The Best Comedies of the 21st Century

With “Naked Gun” hitting theaters Friday, I’m starting to see “best comedies” lists pop up. After all, “Naked Gun” is that rare breed in the post pandemic era, a comedy, released theatrically, and that might actually make some money.

Naturally, lists stir debate, and I love that. Then again, you can’t rank comedy without inviting chaos. In my “Naked Gun” review, I wrote that it was “one of the best comedies of the decade.” Hyperbole? Not really. Some readers cringed. Seriously asking, what other genuine gust-busting comedies have we actually had in the 2020s? I can’t think of many ..

There’s the hilarious “Bad Trip,” a chaotic straight to Netflix R-rated hidden-camera comedy starring Eric André that blends outrageous pranks with a loose road trip narrative.

Another one is “Palm Springs,” a clever and sweet time-loop comedy starring Andy Samberg as a jaded wedding guest stuck reliving the same day over and over again in the California desert.

“Triangle of Sadness,” which won the Palme d’Or, is actually very funny. The film turned social satire into cringe-inducing comedy, mocking clueless elite via exaggerated, awkward situations; The piece de resistance? A dinner during a storm that spirals into absurdist chaos.

Those are the only three that stand out. It’s not a far stretch to add “Naked Gun” in there as number four.

The world right now is too damn serious. The movies are too damn serious. Everyone’s trying to say something. And while I’ll always go to church for Bresson and Antonioni sermons, there’s something liberating about just laughing your ass off. We need more of that.

So, I compiled a little Comedy Hall of Fame, 21st century movies that cracked through the cynicism and made me laugh hard. That rarest of experiences these days.

The 21st Century Comedy Hall of Fame

• Borat

• The 40-Year-Old Virgin

• Superbad

• Team America: World Police

• Bridesmaids

• Anchorman

• The Death of Stalin

• Four Lions

• MacGruber

HONORABLE MENTIONS

• Meet the Parents

• Triangle of Sadness

• Bad Santa

• Game Night

• 21 Jump Street

• Wedding Crashers

• Step Brothers

• Shaun of the Dead

• Pineapple Express

• Bad Trip

• Toni Erdmann

• Old School

• Neighbors

• Dolemite is My Name

• The Hangover

• Burn After Reading

• In the Loop

• Tropic Thunder

• Palm Springs

• Walk Hard

The 2000s were dominated by Will Ferrell, and the Judd Apatow crew (Rogen, Carell, McKay, et al.) practically redefining mainstream comedy with a meta-absurdist streak and man-child shtick that somehow tapped into the millennial angst.

And then came “Borat.” The peak. A comedic landmark so sharp and politically incorrect it would never be greenlit today. Bigotry, xenophobia, performative civility, it was all exposed in one go. Sadly, it’s the kind of satire that might be misconstrued today.

By the 2010s, the comedy wave was crashing. Sure, we had hits (“Bridesmaids,” “The Hangover”) but something had shifted. Hollywood lost its funny bone, or maybe just got too scared to use it. The last decade has given us mostly “safe” comedies, many anchored by big stars (Kevin Hart, Melissa McCarthy), often with the humor diluted for overseas markets.

There have been some bright spots these last 10 years. “Game Night,” for one, but even that only managed $69M domestically. A hit, technically, but a modest one. Many point to that film as being the last successful comedy at the box-office, and it was released seven years agoz

So, what happened? Did we evolve past comedy? Unlikely. What I do know is that I miss the feeling of watching something so funny I couldn’t breathe. I miss walking out of a packed theater where everyone’s wiped tears from laughing too hard. I miss comedies that were events.

Maybe we’ll get back there, but for now, much like superfan Christopher Nolan, I’ll just rewatch “MacGruber” for the 13th time. Oh, and go watch “Naked Gun,” it’s a hoot and if successful, could get more comedies greenlit this decade.