Last Updated: January 23rd
Amazon’s comedy collection may not rival that of Netflix in terms of sheer size, but if you’re skipping over the streaming platform when you’re skimming for something funny to watch on the weekend, you’re missing out on some quality gut-busters. Amazon has put time into cultivating a wide range of laugh-out-loud flicks, from cult classics, to forgotten favorites, and a handful of worthy originals. There’s something for everyone here, no matter what tickles your funny bone.
Related: The Best Comedies On Hulu Right Now
Late Night (2019)
Run Time: 102 min | IMDb: 6.6/10
Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson team up for this comedy that imagines the grit and humor it takes to lead a late-night talk show as a woman. Thompson plays Katherine Newbury, an accomplished TV personality who fears she may lose her talk show because of declining ratings and competition from a younger, male comedian. She hires Molly (Kaling) a comedy writer with little experience to diversify her team, and the two women weather hilarious mishaps and a few scandals to bring the show back on track.
Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot (2018)
Run Time: 114 min | IMDb: 6.9/10
Another Joaquin Phoenix-starring vehicle, this one is a biopic directed by Gus Van Sant and co-starring Jonah Hill, Jack Black, and Rooney Mara. Phoenix plays John Callahan, an alcoholic who becomes paralyzed after a terrible car accident. He finds sobriety, friendship, and a new perspective on life in his recovery. He also finds a hidden artistic talent, drawing newspaper cartoons that help him channel his emotions and find a new lease on life. It’s a moving portrait of a man wrestling with his inner-most demons, and Van Sant manages to curb the sentimental tendencies of a film like this through dark comedy and brilliant performances by Hill and Phoenix.
The Big Sick (2017)
Run Time: 120 min | IMDb: 7.6/10
Kumail Nanjiani and Emily Gordon drew from their own unusual love story for their script about a Chicago comic named Kumail (Nanjiani), who falls in love with Emily (Zoe Kazan), a woman who falls into a coma while in the midst of a rift in their relationship created by the expectations of Kumail’s traditional parents. The funny, moving romantic comedy also features strong supporting work from Ray Romano and Holly Hunter as Emily’s parents, who form an awkward bond with Kumail as they wait for Emily’s recovery.
The Spy Who Dumped Me (2017)
Run Time: 117 min | IMDb: 6/10
SNL’s Kate McKinnon and Mila Kunis star in this rom-com that’s heavy on the action. Kunis plays a woman named Audrey, who hooks up with a charismatic man of mystery played by Justin Theroux. Turns out, the guy is a spy who’s in some hot water, and Audrey, along with her loud-mouthed best friend, Morgan (McKinnon), are pulled into an international conspiracy where they’re forced to dodge bullets, gain intel, and figure out why the dude dumped her.
Pineapple Express (2008)
Run Time: 111 min | IMDb: 7/10
Seth Rogen and James Franco star in this comedy about a process server and his drug dealer who go on the run from a couple of hitmen. Rogen plays Dale, a 25-year-old slacker who witnesses a murder and is hunted (along with his drug dealer Saul, played by Franco) by a drug lord intent on silencing him before he can go to the police. The two get into all kinds of hijinks involving Asian mobsters, barn explosions, and nursing homes.
Logan Lucky (2017)
Run Time: 118 min | IMDb: 7.1/10
Ten years after his last Ocean‘s entry, Steven Soderbergh revisits the heist genre, this time centering on a pair of unlucky brothers (Channing Tatum and Adam Driver) working a scheme to rip off a big NASCAR race. Memorable side characters, rapid-fire dialogue, and charismatic performances keep the story from becoming too predictable even for a twist-filled heist tale. Soderbergh was even able to cut out major studios and keep complete creative control over the movie, thanks to streaming services and international distribution. It’s a largely light-hearted movie, and frankly, that’s necessary sometimes.
Brittany Runs A Marathon (2019)
Run Time: 104 min | IMDb: 6.8/10
Jillian Bell stars in this painfully funny story about a young woman attempting a major life change. Bell is Brittany, a 20-something living in New York and whose sedentary lifestyle begins to lead to health issues. She decides to pick up running because it’s cheap, and she’s broke, and she eventually finds friendship and a community with her running group. As she trains to run the New York City Marathon, dumps toxic friends, squats in an Upper East Side mansion with a stranger, and yes, loses weight, she’s forced to confront some hard truths about herself and her past. Even if running isn’t your thing, you’ll enjoy this one.
Heathers (1981)
Run Time: 103 min | IMDb: 7.3/10
One for the outsiders, Heathers is the darkest of the ’80s teen comedies. While your “teen-angst bulls*t” may not have had a body count, everyone can relate to the constant pressure to be popular that plagues high school hallways. Winona Ryder proves herself to be the ultimate cool girl as Veronica, who takes matters into her own hands in order to destroy a toxic clique. Cynical and more than a little cruel, Heathers changed the game for teen films forever. While Mean Girls may be its spiritual successor, Heathers remains the one Queen Bee to rule them all.
Eighth Grade (2017)
Run Time: 93 min | IMDb: 7.5/10
Comedian Bo Burnham’s directorial debut looks at the social anxieties of a young girl on the cusp of her high school career. Elsie Fisher plays Kayla, a pre-teen in her final week of eighth grade. She’s virtually friendless, choosing to spend her time creating inspiring Youtube videos that no one sees. When she decides to venture from her computer screen, attending pool parties and hanging out with older kids, she’s thrust into situations for which she’s not entirely ready. The film is a painfully honest look at the pressure of growing up, the loss of innocence, and how social media can contribute to feelings of anxiety and isolation in teens, especially young girls who are forced to grow up much more quickly than their male counterparts, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of comedic moments thrown in to soften the blow.
Knives Out (2019)
Run Time: 130 min | IMDb: 7.9/10
Call us jaded, but few movies that are as hyped up as this Rian Johnson whodunnit actually live up to the hype. You’ve got an A-list cast that’s somehow managing to share the screen and carve out singular moments for their characters despite a packed plot. You’ve got a story with twists and turns and darkly comedic gags you could never see coming. And you’ve got Johnson, who managed to make an original film that actually competed with, and surpassed, some established franchises at the box office. Something’s got to be wrong with this movie, right? Wrong. It’s as layered and nuanced and perfect as Chris Evans’ waffle-knit sweater. Enjoy.
Spaceballs (1987)
Run Time: 96 min | IMDb: 7.1/10
Mel Brooks’ hilarious space odyssey has become something of a cult classic over the decades. It’s a parody of George Lucas’ Star Wars trilogy, so it follows the same plot: a rogue pilot and his sidekick must rescue a princess and save the galaxy, but instead of Startroopers, the bad guys are known as Space Balls, and everyone is hopelessly out of their depth playing hero (and villain).
Troop Zero (2019)
Run Time: 94 min | IMDb: 7.1/10
Viola Davis and McKenna Grace star in this feel-good comedy set in 1977 rural Georgia about a misfit group of girl scout wannabes. Grace plays Christmas Flint, a space nerd who dreams of working for NASA and starts her own troop in pursuit of that dream. Davis plays the girls’ no-nonsense troop mother, and the two fight against rich white women and Regina-Georges-in-training to keep their group together.
Saved (2004)
Run Time: 92 min | IMDb: 6.7/10
Jenna Malone, Mandy Moore, and Macaulay Culkin star in this dark comedy about a young teen who gets pregnant, and her uber-religious classmates who begin to ostracize her. Malone plays Mary, a young girl who begins to question the teachings of her Christian high school when she falls for a boy and begins to have sex. Moore plays her mean girl friend who (literally) tries to put the fear of God in her. Even if you’re not religious, watching Moore kidnap Malone’s character and perform a forced exorcism so she doesn’t “backslide into the depths of hell” is laugh-out-loud funny.
Young Adult (2011)
Run Time: 94 min | IMDb: 6.3/10
Charlize Theron stars in this comedy about a woman behaving badly, like steal your husband badly. Mavis (Theron) is a fiction writer living in the big city who returns to her small hometown after a divorce intent on rekindling a romance with her high school boyfriend (Patrick Wilson). The man’s got a wife and a new baby, but Mavis is sure a couple of sexy outfits, shots, and a rock concert can change that. She gets “guidance” from an old acquaintance (a delightful Patton Oswalt), but really, the point of this movie is to prove women can be just as sloppy and unhinged as men can be, so don’t expect some grand “seeing-the-light” moment.
Ghost World (2001)
Run Time: 111 min | IMDb: 7.3/10
Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi, and Thora Birch star in this cult comedy about two devious teenage girls who respond to a dating ad and end up having their lives changed forever. Enid (Birch) and Rebecca (Johansson) are best friends with plans to move in together after high school, but their friendship is put to the test when Enid begins showing an interest in Seymour (Buscemi), an older man looking for love in all the wrong places.
