The R-rated comedy is making a comeback. Jennifer Lawrence's No Hard Feelings is shaping up to be one of the year's most promising comedies, while the Glen Powell-Sydney Sweeney rom-com Anyone But You is setting social media aflame. Overall, the R-rated comedy seems to be thriving after a few years of relative quietness.
The new millennium has been rather kind to this raunchy and hilarious sub-genre, producing some of the best and most memorable entries. From subversive romantic comedies to outlandish war movies, the 21st century has delivered countless incredible R-rated comedies, many of which are on their way to becoming modern classics.
Updated on August 19, 2023, by David Caballero:
R-rated comedies keep winning with critics and audiences. The successful and critically-acclaimed release of Prime Video's R-rated rom-com proves that audiences will show up for a great mature comedy as long as it's full of quality humor. Luckily, the new millennium has delivered multiple great R-rated comedies, some of which have become certified classics of the modern age.
15 'No Hard Feelings' (2023)
Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence embraces her raunchy side with the 2002 R-rated comedy No Hard Feelings. The plot centers on Maddie, a 32-year-old Uber driver on the verge of losing her childhood home. Desperate, she agrees to date the 19-year-old son of a wealthy couple in exchange for a Buick Regal.
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Powered by Lawrence and Andrew Barth Feldman's spectacular performances, No Hard Feelings is bold and laugh-out-loud funny. Like the best R-rated comedies, the film has an emotional core that adds layers to the story, resulting in a surprisingly sweet story about love and intimacy.
14 'Old School' (2003)
Will Ferrell, Luke Wilson, and Vince Vaughn star in the 2003 cult classic comedy Old School. The plot revolves around Mitch, Frank, and Bernard, three struggling men in their thirties who seek to relive their glory days by starting a fraternity.
Immature men unwilling to let go of their past is a common theme for R-rated comedies - Ferrell and Vaughn made a career out of playing similar roles. However, Old School stands out thanks to its shameless embrace of its inherent dumbness and a surprisingly gentle tone. With a trio of hysterical lead performances that elevate the film's uneven script, Old School is a certified modern classic.
13 'Wedding Crashers' (2005)
Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn joined forces for David Dobkin's R-rated comedy Wedding Crashers. The acclaimed comedians play Jeremy and John, two divorce mediators who crash weddings to seduce women. However, things get complicated when John becomes smitten with Claire, the bridesmaid at a high-profile reception played by Oscar-nominee Rachel McAdams.
Wedding Crashers lives up to its R-rating with a raunchy plot that makes the most out of its talented cast - a scene-stealing Isla Fisher is particularly memorable. However, it balances its more provocative elements with a sweet layer that prevents it from descending into vulgarity or sophom*oric humor.
12 'This Is the End' (2013)
This Is the End features an all-star cast led by James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Craig Robinson, and Danny McBride. The group stars as fictionalized versions of themselves who become trapped in Franco's Los Angeles mansion following a global biblical apocalypse.
Unhinged and hilarious, This Is the End is the perfect Hollywood satire. The film excels thanks to its numerous cameos and self-aware tone, with everyone involved willing to play the worst version of themselves. However, its real strength relies on the six leading actors, who embrace the film's disruptive tone and create a chaotic dynamic that perfectly complements the ridiculous plot.
11 '21 Jump Street' (2012)
Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum teamed up for Lord & Miller's 2012 comedy 21 Jump Street, an R-rated adaptation of the eponymous 1987 series. The pair play Schmidt and Jenko, two police officers posing as high school students to catch a supplier distributing a new drug at Sagan High School.
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Irreverent and cleverly subversive, 21 Jump Street is an uproarious comedy that doubles as a love letter to the 80s classic show. Hill and Tatum are at their best, shining individually but radiating together. With a funny supporting cast and a plot unafraid to go to the extreme, 21 Jump Street is the rare R-rated comedy that is both biting and funny.
10 'Good Boys' (2019)
Gene Stupnitski's 2019 comedy Good Boys follows a trio of 12-year-olds on a wild adventure. When Max gets invited to his first kissing party, he relies on his best friends for help. However, things go wrong when the drone they steal to spy on the girls next door gets lost, forcing them to go on a wild hunt to retrieve it before Max's dad finds out it's gone.
Although it has its fair share of gross-out humor, Godd Boys is a refreshing entry into the R-rated genre thanks to its set-up. A trio of talented actors, led by the reliably awesome Jacob Tremblay, make Good Boys an unforgettable and hilarious comedy with a surprisingly touching message at its center.
9 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' (2008)
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Jason Segel's breakout role came with 2008's Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which he also wrote. The film co-stars Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, and Russell Brand and follows a broken-hearted man who travels to Hawaii to recover from his recent breakup. However, things go south when he finds his ex there with her new boyfriend.
Raunchy and hysterical, Forgetting Sarah Marshall is a rom-com disguised as an R-rated comedy. Powered by Segel's vulnerable performance, which walks a fine line between self-pity and gumption, Forgetting Sarah Marshall subverts ideas about masculinity and romance. The result is a refreshing yet still hilarious look into the complicated dynamics of love and sex, as hilarious as it's eye-opening.
8 'Girls Trip' (2017)
Queen Latifah, Regina Hall, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Tiffany Haddish star in Malcolm D. Lee's 2017 comedy Girls Trip. The plot centers on four friends who seek to reconnect by going on a trip to the Essence Music Festival, where one will be a keynote speaker.
Girls Trip's sharp and ridiculously funny screenplay is further elevated by four stellar performances – with Haddish's outlandish, unforgettable portrayal nearly stealing the whole thing. Moreover, the film is an insightful and heartwarming exploration of female friendship that never forgets to make audiences roll with laughter with plenty of sexual and gross-out jokes that always hit the mark.
7 'Tropic Thunder' (2008)
Arguably the best war comedy of the 21st century, Tropic Thunder stars an impressive ensemble led by Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey Jr. The film follows a crew of pampered Hollywood actors who get dropped into an actual warzone while filming a war movie.
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Inflammatory and daring, Tropic Thunder is a brilliant and often scathing satire of Hollywood and the filmmaking industry. Featuring a now-iconic Oscar-nominated performance from Downey Jr. and a scene-stealing turn from a nearly-unrecognizable Tom Cruise, Tropic Thunder is funny, shocking, politically incorrect, and absolutely unforgettable.
6 'The Hangover' (2009)
Future Oscar-nominee Todd Phillips directed perennial Oscar-nominee Bradley Cooper alongside Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis in the chaotic 2009 comedy The Hangover. The plot concerns a group celebrating a bachelor party in Las Vegas who misplace the groom after a particularly wild night they do not recall.
The Hangover is a lawless, cameo-filled wild ride with enough flashes of brilliance to become an instant classic. With a clever screenplay, three stellar performances from its well-chosen leads, and a series of increasingly deranged vignettes that make the most of the film's haywire premise, The Hangover is a near-perfect R-rated romp.
5 'The Nice Guys' (2016)
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Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe star in Shane Black's neo-noir comedy The Nice Guys. Set in 1977 Los Angeles, the story follows Holland March, an inept PI who joins a brutish enforcer, Jackson Healey, to investigate a young woman's disappearance.
Silly in tone but remarkably clever in storytelling, The Nice Guys is an edgy comedy strengthened by the delirious chemistry between its two leads. The film excels as a love letter to the 70s imbued with Black's trademark black wit to create a unique and endlessly rewatchable mystery that ranks as possibly the best noir comedy of the 21st century.
4 'Deadpool' (2016)
Few and increasingly rare are the superhero movies that dare to mix genres; the current landscape for comic book adaptations is bleak and hom*ogenous, with few entries willing to take risks or think outside the box. Perhaps that's why 2016's Deadpool was such an overwhelming success.
Ryan Reynolds, in the role he was born to play, stars as the Merc with a Mouth, a mercenary turned vigilante after an experiment leaves him with mutant abilities but horrifically scared. Hysterical, profane, and willingly deranged, Deadpool is a port in a storm of by-the-book comic book adaptations. Propelled by Reynolds' tornado of chaos, the film is a groundbreaking, self-aware, and wickedly entertaining superhero movie that pulls no punches.
3 'Spy' (2015)
Paul Feig always brings out the best in Melissa McCarthy, and 2015's Spy is the perfect example. McCarthy plays Susan Cooper, a shy CIA analyst who becomes an unexpected agent pursuing the stone-cold Bulgarian arms dealer who killed her partner and exposed the agency's database.
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Spy features a career-best performance from McCarthy, a wild and irreverent delight as the spirited Susan. Coupled with a ludicrous turn from Jason Statham and Rose Byrne's vicious scene-stealing work, Spy becomes an instant spy classic and one of the few R-rated comedies whose bite is far stronger than its already thunderous bark.
2 'Superbad' (2007)
Judd Apatow cemented his place as the go-to comedic producer with the 2007 teen comedy Superbad. Jonah Hill and Michael Cera star as Seth and Evan, two high school seniors desperate to lose their virginity before graduation. Christopher Mintz-Plasse plays Fogell, their classmate who winds up having an adventure with two irresponsible police officers.
Awkward but hilarious and surprisingly touching, Superbad is one of the most accurate portrayals of adolescence in any teen movie. The film gave Hill and Cera their breakthrough roles while confirming Apatow as a singular comedic mind unafraid to push boundaries. Offering a clever yet funny look at friendship, Superbad is a classic coming-of-age flick that expertly balances raunchy comedy with earnestness, resulting in a triumphant comedy.
1 'Bridesmaids' (2011)
Kristen Wiig's game-changing 2011 comedy Bridesmaids launched a new era for R-rated comedies. The SNL alumni stars as Annie, a down-on-her-luck baker turned jewelry saleswoman whose life unravels after becoming Maid of Honor to her life-long best friend.
Bridesmaids is a work of comedic genius. Shrewd, self-aware, and full of brilliant humor, Bridesmaids is the perfect marriage between comedy and gravitas, further elevated by an outstanding cast at the top of their game. Melissa McCarthy, in particular, shines in the film as the wild and wacky Megan. Bridesmaids' two Oscar nominations remain two of the most pleasantly out-of-the-box choices the Academy ever made, and the film more than earned them.
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