The 25 Best Political Comedies in Movie History

Director Adam McKay’s smash satire delivers a not-so-subtle metaphor about the imminent threat of environmental catastrophe. Standing in for climate change is a looming comet, which promises to destroy the planet and all mankind. Can two astronomers (Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio) penetrate America’s distracted culture and corrupt political landscape before it’s too late?

Comedian turned filmmaker Bobcat Goldthwait serves up this scathing satire about America’s unique brand of cultural stupidity. It finds a terminally-ill man (Joel Murray) and teenage girl (Tara Lynne Barr) taking out the country’s most ignorant offenders, such as reality TV stars and racists.

This political comedy adapts a best-selling book of the same name and stars John Travolta as Bill Clint…ahem…Governor Jack Stanton. In the midst of his presidential campaign, the smooth-talking politician grapples with various personalities and a looming sex scandal.

While flawed in terms of execution, Warren Beatty’s send-up of modern politics feels more prescient now than ever before. He directs and stars as Jay Bulworth, a disillusioned senator who decides to be completely honest with American voters.

This underseen rom-com with satirical elements has no shortage of defenders, making it something of a cult classic. As the unlikely boyfriend to a presidential candidate (Charlize Theron), speechwriter Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogen) is thrust into a world that’s well above his pay grade.

The president’s shrink (James Coburn) is on the run and various entities want to find him in this political satire. Village Voice critic J. Hoberman called it a “reasonably fit and funny artifact from the age of grooviness.”

The feature debut from director Alexander Payne is one of his most biting efforts to date. Laura Dern plays pregnant drug addict Ruth Stoops, who’s used as a political tool by people on both sides of the abortion debate.

From the creators of “South Park” comes this puppet musical satire with a similar sensibility. Follow an elite counter-terrorism unit as they police the world and take down North Korean ruler Kim Jong-il (voiced by Trey Parker).

This Oscar-nominated comedy examines Cold War paranoia through a slapstick lens. When a Russian submarine gets stuck on American soil, the crew members resort to various hijinks to avoid an international incident. Alan Arkin delivers a standout performance as Lieutenant Yuri Rozanov.

This political dramedy stars Robert Redford as Bill McKay, a progressive lawyer who compromises his values while running for Senator. Rife with enduring themes, it won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

Hired by the president in the wake of a sex scandal, two men (Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro) fabricate a war as a diversionary tactic. The film’s title plays upon a long-standing political idiom with origins dating back to 1870. David Mamet co-wrote the screenplay.

Ivan Reitman’s comedy classic tells the story of a regular man (Kevin Kline) who looks exactly like the president. Hired as a double, he soon takes on the role full-time. Its plot bears resemblance to a number of predecessors, including Akira Kurosawa’s historical drama “Kagemusha” and the 1894 novel “The Prisoner of Zenda.”

Before creating the hit TV series “The West Wing,” Aaron Sorkin wrote the screenplay for this high-concept romantic dramedy. It follows a widowed president (Michael Douglas) as he runs for re-election and welcomes a new love interest (Annette Bening) into his life. But will this personal twist compromise his public persona and political pursuits?

Director Tim Robbins plays conservative folk singer and aspiring politician Bob Roberts in this overlooked mockumentary. It expands upon an “Saturday Night Live” sketch and chronicles the devious character as he runs for senator in Pennsylvania. Look for a number of high-profile cameos and guest roles, including Gore Vidal as incumbent Brickley Paiste.

Alexander Payne’s laser-sharp satire functions as both a political microcosm and a bonkers character study. The story takes place in a Nebraska high school and centers around the election for class president. Ambitious student Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) is determined to win at all costs and teacher Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick) is just as determined to stop her.

“Veep” creator Armando Iannucci co-wrote and directed this political black comedy, about the conspicuous power vacuum left behind by Stalin’s death. Senior members of the Council of Ministers scramble to adapt in a manner that’s probably more authentic than one might imagine. “A devastatingly funny dissection of power politics,” wrote critic Sandra Hall for the Sydney Morning Herald.

Director Jason Reitman’s feature debut, drawn from the Christopher Buckley novel of the same name, takes viewers behind the scenes of the Big Tobacco lobby. Aaron Eckhart plays spokesman Nick Naylor, who spins death and other hazards into positive promotion for the cigarette industry.

Spun-off from the BBC series “The Thick of It,” this quick-witted satire explores the fine line between casualness and catastrophe in the modern world. What starts with an off-the-cusp remark escalates into geo-political conflict with possible military repercussions.

This Old Hollywood comedy features the kind of brilliant satire that only a director like Preston Sturges could deliver. It tells the story of Dan McGinty (Brian Donlevy), whose career in crooked politics gets derailed by a moment of honesty.

Based on a one-act play, Billy Wilder’s political comedy takes place during the Cold War in the hotbed of West Berlin. A Coca-Cola executive (James Cagney) agrees to look after his boss’s teen daughter and soon finds himself grappling with her communist ties. The Berlin Wall was erected shortly before the film’s release and it affected audience perceptions of it.

Greta Garbo plays Soviet diplomat Nina Ivanovna “Ninotchka” Yakushova in her first-ever full-fledged comedy. Sent to Paris to oversee the sale of valuable jewels, Yakushova ends up falling for the debonair Count Leon d’Algout (Melvyn Douglas).

Mistaken for a member of the upper class, a slow-witted gardener (Peter Sellers) rises to the top of Washington society in this socio-political satire. Author Jerzy Kosinski adapted his own novel when co-writing the screenplay. It won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Melvyn Douglas.

Satire meets slapstick in this WWII comedy from director Ernst Lubitsch, which takes place in Poland during the Nazi invasion. When an important list gets into the wrong hands, an acting troupe must use their unique skills to save the day. It holds the #229 spot on IMDb’s list of the Top 250 Movies.

Chaplin’s first full-blown talkie film stars the multi-hyphenate as both a Hitler-like dictator and a Jewish barber. It puts a comic spin on the horrors of war and builds toward one of the most famous monologues in movie history.

Kubrick’s pitch black satire was originally conceived as a dramatic adaptation of a 1958 novel about global nuclear destruction. As the screenplay progressed, the director found a nightmarish comedy of errors instead. The rest is cinematic history.