There is nothing better than a good funny comedy to put us in a good mood, lift our spirits, and make us laugh properly, perhaps in company. It is one of the most loved and most produced genres.
From classical comedies and those adapted from the theater, to international comedies: American, French and Italian. Here are some fun comedies that you absolutely must see .
Fun comedies to watch
In the history of cinema, there have been geniuses of the comic genre, directors and actors who have brought the best funny comedies ever to the big screen. Here are two brilliant comedies that have become iconic films and influenced the cinema to come, directed by the masters: Billy Wilder and the Cohen brothers . What do they have in common? Millionaires and misunderstandings.
- Some Like It Hot , Billy Wilder (1959). After witnessing a Mafia murder, the two penniless musicians Joe and Jerry hatch a plan to escape Chicago. Disguised as women, they join an all-female jazz band headed to Florida. While Joe alternates the female disguise with that of a billionaire to win over the sensual singer Zucchero, Jerry finds himself the object of desire of a royal billionaire. Things get complicated and hilarious.
- The Big Lebowski , Joel and Ethan Coen (1998). Jeff Lebowski, called “the Dude,” is a slacker dude who sleeps, smokes marijuana and plays bowling. It so happens that he has the same name as a billionaire, and his life is disturbed by two henchmen of a porn tycoon, who ask him to pay off his wife’s debts. When they notice the misunderstanding, in response, they pee on the Dude’s carpet. Things will degenerate. A cult.
- All Crazy About Mary, 1988 film by Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly. After losing sight of her for years, the clumsy and awkward Ted decides to find the woman in her life, Mary. What Ted doesn’t know, however, is that the competition is numerous and fierce.
- The Bride’s Friends , a 2011 film by Paul Feig. Annie is a single woman and her life is a disaster. When she learns that her best friend Lillian is getting married, Annie is the maid of honor and she is committed to making sure everything runs according to her plans.
- God exists and lives in Brussels , 2015 film. God seems to have created humanity only for fun and the desire to vent their frustrations. He lives in a small apartment in Brussels with his daughter Ea whom he regularly abuses. The young woman, tired of the constant surprises, decides to run away and follow the example of her older brother, Jesus.
- Frankenstein Junior , a 1974 film by Mel Brooks. The grandson of the legendary Frankenstein inherits the family castle and repeats his grandfather’s experiment by creating a man from corpse pieces.
Funny romantic comedies
What’s better than a combination of humor and romance? Here are two comedies that will improve your day in so many ways.
- Love Actually , Richard Curtis (2003). Nine love stories intertwine and tell of the difficulties, complexities, and beauties of love. From the Prime Minister who falls in love with a very sweet girl who works for him, to a graphic designer whose relationship life is complicated by a brother to take care of, to a married man who has a crush on his secretary. The right balance between big laughs and feelings.
- My fake wife , Dennis Dugan (2011). Cosmetic surgeon Danny Maccabee is heartbroken, but he pretends to be married so he can enjoy the nights of fun without commitment. But when he meets Palmer, the girl of his dreams of him, she resists him. Rather than reveal the truth to her, Danny will ask his assistant Katherine to pretend to be her wife. Instead of solving problems, her involvement will complicate matters.
Funny American Comedies
American comedy is famous for its zany tones and bizarre and hilarious situations. Two funny American comedies worthy of the best tradition of the genre : one in the style of The Hangover , and a film of the myth of the American comedy genre Seth Rogen.
- Childbirth with a madman , Todd Phillips (2010). Peter Higman ( Robert Downey Jr ) will soon become a father. His goal is to fly home from Atalanta in order to be home in time for the birth, but the chance meeting with aspiring actor Ethan, everything falls apart. The only solution is to travel with him (and a dog).
- The Hangover , a 2009 film by Tood Phillips. Arrived in Las Vegas to celebrate the bachelor party of their friend Doug, during the night the group goes crazy by taking a colossal hangover. When you wake up, however, something is wrong.
- The Interview , Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (2014). A television star, Dave Skylark, and his producer Aaron Rapoport manage to get an interview with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, who is a huge fan of the show. But when they travel, they are contacted by the CIA, which recruits them to kill him.
- Two Singles in the Wedding , 2005 film with Owen Wilson. John and Jeremy, two legal mediators and friends for the skin no longer very young, participate in weddings without being invited with the aim of eating for free and winning young women. However, during the ceremony of the daughter of the secretary of the treasury, something goes wrong.
- Meet mine , 2001 film starring Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro. Greg Focker, a Chicago nurse, wants to ask his girlfriend to marry him, however, when he discovers that according to Pam’s family tradition, she has to turn to her father to ask for permission, he decides to leave to talk to him. The man is forced to face many unexpected events during the journey and, once he arrives at the Byrnes home, Jack criticizes him regarding the differences between him and his family.
- A Week from God , 2003 film with Jim Carrey. God gives his powers to a television reporter for a week who, due to an unfortunate day, takes it out on his father.
- The craziest plane in the world , 1080 film with Leslie Nielsen. Former pilot Ted Striker is afraid of flying after his experience in an unspecified war. In order to win back his ex-girlfriend Elaine now employed as a stewardess, he decides to embark on a flight to Chicago where she serves. Suddenly, crew and passengers, a veritable kaleidoscope of specks and stereotypes, accuse severe symptoms of food poisoning, following a meal served in flight.
Other funny comedies with an American flavor like these? Try it with Good Night in Las Vegas , Bridesmaids , and all the films by and with Seth Rogen , including Suxbad, Sausage Party , Bad Neighbors 2 , Let’s Get It Over.
Funny French comedies
- Down north , Dany Boon (2008). Philippe and his wife Julie want to move to the south coast of France, and he asks for a transfer. But he is sent to the cold North to run a small town post office. When he asks about the location, he is told of freezing cold, misery, ignorance, dislike and a bizarre local dialect. Very French and hilarious.
- Little Nicolas and his parents , Laurent Tirard (2009). Nicolas is a happy child, with two fantastic parents and many friends. One day he discovers that a friend’s little brother was born during the night, and that since that day his parents no longer look after him as they once did. Fearing that his mother is also pregnant, Nicolas and his friends try to earn 500 francs to hire a gangster to kill the baby. Adapted from a hugely popular children’s comic, he has amazing young actors and a host of hilarious gags.
If you are looking for other French comedies, both films have a following that will not disappoint you. Danny Boone is a source of hilarious movies. It is also worth checking out films such as Anonymous Romantics , The Bélier family and Molière by bicycle , or the adaptations of Asterix and Oberlix . France has produced tons of funny comedies that you absolutely must discover.
Funny Italian comedies
Comedy in Italy has been made and there is a lot of it. The quality is not exactly constant, but we have characters and comedies with an all-Italian taste: Diego Abatantuono, Fantozzi, Verdone, Aldo Giovanni and Giacomo, Checco Zalone and Massimo Troisi. Here are two of the best Italian funny comedies ever:
- I restart from three , Massimo Troisi (1981). Gaetano is a Neapolitan boy who lives with his family. He is tired of his family’s provincialism and his alienating work, and he dedicates himself to hitchhiking to Florence, where he meets a beautiful girl named Marta.
- Drama of jealousy (all details in the news) , Ettore Scola’s 1970 cult. An already married bricklayer and a florist meet and fall in love during a demonstration. The woman, however, cannot resist the charm of a pizza chef.
- We just have to cry , a 1984 film by Massimo Troisi and Roberto Benigni. An elementary school teacher and a janitor meet, for a strange joke of chance, in 1492. They decide to go to Palos, in Andalusia, to stop Christopher Columbus and prevent him from discovering the Americas.
- The little devil , 1988 film by Roberto Benigni with a funny Walter Matthau. Maurice is an American priest who lives in Rome. When he performs an exorcism on a woman, he discovers that the demon is a thin and witty man named Judith, who chooses to be with the prelate instead of returning to hell.
- Le comiche , a 1990 film by Neri Parenti. Two comedians in a movie come out of a movie theater screen in search of escape. But in real life, their exploits are even more dangerous and they are forced to flee from mafia emissaries.
- Three men and a leg , Aldo Giovanni, Giacomo and Massimo Venier (1997). Three friends have to travel from Milan to Gallipoli for the wedding of one of them, Giacomo. The father of the bride, who is also the boss of Aldo and Giovanni, is a rich and vulgar businessman who asks him to give him a very precious sculpture, a wooden leg with which the three will have to travel.
- Quo vado , 2016 film with Checco Zalone. A man who still lives with his family, for fear of independence, is forced to change his life and have to adapt to every job, even the most unlikely and dangerous.
- Welcome to the South , a 2010 film with Claudio Bisio. Alberto Colombo, a post office director who lives in a small town in Brianza, is transferred to lead the post office in the small town of Castellabate following a request that was not exactly successful. The man, initially perplexed by the situation, is welcomed with open arms by the postman Mattia and his colleagues, starting to appreciate the beauty and habits of the small town in Campania.