Comedy has evolved and changed a multitude of times throughout history, long before it was being used in the medium of film, in a wide variety of different styles and approaches. Even now, in the modern day of comedy filmmaking, there is no one singular perfect way to make a comedy film, as the different approaches and styles that persist throughout the genre are what make it so adaptable and effective to this day. Thus, several comedy films are too strange or unique to simply approach at face value, requiring some time before you can truly appreciate and enjoy them.
These are not the types of simple, easygoing comedy movies that can be put on at any moment as a form of relaxation, but insteaddemand an experimental comedic approach that uses laughter as a tool for greater meaning. These films may just as easily turn away and disgust one person with their approach to comedy, as they could become a smash it filled with hilarious moments for another person. Being an acquired taste doesn’t inherently make these movies superior to other comedy films, but they do show just how many different flavors comedy can take part in.
10’On the Count of Three' (2021)
Directed by Jarrod Carmichael
One of the great strengths that comedy provides is levity and refuge in a normally dark and dreary premise, and few comedy movies are as outwardly bleak and painful asOn the Count of Three. It makes foran emotional yet highly distressing viewing experience, where the audience has to be in touch with the film’s wavelengths andsense of dark comedyso as not to feel disheartened by how it uses humor to discuss deeply disturbing material.
The film follows a duo of best friends who, in their separate worlds, feel as though there are no other options but to end their lives, yet lack the strength to do it themselves. They forge a pact to execute a double suicide, but decide to take care of all of their unfinished business together on their last day alive. In the process, they find themselves getting into all sorts of trouble and possibly reevaluating their stance on life itself.
On the Count of Three
Directed by Radu Jude
Few things are as directly controversial and unnerving to wider audiences as sexual content and nudity, being one of the biggest sources of censorship in US culture. It’s just one of the aversely alienating tools thatBad Luck Banging or Loony Pornutilizes to make for one of thestrangest yet most reflective comedy experiencesof recent memory. It even reaches a point where its release on streaming sites is massively censored, with the film even using its censorship as an additional joke.
The Romanian comedy constantlyshatters the barriers of traditional storytelling, whether through multiple endings, constant nudity, or a chapter entirely dedicated to unrelated anecdotes. The film follows a school teacher who finds herself at odds with her community after a sex tape with her partner is leaked on the Internet. She soon finds herself forced to face the parents of her students face-to-face, defending her stance and refusing to resign amidst the pressure.
8’The Heartbreak Kid' (1972)
Directed by Elaine May
While romantic comedies are normally associated with being lighthearted and comforting filmmaking experiences,The Heartbreak Kidgoes for a completely different approach to comedy. As opposed to the simpler and breezy experience of a standard rom-com,The Heartbreak Kidisone of the most effective and awkwardly cringeworthy comediesimaginable.The honeymoon filmsees the man in a newlywed couple falling for another woman three days into his honeymoon, deciding that he wants to be with this new woman over his needy, unsophisticated wife.
While many other romantic comedies have their unlikable characters turn a new leaf by the end of the film,The Heartbreak Kidstays with its unsavory character throughout its entire runtime. It gets a lot of inherent joy and painfully awkward humor from the uncomfortableness of its situations and characters, playing out likean ever-growing snowball of painful yet hilarious moments. The movie is so effective with its unlikable characters that it can prove to be a tough watch for fans of traditional rom-coms, leaving it reserved for those with a taste for this type of intentional discomfort.
The Heartbreak Kid
7’A Town Called Panic' (2009)
Directed by Stephane Aubier and Vincent Patar
One of the inherent strengths that the medium of animation provides is its limitless capabilities in terms of creative expression, a facet that is widely used to create various animated comedy films. However, many of the most acclaimed and recognizable animated comedy films attempt to stick to the classic structure and energy of a traditional comedy. This directly contrasts withA Town Called Panic, a manic French-Belgian stop-motion animated film that is constantly one-upping itself in terms of pure chaos and lunacy for the sake of comedy.
The film not only features the traditional animated film staples like talking animals and cartoonish exaggeration, but also brings these conventions to their absolute extremes, to where the only logical response is laughter. From characters ordering too many bricks in an online order to fight off against fish people that are constantly stealing their new homes,it’s simply impossible to predict what will happen nextinA Town Called Panic. Its wild energy can make it tiring and difficult to keep track of for some audiences, but those on the same wavelength will find it a joy from start to finish.
A Town Called Panic
6’Not Another Teen Movie' (2001)
Directed by Joel Gallen
A seemingly inescapable trend in comedy that persisted throughout the 2000s was the massive number ofScary Movie-inspired spoof movies, each attempting and failing to tackle different genres and subgenres of film. While several of these films are considered some of the worst comedies of all time, this pile of garbage has an unexpected diamond in the rough in the form ofNot Another Teen Movie. While it still features a lot of the dated issues that plague other spoof movies of the era, there isan inherent charm and tactfulness to the filmmakingthat gives it an edge above its contemporaries.
It certainly helps matters thatNot Another Teen Moviefeels in touch with the actual genre that it’s parodying, instead of simply shoving together pop culture references as its only attempt at comedy. It still features the same level of highly crass and raunchy humor that defines these parody films, yet it doesn’t distract too much from the best jokes and can even work with the right comedic timing. Even with the film’s qualities, these spoof movies are still a highly specific brand of comedy thatwill either work with someone or be a nuisance from start to finish.
Not Another Teen Movie
5’Kinds of Kindness' (2024)
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
Yorgos Lanthimoshas made a name for himself as a juggernaut for strange, confusing, and outright uncomfortable comedy experiences, although his most popular works are more toned down from the early films in his filmography. His latest film,Kinds of Kindness, acts as a return to form for the director as a story ofstrange characters, deeply uncomfortable situations, and wildly absurdist comedy. Its prospects as an anthology film, as well as being over two and a half hours long, make it a harder sell even for fans of uncomfortable comedy.
Especially after the absurd yet strangely crowd-pleasing energy of Lanthimos’s previous film,Poor Things,Kinds of Kindnessis an experience that is much more bleak, dark, and even more uncomfortable in its execution. It utilizes an array of strange characters, unnerving performances, and wild twists to keep audiences on their toes throughout each of its three distinct stories.This comedy is certainly hard to finish, considering just how many painfully cringeworthy moments an audience will have to sit through during its massive runtime.
Kinds of Kindness
4’Trash Humpers' (2009)
Directed by Harmony Korine
Harmony Korineis a directorwho is constantly pushing the barrier when it comes to taste and respectability with his comedy filmmaking, as he’s actively trying to shock and discomfort the audience. None of his films more blatantly show the director’s strengths in uncomfortability in combination with comedies likeTrash Humpers, a satirical mockumentary that isunrestrained in its tendency to disturb. The film follows a gang of disturbed elderly people as they roam the streets of Nashville, Tennessee, and commit various crude and depraved acts.
While the film never strays away from its core roots, it’sas disturbing and viscerally uncomfortable as a comedy movie can get. Its frequent unnerving material is blended in with the attempts at comedy, with many jokes feeling awkward and intentionally painful to sit through. Like the rest of Korine’s filmography, it’s an acquired taste for his style of aggressively anti-normative structures for comedy.
Trash Humpers
Directed by Nigel Bach
While many comedies specialize in telling a variety of jokes and comedic moments, it takes an especially brave film tocommit to a single recurring gagthroughout its entirety.Bad Benis the type of wild, low-budget horror comedy that is committed enough to fulfill this concept, largely acting as an elongated exploration of a singular joke, with the entire likability of the film relying on whether this joke lands.
Thefound-footage horror comedydirectly satirizes and parodies the structure and elements of films likeParanormal Activity, simply swapping out the protagonist for an easily annoyed middle-aged man who is tired of all the paranormal shenanigans. Much like the series that it’s parodying, the pacing is relatively slow and methodical, giving ita more abstract tone that stops it from being widely accessibleby traditional comedy audiences.However, if it’s a simple joke andNigel Bach’s hilarious performance lands for an audience, thenBad Benis sure to be a wildly fun time.
2’Sasquatch Sunset' (2024)
Directed by David and Nathan Zellner
Dialogue is a key component for most modern comedy films, with jokes and dialogue directly helping the chemistry between on-screen characters. This already putsSasquatch Sunsetin a strange predicament as a modern comedy film with no spoken dialogue, but the film’sstrange style of raunchy, sexual comedymakes it even more distinct and alienating for traditional audiences. Many have been quick towrite offSaquatch Sunsetas weird, simply not aligning with its distinct approach to comedy.
The film follows a family of sasquatches as they travel across the forests of North America, getting into all sorts of shenanigans while on their journey. Tthe film boasts highly impressive make-up work, but its awkward sense of comedy and abundance of grunts, farts, and other uncomfortable noises make it a singular comedic experience. It’s certainlya committed experience that deserves respect, although one would certainly require an acquired taste to truly enjoy all that the film offers.
Sasquatch Sunset
1’Love Exposure' (2008)
Directed by Sion Sono
A herculean comedy epic whose massive 4-hour runtime alone is enough to turn people away,Love Exposureis one ofthe most creative and distinct comedy experiencesto come out of modern Japanese cinema. The film sprawls across a multitude of different arcs through its characters, tackling various plot threads and themes of religion, purity, coming-of-age, cult worship, and everything in between.
Even outside of its massive runtime that makes it difficult to approach for traditional audiences, the massive array of raunchy content and outright disturbing visuals and conceptsmake it a stomach-churning movieto get through. It’s fully emblematic of the filmography and style of directorSion Sono, embracing personality and style above all else, even at the cost of alienating specific audiences.The mindset required to appreciate the film has limited its growthand reach with worldwide audiences, yet dedicated fans still highly praise the film as one of the best comedies of all time.
Love Exposure
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