To be a “fish out of water” is to be a person who finds themselves in an unfamiliar and, thus, uncomfortable situation — much like how an aquatic animal on land likely feels. This age-old idiom has served as the basis for many great stories, especially comedies since uproarious hijinks tend to come about when a protagonist has trouble navigating their surroundings. See for yourself by revisiting, or discovering, some of our favorite funny fish-out-of-water movies.
Splash (1984)
There may be no better movie to ever fit the description of a "fish-out-of-water comedy" than Splash. Director Ron Howard's rom-com stars Tom Hanks as a man who falls in love with a woman (played by Daryl Hannah) who turns out to be a mermaid.
Borat (2006)
Sacha Baron Cohen's Oscar-nominated mockumentary — the full title of which is Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan — places the comedian’s iconic Kazakh journalist in the United States, where his vastly differing cultural perspective causes quite a stir, to say the least. To see just how alienating and appalling Borat proves to be, you will just have to watch the movie yourself because there is no way we can describe it here.
Barbie (2023)
When Barbie (Margot Robbie) begins to suffer a strange existential crisis, she and Ken (Ryan Gosling) venture beyond Barbieland and into the Real World. Hilarious hijinks certainly ensue, but so does a moving meditation on modern womanhood in co-writer and director Greta Gerwig's subversive adaptation of the popular toy line.
Mean Girls (2004)
In Mean Girls — which was later adapted into a Broadway musical that inspired another cinematic reimagining in 2023 — Lindsay Lohan plays a teen who, after being homeschooled in Africa for much of her life, experiences the social constructs of American public school for the first time. Director Mark Waters and writer Tina Fey’s coming-of-age comedy depicts the topic of high school cliques so authentically, that it practically transcends comedy and makes for one of the best high school movies of all time.
Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
The movie may be called Beverly Hills Cop, but Eddie Murphy's Axel Foley hails from Detroit. Yet, when a murder investigation takes him to California, he finds that his crimefighting methods greatly differ from how they do things around there — a situation that would repeat itself in three sequels.
Back To The Future (1985)
Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) is an '80s teen who — courtesy of a special DeLorean constructed by his friend, Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) — finds himself stranded in the 1950s in Back to the Future. Director Robert Zemeckis and his co-writer, Bob Gale, were inspired to make this time travel movie classic after imagining what it would be like to meet their parents in their youth, much like Marty does.
Pretty Woman (1990)
A professional escort (played by Julia Roberts) gets a taste of the high life after she is hired by a businessman (played by Richard Gere) to pose as his girlfriend for a week, only to find himself falling for her. Director Garry Marshall’s Pretty Woman is one of the best romantic comedies of its time for the way it depicts a culture clash with heartwarming results.
My Fair Lady (1964)
Based on Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s stage musical (which was inspired by George Bernard Shaw’s play, Pygmalion), My Fair Lady stars Audrey Hepburn as a poor, cockney-accented woman who is thrust into the world of high society by a phonetics instructor (played by Rex Harrison) as part of a wager. The conceit of the story would prove to be highly influential, later inspiring the 1999 teen comedy She’s All That, which was later reimagined as He’s All That.
Idiocracy (2006)
In one of writer and director Mike Judge’s best movies, Luke Wilson plays an astronaut who participates in an experimental hibernation program and, 500 years later, wakes up to discover he is the smartest man alive. Idiocracy is a ridiculous satire that imagines one of the scariest dystopian scenarios imaginable in which you are the only hope left for society to thrive.
Hot Fuzz (2007)
In Hot Fuzz, Nicholas Angel (co-writer Simon Pegg) is a high-skilled London cop transferred to a village where crime is virtually obsolete... or so it seems. Until the action in this action-comedy from director Edgar Wright kicks in and Angel’s skills are needed, the character spends much of his time feeling lost and without a purpose.
The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
In The Devil Wears Prada, a journalism graduate, played by Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway, is hired at a fashion magazine as the assistant to its relentlessly demanding head editor, played by Academy Award winner Meryl Streep. Her survival strategy is to adopt a more fashionable persona that greatly differs from her true self in this Oscar-nominated dramedy based on Lauren Weisberger’s novel.
My Cousin Vinny (1992)
Oscar-winner Joe Pesci plays the title character of My Cousin Vinny, a lawyer defending his cousin (Ralph Macchio) and his best friend (Mitchell Whitfield) in a murder trial. When the native New Yorker's wise guy attitude clashes with the Southern community in and out of the courtroom, it results in one of the funniest legal movies of all time.
Lost In Translation (2003)
In Lost in Translation, an aging actor, played by Bill Murray in an Oscar-nominated role, and a recently married college graduate, played by Scarlett Johansson in her breakthrough role, both struggle with loneliness and disillusionment while staying in Tokyo. These characters end up finding the sense of belonging they need in each other in the 2000s-era masterpiece that earned Sophia Coppola her Best Original Screenplay Oscar.
Crocodile Dundee (1986)
In Crocodile Dundee, an American journalist, played by Linda Kozlowski, meets the eponymous hunter (Paul Hogan) in the Australian Outback, which he calls home. She then invites him to pay a visit to a whole new kind of jungle: New York City.
Trading Places (1983)
If we rework the "fish-out-of-water" analogy into something more like "happy-aquarium-bound-fish-and-struggling-sea-dwelling-fish-experience-each-other’s-habitats,” that would be a good way to describe the plot of Trading Places. It stars Dan Aykroyd as a wealthy investor and Eddie Murphy as a poor hustler who each get a taste of each other's drastically different lives as part of a wager by two billionaire brothers.
Sister Act (1992)
One of Whoopi Goldberg's most iconic roles is a lounge singer hiding from the mob by posing as a nun. She ends up making a profound impact on the convent, especially by giving the choir of taste of the Motown style, in Sister Act.
Luca (2021)
A comedy with a somewhat more literal approach to the "fish-out-of-water" mantra is Pixar's Luca, in which a young sea monster (voiced by Jacob Tremblay) dreams of exploring the world beyond his home below the surface. He meets a fellow sea monster, voiced by Jack Dylan Grazer, who teaches him how to pose as a human and takes him on a tour of the Italian Riviera.
The Addams Family (1991)
Director Barry Sonnenfeld's cinematic adaptation of the creepy and kooky family does a wonderfully weird job showing how greatly their values differ from the rest of the world. Curiously, however, Joan Cusack’s performance in the sequel, Addams Family Values, makes them look far more personable by comparison.
Madagascar (2005)
Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett-Smith, and David Schwimmer voice a lion, a zebra, a hippo, and a giraffe, respectively, who have spent most of their lives in a zoo. However, when a mistake leaves them stranded on the island of Madagascar, they must figure out how to be real wild animals for the first time in their lives.
Enchanted (2007)
Disney pokes fun at the same fairytale cliches it helped popularize in Enchanted, which stars Amy Adams as a princess in an animated storybook world. That is, until she is accidentally transported into our real, live-action world and begins to question everything she thought she knew about life.
Coming To America (1988)
In, arguably, his best movie, Eddie Murphy stars in Coming to America as an African prince whose search for true love brings him to Queens in New York City. In addition to his romantic quest, he experiences a crash course in American working-class living while never losing his optimistic glow, although the same cannot be said about his servant and friend, Semi (Arsenio Hall).
Some Like It Hot (1959)
In Billy Wilder’s comedy classic, Some Like It Hot, two musicians, played by Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, seek a way to hide themselves after witnessing a mob hit. Their solution: pose as women and join an all-female band (including a singer played by Marilyn Monroe), which gives them a unique perspective on the opposite gender.
Blast From The Past (1999)
In the romantic, underrated '90s movie, Blast from the Past, Brendan Fraser plays a man who has lived his entire life trapped in an underground bunker with his family. When he finally receives the chance to experience the outside world, which differs greatly from what his 60s-era parents taught him, his otherwise charming naïveté tends to get him in trouble.
The Jerk (1979)
In one of Steven Martin's best movies, The Jerk, the comedian plays Navin, who grew up in Mississippi as the adopted son of a Black family. When he decides to make a life for himself in St. Louis, and later Californie, his hopeless obliviousness constantly stirs trouble for himself and others.
Elf (2003)
After one of Santa's helpers discovers that he is a human who was accidentally brought to the North Pole as a baby, he journeys to New York City to meet his father (James Caan). Will Ferrell's charmingly oblivious performance as Buddy is key to Elf's enduring reputation as one of the funniest Christmas movies ever made.
Miss Congeniality (2000)
In Miss Congeniality, Gracie Hart (Sandra Bullock) is a tough-as-nails FBI agent with a quick temper and not a single shred of fashion sense. However, she is forced to make a few drastic changes — both inside and out — when an undercover operation forces her to pose as a beauty pageant contestant.
Army Of Darkness (1992)
Picking up where Evil Dead II leaves off, Sam Raimi's cartoonish adventure comedy, Army of Darkness, sees Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) trapped in the Middle Ages. Luckily, his intimidating chainsaw hand earns the villagers’ respect and his previous experience with demonic entities comes in handy when he must protect them from the evil forces he accidentally awakens.
Pleasantville (1998)
Two teen siblings from the '90s (Reese Witherspoon and Tobey Maguire) are magically transported into a 1950s-era sitcom in Pleasantville. Their modern sensibilities do not just clash with this black-and-white, saccharine world, but influence it in unique and magical ways.
City Slickers (1991)
In City Slickers, three men, played by Billy Crystal, Bruno Kirby, and Daniel Stern, begin to suffer a mid-life crisis. Seeking a change of pace, they put themselves to the test by traveling to the southwest and joining a cattle drive run by a no-nonsense, veteran cowboy played by Jack Palance in an Oscar-winning performance.
Coneheads (1993)
In one of the best SNL movies, Coneheads, Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin reprise their roles from the classic comedy sketch as Beldar and Prymatt. Surprisingly, the stranded extraterrestrials' biggest issue with fitting in among their human peers has nothing to do with the shape of their crania.
The Terminal (2004)
In director Steven Spielberg's The Terminal, Tom Hanks plays an immigrant who is legally unable to enter the U.S., but also unable to return to his war-torn country either. He is then forced to live in John F. Kennedy Airport until further notice, which ends up providing him with a relatively enlightening portrait of American culture.
Spy (2015)
Academy Award nominee Melissa McCarthy's character in Spy, Susan Cooper, works in espionage... from behind a desk as an analyst and as an aid to field operative, Bradley Fine (Jude Law). However, things change for her when she volunteers for an undercover operation that throws her for a loop in writer and director Paul Feig’s acclaimed action-comedy.
If you have ever felt like a fish out of water, then you can probably relate to the characters from these great comedies.
