The Best Comedies to Watch in 2020 Including Bill & Ted Face the Music
The Best Comedies to Watch in 2020 Including Bill & Ted Face the Music
The year 2020 promises hopeless romantics a reason to laugh with solid rom-coms like the modernized Jane Austen riot Emma, the lovers’ rendezvous with a murderous twist in Lovebirds, the bleached conclusion to the threequel we’ve all been waiting for with Legally Blonde 3, and of course the whimsy of a fictional love letter to journalists with The French Dispatch. For our frequently updated list, check out the best romantic comedies of 2020 we can’t wait to see here.
But for those who just want to laugh at the screen without the pressure of feeling as though they need a plus one, look no further than our list of curated 2020 comedies. From action-packed laugh riots to independent character studies wrought with humor and emotion, we have something here for every sense of humor. And in this election year, goodness, we’re going to need these bouts of comedic relief.
Bad Boys for Life
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return to the big screen to reprise their roles as buddy FBI detectives Mike Lowry and Marcus Burnett, respectively. This time, though, it’s not just a drug lord and his evil misdeeds in their crosshairs; it’s family drama, midlife crises, and Marcus’s old-man syndrome they’re fighting against. Like the first two, the action, laughs, and explosions are nonstop.
Released January 17
The Gentlemen
Guy Ritchie taps into vintage Guy Ritchie with The Gentlemen, a half-baked crime-caper comedy about the extralegal exploits surrounding an American marijuana dealer, starring Hollywood’s most dapperly dressed A-listers including but not limited to Charlie Hunnam, Matthew McConaughey, Colin Farrell, and Henry Golding. Michelle Dockery, God love her, is shouldered with injecting the sole female presence.
Released January 24
Come As You Are
SXSW festivalgoers were keen on director Richard Wong’s road-trip comedy about a trio of men with disabilities traveling across the country to Montreal to lose their virginities to the “French-Canadian goddesses” occupying a bordello for patrons with disabilities. Wong’s film is a remake of a 2011 Belgian comedy called Hasta la Vista, which also scored with critics and audiences alike.
Released February 14
Saint Frances
Saint Frances is receiving a ton of praise, and yet hardly anyone has heard of it. With a handful of Audience Awards scored on last year’s film festival circuit, the shoestring indie is an A-plus find, if you’ll just hunt it down. It follows its writer, Kelly O’Sullivan, who plays Bridget, a hapless nanny who’s just had an abortion. A comedy that juggles weighty issues with humor, it might hit you like a Matt truck, so have tissues to soak up the leakage.
Released February 28
Onward
A winsome animated adventure starring two elfin brothers voiced by Tom Holland and Chris Pratt, Onward is Pixar’s latest attempt to get the masses to shed a river of tears. It follows the siblings’ quest to find and meet their late father, and with a little bit of luck and some magic, they may just be successful. For us, though, the picture house’s first film of the new decade should make for a sweet-spirited prelude to springtime.
Out March 6
My Spy
A CIA agent gets made by a nine-year-old and thus is forced to enlist her in his operation. Such is the gist of the spy spoof from Peter Segal, the director of further satires including Angie Tribeca, Get Smart, and Naked Gun. Pro wrestler Dave Bautista plays the said CIA operative, while Chloe Coleman, who you may recognize from series like Big Little Lies, Superstore, and Transparent, is there to keep him on the ropes.
Out March 13
The Climb
A fresh take on the contemporary buddy comedy, Michael Angelo Covino’s directorial debut has the first-time filmmaker wearing many hats—those of writer, director, and star. He plays Mike, who breaks the news to his best bud Kyle—while biking up a giant hill—that he’s slept with Kyle’s fiancée. And that’s only the beginning of this heartfelt character study that, we swear, will keep you in stitches.
Out March 20
The Personal History of David Copperfield
Dev Patel stars as the iconic Blunderstone hero in this Charles Dickens offshoot from the helmer behind brilliant hilarity including Veep, In the Loop, and The Death of Stalin, Armando Iannucci. Tilda Swinton and Hugh Laurie costar for a comedic take on the classic story of a poor boy who finds fortune as a burgeoning writer.
Out May 8
Irresistible
The former Daily Show host who continues to deliver blows to American politics, Jon Stewart, writes and directs this political comedy starring Steve Carell as a Democratic strategist who recruits a retired marine colonel to run for mayor in a conservative small town. The only thing standing in the way is Faith, a blonde pistol played by Rose Byrne. Make sure you do your civic duty and see it.
Out May 29
Free Guy
Ryan Reynolds strips off the crimson latex suit for a different kind of superhero movie—one with a video game bent. For this explosive go-round, the Deadpool actor plays a guy named Guy who works as a bank teller when one day he learns he’s a non-player character in a computerized world. And just as sure as Reynolds will deliver the necessary humor, we also have Jojo Rabbit director Taika Waititi and Killing Eve assassin Jodie Comer to look out for.
Out July 3
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Who you gonna call to reboot one of the best film franchises of all time? Paul Rudd, apparently. It’s a good choice if you ask us, as the Ant-Man/Bobby Newport/Brian Fontana everyman comedian really can do no wrong in our book. Here, he plays a science teacher helping a group of kids learn their connection to the original Ghostbusters. Cameos are in order from the original cast, and Jason Reitman, son of Ivan, the original director, is helming. That nostalgic pull you feel right now? Lean into it.
Out July 10
Bob's Burgers: The Movie
It took only 10 seasons and countless punny burger specials for the cartoon patty-melting Belchers to get their own movie. The plot remains a mystery, much like the clever name of the adjacent storefront to the family’s namesake burger joint. But we can’t help but wonder, will there be some of Tina’s erotic friend fiction? Will Gene wear pants? Will Louise give the film an R rating? Who knows. What we do know: We cannot wait for summer.
Out July 17
Jungle Cruise
Emily Blunt suits up in her safari khaki best to hit the great outdoors with Dwayne Johnson for a visually stunning adventure that’s also soaked, sweaty, and snake-filled, as it’s based on a Disneyland supernatural theme park ride. And while that all sounds like a ton of fun—who wouldn’t jump at seeing a film starring those two?—the most interesting tidbit comes from behind the camera: It’s directed by action/horror maestro Jaume Collet-Serra (The Shallows, Orphan, House of Wax, The Commuter).
Out July 24
Bill & Ted Face the Music
Come fall, you’ll be able to introduce millennials to the verbiage you annoyed your parents with in the late ‘80s-slash-early ‘90s. Slang winners that were old like “Party on!” and “69, dudes!” will be new again when Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter reboot their time-hopping franchise with a comedy that now sees them as middle-aged rocker dads still trying to pen a gnarly hit song.
Out August 21
The Witches
Remember that movie from 1990 about a Grand High Witch who turns children into rodents—it was kind of funny, kind of weird, and kind of gave you nightmares all at once? That dark fantasy children’s fiction came from Roald Dahl, and now it’s getting the reboot treatment. Anne Hathaway is replacing Anjelica Huston at the top of the coven, with Chris Rock, Octavia Spencer, and Stanley Tucci joining the cast. Also worth noting: Robert Zemeckis (Cast Away, Back to the Future) is directing.
Out October 9
Coming 2 America
It’s been 32 years since Eddie Murphy found love in Queens, New York, as African Prince Akeem Joffer in the John Landis cult classic comedy Coming to America. Luckily, we have only a few more months before we see what the prince has been up to since. According to IMDb, the sequel will see the royal return to the States on a quest to find his long-lost son. Wesley Snipes, Leslie Jones, and KiKi Layne are along for this holiday-season trip.
Out December 18
Zola
A stripper comedy born from a Twitter thread, Zola sent the crowds into standing-Os at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. It stars Riley Keough and Taylour Paige as its leading duo, and comes from outstanding talent Janicza Bravo who scripted the film with Slave Play breakout Jeremy O. Harris. Though embellished, the true story follows the two-day gonzo odyssey of the titular dancer (Page) who gets a ride to Florida from her friend, Stefani (Keough), who brings her boyfriend and her pimp. What could possibly go wrong?
TBD 2020
Eurovision
Okay, first the cast: Rachel McAdams, Will Ferrell, Pierce Brosnan, Dan Stevens, and Demi Lovato. Now, the plot: Two aspiring Icelandic singers, played by Ferrell and McAdams, are bestowed the opportunity to represent their country in the Eurovision singing competition. And last, the best part: It’s a Netflix Original, meaning you get to watch every second of the Ferrell-scribed comedy from the comfort of your couch with a bottle—or three—of Icelandic schnapps.
TBD 2020
Need a good distraction? Here are the funniest new releases of 2020.