Comedy Movies 2016
The Best Comedies of 2016 So Far
2016 is a year of sequels for the comedy genre; some for older movies and some for newer ones. Neighbors, or ‘Bad Neighbours’ as it was retitled in some countries, has received the sequel treatment almost immediately along with 2014 comedy Ride Along getting its follow-up in mid-January.
February is also a key month for 2016 comedies with the much-anticipated Zoolander 2 hitting screens a whopping 15 years after its first instalment as well as the release of Coen brothers’ new film Hail Caesar! which will most likely rank amongst the best comedy movies of 2016. It appears that Robert De Niro is sticking to one genre these days as he stars alongside Zac Efron in Dirty Grandpa which looks like it will be one of the notable funny movies of 2016.
Ride Along 2 – Release Date: January 15th 2016
In another pre-wedding Florida road-trip comedy, Ben Barber has now graduated from the police academy and is engaged to be married to James’ sister Angela. Things might not be as laid back as they seem, however, after the pair are assigned a huge case and sent to work with the Miami Police Department. Ben and his future brother-in-law are assigned the task of bringing down a drug dealer who has been supplying the dealers in Atlanta with his product. Ice Cube and Kevin Hart reprise their roles and Tim Story takes the director’s chair once again.
Dirty Grandpa – Release Date: January 22nd 2016
After his grandmother’s funeral and just days before his wedding, the uptight Jason Kelly, played by Zac Efron, is tricked by his devious grandfather into driving all the way to Florida. The old man is crude ex-army general Dick Kelly, played by Robert De Niro, who intends to go to Florida for spring break after the dead of his wife. Expectedly, things aren’t quite as simple as Jason hoped and he’s left stick in a situation he never wanted to be in while hoping that he will make it back to his fiancée in time for his wedding.
Hail, Caesar! – Release Date: February 5th 2016
The film tells the story of Hollywood “fixer” Eddie Mannix; a man working in the 1950s studio system whose job involves helping out on the production of a film called ‘Hail Caesar’. After the movie’s star, Baird Whitlock, is kidnapped by a gang called The Future, Mannix must collect $100,000 ransom money before rescuing him. The film stars Josh Brolin as Eddie Mannix and George Clooney as Baird Whitlock. It was first conceptualised by the Coens over a decade ago with an almost entirely different storyline revolving around a theatre production. The project was shelved for many years before the brothers confirmed it was in development after the release of Inside Llewyn Davis.
Zoolander 2 – Release Date: February 12th 2016
Ben Stiller reprises his role as Derek Zoolander, an ex-fashion model with no common sense. This instalment sees him and his previous opponent Hansel McDonald coming out of retirement to return to modelling after they are threatened by a rival company. The movie is once again directed by its star, Ben Stiller, and features a number of actors reprising their roles including big comedy names Owen Wilson and Will Ferrell. The script it written by Justin Theroux who starred in the first movie as ‘Evil DJ’ but has now turned to screenwriting instead.
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot – Release Date: March 4th 2016
Dissatisfied with her low level position at home, television reporter Kim Barker (Tina Fey) takes a correspondence position in Afghanistan – much to the chagrin of her boyfriend (Josh Charles). Once over there, however, Barker embarks on a riveting culture clash through fellow journalists (Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman) and close-minded locals who ironically open her eyes to the world. As much as Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is a laugh out loud comedy, it also provides several elements for social commentary and the whole notion of wartime effect. Anchored by the talented core trio of Fey, Robbie, and Freeman, this adaptation of the best selling novel is guaranteed to raise more than one eyebrow.
The Brothers Grimsby – Release Date: March 5th 2016
Sacha Baron Cohen doesn’t play subtle. Even in Martin Scorsese’s masterful Hugo (2011), the U.K. actor provided the brightest burst of slapstick this side of Buster Keaton. More often than not, he finds himself in this lowbrow category, be it Borat (2006), Bruno (2009) or The Dictator (2012). In short, The Brothers Grimsby is much more of the same, complete with an outrageous Cohen character and a stern counterbalance by Mark Strong. The two men play estranged brothers: one became a slacking loser, the other a deadly hit-man, and who both run into complications were thrust into international espionage. Don’t go into Grimsby expecting anything but comedic brilliance wrapped in the most vulgar stuff this side of Jackass. No joke.
Everybody Wants Some – Release Date: March 30th 2016
From the mind of writer/director Richard Linklater comes this garrish 80’s comedy ripe with baseball, booze, and brainy observations. Dubbed a “spiritual sequel” to the seminal teen comedy Dazed And Confused (1993), Everybody follows a pack of plucky freshmen (Blake Jenner, Ryan Guzman, Tyler Hoechlin) as they break into the college lifestyle – a feat that proves easier said than done. Pranks and a few hilarious put-downs later, the young guns are welcomed into the hectic worlds of upperclassmen Finnegan (Glen Powell), Billy (Will Britain), and Willoughby (Wyatt Russell). Coming off the seriousness of Best Picture nominee Boyhood (2014), such a loose exercise in entertainment is great to see from Linklater. Everybody is definitely going to want some.
Barbershop: The Next Cut – Release Date: April 15th 2016
The Barbershop is back open for business! It’s been almost a decade since audiences last dropped by to opt a smooth fade, but little has changed up for The Next Cut. The staff, led by Calvin Palmer, Jr. (Ice Cube) and Eddie (Cedric The Entertainer), still deal in witty one-liners and quick shaves while welcoming in new employees Anthony Anderson, J.B. Smoove, Nicki Minaj and even Tyga! Good thing too, as the shop falls under fire when a local gang begins causing problems in the area, forcing Calvin and his clan to take action. Naturally, the action is going to be more slick talk and silly slapstick, but that doesn’t keep things from being pleasantly entertaining. If only Kevin Hart were here, things would feel utterly complete.
Keanu – Release Date: April 29th 2016
Key & Peele have become huge off the success of their Comedy Central skit show, so a feature length film seemed a pretty real possibility. What wasn’t expected, however, was how outright wacky the final premise for the picture would be: two guys going through gang hell and back for (get this)… a cat. A tiny little kitten by the name of Keanu (yes, like Reeves). Written by Alex Rubens and Jordan Peele, it’s a comedy that plugs a lifeline directly into the wildest Key & Peele skits and translates them three times over for the movie version. Here’s hoping it works, because with insanity like this, comedies would rarely get boring.
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising – Release Date: May 20th 2016
Zac Efron’s second appearance in this year’s comedy list, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising sees Mac and Kelly team-up once again with Teddy and Pete who they have now made friends with. This time around the movie concerns itself with the fight between the original characters and a group of sorority sisters who have moved into the house next door to Teddy and Pete. The movie features two of the now grown-up Disney stars in the form of Efron and Selena Gomez, who is rumoured to play one of the sorority sisters.
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates – Release Date: July 8th 2016
What’s the only thing crazier than pairing Zac Efron and Adam DeVine together? The answer, it seems, falls to the duo of Aubrey Plaza and Anna Kendrick. This quartet of comedy can be spotted in Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, as the boys who embody the titular roles need nice respectable girls to bring to their sister’s wedding. Thing is, Plaza and Kendrick aren’t nearly as polished as they initially put off. In fact, they prove to be the wildest, raunchiest pair either brother has ever come across. Another comedy that won’t reinvent the wheel, but a hilarious outing that’ll prove big for all four stars.
Masterminds – Release Date: September30th 2016
That Masterminds is based on real events is arguably as hilarious as the performers in it. The film assembles a Justice League of comedy actors, from Zach Galifianakis and Kristen Wiig to supporting experts Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis in roles perfectly tailored to their strengths. Narratively, this thing is more out there than the retro awfulness of 90’s wardrobe. Zach and Kristen star as Louis and Kelly, a pair of numb-skulled nobodies who somehow pull off what was then the second largest robbery in U.S. history. Wilson and Sudeikis show up to complicate and compliment matters, rounding out an exaggerated tone that turns out to be closer to the truth than we’d all like to think.
Bad Santa 2 – Release Date: November 23rd 2016
Pulling a page from the Jason Bourne book, Bad Santa 2 hasn’t revealed much about it’s upcoming plot. All we can piece together is that Willie T. Stoke (Billy Bob Thorton) will return in the role of everyone’s favorite yuletide alcoholic – that and Kathy Bates will pop up in the role of Stoke’s mother Sunny. Outside of that, it’s been a lock-and-key operation for new director Mark Waters and company, allowing plenty of freedom to dabble in any lowbrow humor they see fit. As the guy behind the cult classics Freaky Friday (2003) and Mean Girls (2004), Waters knows how to properly stir comedy to a simmer, and the anticipation behind this modern favorite is rising to feverous anticipation. It’ll be an un-merry holiday this year, and we have no one but Willie Stoke to thank for that.