Comedies come in all forms, from comedy-dramas to fun family comedies and satirical mockumentaries. As you deal with the heaviness of election month, you might be looking for some escapist entertainment to make you laugh. We have you covered.
These three comedies on Amazon Prime Video you need to watch in November touch on all types, with each delivering its own message behind the lens of humor. If you haven’t watched these three movies, it’s a good time to check them out.
We also have guides to the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
American Fiction (2023)
This comedy-drama based on the Percival Everett novel Erasure is about Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (The Batman 2‘s Jeffrey Wright), an upper-class novelist and professor who, frustrated when his novels don’t really attract readers, decides to write a satirical novel about “Black” books. He uses every cliché and stereotype in existence, and to his surprise and even dismay, the novel is rushed to print. It’s considered to be a serious piece of literary work and garners praise for all the wrong reasons.
He’s forced to examine his personal integrity and come face-to-face with hard truths about progress and race relations. American Fiction puts Wright in the spotlight to tackle this nuanced role, and he delivers. The movie earned five Academy Award nominations, including one for Best Picture and Best Actor for Wright, as well as Best Adapted Screenplay for Cord Jefferson in his directorial debut.
Stream American Fiction on Amazon Prime Video.
Paddington (2014)
A heartwarming live-action animated comedy the whole family can enjoy, Paddington follows the adventures of the adorable Paddington Bear (voiced by Ben Whishaw), originally created by Michael Bond in his works of children’s literature. Traveling from Peru to London, the anthropomorphic teddy finds a new home with the Brown family. While Paddington is enjoying the delight and wonder of this new home, relishing in his new surroundings, he doesn’t realize that an evil taxidermist named Millicent (Nicole Kidman) has her eye on adding him to her collection.
Bilge Ebiri of New York Magazine/Vulture calls the film “absolutely, positively delightful.” Paddington led to a sequel that was released in the U.K. in 2017. A third movie, Paddington in Peru, is set to release in the U.K. later this month.
Stream Paddington on Amazon Prime Video.
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020)
Sasha Baron Cohen is an acquired taste, and not everyone appreciates his antics. But those who do, and who appreciate the cleverness behind his intent, no matter how vulgar and silly, will love watching Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. In the mockumentary black comedy, a follow-up to Borat! Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, he returns as his character Borat Sagdiyev, a fictional journalist from Kazakhstan.
Since the character is widely recognized by now, he enlists the help of actor Maria Bakalova, who poses as his daughter, Tutar. The plot suggests he has traveled to the U.S. in hopes of offering up Tutar as a wife for Mike Pence, then the U.S. Vice President. To be clear, Borat is not a real person, but he purports to be to unsuspecting Americans.
Filmed during the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 election, the film follows Borat as he travels across America interviewing Americans of all types, all the while pretending to be a legitimate journalist. The results are ones you’ll want to see for yourself. It’s a scathing commentary about the state of the political landscape and American sentiment. Plus, there’s that controversial and polarizing hotel room scene that had everyone talking.
Stream Borat Subsequent Moviefilm on Amazon Prime Video.
