From raunchy to witty, from clever to silly, comedy movies on Netflix offer something for every taste when you’re in the mood for something funny. Here are the 10 best comedy movies available to stream on Netflix.
Update, 10/27/22: We’ve reviewed our guide and replaced two comedies that left Netflix’s platform. We’re confident these are the best movies on Netflix for making you laugh.
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Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
It may have started out as a James Bond parody, but Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery quickly became its own unique phenomenon, thanks to writer-star Mike Myers. Myers created and plays the title character, a swingin’ ’60s superspy who was cryogenically frozen in 1967 and revived 30 years later. Austin is amusingly out of touch, but still eager to go after his longtime nemesis Dr. Evil (also Myers).
Austin’s combination of ineptitude and enthusiasm is charming, and the movie pokes fun at the spy genre while taking other, stranger comedic detours.
Clueless
Not many movies can lay claim to launching an entire new pop-culture lexicon, but that’s exactly what writer-director Amy Heckerling accomplished with teen comedy Clueless. Based loosely on Jane Austen’s Emma, it stars Alicia Silverstone as wealthy Beverly Hills teenager Cher Horowitz, who’s sweet and kindhearted but, well, a little clueless.
Cher’s journey toward realizing she’s in love with her former stepbrother (Paul Rudd) is endearing, but what makes Clueless a classic is the sharp, funny dialogue, the memorable performances, and the impeccable fashion.
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The Forty-Year-Old Version
Writer/director/star Radha Blank made a huge splash with her semi-autobiographical debut film The Forty-Year-Old Version, about a playwright approaching 40 who reinvents herself as a rapper. It’s bluntly funny and brutally honest about age, race, and professional ambitions, all held together by Blank’s wit and charisma.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Before becoming a big deal in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with his Thor movies, New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi directed the endearingly goofy comedy Hunt for the Wilderpeople. The comedy is about a sullen teenage orphan (breakout star Julian Dennison) who goes on the lam with his survivalist foster uncle (Sam Neill) when child services comes for him.
Mascots
Filmmaker Christopher Guest carries on the tradition of his acclaimed mockumentaries (including Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show) with Netflix original movie Mascots, about the oddball sports mascots who gather for an annual competition. The cast of comedy all-stars includes Jane Lynch, Fred Willard, Chris O’Dowd, and Guest himself, improvising witty exchanges as their absurd characters vie for glory in mascotery.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is possibly the best representation of the legendary British comedy troupe. The comedy puts Monty Python members Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin into the story of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Follow along as the characters search for the Holy Grail, with plenty of sublimely ridiculous situations occurring along the way.
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Mr. Roosevelt
Underrated comedy performer Noël Wells made her directorial debut with this low-key story about an aimless woman returning to her hometown. The title character of Mr. Roosevelt is a cat, whose death prompts Emily (Wells) to return home for a farewell and to reassess the direction of her life, all while awkwardly crashing with her ex-boyfriend. Wells brings a welcome skewed perspective to the familiar indie-comedy story, shooting on lovely 16mm film for a warm, throwback feel.
The Nice Guys
Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe play a pair of dirtbag private investigators in Shane Black’s ironically titled action comedy The Nice Guys. They reluctantly team up to track down a missing woman who’s at the center of a labyrinthine conspiracy. Set in 1977 Los Angeles, The Nice Guys evokes classic detective stories as well as postmodern deconstructions of detective stories, with its deliberately convoluted plot and cast of disreputable characters.
Gosling and Crowe have great chemistry, and Angourie Rice steals every scene she’s in as the savvy teenage daughter of Gosling’s self-destructive screw-up.
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Sorry to Bother You
Rapper Boots Riley makes an audacious directorial debut with the bizarre comedy Sorry to Bother You. Lakeith Stanfield stars as a Black telemarketer who gains access into a shadowy world of the rich when he ascends to the top of his profession by affecting a “white voice” for his calls.
Riley satirizes corporate greed and institutional racism, using exaggerated, surreal twists to deliver his social commentary. The movie becomes increasingly grotesque and strange, while keeping its cynical, clear-eyed sense of humor.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
Kicking off a rom-com trilogy that became one of Netflix’s most popular original franchises, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is an adaptation of Jenny Han’s 2014 young adult novel. Lana Condor stars as shy teen Lara Jean Covey, whose personal life is thrown into chaos when five secret letters she wrote to boys she had crushes on somehow find their way to those boys.
She ends up torn between popular jock Peter (Noah Centineo) and next-door neighbor Josh (Israel Broussard), and even if her ultimate choice is predictable, watching her get there is heartwarming and fun.
