Thinking back on the past decades, there are always some good comedies that are always a pleasure to watch and share some laughs along the way. The 1980s gave us classics like Ghostbusters and Airplane!. The 1990s gave us Dumb and Dumber and Clerks. Coming around the era of the 2000s, there was Superbad and Anchorman. Now that we’ve come to the end of the 2010s, we were still lucky enough to get a ton of comedies that made people laugh each year.
Out of all the film genres out there, comedy is by far the most subjective since every person’s taste in humor differs from each other, which is usually a bummer if you ask me. But the ten movies that I’ve chosen over the past ten years, these are the ones that I can go back and watch whenever it’s on television.
This decade gave us a ton of varieties to laugh our butts off and explores into different genres. But more so, I just had a great time watching them and made comedies the way they are now. Some truly terrible ones came out, but today, I’m just talking about the greats. Some of the movies I won’t be including on this list are animations since they deserve a list of their own later on down the road. Believe me, when I say coming up with ten was a bit difficult to do since leaving out some to make it work felt wrong. But this comes from my taste in what gets me to laugh.
Without further ado, here’s what I believe are the movies that had me laughing over the decade…
10. The Other Guys (2010)
“I just want to go somewhere and breastfeed!”
Out of the two buddy cop comedies that came out in 2010, The Other Guys reigns supreme indefinitely over Kevin Smith’s Cop Out. To me, The Other Guys is one of the last great Will Ferrell comedies (not including animation) where he and Mark Wahlberg play two New York detectives trying to step up and become big shots. This funny and underrated from Adam McKay always makes me laugh with a spoof of the genre that something at least absurd happens. Name another action-comedy where Michael Keaton unaware he’s referencing TLC songs or our main characters facing the realities of a real explosion. The chemistry between Ferrell and Wahlberg is amazing just from the tuna vs. lion conversation. Better to watch this than either Daddy’s Home.
9. Crazy Stupid Love (2011)
“The war between the sexes is over. We won the second women started doing pole dancing for exercise.”
Love can make us crazy. Love can also make us stupid (make us like a-holes). But isn’t that what it’s all about? I missed Crazy Stupid Love when it first came out in theaters, and it’s an instant regret. Here we have a well-written story about love and relationships that isn’t predictable. Steve Carell’s Cal Weaver get got told that his wife (Julianne Moore) cheated on somebody. With the help of Ryan Gosling’s Jacob, he’ll help with pick up women. A rom-com that anybody can relate to when dealing with the basis of love. Love all the performances, especially from ladies’ man Gosling (who had a tremendous 2011) and can perfectly be funny and touching in all the right moments. Lucky to say this proves that finding love is easy.
8. Neighbors (2014)
“We have caller ID, we’re cops, everybody has caller ID.”
While Neighbors didn’t reach the highest levels of laughs compared to the classic Animal House, there’s no denying this 2014 hit is still hilarious. Just having the premise of Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne trying to take down their next-door neighbors, a fraternity led by Zac Efron, is enough to be entertaining. Few people talk about this anymore, but I’m one of those that appreciates this. Personally, this is the best performance from Efron that’s right for him and bushes off his some of his nicer roles. Antics galore and uses its R-rating as an advantage, Neighbors brought the expected humor that’s amusing.
7. Deadpool (2016)
“I had another Liam Neeson nightmare. I kidnapped his daughter and he just wasn’t having it. They made three of those movies. At some point you have to wonder if he’s just a bad parent.”
Rarely do we see comic book movies bring a ton of humor; that’s not the case with Deadpool when it was released in 2016. Knowing that Fox would not screw up this character after the X-Men Origins: Wolverine dumpster fire, it brings the funny with its meta storytelling and take this anti-hero into an awesome superhero movie with the role Ryan Reynolds was born to play and having an R-rating for the genre was a decision best suited for a $58 million budget.
6. The Nice Guys (2016)
“You know who else was just following orders? Adolf Hitler.”
Now, this is a buddy cop comedy that didn’t get enough attention when it first came out. The Nice Guys stars Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe, and Shane Black wrote/directed the freakin’ thing. Is that enough to consider it great? Maybe it was the 70s setting or just a cool story to follow, there’s so much to take away from The Nice Guys, from the pitch-perfect chemistry and comedic timing of its main leads and having a screenplay that’s fresh and witty like no other.
5. The World’s End (2013)
“What the f-k does WTF mean?”
Never will Edgar Wright disappoint in exploring genres of all kinds, and The World’s End, the conclusion to the Three Cornetto trilogy following Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, is a major blast from start to finish. You know it’s crazy when it takes a story of five friends doing a pub crawl to reach the titular place and the town is filled with alien-beings. The World’s End delivers those heavy laughs that come with a Wright project, but it’s also about not re-living the past and looking towards the now. I also can’t get enough of Simon Pegg’s best performance to date as Gary King.
4. Ted (2012)
“No matter how big a splash you make in this world whether you’re Corey Feldman, Frankie Muniz, Justin Bieber or a talking teddy bear, eventually, nobody gives a sh-t.”
You will believe Mark Wahlberg can be friends with a talking CGI teddy bear. Seth MacFarlane’s directorial debut, Ted, could’ve easily failed by not committing to a premise this ridiculous, and yet, this was a laugh riot that’s painfully enjoyable for a buddy comedy. Once again, this shows Wahlberg is good at comedy, and MacFarlane’s voice work and job behind the camera made Ted a summer box office smash with a tale about friendship and growing up. It’s a shame that its sequel and A Million Ways to Die in the West weren’t the best follow-ups, but this was funnier than what Family Guy has been recently.
3. This Is the End (2013)
“Dear God, it’s me, Jonah Hill… from Moneyball.”
Sometimes it’s hard choosing between This is the End and The World’s End since both came out in the summer of 2013. But the Evan Goldberg/ Seth Rogen directed apocalypse comedy is the most fun. Taking a group of Hollywood’s funniest guys (Rogen, James Franco, Jay Baruchel, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, Jonah Hill) being trapped inside Franco’s house while the end of the world is occurring and poking fun of how the media perceives them is nothing but a good time. Sure, most of the jokes are dick-related, but it’s still hysterical. This is the End also gets points because of the Backstreet Boys and that fake “Pineapple Express 2” trailer.
2. Bridesmaids (2011)
“You know, I don’t care which dress we get. I just need to get off this white carpet!”
Bridesmaids is the definition of a perfect “female-driven” comedy that’s endlessly re-watchable. This 2011 Oscar-nominated film surprised everyone, including me, when it gives us a smart and original story that has so many memorable moments that are too great to ignore (the food poisoning scene, the cringe-worthy wedding toast between Annie and Helen, etc.). This help director Paul Feig with more classic comedies after this, paving the way to more female comedies into the process. But the ensemble (Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Ellie Kemper, Wendi McLendon-Covey), which made this raunchy wedding comedy that’s pretty important. Seriously, if you don’t like Bridesmaids, I don’t know what to say to you.
1. 21 Jump Street (2012)
“Hey! stop f-ing with Korean Jesus! He ain’t got time for your problems! He’s busy… with Korean sh-t!”
No comedy made me smile the most of the entire decade than 21 Jump Street. Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s remake of the popular television series from the late 80s didn’t sound good when it was first announced. Nothing about this should’ve worked, especially with the pairing of Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. But here is an action-comedy that broke those low expectations. Part buddy cop comedy, part high school movie, and it’s equally entertaining. Luckily, this didn’t fall under other terrible TV adaptations like The Dukes of Hazzard and I-Spy and made this 2012 film is a self-aware and fast-paced comedy for the ages.
You can never get enough of the bromance between Hill and Tatum, the first role that made me like him as an actor, and every joke is straight-up genius. Along with its worthy sequel 22 Jump Street, it made to be held as a satirical classic that will never not be funny.
Honorable Mentions: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The Disaster Artist, The Big Sick, Blockers, Booksmart, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Easy A, Pitch Perfect, Horrible Bosses
DC's Take 