The best comedy movies on NEON

NEON is home to a bunch of hilarious Hollywood classics, and even a few locally made laugh-riots: Katie Parker has handpicked the best of ’em for you below.

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Airplane! (1980)

You won’t find a film with more jokes per minute than Airplane!—and every one of them is a banger. From Jim Abrahams and David and Jerry Zucker, this madcap disaster comedy follows a flight gone horribly wrong, and the unprepared crew who must get the passengers to safety. With too many classic bits to name and Leslie Neilson in one of his most iconic roles, could this be the greatest comedy of all time?

Am I OK? (2024)

This sweet story of coming of age—and coming out—late in life is funny and authentic. Starring Dakota Johnson and Sonoya Mizuno as a pair of lifelong friends whose relationship is upended when a long-buried secret is revealed, the film is as relatable as it is witty.

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

Perhaps one of the most quotable films of all time, Adam McKay’s madcap satire is a veritable cult classic, and holds up to endless rewatches. Following the struggles of a San Diego news presenter (Will Ferrell) in the 1970s, as he faces off against a female rival and grapples with the onset of women’s lib in the workplace, it’s as hilarious now as ever.

Anyone But You (2023)

Taking its cues from the Shakespeare-inspired, “will they or won’t they?” romcoms of the 2000s, Will Gluck’s fun and flirty film loosely reworks Much Ado About Nothing. The story is a bonafide crowd pleaser, starring hotties Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney as sworn enemies who reluctantly join forces at a wedding to try and win back their exes.

Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret (2023)

Based on Judy Blume’s classic 1970 comedy of the same name, Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret is a coming-of-age comedy so heartwarming, life affirming, and joyful it could thaw the coldest of hearts. Following a formative period in the life of 11-year-old Margaret Simon as she adapts to the changes happening both outside and within her, Kelly Fremon Craig’s 2023 film understands and celebrates girlhood with an affection and humour that’s utterly infectious.

Asteroid City (2023)

Over his decades long career, Wes Anderson’s brand of whimsical yet affectless comedy has been carefully honed into an instantly recognisable signature style—this ensemble sci-fi comedy proving that practice makes perfect. Featuring a slew of stars, including Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johannson, Edward Norton, and so many more, it’s a wryly hilarious 1950’s period piece that’s among Anderson’s best.

Barbie (2023)

Unless you’ve been living under a rock you’ve probably caught wind of Greta Gerwig’s 2023 mega-hit, following the adventures of Mattel’s most famous plastic lady. Surprising naysayers everywhere with its clever, irreverent, and occasionally subversive sense of humour, Barbie more than earned the hype. From Gerwig’s pitch perfect satire of patriarchal structures to Ryan Gosling’s irresistibly hilarious performance of Oscar nominated song I’m Just Ken, this modern comedy classic never misses a beat.

Beetlejuice (1988)

It’s been over 35 years since the Juice first got loose, and if the success of 2024’s sequel is anything to go by, people haven’t lost their appetite for his delightfully sleezy style of comedy. Funny, dark, yet surprisingly sweet for a film about ghosts and ghouls, Tim Burton’s cult classic remains infectiously fun.

Burn After Reading (2008)

What if two not very bright gym employees discovered classified CIA information? Burn After Reading follows the darkly hilarious chain of events that unfolds when an extortion attempt goes wrong. With an unbeatable ensemble cast, Joel and Ethan Cohen’s 2008 espionage satire is a bitingly caustic black comedy.

Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

Released to critical acclaim and commercial success in 2018, Crazy Rich Asians was the highest-grossing romantic comedy of the 2010s—for good reason. Based on Kevin Kwan’s best-selling book of the same name and starring an elite ensemble cast, it’s a fun, glitzy, glamorous take on the rom-com.

Drive Away Dolls (2023)

Ethan Coen’s first narrative film without his brother Joel, this winning and bawdy caper stars Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan as a pair of women making an impromptu road trip to Tallahassee. With an all-star supporting cast including Matt Damon and Pedro Pascal, it’s a fun and feisty buddy comedy.

The Fall Guy (2024)

Ryan Gosling oozes sheer star power in this uneven but highly entertaining story of a down-on-his luck stunt man who becomes embroiled in a real-life mystery when the actor he works with disappears.

Gremlins (1984)

As wickedly funny and delightfully demented as the titular creatures themselves, Joe Dante’s cult classic is as hilarious as ever. Set in a small all-American town under siege by mysterious hard-partying critters, there’s a deliciously dark streak to Dante’s sense of humour that takes this seemingly kid-friendly film up a notch.

The Holdovers (2023)

Alexander Payne’s beautifully bittersweet and funny film follows a curmudgeonly New England boarding school teacher tasked with staying on over Christmas, to mind the boys with nowhere to go. Memorably pairing Paul Giamatti alongside Da’Vine Joy Randolph and newcomer Dominic Sessa, it’s a modern holiday classic.

Logan Lucky (2017)

Stephen Soderberg’s star-studded heist comedy may not have set the box office alight on its release in 2017, but it’s stood the test of time as a modern comedy gem. Following a down on his luck former coal miner plotting to steal millions from a speedway, Logan Lucky is a rollockingly spirited caper that deserves your time.

Mamma Mia! (2008)

Can Pierce Brosnan sing? No. Does that make him any less charming? Absolutely not. Schlocky, campy and absolutely irresistible, Mamma Mia! could melt even the most hardened cynic. Adapted from the iconic musical (assembled entirely out of the catalogue of everyone’s favourite Swedish pop group ABBA) a winning combo of cheesy comedy and gleefully zany performances of extremely catchy songs elevate this film to cult classic levels.

No Hard Feelings (2023)

Many of us lament the dearth of sex comedies that once dominated the early 2000s box office: a call finally answered by 2023’s No Hard Feelings. Starring Jennifer Lawrence as a struggling slacker hired by a pair of overly anxious parents to deflower their socially awkward 19-year-old son (Andrew Barth Feldman) before he heads off to college. A rude, raunchy romp with all the sweetness of a romcom, No Hard Feelings is the answer to your sex comedy prayers.

You Hurt My Feelings (2023)

Carrying on her tradition of gently interrogating the absurdity inherent in the niceties of modern middle class social life, Nicole Holofcener’s comedy-drama follows long married couple Beth (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Don (Tobias Menzies), whose happy union is marred when novelist Beth overhears Don confessing that he doesn’t enjoy her writing . Hard truths are navigated with warmth, empathy and wry humour in this pleasantly low-key comedy.

This guide is regularly updated to reflect changes in NEON’s catalogue. For a list of capsule reviews that have been removed from this page because they are no longer available on the platform, visit here. 

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