Once the favorite genre of both audiences and filmmakers, comedy has been in a major crisis for years. Hollywood has largely abandoned theatrical comedy because it has become too risky in this franchise and IP-driven market. This aversion has left fans with a frustratingly thin slate of original comedies, leading many to believe that the ‘theatrical laugh riot’ is a relic of the past.
However, despite the industry’s shift toward risk-averse filmmaking, the 2020s have secretly delivered some of the most inventive and hilarious movies in decades. By moving away from the safe, formulaic structures of the past and embracing weirder, more honest storytelling, a new wave of filmmakers is proving that comedy is far from dead. Here are the five funniest comedies of the decade that have successfully defied the trend.
Barbie (2023) Became One of the Highest Grossing Comedies
This movie could have easily been a boring, preachy corporate investment, but it ended up being one of the best theater experiences in years for fans. Sitting at an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, which became the highest-grossing comedy movie of all time, walked a very fine line. It managed to be self-aware enough to poke fun at itself while actually making viewers care about the characters.
From set designs to intricate characters, everything related to this film was engaging enough to appear light-hearted on screen. However, a huge part of the success came from the physical comedy by both Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, who were incredibly good at playing these two polar opposite figures with ridiculous costumes, weird dialogues and a fully committed performance.
Bottoms (2023) Had A Pure And Unhinged Humor
Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri play two deeply unlikable losers who start a self-defense fight club just to hook up with popular cheerleaders. Bottoms is a raunchy, absurdly fun premise that holds a massive 90% on Rotten Tomatoes.
It entirely ignores the pressure to make its queer characters act like perfect role models. Instead, it lets them be wonderfully dumb and messy in the absolute best way possible. The movie fully commits to the ridiculous violence and refuses to take itself seriously for a single second, making it one of the unique modern comedy films of the 2020s.
Palm Springs (2020) Perfected the Nihilistic Time Loop
Palm Springs was a delightful surprise for many comedy fans because it was not just one of the best takes on the classic time-loop trope since Groundhog Day, but it provided a fresh layer of humor and comedy in one of the bleakest times of our lives.
Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti have fantastic chemistry as two wedding guests who get stuck living the exact same day over and over again. It perfectly blends romance, comedy, and action into a surprisingly fresh story. Because it was an unexpected sleeper hit during the 2020 lockdowns, it really connected with audiences who felt stuck in their routines.
Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie Amused Audiences With Unscripted Moments
Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie is essentially a giant, feature-length prank played in the city of Toronto. Directors Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol take their long-running mockumentary series and dial up the scale, following two best friends who accidentally trigger a time-travel event back to 2008 while trying to book a gig. The real kicker is how much of the movie features unscripted reactions from completely confused civilians.
But behind all the crazy reality-disruption and wild setups, it is just a really sweet story. It is essentially about two lifelong friends sharing a single brain cell and refusing to give up on their ridiculous dreams. It is easily one of the most original indie projects of the decade.
No Hard Feelings (2023) Revived the R-Rated Studio Comedy
Jennifer Lawrence completely surprised everyone with her unexpected comedy chops in this movie. She plays a broke Montauk local who answers a weird Craigslist ad to date a painfully shy teenager before he leaves for college. No Hard Feelings can be described as a throwback or a revisit to older R-rated teen comedies like Blockers or American Pie.
Along with Lawrence, Andrew Barth Feldman brings an equal amount of nervous comedic timing that makes their dynamic work perfectly. The film doesn’t try too much to be a deep drama or a serious character study about age gaps. It is just a story about two completely different people brought together by absurd circumstances with, of course, a refreshing amount of humor.