Laughing is good for you, and comedies are one of the best ways to get those laughs you need. Whether you had a tough week and need an escape or you just want to have a few chuckles before tucking in for the night, if you have a Hulu subscription, there is a litany of great comedies at your disposal. But the last thing you want to do is waste hours scrolling among countless titles to find something you really want to see. So, to help you out, here’s a roundup of the best comedies available on Hulu now.
Hulu isn’t the only platform with laughs on demand. Lucky for you, we’ve also put together guides to the best comedies on Netflix and the best comedies on Amazon Prime Video.
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)
Dramatic actors John Cho and Kal Penn became overnight comedy stars after the surprise success of Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, which eventually evolved into a three-film franchise. At first blush, it’s a typical stoner comedy. Nerdy accountant Harold (Cho) and his slacker buddy Kumar (Penn) get stoned watching TV and become bewitched by a commercial for White Castle. They need White Castle. Convinced there’s one nearby, they set out on a late-night odyssey into the New Jersey night. Somehow, along the way, they run afoul of rednecks, cops, and Neil Patrick Harris. It sounds ridiculous, but Harold & Kumar is deft with its subversion of racial stereotypes and scathing in its satire of commercial culture.
Rotten Tomatoes: 74%
Stars: Kal Penn, John Cho, Neil Patrick Harris
Director: Danny Reiner
Rating: R
Runtime: 88 minutes
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Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)
Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks star in this Kevin Smith comedy about lifelong friends (and now roommates) who are buried under a mountain of debt. When the electricity is turned off, Zack and Miri decide it’s time for desperate measures. Namely, making a porno to raise some cash. Naturally, they’d also star in it. Though they swear that having sex will not damage their friendship, the business proposition quickly spirals out of control and grows into something much more.
Rotten Tomatoes: 65%
Stars: Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Traci Lords
Director: Kevin Smith
Rating: R
Runtime: 101 minutes
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I Love You Phillip Morris (2009)
Jim Carrey delivers one of his best performances as Steven Russell, a man’s man who becomes a cop, gets married, and starts a family, as is expected of him. But after a terrible car accident, he realizes it’s finally time to come out of the closet and be true to himself. So he moves to Florida and finances a lavish lifestyle with bad checks and credit cards before winding up in prison. There, he meets Phillip (Ewan McGregor), a quiet inmate who quickly becomes the love of Steven’s life. Determined to build the perfect life with Phillip, Steven immediately embarks on another crime spree.
Rotten Tomatoes: 71%
Stars: Jim Carrey, Ewan McGregor, Leslie Mann
Director: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Rating: R
Runtime: 98 minutes
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What About Bob? (1991)
In this comedy classic, Richard Dreyfuss stars as the staunch and accomplished psychiatrist Dr. Leo Marvin. On the cusp of a new book release, Leo is looking forward to a month-long vacation with his family to Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire. The only trouble is that before escaping to their lakeside resort, the therapist takes on a new patient named Bob Wiley (Bill Murray), a phobic and detached individual who goes out of his way to follow Leo and his family on their trip. Packed with laughs and two heavy-hitting performances from Dreyfuss and Murray, What About Bob? never gets old.
Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
Stars: Bill Murray, Richard Dreyfuss, Julie Hagerty
Director: Frank Oz
Rating: PG
Runtime: 100 minutes
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The Beach Bum (2019)
From writer-director Harmony Korine (Spring Breakers), The Beach Bum stars Matthew McConaughey as Moondog, a drug-and-alcohol-loving poet and beach squatter occupying the sands of the Florida Keys. Moondog’s one goal in life is to finish his novel, a literary homage to his daughter (Stefania LaVie Owen). While those around him think Moondog peaked long ago, the nomadic wanderer seeks to prove otherwise. He’ll just have to let go of his beer and bud long enough to issue a coherent statement. Harmony Korine has a penchant for the bizarre, a cinematic touchstone that is completely on display in his latest feature, albeit toned down from other films in the auteur’s catalog.
Rotten Tomatoes: 56%
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Snoop Dogg, Isla Fisher
Director: Harmony Korine
Rating: R
Runtime: 95 minutes
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Palm Springs (2020)
Nyles (Andy Samberg) isn’t having the greatest day. At his friends’ wedding, the man finds his girlfriend cheating on him. Retreating into the desert with the drunken maid of honor, Sarah (Cristin Milioti), Nyles is pierced by a crossbow arrow. Reeling from the pain, he crawls to a strange aura inside a nearby cave. Sarah follows, only to discover that the brilliant lights are a mysterious vortex that traps those who enter in an endless time loop. As Nyles and Sarah are forced to relive the same November day over and over, the two form a bond that begins platonically but eventually becomes something more. An elevated time-travel comedy, Palm Springs is more than just a Groundhog Day homage, adding existentialist ponderings and R-rated hijinks to the time-loop flick formula.
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
Stars: Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, J.K. Simmons
Director: Max Barbakow
Rating: R
Runtime: 90 minutes
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Scrooged (1988)
It may be early for Christmas movies, but it’s never too early for Bill Murray movies! In Scrooged, Murray stars as Frank Cross, a very Scrooge-like TV producer who is ironically forcing his staff to work Christmas Eve to put on a production of A Christmas Carol. Because Frank puts so much emphasis on his television career, he spurns Claire Phillips (Karen Allen), the love of his life. However, a literal ghost from Frank’s past warns him that three more spirits are on their way, and they’re going to try to scare him back into the holiday spirit, even if it kills him.
Rotten Tomatoes: 71%
Stars: Bill Murray, Karen Allen, John Forsythe, Bobcat Goldthwait
Director: Richard Donner
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 100 minutes
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The Terminal (2004)
Steven Spielberg took a rare turn toward comedy in The Terminal. The story follows Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks), an unassuming man who is caught up in circumstances beyond his control. While in America to fulfill a longtime dream, Viktor learns that his native Krakozhia has erupted into a civil war. With no country left to return to, Viktor finds a way to survive and thrive in the airport terminal. He even forms a charming bond with Amelia Warren (Catherine Zeta-Jones). However, Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci), the airport’s customs director, becomes obsessed with Viktor, and he schemes to find a way to get rid of him.
Rotten Tomatoes: 61%
Stars: Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Stanley Tucci, Chi McBride
Director: Steven Spielberg
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 128 minutes
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Young Frankenstein (1974)
Young Frankenstein is peak Mel Brooks and one of the funniest comedies in his long cinematic career. Brooks co-wrote and directed the film as a parody of almost every Frankenstein adaptation that came before, which influenced his decision to shoot the entire film in black-and-white. Co-writer Gene Wilder stars in the film as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, a brilliant scientist who is ashamed by the legacy of his grandfather, the infamous Victor Frankenstein. But Frederick eventually embraces his family tradition and brings him back to life. From there, comedic chaos ensues as Frederick tries to save the Monster (Peter Boyle) and help him enter modern society.
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Stars: Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman, Cloris Leachman
Director: Mel Brooks
Rating: PG
Runtime: 105 minutes
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9 to 5 (1980)
You may have heard Dolly Parton’s song 9 to 5, but have you ever seen the movie it came out with? 9 to 5 stars Parton as Doralee Rhodes, the put upon and sexually harassed personal assistant for Franklin Hart Jr. (Dabney Coleman). Fortunately, Doralee soon finds kindred spirits in her co-workers, Judy Bernly (Jane Fonda) and Violet Newstead (Lily Tomlin). Together, they turn their revenge fantasies against their boss into a reality and then inadvertently become better at his job than he is!
Rotten Tomatoes: 82%
Stars: Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, Dabney Coleman
Director: Colin Higgins
Rating: PG
Runtime: 110 minutes
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Waking Ned Devine (1998)
Ned Devine (Jimmy Keogh) has a relatively small part in the movie that shares his name. Instead, Waking Ned Devine is all about his friends, Jackie O’Shea (Ian Bannen) and Michael O’Sullivan (David Kelly). They discover Ned’s body after learning that he has won a small fortune in the Irish National Lottery. Believing that Ned wanted them to get the money, Jackie and Michael enact a grand scheme to fool the Lottery inspector into certifying the win. But it will literally take a village to pull off this con. And Ned still has a big secret even from beyond the grave.
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Stars: Ian Bannen, David Kelly, Fionnula Flanagan, Susan Lynch
Director: Kirk Jones
Rating: PG
Runtime: 91 minutes
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The Princess Bride (1987)
One of the most beloved comedies of all time, The Princess Bride is the jewel of master screenwriter William Goldman’s crown. Based on his equally wonderful novel of the same name, this fairy tale adventure tells the tale of Buttercup (Robin Wright) and her one true love, Westley (Cary Elwes). After years apart, Westley returns to the land of Florin to rejoin his long, lost love, only to find that the evils of Florin have profligated in his absence. His comic quest to save Buttercup from being wed off to an evil prince is endlessly hilarious and rife with some of the most quotable scenes in comedy.
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Stars: Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Andre the Giant
Director: Rob Reiner
Rating: PG
Runtime: 98 minutes
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Deadpool (2016)
A Marvel movie on a best comedies list? Yep, Deadpool really is that funny. Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is a former Special Forces operative working as a mercenary when evil scientist Ajax (Ed Skrein) captures him and subjects him to a brutal, torturous transformation intended to create a subservient supersoldier. The rogue experiment turns Wilson into Deadpool, a super-strong force of nature with accelerated healing powers and a deeply twisted sense of humor. Deadpool vows to avenge himself on Ajax and, with the help of X-Men Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead, he’ll hunt down the man who took everything from him.
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein
Directors: Tim Miller
Rating: R
Runtime: 108 minutes
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50 First Dates (2004)
Adam Sandler has been on quite the journey, and 50 First Dates marks one of his first forays into the “cute” romantic comedy. It’s not perfect, but Sandler and Drew Barrymore’s chemistry is solid and the concept of 50 First Dates is a classic. Lucy (Barrymore) suffers from short-term memory loss so severe that she can’t remember anything that happened the day before. She’s constantly living the same day over and over, and everyone in her life has devoted theirs to making that one day as perfect as can be. As such, they’re extremely suspicious when marine vet Henry (Sandler) stumbles into her life, insisting on wooing her and making her fall in love every day until her memory returns.
Rotten Tomatoes: 45%
Stars: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Rob Schneider
Director: Peter Segal
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 96 minutes
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Big Time Adolescence (2020)
Big Time Adolescence premiered at Sundance in 2019, where Hulu picked it up and rebranded it as a Hulu Original in 2020. Griffin Gluck stars as Mo, a teenager with an unusual best friend in this coming-of-age comedy. Mo has a promising future ahead of him, but he has one big problem: He worships his college-dropout, drug-dealing older best friend Zeke (Pete Davidson). While Mo’s hard-working dad tries to steer him onto the right path, he’s not the kind of guy to force his son to stop seeing his best friend, creating a precarious balancing act of maturity. Davidson gives a refreshingly clever performance in this comedy and has a great rapport with Gluck.
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Stars: Pete Davidson, Griffin Gluck, Jon Cryer
Director: Jason Orley
Rating: R
Runtime: 90 minutes
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Parasite (2019)
Sweeping the Academy Awards and giving director Bong Joon-ho some serious clout in Hollywood, this black comedy is almost universally liked by anyone who watches it. Set in South Korea, it tells the tale of a poor family who concocts a clever plan to work for a wealthy family, each by recommending one another for different jobs within the home, even though they aren’t the least bit qualified. The film took home four Oscars, including those for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film. If nothing else, it’s worth checking out just to see what all the fuss is about.
Rotten Tomatoes: 99%
Stars: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik
Director: Bong Joon-ho
Rating: R
Runtime: 132 minutes
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The Art of Self-Defense (2019)
If you’re looking for a feel-good martial arts flick, this isn’t the movie for you. If anything, The Art of Self-Defense is the anti-Karate Kid. Jesse Eisenberg headlines this darkly comedic story as an accountant named Casey Davies. After getting assaulted by a gang, Casey joins a local karate dojo under the instruction of Sensei (Alessandro Nivola). He also befriends Anna (Imogen Poots), the only female student in Sensei’s dojo. Casey gradually comes under Sensei’s wing, and he embraces his inner toxic masculinity … with devastating results on his personal life. All of Casey’s new instincts are wrong, and they lead him to some wild places.
Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Alessandro Nivola, Imogen Poots
Director: Riley Stearns
Rating: R
Runtime: 104 minutes
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Sorry to Bother You (2018)
Marking the directorial debut for Boots Riley, this absurdist black comedy features elements of sci-fi and magic. The film follows Cassius (Lakeith Stanfield), a young, Black telemarketer who fakes an accent to make him sound white in an effort to do better at his job. Riley drew from his own experience of having worked as a telemarketer in his youth and finding success in doing the same thing. In the film, however, as Cassius enjoys greater success, he uncovers a corporate conspiracy and faces a crisis of conscience: What’s more important, making money and being successful or speaking out against the dirty dealings of the company for which he works?
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Stars: Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Jermaine Fowler
Director: Boots Riley
Rating: 14A
Runtime: 112 minutes
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Vice (2018)
Christian Bale stars as former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney in this satirical comedy-drama about Cheney’s journey to the White House. Released on Christmas Day, views were split about the film, which received eight Academy Award nominations. While some pundits criticized the film, making it one of the worst-reviewed films to ever be nominated in the Best Picture category at the Academy Awards, others applauded Bale’s transformation and the film’s ability to present truths in a humorous way. It’s one of those films you just need to watch to decide for yourself.
Rotten Tomatoes: 66%
Stars: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Steve Carell
Director: Adam McKay
Rating: 14A
Runtime: 132 minutes
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Booksmart (2019)
One of the most acclaimed comedies of 2019, Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut provides an unflinching, hilarious look at coming-of-age from a female perspective. Molly Davison (Beanie Feldstein in a Golden Globe-nominated performance) and Amy Antsler (Kaitlyn Dever) are determined to finally party and have the night of their lives as their high-school careers come to a close and their paths diverge ahead of college. The jokes come often and come packed with social commentary and witticisms, and despite being geared toward a younger audience, there are elements any film fan can enjoy. It’s essentially the flip side of Superbad, and proves Wilde is just as proficient behind the camera as in front of it.
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Stars: Beanie Feldstein, Kaitlyn Dever
Director: Olivia Wilde
Rating: R
Runtime: 102 minutes
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I, Tonya (2017)
Sometimes, truth is funnier than fiction. At least that’s the premise of I, Tonya, which can be darkly dramatic at times and downright silly at others. Based on a true story, the sports flick takes on the trials of 1990s figure skater Tonya Harding in the lead-up to, and aftermath of, the 1994 attack on rival Nancy Kerrigan. While the story is told from the perspective of Harding, played brilliantly by Margot Robbie, it’s dictated through interviews with the characters, weaving an intricate tale where it’s not always clear how to separate fact from fiction. Robbie earned an Academy Award nomination for her performance, while Allison Janney won Best Supporting Actress for playing Harding’s abusive mother.
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Stars: Margot Robbie, Allison Janney, Sebastian Stan
Director: Craig Gillespie
Rating: R
Runtime: 119 minutes
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