This list is regularly updated as movies rotate on and off of Prime Video. *New additions are indicated with an asterisk.
Who needs a good laugh? Prime Video has a deep catalog of comedies for every mood from romantic classics to modern blockbusters to the laugh-busters you loved when you were young. However, navigating their interface to find the best comedies can be tough, so we’re here to help Amazon connect with your funny bone with this updated list of the best comedies on Prime Video.
American Fiction
Year: 2023
Runtime: 1h 56m
Director: Cord Jefferson
First-time director Cord Jefferson won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for this 2023 dramedy about pop culture expectations of Black entertainment. The great Jeffrey Wright also landed his first Oscar nod for playing Monk Ellison, a writer who struggles to sell his books until he leans into exaggerated, stereotypical portrayals of Black life. Wright is the fuel to this film’s engine, but Sterling K. Brown is also strong, earning a surprise Oscar nod himself too.
The Big Sick
Year: 2017
Runtime: 2h
Director: Michael Showalter
The wonderful screenwriters Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon basically told their own love story in this sweet and funny rom-com that Amazon picked up after audiences fell for it at Sundance. Nanjiani plays a loose variation on himself, a struggling stand-up who falls for a woman (Zoe Kazan) just before she becomes incredibly ill, forcing their relationship to move at an unusual pace. A smart, sweet, genuinely human film, this is one of the best romantic comedies of the 2010s.
*The Blues Brothers
Year: 1980
Runtime: 2h 12m
Director: John Landis
One of the most beloved comedies of all time, this 1980 musical classic stars John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as Jake and Elwood Blues, characters they developed together on Saturday Night Live. The humor in this John Landis classic has held up, but the music really holds it together, including appearances from James Brown, Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, John Lee Hooker, and Chaka Khan.
Bodied
Year: 2018
Runtime: 2h
Director: Joseph Kahn
Did you know that a legendary music video director made a rocking dramedy about the battle rap scene that was produced by Eminem himself? Probably not given the minimal release of Bodied, but this movie rocks. Calum Worthy plays a grad student who becomes obsessed with the battle rap scene, only to discover that he’s pretty damn good at it himself. This was once a YouTube Red exclusive when that was a thing so it feels like a cult hit waiting for its cult.
Bottoms
Year: 2023
Runtime: 1h 31m
Director: Emma Seligman
The writer/director of Shiva Baby avoided the sophomore slump with a film that feels completely different. Rachel Sennott and Emmy winner Ayo Edebiri star as a pair of high school girls who basically start a fight club to get closer to their crushes. Consistently funny in that surreal dark comedy way that Hollywood stopped doing about a quarter-century ago, it’s a movie that feels destined to be beloved by the generation to whom it’s most directly speaking to.
*Bridesmaids
Year: 2011
Runtime: 2h 5m
Director: Paul Feig
It’s hard to believe that it’s already been over a decade since Bridesmaids shattered all expectations, making a fortune and turning Melissa McCarthy into a household name (especially after she landed an Oscar nomination). Smart and heartfelt, it’s the story of a woman (Kristen Wiig) who struggles in her role as Maid of Honor to a friend played by Rose Byrne. It’s still very, very funny.
*Dope
Year: 2015
Runtime: 1h 42m
Director: Rick Famuyiwa
The writer/director of The Wood has a gift with location and how it influences young lives. Just look at this 2015 Sundance hit starring Shameik Moore, Tony Revolori, and Kiersey Clemons as three average Ingelwood teens who get caught up in a dangerous situation with a drug dealer. It’s a vibrant, smart comedy that captures a modern coming-of-age narrative in a manner that feels genuine and true.
The General
Year: 1926
Runtime: 1h 15m
Directors: Clyde Bruckman and Buster Keaton
Truly classic comedies can be hard to find on streaming services, so take this chance to watch an all-timer, one of the best silent movies ever made. The phenomenally talented Buster Keaton stars and co-directs this action-adventure-comedy that has a little bit of something for everyone, and is really a great introduction to people who may not be familiar with Keaton’s remarkable skills.
Heathers
Year: 1989
Runtime: 1h 43m
Director: Michael Lehmann
Talk about a movie ahead of its time. Coming-of-age teen comedies were never quite as wonderfully cynical before this movie about four teenage girls whose lives are upended by the arrival of a new kid, played by Christian Slater. More than just seeking to destroy the damaging cliques at his new school, Slater’s character has plans for something a little more permanent in this comedy that really shaped the teen genre for years to come.
The Holdovers
Year: 2023
Runtime: 2h 13m
Director: Alexander Payne
Paul Giamatti and Da’Vine Joy Randolph were Oscar-nominated for this phenomenal comedy (and Randolph won!), which was exclusive to Peacock but has now escaped out to Prime Video. The ‘70s-set story of a boarding school over holiday break already feels like a comedy classic, a movie that people will be watching, especially around the end of the year, for generations to come.
*Horrible Bosses
Year: 2011
Runtime: 1h 38m
Director: Seth Gordon
Seth Gordon directed this critical and commercial success from 2011 about three ordinary guys (Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis) dealing with three absolutely horrible bosses (Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston, and Colin Farrell). Deciding they actually need to murder their abusive overlords, Horrible Bosses becomes an exercise in increasing insanity, held together by a fantastic ensemble. (Note: the disappointing sequel is also on Prime Video.)
Hundreds of Beavers
Year: 2024
Runtime: 1h 48m
Director: Mike Cheslik
One of the biggest indie films of the year is also one of the most inspired, a slapstick comedy with almost no dialogue, an ode to the silent classics of the 1920s and 1930s. Self-financed and self-distributed, this labor of love is an unforgettably original piece of filmmaking, unlike anything else you could watch on Prime Video, that’s for sure.
I Love You Phillip Morris
Year: 2011
Runtime: 1h 38m
Director: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Comedies don’t get much darker than this 2009 film about a con artist named Steven Jay Russell, played expertly by Jim Carrey in his last truly interesting performance. While behind bars for one of his many cons, Steven falls in love with Phillip Morris, played by Ewan McGregor. This truly oddball film was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay by the Writers Guild of America.
*Knives Out
Year: 2019
Runtime: 2h 5m
Director: Rian Johnson
Daniel Craig’s mystery/comedy hasn’t been available on streamers other than Netflix (the home of Glass Onion) very often, so check it out! He stars as Detective Benoit Blanc, brought in to investigate the mysterious death of an author played by Christopher Plummer. Jamie Lee Curtis, LaKeith Stanfield, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Ana de Armas, and Chris Evans co-star in one of the most purely enjoyable films of the last decade.
*Liar Liar
Year: 1997
Runtime: 1h 26pm
Director: Tom Shadyac
One of Jim Carrey’s best movies is this 1997 smash-hit comedy about an attorney whose son makes a wish that dad won’t be able to lie for an entire day. As with a lot of Carrey’s ‘90s comedies, it’s not the premise as much as the performer, who throws himself into every awkward situation and every bit of physical comedy with his entire being.
*MacGruber
Year: 2010
Runtime: 1h 30m
Director: Jorma Taccone
Peacock brought MacGruber back for an original comedy series but it didn’t quite make the waves of the original. Catch up with the 2010 cult classic, now on Prime Video after a few years of being M.I.A. on streaming. Will Forte gives his all to this adaptation of his SNL sketch comedy character, a spoof of the ridiculous tone of shows like MacGyver. It’s even funnier than you remember.
My Old Ass
Year: 2024
Runtime: 1h 28m
Director: Megan Park
If there’s any justice, this Sundance darling will make Maisy Stella a star. The delightfully charming actress plays Elliott, a woman at a turning point in her life, about to leave her family home and start out on her own. This naturally chaotic chapter is interrupted by a drug-induced visit from Elliott’s older self, played marvelously by Aubrey Plaza. This one will sneak up on you.
*Prince Avalanche
Year: 2013
Runtime: 1h 33m
Director: David Gordon Green
The great David Gordon Green delivered one of his most light-hearted dramedies in this 2013 Sundance hit based on the 2011 Icelandic film of the same name. Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch play a pair of guys who end up repainting traffic lines on a highway that has been decimated by a wildfire. The dynamic between the two stars carry this funny, bizarre film.
*Some Like It Hot
Year: 1959
Runtime: 1h 56m
Director: Billy Wilder
One of the best comedies ever made. It’s as simple as that. When someone in your life is struggling to watch anything made before 2000, introduce them to this Billy Wilder classic, a movie that is so good that it works as a gateway drug to classic cinema. It may have been made in 1959, but the perfect performances by Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, and Marilyn Monroe, as well as Wilder’s masterful timing, mean that it’s just as funny as it was six decades ago.
*Something Wild
Year: 1986
Runtime: 1h 48m
Director: Jonathan Demme
Jonathan Demme was a master of tonal balancing, finding a way to perfectly blend the comedy and the dread in this story of an average man caught up in a criminal’s web. Charlie (Jeff Daniels) is a milquetoast banker who goes on a wild ride with a girl named Lulu (Melanie Griffith), but everything changes when Lulu’s ex (an unforgettable Ray Liotta) enters the picture.
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