25 Comedies From the 90s and 2000s We Still Love
Gareth NewnhamIf you're looking for a unique time in cinema, look no further than the 1990s and 2000s. Every week, a new buddy comedy or slacker movie was released in theaters.
Though not all were created equal, there is something about the irreverent, witty, and occasionally satirical comedies of the period that are still a riot to this day.
Here are 25 of our favorite comedies from the 90s and 2000s that make us nostalgic for that period of time.
1. Dirty Work (1998)
Bob Saget's irreverent comedy stars the late, great Norm Macdonald and Artie Lange as Mitch and Sam. Two lifelong friends who are constantly down on their luck and struggling to make ends meet.
When Mitch's father needs a heart transplant but can't afford the surgery, Mitch and Sam decide to start their own revenge-for-hire business to raise the money, with disastrous results.
2. Idiocracy (2006)
Luke Wilson stars in Mike Judge's futuristic satire as Joe Bauers, an unremarkable military librarian who wakes up 500 years in the future after taking part in a botched hibernation experiment.
Along with his fellow test subject Rita (Maya Rudolph), The pair find themselves in a dystopian society ruled by corporations full of idiots.
3. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)
Kevin Smith's hilarious send-up of Hollywood's obsession with adaptations follows Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) as they embark on a cross-country journey from New Jersey to Hollywood to stop the production of a Bluntman and Chronic movie.
4. Grandma's Boy (2006)
Nicholaus Goossen's absurdist gamer comedy stars Allen Covert as Alex.
After getting kicked out of his apartment, Alex is forced to move in with his eccentric grandmother and her two roommates. To make matters worse, Alex's co-worker steals his video game idea, jeopardizing his job and passion for gaming.
5. Friday (1995)
Ice Cube as Craig Jones and Chris Tucker star in F. Gary Gray's buddy comedy about two friends trying to navigate a typical Friday in their South Central Los Angeles neighborhood.
The film follows unemployed best friends Craig (Ice Cube) and Smokey (Chris Tucker). After the pair get mixed up with a local drug dealer, they have until 10 pm to come up with $200 or face the consequences.
6. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
Jay Roach's spy spoof was written by and stars Mike Myers as the groovy British secret agent and his arch nemesis Dr. Evil.
After Austin is cryogenically frozen in the 60s, he wakes in the 90s to thwart Dr. Evil, who was also frozen for 30 years. As Austin adjusts to modern life, he teams up with Vanessa Kensington (Elizabeth Hurley) to stop Dr. Evil's latest plot to hold the world ransom for one million dollars!
7. Mallrats (1995)
Kevin Smith's follow-up to Clerks follows the misadventures of Quint (Jeremy London) and Brody (Jason Lee). After breaking up with their girlfriends, the pair spend the day at the local mall. Unbeknownst to Quint, though, his ex-girlfriend Brandi (Claire Forlani) is participating in a dating show produced by her psychotic father (Michael Rooker).
Meanwhile, Brodie's ex has started seeing Shannon (Ben Affleck), a local clothes shop manager who also hates Brody. Then there's Willam, who wants to see the sailboat.
8. Scary Movie (2000)
This horror parody, directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans, is easily the best in the long-running series, which, like the slasher movies it parodied, saw diminishing returns. Scary Movie follows a group of high school students who find themselves the targets of a mysterious killer wearing a knockoff Ghostface mask from the Scream movies.
As the students try to survive their increasingly bizarre attacks, the film takes the audience on a whistle-stop tour of 90s horror, including parodies of scenes from Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and The Sixth Sense.
9. Basketball (1998)
David Zucker's absurd sports comedy film released stars the creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, as best friends Joe Cooper (Trey Parker) and Doug Remer (Matt Stone). The pair create a new sport for the unathletic that combines elements of baseball and basketball. The game quickly became a professional sport with its own stadiums and a national league.
After their owner, Ted Denslow, chokes to death on a hot dog, Doug and Joe will inherit the Milwaukee Beers team as long as they win the Denslow Cup.
10. Wedding Crashers (2005)
This romantic comedy, directed by David Dobkin, stars Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn as John Beckwith and Jeremy Grey, best friends who crash weddings to hook up with the female guests.
However, things take a turn when, at the wedding of the daughter of the United States Secretary of the Treasury, the pair become smitten with sisters Claire (Rachel McAdams) and Gloria (Isla Fisher).
11. So, I Married an Axe Murderer (1993)
Thomas Schlamme's romantic comedy stars Mike Myers as Charlie, a beat poet who falls in love with Harriet Michaels (Nancy Travis). Despite his growing feelings for her, Charlie becomes paranoid when he starts suspecting that Harriet might be a notorious black widow serial killer known as Mrs. X.
12. Role Models (2008)
Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott star as Danny and Wheeler, two energy drink salesmen sentenced to 150 hours of community service after destroying a statue.
The pair then become mentors in the Big Brother-like program called Sturdy Wings and are assigned to be role models for two troubled kids: a nerdyLARPer called Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and a mischievous troublemaker named Ronnie (Bobb'e J. Thompson).
13. Encino Man (1992)
Also known as California Man in the UK, this teen comedy stars Brendan Fraser, Sean Astin, and Pauly Shore as best friends, Dave Morgan (Sean Astin) and Stoney Brown (Pauly Shore). While Dave tries to dig a swimming pool in his backyard, he discovers a frozen caveman (Brendan Fraser).
As the caveman, who they name Link, adapts to modern life, he becomes the center of attention at school due to his eccentric behavior.
14. Dodgeball (2004)
This hilarious sports comedy directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber features an ensemble cast including Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, and Rip Torn.
The story follows Peter Lafleur (Vince Vaughn) as he and the other regulars at Average Joe's gym enter a dodgeball tournament with a prize fund of $50,000 to stop it from being taken over by a corporate fitness conglomerate owned by the insane White Goodman (Ben Stiller).
15. Step Brothers (2008)
Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly star in this absurd comedy from Adam McKay. Brennan (Ferrell) and Dale (Reilly), two middle-aged man-children, are forced to live together as brothers when Brennan's mother, Nancy (Mary Steenburgen), marries Dale's father, Robert (Richard Jenkins). Unfortunately, the children hate each other, and hilarity ensues.
16. Super Troopers (2001)
Jay Chandrasekhar's goofy comedy follows the exploits of five mischievous Vermont state troopers; Thorny (Jay Chandrasekhar), Foster (Paul Soter), Mac (Steve Lemme), Rabbit (Erik Stolhanske), and Farva (Kevin Heffernan). When their station is threatened with closure, the troopers must prove their worth by cracking a drug smuggling ring operating on their stretch of highway.
17. Freddy Got Fingered (2001)
Tom Green's controversial comedy centers around the misadventures of an aspiring cartoonist called Gord Brody (Green) and his strained relationship with his unsupportive father (Rip Torn), who wants Gord to get a real job and be more like his sensible younger brother Freddie (Eddie Kaye Thomas). After Gord is forced to move back home after failing to find fame in LA, his long-suffering parents are forced to deal with Gord's bizarre antics and an unhealthy obsession with cartooning.
18. Happy Gilmore (1996)
Adam Sandler plays the world's angriest golfer in this beloved sports comedy by Dennis Dugan.
After failed ice hockey player Happy Gilmore ( Sandler) discovers he has a natural talent for driving incredible distances, he decides to use his newfound skills by entering professional golf tournaments to earn money to save his grandmother's home from foreclosure.
19. Idle Hands (1999)
Rodman Flender's cult horror teen comedy tells the story of Anton Tobias ( Devon Sawa), a lazy and unmotivated teenager whose hand becomes possessed by the devil and murders Anton's friends and family after he cuts it off.
As the body count rises, Anton and his undead friends Mick ( Seth Green) and Pnub (played by Elden Henson) must find a way to stop his possessed hand before it kills everyone at the school dance, including Anton's would-be girlfriend Molly (Jessica Alba).
20. Slackers (2002)
This teen comedy by Dewey Nicks, featuring an ensemble cast including Jason Schwartzman, Devon Sawa, James King, and Michael C. Maronna, revolves around the exploits of Dave (Sawa), Jeff (Maronna), and Sam (Jason Segel). Three slackers who have managed to cheat their way through college.
However, when overachiever Ethan (Jason Schwartzman) discovers they've cheated on their final exams. Ethan blackmails the trio into helping him win the heart of Angela (Jamie King).
21. Borat (2006)
Sacha Baron Cohen's hilarious satirical mockumentary follows the journey of fictional Kazakhstani journalist Borat, who travels to the United States to learn about American culture to help improve his homeland. Borat uses a mix of scripted scenes and interactions with unsuspecting bystanders culminating in Borat attempting to kidnap Pamela Anderson at a fan event.
22. Airheads (1994)
Brendan Fraser, Steve Buscemi, Adam Sandler, and Joe Mantegna star in Michael Lehmann's satirical comedy about a struggling rock band.
Chazz (Fraser), Rex (Buscemi), and Pip ( Sandler), frustrated with their lack of success with their band, The Lone Rangers, decide to take drastic measures to get their music played, storming a local radio station armed with fake guns.
23. Death Becomes Her (1992)
Robert Zemeckis' black horror comedy stars Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, and Bruce Willis in a twisted tale about the desperate measures two aging actresses take to stay young.
Madeline Ashton (Streep) and Helen Sharp (Hawn) are obsessed with their appearance and aging; after taking a mysterious potion that grants them immortality, the two find that although they can no longer die, they can still damage their now technically dead bodies. Fortunately, Ernest (Willis), Madeline's long-suffering husband, is a mortician who can use his skills to keep the pair from falling apart.
24. Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (2006)
Jack Black and Kyle Gass star in this musical biopic that focuses on the founding of their band, Tenacious D.
The film follows JB and KG, two wannabe rockers who embark on a journey to find the legendary Pick of Destiny, a mystical guitar pick that they believe will make them the greatest rock musicians in history.
Featuring a mix of comedy and musical numbers from the band's first two albums and cameos from Ronnie James Dio and Dave Grohl, The Pick of Destiny is one rockumentary you don't want to miss.
25. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
There are a number of great Will Ferrell movies, but there's something hilarious about the character of Ron Burgundy, the hotshot anchor from the 1970s who is the star of Anchorman.
Set in the 1970s, Burgundy and his team (which includes the work of Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, and David Koechner) are dealing with the changes in their industry when the station hires a female co-anchor for Burgundy. The movie really plays up the fun 70s vibes and makes you wonder what working in TV news is all about.