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For the sharpest blend of big laughs and social satire, start with Barbie; for something quieter, choose The Holdovers. This ranking is an editorial selection, not a universal consensus: Rotten Tomatoes’ 2023 comedy list names ten films, while Esquire and CinemaBlend published different year-end selections and orders. The choices below weigh comic craft, originality, performances, critical attention and variety of tone, with a spoiler-light note on what each film offers.
15 best comedy movies of 2023, ranked
1. Barbie
Greta Gerwig turns Barbie’s brightly artificial world into a springboard for meta humor and social commentary. Its inventive visual style and playful premise make it the most immediately accessible pick here. Rotten Tomatoes placed it first on its 2023 comedy list, though that is one publication’s ranking, not a definitive measure of quality.
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2. The Holdovers
Alexander Payne’s bittersweet comedy follows an instructor and students who remain at a New England prep school over winter break. Paul Giamatti leads a story whose humor sits alongside loneliness and unlikely connection. Choose it for a more reflective, character-led watch than the list’s louder comedies.
3. American Fiction
Cord Jefferson’s satire centers on Monk, a novelist whose book—written in response to publishing stereotypes—succeeds in ways he did not expect. The film uses that premise to examine representation while keeping its focus on an individual and his family. Esquire ranked it first among its 2023 comedies, a reminder that critics and editors value different things in a year-end list.
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4. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Kelly Fremon Craig adapts Judy Blume’s novel about 11-year-old Margaret as she navigates puberty, faith and identity. Its gentle coming-of-age humor makes it a good choice for viewers who want warmth rather than raunch or shock. The film is also a natural companion to Blume’s novel, the source material behind the adaptation.
5. Poor Things
Yorgos Lanthimos’s fantastical, deliberately over-the-top comedy follows Bella Baxter after she is brought back to life and begins exploring the world. Its strange visual imagination and provocative humor are part of the appeal, but its stylized approach will not suit every viewer. Pick it when you want something eccentric rather than conventional.
6. Bottoms
Emma Seligman’s raunchy high-school comedy follows two students who start a fight club in hopes of getting closer to their crushes. The deliberately absurd premise drives its broad, irreverent humor. It is a strong fit for viewers who enjoy rowdy teen comedies and a poor fit for anyone seeking a restrained school story.
Rank #2
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7. Rye Lane
This dry-humored romantic comedy follows two young people recovering from breakups who connect over a day in South London. Its appeal lies in the chemistry and conversational wit rather than a sprawling plot. Choose it for a contemporary, light-footed romance.
8. Dream Scenario
Kristoffer Borgli’s surreal comedy gives Nicolas Cage the role of a family man who becomes an uncanny public phenomenon when strangers begin seeing him in their dreams. The unsettling premise lets the film play with recognition and sudden fame. It is an offbeat pick for viewers who like comedy with a weird, uneasy edge.
9. Joy Ride
Adele Lim’s explicit road-trip comedy sends friends on an international journey that mixes gross-out gags with friendship and self-discovery. Its raunchy style is central, not incidental; choose it when you are in the mood for an unfiltered ensemble comedy.
Rank #3
10. You Hurt My Feelings
Nicole Holofcener builds a sharply observed relationship comedy around a novelist who overhears her husband’s honest opinion of her work. The small domestic rupture gives the film room to explore candor, affection and insecurity without relying on a huge comic premise. It suits viewers who prefer recognizable relationship awkwardness to broad gags.
11. May December
Todd Haynes’s dark, camp-inflected comedy-drama draws on a difficult fact-based story. Its humor is uncomfortable and often tied to the gap between public performance and private reality, so it is not a light, uncomplicated comedy-night choice. CinemaBlend includes it among its range of 2023 comedy selections, but the tonal warning matters more than the label.
12. No Hard Feelings
This raunchy comedy follows Maddie, a woman hired by wealthy parents to date their 19-year-old son. It blends adult humor with coming-of-age and romantic-comedy elements. Pick it if you want a broad, premise-driven comedy; skip it if the setup or sexual humor is not for you.
13. Theater Camp
An ensemble comedy set at a financially struggling theater camp, this film draws its humor from performance culture and musical-theater earnestness. The camp’s precarious situation gives the performers plenty to play against. It is a natural choice for viewers who enjoy ensemble casts and backstage comedy.
14. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
This fantasy action-comedy has the feel of a chaotic tabletop campaign, following a group through an adventure that mixes comic mishaps with spectacle. It is a good option when you want a genre movie with jokes rather than a comedy built around everyday life.
15. Cocaine Bear
This horror-comedy builds on the absurd premise of a bear ingesting cocaine, but its humor comes packaged with violence and gore. It earns its place for viewers who like outrageous genre mash-ups, not for anyone looking for a broadly family-friendly comedy. CinemaBlend’s 2023 roundup also treats it as horror-comedy, a useful description of its more extreme tone.
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How to choose a 2023 comedy
These films do not share one definition of comedy. The list moves from satire and relationship humor to romance, raunch, fantasy, musical-theater humor and horror-comedy. Use tone as your first filter: the ranking is an editorial judgment, while the best choice for tonight depends on how sharp, strange, adult or unsettling you want the laughs to be.
- For satire and social commentary: Barbie or American Fiction.
- For warm, character-led humor: The Holdovers or Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
- For romance and conversational wit: Rye Lane or You Hurt My Feelings.
- For raunch and deliberately broad comedy: Bottoms, Joy Ride or No Hard Feelings.
- For surreal or dark humor: Dream Scenario, Poor Things or May December.
- For genre adventure or shock value: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves or Cocaine Bear.
There is no source-backed universal order. Rotten Tomatoes’ dedicated 2023 comedy page, updated September 27, 2024, lists ten films; Esquire’s 2023 list and CinemaBlend’s ranked roundup make different selections and choices about placement. Those lists help show which films received editorial attention, but they do not establish a single objective ranking. Rotten Tomatoes’ displayed scores can change over time, so they are not reproduced here as current figures.
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