The best comedy movies on Netflix New Zealand

We’re all in need of a good laugh, or at the very least a brief distraction. Katie Parker selects the best comedy films now streaming on Netflix.

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All new movies & series on Netflix
All new streaming movies & series

American Pie (1999)

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In today’s oddly chaste age it’s hard to explain the chokehold this tale of teen boys trying to lose their virginity had on the adolescents of yesteryear. Yet, not so long ago, the lewd misadventures of Jason Biggs, Sean William Scott, Chris Klein et al. had an entire generation at its knees. Though these characters would be met by a very different reception today, it’s still hard to resist the charms of the quintessential 90s sex comedy.

Bad Trip (2020)

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Combining real life hidden camera pranks with a scripted buddy comedy narrative, Bad Trip saw comedian Eric Andre turn his infamously renegade comic stylings into a full-length film—and, however juvenile, the result is irresistibly hilarious. Following a pair of best friends (Andre and Lil Rel Howery) on a road trip from Florida to New York, the film’s best moments see members of the public unwittingly caught up in the action.

Blockers (2018)

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With a more progressive attitude and diverse cast than the sex comedies of yesteryear, 2018’s Blockers still captures all of the crude charm of its predecessors with its story of a group of parents attempting to stop their daughters losing their virginity on prom night. Starring John Cena, Leslie Mann, and Ike Barinholtz alongside an excellent young supporting cast, Kay Cannon’s film takes an intelligent approach to the subject matter without sacrificing laughs.

Boy (2010)

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Long before he became a major Hollywood player and Marvel director, Taika Waititi’s calling card was his knack for deploying bone dry Kiwi humour with poignant aplomb—and local classic Boy is perhaps the most sublime instance of this. Starring Waititi and launching the career of James Rolleston, this tale of an absentee father’s relationship with his Michael Jackson-obsessed son won worldwide acclaim by perfecting the art of wry New Zealand wit.

Chicken Run (2000)

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From Aardman Animations, the studio behind beloved claymation sensations Wallace and Gromit, at just 84 minutes long Chicken Run is a masterclass in tightly-timed comic brilliance. The story of a flock of chickens who plan an escape from a prisoner-of-war style egg farm, the 2000 film paired charm, wit and actually very effective action sequences with a surprisingly sophisticated political subtext, to become one of modern cinema’s best animated comedies.

Do Revenge (2022)

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Riffing on everything from Cruel Intentions to Alfred Hitchock’s Strangers On A Train, Jennifer Kaytin Robinson’s 2022 black comedy was a welcome return to the teen flicks of yesteryear, and a slyly successful satire. Following a pair of private school girls (Maya Hawke and Camila Mendes) who agree to carry out each other’s vengeance plots in order to evade suspicion, this winking, witty and gleefully wry comedy proved that the art of the high school comedy is not yet lost.

Dual (2022)

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Set in the not so distant future, this pitch black science fiction satire follows a woman (Karen Gillan) who, after unexpectedly recovering from a terminal illness, must face a fight to the death with the clone who was created to replace her. Employing a Yorgos Lanthimos-esque stylisation and taking an incredibly original approach to some very complex ideas, Dual further establishes director Riley Stearns as one to watch.

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

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Created with the kind of stop-motion animation that is as creepy as it is charming, Wes Anderson’s 2009 adaptation of Roald Dahl’s beloved children’s book turns its source material into a surprisingly adult heist comedy that is brimming with Anderson’s signature dry wit. Following former career criminal Mr. Fox (George Clooney) as he attempts one last big caper, the film is quirky, cute, and one-of-a-kind.

The Girl Next Door (2004)

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Yet another comedy that underperformed in its time only to go on to cult classic status, 2004 film The Girl Next Door’s story of a former porn star’s burgeoning romance with a nerdy high schooler was far sharper than initially assessed. Starring Emile Hirsch and Elisha Cuthbert, the titillating premise belies a surprising amount of heart embedded in the film’s humour—and for all its horny teen boy energy, even succeeds in evading stereotypes about sex workers.

Girls Trip (2017)

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One of the biggest comedy box office hits in recent years, Malcolm D. Lee’s 2017 comedy Girls Trip saw Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Tiffany Haddish, and Jada Pinkett Smith as four best friends go on vacay to New Orleans, with delightfully raunchy results. Packed with brilliantly brazen, hysterics-inducing set pieces, Girls Trip is the kind of joyfully R-rated romp the world needs more of right now.

Glass Onion (2022)

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Rian Johnson’s follow-up to his 2019 hit Knives Out, Glass Onion saw another ensemble cast—including Edward Norton, Kate Hudsen, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn and Leslie Odom Jr.—join Daniel Craig’s suave southern detective Benoit Blanc for another sly, twisty, and incredibly wry mystery. A send up of the absurdly wealthy (and in particular a certain breed of tech billionaire), Glass Onion’s whip smart wit created a stunningly prescient and fabulously cathartic comedy.

Hot Fuzz (2007)

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Making a film as comedically brilliant as Shaun Of The Dead is something most filmmakers might hope for once in a lifetime, but when Wright reunited with Pegg and Frost again in 2007, lightning struck twice. Hot Fuzz sees a hotshot London cop (Pegg) transferred to the picturesque but mundane rural village of Sandford, where he investigates a series of unexplained and hilariously gruesome deaths. Invoking everything from Point Break to The Wicker Man, Hot Fuzz is cinematic satire at its best.

In Bruges (2008)

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Long before he was making us all cry our hearts out over dear little donkeys, The Banshees of Inisherin director Martin McDonagh established himself as the master of pitch black comedy with the 2008 story of two Irish hitmen who find themselves stranded in a picturesque Belgian town. Starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, In Bruges pairs dark farce with thriller to create something entirely original, surprisingly poignant and incredibly funny.

Love Actually (2003)

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Yes, it’s a Christmas movie. Yes, you’ve seen it 50,000 times. Yes, it’s often needlessly grim. But Love Actually, which in the 20 years since it came out has become all but sacred in the hearts of many, is still to this day a very funny comedy. At its best when following Bill Nighy’s washed up pop star making a last-ditch cash grab with a Christmas jingle, Love Actually perfects pithy English comedy to earn its cult status.

Pineapple Express (2008)

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A stoner-action-comedy may sound oxymoronic, but 2008’s Pineapple Express not only proved its existence—it perfected it. Starring Seth Rogen as an underachieving pothead who, along with his airheaded dealer (James Franco), becomes embroiled in a case of police corruption after accidentally witnessing a murder. Featuring Rogen at his adorably unwitting best, Pineapple Express is a highlight of producer Judd Apatow’s golden era.

Shaun Of The Dead (2004)

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Comedy horror is so hard to get right—which is why Edgar Wright’s 2004 zombie satire remains such a beloved entry into both genres. Following an unambitious man-child (Simon Pegg) and his best friend (Nick Frost) who find their hum-drum lives upended when the undead start terrorising the streets of London. Balancing brilliant black comedy with genuinely freaky horror, Shaun Of The Dead rightfully remains a cult classic of both genres.

Shrek (2000)

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Perhaps the greatest comedy, nay, piece of cinema of our time, more than 20 years on from its release, Shrek’s inspired musical choices, iconic voice performances, and witty, incredibly quotable one-liners remain as side-splitting today as ever. Set within a fairy tale world and following a grumpy ogre’s quest to reclaim his swampland, this classic of early CGI directed by Kiwi filmmaker Andrew Adamson is a bonafide modern masterpiece.

A Simple Favour (2018)

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On the surface yet another melodramatic domestic thriller, Paul Feig’s gleefully silly 2018 black comedy turns the usually somber genre on its head. Following a widowed mummy-blogger (Anna Kendrick) who becomes obsessed with the mysterious disappearance of a glamorous new friend (Blake Lively), the increasingly bonkers twists come thick and fast in this deliciously twisted and delightfully campy flick.

Spree (2020)

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A darkly funny, occasionally disturbing, and incredibly canny commentary on the lengths some will go to for clout on social media, Eugene Kotlyarenko’s 2020 film is a scathingly hilarious satire for the current age. Starring Stranger Things actor Joe Keery as a ride-share driver and social media obsessive who, in a quest to go viral, starts murdering his passengers, Spree skewers the pitfalls of influencer culture with rare acidity and gleeful abandon.

Step Brothers (2008)

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Perhaps the only film that is guaranteed to make me cry with laughter, Adam McKay’s Step Brothers is so insane, so crude and so relentlessly, gleefully silly, it is without comparison. The story of two spoiled adult men (Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly) who never left the nest and find themselves living together when their parents marry, Stepbrothers is a comedy classic that only gets better with repeated viewings.

Superbad (2007)

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Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg began development on the screenplay for Superbad when they were just 13 years old, which is perhaps why even the crudest and most adolescent jokes in Greg Mottola’s 2007 coming-of-age film hit so perfectly. Starring Jonah Hill and Michael Cera as a pair of sex-obsessed high schoolers, the endlessly quotable and instantly beloved film is among the best in producer Judd Apatow’s stable, and easily one of the best teen comedies of all time.

The Sweetest Thing (2002)

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Like all great art, Roger Kumble’s 2002 film starring Cameron Diaz, Selma Blair and Christina Applegate was misunderstood in its time, widely (and unforgivably) panned by critics. In today’s enlightened age, however, we can thankfully appreciate one of the few female-led sex comedies to be produced during the genre’s golden age. The sweetest thing of all? Netflix’s version appears to be the unrated version, meaning it features Blair, Diaz and Applegate’s infamous performance of “The Penis Song”.

White Chicks (2004)

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It’s only years later with the benefit of hindsight that we can truly appreciate what the Wayans brothers were doing in the 2000s—and the once panned, now cult classic, 2004 comedy White Chicks proves that it was on a whole other level. The story of two FBI agents (Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans) donning whiteface to go undercover as women to thwart a kidnapping plot broke every rule in the book and remains undeniably hilarious.


This guide is regularly updated to reflect changes in Netflix’s catalogue. For a list of capsule reviews that have been removed from this page because they are no longer available on the platform, visit here.