Pick Or Pass On These Comedy Movies To Reveal A Sense Of Humor
- by Dylan Dembrow
- – on
- in Movies and TV
Having a good sense of humor is one of the most attractive qualities a person can have. But like anything else, comedy is extremely subjective, and what one person finds downright hilarious could leave another person wondering what the heck is so side-splitting.
Our sense of humor is no doubt a result of our upbringings, influenced by everything from our parents and our friends, to the movies and TV shows we grew up on.
So for this quiz, let’s take a closer look at the latter and try to pin down a sense of humor through a preference in comedy films.
This year alone has already turned out an impressive number of movies that have dipped their toes in the comedy genre, including Game Night, Super Troopers 2, Deadpool 2, and Sorry to Bother You. But while all of these films attempt to make the viewer laugh, they’re all extremely different in their approach.
Sure, most people would probably laugh while watching each of these four films. But they’re still bound to prefer one over the other, and that distinction will reveal if someone is more witty, sarcastic, dry, or a straight-up master of slapstick. So it's time to rate these 50 movies and find out!
Deadpool 2
The Deadpool franchise certainly isn’t for everyone with its abhorrent humor, bloody violence, and wall-breaking narrative. But it clearly is for a ton of people as both the first and second film have grossed over $700 million each, ranking them amongst the highest-grossing R-rated movies of all time. A third film is currently in the works.
Mean Girls
Nearly 15 years after its release, Mean Girls is just as quotable now as it was in 2004. The film, which was written by SNL cast members Tina Fey, follows a 16-year-old Cady Heron as she makes the transition from being homeschooled to public education, where she gets wrapped up in a clique of superficial and mean-spirited females.
Superbad
Superbad is far from the first high-school movie that follows a couple nerdy guys who are trying to get with the girl of their dreams before school ends. But the movie has such a unique style and sense of humor thanks to writing partners Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg that it continues to stand out from the other films that have covered the same ground.
The Hangover
When the first Hangover movie hit screen back in 2009 it was nothing short of a cultural phenomenon. The film went on to gross an impressive $467 million at the box office, as well as spawn two sequels. Not to mention that it was the first film to launch Zach Galifianakis to stardom.
Baywatch
Based on the ‘90s TV series of the same name, this 2017 film found stars Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron suiting up to play two Florida lifeguards who are tasked with taking down a criminal. Though the film was loathed by critics for its raunchy, teenage humor, Baywatch was a box office success.
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Will Ferrell has been the star of some of the biggest comedies for the last few decades. But few of his movies have had such a well-established universe and comedic style as the original Anchorman. Here, Farrell plays a news anchor during the 1970s who struggles to adjust to equality in the workplace.
Shaun of the Dead
Though the film may be a send-up to the zombie genre, Shaun of the Dead is very much an original movie in its own right which is chalk full of jokes and clever callbacks throughout its 100-minute runtime. The movie also succeeded in making Simon Pegg and Nick Frost international stars.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
In most cases, a sequel that comes over two decades after the original film can spell disaster. But the makers of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle did a perfect job of revamping the franchise for modern audiences, which was also helped thanks to the different comedic styles of stars Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, and Kare Gillian, among others.
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
Judd Apatow has been one of the most influential voices in comedy movies and TV shows for the last few decades. The 40-Year-Old Virgin was the first film that he directed, which also launched Steve Carrell’s career to stardom. The movie grossed an impress $177 million against a budget of only $26 million.
Game Night
Released just earlier this year, Game Night follows a group of friends who meet up for an evening of competitive gaming when things go horribly off the rails. The cast is the perfect mix of serious and comedic performers, and the film was praised for its surprisingly dark sense of humor.
Super Troopers
Super Troopers is one of those comedy movies that people either really love, or absolutely hate. But it’s exactly this type of intense passion which earned the movie a sequel, which was released just earlier this year and was funded by the fans who loved the original installment so much.
Bridesmaids
The thing about female-led comedies is that they tend to dissuade any men from going to watch it (despite the fact that plenty of women are often subjected to male humor on a daily basis). But the massive success of 2011’s Bridesmaids was because the film managed to appeal to both genders without ever sacrificing a laugh in the process.
Clueless
One of the biggest comedies of its decade, this 1995 film drew inspiration from Jane Austen’s 1800s novel Emma with an updated setting, which follows a superficial yet well-meaning high-schooler who sets out to play matchmaker for a couple of her teachers. The film starred Alicia Silverstone in the lead role of Cher Horowitz.
Groundhog Day
After being best known for starring in a number of wacky comedies, Bill Murray first began making the transition to more thought-provoking work with this 1993 film. Though Groundhog Day still features its fair share of laughs, the film certainly has it’s darker moments, which revolve around struggling to discover the meaning of life.
The Big Sick
One of the most critically acclaimed movies in recent years, The Big Sick follows an ethnically diverse couple who must deal with cultural differences on top of a newly diagnosed illness. The film grossed an impressive $56 million off of a budget of only $5 million, and it also managed to pull in a respectable 98% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
10 Things I Hate About You
This popular 1999 comedy didn’t just pull its story from one of the all-time greats (as it updated Shakespeare’s 16th-century play The Taming of the Shrew), but it also featured one of the most talented casts of any ‘90s teen movie, which consisted of Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Meet the Parents
This 2000 film made light of one of the most uncomfortable situations that many people find themselves in at one point or another, which is coming face to face with their future in-laws for the first time. The film featured a number of standout comedic performances, particularly Robert De Niro as the scathing ex-CIA officer and future father of the bride.
Dumb and Dumber
Dumb and Dumber is another comedy movie that people either love or hate, as it is unapologetic in its over-the-top style and bizarre sense of humor. Here, Jim Carry and Jeff Daniels play two nitwits who go on a cross-country road trip to return a briefcase to a woman whom they both end up falling for.
The Big Lebowski
One of the tell-tale signs of a comedy classic is how quotable the movie is, and in that respect, The Big Lebowski is one of the most quotable movies of all time. The film follows the misadventures of the Dude and his fellow lazy friends living in Los Angeles as they get wrapped up in a case of mistaken identity.
Incredibles 2
Though this film was released 15 years after the original, that appeared to be no hindrance to audiences, who turned out in swarms to see what their favorite family of superheroes had been up to since we last saw them. Once again, Pixar brought us the perfect mix of laughs and heartfelt emotion.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
British humor is an animal all of its own, and many Western audiences may struggle to find out what makes Monty Python and the Holy Grail so hilarious to some people. The film is unabashedly over-the-top and absurd, so anyone who needs their comedy grounded in reality may want to steer clear.
Borat
Borat was far from the first mockumentary ever made, though it certainly pushed the boundaries of the genre. The 2006 film found British actor Sasha Baron Cohen staying in character as the often-inappropriate Borat Sagdiyev as he travels across the country and interacts with real people often to hilarious and cringe-inducing results.
Ghostbusters
One of the biggest movies of the 1980s, Ghostbusters centered around a group of paranormal investigates living in New York City, who accidentally stumble upon the portal to another realm. The film was a massive success, grossing nearly $300 million and spawning a sequel as well as a 2016 spin-off.
Bring It On
This 2000 comedy follows a group of reigning champions who must scramble to come up with totally new routines when they’re accused of stealing their previous performances from another cheerleading squad. The film stars Kirsten Dunst and Gabrielle Union, and Bring It On has since become a cult classic as well as the inspiration for a number of sequels.
Goosebumps
For some people straight up comedy movies just aren’t all that entertaining. In that instance, films like 2015’s Goosebumps do a good job of mashing together multiple genres — in this case, horror, comedy, and fantasy — to give the movies a little something for everyone. Thanks to its success, a sequel will be released later this year.
The Princess Bride
Though it may be a fantasy film before all else, The Princess Bride still features its fair share of laughs thanks to an impressive cast filled out by Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, and Billy Crystal. The film was originally released in 1987 and it has since become a cult classic.
Old School
Though it may be nowhere near as funny as some of Will Ferrell’s later movie, Old School was one of the standouts in the earlier days of the actor's film career which no doubt helped him go on to make movies like Anchorman and Step Brothers. The film follows a group of downtrodden friends who try to relive their glory days.
There’s Something About Mary
Though it’s filled with childish, potty humor, There’s Something About Mary was one of those rare raunchy movies that succeeded in winning over critics as well as audiences. This was largely thanks to the style of the writer/ director duo the Farrelly Brothers, who somehow manage to ground absurdity into reality.
American Pie
Easily the most successful teen comedy of the ‘90s, American Pie went on to spawn a number of sequels and spin-offs which have collectively grossed over a billion dollars. The first film follows a group of friends who make a pact to help each other out with the ladies before they graduate high school.
TAG
The fact that this 2018 film was based on a true story was enough to get plenty of movie-goers to check it out. The film follows a group of friends who have been playing a lifelong game the same month of every year. The film has a star-studded cast made up of Ed Helms, Jon Hamm, and Jeremy Renner.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Before Ryan Reynold’s Deadpool was breaking the fourth wall to crack inside jokes to the audience, Matthew Broderick’s Ferris Bueller was doing the same thing in this 1986 comedy. In fact, the end credits scene in Deadpool was a parody of the exact same after movie scene from this film.
Step Brothers
Who would’ve thought that Will Ferrell and John C. Riley would have made one of the best comedy duos in all of film? The actors first starred alongside each other in Talladega Nights before teaming up for this comedy classic. And they are set to do it again with the upcoming Holmes and Watson.
Knocked Up
After the massive success of his feature film debut, Judd Apatow further explored the differences between men and women in his 2007 comedy. Knocked Up was not only another hit for Apatow, it also established Seth Rogen as leading man material, which has subsequently led to Rogen being just as influential in the comedy world as Apatow.
Napoleon Dynamite
Every once in a while, an indie comedy surpasses all expectations and becomes a mainstream hit. Such was the case with this 2004 film, which was made for less than a million dollars yet grossed nearly $50 million. The film was renowned for its distinct style, bizarre characters, and its deliberately slow pacing.
Thor: Ragnarok
Though it may be a superhero movie before all else, Thor: Ragnarok was such a smash hit thanks to its unique addition of humor into what was largely considered the most drab franchises in the MCU. The film was directed by Taika Waititi, who has helmed a number of other off-beat comedies, including What We Do in the Shadows.
Wedding Crashers
Just as Will Ferrell and John C. Riley are a comedy duo that people can’t seem to get enough of, Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn have also headlined a number of successful movies alongside each other as well. Easily one of their biggest hits to date was 2005’s Wedding Crashers.
Neighbors
Before 2014’s Neighbors, Zac Efron was largely seen as a romantic lead in chick flicks and Disney movies. But this raunchy comedy starring Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne really helped rebrand the young actor, who has popped up in a number of R-rated comedies since, including Dirty Grandpa and Baywatch.
Easy A
After Superbad put her on people’s radars, Emma Stone wasted no time in turning out a few comedy movies of her own, including Easy A, which was released in 2010. The film puts a comedic twist on the classic novel The Scarlet Letter which was written by Nathaniel Hawthorn and published back in the 1800s.
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
Some people love the over-the-top comedic stylings of Jim Carrey. Other people absolutely can’t stand him. This 1994 film was the actor's first big film, and Carrey actually followed up Ace Ventura with The Mask and Dumb and Dumber — which all came out in the same year and made the actor an international star almost overnight.
I, Tonya
A lot of people don’t like straight-up comedy movies because they see them as cookie-cutter films with watered down jokes that are trying to get a laugh out of everyone. In which case, they may find that darker, more biting comedies like 2017’s I, Tonya may be more their style.
Heathers
Speaking of biting comedies, this 1980s movie features its fair share of scathing humor in an attempt to hold a mirror up to the superficial lifestyle of many high schoolers. Mean Girls is often seen as being inspired by this movie. But even though Heathers is older, its jokes are actually a lot crueler than the ones in Mean Girls.
Airplane!
1980’s Airplane! is often cited as one of the funniest movies ever made, which is largely thanks to the sheer amount of jokes that are packed into this near-90 minute film. In fact, many have made a tally of all the jokes in the movie and concluded that there are around 2.5 jokes per minute!
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
This 2008 film was written by How I Met Your Mother’s Jason Segal, who also plays the lead in the film with Peter Bretter, a man who travels to Hawaii to get over his ex, only to discover that she’s vacationing in the spot with her new boyfriend. The film also stars Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, and Russell Brand.
Office Space
Long before ABC’s The Office was making fun of the 9-to-5 grind, this 1999 Mike Judge comedy was capturing how truly terrible it can be to be stuck at a loathsome desk job. The film stars Ron Livingston of an employee who finds himself in hot water when his plan to scam the company he works for massively backfires.
The Nice Guys
Though it only had a lukewarm performance at the box office, this 2016 film won over audiences thanks to its unusual blend of comedy and detective storytelling. The film stars Ryan Gosling and Russel Crowe, a private eye and an enforcer who must reluctantly team-up to try and track down a missing film star.
Juno
While plenty of comedy films are simply delivery mechanisms to turn out jokes, there are still movies like Juno which are hilarious thanks to their unusual characters and quirky worlds, rather than just the pithy one-liners that are being delivered. The 2007 film went on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
21 Jump Street
Much like Zac Efron, Channing Tatum is another young actor who revamped his image thanks to the comedy genre. While he had largely been favored by female audiences thanks to his performances in films like Step Up and Dear John, Tatum also proved that he had serious comedic chops in 21 Jump Street.
Sausage Party
While there are plenty of animated shows that feature adult-oriented humor — including South Park and Rick and Morty — not a ton of movies end up doing the same. Then came along Sausage Party, which turned out to be the first CGI-animated movie that was slapped with an R-rating, which it most definitely deserved.
Back to the Future
Back to the Future is a mixed bag of a ton of different genres, including action-adventure, romance, and science fiction. But arguably, the reason that this 1985 film became such a massive success is the humor that’s sprinkled throughout it, which was most effective during the scenes between the odd couple of Marty McFly and Doc Brown.
Mrs. Doubtfire
Though the premise of Mrs. Doubtfire seems like it would have been developed specifically to utilize the distinct comedy talents of Robin Williams, the film was actually based on a 1987 novel titled Alias Madame Doubtfire. That being said, it’s impossible to imagine anyone other than William’s doing justice to the role.