This year was filled with hilarious comedies to keep audiences laughing out loud, from an epic cattle drive misadventure to a daytime soap opera parody satire – these flicks delivered.
Yorgos Lanthimos demonstrated his talent for masterful tone control with this dark comedy about a hotel concierge, featuring outstanding performances and an intelligent premise – it made this film one of the top comedy movies released in 2022.
1. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
This year was exceptional for comedy, with several films offering big laughs without resorting to vulgarity. Nicolas Cage playing himself (and an alternate younger self) in this meta-comedy; The Bad Guys featuring boxy makeshift robot rebels fighting back; or Rian Johnson’s multiverse mind trip was just three titles that provided intelligent yet often uproarious entertainment – these films delivered clever and often hilarious entertainment!
See How They Run is an intriguing mystery comedy set during the 1950s. It follows a pair of police inspectors investigating a murder linked to Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap production crew and cast. There was plenty of laughter here, thanks mainly to Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan’s impressive performances, as their characters are superb actors.
Dinner in America may initially seem intimidating, but this bizarre British comedy offers plenty of satirical humor about society’s elite in an effective nihilistic fashion. Anyone interested in schadenfreude and dark humor should not miss this spectacle!
Brian and Charles is another brilliantly bizarre comedy, demonstrating Britain’s penchant for dry humor with an edge of sadness. A lonely inventor named Brian creates an ingenious device to gain more attention from women he meets, creating an absurdist comedy film with an unforgettable dark twist that is difficult to forget.
Pixar’s Turning Red is another must-see film, offering both emotional storytelling and bold feminine animation. A coming-of-age story that will remind every adult what it was like being an awkward 13-year-old girl, this coming-of-age film also includes a giant red panda for added chaos and humor, making this an entertaining yet emotional family flick that remains family-friendly while remaining truly original comedies of 2022.
2. Glass Onion
Glass Onion, Rian Johnson’s followup to 2019’s highly acclaimed murder mystery Knives Out, brings back its antic, puzzle-crazy spirit but with increased stakes. Writer/Director Rian Johnson excels at mixing humor with social commentary in his script (including pop culture references that provide comic relief) – something he did again here with this lively whodunnit filled with characters who embody Hollywood elitism.
As with the characters from The Griswolds, Glass Onion features characters who seem too capable of doing everything well, which only adds to their entertainment as they fall victim to Miles Bron’s pervasive worldview. Bron is a multitrillionaire due to his ownership of Alpha, a network that merges news, data, and cryptocurrency. To celebrate his good fortune and raise extra funds for Alpha’s continued operations, he invites a select group of friends and associates to his private island for a weekend filled with partying and murder mystery entertainment. On this journey are politician Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn); her inept husband, Connecticut governor Richard Clymer; YouTuber and men’s rights activist Duke Cody (Dave Bautista); supermodel turned designer Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson) with her confused sports star fiance (Leslie Odom Jr), plus scientist Lionel Toussaint and Cassandra Brand (Janelle Monae).
As in his earlier film, Johnson gives his actors plenty of room to shine; Daniel Craig once more brings his delightful Southern drawl to Benoit Blanc, while Kate Hudson and Halle Berry provide plenty of laughs with their quickfire quips. Johnson allows each character to show their talents, producing delightful results; though its outcome may not match Knives Out’s, it provides plenty of reason to see it!
3. Confess
The pandemic has caused movie releases to slow, yet studio systems continue to produce comedies with gusto. From animated romps to multiverse-bending adventures, 2022 proved an exceptional year for comedy films.
These movies offer satirical commentary on the current political climate and an ode to female friendship, hitting all the right notes with flawless precision. It is a testament to comedy’s precise art form – which requires mastering an audience just as effectively as shock horror does.
Armando Iannucci’s vulgar bureaucratic satires from Veep and In the Loop have been translated to a Cold War setting with this hilarious comedy about Soviet politics. It stars Steve Buscemi alongside an ensemble cast who offer combative dialogue and darkly humorous twists. Armando Iannucci creates another brilliant tale of power struggles, political intrigue, and self-destruction with this darkly hilarious drama!
Jon Hamm’s Fletch is that annoyingly talented friend who excels at everything they attempt. In this franchise installment, Fletch finds himself involved in a high-stakes murder case connected to a stolen art collection; to redeem himself and return home safely, he must help law enforcement track down and apprehend the natural killer.
This British comedy satire on isolation, loneliness, and the perils of adolescence perfectly showcases Britain’s love of dark comedy with an emphasis on sadistic humor and schadenfreude. After years of fruitless inventions by Brian (played by Sam Riley), Charles, the AI robot, comes to be known for its love of cabbages and incredible command of the English language. Full of dry humor with its odd sense of absurdism, darkly humorous yet surprisingly touching; worth seeing at home or catching when out and about!
4. Fire Island
Hulu’s Fire Island is a delightful matchmaking comedy set against a legendary gay vacation destination and one of 2022’s stand-out comedies. Written/star Joel Kim Booster and director Andrew Ahn expertly retain Jane Austen’s critical elements while updating its ideas about class, agency, financial anxiety, familial bonds, and marriage in wholly relevant ways for modern audiences.
This summer rom-com fantasy — featuring Riverdale star Cole Sprouse and Netflix rom-com princess Lana Condor — is playful and moving, not to mention queer movie specificity! With its specificity-is-universal approach and rich depiction of LGBTQ community members comfortably in their skins, this movie will resonate with viewers outside its target group but remains true to itself as a queer love story that pushes comedy beyond boundaries.
Triangle of Sadness to Everything Everywhere All at Once, 2018, brought us an impressive variety of darkly comedic movies. Whether it’s laughing out loud at a boxy makeshift robot rebelling against its creator, the hilarious antics of two dimwitted teenagers, or the multiverse’s endlessly quirky possibilities, these comedies will have you rolling with laughter from start to finish – be they big studio releases or streaming gems. These comedic flicks will leave you in stitches.
5. Turning Red
Not surprisingly, one may expect a movie about a 13-year-old girl becoming a giant red panda to deliver some subtle, Disney-approved commentary about gender and identity, yet Turning Red manages to sidestep that pitfall admirably. The comedy is enjoyable and upbeat, but it also addresses some more awkward aspects of puberty, like embarrassment over sexuality and dealing with body insecurity when friends notice. Shi and Julia Cho’s brilliant script adds meaning to every scene. At the same time, Ludwig Goransson created an exceptional soundtrack by mixing Western pop with traditional Chinese influences to create an exuberant score that’s both smart.
This tale follows a young woman as she experiences the growing pains of adulthood, from dealing with her challenging relationship with her mother to finding love among friends – something many can identify with. Its predominantly East Asian cast makes the most of its characters’ unique personalities to deliver an enjoyable and captivating film experience.
The year’s top comedies testify to how diverse comedy has become, from Mike Judge’s return in Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe to Jackass Forever’s old-timer antics. But for us, Turning Red stands out from its peers by daring to be different, providing laughs that go beyond mainstream cinema’s predictable humor – Turning Red is genuinely unique in that regard! That is why Turning Red made our list of 2022’s greatest comedy movies!
