Summary
- The funniest movies on Netflix include Blazing Saddles (1974) staring Gene Wilder and Cleavon Little as lawmen keeping the peace in the Wild West, as well as modern hits like Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020), the hilarious comedy with Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams.
- From classics of the 1970s and 1980s to movies released as recently as 2023, there's an incredibly wide range of movies among the funniest on Netflix.
- Netflix offers multiple sub-genres of comedy, with highlights including everything from the best rom-coms to absurd time-travel comedies and satires.
Netflix's best comedy movies collect together some of the most hilarious films of all time and some truly laugh-out-loud originals exclusive to the platform. Netflix is one of the most prominent global streaming platforms, a status it acquired in part thanks to the wide selection of comedy movies available in the ever-expanding library. Comedies on Netflix include big-budget original content and Hollywood blockbusters new and old, meaning there's plenty available for subscribers seeking sidesplitting viewing experiences.
The best comedy movies on Netflix include films that are filled with ridiculous premises, entertaining characters, and laughs all the way through, and include some of the best movies ever made. Whether it's huge and hilarious box office hits featuring A-list comedic talent, underrated gems, or Oscar-winners, the funniest comedy movies on Netflix are an almost-unrivaled selection of laugh-a-minute films guaranteed to satisfy almost every subscriber.
For more movie recommendations, check out our lists of the best TV shows on Netflix, the best movies on Netflix, and the best TV shows of all time.
25 Best Romantic Comedy Movies On Netflix
From musical mysteries to whimsical adventures, Netflix is hardly in short supply of romantic comedies - and these are easily their best.30 Twins (1988)
Arnold Schwarzenegger & Danny DeVito Star As Twin Brothers
Twins
- Director
- Ivan Reitman
- Release Date
- December 9, 1988
- Studio(s)
- Universal Pictures
- Distributor(s)
- Universal Pictures
- Writers
- William Davies , Herschel Weingrod , William Osborne , Timothy Harris
- Cast
- Danny DeVito , Chloe Webb , Arnold Schwarzenegger , Kelly Preston , Bonnie Bartlett
In the 1980s, there wasn't a bigger action movie star on the planet than Arnold Schwarzenegger. As a result, studios wanted to find any way to use him that they could, and this led to a series of comedies with the action star mostly playing the straight man while crazed action took place around him. In Twins, it was a little different. Here, Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito play twins, genetically inseminated into their mother using the sperm of six fathers.
The movie sees the two twins learn of each other's existence after their 35th birthday, and they set out to find their birth mother, who does not know she has twins and has been told the one baby she did give birth to had died. However, their journey to find her leads to danger as one of them owes a lot of money to loan sharks and this leads them to have to fight for their lives.
29 The Disaster Artist (2017)
James Franco Recreates The Making Of The Room
The Disaster Artist
- Director
- James Franco
- Release Date
- December 8, 2017
- Studio(s)
- A24
- Distributor(s)
- A24 , Warner Bros. Pictures
- Writers
- Scott Neustadter , Michael H. Weber
- Cast
- Dave Franco , Dylan Minnette , James Franco , Sharon Stone , June Diane Raphael , Alison Brie , Seth Rogen , Zac Efron , Josh Hutcherson , Zooey Deutch
The Disaster Artist stands out among comedy movies on Netflix because it is also a biopic of one of the worst movies ever made. James Franco directs the movie and also stars as Tommy Wiseau, the man who, in 2003, directed and starred in the movie The Room. That movie falls on most lists as the worst movie ever made, becoming so notorious that Fracno and the creative team behind The Disaster Artist couldn't resist turning its bizarre behind-the-scenes story into a movie of its own.
Franco recreates many moments and scenes from The Room and the videos of the making of that movie with great love and attention, and his performance as Tommy Wiseau is both hilarious and scarily accurate.
Franco does a perfect imitation of Wiseau.
It seems the joke through all the years has been at Tommy Wiseau's expense. Franco does a perfect imitation of Wiseau and makes himself the brunt of the jokes in the biopic, but it is also a movie with great heart and shows Tommy as someone who just wants to achieve his dream of making a movie. The Disaster Artist was a critical success, earning nominations at the Golden Globes, Oscars, and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
28 Long Shot (2019)
A Political Rom-Com Starring Seth Rogen & Charlize Theron
Long Shot (2017)
- Director
- Jonathan Levine
- Release Date
- May 3, 2019
- Writers
- Dan Sterling , Liz Hannah
- Cast
- Seth Rogen , James Saito , Charlize Theron , Alexander Skarsgard , June Diane Raphael , O'Shea Jackson Jr. , Gabrielle Graham , Andy Serkis , Ravi Patel , Randall Park
Long Shot is a romantic comedy starring the unlikely duo of Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen. Theron stars as U.S. Secretary of State Charlotte Field, a politician who decides she wants to run for U.S. President. Rogen stars as journalist Fred Flarsky, a man whom Charlotte babysat when he was a child. Charlotte hires Fred to be her speechwriter, and the two begin to develop a relationship, one that could destroy her political aspirations.
The movie premiered at South by Southwest and was released in theaters in 2019. Unfortunately, it was a box office disappointment, releasing just one week after Avengers: Endgame. However, it has an 81% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising its humor.
27 Something's Gotta Give (2003)
Jack Nicholson & Diane Keaton In A Mature Rom-Com
Something's Gotta Give
- Director
- Nancy Meyers
- Release Date
- December 12, 2003
- Cast
- Jack Nicholson , Diane Keaton , Keanu Reeves , Frances McDormand , Amanda Peet , Jon Favreau
Something's Gotta Give is a very unusual romantic comedy that breaks the mold by showcasing new love later in life, with hilarious and often heartwarming results. The stars of Something's Gotta Give are Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton. Nicholson is Harry, a 63-year-old wealthy playboy who only dates women under 30. However, when he meets his new girlfriend's mother (Keaton, 56), he might have not only found his true love, but it takes a lot for him to finally put his playboy life behind him.
The comedy movie on Netflix not only has great actors in the lead roles, but the director is a master of the rom-com in Nancy Meyers (What Women Want, The Holiday). Keaton earned an Oscar nomination and won the Golden Globe for her performance.
26 The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs (2018)
The Coen Brothers Bring Dark Comedy To The Wild West
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
- Director
- Joel Coen , Ethan Coen
- Release Date
- November 16, 2018
- Studio(s)
- Netflix
- Distributor(s)
- Netflix
- Writers
- Ethan Coen , Joel Coen
- Cast
- Tyne Daly , Liam Neeson , Tim Blake Nelson , Tom Waits , James Franco , Zoe Kazan
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is not only one of the best comedy movies on Netflix, but also an incredibly solid modern western. The anthology movie includes several stories, each with a different look and feel, but all set in the Wild West. Tim Blake Nelson stars as Buster Scruggs in the opening act, as a singing cowboy who leaves dead bodies in his wake. Each of the parts of the movie, directed and written by the Coen Brothers, contains their brand of dark humor and the movie earned them an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.
25 Fletch (1985)
Chevy Chase As The Bumbling Detective
Chevy Chase has some true comedy classics in his filmography from the 1980s, and one of the funniest is Fletch. In this movie, Chase stars as Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher, an undercover reporter who is investigating drug trafficking before meeting a man named Stanwyk, who pays Fletch to kill him and stage it as a burglary. As a result, Fletch starts investigating him. What makes the movie so funny is the characters that Fletch impersonates in his undercover work, each more ridiculous than the last.
The movie was a huge success, making $59 million on an $8 million budget (via Box Office Mojo) and receiving mostly positive reviews. It also spawned a sequel in 1989 and a reboot in 2022 with Jon Hamm in the Fletch role.
24 Meet The Parents (2000)
Robert De Niro & Ben Stiller In An Odd Couple Comedy
Meet the Parents
- Director
- Jay Roach
- Release Date
- October 6, 2000
- Studio(s)
- Universal Pictures
- Distributor(s)
- Universal Pictures , DreamWorks Distribution
- Writers
- Jim Herzfeld , John Hamburg
- Cast
- Robert De Niro , Blythe Danner , Owen Wilson , Teri Polo , Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller found his most successful franchise in 2000 with the romantic comedy Meet the Parents. It was also one of the rare successful comedy movies that saw Robert De Niro in a leading role. Stiller plays Greg Focker, a nurse who goes to meet his girlfriend's parents with the intent of proposing. However, when he meets her dad, Jack, he learns he is a former CIA operative who doesn't like or trust Greg and puts the man through hell to win his daughter's hand in marriage.
The movie was a monster success, making over $330 million worldwide on a $55 million budget. It also spawned a sequel, with two more movies coming in 2004 and 2010. It also earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song and De Niro picked up a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor.
23 Kindergarten Cop (1990)
Arnold Schwarzenegger Goes Undercover As A Kindergarten Teacher
Kindergarten Cop
- Director
- Ivan Reitman
- Release Date
- December 21, 1990
- Studio(s)
- Paramount Pictures
- Distributor(s)
- Universal Pictures , Paramount Pictures
- Writers
- Ivan Reitman
- Cast
- Arnold Schwarzenegger , Pamela Reed , Richard Tyson
Arnold Schwarzenegger found a successful role in the 1980s and early 1990s as a comedy action hero. While he already made his name in violent action movies, he parlayed his awkward mannerisms into some quality comedy roles, and with Kindergarten Cop, he merged his action career with his comic timing. Schwarzenegger plays an LAPD detective named John Kimble, who takes on the role of a substitute kindergarten teacher as he searches for a possible thief whose son is in the class.
The movie earned poor reviews, but it was a huge success, making $202 million on a $26 million budget (via Box Office Mojo). It proved that Schwarzenegger could succeed as a comedy star as well as an action star. There may be several movies starring Schwarzenegger on Netflix, but Kindergarten Cop stands out as one of the most hilarious.
22 Blazing Saddles (1974)
The Classic Mel Brooks Western That Spoofs Hollywood
The man who mastered the spoof movie genre early on was Mel Brooks, who released movies like Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles. The latter movie is on Netflix and tells the story of the American Wild West in 1874 when the current attorney general can lead outlaws into a small town to scare off residents. He appoints Bart (Cleavon Little), a Black railroad worker, believing he can't keep the peace, but soon learns the error of his ways.
By the time the movie broke the fourth wall by moving through film sets, Blazing Saddles ended up as a cultural masterpiece. It entered the National Film Registry in 2006.
21 The Other Guys (2010)
Will Ferrell & Mark Wahlberg Portray Perfectly Mismatched Cops
- Release Date
- August 5, 2010
- Director
- Adam McKay
- Cast
- Will Ferrell , Mark Wahlberg , Adam McKay , Eva Mendes , Samuel L. Jackson , Michael Keaton
- Runtime
- 107minutes
A buddy cop movie made by Adam McKay and Will Ferrell, The Other Guys starts on a wild note and never lets up to the end. From the start, where Samuel Jackson and Dwayne Johnson play super-cops who end up dying in a blaze of glory, to the story of mismatched misfit cops (Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg), The Other Guys plays the entire buddy cop genre for laughs from start to finish.
Whether it is Ferrell's cop being a former pimp or Michael Keaton's captain always quoting TLC, the movie remains one of the funniest comedies on Netflix.
20 The Change-Up (2011)
A Body Swap Movie With Ryan Reynolds & Jason Bateman
The Change-Up
- Director
- David Dobkin
- Release Date
- August 5, 2011
- Cast
- Ryan Reynolds , Jason Bateman , Leslie Mann , Olivia Wilde , Alan Arkin
- Runtime
- 112 Minutes
There have been a lot of body-swapping comedies over the years, with many focusing on adults and teens switching bodies. The Change-Up tries to do something different when it takes two men — one a fun-loving bachelor and the other an exhausted father of three — and has them switch bodies. While this seems to be what each man wants, it turns out that they miss their lives from before.
While The Change-Up wasn't a huge critical success, it was a minor box office hit and is getting a second life thanks to Netflix, thanks in no small part to the hilarious performances of leading men Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman.
19 They Cloned Tyrone (2023)
A Sci-Fi Comedy On Netflix That Challenges The Status Quo
- Release Date
- July 21, 2023
- Director
- Juel Taylor
- Cast
- John Boyega , Teyonah Parris , Jamie Foxx , Kiefer Sutherland , David Alan Grier , J. Alphonse Nicholson
- Runtime
- 119 Minutes
They Cloned Tyrone is a sci-fi dark comedy that premiered in 2023 as a Netflix original movie. The movie stars John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, and Jamie Foxx as three people who discover a government conspiracy to clone people. It has smart twists and turns and a darkly funny script with some big laugh-out-loud moments, but never at the expense of sacrificing what the movie is trying to say.
They Cloned Tyrone received almost universal acclaim, sitting at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes with most praise going to the incredly witty social satire of the movie.
18 You People (2023)
A Netflix Original Comedy From The Man Behind Black-ish
- Release Date
- January 27, 2023
- Director
- Kenya Barris
- Cast
- Jonah Hill , Lauren London , Eddie Murphy , Julia Louis-Dreyfus , Mike Epps , Molly Gordon , Nia Long , Rhea Perlman
- Runtime
- 117 minutes
The 2023 Netflix original comedy movie You People is an ensemble effort that tells the story of an interracial and interreligious relationship and how it affects the families of the couple in love. Jonah Hill and Lauren London star as the couple, but a lot of the comedy here comes from the parents.
Eddie Murphy and Nia Long play Amira's parents, who are Black nationalist NOI, while David Duchovny and Julia Louis-Dreyfus play Ezra's secular Jewish parents. The movie touches on culture clashes in a funny, yet sincere manner, and it received mixed reviews from critics.
17 The Machine (2023)
A Comedy Movie Based On The Bert Kreischer Stand-Up Comedy Routine
- Release Date
- May 26, 2023
- Director
- Peter Atencio
- Cast
- Bert Kreischer , Mark Hamill , Jimmy Tatro , Stephanie Kurtzuba , Iva Babic , Jessica Gabor
- Runtime
- 112 Minutes
The Machine is a 2023 comedy movie that comes from a very unique source, as it's based on the stand-up routine by star Bert Kreischer. The comedian stars in the movie as a man who tells the story of an incident when he was a college freshman and took a trip to Russia. While there, he made friends with a tour guide who nicknamed him The Machine.
Years later, Bert learns he inadvertently stole an antique pocket watch from a man whose daughter became part of an organized crime family, and she kidnaps The Machine and his dad (Mark Hamill), setting off a bizarre change of events.
16 Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga (2020)
Will Ferrell And Rachel McAdams Turn The World's Most Famous Song Contest Into A Hilarious Comedy
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
- Release Date
- June 26, 2020
- Director
- David Dobkin
- Cast
- Rachel McAdams , Will Ferrell , Pierce Brosnan
- Runtime
- 123minutes
Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams may not seem like the most obvious comedy duo, but they proved great together in Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. The two star as friends and aspiring musicians who believe they have found the opportunity to realize their dreams in the biggest song competition in the world.
The songs and musical numbers in The Story of Fire Saga are exciting, but it is the movie's absurd sense of humor, including the darkly hilarious way Ferrell and McAdams make it to the competition, that makes it one of the funniest comedies on Netflix.
15 Death At A Funeral (2010)
The Remake Of The 2007 U.K. Comedy Holds Up As One Of Netflix's Funniest Films
Death at a Funeral is a remake of a British comedy of the same name, and the U.S. version features an ensemble cast of some of the best comic actors working in 2010. Death at a Funeral is set entirely at the funeral of a man named Edward, but when his estranged family the event becomes out of control thanks to a sequence of events that must be seen to be believed.
The cast included Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Regina Hall, Zoe Saldaña, Keith David, Kevin Hart, James Marsden, Tracy Morgan, Danny Glover, Loretta Devine, Luke Wilson, Columbus Short, and Peter Dinklage (who also starred in the British 2007 version).
14 Murder Mystery (2019)
Adam Sandler And Jennifer Aniston Show That Whodunnit Stories Can Be Full Of Laughs
Murder Mystery
- Release Date
- June 14, 2019
- Director
- Kyle Newacheck
- Cast
- Adam Sandler , Jennifer Aniston , Gemma Arterton
- Runtime
- 97minutes
Adam Sandler entered into a deal with Netflix to bring his brand of comedy to the streaming service. One of the best comedies on Netflix is, unsurprisingly, an original Adam Sandler movie — 2019's Murder Mystery. Sandler is joined by Jennifer Aniston as a husband and wife duo who become private investigators thanks to a murder they encounter while on vacation in Europe.
While Sandler's movies on Netflix have been hit-and-miss Murder Mystery proved a success, and even picked up a 2023 sequel. While the movie received middling reviews, it won over audiences, even picking up several People's Choice Awards nominations.
13 Sausage Party (2016)
The Highest-Grossing R-Rated Animated Movie Made In The United States Is Also One Of The Funniest On Netflix
Sausage Party
- Release Date
- August 12, 2016
- Director
- Conrad Vernon , Greg Tiernan
- Cast
- Kristen Wiig , Michael Cera , Craig Robinson , Salma Hayek Pinault , Bill Hader , Seth Rogen , Paul Rudd , Edward Norton , Jonah Hill , James Franco , Danny McBride
- Runtime
- 89minutes
Sausage Party is an adult-animated comedy from the minds of Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, and Evan Goldberg. The movie takes place in a supermarket where all the food is anthropomorphic. Every item in the supermarket believes the human shoppers are benevolent deities who will take them to the paradise of "the Great Beyond". When one hot-dog sausage learns the truth, he inspires a sentient food rebellion.
With more sexual innuendo and hilariously inappropriate situations involving sentient produce than anyone was prepared for, the R-rating is definitely deserved. Sausage Party was a huge success that for a while was the highest-grossing R-rated animated movie of all time before it found its way to Netflix.
The Japanese movie Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train has since moved past Sausage Party as the top-grossing R-rated animated movie globally (via The Numbers).
12 The House Bunny (2008)
Anna Faris Goes From Playboy Playmate To Sorority Housemother
The House Bunny
- Director
- Fred Wolf
- Release Date
- August 22, 2008
- Writers
- Karen McCullah Lutz , Kirsten Smith
- Cast
- Anna Faris , Colin Hanks , Emma Stone , Kat Dennings , Hugh M. Hefner , Christopher McDonald
When it debuted, The House Bunny was a success on its opening weekend (via Blast Magazine), and has since become a cult classic and is now on Netflix for fans of comedy movies. It stars Anna Faris as a Playboy Playmate who gets tricked into leaving the Playboy Mansion and needs a new place to live.
She finds a sorority house that needs a housemother and soon helps the awkward and socially inept women in that sorority open up and discover themselves. There's also a great soundtrack, with songs by Madonna, Rihanna, The Pussycat Dolls, and The All-American Rejects.
11 Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)
Time Travel Hijinks With No TARDIS Or Delorean Required
Hot Tub Time Machine
- Release Date
- March 26, 2010
- Director
- Steve Pink
- Cast
- John Cusack , Rob Corddry , Craig Robinson , Clark Duke , Crispin Glover , Lizzy Caplan , Chevy Chase
- Runtime
- 99 minutes
Hot Tub Time Machine was not only a hit when released in 2010, but it was popular enough to spawn a sequel. The movie stars John Cusack, Rob Corddry, and Craig Robinson, who discover a hot tub that allows them to travel back in time. Each is unsatisfied with how their lives played out as adults, and the time-traveling hot tub gives them a chance to change things for the better.
However, as with most time travel movies, things never go as anyone expects. As a gross-out time travel comedy with heart, Hot Tub Time Machine is a cult classic.