Movie comedies are in an interesting place heading out of 2024. The golden age of theatrical comedy is definitely over, but there are still plenty of movies getting made that have a comedic bent to them. Even so, comedies are not as common as they once were, so it can be tough to find great ones unless you’re actively seeking them out.
Thankfully, that’s where we come in. We’ve pulled together this list of the seven best comedies of 2024, all of which will leave you delighted, and a few might also make you shed some tears.
We also have guides to the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
7. Mean Girls (2024)
This remake of the 2004 classic, now complete with musical numbers, was divisive, to say the least. If you’re not too precious about the original movie, though, there’s plenty to love about this slightly more modern update. The songs are genuinely excellent, many of them are inventively staged, and Renee Rapp proves herself entirely worthy of the mantle of Regina George.
This movie retains many of the original’s best jokes, but because of the songs, it actually makes the story slightly more about Janice and Regina and slightly less about Cady, and that rebalance ultimately works wonders.
You can watch Mean Girls on Amazon Prime Video.
6. Drive-Away Dolls (2024)
Nobody is even attempting the style of screwball comedy that Ethan Coen proves so adept at in Drive-Away Dolls. The movie stars Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan as two friends who take an impromptu trip to Tallahassee, Florida, only to find themselves intersecting with a group of criminals who are looking for a briefcase that’s been stowed in their rental car.
The movie is silly, frothy, and entirely without any bigger overarching ideals, and that’s precisely what makes it one of the year’s great delights.
You can watch Drive-Away Dolls on Amazon Prime Video.
5. The Idea of You (2024)
Romantic comedies aren’t quite dead yet, and we have Anne Hathaway to thank for that. The Idea of You adapts a novel of the same name and follows the whirlwind romance between the mother of a teen daughter who finds herself falling for a member of a hugely successful boy band.
The movie is remarkably sincere about this romance in spite of the age gap between them, and the movie works largely because Hathaway is totally committed to what could be rather disposable material. Movie stars can make almost anything work, and that’s what Hathaway does here.
You can watch The Idea of You on Amazon Prime Video.
4. The Fall Guy (2024)
Speaking of movie stars, The Fall Guy is one of the year’s great action comedies, thanks largely to the skill of Ryan Gosling. Gosling plays a retired stuntman who returns to his chosen profession to work alongside his former flame on her first directorial effort.
Along the way, the movie’s star goes missing, and he winds up embroiled in an international criminal conspiracy trying to get him back. Featuring lots of practical effects and just as many excellent jokes, The Fall Guy is the kind of big-budget comedy we don’t get enough of anymore.
You can watch The Fall Guy on Peacock.
3. A Real Pain (2024)
The biggest awards contender on this list, A Real Pain is a slight, smart dramedy about two cousins who travel to Poland to honor their grandmother, only to find themselves bickering about both the present and the past.
Anchored by great central performances from Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg, who also directed the project, A Real Pain is a smart meditation on family and heritage, but it’s laced with the kind of acid that both of these actors are capable of bringing to every role they take on.
You can watch A Real Pain in theaters.
2. Hit Man (2024)
This was the year of Glen Powell, and Hit Man was his very best movie. Loosely based on a true story, the movie follows a philosophy professor who finds himself moonlighting as a fake hitman for the New Orleans Police Department. When he falls for one of the women trying to hire him, though, he discovers that his identity is more mutable than he might have expected.
Powell and co-star Adria Arjona have dynamite chemistry together, and Hit Man works because it knows how to balance its frothy premise with just enough philosophy and plenty of smart set pieces. Directed by Richard Linklater, it’s one of the year’s great underseen gems and deserves to be watched again and again.
You can watch Hit Man on Netflix.
1. My Old Ass (2024)
A great coming-of-age movie is pretty hard to come by, and that’s exactly what My Old Ass is. Set in rural Canada, the movie follows a young girl who, while taking acid, meets an older version of herself. While the high fades, their contact does not, and her older self begins to offer her advice about spending time with her family and which boys she should avoid.
Thanks to the brilliant work of Aubrey Plaza and Maisy Stella, My Old Ass is equal parts sweet and sentimental. It’s a movie, ultimately, about the importance of living your life to its fullest, even if you know what pain comes along with it.
You can watch My Old Ass on Amazon Prime Video.
