Listen, I love to laugh. So, as I worked my way through the 2024 movie schedule, I was making sure I saw as many comedies as I could. From action comedies to surprisingly emotional comedies to even slasher comedies, this year was full of funny fun.
Therefore, since I’ve seen 20 comedies this year – here’s my list of six films you need to seek out and watch as soon as humanly possible and three that you can skip.
Six Comedies You Should Watch ASAP
Anora
Anora is the talk of the awards season – as its 2025 Golden Globe nominations show – and it’s deserving of it too. This film is an absolutely wild romp from Sean Baker about a sex worker named Ani (Mikey Madison) who falls in love with the son of a Russian tycoon (Mark Eidelstein). However, things change from a rom-com to an action buddy-ish comedy quickly as the film ups the chaos and the emotions, making it one of the most unexpected and surprisingly uproarious comedies of the year.
You can catch Anora in theaters, and you can pre-order it on Amazon.
Hit Man
I was lucky enough to see Hit Man in theaters, and it was one of my favorite experiences in the cinema this year. Watching Glen Powell transform from a nerdy awkward guy into a myriad of wild fake hitman personalities was wildly entertaining, and it showed off both his skills as a comedic actor and the value of his partnership with director Richard Linklater. These two truly know how to make a wicked fun and unconventional comedy.
You can stream Hit Man with a Netflix subscription.
A Real Pain
A Real Pain is one of the funniest yet saddest movies I’ve seen this year, and that’s why it’s so wonderful. Written, directed by and starring Jesse Eisenberg, this film follows two cousins – played by Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin – as they reunite to go on a Holocaust tour across Poland. They do this to honor their grandmother, and while it has its somber and tear-jerking moments, this movie is also truly hilarious as the two stars' frenetic and chaotic energy jumps off the screen while they get into various shenanigans on their adventure.
You can see A Real Pain in theaters.
My Old Ass
Don’t let My Old Ass’s title fool you. While the film's name is wild, it is both sincerely funny and deeply heartfelt. Starring Maisy Stella as Elliot, this movie follows her as she does mushrooms and contacts her older self, who is played by Aubrey Plaza. Between the trip, chaotic conversations and a lil romance, this flick is full of moments that will make you laugh – especially if you were a teen during the 2010s like I was. However, My Old Ass is also a coming-of-age story that’s sincere and deeply moving at times. And overall these elements come together in the most wonderful way.
You can stream My Old Ass with an Amazon Prime subscription.
Thelma
When a grandmother is conned out of thousands of dollars on the phone, she sets out on a journey for revenge. Starring June Squibb as the titular Thelma, this film follows her on this wild quest, and includes so many funny interactions between her and her grandson Danny (Fred Hechinger) and her friend Ben (Richard Roundtree). Plus, it features some epic Tom Cruise-inspired action when Thelma gets her hands on a scooter that is A+.
Overall, Thelma is a lovely tale of an older woman defying the expectations of her age, and getting what is rightfully hers, and she does exactly that in the most entertaining of ways.
You can stream Thelma with a Hulu subscription.
Y2K
A slasher that takes place on Y2K that’s directed and co-written by SNL alum Kyle Mooney? Yeah, you’re in for a silly goofy good time! As our review of Y2K says, this film is full of ‘90s nostalgia and it’s a rad, wild and bloody take on what happens when the computers try to take over. Full of creative kills and jump scares that make it a great horror movie, this A24 project will also have you smiling ear to ear for its entire runtime, making for an equally fantastic comedy.
You can catch Y2K in theaters.
Three Comedies To Skip
Sweethearts
I’m a sucker for a sweet coming-of-age story, and Sweethearts seemed right up my alley. As a Zillennial who adores the film Booksmart, I really thought I’d love it. However, sadly it fell quite flat for me. The humor wasn’t hitting, and while the cringe-iness of a situation can make it funny, in this case, I just felt secondhand embarrassment over anything else.
Overall, this story about two friends from college who make a pact to break up with their partners over Thanksgiving was overstuffed, filled with jokes that didn’t work for me, and left me a bit disappointed. It’s sadly not one of the best movies on Max, but I wish it was.
Sweethearts is available to stream with a Max subscription.
Ricky Stanicky
While CinemaBlend’s review of Ricky Stanicky gave it 3.5 stars, I gave it 2. This story is about a bunch of bros (led by Zac Efron) who hire a washed-up actor named Rod (John Cena) to play a fictional friend they made up to get out of various situations named Ricky Stanicky. Sure, Cena has some funny moments as he tries to play this fake man. However, ultimately I couldn't get behind these bros who truly were bad people, because the motives behind their actions were deeply shallow and honestly terrible.
Ricky Stanicky is streaming on Amazon Prime.
Killer's Game
The idea of a hitman hiring a bunch of hitmen to kill him, because he thinks he’s going to die, and then changing his mind because he finds out he’s not actually dying sounds awesome. However, in practice, all the killers hired to take out Dave Bautista's main man felt like cheesy caricatures, sometimes the film took itself way too seriously, and overall, I never felt invested in what was going on. Therefore, as our review for Killer’s Game illustrates, it didn’t hit.
Killer’s Game is available to buy or rent on Amazon.
Overall, while we just talked about movies I couldn’t stand, this year's group of comedies was pretty elite. They really ran the gamut and upped the creativity, and I’m grateful I got to spend so much time laughing this year.
So, as 2024 comes to a close, you should spend some of it watching these wonderful comedies, because they deserve your attention and you deserve a good time.
