Photo: Columbia Pictures
Big budget comedies have struggled for the last decade. As movies became more about who was in them rather than what happened in them, the money stayed up, but the actual content suffered. It may seem like an unbelievable thing to say, but there have only been a handful of really funny comedies from the last ten years. You think that’s an exaggeration, but then you start looking through them and realize that it’s true. The ’80s and ’90s were filled with original concepts and — although they didn’t always work — they were trying something different. But don’t take this to mean that all recent comedies have been bad. When they’re good, they’re really good. Here are the 12 best comedies we’ve had for the last ten years. Just note that at the time this was written, The Big Sick was just released and hadn’t been viewed yet, but is getting incredible reviews, so it may actually be 13 movies. Only time will tell! Also, this is just an opinion. Hopefully you enjoyed other movies as well. I didn’t, but that doesn’t mean you can’t!
Funny Comedies Over The Last 10 Years Are Few And Far Between
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12 Funny Comedies Over The Last 10 Years Pt 1
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1. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
The Lonely Island made one of the funniest mockumentaries not involving Christopher Guest and maybe a dozen people saw it. Seriously, it’s fantastic and you should go watch it right now.
Photo: Universal Pictures
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2. The Other Guys
Adam McKay has been responsible for so many iconic comedies, but this might be his most underrated to date. Will Ferrell in a subdued role might be my favorite type of Will Ferrell character.
Photo: Columbia Pictures
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3. 50/50
50/50 doesn’t go for cheap laughs and cartoonish caricatures. You laugh, you cry, you get angry, you cheer, but most of all, you spend the entire film invested in the well-rounded and deeply flawed characters. It’s one of my all-time favorite movies.
Photo: Summit Entertainment
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4. Neighbors
Sure, there are plenty of flaws and Zac Efron is given comedy cred where none is deserved, but Rose Byrne and Ike Barinholtz are so amazing it makes up for any shortcomings you might notice along the way.
Photo: Universal Pictures
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5. Easy A
This is the best high school coming of age comedy we’ve gotten since Mean Girls and Ten Things I Hate About You. It’s where Emma Stone became a star.
Photo: Screen Gems
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6. 21 (and 22) Jump Street
Technically this is two movies, but if you’re going to watch one, you have to watch the other back-to-back. They’re so smart and find a way to be self-aware without being smarty and pretentious or insulting the audience. Skip Baywatch and re-watch the ‘90s reboot done right.
Photo: Columbia Pictures / MGM
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7. Observe and Report
Jody Hill makes some of the most incredible dark comedies that you haven’t seen for some reason. This is the best role of Seth Rogen’s career. Imagine a dark, insanely funny version of Paul Blart: Mall Cop.
Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures
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8. This is the End
I am so torn on this movie. Yes, it’s very funny, but it felt like the death of quality acting in comedies. Watch Blazing Saddles and The Naked Gun and you’ll see hilarious movies with amazing actors completely committed to their roles. Now, everything is so ironic and self-aware that you don’t get those performances. It’s a good one, but started a very bad trend.
Photo: Columbia Pictures
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9. 500 Days of Summer
What I love about 500 Days of Summer is that there isn’t a “good” and “bad” person in the relationship. It’s just two flawed individuals that try their best to love each other in spite of flaws and imperfections. It’s hilarious and beautiful.
Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures
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10. Pain & Gain
Did you expect a Michael Bay movie to be on this list? Because I definitely did not expect a Michael Bay movie to be on this list. You probably skipped this one, but do yourself a favor and watch it when you get a chance. It has The Rock in it for crying out loud!
Photo: Paramount Pictures
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11. (parts of) Bridesmaids
There are some absolutely hilarious parts of Bridesmaids, but it would have been so much better if they’d cut out that terrible melodramatic relationship storyline. No one cared if the Irish cop encouraged her baking career.
Photo: Universal Pictures
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12. I Love You, Man
OK, I’ll be honest and say that I haven’t watched this one in several years, so it might not hold up quite as well as I remember, but at the time it was an absolute gem. Plus Paul Rudd is just a delight, isn’t he?
Photo: DreamWorks Pictures
