EW’s comedy rule of threes recommends that you select a trio of films from this list and watch them in a row.

The 19 best comedy movies on Netflix

EW's comedy rule of threes recommends that you select a trio of films from this list and watch them in a row.

By Ilana Gordon

Ilana Gordon is an entertainment, culture, and comedy writer originally from Connecticut. She currently lives in Los Angeles.

EW's editorial guidelines

and Will Harris

on April 2, 2026 7:24 a.m. ET

John Cleese as Humphrey Williams in 'Monty Python's The Meaning of Life'; Burt Reynolds as Bo ‘the Bandit’ Darville in 'Smokey and the Bandit'; Glenn Howerton as Jim Balsillie in 'BlackBerry'. Credit:

Netflix; Silver Screen Collection/Getty; Netflix

One interpretation of "good comedic timing" is that any time is a good time to watch a comedy. And on Netflix, that's exactly what you're set up to do. Recent additions to the platform include the 1977 classic caper, *Smokey and the Bandit*, plus the Canadian comedy *BlackBerry* (2023), which follows the meteoric rise and subsequent collapse of the titular personal device at the turn of the 21st century. Trust us, it's much funnier than it sounds.

Grab a seat, this round of laughs is on us. Here is **'s list of the 19 best comedy movies streaming on Netflix this month.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)

Tim Blake Nelson as Buster Scruggs in 'The Ballad of Buster Scruggs'.

The Coen brothers got tired of limiting themselves to one narrative in their projects, so for their Netflix film, *The Ballad of Buster Scruggs*, they decided to mix it up and tell multiple stories. Set up as a six-part Western anthology, the film focuses thematically on the American frontier, and tells the stories of a cheerful cowboy, an unlucky would-be bank robber, a traveling promoter whose business is going downhill, a grizzled prospector, a woman headed West in search of a husband, and a group of passengers in a stagecoach.

While the Coens mess around with genre in each chapter and the cast differs from story to story, the six narratives are given a sense of consistency courtesy of the unique Coen voice, which the pair previously deployed on projects like *No Country for Old Men *(2007) and *True Grit *(2010). And while there are certainly frontrunner stories in terms of quality and effectiveness, the entire film is worth a watch. —*Ilana Gordon*

Where to watch *The Ballad of Buster Scruggs*: Netflix

**EW grade:** B

**Directors:** Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

**Cast:** Tyne Daly, James Franco, Brendan Gleeson, Bill Heck, Grainger Hines

BlackBerry (2023)

Jay Baruchel as Mike Lazaridis and Glenn Howerton as Jim Balsillie in 'BlackBerry'. Everett Collection

The BlackBerry phone is dead; all hail the *BlackBerry *movie*. *A Canadian comedy about the rise of the personal device, *BlackBerry* is a cautionary tale about how the company’s hubris caused the “CrackBerry” to lose its vice grip on the smartphone market. Canada’s own Jay Baruchel stars as Research In Motion’s (the company behind BlackBerry) founder, Mike Lazaridis, and Glenn Howerton plays former co-CEO Jim Balsillie.

You can’t load a streaming service these days without stumbling over a tech origin story, but *BlackBerry *is particularly good thanks to its smart, funny script and an excellent performance from Howerton. A great film for fans of *The Social Network* (2010) or *The Big Short* (2015), *BlackBerry* is the story of tech’s Roman Empire: once mighty, now fallen. —*I.G.*

Where to watch *BlackBerry*: Netflix

**Director: **Matt Johnson

**Cast: **Jay Baruchel, Glenn Howerton, Matt Johnson, Rich Sommer, Michael Ironside

Dolemite Is My Name (2019)

Craig Robinson as Ben, Mike Epps as Jimmy Lynch, Tituss Burgess as Theodore Toney, Eddie Murphy as Rudy Ray Moore, and Da'Vine Joy Randolph as Lady Reed in 'Dolemite Is My Name'.

Francois Duhamel/Netflix/Everett Collection

In this biopic written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (*Ed Wood*, *Man on the Moon*), Eddie Murphy plays Rudy Ray Moore, who works at a record store but knows he has something more to offer. Through sheer force of will — and a sharp ear for the raunchy, rough-edged poetry found on the streets and fringes — he transforms himself into a cult sensation, from his so-called “party records,” to live performances, to some of the most ridiculous and memorable Blaxploitation films of the ’70s.

Murphy’s sheer charisma and star power make this movie land, but Wesley Snipes’ surprising comic chops are the secret sauce. *—Will Harris*

Where to watch *Dolemite Is My Name*: Netflix

**EW grade:** B+

**Director: **Craig Brewer

**Cast: **Eddie Murphy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Wesley Snipes, Keegan-Michael Key, Mike Epps

Eurovision: The Story of Fire Saga (2020)

Will Ferrell as Lars Erickssong and Rachel McAdams as Sigrit Ericksdottir in 'Eurovision: The Story of Fire Saga'.

The Eurovision Song Contest has been beloved globally for decades…except in the U.S., where it’s virtually unknown. As such, many Americans missed the boat on this absurd yet sincere comedy. Lars (Will Ferrell) and Sigrit (Rachel McAdams) are longtime not-quite-sweethearts from Iceland who, as Fire Saga, are on a quest to win the competition.

In addition to being funny, *Eurovision* is also filled with quippy and catchy performances and songs, so expect some of the tunes to get stuck in your head. *—W.H.*

Where to watch *Eurovision: The Story of Fire Saga*: Netflix

**Director: **David Dobkin

**Cast: **Will Ferrell, Rachel McAdams, Dan Stevens, Melissanthi Nahut, Mikael Persbrandt

Joy Ride (2023)

Stephanie Hsu as Kat in 'Joy Ride'. Lionsgate

If you’re looking for a film that’s fun — but not for the whole family — consider *Joy Ride*. A raunchy road trip movie that takes the four leads on a journey throughout China, this chaotic comedy about family, friendship, and finding one’s identity offers laugh-out-loud moments and one particularly explicit performance of Cardi B’s “WAP”.

Audrey Sullivan (Ashley Park) and Lolo Chen (Sherry Cola) are childhood best friends and polar opposites. Audrey is the uptight lawyer who agrees to go to China to try to land a business deal, Lolo is the Type B artist who agrees to accompany her. While in China, the friends meet up with Lolo’s cousin Deadeye (Sabrina Wu) and Audrey’s college roommate Kat (Stephanie Hsu). What happens next is too filthy to write here, but, as EW’s critic says, “even among all the sex jokes and vulgar one-liners, *Joy Ride* boasts a real beating heart.” *—I.G. *

Where to watch *Joy Ride*: Netflix through April 30

**EW grade:** B

**Director:** Adele Lim

**Cast: **Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu, Sabrina Wu, Ronny Chieng

The LEGO Movie (2014)

(Clockwise from lower left): Unikitty (voice: Alison Brie), Benny (voice: Charlie Day), Metal Beard (voice: Nick Offerman), Vitruvius (voice: Morgan Freeman), Batman (voice: Will Arnett), Wyldstyle (voice: Elizabeth Banks), Emmet (voice: Chris Pratt), and President Business (voice: Will Ferrell) in 'The LEGO Movie'.

Warner Bros. Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

*The LEGO Movie* walked so *Barbie* (2023) could run (in heels). An animated comedy that transforms the LEGO universe into a fast-paced, clever, and visually staggering family film, the comedy satirizes big business, conformity, and capitalism with a sophistication that still feels prescient today.

The film stars Chris Pratt as Emmet Brickowski, a construction worker and Everyman who is called upon to save the world from the evil Lord Business (Will Ferrell), who intends to freeze it using a weapon called the Kragle. EW’s critic writes that the film “invents a kind of child-friendly meta universe in which the playthings on display are at once objects and characters. The transparently fake LEGO constructions embody the pure spirit of make-believe.” *—I.G.*

Where to watch *The LEGO Movie*: Netflix

**EW grade:** A

**Directors:** Phil Lord, Christopher Miller

**Cast: **Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Morgan Freeman

The Lovebirds (2020)

Issa Rae as Leilani and Kumail Nanjiani as Jibran in 'The Lovebirds'. Skip Bolen/Netflix

After four years of dating, Jibran (Kumail Nanjiani) and Leilani (Issa Rae) are prepared to call it quits — until the couple finds themselves involved in a murder that requires them to put their breakup aside and go on the run. Too concerned about racial profiling to involve the police, Jibran and Leilani must hunt down the identity of the man who was murdered so they can find out who killed him and clear their own names.

Directed by Michael Showalter (*Wet Hot American Summer*), *The Lovebirds* is a romantic evening gone wrong in the style of films like 2010's *Date Night* and 2018's *Game Night*. Boasting a high ratio of jokes per minute and a pair of lead actors who know how to wield their witticisms like machetes, Nanjiani and Rae's on screen bickering and loving needling will have you rooting for their relationship, even as it's falling apart. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *The Lovebirds*: Netflix

**EW grade:** B

**Director: **Michael Showalter

**Cast: **Kumail Nanjiani, Issa Rae, Anna Camp, Paul Sparks

Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life (1983)

John Cleese as Humphrey Williams in 'Monty Python's The Meaning of Life'. Everett Collection

After searching for the *Holy Grail* (1975) and releasing their biblical parody, *The Life of Brian *(1979), Monty Python went back to their roots and released *The Meaning of Life*. Constructed in a more traditional sketch format, the film examines life’s key issues — among them, birth, sex, aging, and death — through the singularly hilarious Python lens.

Terry Gilliam calls the movie “the best thing Python’s ever done”; John Cleese calls it “a typical sketch film.” Regardless of which Python you agree with, *Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life *is a strong return to form from the group, who mines life’s mundanities and emerges with top-tier comedy. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Monty Python's The Meaning of Life*: Netflix

**Director: **Terry Jones

**Cast:** Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

(From left to right): Bill Murray as Walt Bishop, Tilda Swinton as Social Services, Bruce Willis as Captain Duffy Sharp, Edward Norton as Scout Master Randy Ward, and Frances McDormand as Laura Bishop in 'Moonrise Kingdom'.

Wes Anderson knows whimsy, and in *Moonrise Kingdom*, the director constructs a beautiful elegy to young love. Set on an island off the coast of New England in the 1960s, this coming-of-age dramedy follows two 12-year-old misfits as they become pen pals and agree to run away together.

Visually constructed using Anderson’s pastel palette and cast with some of his favorite stock players, the film combines dreamy, youthful fantasy with religious allegory, and ends up with a story that feels both edgy and innocent. Edward Norton is a treat in his role as the scoutmaster in charge of a local summer camp, but it’s the performances by the film’s child actors — Jared Gilman and Kara Kayward, both industry novices — that make *Moonrise Kingdom* one of Anderson’s most compelling projects. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Moonrise Kingdom*: Netflix

**Director: **Wes Anderson

**Cast:** Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton

Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

Sally Field as Miranda Hillard and Robin Williams as Daniel Hillard/Mrs. Doubtfire in 'Mrs. Doubtfire'.

20th Century Fox Film Corp./Everett

A true ‘90s family classic, *Mrs. Doubtfire* tells the story of a man who will stop at nothing to spend time with his children — court-ordered legalities be damned. Robin Williams and Sally Field star as Daniel and Miranda Hillard, a couple going through a divorce. When Miranda is granted primary custody of their three children, Daniel looks for ways to reintegrate into their lives.

His solution? Finagle his way into a job as Miranda’s housekeeper by passing himself off as a dowdy English woman (with a Scottish accent, though) named Mrs. Euphegenia Doubtfire. The movie crosses into farcical territory at times — particularly in one oft-memed scene where both Daniel and Mrs. Doubtfire are invited to dinner with Miranda, the kids, and her new beau (Pierce Brosnan). But the movie still has heart, and its chief attribute is Williams, who EW’s critic writes “gives an inspired comic performance.” *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Mrs. Doubtfire*: Netflix

**EW grade:** B

**Director: **Chris Columbus

**Cast:** Robin Williams, Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan, Harvey Fierstein, Robert Prosky

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One of Them Days (2025)

Keke Palmer as Dreux and SZA as Alyssa in 'One of Them Days'.

Anne Marie Fox/Sony Pictures

*One of Them Days* is the buddy comedy you didn’t know you needed. Keke Palmer and SZA — who makes her film debut here — star as Dreux and Alyssa, broke best friends and roommates who have to make rent by day's end to avoid eviction. The film winds its way through the Los Angeles area as the women overcome a series of hurdles, which include a high-stakes job interview, a cheating boyfriend turned T-shirt entrepreneur, and a gangster willing to murder for a pair of Air Jordans. Palmer and SZA possess enough combined chemistry to defibrillate new life into a sometimes tired genre, and the stars commit wholeheartedly to the film’s inspired physical gags. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *One of Them Days*: Netflix

**Director: **Lawrence Lamont

**Cast: **Keke Palmer, SZA, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Lil Rel Howery, Katt Williams

Red Rocket (2021)

Simon Rex as Mikey in 'Red Rocket'. A24

Neo-realist director Sean Baker loves to linger in spaces that have a vibrancy to their grittiness: the streets of Hollywood on Christmas Eve, a budget motel near Disney World, a New York City strip club. In *Red Rocket*, the seventh of his feature films, Baker follows Mikey (Simon Rex), a down on his luck former porn star who returns to his hometown in Texas — and his estranged wife — after 17 years.

Rex gives a career-shaking performance as a Los Angeles hustler who is short on dignity but long on optimism. Baker prefers to street cast most of his roles, and he fills his movie with interesting people who quietly inhabit their lived-in characters. *Red Rocket* isn’t as showy as his Oscar-winning *Anora *(2024), but this comedy is special in its own way. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Red Rocket*: Netflix

**EW grade:** B+

**Director:** Sean Baker

**Cast:** Simon Rex, Bree Elrod, Suzanna Son

Saturday Night (2024)

Gabriel LaBelle as Lorne Michaels, Ella Hunt as Gilda Radner, Matt Wood as John Belushi, and Dylan O'Brien as Dan Aykroyd in 'Saturday Night'.

Hopper Stone/Sony

*Saturday Night Live* turned 50 this season, and to commemorate one of the most iconic television institutions of our time, director Jason Reitman made *Saturday Night**. *The film is part comedy/drama, part (slightly fictionalized) TV history, and takes place on Oct. 11, 1975 — the night a group of twentysomething comedians and young producers held NBC’s airwaves captive as they debuted the network’s first counterculture, late-night comedy show.

NBC intended to use *Saturday Night Live *as leverage in a dispute with Johnny Carson about rerunning old episodes of his show. What emerged instead was a dynasty. But that night in October, all Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) can focus on is somehow getting 90 minutes of alternative sketch comedy past censors and network suits, and broadcast live. Perfectly cast, it’s a beautiful tribute to the show and everyone involved. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Saturday Night*: Netflix

**EW grade: **A–

**Director: **Jason Reitman

**Cast: **Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Cory Michael Smith, Ella Hunt, Dylan O'Brien

She’s Gotta Have It (1986)

Spike Lee editing 'She's Gotta Have It'.

Island Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

Spike Lee’s first feature film as a writer and director, *She’s Gotta Have It* presents intertwining romances as lead character Nola Darling (Tracy Camilla Johns) decides which of the three men she’s dating (Lee, Tommy Redmond Hicks, John Canada Terrell) she wants to have a monogamous relationship with. Luxuriating in Lee’s creative sensibility and shot in crisp black and white, Nola’s journey towards picking a partner is funny, thought-provoking, and unique in every respect.

In a review of Netflix’s 2017 *She’s Gotta Have It *adaptation (also directed by Lee), EW’s critic describes the original movie, writing, “*She’s Gotta Have It *was Spike Lee’s first feature film, and few movies feel so joyfully first.” A dramedy that questions sexual, relationship, and gender norms of the time, *She’s Gotta Have It *is notable for its subject matter, aesthetic, and for launching Lee’s storied Hollywood career. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *She’s Gotta Have It*: Netflix

**Director: **Spike Lee

**Cast: **Tracy Camilla Johns, Spike Lee, Tommy Redmond Hicks, John Canada Terrell

Shiva Baby (2021)

Rachel Sennott as Danielle in 'Shiva Baby'. Maria Rusche

Released during the pandemic, *Shiva Baby* is both an indie rom-com and a delightful reminder of the emotional dangers that come with spending time in a room full of acquaintances — especially when that room includes at least two people you've slept with. Danielle (Rachel Sennott) plays a college student and call girl who, along with her parents (Polly Draper and Fred Melamed), attends a Jewish mourning ritual held at the home of a family member.

While there, Danielle finds herself caught between her past (in the form of her more successful best friend and former lover, Maya) and her present (her sugar daddy Max, who thinks she's in law school, and who brought along the wife and baby he never told her about). Based on director Emma Seligman's short by the same name, *Shiva Baby* is a comedy that requires the emotional fortitude of a horror film, as viewers are forced to withstand an onslaught of cringe moments. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Shiva Baby*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B

**Director: **Emma Seligman

**Cast:** Rachel Sennott, Polly Draper, Fred Melamed, Molly Gordon, Dianna Agron

Smokey and the Bandit (1977)

Burt Reynolds as Bo 'the Bandit' Darville in 'Smokey and the Bandit'.

Silver Screen Collection/Getty

What would you do if someone offered you $80,000 to bootleg 400 cases of Coors Beer from Texarkana to Atlanta within 28 hours? For Bo "the Bandit" Darville (Burt Reynolds) and Cledus "Snowman" Snow (Jerry Reed), the answer is obviously to accept. The plan is simple: Bandit will drive ahead in a Pontiac Trans Am intended to distract law enforcement, while Snowman drives the truck full of beer.

The duo's foolproof scheme is complicated when runaway bride Carrie (Sally Field) jumps into Bandit's car in an attempt to escape her would-be husband, Junior, whose father just happens to be Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason), a.k.a. Smokey Bear. An action comedy film rife with vehicular crashes and motorcycle pratfalls, *Smokey and the Bandit* is far from subtle, but that doesn't mean it's not funny. *—I.G. *

Where to watch *Smokey and the Bandit*: Netflix

**Director:** Hal Needham

**Cast:** Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jerry Reed, Jackie Gleason, Paul Williams

They Cloned Tyrone (2022)

John Boyega as Fontaine, Teyonah Parris as Yo-Yo, and Jamie Foxx as Slick Charles in 'They Cloned Tyrone'.

Parrish Lewis/Netflix

A single genre isn't enough to contain *They Cloned Tyrone**. *A sci-fi comedy that combines '70s Blaxploitation with mystery and social satire, the film has similar vibes to movies like *Get Out* (2017) or *Sorry to Bother You* (2018) while employing a far more absurd premise. Fontaine (John Boyega) is a drug dealer living in an impoverished area called the Glen. While trying to collect funds owed to him by a local pimp named Slick Charles (Jamie Foxx), Fontaine is shot and killed — but that doesn't stop him from showing up on Slick's doorstep the next day to collect his money.

Joined by sex worker Yo-Yo (Teyonah Parris), the trio attempts to get to the bottom of what appears to be a massive government conspiracy aimed at exploiting their disenfranchised community as medical subjects. A satirical romp that has as much to say about class and racial injustices as it does about mystery movie tropes, *They Cloned Tyrone *is smart, silly, and uniformly well-acted. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *They Cloned Tyrone*: Netflix

**Director: **Juel Taylor

**Cast: **John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, Jamie Foxx

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025)

Josh Brolin as Monsignor Jefferson Wicks in 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery'.

John Wilson/Netflix

In the third installment of the *Knives Out* franchise, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) travels to upstate New York to solve a murder disguised as a miracle. After the controversial leader of an ill-attended parish is killed during services, Detective Blanc is brought in to determine which of Monsignor Jefferson Wicks’ co-workers and loyal followers orchestrated his demise.

Writer-director Rian Johnson works his misdirection magic, and *Wake Up Dead Man* is just as satisfying as *Knives Out* (2019) and *Glass Onion* (2022). Josh O’Connor joins the cast as a young priest who is transferred to the church after punching a former parishioner, and Glenn Close is a lovely addition in her role as Martha, a longtime congregant and Wicks’ chief confidant. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery*: Netflix

**Director: **Rian Johnson

**Cast: **Daniel Craig, Josh O'Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis

Zombieland (2009)

Emma Stone as Wichita, Woody Harrelson as Tallahassee, Jesse Eisenberg as Columbus, and Abigail Breslin as Little Rock in 'Zombieland'.

Glen Wilson/Columbia/Courtesy Everett Collection

A fusion of zombie rom-com and road movie, *Zombieland *offers a little something for everyone. The film stars Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin as survivors of a national epidemic who meet up on the road and agree to head west together.

Known only to each other by their cities of origin, Columbus (Eisenberg), a former college student; Tallahassee (Harrelson), a zombie-killing aficionado; and sisters Wichita (Stone) and Little Rock (Breslin) find themselves breaking all of their apocalypse rules and trusting each other as they head to California in search of a zombie-free space. As EW’s critic at the time writes, “*Zombieland* is a polished, very funny road picture shaped by wisenheimer cable-TV sensibilities.”* —I.G.*

Where to watch *Zombieland*: Netflix

**EW grade:** B+

**Director:** Ruben Fleischer

**Cast: **Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin

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