Comedy movies send us on a laugh riot. A few cult classics and mixed comedy genres are a good weekend watch.
Binging on comedy movies keeps you in good spirits. From Adam Sandler’s and Will Ferrell’s goofy slapstick comedy to Jim Carrey’s 90’s cult classics, HBO MAX has a list to make you laugh. Comedy comes with subgenres of fish out of the water, absurd comedy, satire, black humor, etc.
HBO MAX streams one of the best comedy movies, and its subgenre makes the movie-watching experience enjoyable. You have a lot to choose from, whether it is the 60’s style of comedy, urban satire, or more.
Bill And Ted’s Excellent Adventure
Bill(Alex Winter) and Ted(Keanu Reeves) are dimwit teenagers who want to start a rock and roll band. Their parents have different dreams for them. Ted’s father is about to send him to military school. They are about to flunk and have to create a report on history to pass their high school.
Bill and Ted are unaware that the history report they are about to create will save humankind. Rufus, from the future, arrives at their home with a time machine telephone booth. The telephone booth allows them to reach any era and meet real historical characters.
A utopian society wants to save humanity on Earth somewhere in the future, so they send Rufus. They meet and converse with popular historical characters like Napoleon Bonapart and Socrates and meet two princesses from the British Kingdom with whom they fall in love.
The movie has a lot of hilarious moments when they bring real characters of history to the current era to do their homework. In the present era, historical figures are already causing a lot of trouble and need to be in tune with the current times.
With barely enough time left, they use real historical figures from the past era and are lauded for their presentation. The movie has the charm of the 90’s comedy and hilarious moments that give the script a unique treatment.
Blazing Saddles
Mel Brook’s movies are a mix of silliness, bawdy humor, and satire. The western comedy movie is made in the typical style of Mel Brooks, who usually also features in the movies he produces. Known to be one of the best western movies, it is a parody of western movies.
Hedy Lamarr is a corrupt politician who wants everyone out of the town because he wants to build a railroad. He assigns a sheriff, who is a reformed alcoholic who supports the townspeople and rebels against his plans.
The movie is a laugh riot like most of his movies, from the beginning to end with slow moments. Mel Brooks has a knack for making risque humor enjoyable.
The Brady Bunch Movie
The Brady family consists of Mike, Carol, and their six kids, who are saving their home from turning into a shopping mall. They are the only family in the neighborhood who disagree with selling their home to a real estate investor who plans to build a shopping mall.
The movie has the visuals of the 70s with polka dots and a pastel color scheme. A goofy, gruff, and cynic put together, the Brady family has their spate of differences but are still together to save their home.
It has the appeal of a sitcom and funny tidbits. The hostility the Brady family unleashes occasionally comes with a comic sense. The family is unaware that they are driving people around them mad.
You can relate most of the plot to Little Miss Sunshine with blind optimism and sketchy values. It has the naivety of the 70s with a garnish of modernism. You will watch it if you want to binge on the 70’s comic treatment and family diorama.
Caddyshack
Many movies from the ’80s and ’90s have charming humor and comic sense. They are goofy yet laudable. A sports comedy about golfers racing against each other. The movie has a lot of subplots and material that is slapstick bordering on vulgarity. Still, Bill Murry brings in a certain amount of craziness which is amusing to watch.
The one-liners and insults of one of the golfers and the madness of the golfers’ war against each other are interesting to watch. Not a typical comedy movie; it has flavors of different genres of comedy. Every character is different from the other and adds to the comic timing.
Every golfer has their own set of goals, and game plan, which do not coincide. There are no similarities and freedom to choose the characterization without following the standard rules. So the plot wanders in diverse directions yet has many comic moments.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
An American comedy from the 80s starring Steve Martin and Micheal Caine, who enjoy conning and live with a celebrated sense of greed. They enjoy seducing rich, unsuspecting women who come to spend time in Beaumont-Sur-Mer in South France.
The two are so contrived and set in immoral ways that they feel puzzled about normal human sentiments and emotions. Polished and corrupt, they glorify their achievements of conning people. Their grandeur is soiled when you see their grim souls who derive pleasure from nasty deeds.
Caine plays the smooth criminal, a playboy who has mastered the art of seduction and turned it into a lucrative business.
Jamison offers the want of exotic adventure to women to con them. He often plays the victim to get the attention of the ladies.
When they hit millions in their conning game, the nuances of their mannerisms and attitude bring the comic sense.
These two caricatures are sketched in the dapper naivety and to their perfection. The plot has a lot of twists that keep you guessing and replaying moments in your head.
Get Shorty
Chilli Parmer(John Travolta) is a stylish mob who likes getting into the film business. He has the gift of the gab and knows how to hoard a large amount of cash. Chilli lands in the showbiz business only to understand it is run like a mob.
The plot is brilliant; the dialogues are snappy and sarcastic. Harry Zimm(Gene Hackman) is
hilarious. Chilli befriends a hot actress and many colorful characters and realizes the sketchy side of showbiz is no different from his line of work.
One of the best Hollywood crime comedies ever made. One of John Travolta’s finest performances is playing the bad guy in the movies with a lot of finesse.
The characterization is exciting, and the plot explores the crime comedy aspects to its fullest.
Dumb And Dumber
A buddy comedy film from the ’90s starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. Llyod(Jim Carrey) and Harry(Jeff) are two dumb wits and friends who take a road trip to return the briefcase full of money that was actually left as a ransom.
The movie has typical goofy moments, which is the style of Jim Carrey with silliness and comedy of manners. It is one of the best comedies of the 90s, depicting endearing goofy mannerisms, which are the hallmark of the movie.
Jim Carrey uses a distinct style of comedy that is uncanny and a trademark of his comic style. Harry and Llyod are roommates living in Rhode Island. Llyod is a limousine driver, and Harry runs a dog grooming service.
They seem to have a simple plan to find the woman who left the briefcase and return it to her. But their plans take tragic, comic twists, which give us many moments to laugh.
They also have to deal with gangsters and do many lame things. The movie has a lot of gags and silliness that make you chuckle.
The Hangover
A bro comedy with risque humor starring Ed Helms, Bradley Cooper, and Zack Galifianakis. Doug(Justin Bartha) decides to have a bachelor party two days before his wedding. He invites his friends Phil(Bradley), Stu(Ed), and the brother of his fiance Alan(Zack).
Alan is a child-man who lives with his parents at the age of 40 and gets invited reluctantly to their bachelor party in Las Vegas. Alan creates all the trouble, which also introduces them to Mike Tyson because they accidentally steal his pet tiger.
An original plot where everything goes wrong and makes you laugh. The chaos makes Stu realize he has a dark side and a missing tooth. Doug is missing and finally found lying in zonked-out condition on the terrace.
They are all in a drunken state and have to trace what happened the night before to trace Doug. The character of Alan adds a quirky twist to the plot. Every character has a distinct personality, but they stand by each other through good and bad times. The movie celebrates friendship and debauchery.
Horrible Bosses
Kevin Spacey plays the sadistic boss Dave Harken whom his employees Nick and Dale despise. The movie hilariously depicts the male and horrible female bosses. Dale is a dental assistant working for Dr.Julia Harris(Jennifer Aniston), who sexually exploits Dale.
It is funny and crude content but goes in line with the plot. The situations depicted are what most of us relate to dealing with bad bosses.
The employees decide to kill their bosses and contact a drug dealer to fulfill the task, but all goes wrong because they have experience in hiring the right kind of bad guy to kill their bosses.
Nick and Dale are tortured by their boss Dave who toys with them at every given opportunity. Colin Ferrell plays the third boss who lacks the responsibility of running a firm and is disregarded by his top employee Kurt. Nick, Dale, and Kurt together decide to kill their bosses, and their plan to hire a hitman goes awry.
I Used To Go There
Kate Conklin(Gillian Jacobs) is in her mid-thirties and wants to live the life of a tween because it is less complicated and messy than adult life. Kate is in the middle of a crisis when her engagement and her published novel are canceled.
After 15 years of graduation, she is invited to speak at her alma mater and relives her fond memories. She is happy to know a few things she did as a collegiate still remain the same, such as naming her room ‘The Writer’s Retreat’ still hasn’t changed.
She stays in the former room where she had stayed during her graduation and has a good time dealing with people half her age. When she heads back home, everything falls right back into place.
Kate relives her college life, witnessing hookups, romances, and the teen life of the students at the university.
A Mighty Wind
An American mockumentary about three musical folk music groups arranging reunion concerts to mark the death of their music producer Irvin. Three groups perform folk songs in distinct styles and are a mixed bag of performers.
While a few are happy reuniting, the others have dramatic and emotional breakdowns and are working together to put up a concert. Mitch and Mike are the third groups with the most dramatic story to present at the concert and a rather painful one.
The ensemble cast has a lot of characters which adds color to the comic satire of the mockumentary. The movie is hilarious when you hear the observations of the characters. One of the well-made music comedies with smartly written characterization.
National Lampoon’s Vacation
Clark Griswold wants to have a relaxing time going on a road trip with his family. It goes awry because they have to deal with numerous mishaps, finally landing in their destination amusement park in California.
After dealing with various challenging situations, Clark and his family have lost the zeal to enjoy the reason they are at the amusement park. National Lampoon is a film series of road trip comedy. One of the best road trip comedy series with memorable moments that bring laughter and tears.
The Personal History Of David Copperfield
A new take on Charles Dickens’ most adorable character David Copperfield. David lives with his widowed mother and is sent to London after his mother marries a cruel man. As a teenager, he works in a grim factory and falls in love with a lawyer’s daughter.
He toils and tells his story through plays. The movie has many comic moments and is sewn in a plot that makes you sail through the entire movie gleefully. Dev Patel plays David Copperfield and waltz through the character smoothly.
The period comedy-drama takes you away from the Victorian setup into a modern world and is a dulcet visual treat. The movie depicts the journey of David Copperfield from boy to man. Going through myriad experiences of happiness, joy, toying labor, and mishaps, he turns into a fine man authoring a successful book. A delightful movie to watch if you love period dramas with a newer treatment.
Pitch Perfect
Beca Mitchell(Anna Kendrick) plays the rebellious, introverted music mixer who takes an internship at a Barden University radio station at her father’s insistence. She meets a capella group of girls who have lost their chance to make it to the finals the previous years because one of their members puked on the stage.
Beca reluctantly joins the Capella group, and they get second place and compete in the semi-finals. Better than most sing-and-dance genre-based movies. It has funny moments and an enjoyable plot about rival a capella teenage groups.
Not a typical teenage movie, but it has coming-of-age moments and clashes of personalities. The mindset of teenagers participating in competitions is purely depicted. Anna Kendrick is adorable and quirky as Beca.
This Is 40
A romantic comedy starring Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann. A sequel to Knocked up, Pete(Rudd) and Debbie(Leslie) play the married couple dealing with their stressful relationship as they turn 40. Debbie runs a boutique and Pete owns a record label.
Paul is struggling with finances, and they have two daughters. Trouble starts on Debbie’s 40th birthday. When Pete tells her, he has to take viagra, it spoils their night. This stress and dealing with their daughters make their marriage difficult to deal with.
They try to make a second comeback and be honest with each other, but it becomes problematic again. Sometimes honesty leads to more problems than love and romance. The movie has many comic moments of dilemmas and confusion.
It’s Pete’s 40th again, and a huge fight is again. Pete comes to know Debbie is pregnant and he is taking a ride down the street.
The Wedding Singer
A romantic comedy from the 90s starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. Robbie Hart(Adam) works as a wedding singer, but his fiance Linda leaves him high and dry at the altar and dumps him. Meanwhile, he agrees to sing at the wedding of a waitress, Julia(Drew), and falls in love with her.
He comes to know from Julia’s cousin that she is marrying for money and still can’t stop loving her. In all the chaos and emotional turmoil Robbie, Julia, and her fiance go through, Julia falls in love with Robbie. Linda returns to wanting to marry Robbie, but he disagrees. Finally, Julia and Robbie are married.
The movie has sweet, funny moments with a dash of goofy, slapstick comedy. Robbie is the sweet and timid boyfriend who takes the courage to stand on his decision to be with the woman he really loves.
Withnail and I
The movie is a British comedy from the 80s about two actors who share a flat. When they decide to visit a country home belonging to Withnail’s uncle, everything goes differently than it seems, as there is a problem adjusting to the country’s lifestyle.
The character ‘I’ is that of Marwood, who is their roommate of Withnail. The plan of the two struggling actors fails as they decide to spend a day in the countryside at the house of Monty, Withnail’s uncle. They realize the cottage where they stay is in a poor state, and Marwood is seemingly anxious.
A typical British comedy with dialogues that make you chuckle. Both the characters share misery and delusion together. The plot shows intelligent wit for the character of a flamboyant alcoholic stricken with poverty.
Hot Tub Time Machine
A sci-fi comedy starring John Cusack as one of the main leads. The movie has a lot of characters. Adam Yates(John) has a terrible time as his girlfriend dumps him, his friends are not in touch with him, and his nephew is usually busy playing with the computer.
Adam’s friends Nick and Lou are in a miserable state, and the three decide to go to a ski resort, the same place they visit every summer as teens. They find the entire place has changed and is not what it used to look like.
They have an energy drink, and soon they realize they have traveled back to the 80s and are their younger selves. They have to relive situations that have occurred in life and realize the energy drink is the reason they have traveled back in time.
A boy’s farcical comedy with funny tidbits. Cusack has co-produced the movie and it does not disappoint being made on an economical budget. A good attempt at time travel comedy with a simple plot.
Limbo
A drama comedy with bittersweet moments about a group of refugees struggling to live on a Scottish island. A 2020 British comedy where the refugees are taking cultural awareness classes and learning to survive.
The movie depicts the comic side of the refugee crisis with insights that are acceptable. It also shows the helplessness in the state of Limbo, with the refugees awaiting their asylum claims. Omar is a musician, one of the refugees, adding color to the otherwise alienated and isolated visuals.
Made with the element of absurdist humor, the film has some hilarious moments. The character of every refugee has a personality and fits well in the plot. Limbo is not your run-of-the-mill humor and is set with a pace.
Best In Show
A 2000 mockumentary American comedy about the dog show and the contestants. Five dog owners travel to attend a dog show contest in Philadelphia. A satirical comedy that has many funny moments. Buck is the commentator of the show and is chatty and misinformed. The other dog owners are couples except for one dog owner who has a bloodhound and is single.
A delightful movie for dog lovers. The tension, confusion, anxiety, and everything that blends with the dog owner’s personality brings hilarity. Did you know? All the dog owners had to be professionally trained to handle the dogs.
The movie comes with funny moments and a lot of trivia that is amusing to read about. One of the best mockumentary films made on a shoestring budget and 60 hours of footage which makes up most part of the film.
Father Of The Bride
A 2022 romantic comedy based on the 1949 novel of the same name. A remake of the original movie of the same name with a cultural twist. Andy Gracia plays the charming father of the bride. Billy(Andy) is a Cuban exile, and his hardboiled success as an architect is etched in his personality.
Billy’s wife Ingrid(Gloria Estefan), is soft-natured and empathetic and decides to call off their marriage. Their daughter is about to get married, and they decide to keep their decision under wraps, so it does not interfere with their daughter’s marriage.
Billy’s stubborn, uncompromising, and traditional attitude and a total contrast to his son-in-law’s wealthy father, who comes to attend the wedding. The movie has a typical juggling between tradition and modern values. It reminds you of the Meet The Parents characters in subtlety.
You would still find Steve Martin’s version memorable and endearing. The humor sometimes gets monotonous but is nevertheless a fresh take on its predecessors. It shows the run-of-the-mill fuss about an ignored wife and Billy’s angst with money.
Free Guy
A 2021 American action comedy starring Ryan Renolds plays the guy. The guy is a bank teller and later realizes he is a part of a brutal video game and he must work his way to save the world. Free City is a multiplayer video game with real-time characters. Numerous non-player characters like Guy are unaware they are a part of the video game.
Guy meets a mysterious woman, and it inspires him with a heroic feeling that lets him rise above the mundane life he has been living. He decides to help the mysterious woman he has fallen in love with in every way he can.
It makes you intrigued, knowing what’s next in the plot, with a few laughs coming as it has gags. The plot does not allow you to be emotionally invested, as there is more vulnerability than magic happening in the relationship and everything around him.
Adventureland
An American comedy-drama starring Jessie Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart. James(Jessie) plans to travel to Europe and take up journalism but has to stay back and take a summer job due to a lack of money. He starts working at a local amusement park, Adventureland.
A romantic comedy about a love triangle between James, Mike, and Em. Em and James find they have similar taste when they meet at a party and hit it off. James has a few embarrassing moments when he gets interested in Em.
His lack of experience with girls leads to a lot of awkward moments leading to ridicule. Finally, Em and James are together when she realizes she has real feelings for him and ends her relationship with Mike. He has already saved money to chase Em to New York and be with her.
We’re The Millers
A crime comedy starring Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis, and Emma Watson. David(Jason) is a drug dealer who forms the miller family to escape getting caught. Rosey(Jennifer) is a stripper hired by David in his game plan and poses as the mother of the kids hired by him. David has a clientele to sell pot and is keeping a low profile.
He tries to help some teens to stay in the good books, but they steal his stash leaving him in debt. They hatch a plan and hope onto the RV together, driving down South to avoid being hassled for debts and revealing their identity.
The worst happens on the road trip adding to the tragic humor. A non sequitur comedy with absurdist situations that make you smirk. It may seem like wannabe black humor, but the snarky-one-liners and the plot are good enough to let you sit through the movie.