A good dumb comedy movie can be just the tonic you need after a long and tiring day. They allow us to switch off our brains and simply enjoy whatever silly amusements they have in store for us. While there have been plenty of stupid movies that we get a few giggles from and then forget all about, there have also been some that have become iconic classics of the genre with their underlying brilliance and have kept movie lovers coming back for repeat rewatches.

While all of these movies run with a silly brand of comedy, beneath their exteriors of crude humor and low-brow appeal there lies a creative comedy mastery that is easy to overlook in itself, but gives these films a quality that many others lack. From satirical masterworks to the gold standard of stoner comedies, the characters in these films may be dumb, but don’t go thinking the movies themselves are too.

25 'Bubba Ho-Tep' (2002)

Directed by Don Coscarelli

Few films have mixed such absurd stupidity with striking comedic genius to such a degree as Bubba Ho-Tep. The underrated cult classic follows an aged and in-hiding Elvis Presley (Bruce Campbell) and a Black John F. Kennedy (Ossie Davis) who reside in a nursing home and must join forces when an ancient Egyptian mummy starts sucking people’s souls out through their anuses.

Within the confines of its utterly ridiculous premise, the film excels with its razor-sharp comedic punch and two exceptional starring performances from Campbell and Davis. With its schlocky B-movie charm, Bubba Ho-Tep has an uncanny ability to put broad grins on the faces of viewers and even earned critical acclaim upon release, however, it sadly flopped at the box office and has struggled to find the popularity it thoroughly deserves retrospectively, even with its cult status.

Watch on Hoopla

24 'No Hard Feelings' (2023)

Directed by Gene Stupnitsky

One of the more recent entries in the wheelhouse of raunchy comedy hits, No Hard Feelings coasted on Jennifer Lawrence's star power and comedic prowess as it delved headfirst into the awkwardness of love and sex. Lawrence portrays Maddie, a struggling single mother who responds to a peculiar Craigslist ad from two over-protective parents seeking someone to date their 19-year-old son before he goes to college.

No Hard Feelings is rife with cringe comedy and social awkwardness, but also boasts an offbeat charm stemming from the underlying good nature of its two lead characters. While it is able to shock and even embarrass audiences at times, it never strives to be offensive or harmful and ends up being a bizarrely endearing romantic comedy.

Watch on Netflix

23 'Ace Ventura: Pet Detective' (1994)

Directed by Tom Shadyac

Jim Carrey is the unequaled master of ‘90s comedy, with 1994 a ridiculous year for the comic actor. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective was just one of his massive hits for the year, standing as one of his most celebrated comedy pictures as Carrey stars as the titular private investigator who specializes in cases concerning animals, with the Miami Dolphins contacting him to help them find their missing mascot, Snowflake.

The story seldom rises to astonishing heights, but it does serve as a more than adequate platform for Carrey to indulge in his physical comedic style with unreserved commitment. It is a tour de force outing from the famed leading man, and a quintessential watch for all Carrey fans as it sees the gross-out humor and the twitchy gags come thick and fast.

Watch on Roku

22 'Cocaine Bear' (2023)

Directed by Elizabeth Banks

With a very loose basis on a true story of a 500-pound bear ingesting a copious amount of cocaine, the aptly named Cocaine Bear was invigorated with a chaotic and ultra-violent vibrancy which made it a modern pop-culture sensation. Following misfit groups of kids, cops, and criminals, it centers on the Georgia forest, a botched drug smuggling operation, and an apex predator on a drug-fueled rampage.

Mixing its action-comedy ridiculousness with overtones of animalistic horror and crime-thriller, Cocaine Bear was never afraid to lean into its story's inherent absurdity with glorious vigor. The end result is an obscenely captivating spectacle that takes audiences on a pulsating ride of far-fetched stupidity which was much more brilliant than it had any right to be.

Watch on Amazon Prime

21 'Scary Movie' (2000)

Directed by Keenen Ivory Wayons

From Leslie Nielson’s comedies of the '80s to more recent and much more obvious parodies, the spoof movie genre has been a mainstay of low-budget, easily accessible comedy for decades. At its absolute best, the subgenre excels at lampooning trends in the film industry while also poking fun at the messages contained within the movies they spoof.

The first of the Scary Movie franchise did this incredibly well, targeting the horror genre, namely the Scream films which rose to prominence through the late '90s with their own sense of self-awareness. Such was Scary Movie’s brilliance, the film had many of its own moments which became iconic comedy scenes, and it even spawned a saga, though none of its sequels were able to match the original’s sense of pointed fun.

Watch on Max

20 'Zoolander' (2001)

Directed by Ben Stiller

Ben Stiller is certainly no stranger to exaggerated, skewering spoofs of eccentric industries. His 2001 hit Zoolander still stands as one of Stiller's best films, excelling as both irreverently silly escapism and as a scathing jab at the fashion industry. It focuses on two rival male supermodels who are reluctantly united when they uncover a fashion designer's elaborate plot to use one of them to assassinate the Malaysian Prime Minister.

Making the absurd story work around the constant jokes within its 89-minute runtime is an impressive feat on its own, but it’s in the dialogue where Zoolander’s true genius resides. Not only is Zoolander an endlessly quotable movie, but it’s so unbelievably, perfectly stupid that it’s easy to underestimate how brilliant it actually is.

Rent on Apple TV

19 'MacGruber' (2010)

Directed by Jorma Taccone

While movies adapted from Saturday Night Live sketches haven't always struck gold, 2010's action parody MacGruber can be regarded as something of a brilliant outlier. A raw and unbridled spoof of the popular 80s television series MacGyver, it prods at the tropes of action blockbusters and espionage thriller, often in the most glaring and grotesque way possible, as it focuses on the titular hero as he comes out of retirement to avenge his murdered wife and save the world in the process.

Beneath its shocking humor though, there is a lot going on in terms of deconstructing genre tropes and critiquing the machismo of the typical action hero. It’s not the most skewering satire by any stretch, but there’s no small amount of pointed parody that makes MacGruber’s (Will Forte) battle with Dieter von Cunth (Val Kilmer) all the more enjoyable.

Rent on Apple TV

18 'Spaceballs' (1987)

Directed by Mel Brooks

A mastermind of stupid yet ingenious comedy cinema, Mel Brooks directed many iconic films throughout the 20th century, with one of the all-time great spoofs coming in the form of Spaceballs which lampooned many of the blockbuster sci-fi titles of the 70s and 80s with a relentless appetite for silliness and smut. Primarily mocking the Star Wars films, it follows a mercenary as he sets out to save Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga) from an intergalactic warlord and his chief enforcer, Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis).

The spoof movie received only mixed reviews from critics, but it was more warmly embraced by fans who adored how it played with the sci-fi genre and its many hit sensations. It has become a revered cult classic, a highlight in Brooks’ career, and a defining entry in the spoof comedy subgenre.

Watch on Max

17 'American Pie' (1999)

Directed by Paul Weitz

As a slightly less abrasive evolution of the teen sex comedies of the 1980s, the American Pie movies developed something of a legacy thanks to their irreverent charm as well as their notoriously smutty and vulgar comedic tastes. The first film in particularly thrived in this regard, following four high school boys who make a pact to lose their virginity by the end of the upcoming prom night, only for some of them to fall in love in the process.

From Jim’s (Jason Biggs) exploits with a certain apple pie to the cringe-worthily depictions of the characters’ first times, American Pie is riotously funny and embarrassingly earnest. While it’s had many sequels and spin-offs, none have matched the sheer uncomfortable genius of American Pie, nor the underlying heart with which it addressed friendship and young love.

Rent on Apple TV

16 'Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping' (2016)

Directed by Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer

An underappreciated comedy gem that deals directly with celebrity stardom in the modern era, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping was a sharp and shocking mockumentary, music satire that displayed the genius of The Lonely Island at its very best. The film follows eccentric musician Connor Friel, or Connor4Real (one of Andy Samberg's most hilarious roles), the lead member of a pop rap group whose debut solo album becomes a commercial disaster, leaving the egocentric artist desperately clinging to his celebrity status.

With its gross-out body humor, obscene language, and dozens of celebrity cameos, the parody excels in its most ridiculous moments of shallowness and vanity. It’s hilarious, recklessly inappropriate, way over-the-top, and a perfect parody of some of the social media-infested, popularity-stunting music stars of the modern day.

Watch on Hulu

15 'Step Brothers' (2008)

Directed by Adam McKay

Hot off the success of the ridiculous sporting comedy Talladega Knights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, comedy collaborators Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly were working together again on what would become one of the biggest comedy hits of the 21st century. Step Brothers follows the pair as two middle-aged men still living at home whose rivalry turns to friendship with hilarious results as their parents start seeing each other.

Regardless of whether they’re feuding over Dale’s (Reilly) drum kit or bonding while making bunk beds, the duo’s non-stop antics made for a relentless comedic sensation. With its many quotable lines and hilarious situations the pair find themselves in, Step Brothers continues to thrive in mainstream pop culture as one of the greatest stupid funny movies in recent decades.

Watch on Amazon Prime

14 'Kick-Ass' (2010)

Directed by Matthew Vaughn

Something of a marriage between the formulaic superhero formula of genre tales like Spider-Man and ultra-violent, profanity-riddled, stylish excess, Kick-Ass was an energetic, engaging triumph that has grown more adept as a parody as the superhero genre has reached its zenith. Adapted from the irreverent Marvel Comics series, it follows a New York high schooler as he caves into his daydreaming and becomes an unlikely superhero, teaming up with other vigilantes and battling the city's criminals in the process.

Imbued with fantastic characters like the vengeful ex-cop and ruthless vigilante Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and his foul-mouthed heroine daughter Hit-Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz), as well as Christopher Mintz-Plasse's scheming villainous underling Red Mist. While it boasts an abundant absurdity that is easy to dismiss as high-octane ridiculousness, Kick-Ass should truly be viewed as a masterful blending of action and comedy that lands plenty of mocking yet adoring jabs at superhero tropes.

Watch on Peacock

13 'Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle' (2004)

Directed by Danny Leiner

A subversive yet defining hit of 2000s stoner comedy, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle transcends the tropes of its subgenre with an intelligence that it has never been given enough credit for. The simple premise follows the titular stoners as they embark on a journey to quell the munchies with a burger from White Castle, however, they must overcome many unexpected obstacles on the way and encounter several bizarre characters on their voyage.

In addition to running as a surprisingly smart comedy, Harold & Kumar was also ahead of its time in breaking down racial stereotypes with its leading duo, whereas many other comedies of the era would have exploited their ethnicities for gags to the point of exhaustion. At the same time, it never shied away from the wickedly offensive gags which made the stoner comedy so popular in the first place.

Rent on Amazon

12 'Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery' (1997)

Directed by Jay Roach

With major spy franchises like the James Bond saga struggling to reach their past heights, there was a brief time in the late 90s and very early 2000s when Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery wasn’t only a fantastic parody, but the pinnacle of the spy genre as well. Lampooning the campiness of the Bond movies, Austin Powers was rife with purposefully anachronistic gags and sci-fi hilarity while thriving as an entertaining and light-hearted comedy flick.

In addition to writing the screenplay, Mike Myers also starred as multiple characters, namely Austin Powers, a British spy from the 1960s who is awoken from cryogenic sleep when his evil nemesis returns. A major source of its comedy genius was Myers and how, while he parodied Bond and 1960s cinema relentlessly, he always had an earnest appreciation for what it was he was mocking.

Rent on Amazon

11 'Team America: World Police' (2004)

Directed by Trey Parker

Through their work on the animated comedy series South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone have established themselves as maestros of mixing crass humor with masterful social satire to hilarious effect. That reputation was only further enhanced with their comedy film Team America: World Police, which satirized America’s war on terrorism and Hollywood elites while parodying action cinema.

It follows a global counter-terrorism unit who recruit a Broadway actor to help infiltrate a terrorist plot as the group’s destructive methods invite criticism. From its graphic puppet sex to its mocking of numerous Hollywood actors, Team America: World Police was as offensive as could be, counting itself among the many movies that couldn't have been made today. That said, it excelled as an astute skewering of post-9/11 America which pulled no punches as it attacked both sides of politics.

Watch on Paramount+

10 'Idiocracy' (2006)

Directed by Mike Judge

As an over-the-top, absurdist satire, Idiocracy would have been easy to dismiss as a dumb comedy that used its ridiculous plot to access silly jokes. Today though, Idiocracy's surprisingly prophetic plot doesn’t seem quite so stupid, following two average Americans who are left in cryosleep for 500 years and awaken to find a world in which human devolution renders them the most intelligent people in the world by some margin.

Idiocracy's social commentary and political skewering can be viewed as being quite scathing in the modern day, targeting the negative ways the advancement of technology can impact humanity as well as the growing political divide between both sides of politics in America. It makes use of a spectacular cast of American comedic actors, notably Terry Crews who appears as the gun-toting U.S. President.

Rent on Apple TV

9 'Wayne's World' (1992)

Directed by Penelope Spheeris

If it’s stupid but it works, is it really stupid? Wayne’s World was released 30 years ago now and has been a hallmark of stupid comedy movies ever since. Inarguably the best film to come from a Saturday Night Live skit, it follows two idiotic rockers as their public access television program is pursued by a producer to make the transition to cable TV.

What makes the film so brilliant today is its proven ability to endure for decades as a staple of pop-culture comedy, seamlessly being passed on from one generation to the next. From re-quoting the film's funniest lines to headbanging in the car to "Bohemian Rhapsody," the true genius of Wayne's World is that, somehow, amid all the apparent stupidity, it just works so unbelievably well.

Watch on Max

8 'Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure' (1989)

Directed by Stephen Herek

From one lovable rock 'n' roll-loving duo to another, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure was similar to Wayne’s World in its ability to master comedic stupidity while becoming a cherished cinematic icon in the process. The excellent adventure focuses on high school friends and legendary cinematic duo Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves), whose academic struggles prompt a time traveler to visit them and enable them to go on an epic voyage through time in order to pass their history class for the good of the world.

Accumulating an impressive range of historical figures on their travels, ranging from Napoleon Bonaparte (Terry Camilleri) to Socrates (Tony Steedman), Bill & Ted's juvenile basis in history is central to its everlasting charm. Reeves and Winters’ perfect chemistry works a treat as well, making the movie an ingenious masterpiece of the genre.

Watch on Max

7 'Dumb and Dumber' (1994)

Directed by Peter Farrelly and Bob Farrelly

A comedy classic, Dumb and Dumber has come to be viewed by many as the pinnacle of dumb comedy done right with its idiotic leading duo going from one ridiculous mishap to the next. Lloyd (Jim Carrey) and Harry (Jeff Daniels) unwitting come into the possession of a briefcase of ransom money and, with honorable intentions, try to return the case to the woman who purposefully left it in Lloyd’s limousine.

One of the 1990s' most iconic films, it has become a true comedy classic and its legacy has only grown greater over time. Carrey, as is so often the case, exudes comic brilliance every time he’s on the screen, while Jeff Daniels was truly his equal, with the chemistry between the two giving the film it comedic excellence as well as an underlying sense of heart.

Rent on Apple TV

6 'South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut' (1999)

Directed by Trey Parker

Ever since South Park first hit television back in 1997 it has been an ever-polarizing dose of relentless satire laced with shockingly crude humor. The brand made its cinematic debut in 1999 with South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut which set its sights on the discussion around censorship as the residents of South Park react to a controversial Canadian movie.

Series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone were at their probing best for the movie, which proved to be a characteristically provocative hit of crude comedy, but also a surprisingly good musical inspired by - and mocking - Les Misérables. Like the show, it was easily disregarded as senselessly smutty, but beneath its animated absurdity was South Park’s unrelenting ability to play with society’s most sensitive subjects with interesting and hilarious results.

Watch on Paramount+