Subscribe to Prime? In the mood for a rib-tickler? Here Rory Doherty’s picked a diverse selection of funny films streaming on Prime Video, from gross-out classics to more thoughtful comedies.
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* All new movies & series on Prime Video
* All new streaming movies & series
Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging (2008)
Watch on Prime VideoA perfect slice of 2000s cheese (extra-fermented), this female-directed adaptation of a wildly popular teen novel deserves a place in the coming-of-age Hall of Fame. Never has the cringe of 2000s Britain been so hilariously put to film, as picturesque Brighton becomes a battlefield for attractive London boy approval and toxic friendship circles. Gurinder Chadha makes no compromises in translating the hyper-specific language and style to a wider audience, leaving us 15 years on with a hilarious time capsule.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. (2023)
Watch on Prime VideoAnother near-perfect film that was overlooked by this year’s Oscars, this adaptation of Judy Blume’s iconic 1970 tween novel is as interested in growing up in a faithless America as it is with the complications of female puberty. Still, adolescent anxieties course through Kelly Fremon Craig’s warm and hilarious drama, pairing a perfectly-cast Rachel McAdams and Benny Safdie as the titular sixth grader’s overworked and just-as-clueless parents, as 11-year-old Margaret tries to carve out her identity in a suburban world.
Brittany Runs a Marathon (2019)
Watch on Prime VideoNot content with being assigned to supporting comic roles, Jillian Bell (22 Jump Street) launched her snarky comedy into a lead role in this sharp and genuinely affecting film about someone completely discontent with their life focusing on the transformative goal of running the New York marathon. Bell is a highlight, but the script fleshes out a wide ensemble of zany, likeable characters to keep you laughing the whole journey.
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020)
Watch on Prime VideoMaking a Borat sequel as the world ends (the film was shot across early 2020) is one of these brilliant ideas no-one could have seen coming, but having seen the final product, you’re so glad they had the cameras rolling. Borat was let loose on locked-down America, ready to push buttons even further, this time recruiting his daughter (a fearless, Oscar-nominated breakout role for Maria Bakalova) for his satirical schemes. The most heartfelt story Sacha Baron Cohen movie has made!
Bottoms (2023)
Watch on Prime VideoIt’s admirable that a teen comedy this raunchy, nonsensical, and terminally online got released in the first place—but with Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri at the helm, it’s less of a surprise that it’s so funny. Aping off quasi-teen movie parodies like Not Another Teen Movie and Wet Hot American Summer, this queer high school film is less concerned with a gripping story and more with landing the next heightened gag—a worthy pursuit.
Buffaloed (2020)
Watch on Prime VideoShe played a wannabe influencer in the recent satire Not Okay, but Zoey Deutch is well-versed in playing unlikeable characters. In this film about shady debt-collectors, she delivered a knockout performance as an ex-con scrambling to pay off debts and find purpose in a world of hustling. The film is not afraid of going to dark places with style, and thanks to a winning lead turn, it’s an energetic, funny time.
Emergency (2022)
Watch on Prime VideoReally promising filmmakers can wring comedy out of the most nerve-shredding, tense stories. This socially-conscience dramedy about a group of BIPOC college students who find an incapacitated young white woman in their accommodation, and try to avail themselves of the racially-charged assumptions that will come their way, should she be discovered. The characters are thoughtfully fleshed out, and in the most pulse-pounding moments, up-and-coming filmmaker Carey Williams manages to get belly laughs to break the tension.
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (2022)
Watch on Prime VideoA uniquely fresh comedy, Good Luck to You pairs rising star Daryl McCormack and certified gold Emma Thompson in a series of meetings between a widow and a young sex worker, Leo Grande. Through sparkling banter, taboos are prodded and broken, aided by the film and Leo’s blasé attitude towards sex—and Thompson’s character being hopelessly out of her depth. It’s a touching, empathetic dramedy with a firm understanding of the comedic potential of modern sex work.
Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
Watch on Prime VideoOi! You wantin’ a fight? Just try to not speak like a Guy Ritchie heavy man after this brutish British crime flick. For his debut, Ritchie kept the stakes low and focused on well-defined characters making outlandish blunders, making the caper feel more farcical than nerve-shredding. You get the sense all the cast’s tough guys know how to poke fun at themselves, from Jason Statham to Vinnie Jones—and even after their careers blew up, they’d frequently return to comedic roots.
Mamma Mia! (2008)
Watch on Prime VideoAt the time, critics were sniffy about this explosively silly ABBA jukebox musical (or maybe everyone was too busy lauding The Dark Knight, which came out the same day in 2008), but by the time Here We Go Again arrived 10 years later, everyone had retroactively acknowledged how delightful the original was. Showcasing levels of joy and horniness previously undocumented in Meryl Streep movies, it’s impossible to get through five minutes without shrieking with glee.
Palm Springs (2020)
Watch on Prime VideoIf every day you woke up stuck in the same Groundhog Day film, you could do a lot worse than it being Palm Springs, a Lonely Island jaunt pairing oafish nihilist Andy Sandberg with the understandably panicked Cristin Milioti. A sunny wedding vacation is overshadowed by a time loop that, again, makes some people learn valuable lessons about themselves and their purpose. But it’s pulled off with such fresh energy and humour that it stands out from a tired genre.
Saltburn (2023)
Watch on Prime VideoIt’s taken the internet by storm, so if you’re one of the few human beings online who hasn’t seen it, Emerald Fennell’s button-pushing aristocracy romp, where a bland outsider infiltrates the asphyxiating inner sanctum of an English manor, is streaming on Prime. Come for the gorgeous actors consuming each other’s bodily fluids (yes, it happens more than once) stay for the ludicrous and perfectly delivered satirical quips—namely from queen Rosamund Pike.
Ted (2012)
Watch on Prime VideoNo-one’s calling this the most sophisticated comedy, but it’s got a lot more charm than its contemporary season of Family Guy. Not only is Seth McFarlane the perfect choice for a washed-up, fantastical celebrity, but Mark Wahlberg’s muscle-headed dudebro-isms make a perfect match. It’s a buddy comedy with off-colour jokes and appropriately forced sentimentality. You shouldn’t feel bad about loving it. Well, maybe a little bit.
Yes, God, Yes (2019)
Watch on Prime VideoNatalie Dyer’s nervous, doe-eyed performance on Stranger Things makes her a perfect pick for this hypercharged Catholic anxiety comedy, as a teenager who discovers the thrills of masturbation on a school retreat. It’s in-your-face and sweet-natured in equal measure, with some terrific observed cringe comedy, and thanks to the excellent comic turns of Dyer and Timothy Simons as her priest teacher means Catholic guilt has never been this titillating—and funny.
You Hurt My Feelings (2023)
Watch on Prime VideoIntimate bourgeois satires may not be everyone’s idea of a rip-roaring comedy, but Nicole Holofcener (Enough Said, the third segment in The Last Duel) makes these slight slices of privilege go down a treat. Neither author Julia Louis-Dreyfus nor therapist Tobias Menzies can find a private way to criticise each other, and end up offending each other’s insecurities throughout. Every character is heightened just the right amount: pathetic enough to sympathise with, but annoying enough to root against.
This guide is regularly updated to reflect changes in Prime Video’s catalogue. For a list of capsule reviews that have been removed from this page because they are no longer available on the platform, visit here.
