The 18 Best Comedy Movies Of 2024 So Far

Hollywood isn't investing nearly as much in straight-up comedies as they used to. While 2023 saw many of the best comedies of the year come from the indie and arthouse world. "Barbie" was a big winner last year, but that's a blockbuster doing a lot more heavy-lifting than just bringing laughs, with an adventure fueled by one of the most recognizable intellectual properties of all time. "No Hard Feelings" and "Anyone But You" brought some raunchy, romantic laughs to the proceedings, and we were certainly grateful that Jennifer Lawrence and Sydney Sweeney took risks as producers on R-rated studio comedies like that. Otherwise, most of the laughs come from cross-genre comedy hybrids that have bigger box office potential because of a high-concept story that just so happens to bring some hilarity, such as "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" or "Cocaine Bear."

So how is comedy shaping up in 2024? Unfortunately, with some worrisome box office potential, the pickings are still slim, and most of our options fall into that cross-genre category, especially in the action comedy arena, while others again come from the indie and arthouse scene. But we do have some pure comedy standouts among them, as well as a certain musical adapted from a hit high school comedy celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Plus, there's some old school slapstick, a surprisingly funny vampire flick, and more. Let's dig into our list of the best comedies of 2024 (so far)!

You might not think that a movie about a group of criminals tasked with kidnapping an adolescent girl for a ransom from her wealthy father would be all that funny — especially when you find out that the girl in question also happens to be a vampire, and the kidnappers were always intended to be her prey. But the directing duo of by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett have made this much more than a horror heist movie, because it's also just as funny as any comedy, largely thanks to the outstanding ensemble cast.

At the start of the film, a young ballet dancer named Abigail (Alisha Weir) is taken hostage by six criminals and brought to an ominous manor, where she will be held until a hefty price is paid. The organizer of the heist (Giancarlo Esposito) informs the group that they will receive an equal share of a $50 million ransom paid by her father, but first they have to keep her there for 24 hours. In the group, we have Army medic and recovering drug addict Joey (Melissa Barrera), former detective Frank (Dan Stevens), thrill-seeking hacker Sammy (Kathryn Newton), former Marine sniper Rickles (Will Catlett), dimwitted mob enforcer Peter (Kevin Durand), and risky getaway driver Dean (Angus Cloud).

Once the truth behind Abigail's abduction has been revealed and the criminals are forced to figured out how to survive, it's a blood-splattered fest of gruesome deaths and surprising laughs. Durand's doofus muscle offers many of those laughs, but Stevens stands out too, putting on a real New York tough guy persona and delivering great lines like, "Sammy, those are f**kin' onions?" Even the bloody violence brings some great comedy, getting more explosive and messy as the movie goes on. (Ethan Anderton)

Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett

Cast: Melissa Barrera, Alisha Weir, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, Will Cattlett, Kevin Durand, Angus Cloud, Giancarlo Esposito

Rating: R

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%

Director Matthew Vaughn has always blended bloody violence with comedy, creating an entertaining mix of blockbuster action and laughs, whether it's the comic book adaptation "Kick-Ass" or the British spy antics of "Kingsman." Vaughn's latest contribution to the action comedy genre is "Argylle," a movie that absolutely delivers on bonkers action while letting the versatile Sam Rockwell and charming Bryce Dallas Howard team up as an unlikely duo caught up together in a world of espionage and intrigue. 

Bryce Dallas Howard plays author Ellie Conway, the writer behind the successful "Argylle" spy novels. But her life is thrown into upheaval when a real-life villainous agency believes she's the key to sorting out the next step in their diabolical scheme to expose government spies working undercover around the world. Helped by a secret agent named Aidan (Rockwell), Ellie must try to stay alive (with her cat in tow) as people keep trying to kidnap her. The duo have an entertaining dynamic that evolves into a romance as many twists and turns unfold and make things infinitely more complicated. Vaughn escalates things to such an unbelievable level that the third act delivers two absolutely ludicrous action sequences that are both absurd and awesome and deserve to be seen.

Plus, let's not forget that Henry Cavill, John Cena, Dua Lipa, and Ariana DeBose also bring some heightened action comedy laughs by bringing the world of Ellie Conway's "Argylle" books to life too. Don't worry about the Rotten Tomatoes score, hop on this crazy train, and enjoy the ride. (Ethan Anderton)

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Henry Cavill, John Cena, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O'Hara, Ariana DeBose, Samuel L. Jackson

Rating: PG-13

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 32%

"Babes" is one of the filthiest movies of the year, and almost none of that filth is ever onscreen. Instead, this is a movie where the dialogue allows you to conjure up the most grotesque imagery imaginable, and then giggle about it. Ilana Glazer and Josh Rabinowitz's script isn't being gross for the sake of being gross, but instead, it's gross because it knows that human bodies are gross and that we love nothing more than to talk about our gross bodies with the people we love and cherish.

The raunchiness of "Babes" orbits a very sweet core, and director Pamela Adlon (making her feature debut) uses the poop jokes to get at something more incisive and sincere. This is the story of an irresponsible woman dealing with an unplanned pregnancy with the help of her best friend, and how this potentially traumatic and difficult-by-default experience is made easier when you have someone to lean on ... and to discuss vaginal discharge with. It's all very gross, but that's life. And life's nastiness is something we all laugh about after the fact. (Jacob Hall)

Director: Pamela Adlon

Cast: Ilana Glazer, Michelle Buteau, Hisan Minaj, John Carroll Lynch

Rating: R

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

Even though the plot is paper thin and doesn't hold up to much scrutiny, there's no denying that "Deadpool & Wolverine" is quite an entertaining romp that brings the foul-mouthed Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But adding an extra special ingredient to the expectedly funny, fourth-wall breaking antics of Wade Wilson is the return of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. The dynamic between the perpetually immature mercenary and the forever grumpy and miserable mutant makes for a fantastic pair of frenemies who can't stop pissing each other off. There's also that hilariously ugly Dogpool. 

The fact that Jackman doesn't phone this one in, giving one of the best performances he's ever given as Wolverine, makes "Deadpool & Wolverine" feel like a little more than a gimmick, even if it's a little too reliant on paying fan service to some of the heroes of the Marvel movies that got pushed aside once the MCU started dominating the box office. But overall, it's the sharp comedy and rapid-fire jokes that make "Deadpool & Wolverine" a laugh riot. 

Director: Shawn Levy

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corin, Matthew Macfadyen, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney

Rating: R

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 78%

In the late 1990s, Tricia Cooke and Ethan Coen came up with a comedic road trip movie called "Drive-Away Dykes," which would feature two lesbians caught in the crosshairs of a crime plot by picking up the wrong rental car. The Coen brothers were enjoying massive success following "Fargo" and "The Big Lebowski," so this film sounded like a surefire hit. There was just one problem — it was the 1990s when the only queer stories Hollywood was interested in telling were coming out stories or gut-wrenching tragedies. A light-hearted, fun, and frisky romp about a free-spirited "lesthario" named Jamie and her demure friend Marian on the vacation of a lifetime couldn't exist in 1999, at least not with the necessary budget to pull it off as envisioned. It only took 20 or so years, but "Drive-Away Dolls" has finally arrived, and it's well worth the wait. 

As /Film's Witney Seibold described in his review of the film, "It possesses all the impish, make-the-straights-squirm energy of a legit '90s indie lesbian farce [...] it unapologetically and cartoonishly plunges audiences into lesbian basement make-out parties and rowdy gay bars, flinging about cunnilingus jokes, masturbation scenes, and multiple on-screen dildos with gleeful impunity." The crime hijinks are a true delight, but the charm of "Drive-Away Dolls" is its ability to turn the most basic circumstances into a laugh-out-loud affair. Come for Pedro Pascal's head in a hatbox, stay for Beanie Feldstein unscrewing a wall-mounted dildo through tears. (BJ Colangelo)

Director: Ethan Coen (and Tricia Cooke)

Cast: Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan, Beanie Feldstein, Colman Domingo

Rating: R

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 63%

"The Fall Guy" is an impressive action movie for sure, but it's also one of the funniest movies of 2024. Director David Leitch never misses an opportunity to squeeze a visual gag into the action beats, allowing gags set up in dialogue to pay off during the more explosive moments (and vice versa). If there's an opportunity to make the audience laugh, the film goes for it. It's almost relentless how many running jokes populate the film, and the sheer variety of them. Just when you think the film has run out of ways to make you chuckle, the story introduces Jean Claude, the dog with a special set of skills who only responds to commands in French.

Let's say you don't have enough good taste to appreciate the sparkling, wry comedic chemistry between Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, who both give the film a jolt of rom-com brilliance that lurks behind every action scene. That's okay. You'll probably appreciate the running gag involving Gosling getting drugged by a bad guy, and the resulting ... Well, that would be spoiling it. "The Fall Guy" wants to be a lot of things, and it pulls those things off, but it works especially well in the comedy department. (Jacob Hall)

Director: David Leitch

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Hannah Waddingham, Winston Duke, Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Rating: PG-13

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%

Glen Powell has already proven himself to be one of the hottest young actors working today, courtesy of hit films like "Top Gun: Maverick" and "Anyone But You." Richard Linklater's latest film "Hit Man" proves that he's also quite the chameleon as well, and he's got much more going for him than the looks of a Hollywood leading man. 

"Hit Man" follows Powell as the kind, somewhat dorky Gary Johnson, a college professor who works with the New Orleans police to assist with sting operations trying to stop people from illegally hiring assassins to carry out a hit. When detective Jasper (Austin Amelio) doesn't show up for one of the stings, Gary is forced to step in and carry out the sting himself. After performing shockingly well, Gary becomes the department's go-to hit man impersonator, which gets him mixed up with the beautiful Madison (Adria Arjona), a woman in a troubled marriage, under the guise of a sexy hit man persona.

Watching Powell portray a number of startlingly different hit men personalities is enough to make you fall in love with the guy, but it's his dominant persona Ron that packs on the sexy charm, making him just the right amount of irresistible and dangerous. Watching Powell try to balance who Gary used to be and who he slowly becomes as Ron starts to make his life simultaneously better and complicated is entertaining and hilarious, and seeing how Ron and Madison navigate an increasingly complex scenario gives off Coen brothers vibes without feeling too much like a phony copycat. (Ethan Anderton)

Director: Richard Linklater

Cast: Glen Powell, Adria Arjona, Austin Amelio, and Retta

Rating: R

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

Calling back to the slapstick comedy of "Looney Tunes," "The Three Stooges," and Abbott and Costello, the low budget "Hundreds of Beavers" offer slapstick laughs in a delightfully simple and absurdly hilarious package. Blending intentionally cheap visual effects and animation with live-action actors and settings, including actors in goofy human-sized beaver suits, the film follows 19th century applejack salesman who finds his entire business inadvertently destroyed by a beaver, leaving him no choice but to become a fur trapper as he tries to survive the harsh winter climate.

Full of goofy visual gags, stylized cartoon violence, and a slightly naughty edge, "Hundreds of Beavers" is a perfect example of unique, independent filmmaking that stays true to a filmmaker's vision to deliver something memorable. From the poorly conceived, malfunctioning traps reminiscent of Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner or a pair of beavers trying to solve the continued murders of their fellow beaver citizens, you won't find another comedy like this. It has the spirit of an Adult Swim production and the ambition of a little indie that could, especially since it toured around the country after a premiere at Fantastic Fest in 2022, and it's now available to watch on VOD and streaming at various outlets. (Ethan Anderton)

Director: Mike Cheslik

Cast: Ryland Brickson Cole Tews, Olivia Graves, Wes Tank, Doug Mancheski, Luis Rico

Rating: Unrated

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

Romantic comedies are an interesting thing. On the one hand, they've been a part of the cinematic landscape for a long, long time and, not unlike horror movies, are often looked at as lesser-than despite often being huge hits. But every once in a while, a rom-com comes around that transcends what we typically think of the genre. Such is the case with Amazon Prime Video's "The Idea of You," which was met with an incredible response following its premiere at SXSW this year. You can read my 8 out of 10 review of the film here.

The film has what sounds like a wacky premise: a 40-year-old single mom (played by Oscar-winner Anne Hathaway) has a chance encounter with a member of her daughter's former favorite boy band (Nicholas Galitizen), which kicks off a whirlwind romance between two people with a significant age gap. Instead of going for the low-hanging fruit, director Michael Showalter turns this into an illuminating human tale that is very funny when it needs to be. Showalter and his team didn't forget the "com" part of the rom-com equation here, and that's why this movie is on this list. More importantly, the comedy is exactly why this movie should be on your radar. It's funny. It's poignant. It's worth every second of your time. (Ryan Scott)

Director: Michael Showalter

Cast: Anne Hathaway, Nicholas Galitzine, Ella Rubin, and Reid Scott

Rating: R

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

Zelda Williams and Diablo Cody's "Lisa Frankenstein" is a neon-soaked throwback to a style of genre comedies that we just don't make anymore. Equal parts Tim Burton, Savage Steve Holland, and PG-13-rated John Waters, this coming-of-rage horror-comedy plays heavily into the silly sensibilities of films that have no interest in existing within the realm of possibility. The story centers on a teenage girl with an undead corpse boyfriend who needs her to kill people in order to get him new parts for his decaying body, and luckily for him, Lisa is exactly the type of weird girl who would willingly dismember a person and sew their limbs onto her crush. Luckily for the audience, the characters are also hilarious.

As I noted in my review, "For all of its fantastical elements of undead boyfriends and tanning bed magic, there's a genuine message about how ungodly difficult it is to be a teenage girl in all of its forms, but that gallows humor is one of the strongest coping mechanisms to employ." There's a fine line to walk with gallows humor, but "Lisa Frankenstein" knows exactly when and how to launch a twisted zinger. You'll never be able to hear Jeffrey Osborne's "On The Wings of Love" the same way ever again, and that's a good thing. (BJ Colangelo)

Director: Zelda Williams

Cast: Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse, Liza Soberano, Carla Gugino

Rating: PG-13

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 51%

Based on the Broadway adaptation of the hit 2004 movie "Mean Girls," the 2024 redux adds a modern musical twist to the high school comedy starring Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams. Complete with full-blown song and dance numbers that weave in and out of hallways, classrooms, and parties, the remake adds just enough new wrinkles to the story and jokes to make this feel fresh. 

Angourie Rice stars in "Mean Girls" as Cady, a student freshly joining the social mayhem of high school after being home-schooled and living in Africa with her wildlife expert mother for pretty much her entire life. Thrown into the potentially more deadly jungle of teenage drama, Cady befriends outcasts Janis (Auli'i Cravalho) and Damian (Jaquel Spivey), and the three concoct a plan to bring down the school-ruling queen bee Regina George (Reneé Rapp) and her girlfriend trio known as the Plastics. 

The updated script by original "Mean Girls" writer Tina Fey makes for plenty of laughs, especially when it comes to Bebe Wood and Avantika's performances as Gretchen and Karen. But Reneé Rapp steals the show with a full-on diva turn as Regina, albeit one that may be a little more vulnerable than the original iteration of the character. Catchy songs and slickly shot musical sequences that weave through scenes with impressive single-shot takes provide visual spectacle as well, making this a satisfying and hilarious musical. (Ethan Anderton)

Director: Samantha Jayne, Arturo Perez Jr.

Cast: Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Auli'i Cravalho, Jaquel Spivey, Bebe Wood, Avantika, Christopher Briney, Tina Fey, Tim Meadows, Jon Hamm

Rating: PG-13

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 69%

Vera Drew is no stranger to the world of comedy, having served as an editor on shows like "On Camera," "Comedy Bang! Bang!," even earning a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for "Who is America?" After successfully crowdfunding her feature directorial debut, a fair-use parody of all things Batman called "The People's Joker," she found herself in a battle against the greatest supervillain of all — intellectual property law. Fortunately, Drew was able to prove that her film fell within the realm of fair-use and parody protections, allowing her and co-writer Bri LeRose to unleash an absurdist, DIY-or-die transgender coming-of-age story set in the pop culture melting pot of the Caped Crusader.

Drew stars as herself, an aspiring transgender comedian Joker the Harlequin, who moves to the nightmarishly corrupt Gotham City, ruled by the government-sanctioned United Clown Bureau (or UCB, but not that UCB). When Joker the Harlequin realizes she doesn't fit into the rigid binary performance specifications required of the UCB, she joins a rebellious group of anti-comics hellbent on destroying the UCB's power once and for all. It's a film I called, in my /Film review, "a bafflingly brilliant slice of satirical anarchy," because the aesthetic potpourri of live-action blended with multiple animation styles of varying degrees of realism makes every second feel like a visually assaulting fever dream. No matter how serious the film's subjects become, "The People's Joker" never forgets to put a smile on that face. (BJ Colangelo)

Director: Vera Drew

Cast: Vera Drew, Lynn Downey, Kane Distler, Nathan Faustyn

Rating: Unrated

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

It's almost infuriating how brilliant Julio Torres is as a singular creative voice. The former "Saturday Night Live" writer and brain behind the hit HBO series "Los Espookys" makes his narrative feature directorial debut with "Problemista," a quirky satire of toxic workplace environments and the busted-beyond-belief United States Immigration system. We reviewed the film out of SXSW back in 2023, but with a wide release in 2024, it's already looking like one of the sleeper comedic hits of 2024. Torres writes, directs, and stars in the film as Alejandro, an aspiring toy designer from El Salvador struggling to find work in New York City. When his work visa runs out, he decides he's willing to do anything to stay in the country and make his dreams come true.

"Problemista" approaches comedy similarly to Emma Seligman's "Shiva Baby," in that despite the hilarity, it often feels like we're peering into a horror film. The circumstances of working for an unhinged boss or constantly under the threat of deportation or, you know, capitalism can be so bleak that waking up every day feels like its own job. In another universe, "Problemista" is the most depressing film ever made, but in the more than capable hands of Julio Torres, it's a relatable delight with so much heart you'll be crying through full belly laughs. (BJ Colangelo)

Director: Julio Torres

Cast: Julio Torres, Tilda Swinton, RZA, Isabella Rossellini

Rating: R

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%

Since their childhood, best friends Dean, JT, and Wes (Zac Efron, Andrew Santino, and Jermaine Fowler) have been using a non-existent friend named Ricky Stanicky as a scapegoat and excuse for various missteps and sneaky trips. But when their partners and in-laws begin to suspect something fishy going on, the trio is forced to recruit a washed-up, alcoholic actor known as "Rock Hard" Rod (John Cena) to pose as Ricky Stanicky. 

"Ricky Stanicky" gives John Cena one of his best comedic roles to date, and it's not just because he's hilarious as the pathetic and desperate "Rock Hard" Rod. It's the turn Cena makes by taking the Ricky Stanicky alter ego so seriously that makes this worth watching. Not only is Cena charming, but he brings an earnestness to the role that makes you want to root for him, even as he threatens to upend everything by taking this pretend person a little too far. Though this R-rated comedy has more lulls than we'd prefer, Cena's performance is more than enough to keep it afloat. Plus, William H. Macy adds a surprisingly hilarious wrinkle to the story as Dean and JT's boss, who ends up hiring Ricky to work in their office, taking this ruse to a troublesome new level. (Ethan Anderton)

Director: Peter Farrelly

Cast: Zac Efron, John Cena, Andrew Santino, Jermaine Fowler, William H. Macy

Rating: R

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 47%

Director Jason Reitman weaves through a studio of never-ending chaos and hilarity in "Saturday Night," a crackling chronicle of the intense, disorganized 90 minutes leading up to the first episode of "Saturday Night Live" in October 1975. Gabriel LaBelle leads the charge as a confident Lorne Michaels trying to put on a counterculture comedy show while the network executives around him are sweating the total disarray that the show appears to be in. 

What makes "Saturday Night" sizzle is the magnificent ensemble cast bringing to life a sharp script in a films that moves at breakneck speed from one mishap to the next. Dylan O'Brien, Ella Hunt, Lamorne Morris, Cory Michael Smith, Matt Wood, Emily Fairn, and Kim Matula bring the Not Ready for Primetime Players to life, and watching them interact with each other and recreate some of the premiere's classic sketches delivers plenty of laughs. But it's the whipsmart, fast-talking dialogue that really brings the hilarity on top of a fantastic glimpse back at television history, even if it's been exaggeerated here and there for dramatic effect. The movie is electric, extremely funny, and just plain great. (Ethan Anderton)

Director: Jason Reitman

Cast: Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Cooper Hoffman, Willem Dafoe, Dylan O'Brien, Ella Hunt, Lamorne Morris, Cory Michael Smith, Matt Wood, Emily Fairn, Kim Matula, J.K. Simmons, and many more.

Rating: R

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 77%

Thirty-something Nellie Robinson (Leah McKendrick) has been enjoying the best years of her life as a perpetual bridesmaid. But a fun run-in with an old friend at a wedding reception turns into a moment of cautionary advice, as Nellie is told she better freeze her eggs before it's too late. So Nellie decides to make some arrangements to secure her future, jumping into the complicated pool of female fertility and all the hurdles that entails. This also sparks a trip down memory lane, where Nellie revisits some of her more promising male suitors in the hopes of finding someone who could be an integral part of her future. 

However, "Scrambled" isn't your typical R-rated romantic comedy. While it does venture down some of the same roads, ultimately, the movie that's also written and directed by Leah McKendrick is actually more about coming to terms with loving yourself, especially when there's no telling what the future will hold. Maybe being a mother doesn't have to define a woman's future, and if it does, then that's for her to decide. McKendrick brings a sharp wit to the table with a hilarious script, and the supporting cast playing her brother (Andrew Santino), father (Clancy Brown), and mother (Laura Cerón) help amp up the laughs too. We're glad this movie finally got released in February 2024 after debuting at South by Southwest back in March 2023, and you will be too. (Ethan Anderton)

Director: Leah McKendrick

Cast: Leah McKendrick, Ego Nwodim, Andrew Santino, Adam Rodriguez, Laura Cerón, Clancy Brown, and June Diane Raphael

Rating: R

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

After Thelma (June Squibb) is scammed out of $10,000 by someone impersonating her beloved grandson ("The White Lotus" actor Fred Hechinger) on the phone, she's determined to get her money back. So she recruits an old friend (the late Richard Roundtree) and borrows his scooter to escape from the clutches of her worried family and tries to hunt down the people who stole from her. If that sounds like the plot of an action movie, you're right — but "Thelma" is somewhat unusual, given that its star was 93 years old when the film was shot. Margolin based this story on a real event that happened to his actual grandmother, so he treats the characters and the situation with respect rather than pointing and laughing at it from afar. This movie is very funny, but you're always laughing with its characters, never at them. There's a level of humanity and empathy on display here that you don't always see in Hollywood movies. (Many of us are old enough to remember the trope of the "rapping granny" that seemed inescapable in the '90s and early 2000s.)

Part of the humor of the film comes from the fact that Thelma is loosely inspired by Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt in the "Mission: Impossible" movies; she and her grandson had watched them early on in the film, before the scam, and it's clear Cruise lingers in her mind as she suits up to go on an adventure of her own. Thelma's stunts, as you might assume, are far more run-of-the-mill than hanging from a helicopter — like the time she tries to navigate her way through an antique store with Roundtree talking her through the experience in an earpiece, serving as her equivalent to Simon Pegg's Benji in the "Mission: Impossible" movies. Despite the all-too-real premise, this film is filled with joy, and this lighthearted comedy is practically guaranteed to put a smile on your face. (Ben Pearson)

Director: Josh Margolin

Cast: June Squibb, Fred Hechinger, Richard Roundtree, Parker Posey, Clark Gregg

Rating: PG-13

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 99%

Kyle Mooney has been a force to be reckoned with on "Saturday Night Live," as one of the show's most distinctive voices in recent years. Now? He's making the jump to big screen filmmaking by directing an absurd comedy aimed at anyone who lived through the late '90s milestone known as "Y2K." The film, which serves as Mooney's feature directorial debut, had its world premiere at SXSW (read /Film's official review here), where it was met with a warm response from the crowd. It's overloaded with turn-of-the-millennium nostalgia, a great cast, and absurd comedy based on a silly moment in human history.

Anyone who lived through 1999 remembers the Y2K scare, but nothing really came of it. Mooney imagines a very different version of events where things did, indeed, go horribly wrong. That's ripe comedic territory, but it also has a fair amount of heard, more bloodshed than one might imagine, and one of the more memorable cameos in recent memory. From standout performances by Rachel Zegler and Jaden Martell to a soundtrack that is sure to have '90s kids looking up what it costs to procure a Sony Walkman on eBay along with some nu-metal CDs, this is a preposterous crowd-pleaser, and you can see it starting December 6, 2024 (Ryan Scott)

Director: Kyle Mooney

Cast: Rachel Zegler, Jaeden Martell, Lachlan Watson, and Julian Dennison

Rating: R

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 62%