This post is updated frequently as movies leave and enter Netflix. *New additions are indicated with an asterisk.
We could all use a laugh these days. As the world continues to depress people, turn to Netflix and find something to escape the news in their ever-rotating comedy section. There are a few originals that won’t be going anywhere, but what about the studio comedies that come and go from the streaming giant? How can you keep track of where to find laughter these days? We’re here to help with this always-updated list of the best comedies on Netflix right now.
21 Jump Street
Year: 2012
Runtime: 1h 49m
Director: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller made their live action directorial debuts with this 2012 buddy comedy that really has no right to be as funny as it is. Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum star in the adaptation of the ‘80s TV series but they turn it into a charming flick about perception, identity, and the best and worst of high school life. Note: The sequel is on Netflix too.
Anyone But You
Year: 2023
Runtime: 1h 43m
Director: Will Gluck
It took two people as undeniably beautiful as Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell to resurrect the rom-com. Loosely based on Much Ado About Nothing, this massive hit made over $200 million worldwide on a budget that was a fraction of that number, reminding Hollywood that people will always want to see charming, gorgeous people hook up on screen.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Year: 2018
Runtime: 2h 13m
Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
The Coen brothers delivered one of their most inventive and enjoyable films in this anthology film that tells a series of stories with a Western theme. Tim Blake Nelson sets the stage beautifully with his opening bit about a singing cowboy, but there are a number of scene-stealers here including Harry Melling, Tom Waits, and Bill Heck. It’s one of the most underrated modern Westerns.
*Barbie
Year: 2023
Runtime: 1h 54m
Director: Greta Gerwig
One of the biggest films of the 2020s has jumped from Max to Netflix in the form of Greta Gerwig’s daring blockbuster, a comedy that works both as a reminder of the power of imagination and the fight for equality. Anyone who thinks this movie is anti-male isn’t paying any attention. The theme of the movie is that no one — not even Barbie OR Ken — should be defined by traditional roles. We should all be free to play however we want. It’s a wonderful film that will truly stand the test of time.
*Between the Temples
Year: 2024
Runtime: 1h 51m
Director: Nathan Silver
This might be the most charming and nuanced 2024 films that you probably haven’t seen. Jason Schwartzman gives one of the best performances of his career as a cantor in a crisis of faith who reunites with an old teacher named Carla (played wonderfully by the legendary Carol Kane) who asks him to help her prepare for a late-in-life bat mitzvah. Clever, moving, and funny, this is a great character study and comedy.
*The Dead Don’t Die
Year: 2019
Runtime: 1h 45m
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Jim Jarmusch horror movies aren’t your typical horror movies. Take this zombie comedy, which stars several Jarmusch regulars like Adam Driver, Bill Murray, and Tilda Swinton. It’s the tale of a zombie infestation in a small town but it’s more of a commentary on how much people aren’t really that far from the walking dead already. Deadpan and clever, it’s like nothing else on this list.
Dumb Money
Year: 2023
Runtime: 1h 45m
Director: Craig Gillespie
Remember the GameStop short of a few years ago, when day traders pumped up the cost of the stock and Wall Street lost its mind? This star-studded ensemble comedy unpacks that insanity with some fun performances from Paul Dano, Pete Davidson, Seth Rogen, Nick Offerman, and many more. It’s an underrated movie, a sharp comedy that reveals how rigged the financial systems in this country truly are.
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
Year: 2020
Runtime: 2h 3m
Director: David Dobkin
Why did it take so long to satirize the wonderful, unapologetic excess of the Eurovision Song Contest? It was worth the wait because one of the funniest movies of 2020 starred Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams as a pair of hapless Icelandic singers who turn the international singing contest upside down. Unapologetically goofy, this movie is a great escape for viewers from any country.
Glass Onion
Year: 2022
Runtime: 2h 19m
Director: Rian Johnson
The writer/director of Knives Out returned in late 2022 with a sequel to that smash hit, exclusively on Netflix. Daniel Craig returns as Benoit Blanc, the casual crime solver who finds himself on a billionaire’s island in this latest comedy/mystery. Once again, Johnson assembles a murderer’s row of talent, including Kate Hudson, Janelle Monae, Ed Norton, Dave Bautista, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., and more. It’s smart, funny, and thoroughly entertaining.
Hit Man
Year: 2024
Runtime: 1h 55m
Director: Richard Linklater
Future superstar Glen Powell co-wrote and stars in this comedic gem that reminds one that movies can still be made for adults. With echoes of noir and the kind of sexy romantic dramedies that don’t get made much anymore, this is the story of an undercover cop named Gary (Powell) who talks a desperate young woman (Adria Arjona) out of having her husband murdered, setting in motion an unpredictable, funny, riveting series of events. This is one of the best films of 2024. (On Netflix June 7th.)
Logan Lucky
Year: 2017
Runtime: 1h 58m
Director: Steven Soderbergh
One of the best American directors came out of his mini-retirement for this 2017 heist film, one of his best late-period efforts. The cast here is ludicrously charismatic, including Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Riley Keough, and Daniel Craig in a film about a family trying to rob the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The Lost City
Year: 2022
Runtime: 1h 52m
Director: Adam Nee, Aaron Nee
With echoes of beloved rom-coms like African Queen and Romancing the Stone, this film truly felt like an anomaly in 2022, and yet it turned into a pretty big hit at the theater. It’s already on streaming services, and it’s a great choice if you’re looking for some escapism tonight. Travel to the middle of nowhere with a romance novel writer (Sandra Bullock) and the cover model (Channing Tatum) who tries to save the day.
*Meet the Parents
Year: 2000
Runtime: 1h 47m
Director: Jay Roach
It’s hard to imagine a studio comedy becoming the phenomenon this did back in 2000 when it was heavily quoted everywhere and made over $300 million worldwide. It was a hit because of the clash of styles between the on-screen personas of Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro as the father-in-law from Hell.
The Mitchells vs. the Machines
Year: 2021
Runtime: 1h 53m
Directors: Mike Rianda and Jeff Rowe
Originally planned for a theatrical release by Sony (with the much-worse title Connected), the studio sold this off to Netflix during the pandemic…and probably regretted that decision. One of the most critically and commercially beloved animated films of 2021, this is an incredibly smart and sweet family vacation movie, a comedy that’s as much about a tender relationship between a father and daughter as it is the fact that they end up having to save the world together.
No Hard Feelings
Year: 2023
Runtime: 1h 43m
Director: Gene Stupnitsky
Jennifer Lawrence is fearless in this raucous comedy about a woman who’s paid by a rich couple to “date” their son. The kind of movie that it feels like the Farrellys would have made 25 years ago, it’s the increasingly rare studio comedy that deserves a bit of attention. Some of it kind of comes apart, but it’s funny enough on a lazy Netflix weekend, and a reminder that Lawrence has killer comic timing.
The Other Guys
Year: 2010
Runtime: 1h 47m
Director: Adam McKay
One of the final films of the McKay/Ferrell partnership is also maybe the most underrated. Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg star in this buddy comedy about the two cops who almost never get to save the day, but they’re forced into action when the legends at the precinct make a fatal mistake. The comedy timing between Wahlberg and Ferrell is some of the best of its era and this movie is much sharper than people remember.
*Rush Hour
Year: 1998
Runtime: 1h 37m
Director: Brett Ratner
Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker found a perfect comedy/action chemistry in three Rush Hour movies that played off their very different styles. Chan’s incredible action skills are balanced perfectly by Tucker’s rapid-fire comedy delivery. The first movie is still the best, but Netflix has all three if you’re in the mood for a marathon.
*Shiva Baby
Year: 2021
Runtime: 1h 17m
Director: Emma Seligman
Rachel Sennott burst onto the comedy scene in this excellent story of a young woman attending a chaotic shiva with her parents, played by Fred Melamed and Polly Draper. As if it wasn’t bad enough that her sugar daddy is at the shiva, the arrival of her ex-girlfriend (Molly Gordon) enhances the anxiety-driven laughs. People are always looking for quick and easy laughs on Netflix, and you can’t do much better than this 77-minute gem.
*The Sting
Year: 1973
Runtime: 2h 9m
Director: George Roy Hill
A rare comedy that critics took to as much as audiences, this was one of the biggest films of the ’70s, making over $250 million on a budget that was a fraction of that and winning SEVEN Oscars, including Best Picture. It turns out that people were ready to see Paul Newman and Robert Redford together again. They truly did have some of the best comedic chemistry in the history of movies.
Will & Harper
Year: 2024
Runtime: 1h 54m
Director: Josh Greenbaum
A huge hit for Netflix already, this comedy/documentary features mega-star Will Ferrell in a very different role, playing himself. Ferrell documents a road trip he spent with his friend Harper Steele over 17 days, as the pair traveled the country to see how Harper’s transition impacted their relationship, and how she’s seen in small-town America. It’s smart, tender, and funny.
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