Need a laugh? Who doesn't these days. Fortunately, there's no shortage of killer comedy movies out there to boost the spirits. But if you're looking for something fresh and new, you'll want to turn to the crop of comedies that landed in theaters (or on streaming devices) this year.

The good news is it's been a pretty solid year for comedy so far, and one with a lot of variety in the mix. Netflix's so-called summer of love brought the romantic comedy back in a big way with the sleeper cultural phenomena Set It Up, Marvel and Fox brought big humor to blockbuster superheroes with Deadpool 2 and Ant-Man and the Wasp, and the sex comedy got a gender-bent, pro-sex update with the hilarious coming-of-age comedy Blockers. And that's just for starters. For more recommendations, check out our full list of the best comedies of 2018 below, and sound off in the comments with your favorites.

Deadpool 2

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Image via 20th Century Fox

Listen, by now you know whether or not you’re into the Deadpool character’s “thing”, an endless barrage of dick jokes, meta-references, fourth wall breaking, and cheeky nods to the Green Lantern movie, all delivered with a breathless desire to entertain by labrador puppy turned human Ryan Reynolds. But what elevates Deadpool 2 far and above its predecessor is the cast of new characters that director David Leitch and the three-man writing team—Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and Reynolds himself—assembled around the Merc with a Mouth, giving the character much more intriguing walls to bounce off of. The first Deadpool lacked an interesting straight-man, a role filled to perfection here by Josh Brolin’s surly, metal-armed time-traveler Cable. The same goes double for Domino, the preternaturally lucky X-Force member played by absolute treasure Zazie Beetz. And then there is Peter W. (Rob Delaney), sweet Peter W., who in a just world would get his own spin-off slash entire extended universe. -- Vinnie Mancuso

The Death of Stalin

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Image via IFC Films

If you liked the first four seasons of Veep or the 2009 comedy In the Loop, chances are you’ll go for director Armando Iannucci’s The Death of Stalin. The movie takes place in the days following the death of Joseph Stalin and the ensuing bickering and power plays among his likely replacements. Like Iannucci’s previous work, there’s a clear disdain for politicians and a lot of fun at their absurdity and stupidity.

Where The Death of Stalin gets its edge, aside from the comic bickering, is how pitch black it goes in exploring authoritarianism. It’s about what you’d expect from someone who already doesn’t think much of democratic government, but tempered by hilarious performances from the outstanding cast. Of all people, Rupert Friend almost walks away with the movie in his brief scenes as Stalin’s idiot son. – Matt Goldberg

Ocean's 8

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Image via Warner Bros.

Ocean’s 8 is a delightful movie. While the spinoff certainly has a significantly different feel and groove than Steven Soderbergh’s trilogy, the all-star cast of female performers makes this film their own, and the audience gets to delight in watching these talented professionals basically just show off their talents for two hours. There were complaints that Ocean’s 8 wasn’t “complicated” enough, but that’s bogus. The joy of Ocean’s 8 is watching this band of thieves pull off a daring heist at a gorgeous gala, and it’s kind of refreshing to see a heist movie where things actually go pretty smoothly, and you get to relish in the skills and style on display. The cast displayed terrific chemistry, with a delicious performance from Anne Hathaway to boot, and while Ocean’s 8 is a very different film than the previous trilogy, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. – Adam Chitwood

Set It Up

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Image via Netflix

The romantic comedy genre may be an endangered species, but Set It Up makes a strong case for a comeback. The Netflix comedy hails from director Claire Scanlon and presents a very familiar and predictable premise: Two overworked assistants (Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell) scheme to set their demanding bosses up (Lucy Liu and Taye Diggs); hilarity and flirtations ensue. But Set It Up proves that a predictable premise is only a hindrance if you don’t have the goods, and this film very much does. Every single performance is spot-on; the chemistry between Deutch and Powell is electric; and Katie Silberman’s script is full of zingers and lines that sing with comedy gold. Moreover, the film adds an unpredictable twist to its conclusion that transcends banality, making this not just one of 2018’s best comedies, but one of 2018’s best films period. – Adam Chitwoo

Ant-Man and The Wasp

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Image via Marvel Studios

After giving everyone an emotional beating with the ending of Avengers: Infinity War, Marvel Studios served up something a little lighter for audiences with the delightful Ant-Man and the Wasp. Picking up with Paul Rudd's Scott Lang after the events of Captain America: Civil War, the Ant-Man sequel finds the unlikely hero trying to mend his life back together and leave the supersuit behind. Of course none of that goes to plan and he winds up back in the thick of action alongside Evangeline Lilly's Wasp, but it's not the action that makes Ant-Man and the Wasp such a pleasure, it's the comedy. Rudd is reliable as ever, milking every moment for comedic gold, and he's matched with scene partners like Michael Pena and Randall Park, who help make it easy on him. To this day, watching Paul Rudd skulk around in an oversized sweater through the halls of his daughter's school is still the hardest I've laughed this year. -- Haleigh Foutch

Paddington 2

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Image via Warner Bros.

This movie is a pure delight from start to finish, and it’s even better than the terrific first film. This time around Paddington (voiced by Ben Whishaw) is trying to get a birthday present for his Aunt Lucy (voiced by Imelda Staunton), but he ends up getting framed for robbery by a nefarious, diabolical, washed-up stage actor (Hugh Grant being hilarious and wonderful). Paddington’s family must unite to prove his innocence while Paddington learns to make friends in prison, including the facility’s grizzled cook, Knuckles McGinty (Brendan Gleeson).

There should be a law against making a movie this charming and lovable, but Paddington 2 is just a bright ray of sunshine about the importance of being kind and helping others. It should be corny and mawkish, but it comes off as completely earned and honest. If you’re feeling down, Paddington 2 will definitely brighten your day. – Matt Goldberg

Book Club

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Image via Paramount Pictures

Hollywood loves ignoring older women. It's not just an on-screen bias, though you can ask any actress over the age of 30 about the drop off in job offers. It's also a matter of what's being made for who, and the fact is studios rarely make movies targeting older women, which is what makes something like Book Club such a treat. Led by an outstanding ensemble of comedic actresses -- Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, and Mary Steenburgen -- Book Club follows four old friends who snap out of a rut when they decide to read Fifty Shades of Grey for book club and get back in touch with their libido. It's silly and sweet, and the script doesn't really deserve a cast that good, but it's worth it to see the powerhouse ensemble assembled, the ladies make it a hoot and a half to watch. -- Haleigh Foutch

Game Night

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Image via Warner Bros.

Did a single person on this entire green Earth expect Game Night—a studio comedy released in February and top-lined by Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams—to turn out as genuinely incredible as it did? I surely did not, which makes this perfectly crafted, firing-on-all-cylinders ensemble story even more of a treat than buying out New York Avenue from your Monopoly-cheating-ass family members.

The basic gist: When married pair of hardcore competitives Max (Bateman) and Annie (McAdams) include Max’s wealthy older brother, Brooks (Kyle Chandler), in their regular game night, things go awry when Max is actually kidnapped by a group of gangsters. Twists and turns abound, and over the course of a car-crash night, it’s impossible to say who puts in the best performance. Billy Magnussen continues to prove he should play every single lunk with a heart of gold going forward. Jesse Plemons, as Max and Annie’s no-fun police officer neighbor, flips that unsettling drabness he honed so well on Breaking Bad into a hilarious, beautifully strange appearance. But special attention really must be paid tol McAdams, who urgently needs to be cast in more comedies. If the Oscars had an Outstanding Line Delivery category, it’d be swept by “Oh no...he died.” -- Vinnie Mancuso

Sorry to Bother You

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Image via Annapurna Pictures

Sorry to Bother You is an insane movie that defies being boxed into just one genre, but it’s definitely a comedy—among many, many other things. Writer/director Boots Reilly’s satire tackles corporatism, capitalism, protests, feminism, racism, unions, and more within its runtime, but it does all of this with an air of comedy that prevents the story from ever becoming too self-serious. While the plot is nearly impossible to explain, the film basically follows a young black man played by Lakeith Stanfield who begins working at a call center and starts rising up the ranks when he uses his “white voice” to great success. I want to reiterate: This movie is insane, but it’s also insanely funny. – Adam Chitwood

Blockers

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Image via Universal

There's so many ways this movie could have been lazy, sexist or just plain bad, but Kay Cannon's directorial debut avoids every trap with a smart script and killer comedic performances across the board. Blockers takes the traditional sex comedy set up and hands to the ladies... and their slightly oppressive parents, played by John Cena, Ike Barinholtz and Leslie Mann, who discover their daughters made a prom night sex pact and set out to stop the girls before they lose their virginities. In addition to being laugh-out-loud funny, Blockers is surprisingly thoughtful about teenage sexuality and the pressures put on coming-of-age women, with script that empowers each young woman to decide her path for herself as the night unfolds, including a super sweet coming out story. Blockers just gets it all right; thoughtful and hilarious with the right balance of raunch and heart, you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll believe John Cena should be cast in everything. -- Haleigh Foutch

Tag

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Image via Warner Bros.

Dumplin'

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Image via Netflix

Crazy Rich Asians

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Image via Warner Bros.

BlackKklansman

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Image via Focus Features

Eighth Grade

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Image via A24

The Favourite

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Image via Fox Searchlight

A Simple Favor

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Image via Lionsgate