The Best Comedies on Netflix Right Now (October 2020)
For many of us, there is nothing more relaxing and enjoyable than sitting on the couch and watching a good comedy. Dramas can pull, action films can be exaggerated and horror films are stressful. Comedies are fun and mostly predictable – but that's not a bad thing. Not every movie experience has to be an adventure, and sometimes you just want to have a good laugh.
Fortunately, Netflix's movie repository has grown pretty large, and we can't blame you if you don't spend hours looking for the right movie. The streaming service has dozens of American pie-style teen comedies, not to mention a bunch of B-movies that you never want to get through, and it can be overwhelming if you don't know where to look. To make your choice easier, we have made the preparations for you. These are the best comedies on Netflix right now.
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Plane! is not a film that can simply be watched. It has to be experienced and given the viewer's full attention. David and Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams' manic comedy features an onslaught of visual gags and funny dialogue that could overwhelm a smaller movie. Plane! is also an almost remake of the 50s thriller Zero Hour !, which lends itself generously to this film and successively adds an avalanche of comedic moments. Robert Hays plays Ted Striker, a former Vietnam pilot with just a minor PTSD who gets on a flight to save his relationship with flight attendant Elaine Dickinson (Julie Hagerty). But when the pilots are hit by food poisoning, Elaine and Dr. Rumack (Leslie Nielsen) Ted to overcome his fears and take control of the plane. This was also the beginning of Nielsen's long collaboration with Abrahams and the Zucker brothers that led to the trilogy The Naked Gun.
Rotten tomatoes: 97%
Stars: Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty and Leslie Nielsen
Director: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker
Rating: PG
Running time: 87 minutes
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If you have Airplane! Have Loved Then The Naked Gun: From Police Files! will find a place in your heart too. The two films share a creative team and Leslie Nielsen in a leading role. The brilliance of Nielsen's Lt. Frank Drebin lies in his inability to see how funny he is. Drebin occasionally reacts to the onslaught of silly events around him, but to him he's just a cop with a job. And that job is to protect the Queen of England from being assassinated during a California Angels game. The gags come fast and furious, so be sure to keep an eye on the screen. But the dialogue is also wonderfully exciting. Believe it or not, this film is based on a short-lived television series called Police Squad that also featured Nielsen. By the time The Naked Gun made it to big screen, fans were finally ready to immerse themselves in his one-of-a-kind comedy brand.
Rotten tomatoes: 88%
Stars: Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley and Ricardo Montalbán
Director: David Sugar
Rating: PG-13
Running time: 85 minutes
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It is thanks to director and co-writer Robert Zemeckis that Back To the Future works equally well as both a science fiction film and a comedy. Michael J. Fox plays Marty McFly, a teenager whose best friend is the local mad scientist Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown (Christopher Lloyd) is who created a time-traveling DeLorean. After seeing Doc die in the present, Marty is trapped 30 years in the past because he is in danger. Marty's mother Lorraine (Lea Thompson) has unwittingly fallen in love with her son. And if Marty can't get his father, George McFly (Crispin Glover), to win Lorraine over, Marty will just disappear. There's a lot at stake for Marty, but Back To the Future never forgets to bring the laugh too. It is a classic in the truest sense of the word.
Rotten tomatoes: 88%
Stars: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Rating: PG
Running time: 116 minutes
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Greta Gerwig's solo directorial debut, Lady Bird, works as both a comedy and a drama. Saoirse Ronan plays the title Lady Bird. It's the name Ronan's character Christine McPherson took on when she openly rebelled against her Catholic high school and her mother Marion (Laurie Metcalf). Over the past year of Lady Bird, she redefines herself through her friends new and old, as well as through her college ambitions and search for love. Gerwig didn't shy away from showing Lady Bird's faults and mounting pain, but these are some of the qualities that make her story so appealing.
Rotten tomatoes: 99%
Stars: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf and Tracy Letts
Director: Greta Gerwig
Rating: R.
Running time: 94 minutes
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Ice Cube leads Barbershop's formidable line-up, which also includes Anthony Anderson, Eve, Michael Ealy, Keith David and Cedric the Entertainer. Barbershop also spawned two sequels, but the original film holds up very well as a stand-alone comedy. Ice Cube's Calvin Palmer Jr. owns a local barbershop in Chicago, but he can't wait to break free of the business he inherited. So Calvin secretly sells the shop to Lester Wallace (David), a seedy businessman who wants to destroy it. However, it is only after the deal is closed that Calvin realizes the importance of the barber shop to him and the community. But Calvin's attempt to save the store is hampered by one of his employees, Ricky (Ealy), when he gets into trouble over a robbery he didn't commit. Calvin's loyalty to Ricky saved them both, and a franchise was born.
Rotten tomatoes: 82%
Stars: Ice Cubes, Anthony Anderson, Cedric the Entertainer
Director: Tim story
Rating: PG-13
Running time: 102 minutes
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Since purchasing the Muppets in 2004, Disney has had trouble figuring out what to do with Jim Henson's signature creations. However, the feature film The Muppets is not only funny, it also understands exactly what made the franchise great in the first place. Jason Segel co-wrote the film and stars as Gary, a longtime Muppet fan who has a Muppet brother, Walter, with an identity crisis. Amy Adams is also very charming in the movie as Mary, Gary's girlfriend and long-time romantic partner. But the Muppets and Walter are at the center of the story as they get one last chance to make a comeback and save the historic theater where they filmed The Muppet Show. This is great fun for kids of all ages.
Rotten tomatoes: 95%
Stars: Jason Segel, Amy Adams and Rashida Jones
Director: James Bobin
Rating: PG
Running time: 102 minutes
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The Interview was released in 2014 and is the only film on this list that could potentially have started World War III. The premise – an American talk show host going to North Korea to interview the nation's dictator and infiltrate the government for the CIA – drew the wrath of the despotic nation and its thin-skinned ruler Kim Jong-un. North Korean hackers coordinated a massive attack against Sony Studios and distributed personal emails that humiliated studio president Amy Pascal so much that she had to resign. However, when the film was released after brief delays to keep national security in mind, all the fuss seemed to be about nothing. The interview is just plain silly. If anything, Kim Jong-un looks good. The joke probably goes on all of us because we think Seth Rogen and James Franco would make a movie provocative enough to start a war. The context of The Interview is probably funnier than the movie itself, but it's still a pretty fun ride.
Rotten tomatoes: 52%
Stars: James Franco, Seth Rogen and Lizzy Caplan
Director: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
Rating: R.
Running time: 112 minutes
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Detective shows and movies aren't all serious – as Brooklyn Nine-Nine shows. In 1994 Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Jim Carrey plays an eccentric detective who catches and tames some of the wildest animals east of Wynnewood, Oklahoma. When the Miami Dolphins mascot – aptly a dolphin – goes missing, Ventura is called in to solve the case and save the team from the Super Bowl. Dolphin legend Dan Marino stars in the film as himself and as a kidnap victim, probably to the delight of Buffalo Bills fans. Some of the scenes are a little out of date by modern standards – there are moments that seem transphobic at best – but the movie still has a ton of fun parts that come a mile per minute as this comedy movie runs in just an hour and 26 Minutes.
Rotten tomatoes: 48%
Stars: Jim Carrey, Courtney Cox
Director: Tom Shadyac
Rating: PG-13
Running time: 86 minutes
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Everyone welcomes the return of Eddie Murphy! Murphy plays Rudy Ray Moore in this Netflix original. Moore was a stranded musician who morphed into the 1970s blaxploitation character named Dolemite and became a cult star in the process. This film is an ode to extremely independent filmmaking with a more subtle touch than Bowfinger, and features additional, outstanding performances by Wesley Snipes and Keegan-Michael Key.
Rotten tomatoes: 97%
Stars: Eddie Murphy, Wesley Snipes, and Kodi Smit-McPhee
Director: Craig Brewer
Rating: R.
Running time: 118 minutes
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Like the big, fake Dewey Cox himself, Walk Hard was not properly appreciated in its day. With John C. Reilly as the title rocker, Walk Hard directly parodies Walk the Line, a Johnny Cash biopic that was released in theaters in general a few years before this stunning satire of Walk the Line and biopics in general. What sets this film apart from similar parodies is the real heart that Reilly pumps into his character, creating a feel that the film could have surpassed for a few extra laughs. Rather than drawing the line between hilarious and heartfelt, Walk Hard tries to do both to ensure that Reilly cuts off as nothing short of a "Starman".
Rotten tomatoes: 74%
Stars: John C. Reilly, Jenna Fischer
Director: Jake Kasdan
Rating: R.
Running time: 96 minutes
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Imagine a world where if you don't fall in love and get married, you will be turned into an animal and treated like cattle. Dark right Good and fun. Yorgos Lanthimos & # 39; The Lobster hits all the grimest notes and yet inexplicably puts a smile on your face. The story revolves around a place where individuals meet other singles who are looking for love. If they don't find love in 45 days, they will become animals. The Lobster takes a deep, dry look at the despair inherent in the human connection. It features great performances from Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, and John C. Reilly, and it comes with a breathtaking twist that makes you wonder what you've just seen.
Rotten tomatoes: 87%
Stars: Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, and John C. Reilly
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Rating: R.
Running time: 118 minutes
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A person doesn't really love Monty Python unless they love Brian's life. Well, and Flying Circus. Monty Python offers a lot more than just the Holy Grail. While Grail is the better-known film, Life of Brian is more ambitious, cynical, and downright crazy for a very simple reason: It parodies Jesus Christ more than King Arthur. Well, Christ's neighbor, Brian Cohen, played by Graham Chapman. The film follows a case of false identity in which Brian is treated as a prophet, blasphemer and public enemy in a series of events designed to impal the Bible. It wasn't popular with the Church when it was released, of course, but it's still damn funny and encourages everyone to "always look on the good side of life".
Rotten tomatoes: 95%
Stars: Graham Chapman, John Cleese and Terry Gilliam
Director: Terry Jones
Rating: R.
Running time: 92 minutes
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There are elements of drama and romance, but at heart The Artist is a comedy. As soon as you have moved through the black and white barrier, you enter a world of cinematic nostalgia that is unparalleled in film today. While old silent films can be difficult for modern sensibilities, The Artist tries again and again to surprise with visual and acoustic tricks as well as humorous title cards and visceral action. The 2011 film won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and ends with a boisterous dance scene that rivals anything Fred Astaire created in his prime.
Rotten tomatoes: 95%
Stars: Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman
Director: Michel Hazanavicius
Rating: PG-13
Running time: 100 minutes
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The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience is one of the weirdest Netflix originals, not least because it seemed to come onto the platform out of nowhere. The most fun thing to do is relive the glory days of Oakland A in the 90s. But you don't have to be an A fan or a baseball fan to have fun. These short musical stars, created by The Lonely Island, play Andy Samberg and Akiva Schaffer as the Bash Brothers, Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire. They sing about how to hit things, do steroids and be on top of the world. It's as silly as it sounds, but so strangely satisfying.
Rotten tomatoes: 100%
Stars: Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer
Director: Akiva Schaffer, Mike Diva
Rating: R.
Running time: 30 minutes
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