The 20 Best Comedies on Amazon Prime Video

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.

American Fiction

Year: 2023
Runtime: 1h 56m
Director: Cord Jefferson

First-time director Cord Jefferson won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for this 2023 dramedy about pop culture expectations of Black entertainment. The great Jeffrey Wright also landed his first Oscar nod for playing Monk Ellison, a writer who struggles to sell his books until he leans into exaggerated, stereotypical portrayals of Black life. Wright is the fuel to this film’s engine, but Sterling K. Brown is also strong, earning a surprise Oscar nod himself too.

American Movie

Year: 1999
Runtime: 1h 44m
Director: Chris Smith

The great documentarian Chris Smith broke through this story of two unforgettable Wisconsin-based filmmakers: Mark Borchardt and Mike Schank, who are trying to get their indie movies off the ground. The early ‘90s saw waves of independent filmmaking across the country and Smith’s film really taps into the love of movies that one needs to get their projects off the ground. It’s hysterical but never in a way that feels like it’s mocking the movie dreams of its memorable subjects.

The Big Chill

Year: 1983
Runtime: 1h 44m
Director: Lawrence Kasdan

The template for reunion movies came in 1983 with this star-studded dramedy about a group of University of Michigan grads reuniting 15 years after they graduated, and in the wake of the death of one of their own. The script here is strong, but it’s a really a study in great ensemble casting as Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Kurt, Kevin Kline, Mary Kay Place, Meg Tilly, and JoBeth Williams make us believe that they’ve known each other for years.

The Big Sick

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.

The Birdcage

Year: 1996
Runtime: 1h 58m
Director: Mike Nichols

Mike Nichols’ remake of the beloved La Cage aux Folles is a joyous comedy about acceptance and love that still works well today (which is not something you can about a lot of mid-‘90s comedies). Robin Williams and Nathan Lane are phenomenal as a gay couple forced to jump through hoops for their son’s new in-laws, played wonderfully by Gene Hackman and Dianne Wiest. It’s funny and smart from front to back.

Bodied

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.

Bottoms

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.

*The Breakfast Club

Year: 1985
Runtime: 1h 36m
Director: John Hughes

Few films of the ‘80s are more influential to this day than John Hughes’ collection of misfits, a comedy that has basically been remade almost every year since it came out. Look at any of the modern teen movie and you can pick out the Judd Nelsons, Anthony Michael Halls, Molly Ringwalds, and Ally Sheedys. See where a subgenre basically changed forever.

*Clueless

Year: 1995
Runtime: 1h 34m
Director: Amy Heckerling

You can keep all those stuffy Jane Austen adaptations — one of the best remains Amy Heckerling’s updating of the 1815 classic Emma to mid-‘90s L.A. Perhaps even the most ‘90s movie ever? From its fashion to its references to its beloved characters, Clueless is certainly one of the most iconic, and it grows even more popular with each generation that discovers it.

Emergency

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.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Year: 1982
Runtime: 1h 29m
Director: Amy Heckerling

Comedies of the ‘80s have a habit of rolling from one streaming service to the next one, but this 1982 classic hasn’t been readily available on any subscription service in the last few years. It’s exclusively on Peacock right now, so check out Cameron Crowe and Amy Heckerling’s formative coming-of-age comedy with one of the most iconic performances of its era from Sean Penn.

The General

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.

Heathers

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.

The Holdovers

Year: 2023
Runtime: 2h 13m
Director: Alexander Payne

Paul Giamatti and Da’Vine Joy Randolph were Oscar-nominated for this phenomenal comedy (and Randolph won!), which was exclusive to Peacock but has now escaped out to Prime Video. The ‘70s-set story of a boarding school over holiday break already feels like a comedy classic, a movie that people will be watching, especially around the end of the year, for generations to come.

I Love You Phillip Morris

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.

The Lost City

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.

*Lost in Translation

Year: 2003
Runtime: 1h 41m
Director: Sofia Coppola

Sofia Coppola exploded onto the filmmaking scene with her second film, this 2003 dramedy about a fading movie star who meets an American girl in Tokyo and both of their lives change. Bill Murray does career-best work in the film (and should have won an Oscar), and he’s matched by Scarlett Johnansson, but this really is Coppola’s film — a tender, brilliant character study with personal resonance.

*The Naked Gun

Year: 1988
Runtime: 1h 25m
Director: David Zucker

No one ever could have guessed that the unsuccessful TV series Police Squad! would turn into the wildly successful film series The Naked Gun, which was such a hit on its 1988 release that it turned Leslie Nielsen into a massive star and produced two sequels. The first film is still the best, a gloriously ridiculous spoof of cop shows/films in which Nielsen’s Frank Drebin stumbles upon a plot to kill Queen Elizabeth II that involves Reggie Jackson. It’s too bad they don’t make movies this gloriously stupid (in a good way) as often as they did in the ‘80s and ‘90s.

*The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Year: 2012
Runtime: 1h 38m
Director: Stephen Chbosky

Stephen Chbosky adapted his own book into this tender and moving coming-of-age comedy starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, and Ezra Miller. It’s a remarkably smart film when it comes to teen issues that are rarely reflected accurately like depression and anxiety. And Chbosky directs his ensemble to beautiful, nuanced performances.

*Spaceballs

Year: 1987
Runtime: 1h 36m
Director: Mel Brooks

Mel Brooks’ last great parody is this hysterical spoof of the world of Star Wars, filtered in a comedic style that is distinctively that of one of movie history’s greatest writers. Spaceballs takes most of its direct aim at the Lucas trilogy (yes, there were only three back in 1987), but Brooks tackles other sci-fi properties too, and he does it all with his wicked sense of timing and hysterical wordplay.

Wayne’s World

Year: 1992
Runtime: 1h 30m
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 this more beloved 1992 original is harder to pin down. So decide if you’re worthy enough to watch it while you can.

*Zoolander

Year: 2001
Runtime: 1h 25m
Director: Ben Stiller

It’s a little crazy that it’s been over two decades since Ben Stiller stepped into the expensive shoes of Derek Zoolander and came back with one of the more memorable comedies of the 2000s. Directed by Russell Bates, Zoolander really spins the manic energy that Stiller had on his show into something fresh and original. And it also features a great supporting turn from Will Ferrell as the ridiculous Jacobin Mugatu.

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