If you're looking for a belly laugh, you're in the right place as we've rounded up a list of the best Netflix comedies. There's a whole breadth of different types of comedies too, including everything from family favorites, heartwarming fare like Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga to satires like Don't Look Up. Then there are the titles that blend giggles and thrills like Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery...
To spare you valuable scrolling time on your next movie night, when you could be tucking into popcorn and laughing away, we've pulled together the most side-splitting films Netflix has to offer. Whatever you're in the mood for, whether it's something with a big-name star like Eddie Murphy in Dolemite is My Name or a more under-the-radar pick like Bo Burnham's Inside, there'll be something here to tickle your fancy.
Each pick is available to watch in both the US and the UK, so it doesn't matter what side of the pond you're on.
The best Netflix comedies to watch right now
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
A sequel to the beloved 2000 animated feature, the second installment sees Ginger (Thandiwe Newton) and Rocky (Zachary Levi) welcome a daughter into their lives. But back on the mainland, a new threat to all of chicken-kind has surfaced. Ginger, Rocky, and the rest of their poultry pals embark on an epic quest to set things right – and Mrs. Tweedy is back!
Directed by Flushed Away and ParaNorman helmer Sam Fell, the voice cast includes Bella Ramsey, Imelda Staunton, and Miranda Richardson.
Do Revenge
Inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train, which is in turn inspired by Patricia Highsmith's novel of the same name, the film was directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson. It centers on Drea (Riverdale's Camila Mendes), an IT girl who falls from grace when a nude video of herself intended for her boyfriend is leaked, and Eleanor (Maya Hawke), who is shunned by her peers when a rumor about her forcibly kissing another girl starts spreading. Determined to turn their lives around, the pair team up to take down one another's bullies.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) returns in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery – and this time he's in sunny Greece at the invitation of billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton). There's an eccentric collection of wealthy guests who join him on Miles' private island, including a Twitch streamer (Dave Bautista), a state governor (Kathryn Hahn), a scientist (Leslie Odom Jr.), and a politically incorrect former model (Kate Hudson) – and Miles' estranged former business partner (Janelle Monáe). But who ends up dead? And who is responsible? Only Blanc has the answers.
Jackass 4.5
Sometimes, you feel like watching a comedy with a decent plot that's going to draw you in, make you care for the characters, and leave your cheeks hurting and your heart all warm and fuzzy. Other times, you just want to see a bunch of grown-ups willingly put themselves into uncomfortable, often painful situations and laugh at their misfortune. Enter Jackass 4.5, which pulls together deleted scenes from Jackass Forever. Johnny Knoxville, Danger Ehren, Steve-O, Dave England, Rachel Wolfson, Zach Holmes, Chris Pontius, Jasper Dolphin, Eric Manaka, Sean 'Poopies' McInerney, Wee Man, and Preston Lacy all feature.
Don't Look Up
The starry, Oscar-nominated dark comedy Don't Look Up sees two astronomers trying to spread the message that a giant comet is going to wipe out life on Earth. Unfortunately, nobody seems to be listening.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence star as astronomers Randall and Kate, while Meryl Streep is President Orlean, and Jonah Hill is her son and Chief of Staff. Mark Rylance, Timothée Chalamet, Tyler Perry, Cate Blanchett, and Ron Perlman co-star. Adam McKay directs.
Inside
We haven't included any of Netflix's many stand-up comedy specials in this list of the best Netflix comedies, instead focussing on proper movies. However, Bo Burnham's Inside falls into a very weird place of being both a comedy special, but also bordering on being a proper movie.
Made and released during the Coronavirus pandemic, Inside is unlike anything else made across the same period. It starts off laugh-out-loud funny, with some great songs about white women's Instagram profiles and Facetiming with your parents. However, it soon looks inward, with Burnham addressing depression and a growing discontent with the internet. We won't spoil anything more, but the overall experience is a thought-provoking film.
The Mitchells vs. the Machines
From the producers behind Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, 21 Jump Street, The Lego Movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse... need we say any more? Phil Lord and Christopher Miller's fingerprints are all over this animated movie from Gravity Falls alumni Mike Rianda. The movie follows the titular family of four (plus pug), as teenage daughter Katie (Broad City’s Abbi Jacobson) prepares to leave home for film school. She’s content to fly, but dad Rick (Danny McBride) spies a chance to mend their ailing relationship by driving her, cross-country, to her dorm room, along with mum Linda (Maya Rudolph), and brother Aaron (voiced by Rianda).
While some gags will whoosh over the heads of younger audience members, but amid the apocalyptic chaos, there’s plenty that families will relate to, from dysfunctional disagreements to screen-time addiction to irritatingly perfect neighbors. Plus, there’s a genius use of a licensed product to rival anything in The Lego Movie. When it comes to The Mitchells Vs. The Machines, everyone’s a winner.
Deidra & Laney Rob A Train
When Deidra and Laney's mother, a frustrated box store employee, unleashes holy hell at work and winds up behind bars it's up to Deidra to figure a way to feed them and their younger brother. The best caper comedies are born from dire situations such as these. That's the burning idea at the heart of this warm chuckle fest from director Sydney Freeland and screenwriter Shelby Farrell. Deidra's (Riverdale's Ashleigh Murray) life is upended, making her typical schemes like flipping papers for cash seem humdrum in comparison.
Her ambitious mind now free to explore more extraordinary circumstances, the plot surges forward as she opts to loop her sister into the plan to rob not just a train, but several. What makes this such a winning pic is the sharp, snappy dialogue and its commitment to placing the story in the hands of a racially-diverse cast. Part of Netflix's more recent foray into edgier teen content, Farrell's script drops a slew of one-liners that make this comedy both sweet and sharp.
Set It Up
Part of Netflix's comedy refresh, Set It Up twists every typical romcom trope into something new. Zoey Deutsch and Glen Powell star as Harper and Charlie, personal assistants to two of New York’s busiest execs, played by Lucy Liu and Taye Diggs. With no social lives, due to their hectic schedules, the underpaid and overworked duo concoct a genius plan; set their bosses up with the hopes of getting some time off.
We’re in the midst of a romantic comedy resurgence if you hadn’t noticed, and Set it Up is one of the very best to emerge. The plot may hit along similar beats – hey, that’s what you *want* from a rom-com – yet it pushes at the boundaries, and breathes some fresh air into the formula. Powell and Deutsch have ridiculous chemistry that’s easy to champion from the minute they join forces.
To All The Boys I've Loved Before
Part of 'flix's attempt to reboot the rom-com, To All The Boys I've Loved Before is a refreshing, lighthearted tale that revolves around the love life of one Lara Jean Covey (Lara Condor). After her older sister moves away to college, Lara Jean's life changes when five secret love letters she had kept hidden somehow find their way into the hands of their recipients. One of the boys, Peter, enters into a fake relationship with Lara Jean – to wind up HIS ex, and to prove Lara Jean doesn't fancy her sister's ex. Confused? You won't be, but you'll love the optimism and John Hughes-esque atmosphere.
For a high school rom-com set in 2018, it's surprisingly light on teen tech. The kids use their cell phones (obviously), but the central conceit here revolves around a surprisingly sweet one – handwritten love letters. The rest of the movie's charm spirals off from that notion, making this a rom-com likely to leave a lasting impression.
Bad Trip
Eric André and Lil Rel Howery star in this road trip comedy, playing two best friends traveling from Florida to New York City so one of them can confess his love for his high school crush (Michaela Conlin), all the while being chased by the other's criminal sister (Tiffany Haddish), whose car they have stolen for the trip. The movie is filmed using hidden cameras and, like André's previous work, there's plenty of surreal comedy and absurd situations. Prepare to be surprised by some very funny and cringe-worthy skits.
The Package
Now we know that many of the picks on this list are suitable for the whole family, but this one may be better kept for just the adults, or shall we say young adults with a slightly immature sense of humour. Starring Stranger Things season 4’s Eduardo Franco as the poor young man whose self-infliction is the butt of the joke of this movie (literally), The Package follows five teens who go on a spring break camping trip, only for it to end up in a bloody mess. But don't worry, this isn’t a horror movie. An unfortunate, yet pretty hilarious, accident occurs involving one boy’s private parts and sets the other teens off on a race against time to save their friend’s most prized possession. Ouch!
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams co-star as a pair of small-town Icelandic songwriters who go by the name Fire Saga. Clamoring for the fame and glory that comes from winning the titular music competition, they wind up representing their country through an amusing early sequence that wipes out the actual Iceland team. This hammy send-up of the Eurovision Song Contest plays like an extended Saturday Night Live skit. It manages to avoid the tedium you might expect from that setup by sharing its comedy gold throughout the cast. This isn’t JUST Ferrell’s show.
McAdams brings much merriment via her deadpan deliveries. Yet the best laughs hail from Dan Stevens, who deftly steals the entire movie as ostentatious Russian Alexander Lemtov, keen to sabotage and save the Fire Saga duo. This spoof is ridiculous, runs long, and is responsible for far too many memes yet you’ll be laughing along merrily and thoroughly warmed by the love story at its centre.
Always Be My Maybe
A trio of Asian American talent from Fresh Off The Boat join forces for a thoroughly refreshing love story. Ali Wong and Randall Park, who wrote and appeared in the aforementioned show respectively, co-star as childhood sweethearts who reconvene 15 years later under drastically different circumstances. The fact it’s also directed by Nahnatchka Khan, Fresh’s showrunner, is what shapes this Netflix Original into a feature that’s far better than you’d expect.
Always Be My Maybe skirts barfy saccharine territory despite the homeliness of its story. Wong’s character, Sasha, has struck it big as a successful chef who returns home to San Francisco to help open a new restaurant while Park’s Marcus has barely moved on at all. Despite the gap in their living circumstances, the pair rekindle their relationship, and comedy hijinks ensue. The warmth of the setup hails from the deeply-explored subtleties between Sasha’s Vietnamese upbringing and Marcus’ Korean-American family (it was his mother who taught Sasha to cook, after all). Throw in a dynamite A-list cameo, truly awful rapping from Marcus’ musical troupe, and Wong on top form, there’s plenty here to enjoy.
Someone Great
Someone Great sounds like a sentimental romantic comedy you’ve seen countless times before. Heck, even the promo and marketing materials paint it as such. But despite its vague title it’s a sweet and funny farewell, as three friends spend one last day together in New York City. Eager to shed her Jane the Virgin persona, Gina Rodriguez snags the meatiest role as Jenny, a music journalist whose 9-year relationship with Nate (Lakeith Stanfield) ends the night before she leaves for a Rolling Stone job in California.
This prompts her two besties (DeWanda Wise and Brittany Snow) to blow off their workdays to help her source tickets for a must-see show before she departs. Thankfully, the film flits to and from the love story, instead of focusing mostly on the friendships The Someone Great of the title turns out to be the friends that help her through the hardest time in her life and the person that Jenny never believes herself to be when she’s beholden to Nate. Although the movie shines when Jenny’s off-screen and Wise and Snow’s hijinks take centre stage.
Monty Python's Life of Brian
Non-Netflix original available in US/UK
Having recently celebrated its 40th anniversary, Life of Brian still stands as one of the funniest films ever made. To prove that Holy Grail wasn’t a fluke, and eager to craft a winning follow-up, the Monty Python crew got together and gave us Life of Brian. Another period film, another set of ridiculous circumstances blended together to be as offensive as possible. This time, the focus is on a young Jewish man named Brian, who, through an unfortunate mixup, is heralded as being the Messiah. But he’s not. He’s a very naughty boy.
Razor-sharp dialogue, witty one-liners, daft slapstick scenarios; there isn’t a type of comedy that Life of Brian doesn’t wrangle into its story. This is a classic comedy which will no doubt still be topping ‘best of’ lists in another forty years.
We Have a Ghost
Now for some family fun, spooky style. Starring Stranger Things’ David Harbour as a ghost with the most, Netflix original We Have a Ghost follows a young boy named Kevin who becomes an overnight social media sensation when he finds a ghoul named Ernest living in his family home. But when the new living/dead duo goes rogue to investigate the ghost's mysterious past, their supernatural finding attracts the attention of the CIA, and gets the family into more trouble than they bargained for.
We Have a Ghost encompasses everything we love about Netflix family comedies, from its silliness to the array of colorful characters. Alongside Harbour, the cast also includes The White Lotus’ Jennifer Coolidge and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’s Anthony Mackie, as well as Jahi Di'Allo Winston, Tig Notaro, Erica Ash, Faith Ford, Niles Fitch, Isabella Russo, and Steve Coulter.
Dolemite Is My Name
Launching his career with raunchy standup, Eddie Murphy’s subsequent dive into family-friendly comedies didn’t exactly leave his hardcore fans pleased. When might we see the return of his no-holds-barred former self? His comeback movie, the Netflix Original Dolemite is My Name, is a damn fine start. While it might not pack quite the same R-rated punch as Raw it’s not supposed to.
Murphy stars as Rudy Ray Moore, an entertainer desperate to strike it rich. His humble musical beginnings soon make way for his foray into the movie business, where he charts his own path as blaxploitation icon, Dolemite. In the title role, Murphy excels, stealing every scene he’s in, proving that he’s got dramatic and comedy chops. His supporting cast, including Wesley Snipes, Tituss Burgess, Craig Robinson, and Keegan-Michael Key absolutely slay.
The Fundamentals of Caring
Based on the novel by Jonathan Evison, this buddy road trip movie walks the line between poignant drama and sharp, observational comedy perfectly. Paul Rudd stars as Ben, a failed writer who takes a wholly different approach to life after the tragic death of his son. He adopts a new livelihood as a caregiver which leads him to meet the brusque Trevor (Craig Roberts), a teen with muscular dystrophy who asks his new caregiver a simple request: to take him on a road trip.
The duo hit the road after convincing Trevor’s mom (the brilliant, and sadly underused, Jennifer Ehle) to let them visit “The World’s Deepest Pit”. Their jaunt is of course not about the destination. It’s about the gags – and revelations – they make along the way, many of which revolve around Ben having to help Trevor pee. Selena Gomez’s achingly-hip Dot jumps in on the action, with cheeky throwaway lines oozing crush-worthy cool, giving this fun, heart-warming comedy a little added bite.
Carrie Pilby
Non-Netflix original available in US/UK
Bel Powley continues her streak of compelling performances in this criminally-underseen New York City dramedy from To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before director Susan Johnson. As the precocious Carrie, who graduated Harvard at the tender age of 19 and towers over those twice her age, Powley is, understandably, a tad bratty. Somehow her own preternatural thesp skills temper Carrie’s precociousness. While she echoes Woody Allen’s nervous Manhattanite nerds, she’s a wholly likable protagonist, a book smart woman who places her own value ahead of those in her orbit.
The movie opens with Carrie’s therapist suggesting that she craft a five-point plan. With no friends, no partner, and few interests, the goal is for her to integrate people back into her life. So begins her journey to open herself up to a world she believes herself superior to, which, understandably yields rather amusing results.
The Forty-Year-Old Version
Radha Blank’s own life is the inspiration for her directorial debut, The Forty Year-Old Version. She plays Radha, a woman whose biggest creative accomplishments lie nearly a decade in her past. Initially reluctant to change, she eventually snaps and decides she can’t trudge through more of the same. Emboldened, she hits up a local beat boy to support her rapping aspirations, while seeking a theatrical home for her new play.
Movies about the creative process can feel a little inside baseball at times, yet, Blank’s debut is more inclusive. Uproariously hilarious without being alienating, the concept of trying to making it against all odds is a universal one Blank handles with aplomb. The Forty-Year Old Version is an authentic and painfully-funny dive into how we handle dissatisfaction later in life, and the endless rewards that can bring if we’re willing to be brave and change our circumstances.
The Lovebirds
One of 2020's first big post-lockdown successes, The Lovebirds sees Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani play two lovebirds who are anything but. Their relationship is on the rocks and their breakup plans are interrupted by a car crash that spirals into a world of conspiracies and criminals. It's a comedy, honest.
Following on from that climatic incident, The Lovebirds becomes pure farce, flitting between hilarious set-piece after hilarious set-piece, each designed to make you cringe and wince.
The Eternals fans could also do a lot worse than seeking out the film. With Marvel's cosmic caper likely to flex Nanjiani's dramatic (and very real) muscles, this is the perfect starting point for those looking to see what he has to offer.
The Lovebirds, like so many rom-coms, revels in the chemistry between the two leads as their situation slips further and further out of their control. No spoilers here, but let's just say you won't see a certain form of torture coming. It also cements Nanjiani as one of the most interesting and necessary actors when it comes to modern-day relationships. A perfect double bill with The Big Sick, if you ask us. One of the best Netflix comedies you can really laugh along with.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
The Coen brothers bring their unique style to a series of short tales told throughout the Old West. Over the course of six stories, the American frontier serves as a backdrop for a range of characters to come to the fore, to reveal their own truths about life in the American West. Sharpshooters, bank robbers, prospectors, and more lay bare their lives in these wildly different stories.
Coen fans tend to vary wildly on which is their favourite movie from the duo - and that’s why Buster Scruggs is a winner. It steals from across their career, snagging bits and pieces from their entire repertoire, linking together the six-part anthology flick through their signature style of black comedy and compelling drama. And the cast? To die for.
The Incredible Jessica James
Another stand-out Netflix Original comedy that embraces the cliches and makes them palatable thanks in large part to its spot-on casting. Jessica Williams stars as Jessica James, a twenty-something New Yorker reeling from her split with Damon (Lakeith Stanfield, who, yes, is playing another ex-boyfriend). The movie opens as she launches back into dating, her scathing, take-no-prisoners schtick an apparent turn off from the get-go.
Enter Boone. Chris O'Dowd trots out his loveable Bridesmaids persona again as a fellow recent dumpee who immediately hits it off with Jessica. The fun explored between this pair is the shared heartache they each experience, that’s a neat story trick that works to unite them. Williams and O’Dowd’s chemistry is terrific, and their humour infectious.
