The 25 best comedy movies on Hulu

Big (1988)

Tom Hanks fulfilled every child's dream in this beloved fantasy-comedy about a 12-year-old named Josh, whose wish to be "big" is granted one day as he wakes up as an adult-sized version of himself. While still maintaining the mind of a pre-adolescent boy, he navigates New York City and inadvertently a job at FAO Schwarz, where he excels thanks to his knowledge of what kinds of toys excite kids. Josh also stumbles into a romance with a co-worker (Elizabeth Perkins), which naturally becomes complicated when the truth is finally revealed. Hanks won a Golden Globe and earned his first Oscar nomination for his performance, which EW's critic describes as "the best encapsulation of the lovably zany first act of Hanks' career." —Kevin Jacobsen

Where to watch Big: Hulu

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: Penny Marshall

Cast: Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, Robert Loggia, John Heard

Enchanted (2007)

Amy Adams becomes a Disney princess before our eyes in this charming sendup of the studio's animated classics. Giselle, a princess-to-be, is banished from her animated fairy tale world by a corrupt queen, sending her to modern-day (and live-action) New York City. A fish out of water, Giselle (now inhabited by Adams) is mercifully taken in by a handsome divorce lawyer (Patrick Dempsey) and his daughter, leading to an unexpected connection. Led by Adams in one of her most memorable performances to date, EW's critic writes, "Adams transcends the self-referential winks that could’ve made Enchanted truly trivial with a turn that's utterly cartoonish and fully alive." —K.J.

Where to watch Enchanted: Hulu

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: Kevin Lima

Cast: Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Timothy Spall, Idina Menzel, Susan Sarandon

Fire Island (2022)

Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice gets a queer, Millennial makeover in Fire Island, the debut film from comedic multihyphenate Joel Kim Booster. Booster stars as Noah, a broke thirtysomething with a longstanding tradition of vacationing with his friends on Fire Island. When the group learns their house mother (Margaret Cho) plans to sell her home, the friends are forced to confront their love lives and class issues during their last week together. Fire Island also stars Saturday Night Live's Bowen Yang as Howie, Noah's neurotic best friend. A clutch casting choice, Yang imbues the film with some of its most memorable comic sequences. EW's critic writes, "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a very small swimsuit must be in want of a rom-com to call his own; Fire Island sets the stage, messy and sweet, and lets its freak flag fly." —Andrew Walsh

Where to watch Fire Island: Hulu

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Max Barbakow

Cast: Joel Kim Booster, Bowen Yang, Conrad Ricamora, James Scully, Margaret Cho, Matt Rogers

The Full Monty (1997)

This cheeky British comedy — emphasis on cheeky — is a hilarious yet poignant ode to friendship and brotherhood. Desperate for money, a former mill worker named Gaz (Robert Carlyle) recruits a group of fellow unemployed men to form a striptease act. While not exactly model material, the men's eagerness to put themselves out there makes them an unexpected sensation. There's plenty of comedy to be found in the film's premise alone, but The Full Monty also wears its heart on its sleeve while resisting being too cutesy. The film also spawned a sequel TV series on Hulu with the original cast, which was released in 2023. —K.J.

Where to watch The Full Monty: Hulu

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Peter Cattaneo

Cast: Robert Carlyle, Tom Wilkinson, Mark Addy

Happiest Season (2020)

In 2020, actress, writer, and director Clea DuVall pulled us out of our collective pandemic funk with the gift of Happiest Season, a queer holiday rom-com released on Hulu. Co-written with actress Mary Holland and directed by DuVall, Happiest Season follows Abby (Kristen Stewart) as she goes to meet her girlfriend Harper's (Mackenzie Davis) parents and spend Christmas at their family's home. The visit is only slightly complicated by the fact that Harper's conservative family — including her perfectionistic mother Tipper (Mary Steenburgen) and her mayoral candidate father (Victor Garber) — don't know she's gay...or that she's dating Abby. Hijinks ensue, feelings are hurt, and the city of Pittsburgh has never looked more inviting.

With a monster cast that includes Alison Brie and Holland as Harper's eccentric sisters, Aubrey Plaza as her ex, and Dan Levy as Abby's best friend, Happiest Season manages to be, as EW's critic puts it, "a smart, heartfelt comedy whose small flaws are easily blotted out by bigger charms." —A.W.

Where to watch Happiest Season: Hulu

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Clea DuVall

Cast: Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, Dan Levy, Mary Holland, Victor Garber, Mary Steenburgen

The Heat (2013)

The Heat features the kind of pairing that makes you wish they starred in a dozen more movies together. Alas, Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy have only teamed up for this riotous crime comedy, starring the former as straitlaced FBI Special Agent Sarah Ashburn and the latter as street-smart Boston detective Shannon Mullins. Ashburn and Mullins partner up to catch a local drug lord, though their differing approaches to the case make things difficult. While its pacing may be familiar to any buddy cop comedy fan, EW's critic praises the film as "a piece of smash-and-grab policier pulp that, through the interplay of Bullock and McCarthy, spins to its own snarly/confessional feminine beat." —K.J.

Where to watch The Heat: Hulu

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Paul Feig

Cast: Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy, Demián Bichir, Marlon Wayans, Michael Rapaport

Horrible Bosses (2011)

Everyone has had that pain-in-the-you-know-what boss at some point in their life. This outrageously dark comedy actualizes what some beleaguered employees fantasize about doing: killing them — or at least having someone else take care of the job. Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis star as friends who each have a horrible boss of their own and make plans to off them. They then hire a hitman (Jamie Foxx), who convinces them of the best way to kill their bosses without getting caught. Described by EW's critic as "a bouncy, well-built, delightfully nasty tale of resentment, desperation, and amoral revenge," Horrible Bosses is a fun excuse to watch good actors be bad. —K.J.

Where to watch Horrible Bosses: Hulu

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Seth Gordon

Cast: Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, Donald Sutherland, Julie Bowen

Juno (2007)

High school problems take on a much rounder shape in Juno, the story of 16-year-old Juno MacGuff (Elliot Page) who finds herself accidentally impregnated with her friend Paulie Bleeker's (Michael Cera) baby. With the support of her father (J.K. Simmons) and stepmother (Allison Janney), Juno finds the ideal adoptive candidates in Mark (Jason Bateman) and Vanessa (Jennifer Garner), only to discover there's no such thing as a perfect parental situation.

Sparkling with Diablo Cody's aggressively verbal, fast-moving dialogue, and brought to life by a cast representing some of the mid-aughts' best comedic and deadpan talents, Juno was well-deserving of the four Academy Award nominations (and one win!) the film received. The key to its success? Underneath all the linguistic acrobatics, Midwestern niceties, and pubescent sarcasm, Juno is ultimately a story about family and growing — up, out, and into oneself. —A.W.

Where to watch Juno: Hulu

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Jason Reitman

Cast: Elliot Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney, J.K. Simmons

My Cousin Vinny (1992)

After his nephew Bill (Ralph Macchio) and his friend Stan (Mitchell Whitfield) are convicted of a murder they didn't commit in Alabama, Brooklyn lawyer Vinny Gambini (Joe Pesci) tries to defend them in this beloved courtroom comedy. Unbeknownst to Bill and Stan, however, Vinny only just became a practicing lawyer, and he completely lacks trial experience. Vinny ultimately stumbles his way through his defense, though his smart-talking fiancée Mona Lisa (Marisa Tomei) greatly helps him in assembling a case. Pesci, two years removed from his riotous performance in Goodfellas, is in full command of his instrument, but it's Tomei who steals the show here, winning an Oscar for her hilariously sassy turn. —K.J.

Where to watch My Cousin Vinny: Hulu

EW grade: C+ (read the review)

Director: Jonathan Lynn

Cast: Joe Pesci, Ralph Macchio, Marisa Tomei, Mitchell Whitfield, Fred Gwynne

Not Okay (2022)

The perils of internet fame are explored in this satirical cautionary tale. Zoey Deutch plays Danni, a photo editor whose innocent lie about attending a writers' retreat in Paris spirals out of control as she fabricates photos of her trip for online attention. Things are taken to a new level when she claims to have survived a bombing at the Arc de Triomphe, which gains her unearned sympathy as she struggles to maintain the lie. Not Okay made headlines with its tongue-in-cheek trigger warning at the start of the film, claiming some viewers may be turned off by its depiction of an "unlikable female protagonist." With its sharp, provocative edge, it won't be for everyone, but few would disagree with its messaging of the dangers of being Too Online. —K.J.

Where to watch Not Okay: Hulu

Director: Quinn Shephard

Cast: Zoey Deutch, Mia Isaac, Dylan O'Brien, Nadia Alexander, Embeth Davidtz, Karan Soni

Office Space (1999)

Before The Office, there was Office Space, written and directed by Mike Judge as a sendup of workplace culture in the late-'90s. The film stars Ron Livingston as a software company employee who hates his job. After a round of layoffs affects his two co-worker friends, the trio schemes to embezzle money from the company via a computer virus — though it all spins out of control when a clerical error leaves them with a lot more money than anticipated. Despite not being universally praised at the time (see EW's original grade), Office Space has since been celebrated as a clever satire that still resonates today. —K.J.

Where to watch Office Space: Hulu

EW grade: C (read the review)

Director: Mike Judge

Cast: Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston, Stephen Root, Gary Cole

On the Count of Three (2022)

Jerrod Carmichael made his feature directorial debut with this dark comedy in which he stars alongside Girls alum Christopher Abbott. The duo play friends who make a suicide pact, but decide to spend one last day doing whatever they want and resolving prior issues. Despite its dark premise, Carmichael finds the right tone to deliver an authentic portrait of friendship as his Val and Abbott's Kevin are able to find simple joys in life even through the pain. "The movie settles into the blackest kind of buddy comedy," EW's critic writes in the review, "a lacerating slice of nihilism rooted in real despair, and real I-love-you-man tenderness, too." Plus, the film's expert use of Papa Roach's "Last Resort" certainly leaves an impact. —K.J.

Where to watch On the Count of Three: Hulu

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Jerrod Carmichael

Cast: Jerrod Carmichael, Christopher Abbott, Tiffany Haddish, J.B. Smoove, Lavell Crawford, Henry Winkler

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)

Quentin Tarantino's ode to 1960s Hollywood is arguably the writer-director's most sentimental film. Bathed in the warm glow of nostalgia, the film centers on fading actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt double, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), each struggling to stay relevant and find work during changing times in Hollywood. The film also incorporates real-life figures like actress Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) as she experiences life as a budding star; of course, with its 1969 Los Angeles setting, the threat of the Manson Family is ever-present. It's a sprawling epic packed with stars and set pieces both big and small, with some of the funniest sequences in Tarantino's filmography, from Rick's trailer breakdown to the gonzo ending featuring a particularly well-deployed flamethrower. —K.J.

Where to watch Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: Hulu

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Emile Hirsch, Margaret Qualley, Timothy Olyphant, Austin Butler, Dakota Fanning, Bruce Dern, Al Pacino

Palm Springs (2020)

Nyles (Andy Samberg) and Sarah (Cristin Milioti) are stuck at a Palm Springs wedding that will literally never end. While Nyles is resigned to his fate, Sarah — the maid of honor — is desperate to escape this desert hell. Directed by Max Barbakow with a script from Andy Siara, Palm Springs adds a trippy time loop twist to the rom-com genre. This existential comedy — which broke Sundance sales records by 69 cents (nice) — uses its sci-fi hook to explore what it really means to forgive yourself and let go of the past. Then there's the standout performance from J.K Simmons as deranged wedding guest Roy, who manages to be inspiring, terrifying, and hilarious all at once. Still, it's the budding romance between Milioti and Samberg that will make you want to revisit Palm Springs again and again. —A.W.

Where to watch Palm Springs: Hulu

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Max Barbakow

Cast: Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, J.K. Simmons

Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

This Adam Sandler romantic dramedy is a far cry from his typical Happy Madison productions. Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson allowed the actor to flex his dramatic muscles while still delivering on his comedic instincts as Barry Egan, a novelty business owner struggling with mounting social anxiety. He eventually meets a woman named Lena (Emily Watson), for whom he develops feelings, though his life becomes even more headache-inducing when a con man sends his lackeys to extort money from him. EW's critic praises, "Sandler, for the first time, removes the quote marks from his famous personality, and he is utterly winning to watch." —K.J.

Where to watch Punch-Drunk Love: Hulu

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Cast: Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Luis Guzmán

Quiz Lady (2023)

Part of the appeal of this charming, Emmy-nominated comedy from Jessica Yu is in seeing its stars stretch beyond their typical roles. Awkwafina, often cast as the brazen comic relief, plays anxious game-show aficionado Anne, while the typically hyper-competent Sandra Oh plays Anne's messy older sister Jenny. They are reunited after their mother flees the country on a gambling streak, and after a loan shark comes out of the woodwork, the sisters come up with a scheme for Anne to go on her favorite game show to get enough money to pay him back. Awkwafina and especially Oh excel in their against-type roles, creating a believable chemistry that goes beyond silly antics; their bonding allows them to confront old traumas and get to a more hopeful place as sisters. —K.J.

Where to watch Quiz Lady: Hulu

Director: Jessica Yu

Cast: Awkwafina, Sandra Oh, Will Ferrell, Jason Schwartzman, Holland Taylor, Tony Hale, Jon "Dumbfoundead" Park

Raising Arizona (1987)

The Coen brothers have long been lauded for putting their offbeat spin on the plight of working-class characters stumbling their way through crimes and their messy aftermath. Raising Arizona is one of their foundational comedies of this variety, centering on ex-convict Hi (Nicolas Cage) and his ex-police officer wife Ed (Holly Hunter) as they try to figure out how to start a family. Unable to conceive or adopt, they resort to kidnapping a newborn baby, leading to a chaotic series of events. Cage and Hunter are perfectly suited for the film's zany energy, with EW ranking Raising Arizona as the No. 1 Coen brothers movie, praising it as "a fairy tale that points out that no good guy is ever all good, and the bad guys are just flawed characters who were raised wrong." —K.J.

Where to watch Raising Arizona: Hulu

Director: Joel Coen

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter

Rye Lane (2023)

Fresh off a splashy, well-received premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, this British rom-com centers on Dom (David Jonsson) and Yas (Vivian Oparah), who meet in a gender-neutral bathroom and bond over their recent breakups. Walking around Rye Lane Market in South London, they discuss life and love as their bond grows inevitably closer. While rom-coms of this variety have existed for decades and decades, critics were universal in their praise of Rye Lane as an invigorating addition to the genre. There is a warmth and vibrancy to the film, with first-time feature director Raine Allen-Miller infusing her South London setting with specificity and genuine affection, and Jonsson and Oparah have the kind of complementary energies that make such films so magical. —K.J.

Where to watch Rye Lane: Hulu

Director: Raine Allen-Miller

Cast: David Jonsson, Vivian Oparah

Step Brothers (2008)

The man-child was a popular trope in 2000s comedy, but few movies were quite as go-for-broke funny within this subgenre as Step Brothers. Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly star as Brennan and Dale, adults with arrested development who still live with their respective single parents despite being fully grown men. When their parents get together, Brennan and Dale are forced to live together (unhappily at first) and given an ultimatum to find employment or else be booted out of the house. Step Brothers may not be high art, but as EW's critic writes, "It's not just an idiot revel: It's nutty, profane, and caustically heartless." —K.J.

Where to watch Step Brothers: Hulu

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Adam McKay

Cast: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Richard Jenkins, Mary Steenburgen, Adam Scott, Kathryn Hahn

Support the Girls (2018)

This hidden gem stars Regina Hall as Lisa, the general manager of a "breastaurant" called Double Whammies, where anything that can go wrong does go wrong. From an attempted robbery to a cable outage to wrangling her employees to pressure from her boss, Lisa tries to keep calm when one false move could cause even further headaches. Fittingly, director Andrew Bujalski keeps all these plates spinning, delivering a working-class comedy with genuine heart. EW's critic calls Support the Girls a "low-key pleasure," with particular praise for Hall, in a "lovely, nuanced performance as a woman who cares too much, even when no one else is watching." —K.J.

Where to watch Support the Girls: Hulu

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Andrew Bujalski

Cast: Regina Hall, Haley Lu Richardson, James LeGros, Shayna McHayle, Dylan Gelula, AJ Michalka, Brooklyn Decker, Jana Kramer

That Thing You Do! (1996)

This nostalgic music comedy follows a band's short-lived brush with success in 1960s Pennsylvania. Known as the Oneders (later the Wonders), the group records a single called "That Thing You Do!" which becomes a smash hit, though their sudden fame proves difficult for most of the members. Written and directed by Tom Hanks, the film has a fun satirical edge that only someone who knows the ins and outs of the industry can depict with such accuracy. As EW's critic writes, "It looks at the invention of our pop-rock mythology, and the bands that fed it until they were consumed by it, just as you’d expect Tom Hanks to: with open eyes (and a raised eyebrow)." —K.J.

Where to watch That Thing You Do!: Hulu

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Tom Hanks

Cast: Tom Everett Scott, Liv Tyler, Johnathon Schaech, Steve Zahn, Ethan Embry, Tom Hanks

Triangle of Sadness (2022)

Triangle of Sadness comes after a slew of similarly delicious "eat the rich" satires in recent years, from Parasite (2019) to The White Lotus to The Menu (2022). Ruben Östlund, whose previous class commentaries include Force Majeure (2014) and The Square (2017), won the Palme d'Or for writing and directing this audacious comedy about a pair of dating models who set sail on a luxury cruise that ends in disaster. (Think Titanic, but with a lot more bodily fluids.) As EW's critic raves in the review, Triangle of Sadness is "not the funhouse mirror we need for these ridiculous times, maybe, but one we deserve." Östlund's film went on to score Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay, though curiously not nominated was Dolly de Leon, whose forceful presence in the film's third act makes for a wildly unpredictable ending. —K.J.

Where to watch Triangle of Sadness: Hulu

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Ruben Östlund

Cast: Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, Dolly de Leon, Woody Harrelson, Zlatko Burić, Iris Berben, Vicki Berlin, Henrik Dorsin, Jean-Christophe Folly, Amanda Walker, Oliver Ford Davies, Sunnyi Melles

True Lies (1994)

No one would suspect a guy who looks like Arnold Schwarzenegger to be an ordinary computer salesman, and that just makes the setup of True Lies that much funnier. The actor plays Harry Tasker, who shields his true identity as a secret agent from his wife, Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis). After suspecting Helen of having an affair, Harry devises a mission to learn the truth...which soon escalates into Helen being kidnapped by the leader of a terrorist organization. With hilarious performances (Curtis has arguably never been better) and director James Cameron's brilliant mind for action set pieces, True Lies is a splashy delight. —K.J.

Where to watch True Lies: Hulu

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: James Cameron

Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton, Tia Carrere

Warm Bodies (2013)

Due to the nature of zombies, we rarely get stories from their perspective but this adaptation of the 2010 novel of the same name does just that with R (Nicholas Hoult), a zombie who falls in love with a human, Julie (Teresa Palmer). She eventually takes a liking to him, too, though the nature of their opposing species creates a series of obstacles — not unlike star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet. Made at a time when Twilight fever was continuing to sweep the nation (and, with it, a fair share of backlash), Warm Bodies is a refreshingly light spin on sci-fi romance, not taking itself too seriously but still investing you in its core relationship. As EW's critic quips, "Warm Bodies is a funnier and pleasantly cheaper-grade movie than Twilight that aims to draw in both Bella & Edward lovers and haters." —K.J.

Where to watch Warm Bodies: Hulu

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Jonathan Levine

Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, Rob Corddry, Dave Franco, Lio Tipton, Cory Hardrict, John Malkovich

Working Girl (1988)

This quintessential '80s comedy is a rallying cry for the underdog. Melanie Griffith plays Tess McGill, a Staten Island secretary who longs to get ahead in the business world. After catching her boss (Sigourney Weaver) stealing her idea for a merger, Tess tries to negotiate for it behind her boss' back — and falls in love with the associate (Harrison Ford) who helps secure the deal. Satirizing corporate '80s culture, Working Girl is emblematic of its time while still holding up thanks to its wonderfully committed performances by Griffith, Weaver, Ford, and a scene-stealing Joan Cusack. —K.J.

Where to watch Working Girl: Hulu

Director: Mike Nichols

Cast: Melanie Griffith, Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, Alec Baldwin, Joan Cusack