2024 will be remembered for a wave of bold films with storylines unlike anything we’ve seen before. It’s also a year of big comebacks for long-forgotten stories. We’ve put together a list of the best comedies of 2024. So, take a look and pick some ideas for your next movie night.
Content
- Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
- Babes
- Ricky Stanicky
- Paddington in Peru
- Nightbitch
- The Balconettes
- The Second Act
- Your Monster
- Bookworm
- My Old Ass
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
IMDb: 6.6/10
2024, Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
USA, PG-13
Director: Tim Burton
Top Cast: Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara
It’s been not just years, but decades since their last meeting. Lydia has grown up and now hosts a TV show about the paranormal. She has a daughter, Astrid, though their relationship is quite strained. But a sudden family loss brings three generations of the Deetz family back to Winter River. There, Astrid accidentally opens a portal to the Afterlife — and saying that one name three times releases the mischievous bio-exorcist Beetlejuice once again. What follows is a new wave of supernatural chaos involving both old and new characters.
The movie makes a point of using practical, “handmade” effects rather than relying on CGI. Tim Burton deliberately chose this approach to preserve the spirit of the 1988 original — from mechanical creatures and sandstorms to Beetlejuice’s infamous blue tongue, all created with practical tricks.
Babes
IMDb: 6.3/10
2024, Comedy
USA, R
Director: Pamela Adlon
Top Cast: Ilana Glazer, Michelle Buteau, John Carroll Lynch
This is a story about two friends in New York. One is Eden, a carefree yoga instructor. The other is Dawn, a busy mom of two already juggling family life. They’re at very different stages in life. After a casual fling, Eden decides to have a baby and leans more and more on Dawn. Their friendship is tested by adult responsibilities, pregnancy, and the very real details of childbirth.
The film puts the focus not on romance, but on female friendship and the idea of a “chosen family.” Reviews note that the pregnancy and birth scenes feel almost too realistic, but critics praise the film’s honesty and the strong chemistry between the two lead actresses.
Ricky Stanicky
IMDb: 6.2/10
2024, Comedy
USA, R
Director: Peter Farrelly
Top Cast: Zac Efron, John Cena, Jermaine Fowler
As kids, three friends invented an imaginary buddy named “Ricky Stanicky” to get themselves out of trouble. Years later, they’re still blaming him for their mistakes. But when their loved ones demand to finally meet this “friend,” the guys hire an eccentric performer from Atlantic City, nicknamed Rock Hard Rod (played by John Cena), to play the part. From that moment, their lie takes on a life of its own, putting their jobs and relationships at risk.
Fun fact: the project was stuck in development for over a decade. Jeff Bushell’s original script made it onto the 2010 “Black List” of best unproduced screenplays, and back in 2013 Jim Carrey was even considered for the lead role.
Paddington in Peru
IMDb: 6.6/10
2024, Adventure, Comedy, Family
UK, France, USA, PG
Director: Dougal Wilson
Top Cast: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer
The Browns are traveling with Paddington to Peru. He’s going to visit Aunt Lucy, who lives in the Home for Retired Bears. But he doesn’t yet know that his aunt has gone missing. Now the whole family sets off through the Amazon jungle and the Andes to search for her, and from the airport they’re pulled into a mysterious adventure with a hint of legendary treasure.
Filming and preparation took place in the UK, Peru, and Colombia. For the river scenes, they used 360-degree plates shot on location by a second-unit team, while the boat itself was built on a rig inside a studio.
Nightbitch
IMDb: 5.5/10
2024, Comedy, Horror
USA, R
Director: Marielle Heller
Top Cast: Amy Adams, Scoot McNairy, Zoë Chao
An artist gives up her career and stays home with her young son, while her husband is always away traveling. Isolation and exhaustion push her toward strange experiences. Little by little, she starts to feel like she’s turning into a dog: her senses sharpen, animal-like habits appear, and along with them her suppressed creative side awakens.
Nightbitch is a dark comedy with elements of body horror about identity, motherhood, and the cruel irony of everyday life.
Director Marielle Heller deliberately avoided a typical “werewolf scene”: the transformation is suggested through hints and editing. But on screen, the heroine is sometimes “replaced” by a real dog. For the film, they found a red husky named Juno in a California shelter, trained her specifically for the project, and in the end, the trainers adopted her.
The Balconettes
IMDb: 5.8/10
2024, Comedy, Horror
France, Not Rated
Director: Noémie Merlant
Top Cast: Noémie Merlant, Souheila Yacoub, Sanda Codreanu
A crushing heatwave hits Marseille. Three roommates — Ruby (a cam girl), Nicole (an aspiring writer), and Elise (an actress) — avoid going out into the scorching sun, preferring to spend their days on their huge balcony. All the more so because a handsome photographer lives across the street.
At first, the friends just flirt and playfully watch their neighbor. But the harmless pastime quickly spirals into a bloody story, as the comedy suddenly turns into a thriller. It seems the women will have to face the consequences of their fantasies and choices. The film was shot in Marseille in the summer of 2023.
The Second Act
IMDb: 6.4/10
2024, Comedy
France, Not Rated
Director: Quentin Dupieux
Top Cast: Léa Seydoux, Vincent Lindon, Louis Garrel
The Second Act is a satire about cinema. On the surface, the audience sees a typical rom-com plot about Florence, David, her father Guillaume, and their friend Willy — but it keeps getting interrupted as the actors drop character and argue about the shoot.
The whole story takes place around a roadside diner “in the middle of nowhere.” Who’s running the process is unclear — it might be a person, or it might be an AI director. In the end, it’s a movie-within-a-movie that pokes fun at celebrity egos, industry trends, and the very nature of filmmaking as spectacle.
At the core of the satire are celebrity culture, cancel culture, #MeToo, political debates, and fears about AI. In short, The Second Act is a sharp, timely film.
Your Monster
IMDb: 6.4/10
2024, Romance, Comedy, Horror
USA, R
Director: Caroline Lindy
Top Cast: Melissa Barrera, Tommy Dewey, Edmund Donovan
Laura is going through a tough time. She’s dealing with a breakup while also recovering from surgery. So she returns to her childhood home. Everything there is just as it used to be — including the monster in the closet. He’s terrifying, but at the same time strangely charming.
Their unusual coexistence helps Laura “find her voice” again and gather the courage to fight for herself — in her career, in love, and in life.
Be prepared for some musical elements. There aren’t too many, but the film might not appeal to those who never warmed up to the genre.
Bookworm
IMDb: 6.0/10
2024, Adventure, Comedy, Drama
New Zealand, PG (NZ)
Director: Ant Timpson
Top Cast: Elijah Wood, Nell Fisher, Morgana O’Reilly
Smart and stubborn 11-year-old Mildred dreams of proving that a “mythical” black panther really lives in the Canterbury foothills. When her mother suddenly ends up in the hospital, her long-absent father comes to look after her. His name is Strong Wise — an American magician and, at the same time, a bit of a failure. Father and daughter are finally reunited.
Together, they decide to set off into the wild on a big adventure that forces them to truly get to know each other.
The story is based on a New Zealand urban legend about the Canterbury panther, so the film was shot on location in the Canterbury region.
My Old Ass
IMDb: 6.9/10
2024, Comedy, Drama
USA, Canada, R
Director: Megan Park
Top Cast: Maisy Stella, Aubrey Plaza, Percy Hynes White
High school graduate Elliot celebrates her 18th birthday on her family’s cranberry farm in rural Ontario. During a “psychedelic” hike, she meets her 39-year-old self (played by Aubrey Plaza). It’s the kind of thing everyone dreams about.
Older Elliot gives her advice about family, love, and the future — making it clear: “stay away from guys named Chad.” Meeting her future self finally helps her figure out what she really wants in life. It’s a light, heartfelt coming-of-age comedy.
