The Best Comedy Movie Of Each Year In The 2000s

The 2000s were an underrated time for comedy movies. The 90s get a lot of love for comedy thanks to classics like Dumb and Dumber, Clueless, and Home Alone, while the post-2000s gave us the likes of The Wolf of Wall Street, Booksmart, Bottoms, and Palm Springs.

While those eras are strong, the stuff we got during the 2000s was special. The decade was home to severely underrated yet hilarious animated films, romantic comedies that have become iconic, movies that are still quotable to this day, projects filmed with raunchy jokes, and so much more.

2000: The Emperor's New Groove

The start of the decade was home to some intriguing comedies. Guy Ritchie's Snatch is a unique crime comedy, Scary Movie is the hilarious first entry in a fun parody series, and Chicken Run is an animated classic. There's also Jim Carrey's work in How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

However, the top pick is one of Disney's most underrated films ever made, The Emperor's New Groove. The movie follows a selfish emperor who gets transformed into a llama and must befriend a kind village leader to help get his human body back.

What makes the film so memorable is just how funny it is. Characters break the fourth wall to tell jokes, there's an absurdity to parts of it that are hilarious, quotes like "Pull the lever, Kronk" are iconic, and the characters remain popular today. It might be Disney's funniest release.

2001: Legally Blonde

2001's most memorable comedies are likely the animated projects, since Monsters Inc. and Shrek are held in such high esteem. There's also Bridget Jones's Diary, Ghost World, American Pie 2, Amélie, and The Royal Tenenbaums to round out a good comedic year.

It's tough to best Legally Blonde, though. Based on a novel of the same name, this film centers on Elle Woods, a sorority girl who overcomes stereotypes as she gets a degree at Harvard Law School and becomes a successful lawyer. It's an empowering story but it's also really funny.

Reese Witherspoon is at her very best, delivering every sharp-witted quip expertly. Meanwhile, the supporting cast around her also makes sure to bring the laughs from the versatile Alanna Ubach to the always funny Jennifer Coolidge.

2002: My Big Fat Greek Wedding

2002 wasn't exactly the best of years for the comedy genre in cinema. Stuff like Punch-Drunk Love and Adaptation are comedic leaning but more in line with other genres, while Austin Powers in Goldmember, The Hot Chick, and Kung Pow Enter the Fist! weren't all that well-received.

An interesting place to look to find the year's best comedy is My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The movie has a somewhat simple setup, with Greek-American Fotoula "Toula" Portokalos (Nia Vardalos, who also wrote the film) falling in love with a non-Greek man, which her family struggles to accept.

There was a certain level of charm that made it special as it was both a critical and commercial hit. My Big Fat Greek Wedding grossed over $350 million and spawned two sequels, while also being nominated for Best Picture - Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes thanks to its sharp script.

2003: School Of Rock

There are some strong candidates for the best comedy movie of 2003. Lost in Translation is Bill Murray at his best, Bruce Almighty is an underrated Jim Carrey film, Elf is a true holiday classic, and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is one of the most beloved rom-coms ever produced.

All that said, it's tough to compete with the combination of laughs and heartfelt emotion that you get from School of Rock. It focuses on Dewey Finn (Jack Black), a struggling musician who poses as a substitute teacher, where he forms a band comprised of his students.

Richard Linklater's screenplay lends itself to some truly funny moments, boosted by the strong performance of Jack Black. While the comedy is great, there's a lot of heart to help sell it as both Dewey and the kids learn a lot from each other. The music is pretty great too.

2004: Mean Girls

No year was tougher to pick a best comedy than 2004. Stuff like Shrek 2, White Chicks, 13 Going on 30, 50 First Dates, Napoleon Dynamite, Anchorman, and Dodgeball are all beloved. Yet it still came down to Shaun of the Dead and Mean Girls.

Although you can't go wrong with either option, we give the slight edge to Mean Girls. Written by comedy icon Tina Fey, the film sees the formerly home-schooled Cady (Lindsay Lohan) attend high school for the first time, where she quickly becomes entangled with a group of mean, popular girls.

Mean Girls is one of the most memorable films of the 2000s, regardless of genre. It remains highly quotable, features some tremendous performances, and is as sharp as it gets in terms of writing. It nails the teen comedy aspects while throwing in some wild moments like Regina getting hit by the bus.

2005: The 40-Year-Old Virgin

While 2004 was a bit more difficult, 2005 also saw two movies duke it out for the top spot among comedies. Hitch, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Just Friends, and The Longest Yard are fun, but the choices for the top spot are The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Wedding Crashers.

Both films highlight a trope of comedies from this era, which found good ways to blend well-written jokes with raunchy moments. The 40-Year-Old Virgin wins out for being a critically acclaimed project that helped launch the careers of Steve Carell, Seth Rogen, and several others.

The movie centers on Andy (Carell), an awkward man who gets help from his co-workers to lose his virginity. There are so many funny scenes, from the painful reactions to the hair waxing to the ridiculous speed dating sequence to the poker game where his virginity is revealed.

2006: The Devil Wears Prada

In 2006, we were treated to some quality comedies from the Oscar-nominated Little Miss Sunshine to Amanda Bynes' modern classic She's the Man to the controversial Borat to Jack Black's wacky movie about a lucha libre wrestler, Nacho Libre.

The best comedy from 2006 is The Devil Wears Prada, which is getting a highly anticipated sequel this year. Based on the novel of the same name, the movie follows an aspiring journalist (Anne Hathaway) who gets a job at a fashion magazine and is at the mercy of her ruthless boss, Miranda (Meryl Streep).

The story of The Devil Wears Prada is great and part of its legacy but what really makes it work is the screenplay. The film is littered with memorable lines from "Please bore someone else with your questions" to "I'm sorry, do you have some prior commitment? Some hideous skirt convention you have to go to?"

2007: Superbad

Juno is about as good as it gets, The Simpsons Movie felt like an extension of the legendary show, Hairpsray is a blast, Knocked Up was a hit, and Hot Rod is severely underrated.

Yet despite all that, Superbad kind of handily takes the cake for 2007. The film follows two best friends who set out for a wild night where they hope to get laid and have a good time before they depart for college. It's incredibly raunchy and holds nothing back, yet it also has a ton of heart.

Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Emma Stone, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse all used this film to help them become stars. They all deliver some great scenes, while there's also a barrage of comedic scenes involving Bill Hader and Seth Rogen as a pair of unusual police officers.

2008: Forgetting Sarah Marshall

A lot of the best comedies from 2008 mixed genres. Mamma Mia is also a musical, Pineapple Express includes action, and Kung Fu Panda is a lovable animated project. Meanwhile, Step Brothers and Tropic Thunder are probably the biggest and most memorable comedies from the year.

It's not as famous as those two movies but Forgetting Sarah Marshall is actually funnier from start to finish. It follows a man who goes on vacation after getting dumped by his TV star girlfriend, only to run into her and her new boyfriend in Hawaii.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall is a showcase of Jason Segel's comedic talents, from his singing of "Dracula's Lament" to his emotional outbursts over the breakout. Meanwhile, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, Bill Hader, and Jonah Hill are part of a stellar supporting cast.

2009: Zombieland

The Proposal was a huge romantic comedy released in 2009, while (500) Days of Summer is creative, The Hangover was a new raunchy franchise starter, and Confessions of a Shopaholic is an underrated gem.

Alas, we selected a horror comedy, Zombieland, as the year's best. The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies and sees four unlikely companions come together to try for a road trip to try and find a safe haven that's free of the undead.

The horror is well done but the comedy is where this shines. Jesse Eisenberg is a great straight man, Woody Harrelson is at his funniest, and the sibling duo of Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin works so well alongside them, helping the film to its 89% Rotten Tomatoes rating.