Blockers.
Photo: Courtesy of the Studio
This list is regularly updated as movies rotate on and off of Prime Video. *New additions are indicated with an asterisk.
Who needs a good laugh? Prime Video has a deep catalog of comedies for every mood from romantic classics to modern blockbusters to the laugh-busters you loved when you were young. However, navigating their interface to find the best comedies can be tough, so we’re here to help Amazon connect with your funny bone with this updated list of the best comedies on Prime Video.
Year: 1977
Runtime: 1h 29m
Director: Woody Allen
For a bunch of reasons, people don’t really talk about Woody Allen anymore, but that doesn’t change the fact that this is a formative, wildly influential comedy, one of the few of the genre to win the Oscar for Best Picture. Allen changed the rom-com with this story of Alvy Singer, a Manhattanite who tries to figure out why he can’t make things work, especially with the title character, played by the Oscar-winning Diane Keaton.
Year: 2017
Runtime: 2h
Director: Michael Showalter
The wonderful screenwriters Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon basically told their own love story in this sweet and funny rom-com that Amazon picked up after audiences fell for it at Sundance. Nanjiani plays a loose variation on himself, a struggling stand-up who falls for a woman (Zoe Kazan) just before she becomes incredibly ill, forcing their relationship to move at an unusual pace. A smart, sweet, genuinely human film, this is one of the best romantic comedies of the 2010s.
Year: 2018
Runtime: 1h 41m
Director: Kay Cannon
An incredibly all-in cast elevates this comedy about a trio of parents (Leslie Mann, Ike Barinholtz, John Cena) who are determined to stop their daughters (Kathryn Newton, Geraldine Viswanathan, Gideon Adlon) from hooking up on prom night. It’s a raunchy comedy but with a big heart and more intelligence than is usually seen in a film like this one.
Year: 2018
Runtime: 2h
Director: Joseph Kahn
Did you know that a legendary music video director made a rocking dramedy about the battle rap scene that was produced by Eminem himself? Probably not given the minimal release of Bodied, but this movie rocks. Calum Worthy plays a grad student who becomes obsessed with the battle rap scene, only to discover that he’s pretty damn good at it himself. This was once a YouTube Red exclusive when that was a thing so it feels like a cult hit waiting for its cult.
Year: 2023
Runtime: 1h 31m
Director: Emma Seligman
The writer/director of Shiva Baby avoided the sophomore slump with a film that feels completely different. Rachel Sennott and Emmy winner Ayo Edebiri star as a pair of high school girls who basically start a fight club to get closer to their crushes. Consistently funny in that surreal dark comedy way that Hollywood stopped doing about a quarter-century ago, it’s a movie that feels destined to be beloved by the generation to whom it’s most directly speaking to.
Year: 1994
Runtime: 1h 32m
Director: Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith rocked the indie filmmaking world with his comedy that was shot for almost nothing and became a worldwide hit. Filmed at the convenience and video stores at which Smith worked in real life with his buddies, no one could have expected that this comedy would still be influencing writers a quarter-century later.
Year: 2022
Runtime: 1h 45m
Directors: Carey Williams
Carey Williams adapted his short film of the same name into this Sundance hit that Amazon picked up and dropped on Prime in May 2022. It’s the story of Sean and Kunle, two average friends who decide to go on a frat party tour but have their night of debauchery interrupted by an unconscious body on their living room floor. An insightful and hysterical blend of college comedy and racial commentary, it’s a sharp piece of filmmaking.
Year: 1926
Runtime: 1h 15m
Directors: Clyde Bruckman and Buster Keaton
Truly classic comedies can be hard to find on streaming services, so take this chance to watch an all-timer, one of the best silent movies ever made. The phenomenally talented Buster Keaton stars and co-directs this action-adventure-comedy that has a little bit of something for everyone, and is really a great introduction to people who may not be familiar with Keaton’s remarkable skills.
Year: 2001
Runtime: 1h 51m
Director: Terry Zwigoff
Based on the Daniel Clowes graphic novels of the same name, this quirky comedy stars Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson as two aimless friends trying to figure out what to do next with their lives. As one appears to be moving on, Birch’s Enid becomes obsessed with a reclusive older man named Seymour, who is played perfectly by Steve Buscemi.
Year: 1989
Runtime: 1h 43m
Director: Michael Lehmann
Talk about a movie ahead of its time. Coming-of-age teen comedies were never quite as wonderfully cynical before this movie about four teenage girls whose lives are upended by the arrival of a new kid, played by Christian Slater. More than just seeking to destroy the damaging cliques at his new school, Slater’s character has plans for something a little more permanent in this comedy that really shaped the teen genre for years to come.
Year: 2010
Runtime: 1h 38m
Director: Steve Pink
They can’t all be think pieces. Sometimes you just want a goofy movie with which to unwind after a long day at work or school. Hot Tub Time Machine should get the job done. John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, and Clark Duke star in a film about, well, it’s kind of right there in the title. Remarkably and defiantly silly, this was such a surprise hit that it even produced a sequel. Avoid that one, but revisit the original, a comedy that has held up surprisingly well.
Year: 2011
Runtime: 1h 38m
Director: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Comedies don’t get much darker than this 2009 film about a con artist named Steven Jay Russell, played expertly by Jim Carrey in his last truly interesting performance. While behind bars for one of his many cons, Steven falls in love with Phillip Morris, played by Ewan McGregor. This truly oddball film was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay by the Writers Guild of America.
Year: 2021
Runtime: 2h 13m
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
A controversial nominee for Best Picture at the beginning of 2022, P.T. Anderson’s latest is already on Prime Video for subscribers to screen for no extra cost. And they should. Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman are transcendent in this story of a teenager who falls for a twentysomething woman, and the odd adventures that somehow keep falling into their lives. It’s a lyrical, gorgeously shot period comedy about those hazy days when anything seems possible.
Year: 2022
Runtime: 1h 51m
Directors: Adam Nee, Aaron Nee
With echoes of beloved rom-coms like African Queen and Romancing the Stone, this film truly felt like an anomaly in 2022, and yet it turned into a pretty big hit at the theater. It’s already on streaming services, and it’s a great choice if you’re looking for some escapism tonight. Travel to the middle of nowhere with a romance novel writer (Sandra Bullock) and the cover model (Channing Tatum) who tries to save the day.
Year: 2014
Runtime: 1h 54m
Director: Alexander Payne
Alexander Payne directed Bob Nelson’s ace screenplay in this comedy about an elderly man (Bruce Dern) who travels the country with his son (Will Forte) to claim a prize in a sweepstakes. A sharp study of life in the heartland of America, it was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor.
Year: 1997
Runtime: 1h 49m
Director: Betty Thomas
Ivan Reitman produced this hysterical adaptation of the book of the same name by Howard Stern, the best radio personality of all time. In his 1993 book, Stern detailed his background and rise in the business, and the film hits many of the highlights of the Stern legacy, including a number of key Stern personalities playing themselves, including Robin Quivers, Fred Norris, and Gary Dell’Abate. Baby Booey to y’all!
Year: 2021
Runtime: 2h 10m
Director: Sean Baker
The great writer/director behind The Florida Project shifted gears with this phenomenal comedy about a born loser, a middle-aged porn star played perfectly by Simon Rex. The former MTV personality plays Mikey Davies, a guy returning to his hometown in Texas for a second chance, but who becomes obsessed with a local teenager, who he essentially starts grooming. Rex won Best Actor from the L.A. Film Critics for this unforgettable turn.
Year: 1986
Runtime: 1h 48m
Director: Jonathan Demme
Jonathan Demme was a master of tonal balancing, finding a way to perfectly blend the comedy and the dread in this story of an average man caught up in a criminal’s web. Charlie (Jeff Daniels) is a milquetoast banker who goes on a wild ride with a girl named Lulu (Melanie Griffith), but everything changes when Lulu’s ex (an unforgettable Ray Liotta) enters the picture.
Year: 2002
Runtime: 1h 32m
Director: Walt Becker
Listen, there’s nothing particularly great about this National Lampoon, but what’s interesting is to see the early days of the career of Ryan Reynolds, an actor who is still opening movies successfully over two decades later. Playing a college student who has been there for seven years and counting, Reynolds is charming and very funny. Some interesting trivia: This film is loosely based on the real life of comedian and podcast co-host Bert Kreischer.
Year: 1992
Runtime: 1h 34m
Director: Penelope Spheeris
It’s hard to believe it’s been three decades since Wayne and Garth left their basement and made the jump to the big screen. The sequel bounces around the streamers a lot, but the more beloved original is harder to pin down. So decide if you’re worthy enough to watch it while you can.
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