The comedies of 2024 brought some unforgettable scenes, like the gym fight in Jackpot! or the debut of Baby Betelgeuse in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Deadpool & Wolverine brought back a long-forgotten superhero for a hilariously anticlimactic cameo appearance and Inside Out 2 introduced a bunch of wacky new emotions. Even the winner of the Palme d’Or — which usually goes to drab, serious Oscar bait — provided some of the biggest laughs of the year.
5
Nostalgia Comes Out Too Early
Inside Out 2
When Riley turns 13 at the beginning of Inside Out 2, a bunch of new emotions come flooding into her subconscious: Envy, Ennui, Embarrassment, and the peskiest of the bunch, Anxiety. But as they come into Headquarters, another emotion comes out a little too early: Nostalgia. Since Riley is just 13, she’s not old enough to be nostalgic yet, so Nostalgia gets pushed back behind the door.
Nostalgia only appears a couple of times, but she’s the funniest new character in Inside Out 2. June Squibb’s portrayal of Nostalgia as a kindly grandma fondly remembering past events (even those that happened just seconds ago) is hilariously spot-on. In one of Inside Out 2’s best lines, Anxiety tells Nostalgia they won’t need her until “10 years, two graduations, and a best friend’s wedding” have all passed Riley by.
4
The Notes App Scene
Hit Man
The real-life undercover police work of Gary Johnson presented Richard Linklater and Glen Powell with the perfect high-concept premise for a crime comedy. Hit Man revolves around a mild-mannered New Orleans college professor who works with a police surveillance team to catch people out for trying to hire a contract killer. When their go-to hitman actor is suspended, Gary is called upon to take his place — and finds that he’s a natural.
Hit Man’s twisty farce is filled with hilarious moments, but the funniest scene in the movie is the climactic notes app sequence. Gary goes undercover one last time to clear his girlfriend Madison’s name, and uses his iPhone notes to improvise. As Gary acts as Madison’s director and scene partner, Madison just goes with it, and Powell and Adria Arjona play it spectacularly.
3
Toros & His Goons Arrive At The House
Anora
Movies that win the Palme d’Or and get swept up in Oscar buzz tend to be dour, serious, dramatic films. But Sean Baker’s Anora is one of the funniest movies of the year. It starts out as a modern-day Cinderella story, with a sex worker getting swept off her feet by a wealthy john — a Russian oligarch’s spoilt son — and impulsively marrying him so he can stay in the country. But when the oligarch’s goon squad shows up to get the marriage annulled, Anora becomes a Coen brothers-style crime caper.
Ani’s bickering with Toros and his henchmen, and their bickering with each other, are endlessly hilarious. Ani’s fierce, no-nonsense outspokenness is a hysterical contrast with Toros’ deadpan demeanor. This whole section of the movie is a laugh riot.
2
The Saloon Brawl
Hundreds Of Beavers
Mike Cheslik’s slapstick masterpiece Hundreds of Beavers is the wildest original comedy of the year. It has a ton of hilarious moments, from a high-speed sled chase to a fight with a beaver-based Voltron to a showdown at a Bond-villain-lair-sized beaver dam. But arguably the funniest (and most bonkers) scene in the movie is the saloon brawl that takes place as Jean Kayak is trying to escape from the dam.
It’s like the bar brawl from Shane by way of Looney Tunes. The manic energy and cartoonish sound effects in the scene encapsulate the unique style of this movie. The hand-to-hand combat is hysterically brutal, with beavers getting flung across the room and smashing into shelves and tables, and the stunt performers throw themselves (literally) into every absurd beat.
1
The Post-Credits Revelation About Johnny Storm
Deadpool & Wolverine
As with the previous Deadpool movies, Deadpool & Wolverine is jam-packed with laughs. Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and Matthew Macfadyen’s Mr. Paradox each made for a perfect deadpan foil for Deadpool himself. Wesley Snipes’ crack that there will only ever be one Blade was a great meta gag and Channing Tatum’s incomprehensible Gambit was a delight. But the Deadpool threequel saves its funniest scene until after the end credits.
Deadpool & Wolverine has the best post-credits punchline since Airplane!, calling back to an earlier scene. When Deadpool meets Cassandra Nova, he gets Johnny Storm killed by seemingly making up a bunch of foul-mouthed insults Johnny said about Cassandra. Deadpool & Wolverine’s post-credits scene hilariously reveals that Johnny really did say all that stuff — and Chris Evans’ delivery is pitch-perfect.
English (US) ·