The wide-lasting appeal and inherent memorability of the comedy genre have allowed it to thrive and find great success throughout film history. Each generation has a selection of impactful and well-crafted comedy films, with the funniest of an era ranking among the most memorable and widely celebrated of all time. While it’s relatively early to cement the legacy of the modern age of comedy films, the past five years have still seen the release of a wide array of exceptionally funny films.
From large budget studio comedies that find inspiration from the great comedies of old to experimental, independent comedies that break new ground through a modern sense of humor, these are the most hilarious comedy films released over the past five years. While several have spent the post-pandemic simply rewatching the classic comedy films of old, this selection of great comedies proves that there are still amazing, laugh-out-loud comedies released in the modern day.
10
‘Theater Camp’ (2023)
Theater Camp takes inspiration from classic mockumentary films of the past to create a great modernization of the style, utilizing its exceptional supporting cast and inherent love for youth theater to be a blast from start to finish. The film is deeply rooted in its wild, chaotic theater kid origins, creating a comedic experience that brilliantly highlights the most hilarious aspects without holding back for traditional audiences. With so many hilarious characters each going through wild stories and moments, Theater Camp is sure to connect with and resonate with at least one of its stories.
It’s this inherent love and passion for the experience of youth theater that amplifies its impact, as it comes from a place of genuine heart and connection to the material being satirized. Theater Camp is a wildly fun time that frequently one-ups itself in terms of absurdity and chaotic fun, being a mockumentary that does great justice not only to the theater kids that it satirizes, but the great mockumentaries that inspired it.
9
‘The Naked Gun’ (2025)
It has become an increasing trend across all different genres in modern film for there to be a consistent stream of reboots and remakes of classics, capitalizing on the inherent love of the past for success. While many of these remakes simply fail to live up to the legacy and weight of the original, Akiva Schaffer‘s recent reboot of The Naked Gun starring Liam Neeson is a massive exception to the rule. The film not only manages to be just as hilarious as the original, but seamlessly evolves and transforms the style of humor for the modern day, creating instantly memorable results.
The Naked Gun brilliantly plays off Neeson’s legacy and perception as a gritty action hero to make for a goofy, over-the-top action protagonist that both pays tribute to the late Leslie Nielsen while creating a new modern comedy icon. The film as a whole crams so many goofy visual gags and hilarious sequences into such a relatively short runtime, with each joke managing to be more goofy and nonsensical than the last.
8
‘Bottoms’ (2023)
An over-the-top queer satire of classic coming-of-age teen movies whose parody is so effective it reaches the point of overwhelming absurdity, Bottoms was a hit among younger comedy fans of the modern era. It thrives on a sense of chaos and absurdism, with many characters embracing their inherent stereotypes to the point of ridiculousness. Still, the core performances from Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri centralize the film and make it both compelling and hilarious.
With the overwhelming clichés and conventions of high school movies having been ingrained in the larger culture for decades, Bottoms‘ complete dismantlement of the genre is that much more effective. However, the film is much more than a simple satire, taking the premise and stakes to absolute extremes with over-the-top violence, instantly quotable lines, memorable moments, and an overall approach that feels tailor-made for Gen Z.
7
‘Friendship’ (2025)
Tim Robinson has proven himself as one of the most hilarious comedic actors working today, between his various sketches on I Think You Should Leave and his short time on Saturday Night Live. Friendship further amplifies Robinson’s comedic strengths on a cinematic scale, being one of the best modern examples of well-crafted cringe and uncomfortable humor. It comes across like an ever-growing snowball of awkward and painfully hilarious situations, a comedy experience that will disturb audiences while making them burst into laughter.
While this sense of purposefully cringe-inducing humor certainly isn’t for everyone, the formula is executed with near-perfect precision in Friendship. Each scene is more hilarious and more awkward than the last. While it at times feels like a bunch of I Think You Should Leave sketches combined, when the film is this hilarious, it’s easy to excuse any issues with the overarching plot.
6
‘Barbie’ (2023)
One of the biggest box office successes of the decade so far and a massively pleasant surprise that exceeded all expectations of what a toyline movie adaptation could be, Barbie is one of the leading faces of modern comedy greatness. The film does much more than simply adapt the stories of the character — it cuts to the very essence of what has made the doll such a phenomenon for generations, with a powerful message of womanhood combined with its top-notch comedy.
Barbie understands the absurdity of its existence, playing into it for all sorts of comedic mileage for a wide variety of different audiences. It also features some exceptionally hilarious performances from Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, who transform their literal plastic characters into absolute titans of comedy. The exceptional blockbuster film also makes the absolute most of its massive budget, utilizing brilliant production design to bring to life a sprawling vision of Barbieland.
5
‘Hit Man’ (2024)
One of many great feel-good efforts from director Richard Linklater, Hit Man is easily among the greatest comedies that Netflix has ever released. It makes the absolute most out of the rising star power of Glen Powell, giving him a highly creative comedic role that allows him to flex his capabilities as an actor, elevating the film with his electrifying screen presence. Linklater’s signature filmmaking energy allows for a great deal of comedy, romance, and overall entertainment from this crowd-pleaser.
Hit Man is the type of exceptionally well-crafted comedy that deserves to be watched by a large audience through a glorious shared experience of comedy and charm, making it more of a shame that it only had a digital release on Netflix. Had it been allowed to thrive in the theatrical venue, it’s easy to imagine a world where Hit Man is even more beloved and acclaimed, one of the best comedies of the decade for sure.
4
‘Hundreds of Beavers’ (2024)
Largely rising in notoriety through word of mouth to be one of the defining cult classic independent comedies of recent memory, Hundreds of Beavers is a glorious love letter to classic slapstick comedy and goofy cartoon hijinks. The film is the closest that a live-action film has gotten to recreating the limitless possibilities and manic insanity of a Saturday morning cartoon, combining this with top-of-the-line comedy to create one of the most original comedies in decades.
Hundreds of Beavers is much more than its proposed gimmick, constantly pushing the boundaries and seamlessly evolving the classic format of slapstick comedy into the modern era of humor and absurdity. Between the goofy mascot outfits that take the place of the animals, the expressive and over-the-top performances from the entire cast, and hundreds of great jokes, the film will only continue to grow into a cult classic in the years to come.
3
‘Poor Things’ (2023)
Yorgos Lanthimos has largely made a name for himself throughout the 21st century thanks to his array of strange comedies defined by their overwhelming personality and charm. Poor Things is simultaneously one of Lanthimos’ most approachable and widely appealing films while still featuring the same classic absurdities and chaos that define his filmmaking style. Despite all the disturbing and uncomfortable subject matter, it consistently finds the comedy through its strangest and darkest concepts.
A great deal of why the film works so well is the brilliant, Academy Award-winning performance by Emma Stone, who blends comedy, emotion, and genuine growth through one of the most explosive and defining comedic performances of all time. Every other aspect of Poor Things amplifies the inherent energy and comedic strengths of the premise, from its wildly creative visuals, raunchy and deeply adult content, and a wide array of nonsensical side characters.
2
‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ (2022)
A Best Picture-winning juggernaut of a sci-fi action comedy that took the world by storm and fully lives up to its massive reputation, Everything Everywhere All at Once is the type of comedy that will continue to be discussed and examined for generations. While all of its emotional beats and great performances helped it achieve such massive critical acclaim, its greatest strength comes from how endlessly hilarious its charming sense of humor is.
The film builds upon over a decade’s worth of quirky, quip-filled action comedies to provide the ultimate version of this style of action comedy filmmaking. The action is stylish and entertaining, while the dialogue and comedy find a great mixture of emotion and goofiness, creating a film that never loses its sense of charm and wit. Everything Everywhere will easily stand as one of the best comedies of the 2020s and will have a deeply rooted legacy, much like the all-time great comedies of old.
1
‘American Fiction’ (2023)
One of comedy’s continued strengths has been its ability to cut to the heart of non-traditional issues faced by everyday people, shedding light on these concepts and making them more approachable. American Fiction joins a deep-rooted history of powerful and timely satires with its brilliant exploration of racial expectations and societal hypocrisy. It’s the type of comedy that consistently finds ways to tackle important topics through hilarious comedy and exceptional characters.
Like all great satires, it starts relatively simple and believable before reaching a point of such massive absurdity that one cannot help but laugh at the nonsensical nature of what is occurring. American Fiction utilizes pitch-perfect comedic timing and pacing to make sure that each of its punchlines has the ultimate setup, even finding time to have deeply developed characters and emotional weight as well. The film’s highly deserved Best Adapted Screenplay win further cements it as a comedy achievement of the era and an all-time great comedy satire.
