Best Comedy Movies on Netflix Right Now (March 2020)
Are you looking for the best comedy movies to stream on Netflix right now? While the service often seems to be flooded with comedies, it's not always clear which ones are funny and which will flat-out ruin your evening. We've scoured the vast expanse of the digital service (twice!) and come back with our picks for the best comedy movies on Netflix right now, including recent hits like The Edge of Seventeen and Dolemite is My Name, as well as true classics like Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Groundhog Day. So read on for the hottest and funniest new comedy movies on Netflix! New additions to the list are marked with an asterisk. Oh, and when you're done here, be sure to also check out our list of the 25 Best Comedies Ever and what's new to Netflix this month. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-comedies-on-netflix-right-now&captions=true"] Or follow these links for the best of other genres:
Eddie Murphy delivers one of the best performances of his career in Dolemite Is My Name, a biopic about Dolemite creator Rudy Ray Moore. It's basically the blaxploitation equivalent of Ed Wood, a comedy that lovingly celebrates an eccentric, off-kilter artist who was never truly appreciated in his own time. It's also one of the most purely funny movies you'll find on Netflix, and definitely one of the streaming service's better original films.
Coming-of-age teen comedies really are a dime a dozen, but the best ones always manage to rise above the fray. The Edge of Seventeen is easily one of the best examples of the genre in recent memory. It manages to both hearken back to classic '80s comedies like The Breakfast Club while also being heartbreakingly authentic in its examination of a teen girl (the always excellent Hailee Steinfeld) dealing with serious issues.
Lady Bird writer/director Greta Gerwig co-wrote and stars in Frances Ha, a bittersweet comedy about a young woman gradually coming to terms with the possibility that she won't achieve her big dreams of becoming a professional dancer, and might need to do something else with her life. It's a difficult lesson to contemplate, let alone learn the hard way, and yet - as directed by Marriage Story's Noah Baumbach - the film never loses its sense of humor, no matter how self-deprecating it becomes.
Between Caddyshack and Groundhog Day, Netflix is now home to two of the holy trinity of Bill Murray comedies. Groundhog Day marks one of Murray's last mainstream comedy roles, as he plays a disgruntled weatherman trapped in a time loop that forces him to relive the same day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania over and over again. That premise could just as easily form the basis of a horror movie, but Murray brings just the right amount of deadpan charm and maniacal glee to the film. It's now rightfully regarded as one of the best comedies of the '90s. And like Phil's endless Groundhog Day, it only gets sweeter with age.
With a new James Bond movie looming, why not relive the greatest Bond parody of them all? Netflix is home to all three Austin Powers movies, including 1997's Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, 1999's Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and 2002's Austin Powers in Goldmember. All three films manage to spoof our favorite Bond tropes while also working as pretty entertaining spy/time-travel movies in their own right. These three movies feature Mike Myers at his comedic best, stealing the show as both hero and villain.
Arguably writer/director Kevin Smith's best film, Chasing Amy is a nostalgia trip worth taking. Inspired by Smith's own romantic travails, the film stars Ben Affleck as an indie comic book creator who falls head over heels for his lesbian friend (Joey Lauren Adams). The result is a romantic comedy that combines Smith's raunchy sense of humor with a thoughtful exploration of late '90s gender politics.
Few '80s comedies are more iconic or hold up better than Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Matthew Broderick is at his charismatic best as the titular hero, a high schooler who goes to extreme lengths to ensure he and his friends can enjoy a day off from the high school grind. With plenty of fourth wall-bending humor and a top-notch soundtrack, this comedy has rightfully become the anthem for anyone who just wants to take it easy.
Sherlock Holmes aside, the pairing of Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly is usually a recipe for comedy gold. That's certainly the case with Step Brothers, which reunites the duo with writer/director Adam McKay. Ferrell and Reilly play a pair of overly sheltered man-children who find themselves becoming roommates and brothers when their parents (Mary Steenburgen and Richard Jenkins) get hitched. We're not sure that formula would have worked with any two other co-stars, but Ferrell and Reilly somehow manage to keep us invested in the plight of these two developmentally arrested weirdos.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is easily one of the silliest, funniest, and most inspired comedies ever made. The British sketch comedy troupe Monty Python took aim at the history of Britain and its most beloved cultural icon, chopped all the limbs off, and made more than a few pointed remarks about just how ridiculous humanity was in the past (and, by extension, just how ridiculous it still is). Graham Chapman stars as Arthur, tasked with locating the Holy Grail, a quest that sends him and his idiot knights on one absurd and unforgettable mission after another, to accomplish tasks like buying shrubberies, ruining arranged weddings and not having sex.
This bizarre comedy from director Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite) stars Colin Farrell as a man who has to find a lifelong mate in 45 days... or he'll be transformed into a lobster. It's not even a unique problem: Everyone in this world has to find a romantic partner or risk being shuffled aside in The Lobster, which is a pretty damning take on a culture that enforces and judges based on unrealistic expectations for our social behavior and lifestyles. The whole movie plays like a Monty Python routine that got way out of hand, and that's the whole point, showing just how absurd our values are once we take them to extremes.
The last film directed by comedy legend Nora Ephron is one of her very best, a light and inspirational story of two women connected by food and not much else. Amy Adams stars as Julie Powell, a young woman who turns her quest to prepare every recipe in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking into a phenomenon, and Meryl Streep as Child, who overcame impressive obstacles on her path to becoming a world famous chef. Both the lead performances in Julie & Julia are wonderful, in a film that will inspire you to try harder and cook your own meals more often.
Leslye Headland's overlooked but brilliantly written romantic comedy Sleeping With Other People stars Jason Sudeikis and Alison Brie as people who decide that their sex drive has gotten them into trouble and decide to be platonic friends, even though they really, really, really want to get into bed together. Sudeikis and Brie have incredible chemistry, and the film's sparkling dialogue is priceless.
Goon is one of the best sports comedies in years, and surprisingly enough so is the sequel. Seann William Scott stars as a hockey player who can't skate, and can't score goals, but can take and dish out a punch better than anyone in the league. When he's not brawling inside the ring, he's figuring out his place in a world where getting hit in the face isn't considered a valuable skill. Everyone in the cast is a delight, but Seann William Scott in particular has never been better. Watch Goon and Goon: Last of the Enforcers on Netflix.
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Dolemite Is My Name (2019)*
Eddie Murphy delivers one of the best performances of his career in Dolemite Is My Name, a biopic about Dolemite creator Rudy Ray Moore. It's basically the blaxploitation equivalent of Ed Wood, a comedy that lovingly celebrates an eccentric, off-kilter artist who was never truly appreciated in his own time. It's also one of the most purely funny movies you'll find on Netflix, and definitely one of the streaming service's better original films.
Read our Dolemite Is My Name review or watch Dolemite Is My Name on Netflix.
The Edge of Seventeen (2016)*
Coming-of-age teen comedies really are a dime a dozen, but the best ones always manage to rise above the fray. The Edge of Seventeen is easily one of the best examples of the genre in recent memory. It manages to both hearken back to classic '80s comedies like The Breakfast Club while also being heartbreakingly authentic in its examination of a teen girl (the always excellent Hailee Steinfeld) dealing with serious issues.
Read our The Edge of Seventeen review or watch The Edge of Seventeen on Netflix.
Frances Ha (2012)*
Lady Bird writer/director Greta Gerwig co-wrote and stars in Frances Ha, a bittersweet comedy about a young woman gradually coming to terms with the possibility that she won't achieve her big dreams of becoming a professional dancer, and might need to do something else with her life. It's a difficult lesson to contemplate, let alone learn the hard way, and yet - as directed by Marriage Story's Noah Baumbach - the film never loses its sense of humor, no matter how self-deprecating it becomes.
Groundhog Day (1993)*
Between Caddyshack and Groundhog Day, Netflix is now home to two of the holy trinity of Bill Murray comedies. Groundhog Day marks one of Murray's last mainstream comedy roles, as he plays a disgruntled weatherman trapped in a time loop that forces him to relive the same day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania over and over again. That premise could just as easily form the basis of a horror movie, but Murray brings just the right amount of deadpan charm and maniacal glee to the film. It's now rightfully regarded as one of the best comedies of the '90s. And like Phil's endless Groundhog Day, it only gets sweeter with age.
Watch Groundhog Day on Netflix.
The Austin Powers Series
With a new James Bond movie looming, why not relive the greatest Bond parody of them all? Netflix is home to all three Austin Powers movies, including 1997's Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, 1999's Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and 2002's Austin Powers in Goldmember. All three films manage to spoof our favorite Bond tropes while also working as pretty entertaining spy/time-travel movies in their own right. These three movies feature Mike Myers at his comedic best, stealing the show as both hero and villain.
Watch Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and Austin Powers in Goldmember on Netflix.
Chasing Amy (1997)
Arguably writer/director Kevin Smith's best film, Chasing Amy is a nostalgia trip worth taking. Inspired by Smith's own romantic travails, the film stars Ben Affleck as an indie comic book creator who falls head over heels for his lesbian friend (Joey Lauren Adams). The result is a romantic comedy that combines Smith's raunchy sense of humor with a thoughtful exploration of late '90s gender politics.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
Few '80s comedies are more iconic or hold up better than Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Matthew Broderick is at his charismatic best as the titular hero, a high schooler who goes to extreme lengths to ensure he and his friends can enjoy a day off from the high school grind. With plenty of fourth wall-bending humor and a top-notch soundtrack, this comedy has rightfully become the anthem for anyone who just wants to take it easy.
Read our Ferris Bueller's Day Off review or watch Ferris Bueller's Day Off on Netflix.
Step Brothers (2008)
Sherlock Holmes aside, the pairing of Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly is usually a recipe for comedy gold. That's certainly the case with Step Brothers, which reunites the duo with writer/director Adam McKay. Ferrell and Reilly play a pair of overly sheltered man-children who find themselves becoming roommates and brothers when their parents (Mary Steenburgen and Richard Jenkins) get hitched. We're not sure that formula would have worked with any two other co-stars, but Ferrell and Reilly somehow manage to keep us invested in the plight of these two developmentally arrested weirdos.
Read our Step Brothers review or watch Step Brothers on Netflix.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is easily one of the silliest, funniest, and most inspired comedies ever made. The British sketch comedy troupe Monty Python took aim at the history of Britain and its most beloved cultural icon, chopped all the limbs off, and made more than a few pointed remarks about just how ridiculous humanity was in the past (and, by extension, just how ridiculous it still is). Graham Chapman stars as Arthur, tasked with locating the Holy Grail, a quest that sends him and his idiot knights on one absurd and unforgettable mission after another, to accomplish tasks like buying shrubberies, ruining arranged weddings and not having sex.
Watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail on Netflix.
The Lobster (2015)
This bizarre comedy from director Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite) stars Colin Farrell as a man who has to find a lifelong mate in 45 days... or he'll be transformed into a lobster. It's not even a unique problem: Everyone in this world has to find a romantic partner or risk being shuffled aside in The Lobster, which is a pretty damning take on a culture that enforces and judges based on unrealistic expectations for our social behavior and lifestyles. The whole movie plays like a Monty Python routine that got way out of hand, and that's the whole point, showing just how absurd our values are once we take them to extremes.
Read our The Lobster review or watch The Lobster on Netflix.
Julie and Julia (2009)
The last film directed by comedy legend Nora Ephron is one of her very best, a light and inspirational story of two women connected by food and not much else. Amy Adams stars as Julie Powell, a young woman who turns her quest to prepare every recipe in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking into a phenomenon, and Meryl Streep as Child, who overcame impressive obstacles on her path to becoming a world famous chef. Both the lead performances in Julie & Julia are wonderful, in a film that will inspire you to try harder and cook your own meals more often.
Read our Julie & Julia review or watch Julie & Julia on Netflix.
Sleeping With Other People (2015)
Leslye Headland's overlooked but brilliantly written romantic comedy Sleeping With Other People stars Jason Sudeikis and Alison Brie as people who decide that their sex drive has gotten them into trouble and decide to be platonic friends, even though they really, really, really want to get into bed together. Sudeikis and Brie have incredible chemistry, and the film's sparkling dialogue is priceless.
Watch Sleeping With Other People on Netflix.
Goon (2011) and Goon: Last of the Enforcers (2016)
Goon is one of the best sports comedies in years, and surprisingly enough so is the sequel. Seann William Scott stars as a hockey player who can't skate, and can't score goals, but can take and dish out a punch better than anyone in the league. When he's not brawling inside the ring, he's figuring out his place in a world where getting hit in the face isn't considered a valuable skill. Everyone in the cast is a delight, but Seann William Scott in particular has never been better. Watch Goon and Goon: Last of the Enforcers on Netflix.
How We Choose the Best Comedy Movies on Netflix
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/02/18/7-great-comedies-that-critics-hated"] Netflix is full of amusing comedies, and we've narrowed down the list by trying to pick a mixture of recent hits like Dolemite Is My Name with classics like Monty Python and the Holy Grail. We also like to have a mix of broad favorites and more relatively esoteric picks like Frances Ha. And, of course, movies that fare well on aggregate sites like Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic are always a plus. The goal is to have a list that can make anyone laugh, regardless of tastes. [widget path="ign/modules/recirc" parameters="title=Best%20of%20Netflix%20Right%20Now&type=articles%2Cvideos&tags=recirc-netflix-genre&count=3&columnCount=3&theme=article"]
Best Comedy Movies on Netflix Right Now (March 2020)
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March 06, 2020
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