20 Best Movies for Slapstick Comedy Fans

Slapstick comedy has been entertaining audiences for over a century. The absurd displays of chaos, voluntary accidents, and physical gags, the genre traces its root back to vaudeville and silent films. Back then, actors like the legendary Marx Brothers pioneered the art of madcap humor. As the decades passed, new masters evolved the style to keep audiences in stitches. Directors shifted their focus on breaking rules, pushing boundaries, and staying relevant. But one thing remained constant – the idea of offering small doses of silliness.

Today’s top talents keep the tradition going with modern twists and even zanier humor. The advancement allowed for even more crazy “accidents” and dumb displays of humor timed with precision. Yet, at its core, the movies retained their timeless ability to touch our inner child and give them joy. In this list, we simply want to indulge that inner child, that goofball, with some silly selections that will definitely have you laughing out loud.

20 Animal Crackers (1930)

Animal Crackers

Release Date

June 23, 2017

Director

Tony Bancroft

Cast

Sylvester Stallone, Danny DeVito, Ian McKellen, Patrick Warburton, Gilbert Gottfried, Raven-Symone

Main Genre

Animation

Animal Crackers is a pre-Code comedy film that brings the zany wit of the Marx Brothers to glorious life on screen. In the movie, Margaret Dumont stars as Mrs. Rittenhouse, an influential society matron who is throwing a lavish mansion party at her estate home in Long Island. She’s chosen Captain Jeffrey Spaulding (Groucho Marx), a renowned explorer who has just arrived from Africa, to be the guest of honor. However, things immediately go the other way when a Roscoe W. Chandler, an art collector, enters with one of his greatest paintings.

The film features the Max Brothers at their best, with Chico and Harpo indulging in cross-talk exchanges and just causing general mayhem. Their unique brand of absurdist humor and slapstick comedy is truly on point.

19 Duck Soup (1933)

Paramount

Another Marx Brothers’ film on the list, but one that blends two classic genres – musical and comedy – Duck Soup is directed with pure silliness by Leo McCarey. The gem sees Groucho as Rufus T. Firefly, who agrees to become the new hopeless leader of Freedonia, a tiny nation that has gone bankrupt. Seeing Firefly’s weakness as a president and his knack for finding humor in serious situations, a neighboring country, Sylvania, sends two spies played by Chico and Harpo to kickstart a revolution and overthrow Firefly.

Feeding on the economic tensions between nations created by the premise, the film tries to weaponize wit and wackiness in a way that is hilarious, obviously, but also timeless and memorable.

Available to buy/rent on Apple TV

18 Who Done It? (1942)

Universal Pictures

Devoid of any musical numbers yet just as influential, Who Done It? Is Abbott and Costello’s first feature film and it is directed phenomenally by Erle C. Kenton. Chick Larkin and Mervyn Milgrim are two soda-counter workers who dream of becoming mystery writers for the radio. They attend a broadcast program hoping to pitch their idea to the network president, Colonel J.R. Andrews.

But when Andrews is electrocuted during the broadcast and Chick and Mervyn are arrested under suspicion, their plan backfires. With their classic misunderstandings and bumbling hijinks, it’s clear that logical thinking isn’t exactly their forte. And perhaps that’s why the film is so great.

17 Blazing Saddles (1974)

Blazing Saddles

Release Date

February 7, 1974

Director

Mel Brooks

Cast

Cleavon Little, gene wilder, Slim Pickens, Harvey Korman, Madeline Kahn, Mel Brooks

Rating

R

Main Genre

Comedy

Actor/director Mel Brooks pushes the Wild West genre into an uproarious new direction in Blazing Saddles, which he co-wrote with Andrew Bergman. Harvey Korman stars as the unscrupulous politicians hiring Brooks’ African-American railroad worker as a sheriff to keep order in a racist frontier town and drive its residents away. But Bart’s get-the-job-done attitude soon made the whole place crazy for him, getting on adventures together.

Fifty years later, we still live in a world where racial identity and political correctness has ruined society, so to have a film that turns matters on its head and shatters taboos in a gleeful manner is nothing short of a blessing.

Available to stream on Fubo TV

16 Monty Python And The Holy Grail (1975)

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Release Date

May 25, 1975

Director

Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones

Cast

Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Michael Palin

Rating

PG

Main Genre

Adventure

Easily one of the most hilarious films of the ‘70s, Monty Python and The Holy Grail follow King Arthuer and his Knights of the Round Table on a bizarre quest for the Holy Grail. Needless to say, there’s traces of Python’s signature sense of humor throughout the film.

From misunderstandings and chaotic accidents to silly obstacles and encounters with peasants and killer rabbits, their journey isn’t devoid of subject matter. The cleverness in the lines, the talking-in-circles style of humor, and the flawless timing is the main source of gut-busting laughter. Sure, across decades, several movie fanatics have enjoyed the genius blend of slapstick and satire that the Monty Python film has to offer. But today, even the newer generation will delight in its cult classic.

Available to stream on Netflix

15 Airplane! (1980)

Airplane

Release Date

July 2, 1980

Director

Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker

Cast

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, Julie Hagerty, Robert Hays, Leslie Nielsen

Rating

PG

Main Genre

Comedy

You know how disaster movies exhilarate you to the point of insanity? Well, Airplane! is a seminal ‘80s comedy with one and only one aim – to parody disaster movie tropes. The film, directed by David Zucker, Jerry Zucker, and Jim Abrahams, does so by creating an unassuming commercial plane setting but making the numerous passengers and crew of the plane fall ill due to food poisoning. Now they need an unlikely hero to save the day. But can ex-fighter pilot Ted Striker overcome his crippling fear of flying and land the plane safely?

The film takes parodies to drunken heights with non-stop visual gags, rapid fire jokes and unexpected twists around every turn. Leslie Nielsen, in particular, is a force to be reckoned with – especially with that straight faced rambling and energetic delivery.

Available to stream on Fubo TV

14 Caddyshack (1980)

Caddyshack

Release Date

July 25, 1980

Director

Harold Ramis

Cast

Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, Michael O'Keefe, Bill Murray, Sarah Holcomb

Rating

R

Main Genre

Comedy

Carl Spackler is a plucky groundskeeper at the exclusive Bushwood Country Club. While he’s content at his job and has a blast with the other co-workers while on break, he dreams of getting out and going to college. But in order to get in the good books of Judge Smails, Carl must deal with various pests like gopher and new member Ty Webb, who threaten to derail his plans.

Rodney Dangerfield, Chevy Chase, and Bill Murray lead an all-star cast and utilize a genre that wasn’t as popular during the era. Director Harold Ramis also deserves all the praise for influencing madcap moments into an affecting storyline. Overall, Caddyshackis an original piece of lowbrow art that cements itself as the greatest golf movie of all time.

Available to buy/rent on Apple TV

13 Home Alone (1990)

Home Alone

Release Date

November 16, 1990

Director

Chris Columbus

Cast

Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard, Roberts Blossom, Catherine O'Hara

Rating

PG

Main Genre

Comedy

Home Alone begins with eight-year-old Kevin McCallister being accidentally left behind by his family while they go off to Paris for Christmas vacation. With that start, you might think things couldn’t get any more disastrous. Kevin is delighted to have the house to himself and the situation sends a wave of freedom running through his veins. However, when two bumbling burglars Harry and Marv break into his house, the film proves that this youngster’s genius for mayhem outdoes any professional out there.

The movie comes to slapstick life quite adorably as Kevin rigs booby traps at every turn and innocently outsmarts the grownups. In a way, the film is synonymous to the tone that the '90s wished to convey.

Available to buy/rent on Apple TV

12 Wayne’s World (1992)

Paramount Pictures

When the most popular sketch from Saturday Night Live showed up on the big screens, the result was a blockbuster ode to rock n’ roll and slapstick comedy. Starring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey, Wayne’s World centered around the duo’s iconic public-access cable TV show that they hosted from Wayne's parents' basement. Apparently, Wayne and Garth had always wanted to make it big, so when a professional station executive offered them a deal, they took it happily. But adjusting to the new environment and realizing that the production was revamping the show was challenging. So Wayne and Garth cook up a scheme to save their show.

Actors like Rob Lowe and Alice Cooper lend their talents to this incredible SNL-based comedy, cementing the duo’s “We’re not worthy!!” in our hearts forever.

Available to stream on Max

11 Dumb & Dumber (1994)

Dumb and Dumber

Release Date

December 16, 1994

Director

Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly

Cast

Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Lauren Holly, Mike Starr, Karen Duffy, Charles Rocket

Rating

PG-13

Main Genre

Comedy

Dumb & Dumber stars Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels as the lovable yet immature best friends that go on a goofy adventure of their own. As Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne, a dumb limo driver and his dumber friend, the two come across a mysterious suitcase at the airport. Assuming it belonged to a woman from before, they try to return it only to be chased by police and kidnappers because it turns out that the suitcase contains money connected to a case. The best friends are clearly unable to comprehend danger because their slapstick saga only gets more intense as we go. Their malfunctioning actions paired with director Peter Farrelly’s interesting storytelling makes the movie flow freely.

Available to buy/rent on Apple TV

10 Happy Gilmore (1996)

Happy Gilmore

Release Date

February 16, 1996

Director

Dennis Dugan

Cast

Adam Sandler, Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen, Frances Bay, Carl Weathers, Allen Covert

Runtime

92

Main Genre

Comedy

While the pre-Code cinema was ruled by unparalleled comic experts like the Marx Brothers, the 90s brought a whole new brand of humor, courtesy of Hollywood’s goofiest actor, Adam Sandler. In Happy Gilmore, Sandler plays the titular character, a young and aspiring hockey player who dreams of glory on the greens. But when his grandmother’s house is up for sale, he decides to channel his talents into a new sport – golf. Gilmore joins a golf tournament and soon works his magic.

The character of Happy Gilmore is based on Sandler’s own childhood friend, which makes the role of this unhinged underdog more personal from him. Enter Bob Barker and Julie Bowen in supporting roles and you have a rewatchable '90s comedy for the win.

Available to buy/rent on Apple TV

9 The Cable Guy (1996)

Sony Pictures Releasing  

Somewhat entering a psychological/black comedy territory, we have The Cable Guy, which stars Jim Carrey as a cable installer named Chip Douglas, who is desperate and needy and willing to go to weird lengths to get a friend. Matthew Broderick is Steven Kovacs, Chip’s customer and potential best friend. Chip offers to include premium channels to Steven’s television subscription at no additional cost as a token of friendship but when Steven rejects his attempts, something twisted happens in Chip’s gut and he turns into a full-blown stalker.

Carrey shows braveness by taking the role of Chip and proves that he can do more than just ridiculous humor. This laugh fest spirals into sociopathic-level-insanity when Chip tries everything out of the ordinary to win a friend. But at the end of the day, it’s all in good spirit.

Available to stream on Netflix

8 Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)

Choosing a best film from the Austin Powers series is not an easy feat, but when we think of the swinging secret agent, our mind often goes back to his very first installment, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. The movie was seminal in introducing Mike Myers’ Austin Powers to the big screen. Austin is a British spy of the ‘90s, waking up after decades of being cryogenically frozen. But the man doesn’t even get a second to breathe because he stumbles, quite funnily, into his nemesis, Dr. Evil, who wants to unleash his evil upon Earth. With memorable catchphrases, psychedelic visuals, and an unmatched energy, the movie cements itself as one filled with adamant laughs.

Available to buy/rent on Apple TV

7 Liar Liar (1997)

Universal Pictures

Fletcher Reede is a deliberately ignorant and scheming attorney who often wins his cases with the many lies he speaks almost compulsively. His habit has left his personal life in ruins – the wife’s off with some other guy and the little son gets nothing but false promises and disappointment. One day, Reede’s son Max wishes for his dad to stop lying for just 24 hours, and it is on the day Reede is supposed to win a career-defining court case.

Jim Carrey’s manic physicality is in overdrive as Reede navigates a courtroom of humiliating consequences and realizes just how better it was when he could simply lie his way out. Liar Liar leaves behind any logic or dignity for the sole purpose of providing the viewers with an hour and half of laughter.

Available to stream on Netflix

6 Rush Hour (1998)

Rush Hour

Release Date

September 18, 1998

Director

Brett Ratner

Cast

Ken Leung, Jackie Chan, Tom Wilkinson, Tzi Ma, Robert Littman, Michael Chow

Rating

PG-13

Main Genre

Action

Slapstick comedy is an entertaining genre by itself, but add a buddy cop narrative to it and what you have is an absolute popcorn-munching blockbuster. Rush Hour sends two contrasting cultures on a collision course. On one hand, there’s a by-the-books Hong Kong cop Lee and on the other hand is rebel Los Angeles detective Carter. The two are teamed together to solve a kidnapping case of the 11-year-old daughter of a diplomat.

Both Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker bring their signature energetic styles to deliver laughter and gags. The action sequences are expertly choreographed by director Brett Ratner, and paired with the witty dialogue and their the leads’ winning chemistry, the film is a landmark in the genre.

Available to buy/rent on Apple TV

5 Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

Release Date

August 22, 2001

Director

Kevin Smith

Cast

Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Ben Affleck, Jeff Anderson, Brian O'Halloran, Shannon Elizabeth

Rating

R

Main Genre

Comedy

If you’re a writer/artist aspiring to make a name for yourself, you know just how enormously important it is to be picked by a production willing to make a movie based on your work. But what happens when you learn that you won’t be getting any royalty – or credits – in exchange for your blood and sweat? Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is a View Askewniverse film that centers around the same premise, with two New Jersey potheads feeling left out of their own story by Hollywood creators. Jay and Silent Bob embark on a cross country road trip to sabotage production and get their due.

It is delightful to watch Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes get their juvenile victory and get involved in stoner logic, foul humor, and that classic conclusion.

Available to buy/rent on Apple TV

4 Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

Release Date

July 9, 2004

Director

Adam McKay

Cast

Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, David Koechner, Fred Willard

Rating

PG-13

Main Genre

Comedy

We’re now in the Will Ferell/Steve Carell era of comedy, where slapstick is at its most quotable but so is the biting social commentary and the need for making a point. Ron Burgundy is San Diego's top-rated newsreader and he’s often seen basking in his own glory as the alpha-male in the news office. But his throne is shaken to the core when Veronica, an ambitious reporter, is hired to work with them. The dimwitted all-male team resorts to rebellion, but it only leads to extremely ridiculous buffoonery.

Ferrell and the team (made of Paul Rudd, David Koechner, and more) indulge in nonsensical brawls and throw shocking insults. And in the process, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy earns its legendary status as one of the most beloved slapstick comedies of all time.

Available to stream on Netflix and Paramount+

3 Drillbit Taylor (2008)

Drillbit Taylor

Release Date

February 4, 2008

Director

Steven Brill

Cast

Nate Hartley, Troy Gentile, Ian Roberts, Owen Wilson, Casey Boersma, Dylan Boersma

Rating

PG-13

Main Genre

Comedy

Ryan, Emmit, and Wade are certified misfits – one’s chubby, the other skinny, and the next nerdy. They have the hardest first day at high school after the school bully targets them. So they hire a homeless war vet named Drillbit Taylor as their bodyguard, only to find that his fighting skills don’t translate to the invincible school bully.

Owen Wilson is perfectly cast as the hopeless and incompetent bodyguard, and he brings in most of the laughs with his harebrained schemes and far-from-dangerous physical jabs. The movie Drillbit Taylor is directed by Judd Apatow, and we all know that his vision is authentic, warm, hilarious, and absolutely unique.

Available to stream on Hoopla

2 Johnny English Reborn (2011)

Johnny English Reborn

Release Date

September 15, 2011

Director

Oliver Parker

Cast

Roger Barclay, Eric Carte, Rowan Atkinson, Togo Igawa, Eleanor Wyld, Mandi Sidhu

Rating

PG

Main Genre

Adventure

A list about slapstick comedy films without mentioning Rowan Atkinson? That would be a crime. In Johnny English Reborn, the actor plays the titular British spy who seemed to have retired for good after his last mission failed miserably. But eight years later, when a cyber-attack organized by a terrorism group called Vortex gets inside the government data and reveals the identity of all active agents, he’s called back to track down the mastermind leader. Johnny English is not a genius by any chance, but he accidentally ends up being dangerous to the foes.

By ramming through situations and stakeouts in a minute-by-minute win, the spy offers silly grins and keeps you invested throughout. Moreover, there’s cool cameos from stars like Dominic West, Rosamund Pike, Gillian Anderson, and Daniel Kaluuya.

Available to stream on Starz

1 The Three Stooges (2012)

the three stooges

Release Date

April 13, 2012

Director

Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly

Cast

Sean Hayes, Will Sasso, Chris Diamantopoulos, Jane Lynch, Sofia Vergara, Jennifer Hudson

Rating

PG

Main Genre

Comedy

Based on the 1934–59 film shorts from the historically revered and wildly lovable comedy group, we have the film, The Three Stooges. With a more contemporary setting, we see the bumbling trio of Moe, Larry and Curly Joe protecting their innocent orphan brothers and the orphanage from being shut down. But in the process, they must raise $830,000.

The film plays out in the form of three acts, making subtle references to how the original shorts were filmed. Captained by Sean Hayes, Chris Diamantopoulos, and Will Sasso’s incredible characters, the movie is a wonderful renewal that brings back their chaotic chemistry, now featuring modern elements like iPhones and everything.

Available to buy/rent on Apple TV