40 Best Comedy Movies On Amazon Prime

Amazon Prime is one of the most efficient services online and not just because you can put a 4K TV and a "Game of Thrones" adult coloring book in the same order and get it two days later. The streaming service is a treasure trove of movies, particularly comedies — so many that it can be hard to suss them out or keep track of what's on the service. That's where we come in.

We've picked out 40 comedy movies for every conceivable taste. Whether you're looking for something family-friendly or a raunchy sex comedy, something lowbrow or something classy, one of the all time greats or a forgotten gem, we've got you covered. Something important to keep in mind: Comedy is among the most subjective of genres, so judge each Rotten Tomatoes score how you will.

Updated on January 10, 2021: As Amazon Prime changes its selection, we'll keep this list updated to reflect the changes in its streaming catalog. Be sure to check back each month for films that will leave you laughing, as we'll be keeping this list current with the latest and greatest comedy films to hit the site.

The first "Ace Ventura" movie hasn't aged all that well, given that the central plot point is blatantly transphobic in retrospect. "When Nature Calls," however, has aged just well enough that we can appreciate the Jim Carrey goodness. "When Nature Calls" follows Ace Ventura as he investigates the whereabouts of a missing white bat, a scared animal critical to forging peace between two warring African tribes. Sophomoric humor and classic Carrey shenanigans ensue, and the 72% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes show how this was made for fans, not critics.

• Starring: Jim Carrey, Ian McNeice, Simon Callow
• Director: Steve Oedekerk
• Year: 1995
• Runtime: 94 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 25%

"The Big Lebowski" starts with lovable slacker Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski's rug getting destroyed after a bunch of goons mistake him for a different Jeffrey Lebowski. His search for compensation — during which he's aided by bowling buddies, Vietnam vet Walter and general weirdo Donny — quickly spirals down a rabbit hole. His quest for a new rug is quickly compounded with the search for a kidnapped trophy wife, an adult film kingpin who wants him dead, and his bowling commitments. For potential new "Lebowski" fans, you'll need to watch this movie. For avowed "Lebowski" fans, the fact that it's streaming is enough of a reason to rewatch this. And if you're not a fan? That's just like, uh, your opinion, man. (This included with IMDb TV, which is free with ads.)

• Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi
• Directors: Joel and Ethan Coen
• Year: 1998
• Runtime: 117 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%

Nearly 15 years after the events of the first "Borat" movie, reporter Borat Margaret Sagdiyev is brought out of the gulag for a new assignment — to bring a gift from Kazakhstan to President Donald Trump. The plan falls apart quickly after Borat arrives in America, especially when he finds out that his daughter, Tutar, stowed away on the trip. As a backup plan, Borat and Tutar conspire to offer her as a gift to Vice President Mike Pence. A surprisingly emotional story acts as a through line for a movie that blends fact and fiction, during which Borat encounters (and gets the worst out of) politicians, influencers, conspiracy theorists, and vile people of all stripes.

• Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Maria Bakalova, Rudy Giuliani
• Director: Jason Woliner
• Year: 2020
• Runtime: 96 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%

The long-awaited sequel to comedy classic "Coming To America," the aptly named "Coming 2 America" shows the new adventures of Prince Akeem and Semmi. When the two find out that Akeem has a son in Queens from their adventure all those years ago, they travel back to New York to find him — lest Zamunda's neighboring country of Nexdoria marry one of their own into Akeem's family and take over the country. "Coming 2 America" frequently calls back to the original, often to a fault, but it's hard not to smile seeing Akeem do his thing again.

• Starring: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Leslie Jones
• Director: Craig Brewer
• Year: 2021
• Runtime: 108 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 49%

Gru is a supervillain, living in a lair deep below his suburban home. He's planning his biggest heist yet — steal the moon. Yes, the moon. But all his gadgets and all his villainy are no match for three little orphan girls who see him as a possible dad. The movie also saw the debut of the Minions, who'd go on to both start their own franchise and become a staple of boomer memes for years to come.

• Starring: Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand
• Director: Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin
• Year: 2010
• Runtime: 95 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81%

Yes, this movie is normally just called "The Pajama Game," but Amazon Prime lists it as "Doris Day in The Pajama Game — A Musical Comedy Classic!" We're here to help you find the movies, not justify weird naming conventions. Based on the hit musical, the movie follows an Iowa pajama factory, where the workers are demanding a seven-and-a-half-cent raise. The factory boss enlists supervisor Sid Sorokin to stifle the demand. Through this work, he encounters "Babe" Williams, a factory worker very much in favor of the raise ... and there's a clear connection between the two.

• Starring: Doris Day, John Raitt, Carol Haney
• Director: George Abbott, Stanley Donen
• Year: 1957
• Runtime: 110 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%

Before "Funny Girl" was adapted from stage to screen, Barbra Streisand was a popular singer. After "Funny Girl," Streisand became an icon, and that's the reason this movie endures. The movie follows the story of Broadway star and comedian Fanny Brice, played so effectively by Streisand that she nabbed the Oscar for it. We see Fanny working her way up through the New York theater scene, all while navigating her complex and turbulent relationship with husband — swindler Nicky Arnstein.

• Starring: Barbra Streisand, Omar Sharif, Walter Pidgeon
• Director: William Wyler
• Year: 1968
• Runtime: 148 minutes
• Rating: G
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

Zero Moustafa, now the owner of the dilapidated Grand Budapest Hotel, recounts his story during the glory days of the enterprise. We follow his journey as a lobby boy under the tutelage of Monsieur Gustave H., the concierge of the Grand Budapest Hotel. We learn about Gustave's unusual relationships, a priceless painting, and how war changed the politics of the Alpine land surrounding the hotel. "The Grand Budapest Hotel" is one of Wes Anderson's best, and it features a star-studded cast, including Anderson regulars like Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Edward Norton, Owen Wilson, and Jason Schwartzman.

• Starring: Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Tony Revolori
• Director: Wes Anderson
• Year: 2014
• Runtime: 99 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%

The setting is Westerburg High. And here, Veronica is part of a clique with the three most popular girls in school, all named Heather, but she's not happy and wants to go back to the nerdy kids. Her life is upended when she meets a compelling new student named J.D., a sociopath who leads her in a truly dark direction. This pitch-black teen comedy classic has since been turned into a TV series and a musical, but the original is here to stream on Amazon Prime.

• Starring: Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty
• Director: Michael Lehmann
• Year: 1989
• Runtime: 103 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

After an arrest, Jay and Silent Bob are swindled by a lawyer — Hollywood is planning a reboot of "Bluntman and Chronic," and the two get tricked into signing away the rights to their own names. This leads the pair on a cross-country adventure to San Diego Chronic-Con, where the final scene of the reboot is being shot, to stop production and get their names back. Along the way, they discover that Jay has a daughter named Millennium "Milly" Faulken, who joins them on their journey. Smith made "Jay and Silent Bob Reboot" specifically for View Askew fans, and he took this movie on a roadshow journey instead of a theatrical release. Now, you can watch it on Amazon Prime.

• Starring: Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Harley Quinn Smith
• Director: Kevin Smith
• Year: 2019
• Runtime: 105 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 66%

John Tucker is a high school basketball star, one who thinks he has a good scam going — dating three different girls at his school. How does he get away with this? He makes sure they're from cliques that don't overlap and convinces each of them to keep their relationship a secret. All three girls eventually find out, and they team up with a new girl to publicly humiliate John. "John Tucker Must Die" didn't please the critics, but it's got a pretty good audience score -– after all, teen comedies are made for teens, not reviewers.

• Starring: Jesse Metcalfe, Sophia Bush, Ashanti
• Director: Betty Thomas
• Year: 2006
• Runtime: 89 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 27%

Katherine Newbury is a legendary talk show host, albeit one on a slow decline. Under orders to right the ship or lose her gig, Katherine hires Molly, an Indian-American woman and the first woman to ever be added to the show's writing staff. Though Molly is clearly a diversity hire with little experience, she and Katherine hit it off and improve the show — and fight to keep Katherine's job. In addition to her starring role, Mindy Kaling also wrote the screenplay for "Late Night," which means it's pretty darn funny.

• Starring: Emma Thompson, Mindy Kaling, John Lithgow
• Director: Nisha Ganatra
• Year: 2019
• Runtime: 102 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79%

George Washington "GW" McLintock, a rancher and cattle baron by trade, is perhaps the wealthiest man in his territory. He spends his time both trying to keep his land to himself and peace between his neighbors, all while dealing with his estranged wife. Starring John Wayne, "McLintock!" is a slapstick Western and, as such a mess, of contradictions. The Native Americans are largely white actors in some kind of redface, but it's also one of the few movies of the era where the Natives are sympathetic, including a subplot where GW takes their side against the government. It also features a variety of fleshed-out female characters, one of whom is spanked as a form of punishment. An adaptation of Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew," it's certainly not boring, and it's a curious entry in Wayne's canon.

• Starring: John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Yvonne De Carlo
• Director: Andrew V. McLaglen
• Year: 1963
• Runtime: 121 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 57%

If you've seen "Napoleon Dynamite" already, here's your chance to see it again. If you've never seen "Napoleon Dynamite," good luck getting an easy description. The movie is far more vibes than plot, but we'll give it a whirl. Napoleon is a strange teenager who doesn't really fit in at his school. He has a strange uncle who just makes his home life more bizarre. Looking for some kind of connection, he befriends Pedro, a new kid in school, and they set up a campaign to make Pedro class president. There's also a llama, a crazy dojo, and some amazing dance moves involved. Just give it a shot, and go where it takes you.

• Starring: Jon Heder, Jon Gries, Aaron Ruell
• Director: Jared Hess
• Year: 2004
• Runtime: 94 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 72%

It's hard to pinpoint the exact origin of the teen sex comedy, but few — if any — were more successful and influential than "Porky's." The story largely follows a group of Floridiain high school boys who go to the titular strip club to lose their virginity, only for the owner to take their money and humiliate them. The boys seek revenge on Porky and his sheriff brother, all while various sexcapades happen around them. Like most movies of its kind, "Porky's" was panned by critics, but it was a huge financial success that spawned a franchise and decades of imitators.

• Starring: Dan Monahan, Kim Cattrall, Alex Karras
• Director: Bob Clark
• Year: 1981
• Runtime: 98 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 35%

Maggie Carpenter gets extensive tabloid coverage as "the Runaway Bride," famous for leaving three men at the altar. After writing a piece on her that's fraught with errors, journalist Ike Graham makes a bid to restore his reputation by writing a longform article on her. He goes to cover her fourth wedding, but since this is a romcom, he naturally starts developing feelings for her. "Runaway Bride" sees the reunion of Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, nearly a decade after smash hit "Pretty Woman." They don't quite have the same spark they did then, but when everyone is this pretty and this charming, who cares? Just have fun, and don't let anyone judge you.

• Starring: Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, Joan Cusack
• Director: Garry Marshall
• Year: 1999
• Runtime: 116 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 46%

Based on Steve Martin's book of the same name, with a script written by Martin and also starring Martin, "Shopgirl" follows struggling artist Mirabelle. She works at Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills. Her quiet life is upended when she enters into a love triangle with two men — a fellow starving artist named Jeremy and a suave and successful older man named Ray. Claire Danes is especially good in "Shopgirl" as Mirabelle, and the movie is worth watching for her performance alone.

• Starring: Steve Martin, Claire Danes, Jason Schwartzman
• Director: Anand Tucker
• Year: 2005
• Runtime: 106 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 61%

It's hard to find a better or more pure example of a romcom than "Sleepless In Seattle." Tom Hanks plays Sam Baldwin, a widowed father who ends up becoming the object of many women's affections after his son gets him vulnerable on a radio show. Meg Ryan plays Annie Reed, a journalist who hears his story and is compelled by it. The two start a correspondence. Does it end predictably? Yes. Will you be emotional by the time it happens? Also yes.

• Starring: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Bill Pullman
• Director: Nora Ephron
• Year: 1993
• Runtime: 105 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%

Vermont state troopers up near the Canadian border spend most of their time goofing off, pulling pranks on each other, and generally being bad at their jobs. When they find out that their jobs are in jeopardy due to low productivity, they spring into action -– both to save their paychecks and to outdo the rival local police. "Super Troopers" does have a plot, but more than anything else, it's an excuse for the Broken Lizard comedy troupe to do their shtick -– which may not have been a hit with critics, but it's developed a cult following strong enough to spur a sequel almost 20 years later.

• Starring: Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme
• Director: Jay Chandrasekhar
• Year: 2001
• Runtime: 100 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 35%

Jenna, a waitress in the Deep South, is stuck in a miserable marriage with a control freak husband. After finding herself unexpectedly pregnant, she develops a bond with Dr. Jim Pomatter, her obstetrician and the new guy in town. There's just one problem: He's also married. "Waitress" was the last film made by actress/director Adrienne Shelly before her untimely murder, but this movie helped her leave a legacy. It was popular enough that it was adapted into a hit Broadway musical.

• Starring: Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion, Cheryl Hines
• Director: Adrienne Shelly
• Year: 2007
• Runtime: 107 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%