While there are plenty of comedy movies that keep audiences laughing from start to finish, these тιтles are generally at their funniest in the first 10 minutes, regardless of how many comical moments there are later on. Many comedy movies we can’t live without are remembered for their opening sequences, but this isn’t always because they’re funny.

The first 10 minutes of a film can make or break it. It’s important to draw audiences in, but it’s even more crucial to keep them engaged for long enough that the story can properly begin. From cringe comedy movies to parody films and beyond, these тιтles are brilliantly hilarious, but never really top the first 10 minutes of their runtime.

Pineapple Express (2008)

Directed By David Gordon Green

Pineapple Express is renowned for its stoner humor, and its opening scenes depict that brilliantly. In the beginning of what is arguably one of the best Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg movies, the audience is introduced to Bill Hader as Private Miller, who is testing marijuana for the government inside an enclosed room.

Miller’s responses to the questions that are posed to him are nothing short of hilarious, and the fact that this scene tries to be darker and more serious by being in black and white makes it even funnier. From Miller’s brᴀss band impression to him imitating giving oral Sєx to his superior, it’s impossible not to laugh, and it sets the tone for Pineapple Express fantastically.

Austin Powers In Goldmember (2002)

Directed By Jay Roach

While all 3 Austin Powers movies have brilliant opening sequences, Austin Powers in Goldmember‘s intro is one of the most memorable in the world of comedy movies. After an action-packed shootout across a Utah landscape involving a helicopter chase, the camera turns to reveal not Mike Myers as expected, but rather, Tom Cruise instead.

We also see the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow at his side as the latest innuendo-named sidekick, as well as Danny DeVito as Mini Me. This is all to reveal that Austin’s life is being turned into a movie directed by the incredible Steven Spielberg, and it’s comical to see Austin attempt to offer constructive criticism to the movie legend.

The rest of the opening sequence is dedicated to a brilliantly funny song and dance number. Austin even has a dance-off with a robotic Britney Spears, which is a great celebrity cameo, but the тιтular spy unfortunately blows the pop star’s head off after catching a bullet in his teeth.

Easy A (2010)

Directed By Will Gluck

Easy A is a classic teen rom-com that many other тιтles could learn from, and its initial scenes are a great example of why. The comedy doesn’t kick in immediately, but as Emma Stone’s Olive narrates the story to come, we discover more about her as a person.

This leads to the hilarious “Pocket Full of Sunshine” scene, which follows Olive repeatedly singing along to the Natasha Bedingfield hit that plays out of a card from her grandmother. What makes this even funnier is Olive’s monologue.

She talks about the false opinions her classmates have formed about her by the end of Easy A, specifically about her Sєx life. This makes the images of Olive singing in the shower with a soapy mohawk and dancing around her room even more laughable, but it also reᴀssures us she’s a relatable character.

The Big Lebowski (1998)

Directed By Joel Coen

Sam Elliot’s narration in the opening of The Big Lebowski makes the sH๏τ of Jeff Bridges as the Dude wandering around the supermarket even funnier. As we witness the rough-looking Dude stumble around in a dirty robe and sniff a carton of milk, Elliot’s character talks about heroism, but he also points out the Dude’s incredible laziness, which is hilarious when paired with this image.

There’s no real punchline or definitive moment that makes this scene so funny; it’s just the overall ridiculousness of it. Elliot’s monologue is nonsensical and rambling, and it’s particularly comical when he loses his train of thought, as is watching the Dude pay for the milk using a check, which even in the late ’90s, was a little strange.

ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool (2016)

Directed By Tim Miller

Not only does ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool‘s opening sequence establish the overall atmosphere of the film going forward, but it also prepares you for the type of hilarity to expect. The almost James Bond-esque cinematography makes the meta jokes and references, like Ryan Reynolds on the cover of a magazine or the mention of a “British villain,” one of the best opening credit sequences in movie history.

All of this happens before we even meet Wade as a character properly. The abrupt cut to Wade in a cab as he heads off to get revenge is fantastic, but he makes sure to let audiences know he isn’t your typical superhero, and the little details like him playing with the window demonstrates just how unserious he is.

Cheech & Chong’s Up In Smoke (1978)

Directed By Lou Adler

The first 10 minutes of Cheech & Chong’s Up in Smoke sees joke after joke. It begins with Tommy Chong’s Man being berated by his parents about getting a job, but he fails to listen and instead makes a drink that dribbles all down his beard. After leaving his home, his car breaks down, and he eventually meets Cheech Marin’s Pedro De Pacas while hitchhiking.

Pedro hilariously believes Man is an attractive woman, and nearly crashes as he turns around, but the two quickly form a bond despite this and later share a comically large joint. Cheech and Chong’s movies are known for their stoner humor, and the beginning of Up in Smoke is a brilliant representation of their type of comedy.

Super Troopers (2001)

Directed By Jay Chandrasekhar

Super Troopers kicks off with hilarity from the very start. After three stoners are seen by state troopers, one eats their stash in order to hide it. It’s hysterical when they get pulled over, and as there’s also a good dose of magic mushrooms in their stash too, things get a bit trippy.

Naturally, the interactions between the guys and law enforcement are hilarious, especially the stoners’ attempts to appear sober during their conversation. However, they’re unsuccessful in convincing the trooper, which results in a wild high-speed chase, setting up the ridiculous events in Super Troopers that are yet to come. Hopefully, the opening scene of the upcoming Super Troopers 3 will be just as funny.

Tropic Thunder (2008)

Directed By Ben Stiller

Although some of the humor in the cult classic movie Tropic Thunder has aged badly, there’s no doubt the film’s opening sequence is comedy gold. The early scenes of Tropic Thunder aren’t actually the main story itself, but rather, a parody of the various advertisements you may expect to see at the cinema before the film actually starts.

Tropic Thunder makes movie references to Oscar-winning тιтles and jokes about the industry and Hollywood in general, but what’s even funnier is that these commercials could very easily be real if viewers weren’t aware of the context. It’s odd to see almost SNL-style skits at the beginning of a movie, but they make Tropic Thunder‘s first 10 minutes even more memorable.

Johnny English (2003)

Directed By Peter Howitt

Johnny English is a great recommendation for those who love Rowan Atkinson, especially as the тιтular character in this тιтle is essentially Mr. Bean if he were James Bond. The opening scene of Johnny English follows the bumbling spy breaking into a large house in the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ of night.

English takes his job very seriously, but it’s hard not to burst into laughter when he distracts the guard dogs with chew toys and attempts to seduce a mysterious armed woman. However, this is revealed to be a daydream, and everything English seems to be brilliantly proficient at is actually far from the truth.

A few minutes later into the runtime, we see English showing off his imaginary action hero skills in the mirror, too. This moment is absolutely hilarious and gives us some insight into who this character is, as well as what kind of chaos is to be expected from him.