#15 best comedy movies on Netflix if you need a laugh

These days, nothing hits better than a genuine laugh.

With Netflix subscribers everywhere continuing to socially distance themselves, it can feel like we’re missing out on a lot. Thankfully, the streaming service has a huge archive of killer comedy to help us fill our days and nights with jokes, disasters, and mayhem.

From hidden gems to legendary favorite films, here are our top 15 picks (plus, two honorable mentions) for the best comedies on Netflix streaming right now. Enjoy!

Note: We’ve ranked Netflix’s best stand-up specials and romantic comedies separately.

15. Andaz Apna Apna 

The greatest comedy in Bollywood, Hollywood, and human history is tucked away on Netflix. Andaz Apna Apna is an Indian cult classic starring Aamir Khan, Salman Khan (two huge stars who rarely if ever share top billing), Karisma Kapoor, and Raveena Tandon. Amar and Prem (Aamir and Salman, respectively) are extraordinarily lazy schemers who dream of getting rich without lifting a finger. When they hear that the wealthy heiress Raveena (Tandon) is visiting from London to find a husband, they both seek her hand and all its perks. 

The two are sometimes the best of friends and worst of enemies throughout this quest, which also involves Raveena’s assistant (Kapoor), dubious manager, and evil uncle (Paresh Rawal) plotting her murder. Did we mention the millions of rupees in stolen diamonds? Just watch it. -Proma Khosla

How to watch: Andaz Apna Apna is now streaming on Netflix

14. Between Two Ferns: The Movie 

Zach Galifianakis’ awkward celebrity interview web series Between Two Ferns might not seem like fodder for a full-length movie, but Between Two Ferns: The Movie goes double meta by presenting Galifianakis’ success on Funny or Die as an insult to the actor’s intention to host a “serious” interview show. Galifianakis the character sets off to correct the assumption that his original show is a joke by interviewing even more celebrities, like John Cho, Keanu Reeves, Gal Gadot, Tiffany Haddish, and more. -Alexis Nedd

How to watch: Between Two Ferns: The Movie is now streaming on Netflix

13. Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga 

Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams really commit to their roles as wannabe Icelandic pop stars in Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. Fire Saga’s journey from their small town to the big Eurovision stage is packed with dazzling (and occasionally slapstick) stage performances, quirky regional humor, and a touching romance at the heart of it all. Also, Downton Abbey‘s Dan Stevens plays a Russian Eurovision contestant and he’s incredible. That’s all, really. -AN

How to watch: Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is now streaming on Netflix

12. Hunt for the Wilderpeople 

Taika Waititi’s 2016 charmer stars Deadpool 2’s Julian Dennison and Jurassic Park’s Sam Neill as an unlikely family unit bonded by loss and life on the run. Ricky (Dennison) is a delinquent sent to live with Hector (Neill) and his wife Bella, but the caring Bella suddenly passes away leaving the de facto father and son to butt heads. Ricky runs away from home with Hec hot on his heels and they agree on one thing: To live in the New Zealand bush and never go back to society. That decision goes over with literally everyone else, namely the government, who track Hector and Ricky through the wilderness and threaten to separate them for good. 

Look out for a signature cameo from the writer/director and Thor Ragnarok’s Rachel House, as well as that unapologetically Kiwi humor that is Waititi’s sweet spot. -PK

How to watch: Hunt for the Wilderpeople is now streaming on Netflix

11. Dolemite Is My Name

Once again, legend Eddie Murphy completely crushes it. Portraying the late Rudy Ray Moore (aka Dolemite), Murphy embarks on the poignant and uproarious ride of an underdog with a dream. Supporting performances by Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Wesley Snipes, Craig Robinson, and more. -Alison Foreman

How to watch: Dolemite Is My Name is now streaming on Netflix.

10. Hail, Caesar!

The Coen brothers bring their signature style to old Hollywood in Hail, Caesar!, a period comedy about a studio problem-solver who has to wrangle pregnant starlets, miscast cowboys, kidnapped actors, and gossip columnists as part of a day’s work. Its great cast includes Scarlett Johansson, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich, Tilda Swinton, and Ralph Fiennes. -AN 

How to watch: Hail, Caesar! is now streaming on Netflix

9. The Producers 

The Producers is a rare movie musical for a few reasons: it’s a movie adapted from a musical that was adapted from another movie (Mel Brooks’ 1967 film The Producers), it’s a nearly beat-for-beat reproduction of the stage show with only a few cut numbers, and it stars many of the actors who originated their roles on Broadway. Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick’s hilarious chemistry translates seamlessly from stage to screen, and adding Will Ferrel and Uma Thurman sprinkles a little Hollywood razzle-dazzle on top of one of Broadway’s most beloved comedies. -AN

How to watch: The Producers is now streaming on Netflix

8. The Other Guys

One of many collaborations between Adam McKay and Will Ferrell, this buddy cop spoof checks off all the right comedy boxes. It’s got ridiculous dialogue, spectacular action, tragic back stories, Mark Wahlberg being extremely aggressive, and just an obscene amount of property damage. -AF

How to watch: The Other Guys is now streaming on Netflix.

7. Swiss Army Man

From the regularly inventive folks over at A24, Swiss Army Man is a dark comedy that follows beats similar to Cast Away — if Wilson were a rotting corpse instead of a volleyball. Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe lead in an increasingly strange tale of survival, friendship, and imagination. -AF

How to watch: Swiss Army Man is now streaming on Netflix.

6. Being John Malkovich

Malkovich, Malkovich Malkovich? Malkovich! One of the weirder comedies to come out of the 1990s, Being John Malkovich stars John Cusack, Catherine Keener, an unrecognizable Cameron Diaz, and of course John Malkovich in a body-swapping, soft science fiction bizarro world where anyone can enter the mind of and experience, well…being John Malkovich. It’s dark at times and inexplicable at others, but Being John Malkovich is a classic for a reason. -AN

How to watch: Being John Malkovich is now streaming on Netflix.

5. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story 

You want every part of Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. John C. Reilley is hilarious as the title character Dewey Cox, a fictional musician whose wacky story satirizes both biopics as a genre and the midcentury heyday of rock music stars. Walk Hard is a cult classic for a reason, with dozens of quotable lines and a surprisingly good soundtrack for a movie where almost every song is meant to be a joke. -AN

How to watch: Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story is now streaming on Netflix

4. Vampires Vs the Bronx 

It takes one hell of a good script to break into the zombie and vampire–saturated comedy-horror genre with a fresh perspective and a crystal clear parallel to gentrification, and Vampires Vs. The Bronx absolutely has one of those scripts. It’s funny and spooky without being too scary, and its fantastic cast of young actors more than carry the burden of making this movie a future Halloween comedy classic. 

How to watch: Vampires Vs the Bronx is now streaming on Netflix

3. Back to the Future 

Robert Zemeckis’s 1985 classic truly has it all: Action, adventure, light sci-fi, romance — and comedy, heaps of comedy. You know the story by now: ‘80s teen Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) ends up trapped in 1955, where he has one week to make sure his parents get together and thereby ensure his existence before he journeys back to the future. Fox still charms as Marty even if the laid-back adolescence of the day doesn’t ring true now, and Christopher Lloyd’s Doc Brown will forever be cinematic legend. Yes it is awkward when the movie suggests that Marty came up with Chuck Barry’s Johnny B. Goode, but he got it from Chuck in the first place! Time is a flat circle. That’s from this movie, right? -PK

How to watch: Back to the Future is now streaming on Netflix.

2. Monty Python and the Holy Grail

There are tons of great Monty Python films to pick from (including Life of Brian, which is also streaming on Netflix), but The Holy Grail will forever hold a special place in our hearts. It’s endlessly quotable, stupidly funny, and captures everything that made this comedy team spectacular. Not to mention, it forever changed how we see coconuts, swallows, hamsters, and elderberries. -AF

How to watch: Monty Python and the Holy Grail is now streaming on Netflix.

1. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

We are Sex Bob-Omb: 1-2-3-4! Based on Bryan Lee O’Malley’s beloved graphic novel series, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is the favorite we keep coming back to. It’s got great actors: Chris Evans! Anna Kendrick! Brie Larson! Kieran Culkin! Plus, a killer soundtrack, wonderful visual effects, more references than you can count, and some of the best lines ever written. We’re in lesbians. -AF

How to watch: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is now streaming on Netflix.

Honorable Mention: The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience

A celebration of rap, comedy, and the Oakland Athletics, The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience is the surprise short film Lonely Island fans didn’t know they needed. Andy Samberg and Akiva Schaffer, portraying MLB players Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire, unceasingly commit to the bit in a 30-minute tribute to the limits of sanity, reason, and acceptability.

How to watch: The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience is now streaming on Netflix.

Honorable’s Mention’s Honorable, Mention: Frankenstein’s Monster’s Monster, Frankenstein

As the foremost experts on David Harbour’s mind-boggling short film, we cannot begin to recommend this Netflix original enough. We’ve seen it countless times, analyzed it even more, and sought answers every way we know how. Still, it charms us with its perplexing WTF-ery each time. You’re welcome.

How to watch: Frankenstein’s Monster’s Monster, Frankenstein is now streaming on Netflix.