Comedy movies are undoubtedly the most subjective genre in cinema, but there are a few hidden gems that deserve to be called hilarious masterpieces. Since the birth of film, comedy has never failed to draw in crowds as the screen supplanted the stage as the perfect place to get a few chuckles.
Early comedy pioneers like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton not only dreamed up imaginative new ways to make the audience laugh, but they pushed the boundaries of film technology too. As the sound era began, comedy took a new form with clever dialogue and witty jokes supplanting exaggerated slapstick buffoonery.
Every generation has left its mark on comedy, and they are often a reflection of their time period. Comedy is not always going to please everyone, and the genre produces more hidden gems than blockbuster hits. Whether they were ahead of their time or simply pᴀssed by unnoticed, some of the most obscure comedies are also the best.
Being There (1979)
Peter Sellers is best known for playing the oafish Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther movies, but his turn as Chance in Being There is arguably his best performance. Set against the backdrop of the wealthy elite of Washington DC, the story is both a humorous comedy of errors and a witty dissection of 1970s culture.
Chance flits through the lives of the other characters, improving them inadvertently, and all he really wants to do is garden and watch TV. While it isn’t a laugh-out-loud movie, Being There is the type of comedy that sticks with the viewer forever and makes them think, especially after the surprising twist ending.
One Of Them Days (2025)
Comedy has been on the outs in the 2020s, and it has become harder and harder to find a good laugh at the movies. However, 2025’s One of Them Days is a breath of fresh air with its classic buddy formula. The quest for the rent money becomes an epic comedy odyssey, and the movie lives up to its name.
Keke Palmer and SZA are a match made in comedy heaven, and they are a convincing duo that invites the audience along. It was a financial success that earned $50 million (via Box Office Mojo) but still flew under the radar. One of Them Days is destined to either launch a franchise or become a bona fide cult classic soon.
After Hours (1985)
Though Martin Scorsese’s movies are usually dramas or gangster flicks, After Hours saw the director leave his stamp on the comedy genre with a true oddball classic. Incorporating elements of farce, the underrated comedy is a mile-a-minute thrill ride as each moment builds on the next with tension and absurd humor.
At an unusually brief (for Scorsese at least) hour-and-a-half, After Hours is pure comedic insanity from the opening moments and doesn’t let up until the credits roll. Scorsese’s name wasn’t enough to get audiences invested back in the ’80s, and its black humor was off-putting to the average viewer. Thankfully, it’s finally an accepted comedy classic.
The Station Agent (2003)
Before he was part of Game of Thrones, Peter Dinklage gave his star-making performances in the understated indie comedy, The Station Agent. While not particularly plot-driven, the 2003 gem invests time in its characters and is simultaneously hilarious and heartbreaking. Humor comes in many forms, and The Station Agent is certainly an intellectual experience.
The dramedy explores ideas like loneliness and isolation, but it does so with a wry smile and a heap of witty dialogue. The characters are so natural and realistic that they begin to feel like friends, and there’s a pleasant and comforting mood. That being said, it also has enough laughs to keep comedy fans invested too.
Lars And The Real Girl (2007)
The 2000s were a treasure trove of quirky comedies, but Lars and the Real Girl might just be the quirkiest indie comedy of the decade. Before he was strictly a heartthrob, Ryan Gosling played the тιтle character whose plastic girlfriend is his way of coping with crippling social anxiety. It could have been mean-spirited, but the film is actually heartfelt.
The humor comes from everyone else’s reactions to Lars’ “relationship”, but he’s never made the ʙuтт of the joke. Instead, the film uses its absurdly funny premise to examine the epidemic of loneliness in the interconnected internet age. Like most quirky indie comedies, Lars and the Real Girl asks the audience to feel as well as laugh.
Theater Camp (2023)
Sincerity is something that hasn’t been in vogue in comedy for decades, but Theater Camp is a wonderfully sincere movie. Written as an obvious tribute to community theater and the theatrically-inclined in the audience, the musical mockumentary is goofy and over-the-top, and clearly has nothing but love for its subject matter.
With the stars also writing and directing the film, Theater Camp is consistently funny, and feels ᴀssembled a lot like the production at the heart of the story. Though its inside jokes about theater might be somewhat isolating to the uninitiated, it has enough heart and humor to inspire any viewer who happens to give it a chance.
Top Secret! (1984)
Often overshadowed by the other Zucker brothers’ movies (like Naked Gun and Airplane), Top Secret! is perhaps the screwiest of the screwball comedies. Taking aim at common tropes in spy and action films, the 1984 hidden gem was one of Val Kilmer’s breakout roles, and he is uproariously funny on top of his duties as a cliche action hero.
The esoteric nature of the jokes sometimes takes a moment to sink in, and Top Secret! is able to make the audience laugh once and then laugh again at how absurd everything is. The film never lets off the gas, and nearly every moment of the film is jam-packed with rapid-fire sight gags and zany twists.
Super (2010)
Even before the term “superhero fatigue” had entered the popular lexicon, James Gunn delivered a dark comedy that skewered the genre. Super is not unlike Kick ᴀss in its premise, except that it uses the bleakest of dark humor to make commentary about ultraviolence in modern society.
Rainn Wilson’s Crimson Bolt is unflinchingly realistic, and Super never sugarcoats the gruesome nature of the Bolt’s wrath. While being funny in a quirky way, the movie also has a lot to say about vigilantism and puritanical ideology in American society. Gunn has graduated to bigger things, but Super is still his crowning achievement in the genre.
Waiting For Guffman (1996)
There’s no denying that Christopher Guest is the king of the mockumentary, but his 1996 film Waiting for Guffman is often overlooked. Like his other films, the story ᴀssembles a wide array of weird characters, but this time it’s for a musical to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of a small town in Missouri.
What’s more, there’s an underlying current of desperation which is humorous and relatable. The characters are all striving to be part of something larger than themselves, and the film captures their lives in all their simple glory. It’s not filled with jokes, but Waiting for Guffman gets most of its laughs from the pure comedy of its situation.
Shiva Baby (2020)
Shiva Baby is both incredibly hilarious and cringe-inducing, and it’s one of the few comedies from recent years that could truly stand as an example of modern humor. A funeral becomes the backdrop for a deeper exploration of the personas that people often create for themselves in their various social lives, and it shows what happens when those worlds collide.
Rachel Sennott is at her dry and witty best, and the film is essentially an introvert’s worst nightmare. The humor comes from the awkwardness, but it also comes from an understanding of the characters and their motivations. It avoids cliches and instead focuses on the complex corners of the inward experience. It’s also just a classic ᴅᴇᴀᴅpan comedy movie.
