Best Comedy Movies Available to Stream Right Now

From the director of “In Bruges” comes this similarly dark blend of comedy and crime. Frances McDormand plays a grieving mother, who calls out local authorities for failing to catch her daughter’s killer. It’s very loosely inspired by actual events.

When an accident takes Santa Claus out of commission, a divorced salesman (Tim Allen) is tasked with filling St. Nick’s jolly old shoes. The Disney movie made just under $190 million at the worldwide box office and spawned two sequels.

Forced into anger management class, a timid businessman (Adam Sandler) squares off against his ironically contentious instructor (Jack Nicholson). Despite its star power and box office success, the comedy was a critical disappointment.

Two friends (Adam Sandler and Kevin James) pretend to be a gay couple in order to qualify for domestic partner benefits. What could have been a comic exploration of sexual politics resorts to sight gags and stereotypes instead. Devout fans of both leads may still enjoy it.

More than a musical smash hit, this star-studded comedy was a full-blown phenomenon. Loosely based on a non-fiction book, it chronicles the exploits of a competitive a cappella singing group. Two sequels would follow.

Screenwriter Will Reiser channeled his own struggles with cancer for this endearing dramedy. It follows 27-year-old Adam Lerner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) as he likewise deals with a potentially fatal diagnosis. Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Anjelica Huston co-star.

Loan officer Carl Allen (Jim Carrey) embraces the power of positivity by saying “yes” to everything in this somewhat formulaic comedy. As he soon discovers, even positivity has its limits. The story is loosely inspired by a memoir of the same name.

This comedy noir from the Coen Brothers opened to underwhelming box office numbers and mixed reviews. It’s since become the most predominant cult classic of the modern era, complete with an adjoining festival (aka Lebowski Fest). Follow avid bowler The Dude (Jeff Bridges) as he navigates a seedy mystery without losing his cool.

Convinced she can lose a guy in 10 days, advice columnist Andie Anderson (Kate Hudson) puts her experiment to the test. At the same time, business executive Benjamin Berry (Matthew McConaughey) wagers that he can make any woman fall in love with him in just 10 days. We all pretty much know where it goes from here.

Stoners Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) find out that their comic book counterparts — Bluntman and Chronic — are being adapted for the big screen. In search of a payday, they embark on a raucous road trip to Hollywood. This was the fifth entry in Smith’s View Askewniverse, the fictional world in which a number of his stories take place.

While not without its funny moments, this Italian tragicomedy leaves most viewers in tears of sorrow. Roberto Benigni plays a Jewish concentration camp prisoner, who convinces his son that their dire situation is nothing but an elaborate game. It won three Academy Awards, including Best Foreign Film.

The second of three collaborations between Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, this one takes place on the island of Oahu. A commitment-phobic man (Sandler) finds the girl he’s been waiting for (Barrymore), only to discover that she suffers from short-term memory loss and can’t remember their encounters.

Pro quarterback-turned-prisoner Paul “Wrecking” Crewe (Adam Sandler) assembles a football team of fellow inmates in this sports comedy. The action builds toward a high-stakes game against the prison’s sadistic guards, who will do anything to win. Burt Reynolds headlined the gritty 1974 original and appears here in a different role.

This remake of the French comedy “La Cage aux Folles” stars Robin Williams as a Miami nightclub owner and Nathan Lane as his romantic partner. Hoping to fool a stodgy senator (Gene Hackman), the flamboyant couple enact their best impression of heterosexual men. Mike Nichols directs.

Grandma Madea goes to jail in this Tyler Perry comedy, the fourth to feature its title character (played by Perry). While behind bars, she takes a young prostitute under her wing. Largely negative reviews didn’t stop the movie from domestically earning the biggest opening weekend haul since “Twilight” from the year before.

A remake of the John Waters cult classic, this musical comedy takes place in Baltimore circa 1962. After landing a spot on a local TV dance show, overnight celebrity Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) helps upend racial barriers. John Travolta, Queen Latifah, Christopher Walken, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Zac Efron are but a handful of the movie’s many stars.

All the major players return for the second installment of this comedy franchise, which sends Jim (Jason Biggs) and his friends to college. Adopting a familiar template, the story layers coming-of-age themes within a ceaseless barrage of crude sex jokes.

Adapted from a novel of the same name, this seminal comedy helped usher in the New Hollywood era. Dustin Hoffman plays disaffected college graduate Ben Braddock, who gets seduced by a married older woman (Anne Bancroft). Here’s to you, Mrs. Robinson.

Frequent collaborators Will Ferrell and Adam McKay co-created this blockbuster comedy, in which Ferrell plays NASCAR driver Ricky Bobby. Writing for Time Out, critic Peter Watts described it as “broad but not crude, dumb but not witless, clever but still snot-spittingly funny. Stupidly brilliant, in other words.”

Slapstick by design and yet surprisingly charming, this sports comedy centers on the tournament ambitions of an untrained dodgeball team. Should the team fail, coach Peter LaFleur (Vince Vaughn) will lose his gym to cocky competitor White Goodman (Ben Stiller). It made over $168 million at the worldwide box office on a reported budget of just $20 million.

Slackers Dante (Brian O’Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson) land jobs at a fast food restaurant in this raunchy sequel. Once again, director Kevin Smith strikes a deft balance between crude humor and emotional insight. A third installment is slated to arrive in 2022.

Playing a nostalgic screenwriter (and Woody Allen stand-in), Owen Wilson journeys back to 1920s Paris and carouses with artistic legends. Unadjusted for inflation, this remains Allen’s highest-grossing film to date. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

Adam Sandler wrangled in a slew of famous cohorts for this lowbrow comedy flick, which doubles as a gigantic hangout session. It portrays a group of former high school friends, who reunite as adults for a jam-packed weekend.

HBO’s iconic series about modern romance leapt onto the big screen and earned over $418 million at the global box office. New York writer and socialite Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) is getting ready to tie the knot when complications arise. What the heck does she see in Mr. Big (Chris Noth) anyway?

Putting a comedic twist on classic Hitchcock, this hilarious comedy follows three friends through a half-baked murder scheme. Top-notch performances and seamless pacing make it a compulsively rewatchable experience.

Assuming the guise of a Kazakh TV host, Sacha Baron Cohen skewers various cornerstones of American culture in this documentary-style prankfest. It quickly captured the zeitgeist and became one of the most quotable films of the modern era. Very nice!

A fraternity moves in next door to a married couple (Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne), paving the way for an epic battle of wits and mayhem. The jokes fly as fast as the pranks, and every performer brings their comedic “A” game to the table.

Based on a best-selling novel, this hit dramedy follows a college graduate (Anne Hathaway) into the crazy world of high fashion. Meryl Streep earned an Oscar nomination for her performance as Miranda Priestly, the devilish editor-in-chief at Runway magazine. Her character was reportedly inspired by real-life icon Anna Wintour.

Executive produced by Steven Spielberg, this classic horror comedy introduces viewers to a cuddly mogwai named Gizmo. The otherworldly pet remains as cute as a button on the condition that his owner (Zach Galligan) follows three cardinal rules. Guess what happens?

New Yorker Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) travels to Singapore to meet her boyfriend’s crazy rich family in this box office smash. It’s based on a novel of the same name, which was the first in a three-part series. A film sequel has been in development for years.

The surprise hit that few saw coming, this indie dramedy follows a quirky family from New Mexico as it travels to California via VW bus. Their destination is the “Little Miss Sunshine” beauty pageant, where young Olive Hoover (Abigail Breslin) plans to knock the judges’ socks off. “A scrappy human comedy that takes an honest path to laughs and is twice as funny and touching for it,” wrote Peter Travers for Rolling Stone.

Kristen Wiig co-wrote and stars in this Judd Apatow production, which sends a woman’s life off the rails before her best friend’s wedding. In addition to a boatload of hilarious scenes, it features breakthrough performances from the likes of Melissa McCarthy and Rebel Wilson.

Everyone deserves a shot at love — even misanthropic author Melvin Udall (Jack Nicholson) — in this romantic dramedy. Director James L. Brooks brings his typical flair for three-dimensional characters, sharp dialogue, and emotional themes. The film won two Academy Awards.

The feature debut from directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly cemented Jim Carrey’s status as a comedy legend. It trails two brainless best friends (Carrey and Jeff Daniels) out to Colorado, where they unwittingly embroil themselves in a kidnapping plot. To this day, there’s still nothing quite like it.

Filmmaker Mel Brooks reinterprets a monster classic as only he can in this black-and-white horror comedy. Upon his arrival in Transylvania, Dr. Frankenstein’s grandson (Gene Wilder) reanimates the dead to riotous results.

The Judd Apatow era of comedy kicked off with this modern-day classic, in which a 40-year-old virgin (Steve Carrell) finally comes of age. It stars a bounty of comedic talent in supporting roles, including Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Kevin Hart, Jonah Hill, Jane Lynch, Mindy Kaling, and Paul Rudd.

Greg Myron Focker (Ben Stiller) meets the father-in-law from hell (Robert De Niro) in this comedy classic. It made over $330 million at the worldwide box office and cranked serious laughs out of De Niro’s generally stiff persona. Two sequels followed.

The godfather of college fraternity movies delivers just under two hours of offensive behaviour and adolescent delinquency. Meet the mischievous members of Delta Tau Chi, bane of Dean Wormer’s existence.

This legendary high school comedy traverses the course of a single day, following two best friends (Jonah Hill and Michael Cera) as they try to score alcohol. Come for the endlessly quotable dialogue and relatable themes, stay for McLovin.

Director Rian Johnson shook off the Star Wars franchise by returning to his mystery roots. The blockbuster result infuses a classic whodunnit template with modern characters and occasional comic relief. Netflix doled out approximately $450 million for two upcoming sequels.

A worldly Black man (Cleavon Little) is appointed sheriff over a small racist town in this Mel Brooks satire. Beneath its veneer of fart jokes and offensive humor is a clever takedown of both American history and the Western genre. It’s one of the highest-grossing movies of all time when adjusted for inflation.

Jim Carrey plays TV reporter and lowly human Bruce Nolan, who’s granted almighty powers by God himself (Morgan Freeman). Delighted at first, Nolan soon discovers that running the world can be quite burdensome. Jennifer Aniston co-stars.

This comedy hit stars Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn as a pair of best friends, who crash weddings to support their womanizing ways. When love enters the picture, the story introduces coming-of-age themes without losing its raunchy edge.

Fully loaded with irreverent humor, Seth MacFarlane’s feature debut is everything that fans of “Family Guy” might hope for. He provides the voice of the title character, a talking teddy bear with a crude disposition. Co-star Mark Wahlberg demonstrates considerable comedic chops of his own.

In order to see his kids, a recently divorced father (Robin Williams) assumes the identity of an elderly British housekeeper. Had such a premise played out in real life, it would be downright scandalous. As a movie, it’s hilarious.

It’s a clash of the in-laws in this blockbuster sequel, which runs over similar ground as its popular predecessor. Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand enter the fold as Greg’s way-too-easy-going parents. “Smutty, silly and liable to make you smirk despite yourself,” wrote Amy Simmons for Time Out.

The wolf pack returns for another bachelor party — this time in Thailand — once again waking up with no memory of the night before. Tethered to formula perhaps, but it’s still better than the franchise’s disastrous third installment.

This black-and-white indie comedy spends a day in the life of two foulmouthed store clerks. Director Kevin Smith was working at the very same convenience store where the movie was filmed, shooting during off-hours. The View Askewniverse was thus born.

Left behind during the holidays, 8-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) must protect his home from two bungling burglars (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern). So goes this beloved blockbuster, which may have very well spawned helicopter parenting. An upcoming sixth instalment called “Home Sweet Home Alone” is scheduled to arrive in November.

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but that’s only because three friends can’t remember anything from the previous night. The comedy smash made just under $470 million at the worldwide box office and turned both Bradley Cooper and Zach Galifianakis into megastars.