Everybody’s a comedian. At least, that’s what it felt like in 2010, it seemed like every drama, superhero movie, and horror flick couldn’t help injecting some levity and jokes. A lot of people these days use laughter to process tragedy, which explains why so many comedy-dramas were made over the past decade.
And now, it’s time to open wide and laugh with joy with the 8 Best Comedy Movies of the 2010.
1. Despicable Me (2010)
IMDb RATING: 7.6/10
Directors: Pierre Coffin Chris Renaud
Stars: Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand
Despicable Me is a 2010 American animated comedy film produced by Illumination Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. The film follows Gru, a longtime supervillain who adopts three orphan girls to use as pawns in a villainous scheme but accidentally develops an emotional attachment to them.
Despicable Me debuted at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival on June 9, 2010, and was theatrically released in the United States on July 9. The film received positive reviews from critics.
It was nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at the Golden Globe Awards, BAFTA Awards and Annie Awards. The success of Despicable Me launched a multi-billion dollar multimedia franchise.
Despicable Me earned $251.7 million in the United States and Canada and $292 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $543.6 million. It was the ninth-highest-grossing film of 2010.
2. Four Lions (2010)
IMDb RATING: 7.3/10
Director: Christopher Morris
Stars: Will Adamsdale, Riz Ahmed, Adeel Akhtar
Four Lions is a 2010 British political satire black comedy film. The film, a jihad satire following a group of homegrown terrorist jihadis from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2010 and was short-listed for the festival's World Cinema Narrative prize. The UK première took place at the National Media Museum as part of Bradford International Film Festival on 25 March 2010, and was followed by a nationwide release on 7 May.
As of 8 August 2010, Four Lions grossed £2,932,366 at the UK box office. As of 13 March 2011, Four Lions' worldwide gross was US$4,353,954.
3. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
IMDb RATING: 7.6/10
Director: Edgar Wright
Stars: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a 2010 romantic action comedy film. A film adaptation of the comics was proposed following the release of the first volume. It was re-released for its 10th anniversary in the United Kingdom on August 21, 2020, and the United States on April 30, 2021.
The film uses famous features of its Toronto setting and matches the style of video game and comic book imagery. It used real musical artists, including Beck and Metric, as a basis for each fictional group in the battle of the bands plot, with some of the actors also performing. A combination of digital and physical methods were used to create the extensive visual effects.
Although it was a box-office bomb that failed to recoup its $85 million production budget, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World received positive reviews from critics, who noted its visual style and humor, and garnered a cult following. The film has made several top ten lists and received over 70 awards and nominations.
4. Submarine (2010)
IMDb RATING: 7.3/10
Director: Richard Ayoade
Stars: Craig Roberts, Sally Hawkins, Paddy Considine
Submarine is a 2010 coming-of-age comedy-drama film. It was adapted from the 2008 novel Submarine by Joe Dunthorne, and is an international co-production between the United Kingdom and the United States.
Submarine received positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of 88% based on reviews from 156 critics. The website's critics consensus: "Funny, stylish, and ringing with adolescent truth, Submarine marks Richard Ayoade as a talent to watch." At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 76 based on 37 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
5. Tangled (2010)
IMDb RATING: 7.7/10
Directors: Nathan Greno, Byron Howard
Stars: Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy
Tangled is a 2010 American animated musical adventure fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Tangled tells the story of Rapunzel, a lost young princess with magical long blonde hair who yearns to leave her secluded tower. She accepts the aid of an intruder to take her out into the world which she has never seen.
Tangled premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on November 14, 2010, and went into general release on November 24. The film earned $592 million in worldwide box office revenue, $200 million of which was earned in the United States and Canada, making it the eighth-highest-grossing film of 2010.
Tangled received positive reviews from critics, who praised it for its animation, writing, characters, and musical score. The film was nominated for a number of awards, including Best Original Song at the 83rd Academy Awards.
6. Toy Story 3 (2010)
IMDb RATING: 8.3/10
Director: Lee Unkrich
Stars: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack
Toy Story 3 is a 2010 American animated comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. Toy Story 3 premiered at the Taormina Film Fest in Italy on June 12, 2010, and was released in the United States on June 18. It was the first film to be released theatrically with Dolby Surround 7.1 sound.
Toy Story 3 received critical acclaim upon release, with critics praising the vocal performances, screenplay, emotional depth, animation, and Newman's musical score. The film earned $1.067 billion worldwide, finishing its theatrical run as the highest-grossing film of 2010. It is also the first animated film to reach $1 billion at the box-office, and was the highest-grossing animated film of all time. The National Board of Review and the American Film Institute named Toy Story 3 one of the top-ten films of 2010.
Toy Story 3 was nominated for five awards at the 83rd Academy Awards, winning two, and received numerous other accolades.
7. Easy A (2010)
IMDb RATING: 7.0/10
Director: Will Gluck
Stars: Emma Stone, Amanda Bynes, Penn Badgley
Easy A is a 2010 American teen romantic comedy film. The screenplay was partially inspired by the 1850 novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Shot at Screen Gems studios and in Ojai, California, the film was released on September 17, 2010. The film received positive reviews with high praise for Stone's performance. Stone received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical, while the movie won the Critics' Choice Award for Best Comedy. The film is ranked as number 14 on Entertainment Weekly's 2021 list of the Best High School Movies.
The film grossed $6,787,163 on its opening day and $17,734,040 in its opening weekend, placing second behind The Town on both figures, and already making back more than double the film's slim $8 million budget. The film grossed a total of $58,401,464 in the United States and Canada plus $16,624,752 in international markets for a worldwide total of $75,026,216, earning its budget back more than nine times, making it a huge financial success.
8. Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)
IMDb RATING: 6.4/10
Director: Steve Pink
Stars: John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson
Hot Tub Time Machine is a 2010 American science-fiction comedy film. It follows four men who travel back in time to 1986 via a hot tub, and must find a way to return to 2010. A sequel.
The film opened at number three with a weekend gross of $14 million in 2,754 theaters, averaging $5,091 per theater. Hot Tub Time Machine grossed $50.3 million in North America and $14.3 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $64.6 million against a budget of $36 million.
On Rotten Tomatoes, Hot Tub Time Machine has an approval rating of 64% based on 212 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads: "Its flagrantly silly script – and immensely likable cast – make up for most of its flaws." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 63 out of 100 based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.
Conclusion: Watching a film can be a somewhat paradoxical experience in that it is often shared yet solitary, but this is rarely the case with comedies. Laughing together is both contagious and its own reward, and many mediocre comedies have left audiences completely satisfied because one or two jokes generated enough laughter to adjust everyone's mood. .
The 2010s seem a bit more balanced and we hope this list reflects that, we lean towards films that evoke outright laughter. Appreciative laughter is great, but if a film can cause irrepressible giggles then we've tried to make sure it makes the list.
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