So you’re browsing through Netflix, looking for something to watch, but you’re in the mood for something light. Netflix’s massive library can be intimidating, especially when you’re looking for a good comedy amidst a sea of subpar entries in the genre. Not to fear, though, because we here at Collider have you covered. Below, we’ve curated a list of the very best comedies on Netflix right now. We’ve got everything from silly buddy comedies, big splashy commercial comedies, more esoteric indies, and even a couple of films that toe the line between comedy and drama. Surely you’ll find something to your liking, so scroll through our list of the best comedies on Netflix below and find that perfect pick.
Editor’s note: This article was last updated on December 14th to add Eight Legged Freaks
Director: Adam McKay
Writers: Adam McKay, Will Ferrell
Cast: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Richard Jenkins, Mary Steenburgen, Adam Scott
Even if you’ve somehow never seen Step Brothers, there’s still a good chance you can quote at least 65% of Step Brothers. This film is on the Quotable Comedy Mt. Rushmore. At any given time, a quarter of the Earth’s population is saying the words “I used to smoke pot with John Hopkins.” [citation needed] There’s a reason for that. This is the tale of two grown men, Brennan Huff (Will Ferrell) and Dale Doback (John C Reilly), who become step-brothers, then mortal enemies, then inseparable friends, and, finally, a jaw-droppingly beautiful drum-and-opera-singing musical duo. But it’s also the absolute peak of a few familiar things, from the Man-Child sub-genre to Will Ferrell as comedy’s biggest star and Adam McKay as exclusively a comedy director, and beyond. Why try and re-create perfection? –Vinnie Mancuso
Director: McG
Writer: Brian Duffield
Cast: Judah Lewis, Samara Weaving, Robbie Amell, Bella Thorne, Hana Mae Lee, Andrew Bachelor
If you want a bit of blood, guts, and gore mixed in with your laughs, look no further than The Babysitter, director McG‘s black comedy-horror from writer Brian Duffield (Spontaneous). Pre-teen misfit Cole (Judah Lewis) is looking forward to a night with his babysitter, Bee (Samara Weaving), but things take a turn for the demonic when Cole accidentally discovers that Bee and the crew of high schoolers she’s invited over—Max (Robbie Amell), Allison (Bella Thorne), Sonya (Hana Mae Lee), and John (Andrew Bachelor)—are, in fact, a devil-worshipping cult hellbent on human sacrifice. This movie is absolute mayhem in its purest form, but there’s actually a really sweet beating heart at its center, even if you have to cut through a few layers of skin to see it. –Vinnie Mancuso
21 Jump Street
Directors: Phil Lord, Chris Miller
Writer: Michael Bacall
Cast: Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Brie Larson, Dave Franco
I’m not sure Phil Lord and Chris Miller ever reached the heights of “well, that shouldn’t have worked but it did” that they reached with their successful animated comedy about Legos. (Also currently on this list!) But wow, they came close with their debut feature, 21 Jump Street, an adaptation that turned the moody late-80s police procedural into a buddy-cop comedy starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. To be clear, this movie should not be this good or this funny, but it just is. Hill and Tatum are Morton Schmidt and Greg Jenko, rookie officers sent undercover at a high school to track down whoever is selling a new drug called HFS. (That’s “Holy Fucking Shit.”) 21 Jump Street is the best modern take on the buddy-cop comedy and not having seen it is a felony in most states [citation needed]. –Vinnie Mancuso
Tommy Boy
Director: Peter Segal
Writers: Bonnie Turner, Terry Turner
Cast: Chris Farley, David Space, Rob Lowe, Brian Dennehy
Tommy Boy is about a goofy slacker hitting the road to sell brake pads in order to keep his beloved late father’s auto parts company afloat, but it could have been about anything. Director Peter Segal’s buddy road-trip movie is really just an excuse to watch Chris Farley do what he did best, tossing his hefty frame across the set and giving 110% at every single moment to put as much joy on to screen as possible. And man, it works; there’s a reason Tommy Boy catapulted Farley from everyone’s favorite Saturday Night Live cast member to everyone’s favorite human being. And while that does, of course, mean Tommy Boy is very, very funny, Farley’s inimitable presence also ensures it’s just deeply sweet and life-affirming as well. –Vinnie Mancuso
Writer/Director: Jon Favreau
Cast: Jon Favreau, Sofia Vergara, John Leguizamo, Scarlet Johansson, Dustin Hoffman
Chef is the ultimate comfort film, just a top-tier “throw it on when you need good vibes” movie. After toiling away in mega-budget blockbusters like Iron Man and Cowboys vs. Aliens, Jon Favreau returned to his indie roots by writing, directing, producing, and starring in this little story about an LA chef who loses his job and pivots into running a food truck with his young son (Emjay Anthony) in Miami. Chef is an exceedingly sweet movie, more warm hug than laugh-a-minute yuck fest, one that will pull on your heartstrings and—consider this an official warning—make you extremely hungry at the same time. –Vinnie Mancuso
As Good As It Gets
Director: James L. Brooks
Writers: Mark Andrus, James L. Brooks
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear, Cuba Gooding Jr., Skeet Ulrich
Both Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt scored Academy Award wins for As Good As It Gets, which makes this James L. Brooks romantic dramedy (still!) the most recent movie to take home the two top acting Oscars in one night. Nicholson stars as a manic, uncouth romance novelist who gradually begins to soften thanks to the combo of watching his neighbor’s (Greg Kinnear) small dog and starting a relationship with the one waitress (Hunt) at his favorite diner. It’s funny, it’s genuinely moving, and if you’re looking for a stone-cold must-watch from the 90s, As Good As It Gets is, well, you know. –Vinnie Mancuso
Mystery Men
Director: Kinka Usher
Writer: Neil Cuthbert
Cast: Ben Stiller, William H Macy, Hank Azaria, Janeane Garofalo, Paul Rueben, Kel Mitchell, Geoffrey Rush
Ten years before superhero movies fully took over Hollywood, director Kinka Usher and an ensemble cast of some of the best bit player of all time debuted a comic book comedy send-up, Mystery Men, and it was a…complete and total box office bomb. But like most works of staggering genius, it just took a while for Mystery Men to get recognized as a deeply strange, genuinely funny capes-and-costumes pre-2000s gem. The extremely unsuccessful superhero trio of the rage-fueled Mr. Furious (Ben Stiller), the garden tool-wielding Shoveler (William H. Macy), and utensil-throwing Blue Raja (Hank Azaria) are having trouble recruiting when madman Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush) captures the Earth’s mightiest hero, Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear). Bringing aboard the likes of the Bowler (Janeane Garofalo), the Spleen (Paul Ruebens), and Invisible Boy (Kel Mitchell), the Z-tier crew of disrespected heroes is tasked with saving not only Amazing, but the entire world. The scenery gets chewed to pieces across this entire madcap circus of a movie which, it must be stated, made iconic use of Smashmouth’s “All-Star” two years before Shrek. –Vinnie Mancuso
Last Action Hero
Director: John McTiernan
Writer: Shane Black, David Arnott
Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Austin O’Brien, Charles Dance, Robert Prosky
Arnold Schwarzenegger spoofing the excess and explosions of an Arnold Schwarzenegger action movie inside a story that also functions as a pretty incredible Arnold Schwarzenegger action movie? There is simply too much to love about Last Action Hero, director John McTernan‘s send-up and love letter to the over-the-top shoot-em-ups of the 1990s. When a magic ticket sends young cinephile Danny Madigan (Austin O’Brien) through the silver screen, he teams up with his favorite action icon, Jack Slater (Schwarzenegger) to stop the villainous Benedict (Charles Dance) from entering the real world. This movie is an indulgent, wild good time of a romp that includes everything from Robert Patrick cameo-ing as his T2 Terminator to Schwarzenegger playing himself to a brief appearance by Danny DeVito as the voice of a feline police detective named Whiskers. Hell yeah. —Vinnie Mancuso
Eight Legged Freaks
Director: Ellory Elkayem
Writers: Ellory Elkayem, Jesse Alexander
Cast: David Arquette, Kari Wuhrer, Scarlett Johansson, Scott Terra, Doug E. Doug
A modern-day B-movie creature feature that pits David Arquette against a horde of gigantic bloodthirsty spiders? What more could you possibly want? Eight Legged Freaks sees the residents of the small mining town Prosperity, Arizona in the fight of their lives when a highway chemical spill super-sizes a colony of arachnids. As the creatures descend on the rural community, a sheriff (Kari Wuhrer) and an engineer (Arquette) round of Prosperity’s bravest to mount a defense. Also featuring a very pre-Avengers Scarlett Johansson, Eight Legged Freaks is an aggressively silly movie that demands to be watched in the most un-serious setting possible.
Director: Tim Burton
Writer: Jonathan Gems
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Pam Grier, Michael J. Fox, Pierce Brosnan, Sarah Jessica Parker, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, and Natalie Portman
Mars Attacks! is absolutely one of Tim Burton‘s best movies, and it’s unlike anything else he has made thus far. Released in 1996, the film is based on the comic series of the same name and revolves around a host of different characters all dealing with the fallout of an invasion of Martians. There’s a kooky, satirical edge to the entire proceeding — you can feel Burton winking through the camera as he has a blast holding humanity’s feet to the fire. It’s certainly weird, and there’s a bit of Burton’s Ed Wood spirit in there mixed with his zany Beetlejuice antics. But first and foremost, Mars Attacks! is just really freaking funny. – Adam Chitwood
Murder Mystery
Director: Kyle Newacheck
Writer: James Vanderbilt
Cast: Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Luke Evans
You could generously call Adam Sandler‘s history with Netflix original films, uh, spotty, but there is one genuinely uber-charming gem on the list in the form of Murder Mystery. Re-teaming the Sandman with Jennifer Aniston after Just Go With It (also pretty good!) the film follows married NYPD officer Nick (Sandler) and hairdresser (Audrey) as they become increasingly entangled in a—you guessed it—murder mystery aboard the yacht of a billionaire they just met. Murder Mystery, like most Netflix comedies, is pretty much designed to be watched in the background with a boisterous bunch of friends, but the sheer professional movie star power of its two leads really does elevate it to that next level.
The Lovebirds
Director: Michael Showalter
Writer: Aaron Abrams, Brendan Gall
Cast: Kumail Nanjiani, Issa Rae, Paul Sparks, Anna Camp
Man, this movie is just so freaking charming. The Lovebirds stars Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae as a couple on brink of breaking up after four years together who suddenly find themselves on the run after witnessing a murder. Director David Showalter eventually settles things into a pretty standard set of action-comedy and rom-com beats, but Nanjiani and Rae are so endlessly entertaining as the film’s two leads, you’ll pretty much follow them anywhere. One of Netflix’s more unfortunately under-the-radar originals, The Lovebirds is absolutely worth hooking up with again.
Team America: World Police
Director: Trey Parker
Writers: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Pam Brady
Cast: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Kristen Miller, Daran Norris, Phil Hendrie
For when you want to laugh so hard it hurts, Team America: World Police will do the trick. Trey Parker and Matt Stone haven’t done much outside of South Park over the last 20 years, but 2004’s Team America is just as sharp and funny as you’d expect. The film was made entirely with marionette puppets and is a satire that takes aim at the United States’ War on Terror, focusing on the titular “World Police” who go into foreign countries and wreck everything in the name of freedom. This one has some absolutely insane sequences and culminates in a third act that takes aim at just about everyone. – Adam Chitwood
The Edge of Seventeen
Director/Writer: Kelly Fremon Craig
Cast: Hailee Steinfeld, Woody Harrelson, Blake Jenner, Kyra Sedgwick, Haley Lu Richardson, and Hayden Szeto
If you’re in the mood for a sweet coming-of-age comedy with a tremendous lead performance, look no further than the gem that is The Edge of Seventeen. This hilarious and heartfelt R-rated comedy stars Hailee Steinfeld as a high school junior who experiences the ups and downs of teen life in brutally honest fashion. She strikes up a close friendship with a teacher, played by Woody Harrelson, who counsels her through friend, boy, and family troubles. It’s as sweet as it is filthy, but what makes Edge of Seventeen so striking—beyond Steinfeld’s stellar performance—is how true to life it all feels. The anxiety. The self-consciousness. The importance of it all. – Adam Chitwood
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Director/Writer: John Hughes
Cast: Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, Alan Ruck, Jeffrey Jones, and Jennifer Grey
A bona fide classic if there ever was one, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is quite simply one of the best films ever made. This coemdy gets high school life exactly right, and is the perfect movie to watch if you’re playing hooky. The John Hughes film captures the “senioritis” feeling of skipping school and hanging out with your friends perfectly, genuinely giving the viewer the feeling of joining along on Ferris’ adventures. As with most of Hughes’ movies there’s an undercurrent of melancholy throughout Ferris Bueller, but the film also remains a laugh riot that has aged tremendously well. – Adam Chitwood
American Ultra
Director: Nima Nourizadeh
Writer: Max Landis
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart,Topher Grace, Connie Britton, Walton Goggins, John Leguizamo, Bill Pullman, and Tony Hale
If action comedies are your jam, check out American Ultra. Released in 2015, the film reteams Adventureland’s Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart for a different kind of story. Eisenberg plays a going-nowhere stoner who finds himself the target of the CIA, which suddenly activates something buried deep within as he realizes he’s a sleeper agent with precision fighting skills. He and his girlfriend (Stewart) go on the run, and a blend of action and deadpan stoner comedy ensue. – Adam Chitwood
Midnight Run
Director: Martin Brest
Writer: George Gallo
Cast: Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, Dennis Farina, and Joe Pantoliano
If you like buddy comedies but have never seen Midnight Run, prioritize this one as your next watch. Released in 1988 this critically acclaimed comedy is a gold standard alongside Lethal Weapon and Planes, Trains and Automobiles, as it follows a bounty hunter (Robert De Niro) who is tasked with capturing and escorting an accountant accused of embezzlement (Charles Grodin). The two end up on a road trip filled with misadventures, and the chemistry between De Niro and Grodin is electric. This is hands-down one of my favorite movies of all time, and it might be one of yours as well. – Adam Chitwood
Director: Adam McKay
Writers: Adam McKay and Will Ferrell
Cast: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Sacha Baron Cohen, Leslie Bibb, Amy Adams, Gary Cole, Jane Lynch, and Michael Clarke Duncan
If you’re feeling withdrawals from the comedic duo of Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly (and felt burned by Holmes & Watson), you can’t go wrong with a rewatch (or first-watch) of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. The film came on the heels of Ferrell and co-writer/director Adam McKay’s success with Anchorman, and for their next feature they decided to skew a bit more commercial while still injecting some biting social commentary. Talladega Nights is set in the world of NASCAR and follows an incredibly dim-witted driver named Ricky Bobby (Ferrell) who suffers a setback and must watch his best friend Cal Naughton (Reilly) take center stage. Buffoonish jealousy and wild antics ensue, with McKay delivering the same kind of smart-silly comedy that made Anchorman so rewatchable. – Adam Chitwood
Director/Writer: J Blakeson
Cast: Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage, Eiza González, Chris Messina, and Dianne Weist
If you like your comedy dark – and I mean pitch black – you’ll probably love I Care a Lot. The Netflix original stars Rosamund Pike as a savvy, unrelenting, and unapologetic con artist who makes a living by winning guardianship over elders and using their money as her own piggy bank. But when her next target turns out to be the mother of a ruthless criminal (played by Peter Dinklage), she finds she may finally be in over her head. While this film could have gone wrong a number of ways, writer/director J Blakeson plays it perfectly, and the point of this satirical comedy comes into clear focus in the final minutes of the film. Pike is pitch perfect in the lead role, making a despicable character tremendously watchable. – Adam Chitwood
Director: Kitao Sakurai
Writers: Dan Curry, Eric Andre, and Kitao Sakurai
Cast: Eric Andre, Lil Rel Howery, and Tiffany Haddish
Bad Trip is outrageously juvenile and will make you laugh incredibly hard. The film is a cross between Jackass and a traditional road trip comedy, as Eric Andre and Lil Rel Howery play a pair of friends who drive from Florida to New York so that Andre’s character can track down the girl of his dreams. Hot on their tale is Howery’s characters sister, fresh out of a prison break and played by Tiffany Haddish. But every scene in the film is shot as a prank, with unwitting strangers serving as the background and supporting characters throughout the movie. It’s silly and embarrassing, but also singles out how ridiculous some of the tropes in traditional romcoms are – like when Andre breaks out into song in the middle of a mall, surrounded by strangers with “WTF?” looks on their faces. And be warned, this is insanely R-rated. – Adam Chitwood
