There are very few movies that can be described as “completely perfect,” so it’s not really worth fussing about films that barely miss the mark. Even all-time classics may have a fatal flaw that prevents them from being without reproach, and usually, it makes them more interesting. It says a lot about a film’s quality if it only has one notable detracting point that audiences pay attention to if the rest of the film is excellent.
The comedy genre is particularly hard to make perfect, as comedy in of itself is a subjective field. What’s funny to one person may be obnoxious to others, and some films have simply suffered as a result of aging. Even a hilarious film may have a few moments that don’t reach the same level of excellence. Here are ten great comedy movies that were almost perfect.
10 ‘Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner’ (1967)
Directed by Stanley Kramer
Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner is one of the most important comedies ever made, as it was one of the first American productions that truly addressed the issue of interracial marriage as an aspect of normal life. While Katharine Hepburn walked away with an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance, and Spencer Tracy received a posthumous nomination for Best Actor, it was the breakthrough role by Sidney Poitier that had such a significant impact on the industry moving forward.
Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner has only aged poorly in some regards because it attempts to appease white viewers by presenting a simplistic message of “why can’t we all get along?” While the depiction of a dysfunctional family unit has aged very well, Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner feels less groundbreaking today than it was during its initial release.
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
Watch on Prime Video
9 ‘They All Laughed’ (1981)
Directed by Peter Bogdanovich
They All Laughed is one of the more underrated films of Peter Bogdanovich’s career. While he peaked early thanks to the success of The Last Picture Show and Paper Moon in the 1970s, Bogdanovich earned a major comeback with They All Laughed thanks to the film’s quirky mix of comedy and intrigue. Excellent performances from Audrey Hepburn and Ben Gazzara certainly added to the entertainment factor of the film.
"They All Laughed’s only imperfection is that it is very confusing..."
They All Laughed’s only imperfection is that it is very confusing, and may be hard to follow for someone expecting a more straightforward slapstick comedy. This certainly doesn’t mean that the film fails as a mystery story, but it does mean there are significant portions where the viewers are no longer laughing at the jokes. The confusion of genres may lead to some severe disappointments, as Bogdanovich’s intent for the film becomes slightly more unclear as it continues.
8 ‘Sixteen Candles’ (1984)
Directed by John Hughes
Sixteen Candles is one of the finest coming-of-age films written by John Hughes, and in many ways feels like a direct predecessor to The Breakfast Club, which was released one year later. Molly Ringwald delivered a breakout performance that instantly earned her an important role within the history of “The Brat Pack,” and Anthony Michael Hall also delivered a very charismatic performance. Few films have ever captured the feelings of discomfort and embarrassment that are involved in high school quite as well.
Unfortunately, Sixteen Candles has some unfortunately antiquated racial stereotypes that simply feel out-of-touch with today’s society. These jokes weren’t necessarily acceptable in 1984, and they are even more glaring and distressing today when Asian writers and performers have to fight for representation. It’s particularly damning for a film that tries to evoke compassion for all of its characters to feature such racist jokes. In short, this is generally a touching and lovable, warm comedy film that today is greatly hindered by some content that never should have been there in the first place.
Sixteen Candles
PG
Comedy
Romance
- Release Date
- May 4, 1984
- Director
- John Hughes
- Cast
- Molly Ringwald , Justin Henry , Michael Schoeffling , Haviland Morris , Gedde Watanabe , Anthony Michael Hall
- Runtime
- 93
- Main Genre
- Comedy
- Writers
- John Hughes
- Studio
- Universal Pictures
- Tagline
- When you're just sixteen anything can happen!
Watch on Prime Video
7 ‘Beverly Hills Cop II’ (1987)
Directed by Tony Scott
Beverly Hills Cop II is one of the rare comedy sequels that is almost just as good as its predecessor. Living up to the legacy of an instant classic like Beverly Hills Cop was by no means an easy task, but the second entry in the series instantly thrust Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) into another exciting adventure. The stakes were higher, the action was more explosive, and returning guest stars like Judge Reinhold were able to give more depth to their characterization.
"The only major issue with Beverly Hills Cop II is that it feels more like an action movie than a comedy."
The only major issue with Beverly Hills Cop II is that it feels more like an action movie than a comedy. The film was directed by Tony Scott, whose past credits include such action classics as Revenge and Top Gun; it’s by no means a bad movie, but it does seem to be more intent on wowing the audience with spectacle than it is inspiring their laughter.
6 ‘As Good As It Gets’ (1997)
Directed by James L. Brooks
As Good As It Gets was one of the most critically acclaimed comedies of the 1990s, and served as just another reminder of how brilliant of a filmmaker James L. Brooks is. While As Good As It Gets ended up losing the Academy Award for Best Picture to Titanic, it did score wins in the Best Actor and Best Actress categories for Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt, respectively. It’s a charming, sweet, and occasionally tear jerking examination of finding love late in life.
The biggest issue with As Good As It Gets is that it is way too long. Comedies at their best should be around 90 minutes, and while some extra time can be allowed for films with more seasoned directors, As Good As It Gets clocks in at around 137 minutes. There’s no reason for a romantic comedy to be as long as a modern blockbuster.
As Good As It Gets
PG-13
Romantic Comedy
Drama
- Release Date
- December 25, 1997
- Director
- James L. Brooks
- Cast
- Jack Nicholson , Helen Hunt , Greg Kinnear , Cuba Gooding Jr , Shirley Knight
- Runtime
- 139 minutes
Rent on Amazon
5 ‘Knocked Up’ (2007)
Directed by Judd Apatow
Knocked Up was one of the most influential films of Judd Apatow’s career, proving that raunchy films could also be heartfelt. While Seth Rogen and Kathryn Heigl had extraordinary chemistry, the film also ended up providing breakout roles for Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Jason Segel, and Jonah Hill.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of hom*ophobic jokes in Knocked Up that simply haven’t aged well, and make it much more difficult to accept the film as an earnest “slice of life” comedy. To Apatow’s credit, the film’s spinoff This Is 40 tried to be much more inclusive; Apatow also produced the underrated romantic comedy Bros, one of the first studio films to feature a cast that was composed entirely of LGBTQ performers. As refreshing as it is to see that Apatow has evolved as a storyteller since 2007, it does dampen the enjoyment of Knocked Up to see how common it was for him to feature hateful rhetoric.
Knocked Up
R
Comedy
Documentary
Drama
Romance
Rising journalist Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl) hits a serious bump in the road after a one-night stand with irresponsible slacker Ben Stone (Seth Rogen) results in pregnancy. Rather than raise the baby on her own, she decides to give Ben a chance to prove he is father material. However, he is unsure if he is ready to be a parent, and both wonder if they would be compatible lifetime partners.
- Release Date
- June 1, 2007
- Director
- Judd Apatow
- Cast
- Seth Rogen , Katherine Heigl , Paul Rudd , Leslie Mann , Jason Segel , Jay Baruchel
- Runtime
- 129
- Main Genre
- Comedy
- Writers
- Judd Apatow
- Tagline
- A comedy about a one night stand that became something more.
- Website
- http://www.knockedupmovie.com/
4 ‘Step Brothers’ (2008)
Directed by Adam McKay
Step Brotherswas in many ways the culmination of Will Ferrell’s working relationship with Adam McKay, as it was a film that allowed them both to be completely unfiltered. In a year filled with great R-Rated comedies that pushed the boundaries when it came to raunchy content, seeing Ferrell and his frequent co-star John C. Reilly acted like complete children as they battled for their parents’ affection and offered more than enough laughs.
As funny as it was to see how juvenile the film could get, Step Brothers lacked the satirical edge that was common within Ferrell and McKays’ other films together. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy satirized the news media, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby examined NASCAR culture, and Step Brothers proved to be a hilarious subversion of the cliches common in buddy cop action movies.
Step Brothers
R
Comedy
- Release Date
- July 25, 2008
- Director
- Adam McKay
- Cast
- Will Ferrell , John C. Reilly , Mary Steenburgen , Richard Jenkins , Adam Scott , Kathryn Hahn
- Runtime
- 98 minutes
- Writers
- Will Ferrell , Adam McKay , John C. Reilly
- Studio
- Apatow Productions
Rent on Amazon
3 ‘Tangerine’ (2015)
Directed by Sean Baker
Tangerine was a true breakout film for director Sean Baker, who would go on to find more mainstream success with his Oscar-nominated coming-of-age drama The Florida Project and his Palme d’Or winning dark comedy Anora. Baker is often a filmmaker that succeeds in highlighting underrepresented groups, and Tangerine was able to shed a spotlight on the LGBTQ experience in a way that didn’t feel exploitative. It’s one of the funniest, filthiest, and most surprisingly heartwarming Christmas films ever made.
However, Tangerine was shot on an iPhone, which makes it feel decidedly very “uncinematic.” It’s admirable that Baker wanted to capture a “fly on the wall” approach in order to be realistic, but the poor production qualities make it harder to appreciate Tangerine as a potential classic in the making. Many of these issues could have been resolved with a more traditional approach.
Tangerine
- Run Time
- 1 hr 28 min
- Director
- Sean Baker
- Release Date
- January 23, 2015
- Actors
- Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, Karren Karagulian, Mickey O'Hagan, Alla Tumanian, James Ransone
Watch on Prime Video
2 ‘Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping’ (2016)
Directed by Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stoppingis easily one of the most underrated comedy films of the 2010s, and it's a shame that it underperformed at the box office. Not only did Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping prove that the spoof movie wasn’t dead, but it showed that the creative geniuses at Lonely Island were capable of making great films in their own right.
The only issue with Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is that the film’s characters are generally less interesting than the songs. The original numbers like “I’m So Humble,” “Finest Girl,” “Turn Up The Beef,” and “Incredible Thoughts” are so catchy and fun that it’s hard to not view any non-musical scenes as padding. Andy Samberg gives a surprisingly depthful performance as the pop star “Conner4real,” but he’s far more entertaining in the musical sequences than he is showing the interiority of the character’s personal life.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
R
- Release Date
- June 3, 2016
- Director
- Akiva Schaffer , Jorma Taccone
- Cast
- Andy Samberg , Jorma Taccone , Akiva Schaffer , Sarah Silverman , Tim Meadows
- Runtime
- 87
- Main Genre
- Mockumentary
Rent on Amazon
1 ‘Under the Silver Lake’ (2019)
Directed by David Robert Mitchell
To be clear, this is a genre hybrid, but it's nevertheless one of the most overlooked, overall excellent dark comedies of recent years. Under The Silver Lake is not a traditional neo-noir thriller by any stretch of the imagination, as it examines the strange culture around conspiracy theories, and how they serve as an extension of toxic masculinity. Andrew Garfield gives one of his best performances as a lonely social outcast who becomes obsessed with finding a girl (Riley Keough) who abandoned him after a night of passion.
Although it is admittedly very fun to see how many different rabbit holes the film ventures into, Under the Silver Lake begins to drag in its third act and fails to resolve many of its central mysteries. The confusion may have been the point that director David Robert Mitchell had intended the whole time, but it does become a little bit grating when the film needlessly stretches the mystery beyond any reasonable suspension of disbelief.
Under the Silver Lake (2018)
R
Crime
Drama
Mystery
- Release Date
- May 15, 2018
- Director
- David Robert Mitchell
- Cast
- Andrew Garfield , Riley Keough , Topher Grace
- Runtime
- 139 Minutes
- Main Genre
- Mystery
- Writers
- David Robert Mitchell
- Budget
- $8 Million
- Studio(s)
- Vendian Entertainment , Stay Gold Features , Good Fear , Michael De Luca Productions , Pastel Productions
- Distributor(s)
- A24
Rent on Amazon
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