2014 is over. Let’s rundown the best comedy movies of 2014. Funny this year came in the form of Seth Rogen vs frat boys, a return to Jump Street, another time-travelling Hot Tub, Jim Carrey acting Dumb again, and Jon Favreau’s cooking. That and so much more. Let us know in the comments what you thought were the best comedy movies 2014 had to offer. Here’s the rating for every release of note, good and bad.

– JANUARY –

Ride Along
Starring: Kevin Hart, Ice Cube, John Leguizamo, Bruce McGill
Director: Tim Story
Out: 17 January 2014 (U.S. Dates)

Action-comedy about a jumpy, fast-talking security guard (Hart) who joins a mean decorated cop (Cube) for a 24-hour patrol of Atlanta to prove he is worthy of marrying the cop’s sister. The shift is designed to scare the hell out of him, but when it leads them both to the city’s most notorious criminal, the cop will find his new partner’s rapid-fire mouth is just as dangerous as the incoming bullets. From the director of ‘Think Like a Man’ and the ‘Taxi’ remake, this follows the tradition of buddy-cop comedies like ‘Rush Hour’ and last year’s ‘The Heat’. Kevin Hart and Ice Cube are a good ‘opposites’ pairing, with an entertaining dynamic. Ultimately your enjoyment will depend on how much you’re a Hart fan.[Critics (via Rotten Tomatoes): 17%] [Public (via IMDB): 6.1] – Ok

Knights Of Badassdom
Starring: Ryan Kwanten, Steve Zahn, Summer Glau, Peter Dinklage, Danny Pudi
Director: Joe Lynch
Out: 21 January 2014

Live-action role players conjure up a demon from hell by mistake and must deal with the consequences. – Surely the best logline of the year. This gory-comedy has a fun cast; Peter Dinklage (‘Game of Thrones’), Summer Glau (‘Terminator: SC Chronicles’), Steve Zahn (‘A Perfect Getaway’), and Danny Pudi (‘Community’). Unfortunately it’s sat on the shelf for three years and we’re getting a producer’s cut after disagreements with director Joe Lynch (‘Wrong Turn 2’). The first half is likeable but never hilarious (which the concept should have made easy). The best character exits half way and the demon which dominates the second half should have taken a funnier form, its gory murders do nothing for the film. Overall, ‘Badassdom’ will appeal a lot more if you’ve dabbled in the role playing community. It’s a case of “what could have been”. [Critics: 50%] [Public: 5.8] – Mediocre

– MARCH –
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori, Saoirse Ronan, Tilda Swinton
Director: Wes Anderson
Out: 7 March 2014

The adventures of Gustave H (Fiennes), a legendary concierge between the wars at a famous European hotel, and Zero Moustafa (newcomer Revolori), the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. Involved are the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting and the battle for an enormous family fortune – all against the backdrop of a dramatically changing continent. Director Wes Anderson might just be hitting his peak with this madcap escapade – the scripting, cinematography, art direction, costuming and lighting are all fantastic. Add to that the most impressive supporting cast of the year: Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Saoirse Ronan, Edward Norton, Harvey Keitel, F. Murray Abraham and Jude Law (with Tilda Swinton, Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Tom Wilkinson and Bill Murray in cameos) and you have one of 2014’s best comedies. But it’s Ralph Fiennes’ movie and he’s hilarious. The whole thing is a delight. [Critics: 92%] [Public: 8.2] – Excellent

Bad Words
Starring; Jason Bateman, Kathryn Hahn, Ben Falcone, Philip Baker Hall
Director: Jason Bateman
Out: 14 March 2014

A mysterious 40 year old (Bateman) enters a nationwide kids’ spelling bee in the first year it’s being televised, thanks to a loophole. But why is he doing it? Contest officials, outraged parents, and overly ambitious 8th graders are no match for him as he ruthlessly crushes their dreams of victory and fame. As a reporter (Hahn) attempts to discover his true motivation, he finds himself forging an unlikely alliance with a competitor: an awkward 10-year-old Indian boy who is completely unfazed by his take-no-prisoners approach to life. A foul-mouthed, mean-spirited comedy-drama, think ‘Spellbound’ meets ‘Bad Santa’. It’s hard to laugh in the first 20 minutes because he’s so obnoxious, but things warm up. Jason Bateman shows great timing in his directing debut and gives one of his best performances in front of camera. [Critics: 64%] [Public: 6.7] – Good

Muppets Most Wanted
Starring: Kermit, Miss Piggy, Ricky Gervais, Tina Fey, Ty Burrell
Director: Nicholas Stoller
Out: 21 March 2014

While on a grand world tour, The Muppets find themselves caught up in an European jewel-heist caper headed by a Kermit look-alike and his dastardly sidekick (Gervais). Gervais, who has had memorable interactions with Elmo in the past (see YouTube) is the human lead this time, replacing Jason Segal who wanted to move on. Ty Burrell (‘Modern Family’) plays an Interpol inspector, Tina Fey is a Russian prison guard and there’s a slew of cameos including Christoph Waltz, Ray Liotta, Zach Galifianakis (as “Hobo Joe”), Lady Gaga, Salma Hayek, Tom Hiddleston and Celine Dion (who’s also recorded a song). The director, co-writer and producers of the Muppets ‘reboot’ all return, while the composer of its songs is also back. Segal’s muppet friend Walter features, but moves to the sidelines as this is a Kermit-centered movie (as the old ones were). ‘Most Wanted’ is a colourful, enjoyably zany experience that gets close to capturing the charm of the early films (a near impossible task with much of the original voice talent now deceased). That’s underpinned by a strong affection for the Muppet tradition and a close attention to detail put to work on the high density of ‘stuff’ happening on screen. [Critics: 78%] [Public: 6.5] – Good

A Haunted House 2
Starring: Marlon Wayans, Essence Atkins, Dave Sheridan, Jaime Pressly
Director: Michael Tiddes
Out: 28 March 2014

After losing his possessed girlfriend in a car crash, Malcolm (Wayans) falls for a single white mother of two. As he moves into a new home with the family, he discovers bizarre paranormal events surrounding the children and the property. To complicate matters, the back-from-the-dead girlfriend moves in across the street and there’s nothing worse than the scorn of a demonic ex. This sequel spoofs targets including ‘Paranormal Activity 4’, ‘Sinister’ and ‘The Conjuring’. The first film has a terrible user score of 4.9 on IMDB and critics gave it 10% on RT. But somehow the $1.5m budgeted flick managed to make an incredible $40m at the U.S. box office, and a further $20m worldwide. So despite the fact that hardly anyone actually liked it (except for a few scenes with Nick Swardson and Cedric the Entertainer), a sequel became a financial necessity for all involved. Cue more lowest common denominator humour. Watch only if you are a fan of fart gags, Marlon Wayans’ high pitched scream and jokes about “white people”, ’cause you ain’t getting much else. [Critics: 8%] [Public: 4.7] – Avoid, Unless You Liked The First Movie

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Comedy Movies 2014

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