So far, 2025 has been far from a banner year for comedy films. Adam Sandler bastardized one of his beloved classics by making the unfunny, uninspired Happy Gilmore 2 which featured literally dozens of cameos and about three laughs, all of which came from the underutilized Christopher McDonald returning as Scooter McGavin. There were also barely any comedies released in theaters, with far more like Happy Gilmore 2 going straight to streaming.
There were, however, a handful of comedies that hit the big screen and offered up some laughs, all of which are worth a look before closing the book on 2025.
‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues isn’t nearly as bad as the chatter around it. Is it great? No. Does it compare with the original? Definitely not.
However, there are some solid laughs in the rockumentary about idiot musicians on their final tour, and there is something truly novel about seeing Michael McKean, Harry Shearer and Christopher Guest revive these classic characters.
That sheen wears as the story rolls on, and there are droughts without laughs, but it never tanks. As far as long-delayed comedy sequels go, they could have done much, much worse — just look at Happy Gilmore 2.
‘The Phoenician Scheme’
The Phoenician Scheme is about a rich businessman dodging assassination attempts. While far from director Wes Anderson’s best work, the movie is still quite funny.
Michael Cera is a natural to star in Wes Anderson’s stylized quirk-fest films. Mia Threapleton serves up some solid deadpan comedy. But it’s Benicio Del Toro that shines the brightest. He’s charming as business tycoon Anatole “Zsa-Zsa” Korda. That said, The Phoenician Scheme is Del Toro’s second funniest movie this year.
‘The Roses’
The Roses is a remake of 1989’s War of the Roses. I was a fan of the Danny DeVito original about a divorcing couple going to all-out war with each other so I went into this edition quite skeptical and came out mostly enjoying it.
While it doesn’t reach the manic, darkly funny heights of the original, there’s some fun to be had in the vengeful husband vs. wife hijinks, mostly because Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman have true comedic chemistry. Kate McKinnon is also really funny playing a horndog for Cumberbatch’s character.
‘Mickey 17’
Mickey 17 is only partially a comedy, being funny at times and adopting a pretty serious tone at others. The movie reveals a dystopian future with “expendables,” who are disposable grunts that often get killed while performing truly terrible jobs in space.
Robert Pattison plays a wide array of “Mickeys” in the film, all clones of the same guy, and each clone has their own quirks. The main character is Mickey 17, who is a bit of an idiot. The movie leans into his stupidity and darkly funny terrible jobs to great effect.
Mickey 17 is less successful when focusing on the plot’s inherent tragedy, but it’s still an imaginative work from the Oscar-winning director of Parasite.
‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’
Much of the chatter around If I Had Legs I’d Kick You has been about Conan O’Brien playing a dramatic role, and that’s not entirely accurate. His performance is more wry and dry than outright serious and definitely eschews his standard Conan silliness.
That suits the darkly funny If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, which is about a mother, played by Rose Byrne, whose life is falling apart in several ways. The subject matter is not light, but the movie knows how to find humor in the pain.
‘Friendship’
While it doesn’t reach the comedic heights of Detroiters or I Think You Should Leave, Friendship has some really solid laughs. The movie is an anti-buddy comedy about Tim Robinson’s loser character who becomes obsessed with his cool-guy neighbor played by Paul Rudd.
The duo play off each other very well. Rudd is initially a cheeky straight man against the discomfort radiating from Robinson’s cringey desperation until he finally turns the knife too far. There’s no zipline in it, but it’s still a characteristic Robinson awkward good time.
‘One of Them Days’
If Friendship is an anti-buddy comedy, One of Them Days leans into the buddy comedy formula. Keke Palmer plays a tightly-wound dreamer trying to get a good job while SZA is her spacey, irresponsible roommate whose boyfriend steals the rent money. The movie takes place over the course of one day – when the characters need to make enough money to avoid eviction.
One of Them Days is an Odd Couple-style comedy at its heart, with solid jokes and great comedic chemistry that puts its own spin on the genre.
‘One Battle After Another’
While not a comedy per se, Paul Thomas Anderson’s movie about a bumbling revolutionary whose daughter gets kidnapped is funnier than many comedies released this year.
Leonardo DiCaprio uses all the comedic chops he put to work in The Wolf of Wall Street and Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood to bring us another funny, desperate character. One Battle After Another hums the hardest comedically when DiCaprio is teamed up with Benicio Del Toro, who is also a revolutionary. Together, the duo has some great banter, but their chatter never distracts from the high stakes plot.
‘The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie’
The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie is a low-budget comedy gem deserving of more attention. The Looney Tunes characters have mostly played second-banana to live action humans in theatrical releases, but The Day the Earth Blew Up puts its faith into Daffy Duck and Porky Pig as movie stars. Another buddy comedy along The Odd Couple lines, this offering sees Daffy and Porky saving the planet from an alien invasion.
It’s especially a treat for fans of the 1940s Bob Clampett Looney Tunes shorts, as The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie heavily features that brand of irreverent silliness, employing both classic and new gags.
‘The Naked Gun’
I didn’t think I would like this movie. I’ll go so far as to say I didn’t even want to like this movie, but the new Naked Gun had other thoughts.
Just like the original films, The Naked Gun is a total farce where the jokes come fast and furious. Does every one of them land? No, but that was the case in the original films as well. The beauty of this franchise is that jokes come so often that if one doesn’t land, you only need to wait ten seconds for the next one. The same is true here of 2025’s The Naked Gun. It is jam-packed with laughs.
And, just as Leslie Nielsen was a straight-faced B-movie actor turned comedy star, Liam Neeson is the perfect guy to lead this movie, as he uses all his action movie seriousness to deadpan comedic effect in this absurd world. The Naked Gun is my comedy of the year thus far. I was surprised and pleased by that.
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