40 Best Grown-up Comedy Movies to Watch

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New Top Vouch On Netflix Best Films Most Recent

New on Netflix This Month

Made this year

Good Movie

81% Vouch

Private Life

Paul Giamatti, man. Ever watched Win/Win? What a performance. I didn’t think he could do any better than that. But here he did.

This movie is now on Netflix. It’s about a couple that is trying to have a kid but can’t. Their frustration grows, but so does their willingness to do whatever it takes to become parents. They try to adopt, go to fertility clinics and ultimately ask their niece to donate her eggs. To really work, such a plot requires well-written, multifaceted characters one can relate to. I did, and it really worked.

Netflix

Drama

2018

Made in 2017

Good Movie

75% Vouch

Brigsby Bear

After being held captive his whole life, a man sets out to finish the only show he’s ever seen. Thoughtfully written with a creative cast; it is not a film you would expect to laugh at and enjoy so thoroughly with such an unconventionally dark premise. However, it is a hilarious, wholesome, and loving film that will leave your heart feeling warm.

Amazon

Comedy / Drama

2017

Made in 2017

Good Movie

80% Vouch

82% Users

The Meyerowitz Stories

From director Noah Baumbach (Frances Ha, The Squid and the Whale) The Meyerowitz Stories is a beautiful family comedy otherwise known as that Adam Sandler that doesn’t suck. He plays a recently divorced man, as he usually does, called Danny (as he’s usually called). Danny moves in with his father, played by Dustin Hoffman, who himself is dealing with feelings of failure. As both of them are joined by other members of the family (including Danny’s half-brother, played by Ben Stiller), their family dynamic comes to the surface in a beautiful, sometimes very moving way. This is an amazingly tender movie in which Noah Baumbach proves he’s so good, he can make even Adam Sandler sound genuine.

Netflix

Comedy

2017

ICYMI

Good Movie

90% Vouch

86% Users

50/50

It’s often said that trying to make a comedy movie featuring a character with cancer is just a bad idea. And while there may be a good share of failed attempts in that category, 50/50 is not one of them. In a movie that comes closer to a believable real life situation than most, 50/50 manages to mine humor, pathos and simple honesty from a dark and traditional situation. Starring Seth Rogan and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, this film isn’t afraid to ‘go there’ but you’ll enjoy the journey.

Amazon

Comedy / Drama

2011

Award Sweeper

Weird

Oscar Nominated

76% Vouch

77% Users

A Serious Man

A Serious Man is an almost inexplicable and philosophically dark comedy from the Cohen Brothers. Its protagonist, Larry, is a professor at a quiet university whose wife decides to leave him for one of his more successful colleagues. His unemployed brother moves on to the couch and both of his kids start acting out. He starts a quest for meaning and clarity within his Jewish community. The movie’s aesthetics and comedy will be appreciated by all Cohen Brothers fans. However, the intricacies and struggle of the protagonist will hit home for anyone who has had a religious upbringing: Jewish guilt, and by extension Catholic guilt (or any other religious guilt) are big themes here. An original, weird, hard to understand masterpiece. Other than the prologue, you’ll feel like you have to watch it many times to understand it. The film earned itself many nominations for the Oscars, including Best Picture.

Netflix

Comedy / Drama

2009

Made in 2017

Foreign

Weird

Good Movie

79% Vouch

76% Users

The Square

The Square is a peculiar movie about a respected contemporary art museum curator as he goes through a few very specific events. He looses his wallet, his children fight, the art he oversees is does not make sense to an interviewer… Each one of these events would usually require a precise response but all they do is bring out his insecurities and his illusions about life. These reactions lead him to very unusual situations. A thought-provoking and incredibly intelligent film that’s just a treat to watch. If you liked Force Majeure by the same director, The Square is even better!

Amazon

Drama

2017

Good Movie

84% Vouch

85% Users

Four Lions

Four Lions is as black and as dark as a movie can ever get, mixing cultural relevancy with humor and ridiculousness. It is insensitive to Islam, insensitive to terrorism and insensitive to the viewer. But it is hilarious.

The director spent three years talking to Imams, terrorism experts and basically everyone. The result? A legit 97 minutes that will dazzle even extremists with its knowledge of Islam and the accuracy of its lines. Needless to say that it will upset quite a few people, but that is always a good sign for black comedy movies, right?

Amazon

Comedy

2010

Made in 2017

ICYMI

Good Movie

82% Vouch

88% Users

The Big Sick

A revelation of a movie, both in filmmaking and commercial success. While little-known abroad, it has made more than $42 million in US Box Office revenue out of a tiny $5 million budget. Kumail Nanjiani, stand-up comedian and star of the show Sillicon Valley, tells his own story of romance with his now-wife Emily V. Gordon (who co-wrote the movie). Because it is based on a true story, and because it is the product of love of both its writers and stars, this movie is incredibly heartfelt. It is also timely, addressing heavy themes such as identity, immigration, and family relationships. Not to mention it is absolutely hilarious. And it’s produced by Judd Apatow. Trust me and go watch it.

Prime

Comedy / Drama / Romance

2017

Foreign

Slow

Good Movie

79% Vouch

80% Users

Toni Erdmann

Good movies usually aren’t lengthy movies, unless we’re talking about cases like Toni Erdmann. It’s a supremely smart German-Austrian comedy that depicts the story of a Father-Daughter tandem in light of life’s weirdest, most inconvenient moments. Deciding to visit his daughter on a whim after his dog dies, Winfried (Peter Simonischek)—a man known for his outrageous pranks and many a disguise—flies to Bucharest. Ines (Sandra Huller), the daughter, buzzing with work to the brim in a very challenging job, to say the least, isn’t impressed. This leads to even more uncomfortable encounters as the estranged father poses as the title character, life coach to the disapproving daughter’s boss. On top of being a shrewdly observed and relevant movie, the brilliant writing by Maren Ade crafts something thoroughly enjoyable and heartfelt here, highlighting the importance of family bond in an oddly sweet way, and criticizing modern-day work ethic and the toll its taking on us. The beginning is a bit slow, but if you’re a bit patient you will be surprised how much this movie will reward you.

Amazon

Comedy / Drama

2016

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