comedy-drama too much for your definition, but Click (2006) with Adam Sandler was a good one for me!
For shows, I'll throw out Angie Tribeca (season 1), The Middleman, Garth Marenghi's Darkplace (2004 but I'll list it anyway), Pacific Heat, Danger 5, Bullet in the Face, Archer (season 1), Toast of London, and if you want a sketch show, Auntie Donna's Big Ol House of Fun and That Mitchell and Webb Look.
I just rewatched it the other day Hot Fuzz is almost 20 but it's an incredible watch. Every like is either a setup for something else in the movie or a punchline
I recently watched Ted 1&2 on Netflix
Comedies always perform well in Thai cinema - people outside large metros don't like complicated movies. I don't really watch them, but I ran into Bus Lane (2007) on YouTube (legally) and I already watched it twice. The movie is set entirely on a bus, which turns out with a colorful cast you could make it work.
If I recall, Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar is a pretty pure comedy and I enjoyed how over the top it was at points. Looking at the IMDB score, though, it may not be everyone's cup of tea.
I always get yelled at for this, but I love Super Troopers 2. I regularly watch this scene, and watch the movie at least once a year. Downvote me into oblivion, but I'll die on this hill. Rob Lowe as the mayor is just amazing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfeC2HxziqI
Recent comedies that I like and haven't seen listed yet:
Bottoms (2023)
Book smart(2019)
For TV comedies, I like sketch shows: I think you should leave , Aunty Donna, Key and Peele, Whitest kids u know.