Some of the top farces, rom-coms, and satires are streaming on the service.

Make ‘em laugh: The 18 best comedies on Amazon Prime Video

Some of the top farces, rom-coms, and satires are streaming on the service.

By Kevin Jacobsen

and Debby Wolfinsohn

on May 11, 2026 8:41 a.m. ET

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Jeffrey Wright as Thelonious ‘Monk’ Ellison in 'American Fiction'; Kumail Nanjiani as himself in 'The Big Sick'; Kathryn Hahn as Rachel in 'Afternoon Delight'. Credit:

Claire Folger/Orion Pictures; Nicole Rivelli/Lionsgate; Jim Frohna/Film Arcade

One of the many great aspects of comedy is that not everything will make you laugh the same way — and that's okay. Comedy is a highly subjective art form, and it can take many shapes, from dark satires like *Heathers* (1989) to action farces like *The Naked Gun* (2025).

Amazon Prime Video has numerous comedy offerings free to watch with a subscription, including newer genre-bending comedies like *Red, White & Royal Blue* (2023) and *My Old Ass* (2024). Whatever form of comedy you're in the mood for, Amazon likely has something for you.

Here are our picks for the 18 best comedies on Amazon Prime Video, as of May 2026.

Afternoon Delight (2013)

Juno Temple as McKenna and Kathryn Hahn as Rachel in 'Afternoon Delight'.

Jim Frohna/Film Arcade

Kathryn Hahn is one of our finest actresses who specializes in stories of modern-day women going through deep internal struggles, and this quirky indie dramedy is no exception. Hahn plays Rachel, a stay-at-home mom growing increasingly frustrated by the monotony of her life. In an effort to spice things up, she goes with her husband to a strip club where she meets McKenna (Juno Temple), a dancer to whom she's drawn. She soon befriends McKenna, though Rachel's insecurities soon come out, leading to tension in their relationship. —*Kevin Jacobsen*

Where to watch *Afternoon Delight*: Amazon Prime Video

**Director:** Joey Soloway

**Cast:** Kathryn Hahn, Juno Temple, Josh Radnor, Jane Lynch

American Fiction (2023)

Jeffrey Wright as Thelonious 'Monk' Ellison in 'American Fiction'.

Courtesy of TIFF/Orion Releasing

This adaptation of Percival Everett's 2001 novel *Erasure* is both a clever satire on the publishing industry and a poignant exploration of a writer examining his place in the world. Jeffrey Wright stars as Thelonious "Monk" Ellison, a frustrated author who pens a satirical novel using stereotypical tropes from African American literature and accidentally gains acclaim for it from white publishers, thinking it's sincere. Monk also deals with family and relationship issues while struggling with his newfound, unwanted fame. Writer-director Cord Jefferson won an Oscar for his deftly composed screenplay, with the film also nominated for four other Academy Awards, including Best Picture. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *American Fiction*: Amazon Prime Video

**Director:** Cord Jefferson

**Cast:** Jeffrey Wright, Sterling K. Brown, Tracee Ellis Ross, Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams

Bernie (2012)

Jack Black as Bernie Tiede in 'Bernie'. Deana Newcomb/Millennium

This engrossing black comedy, based on a wild true story, contains one of Jack Black's best performances. The actor stars as Bernie Tiede, a mortician's assistant who is treasured by his community thanks to his caring nature toward elderly widows. After befriending the irritable Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLaine), she persuades him to work for her full-time, where her demanding nature leads to Bernie eventually shooting her. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Bernie*: Amazon Prime Video

**Director:** Richard Linklater

**Cast:** Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, Matthew McConaughey

The Big Lebowski (1998)

Steve Buscemi as Donny Kerabatsos, John Goodman as Walter Sobchak, and Jeff Bridges as Jeffrey 'the Dude' Lebowski in 'The Big Lebowski'. Polygram/Working Title/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

Just as the Dude abides, we abide by this being one of those Coen brothers films that just gets better with age. Following up their Oscar-winning crime comedy *Fargo* (1996), the Coens amped up the absurdity with *The Big Lebowski*, which follows a slacker, Jeffrey "the Dude" Lebowski (Jeff Bridges), who is assaulted in a case of mistaken identity. The intended target was another man named Jeffrey Lebowski (David Huddleston), a millionaire whose wife has gone missing, and the wealthy Lebowski soon enlists the Dude to deliver the ransom money. Naturally, nothing quite goes according to plan.

"The intertwining characters and their bizarre arcs and behavior are Hitchcockian in nature," EW's critic writes, "standing as one of their best celluloid offerings." —*K.J.*

Where to watch *The Big Lebowski*: Amazon Prime Video

**Directors:** Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

**Cast:** Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, David Huddleston

The Big Sick (2017)

Kumail Nanjiani as Kumail and Zoe Kazan as Emily Gardner in 'The Big Sick'.

Sarah Shatz/Lionsgate

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

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020)

Sascha Baron Cohen as Borat Sagdiyev in 'Borat Subsequent Moviefilm'.

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–

**Director: **Jason Woliner

**Cast: **Sacha Baron Cohen, Maria Bakalova

Brittany Runs a Marathon (2019)

Jillian Bell as Brittany Forgler in 'Brittany Runs a Marathon'.

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–

**Director: **Paul Downs Colaizzo

**Cast: **Jillian Bell, Michaela Watkins, Utkarsh Ambudkar

City Lights (1931)

Charlie Chaplin as the Tramp and Virginia Cherrill as the Blind Girl in 'City Lights'.

Charlie Chaplin wrote, directed, and starred in many masterpieces in the 1920s and '30s, but this bittersweet romantic comedy is his best work. The multihyphenate stars as his signature Tramp character, who falls in love with a blind flower seller (Virginia Cherrill) who mistakes him for a millionaire. Insecure about his lower-class status, he uses his newfound friendship with an actual millionaire to keep up the ruse. It all leads to one of cinema's most poignant endings, an exchange that speaks to the power of silent cinema. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *City Lights*: Amazon Prime Video

**EW grade:** A+

**Director:** Charlie Chaplin

**Cast:** Charlie Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill, Florence Lee, Harry Myers, Al Ernest Garcia

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

Robert Romanus as Mike Damone and Sean Penn as Jeff Spicoli in 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High'. Universal/Everett

In a decade largely remembered for John Hughes' contributions to coming-of-age teen comedies, Amy Heckerling's *Fast Times at Ridgemont High* has proven just as indelible in the years since. The film, written by first-time screenwriter Cameron Crowe, chronicles the lives of teenagers attending high school in a San Fernando Valley town, bursting with hormones and ready to enter the real world. It's plenty raunchy, but there's also a refreshing honesty to its depiction of growing up and figuring out who you want to be. EW's rated it one of the best teen movies of all time, claiming *Fast Times* "presents the 'glory days' with unvarnished awkwardness and a truth-first approach, setting the template for every great teen comedy that followed." —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Fast Times at Ridgemont High*: Netflix

**Director:** Amy Heckerling

**Cast:** Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Phoebe Cates, Robert Romanus

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Heathers (1989)

Christian Slater as Jason 'J.D.' Dean and Winona Ryder as Veronica Sawyer in 'Heathers'.

New World Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

Veronica (Winona Ryder) is a teen 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

Hundreds of Beavers (2022)

The beavers in 'Hundreds of Beavers'.

SRH/Courtesy Everett

Made with $150,000 and a (highly unusual) dream, this bonkers indie comedy is among the most notable word-of-mouth favorites in recent years. Set in 19th-century Wisconsin, *Hundreds of Beavers* follows a frontiersman named Jean Kayak (Ryland Tews), whose applejack business is destroyed by unruly beavers. Jean is then forced to survive and adapt, soon falling in love with a local merchant's daughter, whom he can only have if he procures the titular hundreds of beavers for their pelts. What follows is a goofy, thoroughly entertaining thrill ride in which man and beaver face off in the ultimate battle for supremacy. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Hundreds of Beavers*: Amazon Prime Video

**Director:** Mike Cheslik

**Cast:** Ryland Tews, Olivia Graves, Wes Tank, Doug Mancheski, Luis Rico

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

(From left to right): Graham Chapman as King Arthur, Eric Idle as Sir Robin, Terry Gilliam as Sir Bors, Michael Palin as Sir Galahad, Terry Jones as Sir Bedevere, and John Cleese as Sir Lancelot in a cast photo for 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail'.

EMI Films/Getty

Amazon Prime has quite a few Monty Python projects to choose from, but *Holy Grail* is, well, the holy grail of the comedy troupe's artistic output. This send-up of Arthurian legend finds King Arthur (Graham Chapman) traversing England in the hope of recruiting knights to his Round Table. After assembling his men, God commands him to find the Holy Grail, leading to a perilous adventure with plenty a memorable sequence (shout out to those pesky knights who say "Ni.") —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Monty Python and the Holy Grail*: Amazon Prime Video

**Directors:** Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones

**Cast:** Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones

My Old Ass (2024)

Maisy Stella as Elliott LaBrant in 'My Old Ass'.

Marni Grossman/Amazon Content Services LLC

A teenage girl (Maisy Stella) goes on a mushroom trip and sees a vision of her older self (Aubrey Plaza), who tells her all about her future. The premise (and title) of *My Old Ass* may make it seem like a disposable broad comedy, but writer-director Megan Park imbues her film with surprising depth. This is a coming-of-age story, one with valuable lessons to impart about our relationship to ourselves and the value of living in the present. "The pitch-perfect script and impressive acting made for a hilarious, charming, and surprisingly devastating cautionary tale about life, love, and loss," writes EW's critic. *—K.J.*

Where to watch *My Old Ass*: Amazon Prime Video

**Director:** Megan Park

**Cast:** Maisy Stella, Aubrey Plaza, Percy Hynes White, Maddie Ziegler, Kerrice Brooks

The Naked Gun (2025)

Pamela Anderson as Beth Davenport and Liam Neeson as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. in 'The Naked Gun'.

Paramount Pictures/Everett

Those longing for the days of mainstream, joke-a-minute studio comedies got their wish with this gut-busting legacy-sequel. Liam Neeson stars as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., the hilariously literal-minded son of Leslie Nielsen's character, who led the original '80s and '90s franchise. The new film finds Drebin Jr. investigating the supposed suicide of a software developer, teaming up with the victim's crime novelist sister (Pamela Anderson) to find answers. As EW's editorial director writes, "Expect classic *Police Squad* shenanigans, a plethora of puns, sight gags galore, and an abundance of absurdity." —*K.J.*

Where to watch *The Naked Gun*: Amazon Prime Video

**Director:** Akiva Schaffer

**Cast:** Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand, Danny Huston

The People We Hate at the Wedding (2022)

Ben Platt as Paul Stevenson and Kristen Bell as Alice Stevenson in 'The People We Hate at the Wedding'.

Amazon Prime Video

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

Red, White & Royal Blue (2023)

Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Henry and Taylor Zakhar Perez as Alex Claremont-Diaz in 'Red, White & Royal Blue'. Jonathan Prime/Prime Video

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*. (Some good news: We’re getting a sequel!) —*K.J.*

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

**Director: **Matthew López

**Cast:** Taylor Zakhar Perez, Nicholas Galitzine, Sarah Shahi, Stephen Fry, Uma Thurman

Rushmore (1998)

Jason Schwartzman as Max Fischer in 'Rushmore'.

Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett

Wes Anderson emerged as an auteur to watch with *Rushmore*, his sophomore effort about an unlikely love triangle between wunderkind teenager Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman), a first-grade teacher (Olivia Williams), and a wealthy businessman Max befriends (Bill Murray). The coming-of-age comedy is imbued with Anderson's droll sense of humor while earnestly depicting how each of us is bonded — however unlikely — by our search for meaning in life. In ranking the film as one of Anderson's best, EW's critic writes, "*Rushmore *is rather like one of Anderson's signature shots: Everything is in its right place, and no element is wasted." —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Rushmore*: Amazon Prime Video

**Director:** Wes Anderson

**Cast:** Jason Schwartzman, Olivia Williams, Bill Murray, Brian Cox, Seymour Cassel

They Came Together (2014)

Amy Poehler as Molly and Paul Rudd as Joel in 'They Came Together'.

Romantic comedy fans and haters can come together (see what we did there?) to appreciate this clever parody of the genre. Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd took some time away from sparring on *Parks and Recreation* to star as Molly and Joel, who recount the history of their relationship to a fellow couple. While poking fun at all the classic rom-com tropes (she owns a small candy business, he works for a candy corporation; literally bumping into each other multiple times; montages galore), the film is also grounded by Rudd and Poehler's charming performances. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *They Came Together*: Amazon Prime Video

**Director:** David Wain

**Cast:** Amy Poehler, Paul Rudd, Michael Shannon, Jason Mantzoukas, Christopher Meloni

- Comedy Movies

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Comedy”