Let’s take a look at the biggest and best comedy movies of 2018. Funny this year came in the form of Stalin’s death (ofc), Will Ferrell as Sherlock, the return of Deadpool and Super Troopers, an island of chatty dogs, murder on Game Night, Buster Scruggs of the old west, a long round of Tag, getting over The Spy Who Dumped Me, and Kevin Hart going to Night School. That and so much more.

Let us know in the comments what you think were the best comedy movies 2018 had to offer. Here’s the rundown of every significant theatrical release, good and bad:

Starring: Will Forte, Domhnall Gleeson, Joel McHale, Thomas Lennon
Director: David Wain
Out: January 26, 2018 (Netflix) (U.S. Release Dates)

Madcap biopic following the rise of National Lampoon from Harvard university magazine to national mag, to radio hour, to producer of movies ‘Animal House’ and ‘Caddyshack’, launching the likes of SNL, Bill Murray and Chevy Chase along the way. The force behind it was Doug Kenney (Forte, ‘MacGruber’), a wild, convention-hating, womanising, subversive humorist who proved one of the most influential voices in U.S. comedy… This is a lively and witty look at the pop culture phenomena, which itself subverts biopic conventions occasionally to fun effect. Director David Wain (‘Role Models’, ‘Wet Hot American Summer’) finds poignancy and nice visual touches, such as Kenney’s marriage breakup presented in comic strip form. Will Forte carries the film with his energy and unpredictability, and it’s great fun to see comic legends like Murray, Harold Ramis and Roger Dangerfield portrayed on screen. Of particular interest is Joel McHale playing the young Chevy Chase, his ‘Community’ co-star who he famously fell out with. Of course enjoyment also depends on an interest in this era (the story stops in 1980, short of the ‘Vacation’ films which is a shame), and a knowledge of ‘Animal House’ and ‘Caddyshack’ helps.
= GoodCritics: 64% via Rotten TomatoesPublic: 6.8 via IMDB 
 

Starring: Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Kyle Chandler, Jesse Plemons
Directors: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein
Out: February 23, 2018

A set of couples (led by Bateman and McAdams) meet regularly for game nights. This time though a long-absent flashy brother (Chandler, ‘Super 8’) reappears with a new concept for the evening: Somebody will be kidnapped, and whoever finds them will win a grand prize. They won’t know what’s real and what’s fake. Moments later he has a bag over his head and is being dragged off in shocking fashion. And when real bullets starts flying they’ll need all their wits to figure out the puzzle, perhaps conspiracy, behind what’s going on… ‘Game Night’ is something of a comedic take on 1997’s ‘The Game’, mixed with the recent resurgence in board game enthusiasm. Headliner Jason Bateman is doing the same old routine but it’s perfected by this point and his pairing with the energetic Adams works great. The directors helmed the tonally misjudged ‘Vacation’ remake, but here a tight, clever script aimed at 40-somethings puts ‘Game Night’ in a different league. They also discover significant visual flair, with great use of diorama miniature shots (to make the real world look like a board), match cuts, and an impressive one-take ‘Hot Potato’ egg pursuit, etc. There’s a thoughtful depth in the numerous subtle game references, from the bullet removal scene being ‘Operation’, stacking the boxes Jenga-style, to their cul-de-sac being a ‘Game Of Life’ board. In short, ‘Game Night’ is a blast, the funniest comedy of 2018 according to my taste: A madcap mystery-adventure with a likeable cast (inc. brain-damaged Matt Damon next door and fake-Denzel), that twists/turns and earns genuine laughs. I just wish they had picked some less mainstream games to put front and center.
GreatCritics: 83%Public: 7.0 
 

Starring: Steve Buscemi, Jeffrey Tambor, Jason Isaacs, Andrea Riseborough
Director: Armando Iannucci
Out: March 9, 2018

Moscow, 1953. After being in power for nearly 30 years, Soviet dictator Josef Stalin takes ill and quickly dies. Now the members of the Council of Ministers scramble for power.
ExcellentCritics: 96%Public: 7.2 
 

Starring: David Oyelowo, Charlize Theron, Joel Edgerton, Sharlto Copley, Amanda Seyfried
Director: Nash Edgerton
Out: March 9, 2018

A mild-mannered businessman (Oyelowo) is sent to Mexico by his bosses (Theron, Edgerton) with a breakthrough medical marijuana tablet. Soon he’s been kidnapped by local drug lords and is running with a price on his head. Even a black-ops mercenary (Copley) hired to rescue him may not be able to help… Also featured, the debut of Paris Jackson, Michael Jackson’s 19-year-old daughter, playing “an edgy 20-year-old.” This is an Amazon production, directed by Joel Edgerton’s brother Nash. It marks a major change of direction for Oyelowo, star of serious award dramas like ‘Selma’ and ‘A United Kingdom’. Here he’s a shrill, hyperactive coward carrying the comedy of the film, complete with Nigerian accent (almost Kevin Hart territory). It’s pretty fascinating to see if he can pull it off. The comedic scenarios aren’t that strong, just “squeamish guy in trouble and being pursued”. The supporting cast would have been excellent for a drama, but they’re mostly straining for comedy here.
OkCritics: 38%Public: 6.1 
 

Starring: (voices) Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum
Director: Wes Anderson
Out: March 23, 2018

In a dystopian future Japan dogs have been exiled to and quarantined on a remote island due to a “canine flu”. Five local dogs—Chief (Cranston), Rex (Norton), Boss (Murray), Duke (Goldblum), and King (Bob Balaban) are fed up with their isolated existence in exile until a boy named Atari ventures to the island to search for his dog, Spots (Liev Schreiber). Atari receives their help, and protection from the Japanese authorities who have come to retrieve him… Stop-motion animated adventure written and directed by Wes Anderson. The quality voice cast also includes F. Murray Abraham, Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, Harvey Keitel, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, Ken Watanabe and Yoko Ono.
ExcellentCritics: 90%Public: 7.9 
 

Starring: Leslie Mann, John Cena, Ike Barinholtz, Kathryn Newton
Director: Kay Cannon
Out: April 6, 2018

A panicked couple (Mann, Cena) and a friend (Barinholtz, ‘Bad Neighbours’) try to stop their teenage daughters from having sex on Prom night, after intercepting a text chat showing they’ve made a pact to lose their virginity… Directorial debut of ‘Pitch Perfect’s screenwriter. ‘Blockers’ mixes a lowbrow teens-only forced humour with heavy political correctness, including a scene where it apologises for its own existence. Despite his heroic meme status, John Cena is wooden and doesn’t convince as a leading man in a comedy.
OkCritics: 83%Public: 6.2 
 

Comedy Movies 2018

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