Top 30 Comedy Movies of the Century (So Far)

It could be any one of us at this point. That's great. Go ahead, make your jokes, mister. Jokey. Joke maker. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 30 live-action comedy films released from 2000 onward. Did you bring your rollerblades? I literally go nowhere without them. Number 30, Game Night. Wait a second, I know you're meth and all, but you can't just come in here and break the door. I do not mind this game. This film starts with a promising setup centered on a mystery game that spirals into an actual crime caper. Game Night makes the most of its premise with gleefully violent action, a screenplay full of surprises, and a well-oiled ensemble. The standout is Jesse Plemons, who is known for playing comedic relief characters and mysterious creeps. His character here is a little bit of both, and giving him an adorable dog only adds to the uncomfortable hilarity. I do hope you keep me in mind for any future... Game Nights. Or you bet. I've always enjoyed the camaraderie of good friends competing in games of chance and skill. Directors John Francis Daly and Jonathan Goldstein have a hit-and-miss track record, but Game Night rules nothing but sixes. When shall we play next? Number 29, The Big Sick. For your files. Your ex-files. Because that's your favorite show, huh? Thank you so much. 2017 was a breakout year for a couple of comedic talents, including the fantastic Tiffany Haddish. Kumail Nanjiani hit the big time with his Oscar-nominated screenplay for The Big Sick, which he co-wrote with his real-life spouse Emily V. Gordon. The film is loosely based on their relationship, with Nanjiani channeling himself, while the delightful Zoe Kazan fills the Emily role. Yeah, don't be an accurate heckle. While their complicated love story is at the rom-com's core, The Big Sick is also about balancing family, culture, and one's passion. Kumail shows us that's easier said than done. By getting to know Emily's parents, however, Kumail undergoes a personal journey that brings about growth, tears, and laughs. It may be the most mature comedy yet from director Michael Showalter and producer Judd Apatow. There's never been a more unlikely action star than Scott Pilgrim. Edgar Wright's adaptation of Brian Lee O'Malley's graphic novels is a love letter to video games, manga, and everything nerd culture. Of all the films on this list, Scott Pilgrim may have the most ingenious visual gags. But that doesn't mean it lacks quotable one-liners or colorful characters either. Every time you watch it, you find something new to appreciate, as is the case with the best comedies. The film notoriously and inexplicably bombed upon release, but a comedy this inventive was born for cult status. So much so that a theatrical re-release was announced for its 10th anniversary. This Paul Thomas Anderson film is often cited as Adam Sandler's first foray into drama. Although Sandler shows a more serious side of himself than audiences were used to, the film is just as much a romantic comedy. While Anderson and Sandler seemed like an odd pairing, both creators are known for surreal humor. To stumble across the pudding, it's just tremendous. How most people don't look, they don't look at the fine print, Lance. Oh, my. Okay. Punch Drunk Love finds the middle ground between Sandler's silliness and Anderson's dark edge to produce a strange yet sincere romance. In many respects, the film isn't a huge departure for Sandler. Like Happy Gilmore, Barry Egan is a short-tempered yet sensitive soul. Oh, okay. Sorry. It's still very much an Adam Sandler movie, but Anderson finds layers we never realized were there. Number 26. Best in Show Best in Show was a stellar introduction to the competitive world of dog shows. We've all heard of stage parents, but dog owners and trainers can be just as over the top. This Christopher Guest mockumentary isn't so much about dogs as it is about human nature. We've all met somebody who treats their pet as their child. So, the characters here, as bizarre as they might be, are oddly relatable. The film is carried by an all-star comedic cast comprised of Guest's usual suspects improvising much of their dialogue. Arguably the funniest actor is Fred Willard, who impressively maintains a straight face while providing completely ludicrous commentary. Number 25. Crazy Rich Asians It's not unusual to suddenly discover that your fiancé has been hiding an intimidating millionaire family from you. Not in a rom-com, anyway. Crazy Rich Asians invigorated that familiar concept with New Life, turning it into one of the biggest hits of 2018. Based on Kevin Kwan's novel, the movie depicts amiable Professor Rachel as she struggles to win over her future husband's eccentric relatives and matriarch. Critics and audiences applauded its affectionate representation of multiple cultures and demographics, and its diverse casting made the film's success an inspiration. Supported by kooky characters, a smart screenplay and a pitch-perfect cast, Crazy Rich Asians is a milestone for inclusivity while still being downright hilarious. Number 24. Barbie Nothing matches Hot Pink better than existential dread. Not only did Barbie reach new heights both culturally and financially, it dazzled audiences with its empowering messaging, visually stunning direction, and standout performances. Even with all that aside, the film is simply hilarious. Ryan Gosling's Ken is easily one of the most quotable characters in recent film history. We're still laughing at his sublime delivery. And when you have the likes of Kate McKinnon, Will Ferrell, and Michael Cera in your cast, you know you're in for a great time. We predict that Barbie will continue to be beloved beyond the peak of its popularity for decades to come. Number 23. Jojo Rabbit From Booksmart to Jojo Rabbit, 2019 was a year of unconventional coming-of-age stories. This is especially true for the latter film, which revolves around a Hitler youth who realizes that their Fuhrer is not the cool guy he's been imagining. The titular Jojo also grows closer to a young Jewish girl. In an age where some comedians are afraid to tackle controversial subjects, writer-director Taika Waititi goes all in. He does so with an almost naive sincerity by telling the story through a child's eyes. At the same time, Waititi explores the horrors of Nazi Germany and sends a clear anti-hate message. This balance of edgy comedy, quirkiness, and drama amounted to a Best Picture nomination and a Best Adapted Screenplay win for Waititi. Number 22. Popstar Never Stop, Never Stopping It's bewildering that for how funny it is, Popstar was a box office bomb. We guess since The Lonely Island really rose to fame on TV and online, their fans were less willing to get out of the house and go to the theater. Thanks to home media, Popstar is starting to gain the cult following it deserves. The story is essentially every other movie about an egotistical musician who needs to learn humility. But within the stereotypical plot, we get an onslaught of cameos and absurd musical stylings that put Lonely Island on the map. Popstar delivers in spades. Number 21. Dodgeball A True Underdog Story Sometimes, the best comedies are the ones that know exactly what they are and run with it. Rather than dodge its potential shortcomings as a predictable rags-to-riches story, Dodgeball embraces them completely and is all the better for it. With Vince Vaughn and a roided-out Ben Stiller leading the pack, it's the kind of movie that's at its best when at its most nonsensical. A worthy successor to the profane and over-the-top sports comedies of the 90s, what Dodgeball lacks in surprises, it more than makes up for in endlessly quotable lines and a wholesome ensemble of lovable losers. Number 20. What We Do In The Shadows Taika Waititi has become one of the major comedic auteurs in the last decade, and while he has created some great and hilarious flicks, our favorite has to be 2014's What We Do In The Shadows, which he co-created with another New Zealand funnyman, Jemaine Clement. This movie takes a satirical look at the vampire genre and employs the mockumentary style to flawless comedic effect. The story is set in Wellington and focuses on a group of vampire roommates. Waititi and Clement both star in the film, which works on both obvious physical jokes and more clever subversive ones, making for a well-rounded horror comedy that we could watch again and again. Number 19. Walk Hard – The Dewey Cox Story The trend of satirizing common film genres started, of course, long before What We Do In The Shadows. In 2007, Walk Hard – The Dewey Cox Story took a stab at the tropes found in the standard music biopic, seeming to pay particular attention to Walk the Line and Ray. John C. Reilly stars in the titular role and is as hilarious as he always is, but brings his comedic musical talents to the table as well. The original songs are a feat of their own, and while this movie hasn't become a pop culture phenomenon like some of the others on our list, we'd say it's seriously underrated. Number 18. Wet Hot American Summer This movie was a total box office bomb, making under $300,000 despite a $1.8 million budget, but that doesn't mean it isn't beloved. Wet Hot American Summer received mixed to negative reviews and clearly didn't bring people out to theaters, but with an all-star cast that included Bradley Cooper, Amy Poehler, Elizabeth Banks and Paul Rudd before they were household names, how could you go wrong? It too was a satire, taking a comedic look at summer camp culture, and despite its poor fiscal performance, it was picked up by Netflix for a prequel series that spawned a sequel. Number 17. This Is The End The concept of a bunch of A-list celebrities getting together during the apocalypse seems almost too good to be true, but Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg used their celeb clout to pull it off with This Is The End. They called in all their famous friends and managed to convince the likes of Emma Watson, Mindy Kaling, James Franco and Rihanna to play over-the-top fictionalized versions of themselves as they band together for the end of the world. There's a certain behind-the-scenes enjoyment viewers get from this movie because it begs the question of whether this is really what these guys are like in real life. Number 16. Step Brothers The storyline of Step Brothers is just so delightfully weird that it works. Two adult men, played flawlessly by Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, become step brothers when their parents get together and act like children throughout the process. The plot is full of twists and turns though because while at first it seems that the conflict will be between the two man-children, they quickly realize how much better things will be if they decide to be friends. The flick is full of iconic moments and gave us phrases that most of us have probably forgotten or even from the film. That's right, this is the movie that prompts us to comment on how much extra space for activities a room may have. Number 15. 21 Jump Street Who would have thought that Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum were the buddy cop duo that we'd all been waiting for? This unconventional pairing made for a great partnership in 21 Jump Street where two cops have to go undercover to bust a high school drug ring. This story has so much going for it, tackling teenage stereotypes in a way that's really funny and also kind of heartfelt. Sequels aren't always worth talking about but 2014's 22 Jump Street actually holds up pretty well to its predecessor. Number 14. Bridesmaids After 2011, people were forced to stop saying that female comedians aren't funny anymore. Bridesmaids was unlike anything else that came before it. A major studio comedy with an all-female primary cast that employed as much over-the-top and gross-out humor as anything the boys were making. The film was a massive financial success, bringing in almost 10 times its budget and box office revenue. In fact, it's the biggest box office success that Judd Apatow has ever had. It also reignited Melissa McCarthy's career as a comedic actress and has become something of a modern classic. Number 13. Pineapple Express Not all stoner comedies are worth writing about but this one definitely is. Judd Apatow, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg were behind Pineapple Express, which pretty much made it a shoo-in for comedic success. It's about a regular guy and his drug dealer who find themselves on the run from the law and shows their situation quickly escalating out of control. It's full of admittedly gratuitous violence that's used for comedic effect and the sort of humor that makes you feel guilty for laughing. But hey, things don't always have to be highbrow to be good. Number 12. Mean Girls Tina Fey's screenplay for Mean Girls proved that she was so much more than an SNL star as she adapted a teen self-help book into this biting and satirical yet oh-so-funny critique of high school girl culture. There are so many iconic characters and moments in this film which has flawlessly stood the test of time despite being released more than a decade and a half ago. Saying it has a cult following seems like a major understatement because Mean Girls has simply become part of the cultural zeitgeist with phrases from the movie being part of our cultural lexicon. Telling the story of a movie within a movie, Tropic Thunder looks at a group of privileged actors who find themselves in dire circumstances while filming. Though most of Tropic Thunder would be easily read as being straight-up ridiculous, it was one of the rare comedies of this sort that received award season recognition. Robert Downey Jr. even received an Oscar nod for his performance. While there was controversy about the treatment of mental disability in the movie, one of the writers stated that it was in fact the opposite saying, quote, Number 10. Zoolander The premise for Zoolander may be absurd but that doesn't make us love it any less. Someone is trying to brainwash models to assassinate the Prime Minister of Malaysia. But the plot doesn't really matter because this movie is all about Ben Stiller absolutely killing it playing a vain and vapid male model. He has to go up against Owen Wilson's Hansel, so hot right now, who is his foe before becoming his friend. Will Ferrell is perfection as fashion mogul Mugatu, who plays an outlandish stereotype of the type of people who work in the industry. Parts of this flick may make us feel guilty for laughing because they're so dumb, but we can't help ourselves. Number 9. The Grand Budapest Hotel While most of the comedies on this list are of the big blockbuster laugh out loud variety, we're gonna take a detour for this entry. Wes Anderson has become known for his distinctive filmmaking style, his pastel color palette and his ever so symmetrical framing. All of his movies have an element of humor to them and we were definitely tempted to include the Royal Tenenbaums, but our favorite has to be 2014's The Grand Budapest Hotel. It has a simmering undercurrent of comedy running throughout the tale that's both subtle and incredibly clever. Number 8. Shaun of the Dead We would've loved to put every film in Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg's Cornetto trilogy on our list, but while we love Hot Fuzz and The World's End, we had to go with the earliest of the three, Shaun of the Dead. Pegg managed to take the zombie horror genre and make it into comedy in a way that ushered in many attempts to replicate the formula he perfected. The movie is not only funny, but actually kind of touching in a way we wouldn't expect from films in this genre. Shaun of the Dead was put together by comedy auteur Edgar Wright, who also penned and directed the stellar Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Number 7. Napoleon Dynamite We pity anyone who's too young to remember what a big deal Napoleon Dynamite was back in 2004. It's the sort of movie that suffers retroactively because so many tried to imitate the awkward and dorky style it created, almost making us forget how great the original really was. It was made on a shoestring budget of less than a half a million dollars, with the film's star only making $1,000 for his work until he negotiated for a share of the profits following its massive success. The fact that we saw so many vote for Pedro shirts out in the world for years following its release is an indicator of its cultural success. Number 6. School of Rock Not everyone loves Jack Black, but we're pretty sure we can all agree that this movie is a masterpiece. A comedy that makes us laugh this much, but that also manages to be incredibly heartwarming is truly something special. When Dewey Finn starts impersonating a substitute teacher at a fancy prep school, he uses the only skills he has to teach the kids about rock and roll. It's easy to forget that this film was directed by Richard Linklater, who's better known for his more serious and artsy endeavors. The songs in the movie are catchy as hell, and the child actors do a much better job than you'd think. Not only that, but it makes even the biggest hater love Jack Black. Number 5. The Hangover The premise of The Hangover is such a simple one, but the execution made this movie one of the biggest comedies of the 2000s. A group of guys goes to Vegas for a bachelor party and things escalate into chaos. But this flick is full of unexpected twists and turns that keep you guessing and that never take you where you think you're going. The cast is full of great comic actors like Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis, along with Bradley Cooper, whose career skyrocketed after the film was released. In case you don't already know this, feel free to skip the two sequels because they do not hold up to the original. Number 4. Superbad Superbad wasn't exactly going into uncharted territory. On paper, it seems like a run-of-the-mill high school comedy about two dorky teens who want to lose their virginities before graduation and end up having a big night out. But the comedic duo that is Jonah Hill and Michael Cera elevated this movie into something iconic that was not only a huge financial and critical success, but also has helped it to become seen as one of the best teen movies of all time. The chemistry between the two leads gives the story a much sweeter undercurrent than other more cynical films. And we could watch it again and again. Number 3. Borat Did anyone not see Borat when it hit theaters in 2006? Back then, it seemed like everyone and their mother was testing out their Borat impression by saying, very nice and great success. Sasha Baron Cohen's idea behind this film was nothing short of genius. Impersonate a journalist from Kazakhstan and go around the US interviewing unsuspecting citizens, showing just how backwards things are in Sure, there are aspects of this approach that haven't aged all that well, but keeping in mind what Cohen's intention was, you know his own views aren't the ones to be concerned about. Number 2. The 40-Year-Old Virgin Though The Office began airing a few months before this movie was released, it was really The 40-Year-Old Virgin that made Steve Carell a star. He penned the screenplay for the film alongside Judd Apatow, and it seems like it was flawlessly written for his personal brand of adorable awkwardness. Though it's a story filled with silliness, there's also something going on below the surface, which has come to characterize Apatow's movies, whether he directed, wrote, or produced. In fact, it was Apatow's directorial debut, and remains one of his best comedies, though more modern picks like Trainwreck also give it a run for its money. Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos. You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them. If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications. Number 1. Anchorman The Legend of Ron Burgundy We've already seen a handful of great Will Ferrell comedies on this list, but none can top Anchorman. A piece about a group of misogynistic TV newscasters in the 1970s may not have seemed like fodder for comedy gold, but you can't possibly explain the appeal of this movie on paper. It's full of quotable lines that have become part of our everyday speech patterns, whether we realize it or not. It's one of those films that somehow never gets old, even though the jokes aren't exactly clever. There may be no rhyme or reason to it, but there was no question that it had to be at the top of our list. You stay classy, San Diego. Which of these iconic comedies is your go-to comfort watch? Let us know in the comments. Did you enjoy this video? Check out these other clips from WatchMojo, and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.