In an era on the precipice of superhero movies taking over the landscape and genre films falling by the wayside, one of the few genres to achieve blockbuster financial success was comedies. Dominated by the work of Judd Apatow and Adam McKay, movies like Anchorman or The 40-Year-Old Virgin grew to become some of the most popular of the 2000s.
The commercial viability of comedies has fluctuated, but the quality has remained. While many fans know the big, famous comedy movies of the 21st century, there are still many that have gone under the radar.
10 'Bad Words' (2013) - 65%
Directed by and starring Jason Bateman, Bad Words is a morally twisted escapade of hilarious iniquity. Written by Andrew Dodge, whose original script was featured on the 2011 Blacklist, the movie follows a middle-aged man who competes in the National Spelling Bee using a rule loophole. Receiving mixed reviews, the movie lost money at the box office.
Bateman's pithiness holds viewers' attention with comical one-liners, while the relationships with his 9-year-old nemesis and journalist companion bring in the big laughs, as well as emotional payoffs. While the ending is a bit drawn out and over the top with a predictable twist, Bad Words is profane and bitter with delightful performances from an ideal cast.
9 'Damsels in Distress' (2011) - 75%
Damsels in Distress was worth the 13-year wait. Succeeding his 'Bourgeois in Love' trilogy, which possesses some of the best comedies of the 90s, Whit Stillman returned triumphantly with Damsels in Distress, surrounding a pack of idealistic college women. Somehow, although the movie surrounds a group of bright college students, it avoids the perils of unattractive precociousness.
Greta Gerwig leads in a riveting, star performance, a precursor to her more widely known turn in Frances Ha. The movie incorporates Stillman's usual literacy with a keen sense of location and youth. With sharp observations, earnest delivery, and a blend of morbidity and romanticism, the movie is one of the best overall comedies of the century.
8 'Tadpole' (2002) - 77%
Few movies have presented the pseudo-intellectual juvenile male with as much affection as Tadpole. The movie, like its protagonist, is smart, quoting Voltaire to explain scenes. However, like its 15-year-old lead, it is also at times myopic and mawkish about the nature of romance. Made for a mere $150 000, the film concerns a bright schoolboy who falls in love with his stepmother.
The film walks a fine line with its premise but ultimately succeeds. Surprisingly still, although it poaches elements of Whit Stillman, The Graduate, and J.D. Sallinger, Tadpole still feels fresh. A Sundance Winner, Tadpole is clever and charming, offering an indie-style comedy with an uncommon and worthy perspective.
7 'The Overnight' (2015) - 82%
They rarely make films like The Overnight anymore. A bawdy sex-comedy that explores some unfamiliar dynamics, the movie's quality far outshines its limited $200 000 budget. Following a young couple who get invited to a dinner party by an overly friendly couple, the movie features some strong acting, particularly by Jason Schwartzman as the overly familiar, enigmatic neighbor.
Director Patrick Brice harkens back to his horror background to make The Overnight strikingly unnerving. Despite a playful disposition, there are some dark psycho-sexual undertones and overtones laced throughout, far more than a thematic predecessor like Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice. With some very funny visual gags, The Overnight nimbly merges its erotic insouciance with troubling undercurrents.
6 'While We're Young' (2014) - 84%
Noah Baumbach's most financially successful movie to that point, While We're Young is now unfairly dismissed as one of Baumbach's more mediocre projects. In fact, While We're Young is a bitterly observed commentary on the millennial takeover and passing of values. Opening with a poignant quote from Henrik Ibsen's The Master Builder (in fact it's actually from Wallace Shawn's 2013 adaptation, which is important), the movie follows a middle-aged couple who befriends a young married one.
Baumbach always has a great perspective, acknowledging that the resentment his Generation X protagonist feels is somewhat hypocritical. However, Baumbach still attacks the disingenuous, provoking youth with eager wit and fluency. In While We're Young, Baumbach manages a unique feat, to create an appealing commentary that focuses on his own personal grievances.
5 'Confess, Fletch' (2022) - 86%
The reason Greg Mottola is one of the pre-eminent comedy directors of the century is that he is a very smart guy who can also make dumb movies. He showed off his mental and emotional intelligence with his brilliant debut The Daytrippers. After that, Mottola would achieve widespread success by directing Superbad. His most recent movie, the mystery-comedy Confess, Fletch, is maybe his most consistently laughable to date.
Adventureland could also qualify, although that film is not as much pure comedy as Confess, Fletch. In combination with spot-on music choices, the movie features a great cast who flaunt their comedic chops, with lead Jon Hamm and Marcia Gay Harden in particular being riotously excellent. Reviving a long-dormant franchise, the achievement of Confess, Fletch shouldn't be sold short.
4 'Thank You For Smoking' (2005) - 86%
Unlike other movies, which fall victim to the allure of audience coddling and happy endings, Thank You For Smoking is uncompromising. Written and directed by Jason Reitman in his debut, Thank You For Smoking showcases the same wit and stylishness as his later dramedy masterpiece Up in the Air. Starring Aaron Eckhart as an unsympathetic lobbyist, the movie was a commercial success.
While many critics reviewed the film favorably, it also received vocal pushback and was shut out of most of the big award shows. The satire is sharp, and the movie takes on blacker elements without being cruel. It is also relatively lean, disallowing the movie to be bogged down by sermon or sentimentality.
3 'Roger Dodger' (2002) - 88%
There are no cheap laughs in Roger Dodger, it earns every single one with sharp dialogue and brilliant observation. This is a movie about words, it can make you laugh out loud just by reading the script. Starring Campbell Scott and Jesse Eisenberg in his acting debut, the movie follows a shy teen who comes to stay with his philandering uncle.
Scott delivers a tour de force performance, his line delivery is quick and cutting as he portrays the womanizing lothario, Roger. He is not sleazy but rather perceptive and principled, incorporating the same philosophy as his job as an ad executive into his love life. With a talented cast and biting writing, Roger Dodger provides an antidote to the influx of artless, sophomoric comedies.
2 'In the Loop' (2009) - 94%
Those who have seen In the Loop would likely not classify it as 'underrated'. But that's the problem, grossing under $8 million, In the Loop only achieved middling mainstream acknowledgment. A spin-off of Armando Iannucci's BBC series The Thick of It, the political satire takes shots at Anglo-American affairs of state and the Iraq War.
There's a joy to watch the bumbling incompetence of the people who are supposed to be at the top of the governmental food chain. The film is vehemently British but can appeal to less inclined audiences due to its mockery of everyone, without exception. With a mix of acidic characters as well as foolish ones, Iannucci makes great work of diplomatic incompetence.
1 'Enough Said' (2013) - 95%
For the past 30 years, Nicole Holofcener has been one of the most mindful and consistent filmmakers in and on the periphery of Hollywood, and Enough Said is the culmination of all of her talents. Surprisingly the movie, about a single mother who enters into two prickly new relationships, didn't get an Oscar bid.
The cast is all standouts, but Julia Louis Dreyfus is marvelous as the lead, demonstrating the watchability of a movie star. Holofcener has a true, enviable talent to show the funny, meaningful moments of normal, everyday characters. In Enough Said, she strings together these moments into a wonderfully charming, honest film.