The 33 Best Comedies on Netflix Right Now (September 2021)

So you’re browsing through Netflix, looking for something to watch, but you’re in the mood for something light. Netflix’s massive library can be intimidating, especially when you’re looking for a good comedy amidst a sea of subpar entries in the genre. Not to fear, though, because we here at Collider have you covered. Below, we’ve curated a list of the very best comedies on Netflix right now. We’ve got everything from silly buddy comedies, big splashy commercial comedies, more esoteric indies, and even a couple of films that toe the line between comedy and drama. Surely you’ll find something to your liking, so scroll through our list of the best comedies on Netflix below and find that perfect pick.

Editor’s note: This article was last updated on October 26th to add Chef

RELATED: The Best Comedies on Amazon Prime Right Now

Director: Adam McKay

Writers: Adam McKay, Will Ferrell

Cast: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Richard Jenkins, Mary Steenburgen, Adam Scott

Even if you’ve somehow never seen Step Brothers, there’s still a good chance you can quote at least 65% of Step Brothers. This film is on the Quotable Comedy Mt. Rushmore. At any given time, a quarter of the Earth’s population is saying the words “I used to smoke pot with John Hopkins.” [citation needed] There’s a reason for that. This is the tale of two grown men, Brennan Huff (Will Ferrell) and Dale Doback (John C Reilly), who become step-brothers, then mortal enemies, then inseparable friends, and, finally, a jaw-droppingly beautiful drum-and-opera-singing musical duo. But it’s also the absolute peak of a few familiar things, from the Man-Child sub-genre to Will Ferrell as comedy’s biggest star and Adam McKay as exclusively a comedy director, and beyond. Why try and re-create perfection? –Vinnie Mancuso

Director: McG

Writer: Brian Duffield

Cast: Judah Lewis, Samara Weaving, Robbie Amell, Bella Thorne, Hana Mae Lee, Andrew Bachelor

If you want a bit of blood, guts, and gore mixed in with your laughs, look no further than The Babysitter, director McG‘s black comedy-horror from writer Brian Duffield (Spontaneous). Pre-teen misfit Cole (Judah Lewis) is looking forward to a night with his babysitter, Bee (Samara Weaving), but things take a turn for the demonic when Cole accidentally discovers that Bee and the crew of high schoolers she’s invited over—Max (Robbie Amell), Allison (Bella Thorne), Sonya (Hana Mae Lee), and John (Andrew Bachelor)—are, in fact, a devil-worshipping cult hellbent on human sacrifice. This movie is absolute mayhem in its purest form, but there’s actually a really sweet beating heart at its center, even if you have to cut through a few layers of skin to see it. –Vinnie Mancuso

21 Jump Street

Directors: Phil Lord, Chris Miller

Writer: Michael Bacall

Cast: Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Brie Larson, Dave Franco

I’m not sure Phil Lord and Chris Miller ever reached the heights of “well, that shouldn’t have worked but it did” that they reached with their successful animated comedy about Legos. (Also currently on this list!) But wow, they came close with their debut feature, 21 Jump Street, an adaptation that turned the moody late-80s police procedural into a buddy-cop comedy starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. To be clear, this movie should not be this good or this funny, but it just is. Hill and Tatum are Morton Schmidt and Greg Jenko, rookie officers sent undercover at a high school to track down whoever is selling a new drug called HFS. (That’s “Holy Fucking Shit.”) 21 Jump Street is the best modern take on the buddy-cop comedy and not having seen it is a felony in most states [citation needed]. –Vinnie Mancuso

Tommy Boy

Director: Peter Segal

Writers: Bonnie Turner, Terry Turner

Cast: Chris Farley, David Space, Rob Lowe, Brian Dennehy

Tommy Boy is about a goofy slacker hitting the road to sell brake pads in order to keep his beloved late father’s auto parts company afloat, but it could have been about anything. Director Peter Segal’s buddy road-trip movie is really just an excuse to watch Chris Farley do what he did best, tossing his hefty frame across the set and giving 110% at every single moment to put as much joy on to screen as possible. And man, it works; there’s a reason Tommy Boy catapulted Farley from everyone’s favorite Saturday Night Live cast member to everyone’s favorite human being. And while that does, of course, mean Tommy Boy is very, very funny, Farley’s inimitable presence also ensures it’s just deeply sweet and life-affirming as well. –Vinnie Mancuso

Writer/Director: Jon Favreau

Cast: Jon Favreau, Sofia Vergara, John Leguizamo, Scarlet Johansson, Dustin Hoffman

Chef is the ultimate comfort film, just a top-tier “throw it on when you need good vibes” movie. After toiling away in mega-budget blockbusters like Iron Man and Cowboys vs. Aliens, Jon Favreau returned to his indie roots by writing, directing, producing, and starring in this little story about an LA chef who loses his job and pivots into running a food truck with his young son (Emjay Anthony) in Miami. Chef is an exceedingly sweet movie, more warm hug than laugh-a-minute yuck fest, one that will pull on your heartstrings and—consider this an official warning—make you extremely hungry at the same time. –Vinnie Mancuso

Mystery Men

Director: Kinka Usher

Writer: Neil Cuthbert

Cast: Ben Stiller, William H Macy, Hank Azaria, Janeane Garofalo, Paul Rueben, Kel Mitchell, Geoffrey Rush

Ten years before superhero movies fully took over Hollywood, director Kinka Usher and an ensemble cast of some of the best bit player of all time debuted a comic book comedy send-up, Mystery Men, and it was a…complete and total box office bomb. But like most works of staggering genius, it just took a while for Mystery Men to get recognized as a deeply strange, genuinely funny capes-and-costumes pre-2000s gem. The extremely unsuccessful superhero trio of the rage-fueled Mr. Furious (Ben Stiller), the garden tool-wielding Shoveler (William H. Macy), and utensil-throwing Blue Raja (Hank Azaria) are having trouble recruiting when madman Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush) captures the Earth’s mightiest hero, Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear). Bringing aboard the likes of the Bowler (Janeane Garofalo), the Spleen (Paul Ruebens), and Invisible Boy (Kel Mitchell), the Z-tier crew of disrespected heroes is tasked with saving not only Amazing, but the entire world. The scenery gets chewed to pieces across this entire madcap circus of a movie which, it must be stated, made iconic use of Smashmouth’s “All-Star” two years before Shrek. –Vinnie Mancuso

Director: Tim Burton

Writer: Jonathan Gems

Cast: Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Pam Grier, Michael J. Fox, Pierce Brosnan, Sarah Jessica Parker, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, and Natalie Portman

Mars Attacks! is absolutely one of Tim Burton‘s best movies, and it’s unlike anything else he has made thus far. Released in 1996, the film is based on the comic series of the same name and revolves around a host of different characters all dealing with the fallout of an invasion of Martians. There’s a kooky, satirical edge to the entire proceeding — you can feel Burton winking through the camera as he has a blast holding humanity’s feet to the fire. It’s certainly weird, and there’s a bit of Burton’s Ed Wood spirit in there mixed with his zany Beetlejuice antics. But first and foremost, Mars Attacks! is just really freaking funny. – Adam Chitwood

Director: Richard Linklater

Writer: Mike White

Cast: Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Mike White, Miranda Cosgrove, Joey Gaydos Jr., Kevin Clark

Not giving Jack Black the Best Actor Oscar for School of Rock is one of society’s greatest errors, because it is genuinely one of the most wonderful, full-bodied comedic performances of all time. In Richard Linklater‘s heartfelt music-comedy, Black stars as Dewey Finn, recently ousted from his local rock band and posing as a substitute teacher to pay some bills. When it turns out the students at Horace Green are pretty dang good at music, Dewey sees an opportunity to form the greatest rock band of all time (in which 98% of the musicians are 15-years-old). Featuring a classic-rock-fueled soundtrack, Linklater’s signature loose direction, and Black’s balls-out performance, School of Rock is such a great time all the way through you don’t even see it coming when the climax packs an emotional wallop worth ten face-melting solos. –Vinnie Mancuso

Director: Robert Luketic

Writers: Karen McCullah Lutz, Kirsten Smith

Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Jennifer Coolidge

Arguably the film that launched Reese Witherspoon to the highest tier possible, and with good reason. Her performance as Elle Woods, a sorority girl chasing her law degree at Harvard, is one of the comedy greats. Based on the novel by Amanda Brown, Legally Blonde follows Elle into the uptight hallways of the Ivy League, a community deeply at odds with her bright-pink fashion sense and unending optimism. This is one of those rare early-2000s gems that’s as equally uplifting as it is just genuinely hilarious—Jennifer Coolidge‘s presence alone guarantees a few laughs—and scrolling past it while looking for a comedy to watch should straight-up be illegal. –Vinnie Mancuso

Directors/Writers: Phil Lord and Chris Miller

Cast: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, Andy Samberg, James Caan, and Terry Crews

One of the best comedies of the 21st century is the first film from filmmaking duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller. While not as high-profile as 21 Jump Street or The LEGO Movie, their 2009 animated feature Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is a hilarious, colorful, and inventive comedy about a town where food literally rains from the sky. Bill Hader voices Flint Lockwood, a scientist outcast whose invention goes wrong and turns his sleepy town into the center of a food disaster. There’s a bit of romantic comedy sweetness mixed in for good measure, making this not only a great and hilarious comedy, but a solid feel-good movie as well. – Adam Chitwood

Pineapple Express

Director: David Gordon Green

Writers: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg

Cast: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Danny McBride, Amber Heard, Gary Cole, and Rosie Perez

If you want to watch a buddy comedy with some solid action and fun twist on the formula, 2008’s Pineapple Express holds up tremendously well. This is basically a classic 1980s mismatched buddy action comedy, except instead of two capable characters at its center, it’s a process server and his drug dealer. The two — played by Seth Rogen and James Franco — find themselves on the run when they witness a murder, but keep running into shenanigans at every turn, made worse by their complete ineptitude. Points for Danny McBride who steals the entire movie. — Adam Chitwood

Team America: World Police

Director: Trey Parker

Writers: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Pam Brady

Cast: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Kristen Miller, Daran Norris, Phil Hendrie

For when you want to laugh so hard it hurts, Team America: World Police will do the trick. Trey Parker and Matt Stone haven’t done much outside of South Park over the last 20 years, but 2004’s Team America is just as sharp and funny as you’d expect. The film was made entirely with marionette puppets and is a satire that takes aim at the United States’ War on Terror, focusing on the titular “World Police” who go into foreign countries and wreck everything in the name of freedom. This one has some absolutely insane sequences and culminates in a third act that takes aim at just about everyone. – Adam Chitwood

The Edge of Seventeen

Director/Writer: Kelly Fremon Craig

Cast: Hailee Steinfeld, Woody Harrelson, Blake Jenner, Kyra Sedgwick, Haley Lu Richardson, and Hayden Szeto

If you’re in the mood for a sweet coming-of-age comedy with a tremendous lead performance, look no further than the gem that is The Edge of Seventeen. This hilarious and heartfelt R-rated comedy stars Hailee Steinfeld as a high school junior who experiences the ups and downs of teen life in brutally honest fashion. She strikes up a close friendship with a teacher, played by Woody Harrelson, who counsels her through friend, boy, and family troubles. It’s as sweet as it is filthy, but what makes Edge of Seventeen so striking—beyond Steinfeld’s stellar performance—is how true to life it all feels. The anxiety. The self-consciousness. The importance of it all. – Adam Chitwood

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Director/Writer: John Hughes

Cast: Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, Alan Ruck, Jeffrey Jones, and Jennifer Grey

A bona fide classic if there ever was one, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is quite simply one of the best films ever made. This coemdy gets high school life exactly right, and is the perfect movie to watch if you’re playing hooky. The John Hughes film captures the “senioritis” feeling of skipping school and hanging out with your friends perfectly, genuinely giving the viewer the feeling of joining along on Ferris’ adventures. As with most of Hughes’ movies there’s an undercurrent of melancholy throughout Ferris Bueller, but the film also remains a laugh riot that has aged tremendously well. – Adam Chitwood

American Ultra

Director: Nima Nourizadeh

Writer: Max Landis

Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart,Topher Grace, Connie Britton, Walton Goggins, John Leguizamo, Bill Pullman, and Tony Hale

If action comedies are your jam, check out American Ultra. Released in 2015, the film reteams Adventureland’s Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart for a different kind of story. Eisenberg plays a going-nowhere stoner who finds himself the target of the CIA, which suddenly activates something buried deep within as he realizes he’s a sleeper agent with precision fighting skills. He and his girlfriend (Stewart) go on the run, and a blend of action and deadpan stoner comedy ensue. – Adam Chitwood

Midnight Run

Director: Martin Brest

Writer: George Gallo

Cast: Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, Dennis Farina, and Joe Pantoliano

If you like buddy comedies but have never seen Midnight Run, prioritize this one as your next watch. Released in 1988 this critically acclaimed comedy is a gold standard alongside Lethal Weapon and Planes, Trains and Automobiles, as it follows a bounty hunter (Robert De Niro) who is tasked with capturing and escorting an accountant accused of embezzlement (Charles Grodin). The two end up on a road trip filled with misadventures, and the chemistry between De Niro and Grodin is electric. This is hands-down one of my favorite movies of all time, and it might be one of yours as well. – Adam Chitwood

Director: Adam McKay

Writers: Adam McKay and Will Ferrell

Cast: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Sacha Baron Cohen, Leslie Bibb, Amy Adams, Gary Cole, Jane Lynch, and Michael Clarke Duncan

If you’re feeling withdrawals from the comedic duo of Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly (and felt burned by Holmes & Watson), you can’t go wrong with a rewatch (or first-watch) of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. The film came on the heels of Ferrell and co-writer/director Adam McKay’s success with Anchorman, and for their next feature they decided to skew a bit more commercial while still injecting some biting social commentary. Talladega Nights is set in the world of NASCAR and follows an incredibly dim-witted driver named Ricky Bobby (Ferrell) who suffers a setback and must watch his best friend Cal Naughton (Reilly) take center stage. Buffoonish jealousy and wild antics ensue, with McKay delivering the same kind of smart-silly comedy that made Anchorman so rewatchable. – Adam Chitwood

Director/Writer: J Blakeson

Cast: Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage, Eiza González, Chris Messina, and Dianne Weist

If you like your comedy dark – and I mean pitch black – you’ll probably love I Care a Lot. The Netflix original stars Rosamund Pike as a savvy, unrelenting, and unapologetic con artist who makes a living by winning guardianship over elders and using their money as her own piggy bank. But when her next target turns out to be the mother of a ruthless criminal (played by Peter Dinklage), she finds she may finally be in over her head. While this film could have gone wrong a number of ways, writer/director J Blakeson plays it perfectly, and the point of this satirical comedy comes into clear focus in the final minutes of the film. Pike is pitch perfect in the lead role, making a despicable character tremendously watchable. – Adam Chitwood

Director: Kitao Sakurai

Writers: Dan Curry, Eric Andre, and Kitao Sakurai

Cast: Eric Andre, Lil Rel Howery, and Tiffany Haddish

Bad Trip is outrageously juvenile and will make you laugh incredibly hard. The film is a cross between Jackass and a traditional road trip comedy, as Eric Andre and Lil Rel Howery play a pair of friends who drive from Florida to New York so that Andre’s character can track down the girl of his dreams. Hot on their tale is Howery’s characters sister, fresh out of a prison break and played by Tiffany Haddish. But every scene in the film is shot as a prank, with unwitting strangers serving as the background and supporting characters throughout the movie. It’s silly and embarrassing, but also singles out how ridiculous some of the tropes in traditional romcoms are – like when Andre breaks out into song in the middle of a mall, surrounded by strangers with “WTF?” looks on their faces. And be warned, this is insanely R-rated. – Adam Chitwood

Director/Writer: Taika Waititi

Cast: Sam Neill, Julian Dennison, Rhys Darby, Rima Te Wiata, and Rachel House

If you’re in the mood for a whimsical comedy from Thor: Ragnarok writer/director Taika Waititi, you absolutely have to see Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Released in 2016, this New Zealand adventure movie follows a grumpy Sam Neill as he’s forced to team up with a foul-mouthed child when the two are the target of a manhunt throughout the New Zealand bush. It’s based on an existing book, but in tone and execution Hunt for the Wilderpeople oftentimes feels like an adaptation of a Roald Dahl book we never knew about. It’s delightful and whimsical and a little terrifying, with Waititi’s playful anarchy filling the whole thing out for good measure. This movie is guaranteed to put you in a good mood.

Read Next

About The Author