25 Funniest Comedies on Netflix Canada You Need to Watch
Updated: Aug. 28, 2023From teen satires to buddy cop parodies, these comedy movies on Netflix are guaranteed to make you laugh out loud.
The Nice Guys (2016)
In a fairer world, this ’70s-set buddy comedy would’ve been a box office hit. Starring Russell Crowe as a no-nonsense enforcer, Ryan Gosling as a bumbling private investigator and Spider-Man’s Angourie Rice as his quick-witted daughter, The Nice Guys revolves around a seemingly open-and-shut missing persons case that turns out to be the centre of a government conspiracy. Insults, pratfalls and strange scenarios abound, but the real pleasures of The Nice Guys come from simply watching Crowe and Gosling work their magic.
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Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Sophia Lillis and Bridgerton’s Regé-Jean Page star as a band of misfits who team up for the biggest heist in The Realms. In order to save his daughter from the clutches of a conniving lord, bard-turned-thief Edgin (Pine) must steal the “tablet of reawakening,” an object that can resurrect the dead. Whether you’re a fan of the iconic role-playing game or not, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a complete blast.
Miss Congeniality (2000)
It takes a brilliant etiquette coach and a day-long makeover to turn the butt-kicking, finger-licking, laugh-snorting FBI agent Gracie Hart (Sandra Bullock) into a ravishing Miss New Jersey. In this comedic take on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, Hart is hand-picked by her colleague (Benjamin Bratt) to go undercover in America’s most famous beauty pageant after the Feds receive word of a bomb threat. It goes without saying, of course, that Miss Congeniality strains believability—and it’s all the funnier for it.
Meet the Parents (2000)
No comedy portrays the awkwardness of meeting your future in-laws quite like Meet the Parents. From hilarious set pieces (that wonderfully deranged impromptu lie detector test scene) to unforgettable quotes (“I have nipples, Greg. Can you milk me?”) and one especially brilliant cat subplot (Mr. Jinx!), Meet the Parents is one of the comedic high points of the 2000s.
Eddie the Eagle (2015)
It’s often said that the English love their eccentrics, and who in British sports history has a more bewildering story than Michael Edwards? Played with infectious optimism by The Kingsman’s Taron Egerton, Edwards overcomes childhood disabilities and sets his sights on the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, where he hopes to become the first ski British ski jumper in six decades. Ready for some unabashedly sentimental fun? Eddie the Eagle has your number.
Ted (2012)
Meet John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) and Ted (Seth MacFarlane): a pair of pot-smoking underachievers who’ve been best friends for more than 20 years. Ted, however, just happens to be an anthropomorphic teddy bear, and John’s long-suffering girlfriend (Mila Kunis) has grown tired of their immature antics. Can their friendship survive the demands of adulthood? Ted is a hilarious reminder of the necessity for R-rated comedy.
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The Other Guys (2010)
There are two kinds of cops: those who solve crimes, and those who file paperwork. Desk-bound detectives Allen (Will Ferrell) and Terry (Mark Wahlberg) belong to the latter group—Allen is a mild-mannered forensic scientist, while Terry is a hothead who once mistakenly shot Derek Jeter. The two finally get their hands on the case of a lifetime, however, when a routine investigation turns out to be anything but. The Other Guys milks its testosterone-filled, buddy-cop premise for all it’s worth—and the results are side-splitting.
The Hitman’s Bodyguard (2017)
Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson prove to be a formidable pair in this endearing action-comedy. When a sought-after mercenary (Reynolds) is hired for a security detail job, he’s shocked to learn that his newest client is Darius Kincaid (Jackson), a world-famous assassin who’s set to testify against a vicious Belarusian dictator (Oldman). The Hitman’s Bodyguard overcomes its clichés by leaning into screwball territory—and letting its two superstar leads take control of the proceedings.
The Intern (2015)
This buddy comedy about a 70-year-old widower (Robert De Niro) who becomes an intern at an up-and-coming fashion retailer is the kind of flick that lingers in the mind long after the credits roll, however unexpectedly. Much of that has to do with De Niro, of course, who turns in one of his most graceful performances to date. Writer-director Nancy Meyers and Anne Hathaway as CEO Jules Ostin deserve kudos too—for every familiar storytelling beat, there are moments in The Intern that are equal parts funny, heartwarming and insightful.
Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011)
Leave it to Ryan Gosling to save the day on two separate occasions in this box office hit. As notorious womanizer Jacob Palmer, Gosling takes pity on Steve Carrell’s hapless, soon-to-be-divorced Cal Weaver and shows him the ways of seduction; then, he rescues law school grad Hannah (Emma Stone) from her career-oriented boyfriend. Supporting players like Julianne Moore, Marisa Tomei and Kevin Bacon get their time in the sun, but Crazy, Stupid, Love is first and foremost a comedic showcase for Gosling, Hollywood’s most unlikely funnyman.
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Bridesmaids (2011)
Annie Walker (Kristen Wiig) is a down-on-her-luck pastry chef who becomes the maid of honour for her oldest friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph)—much to the chagrin of Lillian’s new bestie, the wealthy Helen (Rose Byrne). A box office breakthrough for female-led comedies, Bridesmaids balances out its earnest drama with gross-out gags and offbeat characters. Plus: Melissa McCarthy, who stars as Lillian’s future sister-in-law, is a scene-stealing delight.
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Glass Onion (2022)
The improbably accented Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) returns to Netflix for another wildly entertaining whodunnit. Set at the height of the pandemic, the world’s greatest detective is invited to the murder mystery-themed party of billionaire tech entrepreneur Miles Bron (Edward Norton), which—you guessed it—devolves into an actual murder mystery. Like 2019’s Knives Out, Glass Onion derives much of its humour from its motley crew of privileged characters (played by the likes of Kate Hudson, Kathryn Hahn and Dave Bautista). And just as Ana de Armas stole the show in the original, singer-actor Janelle Monáe practically demands a round of applause every time she shows up on-screen in Glass Onion.
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Kajillionaire (2020)
In the mood for the most idiosyncratic comedy on Netflix Canada? Look no further than Kajillionaire, the latest from one-of-a-kind filmmaker Miranda July. The Dynes aren’t your average family unit—mom Theresa (Debra Winger), dad Robert (Richard Jenkins) and 26-year-old daughter Old Dolio (Evan Rachel Wood) are con artists, pulling everything from insurance scams to returning “lost” (read: stolen) items to their wealthy owners in exchange for rewards. Old Dolio seems destined to follow her parents forever, until she meets Melanie (Gina Rodriguez), a mysterious woman with her own deceptive streak.
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Step Brothers (2008)
Having a parent remarry sucks—just ask Brendan Huff (Will Ferrell) and Dale Doback (John C. Reilly), two exceptionally immature men whose single parents (Mary Steenburgen and Richard Jenkins) have just tied the knot. Forced to carry on under the same roof, the new siblings clash until they’re forced to find work or face independent living. Stunted emotional growth has never been so hilarious.
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The Phantom of the Open (2022)
“Practice is the road to perfection” is an adage that history’s most revered athletes would surely agree with—and so does Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance). After a surreal late-night revelation, the mild-mannered husband, father and crane operator from Cumbria suddenly takes up the famously snobby sport of golf—which he’s terrible at—and becomes hellbent on competing in the 1976 British Open. The best part? It’s all true. Director Craig Roberts’s retro aesthetic frames Flitcroft and company’s zany antics wonderfully, and the result is one of the best—and funniest—golf movies ever made.
Red (2010)
After starring in some of the greatest action movies ever made, it’s only fair that Bruce Willis would return to the genre that first made him a star—for laughs, of course. He does just that in 2010’s Red, playing Frank Moses, a retired CIA black ops agent who now spends his days sweet-talking a call centre employee (Mary Louise Parker). But after learning that a hit squad is out to eliminate him, Moses is forced to call his old pals—Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren and Succession’s Brian Cox—out of retirement.
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Colin Quinn: The New York Story (2016)
Its status as a live recording of an Off-Broadway show may disqualify it as a “movie,” but Colin Quinn: The New York Story is simply too funny to ignore. In just one hour, Quinn, a hardened, fast-talking Brooklyn native long known as a “comedian’s comedian,” condenses New York City’s 350-year history into a series of smart, hilarious vignettes centered on its immigrant populations. From the Irish, Italians and Jews (the latter of whom, Quinn quips, were the “only immigrant group that wanted to be checked for tuberculosis at Ellis Island”) to Puerto Ricans, Asians and Eastern Europeans, Quinn explores how the city’s diverse roots led to that famous “New York attitude”: no-nonsense, opinionated and perpetually in a rush.
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Rose Island (2020)
The 1960s was a tumultuous time for young Europeans who were sick and tired of the status quo—add Giorgio Rosa (Elio Germano), an idealistic engineer in Italy, to the list. His solution? To build a platform on the Adriatic Sea and call it home for him and other like-minded individuals. (Unsurprisingly, the Italian government is not a fan of Rosa’s island paradise and tries to thwart his plans.) Based on a true story, this whimsical comedy proves that truth really is stranger—and funnier—than fiction.
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The Meyerowitz Stories (2017)
Meet Harold (Dustin Hoffman): sculptor, retired art professor and father to three dysfunctional children: unemployed Danny (Adam Sandler), financial advisor Matthew (Ben Stiller) and project manager Jean (Elizabeth Marvel). In the lead-up to a retrospective of Harold’s work at the MoMA, the siblings reunite—to disastrous results. The laughs in The Meyerowitz Stories are plenty—and pop up in unexpected ways.
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Always Be My Maybe (2019)
Everyone assumed childhood friends Sasha (Ali Wong) and Marcus (Randall Park) would wind up together—except for Sasha and Marcus, that is. Fifteen years after graduating high school, she’s a celebrity chef and he’s a struggling musician. Will the two reconnect and find their happily-ever-after? Always Be My Maybe cleverly subverts Hollywood’s Asian stereotypes—and co-stars a never-better Keanu Reeves playing a fictionalized version of himself.
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The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
There’s been no shortage of revisionist films made about the Old West, but The Ballad of Buster Scruggs may be the funniest. This anthology film tells six tales about the frontier: a self-mythologizing gunslinger (Tim Blake Nelson), a down-on-his-luck cowboy (James Franco), a cold-blooded talent manager (Liam Neeson), a grizzled prospector (Tom Waits), a young woman travelling across the Prairies (Zoe Kazan), and a group of stagecoach passengers on an otherworldly journey.
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Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979)
Brian Cohen (Graham Chapman) is no stranger to living on the sidelines: after all, the Bethlehem native was born in the stable next door to the baby Jesus. Adulthood is equally uneventful for him—until, through a silly sequence of events, he’s mistaken for the actual Messiah. The rest of the Python gang—John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam—shine in roles as varied as religious fanatics and ex-lepers. Life of Brian’s show-stopping musical number, “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” may be the happiest song ever written about death.
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Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
If Looney Tunes was rated-R, the result would be Kung Fu Hustle. Set in Guangzhou, China, in the 1940s, this action-comedy follows Sing (Stephen Chow), a village idiot who wants to become a member of the dangerous Axe Gang. The only area not under the gang’s rule is Pig Sty Alley: a slum whose landlords happen to be legendary kung fu masters in disguise.
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Dolemite Is My Name (2019)
In this Golden Globe-nominated Netflix original, Eddie Murphy portrays real-life Rudy Ray Moore, a comedy and rap pioneer who proved doubters wrong when his hilarious kung-fu fighting alter ego, Dolemite, became a 1970s Blaxploitation smash.
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Tallulah (2016)
Tallulah (Elliot Page) is having a rough go of things: she’s just been dumped by her boyfriend, lives in a rundown van and steals credit cards to make ends meet. Things, however, go from bad to worse for Tallulah when she impulsively decides to kidnap a neglectful mother’s toddler and meet Margo (Allison Janney), her ex’s mom. Downward spirals have never been so darkly funny—and so deeply moving—as in Tallulah.
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