(Photo by Orion/courtesy Everett Collection.)
The Best Comedies of 2020, Ranked by Tomatometer
From rom-coms to coming-of-age stories to straight up joke machines, we’ve collected all the Fresh and Certified Fresh comedies with at least 20 reviews to create our guide to the best comedies of 2020, ranked by Tomatometer.
We’ve mashed together all the comedy styles, including romantic comedies (The Lovebirds, Happiest Season), comedy-dramas (On the Rocks, Yes, God, Yes), coming-of-age tales (How to Build a Girl), road trips (Come As You Are, The Trip to Greece), and genre mixers (Kajillionaire, Get Duked!, Save Yourselves!). And, of course, there are the comedies that go straight for the jokes: Eurovision Song Contest, Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm, Bill & Ted Face the Music.
If you needed a laugh in 2020, these were the best comedies of the year to watch. —Alex Vo
#41
Adjusted Score: 75603%
Critics Consensus: Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga contains inspired ingredients and laugh-out-loud moments, but they're outnumbered by the flat stretches in this overlong comedy.
Synopsis: Two small-town singers chase their pop star dreams at a global music competition, where scheming rivals, high stakes and onstage...
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#40
Adjusted Score: 78451%
Critics Consensus: If the breezily enjoyable The Lovebirds feels like a little less than the sum of its parts, it's still an enjoyable showcase for the talents of its well-matched stars.
Synopsis: Accused of murder, a desperate couple embark on a dangerous quest to solve the mystery and clear their names....
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#39
Adjusted Score: 67587%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Siblings Clancy and Kevin discover that their seemingly normal mom is actually a former high-end thief in the witness protection...
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#38
Adjusted Score: 84360%
Critics Consensus: The High Note doesn't quite soar above rom-com formula, but audiences seeking some comfort viewing should find themselves solidly in harmony with this well-acted genre entry.
Synopsis: Maggie is the overworked personal assistant to Grace Davis, a superstar singer whose talent and ego have reached unbelievable heights....
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#37
Adjusted Score: 70023%
Critics Consensus: Stargirl's feel-good story hits familiar coming-of-age beats, but self-assured performances and an earnest mission worn proudly make it a tune worth listening to.
Synopsis: An unassuming high school student finds himself inexplicably drawn to the free-spirited new girl whose unconventional ways change how they...
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#36
Adjusted Score: 83620%
Critics Consensus: An American Pickle lacks the tart snap viewers might expect given its creative premise, but Seth Rogen's dual performance makes this a low-key comedy to relish.
Synopsis: Preserved in pickle brine for 100 years, an Orthodox Jewish factory worker wakes up in New York City and tracks...
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#35
Adjusted Score: 95915%
Critics Consensus: The King of Staten Island's uncertain tone and indulgent length blunt this coming-of-age dramedy's ability to find itself, but Pete Davidson's soulful performance holds it together.
Synopsis: An aimless slacker dreams of becoming a tattoo artist while living with his mother and hanging out with his friends...
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#34
Adjusted Score: 80441%
Critics Consensus: To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You may feel like little more than an amiable postscript to its predecessor, but fans of the original should still find this a swoonworthy sequel.
Synopsis: As her relationship with Peter continues to grow, Lara Jean reunites with another recipient of one of her old love...
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#33
Adjusted Score: 82232%
Critics Consensus: Eternal Beauty deals unevenly yet honorably with complicated themes, elevated by strong work from the ever-reliable Sally Hawkins and David Thewlis.
Synopsis: After Jane falls into a state of despair over her schizophrenia, she encounters new sources of love and life with...
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#32
Adjusted Score: 83307%
Critics Consensus: This late-capitalism comedy is undeniably uneven, but Zoey Deutch's effervescent performance gives Buffaloed wings.
Synopsis: A woman is desperate to escape her life in Buffalo and finds a way by becoming a debt collector....
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#31
Adjusted Score: 85295%
Critics Consensus: Uncle Frank finds writer-director Alan Ball still untangling the modern American family dynamic, aided by standout work from Paul Bettany and Sophia Lillis.
Synopsis: In 1973, teenaged Beth Bledsoe (Sophia Lillis) leaves her rural Southern hometown to study at New York University where her...
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#30
Adjusted Score: 88912%
Critics Consensus: A low-key charmer led by Adam Brody's sharp performance, The Kid Detective uncovers dark comedy in a story of unfulfilled childhood potential.
Synopsis: A once-celebrated kid detective, now 31, continues to solve the same trivial mysteries between hangovers and bouts of self-pity. But...
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#29
Adjusted Score: 88429%
Critics Consensus: Led by Beanie Feldstein's charming performance, How to Build a Girl puts a disarmingly earnest spin on the familiar coming-of-age comedy formula.
Synopsis: A smart and ambitious teen reinvents herself as a music critic....
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#28
Adjusted Score: 101025%
Critics Consensus: As wholesomely goofy as its heroes, Bill and Ted Face the Music is a rare long-belated sequel that largely recaptures the franchise's original charm.
Synopsis: The ruler of the future tells best friends Bill and Ted they must compose a new song to save life...
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#27
Adjusted Score: 97021%
Critics Consensus: A jolly good time with heartfelt performances and more than enough holiday cheer, all you'll want for Christmas is Happiest Season.
Synopsis: This romantic comedy is about longtime lesbian couple Abby (Kristen Stewart) and Harper (Mackenzie Davis), who made plans to go...
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#26
Adjusted Score: 86040%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: An awkward 18-year-old achieves near-perfection by sheer hard work. She vows to transform her gawkiness through dance, and refine her...
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#25
Adjusted Score: 88895%
Critics Consensus: Elevated significantly by Gillian Jacobs' central performance, I Used to Go Here tells a familiar story with considerable charm.
Synopsis: A successful author finds herself deeply enmeshed in the lives of a group of college students after being asked to...
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#24
Adjusted Score: 90347%
Critics Consensus: Funny, heartfelt, and brought to life by a smartly assembled ensemble, Big Time Adolescence finds fresh pleasures in the crowded coming-of-age genre.
Synopsis: A drug-dealing college dropout becomes a mentor to his best friend -- a straight-laced teen who idolizes him....
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#23
Adjusted Score: 107764%
Critics Consensus: On the Rocks isn't as potent as its top-shelf ingredients might suggest, but the end result still goes down easy -- and offers high proof of Bill Murray's finely aged charm.
Synopsis: Faced with sudden doubts about her marriage, a young New York mother teams up with her larger-than-life playboy father to...
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#22
Adjusted Score: 106048%
Critics Consensus: Borat Subsequent Moviefilm proves Sacha Baron Cohen's comedic creation remains a sharp tool for exposing the most misguided -- or utterly repugnant -- corners of American culture.
Synopsis: Released from prison for bringing shame to his country, Kazakh funnyman Borat risks life and limb when he returns to...
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#21
Adjusted Score: 85418%
Critics Consensus: A fun, fast paced film for all, Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made celebrates the power of imagination with a delightful sense of humor and just the right amount of bears.
#20
Adjusted Score: 93179%
Critics Consensus: The rare comedy thriller that's funny as well as thrilling, Get Duked! marks writer-director Ninian Doff as a filmmaker with a bright future.
Synopsis: A camping trip in the Scottish Highlands turns into a fight for survival when four teens become the target of...
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#19
Adjusted Score: 95144%
Critics Consensus: The Trip to Greece sees this series subject to the laws of diminishing returns, but Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan remain reliably enjoying company.
Synopsis: Funnymen Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon travel to restaurants, hotels and ancient landmarks in Greece....
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#18
Adjusted Score: 104571%
Critics Consensus: Other adaptations may do a better job of consistently capturing the spirit of the classic source material, but Jane Austen fans should still find a solid match in this Emma.
Synopsis: Beautiful, smart and wealthy, Emma Woodhouse navigates her way through misguided matches, romantic missteps and the challenges of growing up...
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#17
Adjusted Score: 94801%
Critics Consensus: Save Yourselves! doesn't do anything unexpected with its one-joke premise -- but fortunately, that one joke turns out to be consistently funny anyway.
Synopsis: A young Brooklyn couple head to an upstate cabin to unplug from their phones and reconnect with each other. Blissfully...
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#16
Adjusted Score: 93552%
Critics Consensus: Unpregnant puts a compelling twist on the road trip comedy -- and treats its sensitive subject with heart.
Synopsis: A pregnant teen and her former best friend embark on a road trip from Missouri to New Mexico....
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#15
Adjusted Score: 91081%
Critics Consensus: Banana Split serves up a sweet comedic dish that serves as a delightful calling card for co-writer and star Hannah Marks.
Synopsis: After a messy break-up with her high school boyfriend, April strikes up an unexpected friendship with his new girlfriend, Clara....
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#14
Adjusted Score: 104718%
Critics Consensus: Whether you see Kajillionaire as refreshingly unique or simply bizarre will depend on your cinematic adventurousness -- and fans of writer-director Miranda July wouldn't have it any other way.
Synopsis: Two con artists have spent 26 years training their only daughter to swindle, scam and steal at every turn. During...
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#13
Adjusted Score: 98220%
Critics Consensus: The Climb uses the complicated bond between two friends to dissect male friendships in engaging -- and frequently funny -- fashion.
Synopsis: Two lifelong pals test the boundaries of their friendship when a woman comes between them....
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#12
Adjusted Score: 108741%
Critics Consensus: The Personal History of David Copperfield puts a fresh, funny, and utterly charming spin on Dickens' classic, proving some stories truly are timeless.
Synopsis: The life of David Copperfield is chronicled from his youth into adulthood....
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#11
Adjusted Score: 97156%
Critics Consensus: Come As You Are approaches sensitive subjects with heart and humor, taking audiences on a thoroughly entertaining road trip to a crowd-pleasing destination.
Synopsis: A traveling nurse takes three disabled men on a road trip to Montreal so they can lose their virginity at...
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#10
Adjusted Score: 100521%
Critics Consensus: Natalia Dyer's charming performance -- and writer-director Karen Maine's sensitive work -- will leave audiences saying Yes, God, Yes to this coming-of-age dramedy.
Synopsis: A Catholic girl finds herself having tempting thoughts after an AOL chat turns unexpectedly racy....
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#9
Adjusted Score: 103638%
Critics Consensus: Powerfully acted and sensitively directed, Babyteeth offers audiences a coming-of-age story that's messier -- and more rewarding -- than most.
#8
Adjusted Score: 104789%
Critics Consensus: Anchored by an outstanding Hugh Jackman, Bad Education finds absurd laughs -- and a worthy message -- in the aftermath of a real-life scandal.
Synopsis: A Long Island school superintendent and his assistant are credited with bringing the district unprecedented prestige. Frank is a master...
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#7
Adjusted Score: 111967%
Critics Consensus: Strong performances, assured direction, and a refreshingly original concept make Palm Springs a romcom that's easy to fall in love with.
Synopsis: Stuck in a time loop, two wedding guests develop a budding romance while living the same day over and over...
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#6
Adjusted Score: 99516%
Critics Consensus: A disarmingly tender look at young adult ennui, this Shithouse don't stink.
Synopsis: A lonely college freshman forges a strong connection with his resident assistant during a fraternity party....
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#5
Adjusted Score: 100938%
Critics Consensus: As wickedly smart as it is energetic, Why Don't You Just Die! should satisfy audiences in the mood for a gore-soaked good time.
#4
Adjusted Score: 103860%
Critics Consensus: For viewers in search of an uncommonly smart, tender, and funny coming-of-age story, The Half of It has everything.
Synopsis: A shy, introverted student helps the school jock woo a girl whom, secretly, they both want....
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#3
Adjusted Score: 100063%
Critics Consensus: A dark teen comedy with an explosive twist, Spontaneous reaffirms Katherine Langford as a rising star -- and marks debuting director Brian Duffield as a filmmaker to watch.
Synopsis: When students in their high school inexplicably start to explode, seniors Mara and Dylan struggle to survive in a world...
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#2
Adjusted Score: 108202%
Critics Consensus: The Forty-Year-Old Version opens a compelling window into the ebbs and flows of the artist's life -- and announces writer-director-star Radha Blank as a major filmmaking talent with her feature debut.
Synopsis: A struggling New York City playwright finds inspiration by reinventing herself as a rapper....
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#1
Adjusted Score: 105859%
Critics Consensus: Saint Frances approaches an array of weighty issues with empathy, humor, and grace -- and marks star and writer Kelly O'Sullivan as a tremendous talent to watch.
Synopsis: After an abortion, a deadbeat nanny finds friendship with the 6-year-old she's hired to watch....
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