The 20 best comedies on Amazon Prime Video

The streamer's funniest offerings include sci-fi musicals, hilarious whodunits, and much more.

Amazon Prime Video really delivers (get it?) the goods here, curating a collection of comedy movies that range from classic to experimental, acerbic to heartwarming, family-friendly to R-rated fare. And since the titles on this list are all available with your Prime subscription, you won't have to spend a dime.

Here are the 20 best comedies on Amazon Prime Video right now.

Asteroid City (2023)

Wes Anderson uses his trademark dollhouse-like style to raise questions about the nature of storytelling in this comedic puzzle box of a film. Making use of multiple layers, the film centers largely on a play about a group of parents and their stargazing children who have come to the desert town of Asteroid City. Additionally, we follow a playwright's struggle to write the play, as well as a TV documentary about the making of the play. Got that? While these metatextual elements provide a thought-provoking commentary on myths and humans' search for meaning, it also has plenty of Anderson's quirky sense of humor. —Kevin Jacobsen

Where to watch Asteroid City: Amazon Prime Video

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Wes Anderson

Cast: Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber

Related content: Here's what you need to know about Asteroid City, courtesy of Wes Anderson

The Big Sick (2017)

If you like your comedy with a side of tragedy, The Big Sick has got you covered. This is truly a unique, one-of-a-kind production: stomach-achingly hilarious, mega-touching, and…all true? Yep, written by the couple who went through it IRL (Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon) and acted by one (Nanjiani, with Gordon played by Zoe Kazan), the pair deftly turned her shocking diagnosis/near-death experience into true laughs. The best medicine? We think so. —Debby Wolfinsohn

Where to watch The Big Sick: Amazon Prime Video

Director: Michael Showalter

Cast: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Ray Romano, Holly Hunter

Related content: The Big Sick writers Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani remembered their first date differently

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020)

Exposing the worst of America in a fearless, laugh-while-you-cringe style is Sacha Baron Cohen’s specialty. Disguising himself as a mustachioed, overly-confident Kazakh allowed Cohen a kind of magic access: the ability to travel into the dark corners of the U.S. as an "innocent." This ruse encouraged others to open up in ways they might not have otherwise, creating jaw-dropping moments of comedy (veering into tragedy) you can't look away from. The setup is simple — Cohen's character Borat returns to the West with his daughter, Tutar (the excellent Maria Bakalova), to win the favor of its leader, "a magnificent new Premier named McDonald Trump." In a kind of bizarro buddy comedy, the two visit synagogues, debutante balls, and freedom rallies, creating moments so indelible they will go down in cinematic history. It's hard to choose just one, so we'll pick two: Rudy Giuliani, and the horrifying father-daughter OB-GYN visit. As EW’s critic writes, "his outrageous, uncountable isms — the confident screeds against women and Jew[ish people], the casual endorsements of incest or indentured servitude — are of course satirical, and entirely the point." —D.W.

Where to watch Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Amazon Prime Video

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Jason Woliner

Cast: Sacha Baron Cohen, Maria Bakalova

Related content: Sacha Baron Cohen won't make another Borat movie: 'Too dangerous'

Bottoms (2023)

Few films nowadays feel destined to become cult classics, but this satirical teen comedy has the makings of one. The logline is already enough to sell you — Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri play outcast high schoolers who devise a plan to create an all-girls fight club in the hope of hooking up with their cheerleader crushes — but writer-director Emma Seligman brings a giddy surrealism to the film and a very millennial sense of humor that feels gloriously true to life. Come for the richly talented cast of young comedic talent (particularly Edebiri), stay for the wildly unpredictable conclusion. —K.J.

Where to watch Bottoms: Amazon Prime Video

Director: Emma Seligman

Cast: Rachel Sennott, Ayo Edebiri, Ruby Cruz, Havana Rose Liu, Kaia Gerber, Nicholas Galitzine, Miles Fowler, Dagmara Domińczyk, Marshawn Lynch

Related content: Top to Bottoms: Ayo Edebiri and Rachel Sennott on their college meet and lesbian fight club

Bring It On (2000)

This beloved teen comedy favorite centers on the high-stakes world of high school cheerleading. Torrance (Kirsten Dunst) is embarking on her first season as cheer captain but quickly runs into problems: a fellow cheerleader is injured; the new girl in school who's set to replace her then informs them their routine has been plagiarized from another squad. The film finds Dunst delivering one of her more iconic performances to date (Who could forget, "This is not a democracy. It's a cheer-ocracy."); EW's critic writes, "It's her mixture of delicacy and vivacity that holds the picture together." The film is also ahead of its time in tackling topics American society is just now reckoning with 20 years later, such as systematic racism, without hammering home its messages too bluntly. —K.J.

Where to watch Bring It On: Amazon Prime Video

EW grade: B– (read the review)

Director: Peyton Reed

Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku, Jesse Bradford, Gabrielle Union

Related content: Bring It On cast: Where are they now?

Brittany Runs a Marathon (2019)

Jillian Bell stars as Brittany, a New York party girl who decides to change her life the old-fashioned way: jogging! EW's critic says Bell brings a "real, messy humanity to Brittany that comedies hardly ever allow a lead character — let alone a non-impossibly-bodied female — to have." Kept afloat by her running buddies — Michaela Watkins' divorcée with issues and Micah Stock’s sardonic gay dad — the movie avoids a simple happy ending but does provide a satisfying, uplifting one. It’s perfect for watching on the treadmill or stationary bike (or lying in bed eating ice cream). —D.W.

Where to watch Brittany Runs a Marathon: Amazon Prime Video

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Paul Downs Colaizzo

Cast: Jillian Bell, Michaela Watkins, Utkarsh Ambudkar

Related content: With Brittany Runs a Marathon, Jillian Bell is racing into her first major role

Bull Durham (1988)

This sexy sports rom-com features three future Oscar winners already at the top of their games. Kevin Costner is Crash Davis, an experienced minor league baseball catcher who is tasked with training Tim Robbins' Nuke LaLoosh, a rookie pitcher. Enter Susan Sarandon as Annie Savoy, a flirtatious groupie who is first attracted to Nuke but eventually falls in love with the more experienced Crash. Unabashedly romantic without being too saccharine, Bull Durham is a charming affair that EW's critic describes as "a sweet, sad, knowing ode to baseball, the men who play the game, and the women who love them." —K.J.

Where to watch Bull Durham: Amazon Prime Video

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Director: Ron Shelton

Cast: Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Trey Wilson, Robert Wuhl

Related content: Kevin Costner loaded kitchen counter with whatever he could sweep off for Bull Durham love scene

Burn After Reading (2008)

Burn After Reading is a true Coen brothers specialty: dunderheads trying to con their way through a situation only to embarrass themselves the further they try to keep up the ruse. It's also one of their most laugh-out-loud films, centering on a pair of gym employees (Frances McDormand and Brad Pitt) who find the memoirs of former CIA analyst Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich). Desperate for money, they presume the memoirs to be top-secret government intel and try to blackmail Osbourne, whose subsequent rejection spurs them to try selling the "classified documents" to the Russians. The farce amps up with each new twist and turn, with Pitt, McDormand, and George Clooney (as a paranoid U.S. Marshal) delivering some of their funniest onscreen turns. As EW's critic writes, "The entire cast...chews up scenery and spits out fire performances that make this film one of the Coens' more enjoyable cinematic experiences." —K.J.

Where to watch Burn After Reading: Amazon Prime Video

Director: Joel and Ethan Coen

Cast: George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, Richard Jenkins, Brad Pitt

Related content: The 20 best George Clooney movies and shows, ranked

Champions (2023)

Directed by Bobby Farrelly and starring Woody Harrelson, Champions is a surprisingly sentimental sports comedy. But erring on the side of sweet (a Hollywood Reporter critic called the film  "formulaic but endearing") is what makes it a great family watch. Harrelson (no stranger to basketball flicks, see: White Men Can't Jump) plays an Iowa b-ball coach assigned to lead a team of intellectually disabled teens as penance for drunk driving. One of the strongest and most unique aspects of this movie is the casting, showcasing an array of actors with intellectual disabilities themselves. Standouts include Madison Tevlin as Cosentino (the team’s only female player) and Kevin Iannucci as Johnny. A romantic subplot with Harrelson and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Kaitlin Olson (as Johnny's sister, natch) adds warmth and depth to a classic underdog tale. —D.W.

Where to watch Champions: Amazon Prime Video

Director: Bobby Farrelly

Cast: Woody Harrelson, Kaitlin Olson, Ernie Hudson, Cheech Marin

Related content: Kaitlin Olson will still do anything for a laugh on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

The Cheap Detective (1978)

This light-as-air film noir satire showcases Peter Falk spoofing Humphrey Bogart and the classic films that made him famous. The large ensemble cast (looking a bit like a lost '70s Friars Club roast) is a major treat, featuring Ann-Margret, Sid Caesar, Stockard Channing, Dom DeLuise, and the always brilliant Madeline Kahn. And while you might think Mel Brooks is responsible, guess again; the screenplay credit goes to one Neil Simon. A quirky gem best appreciated by fans who've seen (and can quote) The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca, The Cheap Detective is a silly, enjoyable diversion the whole family can enjoy. —D.W.

Where to watch The Cheap Detective: Amazon Prime Video

Director: Robert Moore

Cast: Peter Falk, Ann-Margret, Sid Caesar, Stockard Channing, Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn

Related content: All the continuity errors in Casablanca we never noticed before — and why it's still essential viewing

Clerks (1994)

Kevin Smith's absurdly low-budget indie comedy is one of the defining films of the '90s. Clerks charts a day in the life of slacker best friends Dante (Brian O'Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson), who work as store clerks and deal with a wide variety of unpleasant customers as they beg for the day to be over. Anyone who has worked retail or customer service will recognize the tedium and the hard-to-please customers, but also the camaraderie that forms with your co-workers over shared grievances. "The key to Clerks' charm is that Smith obviously doesn't feel obligated to speak for his generation," writes EW's critic. "He seems content merely to write about characters he knows well." —K.J.

Where to watch Clerks: Amazon Prime Video

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Kevin Smith

Cast: Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Marilyn Ghigliotti, Jason Mewes, Lisa Spoonauer

Related content: Kevin Smith says Harvey Weinstein still owes him royalties from Clerks

Earth Girls Are Easy (1988)

As the over-the-top, neon-soaked trailer proclaims: "She's a brunette from Southern California, and he's…not!" (The "he" in question is Jeff Goldblum playing a fuzzy alien.) This spacey, goofy "science-fiction musical comedy" is so ‘80s it should be put into a time capsule. Julien Temple (The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle, Juno's dad) directed this cartoony tale while living legend Nile Rodgers created the soundtrack. And we haven't even gotten to the best part: the cast. Goldblum and Geena Davis play upon their sparky real-life chemistry, meanwhile Damon Wayans and Jim Carrey star as aliens Zeebo and Wiploc, respectively. —D.W.

Where to watch Earth Girls Are Easy: Amazon Prime Video via Freevee

Director: Julien Temple

Cast: Julie Brown, Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, Damon Wayans, Jim Carrey

Related content: Jeff Goldblum takes us through his favorite movies he saw as a kid, from A to Z

Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985)

Calling all parental units of the pre-teen variety! Girls Just Want to Have Fun is here to save the day — whether it's a rainy Saturday or a restless sleepover, this little gem can turn it around. Not only is it funny, sweet, and just grown up enough, but you also won't hear "we sawwww that one already" because for some reason, this comedy — featuring ‘80s power trio Sarah Jessica Parker, Helen Hunt, and Shannen Doherty — has always flown under the radar. Which is, quite honestly, a mystery, seeing as how it pulls off so much so well. With dancing, boys, and a fast pace, this is a film that understands its audience (girls between the ages of 10 and 13) and remains a perfect PG delight with a little extra cheese. —D.W.

Where to watch Girls Just Want to Have Fun: Amazon Prime Video

Director: Alan Metter

Cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Helen Hunt, Shannen Doherty

Related content: The best teenage romance movies on Netflix

Heathers (1989)

Veronica (Winona Ryder) is a teen girl who gets involved with the popular mean-girl clique at her high school known as the Heathers. She also befriends the mysterious new student J.D. (Christian Slater), a loner whose idea of revenge involves murder staged as a suicide and orchestrating a disturbing plan to get back at the Heathers for their cruelty. On paper, a plot description for this seminal cult classic sounds far from funny. But the film's heightened tone and memorable one-liners ("Dear diary, my teen angst bulls--- has a body count") make for a darkly entertaining answer to the formulaic '80s teen comedies that came before it while still holding up today —K.J.

Where to watch Heathers: Amazon Prime Video

Director: Michael Lehmann

Cast: Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty

Related content: Heathers: An oral history

Licorice Pizza (2021)

This breezy hangout comedy is Paul Thomas Anderson's ode to being young and figuring out who you want to be in the world. In her acting debut, Alana Haim stars as Alana, an aimless 25-year-old living in 1973 Los Angeles who strikes up a connection with a 15-year-old actor, Gary (Cooper Hoffman). Alana joins Gary and his friends on ambling journeys through L.A., which includes one memorable pit stop at the house of demanding film producer Jon Peters (played to exasperating perfection by Bradley Cooper). EW's critic calls Licorice Pizza "a love letter to an era, and more than that a feeling: a tender, funny ramble forged in all the hope and absurdity of adolescence." Even with Anderson's light touch, there is an unexpected resonance in Alana's attempts to navigate a world full of terrible, leering men, and how Gary offers her a comforting escape. —K.J.

Where to watch Licorice Pizza: Amazon Prime Video

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Cast: Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Bradley Cooper, Benny Safdie

Related content: A cinematic tour of Paul Thomas Anderson's Los Angeles

The People We Hate at the Wedding (2022)

Question: How are wedding comedies like wedding cakes? Answer: The dysfunction's baked right in! Based on the 2016 Grant Ginder novel and directed by Claire Scanlon (of Netflix's Set It Up), the film follows relatably flawed, baggage-laden siblings Ben Platt and Kristen Bell to England where they must join their mother (the always stellar Allison Janney) at the wedding of their wealthy half-sister (Cynthia Addai-Robinson). The comedic antics flow like champagne in this bride-com with an edge. —D.W.

Where to watch The People We Hate at the Wedding: Amazon Prime Video

Director: Claire Scanlon

Cast: Ben Platt, Allison Janney, Kristen Bell

Related content: Kristen Bell, Ben Platt, and Allison Janney are peeved in first look at The People We Hate at the Wedding

Red, White & Royal Blue (2023)

Based on Casey McQuiston's best-selling novel of the same name, Red, White & Royal Blue is a charming romantic comedy that charts the unlikely romance between a British prince and the son of the President of the United States. In a classic tale of enemies-to-lovers, American Alex (Taylor Zakhar Perez) has a feud with Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine), which escalates to a rather unfortunate cake accident (pictured above). Following the subsequent tabloid scandal, the pair eventually make amends and come to realize their feelings for each other, which blossoms into an affair. It's a frothy good time with two star-making performances at its center; it also happens to feature Uma Thurman in what may be her campiest performance since 1997's Batman & Robin. —K.J.

Where to watch Red, White & Royal Blue: Amazon Prime Video

Director: Matthew López

Cast: Taylor Zakhar Perez, Nicholas Galitzine, Clifton Collins Jr., Sarah Shahi, Rachel Hilson, Stephen Fry, Uma Thurman

Related content: Red, White & Royal Blue director explains the biggest changes between the movie and the book

Renfield (2023)

It should surprise no one that Nicolas Cage makes a great vampire. As demonstrated in 1988's truly deranged Vampire's Kiss, Cage has inherent bloodsucker traits: stiffness and swagger, weird intensity, a dark sense of humor, and that wonderful awkwardness no amount of makeup can cover. And with the equally creepy (in a totally different way) Nicholas Hoult as his costar, how can you not give this one a chance? —D.W.

Where to watch Renfield: Amazon Prime Video

Director: Chris McKay

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Nicholas Hoult, Ben Schwartz

Related content: Nicholas Hoult ate salt-and-vinegar-flavored bugs while making Renfield

Totally Killer (2023)

Totally Killer boasts four major cinematic selling points guaranteed to make a horror fan happy: a 1980s setting, serial killers, a Halloween night theme, and time travel. Not to say Totally Killer doesn't take a fresh approach, because it totally does. Here, we meet teenage girl Jamie (Kiernan Shipka), who goes back to 1987 to save her mom's friends from being murdered (as you do). Smartly referencing the Best Movies of All Time (Back to the Future, Scream, etc.), Totally Killer joins a long line of genre flicks led by kick-ass heroines. —D.W.

Where to watch Totally Killer: Amazon Prime Video

Director: Nahnatchka Khan

Cast: Kiernan Shipka, Julie Bowen, Olivia Holt, Randall Park

Related content: The psycho's mask in Totally Killer was inspired by Kiefer Sutherland, Dolph Lundgren, and Rob Lowe

Vibes (1988)

Worth it for the cheese factor alone, we love everything about this late-'80s quirk-fest, including the oddball pairing of Jeff Goldblum and Cyndi Lauper, Peter Falk in a white suit, and the senseless plot. Yes, this aggressively wacky throwback movie is a hot mess, but that's part of the fun. Billed as "the psychic comedy that's out of its mind," Goldblum and Lauper play, yes, psychics looking for treasure in a lost Incan city while falling in love (quite unconvincingly) along the way. Part adventure, part buddy movie, part romance, part caper, it does exactly none of these things very well but remains undeniably charming in its own clunky way. —D.W.

Where to watch Vibes: Amazon Prime Video

Director: Ken Kwapis

Cast: Jeff Goldblum, Cyndi Lauper, Peter Falk

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Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.