Americans have a love affair with Hollywood and we’re thrilled with intense action dramas, but there are times when we need a little humor to soften the intensity of our entertainment. Sometimes it’s nice to just sit back and watch a film that gives us a good belly laugh. If you’re in the mood for something to lighten your spirits and you could use a little humor, we have a collection of films that will have you rolling on the floor and laughing out loud. Here are the top 20 action comedy movies of all time (in no particular order)
1. Hot Fuzz (2007)
Hot Fuzz is a drama/parody film about Nicholas Angel played by Simon Pegg, who has a really rough time adapting to an assignment he’s been given. He’s sent to the small British town of Sandford where there isn’t a lot going on, except for a long series of grim so called accidents that take place in the area. Although it’s the quintessential small sleepy town populated with nice people, Nick is an oaf for certain, but he knows that these events are not just accidents an goes on to investigate them in a hilarious parody format that will have you splitting your sides with laughter. The screenplay was written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright. Wright also served as director.
2. Tropic Thunder (2008)
Tropic Thunder is one of the most hilarious action comedies of the 2000s. It focuses on the life of a director who is shooting a war film and gets a few bright ideas to make the scenes more lively. The misguided leader believes that by dropping thee actors into the heart of a real jungle and capturing their performance on film with hidden cameras, he can make a better film. As it turns out, one of them is a heavy drug user (Jeff Portnoy) and his co-star Kirk Lazarus who is a hard core method actor have no idea what is going on and the two end up wandering into the middle of a genuine war zone where they encounter a series of unfortunate events. The film is directed by Ben Stiller and won the Critics Choice Movie Award for Best Comedy. If you haven’t seen it you’ve been missing out. Producers spared no expense with this $92 million film that grossed 188.1 million at the box office.
3. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Simon Pegg plays the role of Shaun who is somewhat of a dull fellow in his 30s. He comes across as an average loser who really has nothing going for him. He works at an electronics store and lives with Ed, his slovenly best friend, played by Nick Frost. His girlfriend Liz, played by Kate Ashfield, is taking a break from their relationship because she wants Shaun to grow up and start behaving like a real man. The show starts out a little slow, but it isn’t boring because we’re getting the backstory on Shaun and his cohorts. Not long into the film, Shaun and Ed start having experiences with zombies and soon, the entire town in overrun with them. Shaun gets his chance to prove his manhood as he must face the task of protecting his mother and Liz from the onslaught of the zombie apocalyptic creatures that are everywhere. The screenplay for this hilarious comedy was written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright and directed by Wright.
4. The Other Guys (2010)
This hilarious action comedy stars Will Ferrell as detective Gamble who partners with detective Hoitz, played by Mark Wahlberg. The two NYPD cops are assigned to desk duty for reasons that appear obvious as the movie roles on. Gamble enjoys pushing paper, but Hoitz can’t stand it anymore and wants to get out on the streets to deal with the real action that’s taking place. He has a need to make a name for himself. When a small case comes along that doesn’t seem like a big deal, it turns out to be a major case, and Gamble and Hoitz team up to prove to the rest of the guys on the force that they really do have what it takes to be cops. There are some intense moments in the film, but with Walhberg and Ferrell on the same team how could it NOT be funny? It’s a side-splitter and a must see if you’re in the mood for comedy.
5. Kick Ass (2010)
Aaron Johnson plays Dave Lizewski, a teenager who is an avid fan of comic books. He gets a big idea and is inspired to take on the role of a real life action superhero, but the only thing missing is that he doesn’t have any super powers or special abilities. He makes a costume for his new identity and calls himself “Kick Ass.” He goes out on the streets as a crime fighting crusader. He goes about amassing his group of cronies which include a father daughter team with a vigilante spirit, called Big Daddy and Hit Girl. He meets up with Red Mist, another crime fighter trying to do the right thing, played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse. The group doesn’t know what they’re in for when a scheming mobster decides to take them on and find out what they’re made of. Matthew Vaugh and Jane Goldman wrote the screenplay for this truly funny film about would be well-doers. Things go seriously awry but it’s riddled with laughable moments that take viewers into the sublime.
6. 21 Jump Street (2012)
Jonah Hill plays a cop named Schmidt, who teams up with Channing Tatum’s character Jenko to join the prestigious Jump Street law enforcement unit. Going undercover as high school students is easy for the two youthful looking cops. Each dons a backpack and jumps into the frey of high school existence, as they seek to infiltrate a dangerous drug ring and shut it down for good. In this insanely funny movie, the two undercover cops soon realize that life as a high school student is nothing like it was when they were in school. The two even experience anxiety as they relive some of their most frustrating moments while on the job. Terror and anxiety are a part of the mix, even though they’re really both grown men. This intense comedic drama has a good plot and there are some suspenseful moments, but it’s so funny that we’d put the classification of comedy as the first descriptor.
7. Deadpool (2016)
Ryan Reynolds blows the doors off of this highly funny drama about the comic book character Deadpool. It’s a dark comedy with quite a few emotional scenes. The former special forces operative (Reynolds) was working as a mercenary when he falls into the hands of the evil scientist Ajax, who is played by Ed Skrein. Reynolds’ character Wade Wilson is tortured and disfigured by Ajax, who performs a sick experiment on him that turns him into a freak of nature with accelerated physical healing powers. He’s effectively transformed into a mutant. Something unique also happens during the transformation. He develops a sharp yet dark sense of humor and no matter how serious or grim the situation, he’s got at least a witty one liner filled with humor. The plot of the film focuses on Deadpool searching out Ajax in hope that he has an antidote or cure for the condition he imposed on him. Deadpool is joined in his hunt by a couple of other mutants named Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Colossus.
8. Pineapple Express (2008)
This comedy is the hilarious story about Stoner Dale Denton played by Seth Rogan who enjoys smoking a very rare strain of marijuana. He witnesses a murder and drops his joint. A little later Dale goes to a pot peddler who carries the strain, played by James Franco. The bad guys trace the strain to Franco and put out a hit on the two who go on the lam. Gary Cole is a dangerous drug lord and he’s in cahoots with crooked cop Rosie Perez. The pair pull out all the stops to try to catch Franco and Rogan in a film that is filled with suspense and funny moments because of the radically crazy things that they do to get away from their would be killers.
9. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
Eddie Murphy stars in this film playing thee part of policeman Axel Foley. When his childhood friend is murdered on a visit to Detroit, Axel sets out to find his killer. The trail of clues leads him to Beverly Hills, California. He goes undercover as a vacationer where he runs into an old friend named Jenny Summers. He has every reason to believe that her employer, Victor Maitland who is an art dealer has some connection to the killing. Foley has to deal with a series of hilarious obstacles in his search, thrown at him by Lt. Bogomil, played by Ronny Cox. Bogomil doesn’t trust Foley and does everything that he can to impede his progress.
10. The Blues Brothers (1980)
The late great John Belushi played the role of Jake, a blues musician just released from prison. He reunites with Elwood, his brother, played by Dan Aykroyd and the two make up the musical team known as the Blues Brothers. Jake is charged with raising money to save the orphanage that was home to the boys as they grew up. The pair desperately go about trying to raise the $5,000 in back taxes that are behind so the orphanage can keep its doors open. They believe that they can raise every cent by getting their old band back together and playing a series of gigs. After one of their performances, a series of hilarious events take place from which the pair makes a few rather bad enemies including the police. The timing for these complications couldn’t be worse as they are racing against the clock to come up with the money that they need.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6dZ8RXahC0
11. Men in Black (1997)
The notorious and legendary men in black are the universes best kept secret.They are employed by a secret unofficial government agency to provide immigration services for the resident aliens who are living among humans on the planet. Agent Kay is played by Tommy Lee Jones. He recruits Jay (Will Smith) to be his assistant because of the young police officer’s unique skills and agility. Together they help to regulate the activities of the aliens from outer space who are temporarily making their homes on the planet. Jay is in training and the interactions and chemistry between he and Kay are downright funny, while being heart warming at the same time They are complete opposites, but they work brilliantly together. When investigating a group of unregistered alien visits to the earth, the two agents discover a plot that has been contrived by an intergalactic terrorist who is sent to assassinate two ambassadors from other galaxies who have immigrated to New York City.
12. Rush Hour (1998)
Jackie Chan is at his finest in this comedy action movie that focuses on an FBI case. Chan’s character, Detective Inspector Lee of Hong Kong is sent to America by a Chinese diplomat who’s daughter was kidnapped in Los Angeles. He’s sent to help the FBI in solving the case, but the Federal Agents want nothing to do with him and push him off on an LAPD detective James Carter, played by Chris Tucker. Lee gets down to business and the wise cracking Carter initially thinks his assignment is just to babysit. When Carter learns that the FBI as well as the police department has blown them off, he joins Lee in the effort to solve the case and rescue the missing girl.
13. The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)
Steve Carell plays Andy Stitzer. Andy is a good guy who earns his living working at a big box store. He lives by himself and occupies his free time with video games and finding new additions for his collection of action figures. At the age of 40, Andy has never had sex with a woman. While this isn’t information he’s comfortable sharing with his friends, their locker room talk, he tries to enter in, under the pretense he has as much sexual experience as the rest of the gang, but after a few awkward comments, it becomes apparent he knows nothing about women or sex with them. After some ribbing, the guys decide to help him by finding a woman who would be willing to have sex with him. After meeting a local shop owner named Trish, the two begin a romance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8skEQx5w8Cs
14. Groundhog Day (1993)
Bill Murray plays the part of a television weatherman with a cycnical attitude, who goes on assignment on location to report on the annual Groundhog Day celebration in the tiny town of Punxsutawney. He is joined by his camera crew including Chris Elliot and Andie McDowell. He falls into a predicament that causes him to wake up and repeat the same day over and over again. During the process, he commits suicide, but wakes up again as usual. After coming to terms with his fate, he begins to make multiple self improvements. He learns to play the piano, he tries to save the life of an elderly homeless man and he woos Andie McDowell, who initially didn’t want anything to do with him because of his wise cracking and self important demeanor. In time, and through interaction with the decent people of the town, Murray transforms into an educated, caring person who can see the other person’s perspective, and it helps him win the heart of his beloved co-worker.
15. Austin Powers (1997)
Austin Powers, starring Mike Myers in the lead role is the hilarious comedy that details his life as a spy. Powers is a bungling spy from the 1960s and the film is a spoof that shows him accidentally performing some pretty impressive feats. He was cryogenically preserved and is brought out of his frozen state in the 1990s. Although he was the epitome of fashion and style in the ’60s, he dons the same outdated attire in the ’90s and looks the part of a total buffoon. In fact, everything about him is outdated. Even his vocabulary was totally off, but thanks to the help of his more modern female counterparts, he gets a grip and gets the goods on his old enemy Dr. Evil, also played by none other than himself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cWRHcl5GFI
16. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)
Will Farrell is Ricky Bobby, a NASCAR superstar who is riding high on the wave of success. His fans love him, he is incredibly rich and he has a beautiful wife and family. He’s at the pinnacle of his career and his life is picture perfect until he loses it at the appearance of French Formula One championship racer Jean Girard, played by Sacha Baron Cohen. Ricky falls into a slump and his so called best friend rises as a victor (John C. Reilly), taking his home, his wife, family and career away. Bobby’s absent father returns at the behest of his worried mother and helps him to regain his sense of self and work his way back to the top.
17. The Nice Guys (2016)
Ryan Gosling plays the down and out private detective Holland March in the late 1970s era in Los Angeles. He teams up with a hired enforcer Healy played by Russell Crowe, who earns his living hurting people for his bosses. However unlikely their union, the two join forces to find a young woman named Amelia for her very important mother who is willing to pay them top dollar from the job. They soon learn that the people who are looking for her also want to kill her to stop her from sharing their unfair political dealings motivated by greed and a lust for power. The case takes them into some of the darkest places imaginable, but there’s always a twist of humor even when things get intense.
18. Dumb and Dumber (1994)
Dumb and Dumber is perhaps one of the funniest films that Jim Carrey, who plays Lloyd Christmas and Jeff Daniels in the part of Harry Dunne have ever done. It’s gone down in the history of film as the most idiotic success. The two are best friends, but they also both happen to be imbeciles. They find a suitcase filled with money that is left by Mary Swanson in Harry’s car. She was on her way to the airport. The two are honest and innocent and take off on an adventure to Colorado to return her suitcase. They experience a chain of misadventures along with way that includes run ins with hired killers, the police and beautiful women.
19. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
The legendary Leslie Nielsen is Frank Drebin, the police detective who is consistently clueless in this hilarious action comedy about a plot to transform everyday people into mind controlled assassins. O.J. Simpson is Drebin’s partner Norberg and after he gets shot, Frank is hell bent on finding the responsible party. This leads him to a filthy rich business tycoon, Vincent Ludwig played by Ricardo Montalban. Frank frantically tries to uncover some shred of evidence to link him to the crimes he’s investigating, but he has no luck until he joins forces with Jane Spencer, Ludwig’s assistant played by Priscilla Presley. She wasn’t involved in any of Ludwig’s dirty dealings, but she signs on with Frank after falling for him to help him get the evidence he needs to bring the criminal down.
20. This is the End (2013)
This is one of James Franco’s most hilarious performances to date. He plays himself as a Hollywood actor who throws a huge party for all his celebrity buddies including Seth Rogan, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson and Jay Baruchel. During the bash, a biblical apocalypse takes place and Hollywood’s elite find themselves in the middle of untold carnage as they are trapped in Franco’s home. There is nothing left of the world that they knew on the outside of Franco’s place. The celebs get cabin fever eventually and as they begin to run low on supplies they venture outside of the protection of Franco’s house and encounter hilarious and shocking events.
Follow Us
