15 Best 2000s Comedy Movies

By Vlad Zakh · March 10, 2025

United States Comedy feel good nostalgic

Anchorman and The 40-Year-Old Virgin launched the Apatow comedy era that defined the decade’s second half, while Mean Girls became the most quoted teen comedy since Clueless. Elf works whatever the season, School of Rock is Jack Black at his most enjoyable, and Borat pushed the mockumentary further than almost anything before it. Shaun of the Dead has more heart than most straight horror, and Bridget Jones’s Diary, Legally Blonde, Old School, Knocked Up, Wedding Crashers, Zoolander and Napoleon Dynamite round out the list.

Elf (2003)

01

Elf (2003)

IMDb ★ 7.1 RT 85% Metacritic 66

A man raised as one of Santa's elves travels to New York to find his real father.

Directed by Jon Favreau · 1h 37m · Rated PG

2 wins & 9 nominations

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

School of Rock (2003)

02

School of Rock (2003)

IMDb ★ 7.2 RT 92% Metacritic 82

A failed musician poses as a supply teacher and secretly trains his class to form a rock band.

Directed by Richard Linklater · 1h 50m · Rated PG-13

8 wins & 24 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Apple TV, Hulu, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Borat (2006)

03

Borat (2006)

IMDb ★ 7.4 RT 90% Metacritic 89

A Kazakh journalist's tour of America draws real, unscripted reactions from unsuspecting people.

Directed by Larry Charles · 1h 24m · Rated R

Nominated for 1 Oscar20 wins & 34 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

04

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

IMDb ★ 7.8 RT 92% Metacritic 76

A slacker's zombie-apocalypse survival plan is mostly just going to his regular pub.

Directed by Edgar Wright · 1h 39m · Rated R

Nominated for 3 BAFTA Awards14 wins & 20 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Peacock Premium, Peacock Premium Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)

05

Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)

IMDb ★ 6.8 RT 80% Metacritic 66

A chaotic single woman's New Year's resolutions unravel across a messy love triangle.

Directed by Sharon Maguire · 1h 37m · Rated R

Nominated for 1 Oscar8 wins & 32 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Britbox Apple TV channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel, Starz Apple TV channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Legally Blonde (2001)

06

Legally Blonde (2001)

TMDB ★ 6.5

A sorority girl follows her ex to Harvard Law and ends up outclassing everyone who doubted her.

Directed by Robert Luketic · 1h 36m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Old School (2003)

07

Old School (2003)

IMDb ★ 7.0 RT 60% Metacritic 54

Three friends start an unofficial fraternity to relive their college glory days.

Directed by Todd Phillips · 1h 32m · Rated R

5 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Knocked Up (2007)

08

Knocked Up (2007)

TMDB ★ 6.9

A one-night stand between two mismatched people leads to an unplanned pregnancy and an awkward attempt at a relationship.

Directed by Judd Apatow · 2h 09m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Wedding Crashers (2005)

09

Wedding Crashers (2005)

IMDb ★ 7.0 RT 75% Metacritic 64

Two friends who crash weddings for easy romance both fall for the same family's daughters.

Directed by David Dobkin · 1h 59m · Rated R

11 wins & 11 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, Cinemax Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Cinemax Apple TV channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Zoolander (2001)

10

Zoolander (2001)

TMDB ★ 6.5

A dim-witted male model becomes the unwitting pawn in a plot to assassinate a foreign prime minister.

Directed by Ben Stiller · 1h 29m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

11

Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

TMDB ★ 6.9

An awkward small-town teenager helps his friend run for class president.

Directed by Jared Hess · 1h 35m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Superbad (2007)

12

Superbad (2007)

IMDb ★ 7.6 RT 88% Metacritic 76

Two inseparable best friends face the reality of splitting up for college the night of one legendary party.

Directed by Greg Mottola · 1h 53m · Rated R

11 wins & 24 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Apple TV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, YouTube TV · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Mean Girls (2004)

13

Mean Girls (2004)

TMDB ★ 7.0

A homeschooled teenager infiltrates her new school's most powerful and vicious clique.

Directed by Mark Waters · 1h 37m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Philo, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)

14

The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)

TMDB ★ 7.1

Launched the particular Apatow comedy voice that defined the rest of the decade.

Directed by Judd Apatow · 1h 56m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Peacock Premium, Philo, YouTube TV, Starz Amazon Channel, Starz, Peacock Premium Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

15

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

IMDb ★ 7.1 RT 66% Metacritic 63

A vain 1970s news anchor's ego is threatened when his network hires its first female co-anchor.

Directed by Adam McKay · 1h 35m · Rated PG-13

1 win & 13 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.