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Two adages perfectly sum up how important it is to laugh – "Laughter is the best medicine" and "Laughter is Good for the Soul," both paraphrased from the Old Testament, and nothing could be more true. When we experience any emotion, whether happy, sad, or angry, it's often comedy that lifts us and has the power to change our mood. This is why these hilarious R-rated comedies, guaranteed to make you laugh, are worth watching.
Many hilarious R-rated movies can elicit laughs for their use of different elements of comedy that you wouldn't see in any PG or PG-13 film. These films can and do push boundaries and have common themes we may deal with in real life making the themes more relatable. Although the movies listed here span decades, many were released in the 2000s and later, like "The Grand Budapest Hotel." But one of the funniest is "National Lampoon's Animal House," released in the U.S. on July 28, 1978.
To determine the top R-rated comedies ever made, 24/7 Tempo developed an index using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of April 2024, weighting all ratings equally. Only R-rated comedies with at least 5,000 IMDb ratings were considered.
Not all comedy movies are rated R. If you're interested in more modern comedies, regardless of the rating check out our article on the funniest movies and shows now streaming on Prime.
Here is the list of the top R-rated comedies ever made.
50. Office Space (1999)
- IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (251,954 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (325,914 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 80% (102 reviews)
49. The Last Detail (1973)
- IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (23,636 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (7,382 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (36 reviews)
48. Sideways (2004)
- IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (185,184 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (197,759 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (233 reviews)
47. In Bruges (2008)
- IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (402,967 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (112,943 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 84% (200 reviews)
46. Superbad (2007)
- IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (543,101 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (634,860 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (209 reviews)
45. Zombieland (2009)
- IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (541,908 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (643,581 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (257 reviews)
44. National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)
- IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (102,053 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (113,557 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (44 reviews)
43. Lady Bird (2017)
- IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (260,681 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (22,988 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (398 reviews)
42. Adaptation. (2002)
- IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (194,759 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (188,786 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (211 reviews)
41. After Hours (1985)
- IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (64,467 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (22,235 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (56 reviews)
40. American Splendor (2003)
- IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (48,914 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (44,582 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (187 reviews)
39. Bullets Over Broadway (1994)
- IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (37,974 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (17,034 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (58 reviews)
38. A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
- IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (136,693 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (181,269 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (66 reviews)
37. National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)
- IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (116,311 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (185,688 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (52 reviews)
36. Eighth Grade (2018)
- IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (69,978 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (5,340 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (318 reviews)
35. Husbands and Wives (1992)
- IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (28,553 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (14,177 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (42 reviews)
34. Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)
- IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (130,619 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (183,214 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (60 reviews)
33. Clerks (1994)
- IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (216,399 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (285,512 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (57 reviews)
32. Midnight Run (1988)
- IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (81,968 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (25,096 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (54 reviews)
31. High Fidelity (2000)
- IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (173,740 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (211,818 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (165 reviews)
30. When Harry Met Sally… (1989)
- IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (205,660 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (396,152 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (74 reviews)
29. Volver (2006)
- IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (105,214 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (72,113 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (173 reviews)
28. Barton Fink (1991)
- IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (117,023 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (45,410 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (61 reviews)
27. Blazing Saddles (1974)
- IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (131,541 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (218,474 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (59 reviews)
26. Palm Springs (2020)
- IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (130,989 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (2,596 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (241 reviews)
25. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)
- IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (52,856 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (44,530 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (49 reviews)
24. Waiting for Guffman (1996)
- IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (28,141 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (41,610 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (55 reviews)
23. 50/50 (2011)
- IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (332,708 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (86,894 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (200 reviews)
22. Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
- IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (132,732 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (228,109 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (190 reviews)
21. Dazed and Confused (1993)
- IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (174,013 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (236,467 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (62 reviews)
20. The Big Lebowski (1998)
- IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (766,228 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (356,600 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (109 reviews)
19. Being John Malkovich (1999)
- IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (323,305 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (262,755 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (135 reviews)
18. Rushmore (1998)
- IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (176,013 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (186,244 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (105 reviews)
17. Down by Law (1986)
- IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (49,905 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (22,383 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (31 reviews)
16. Ed Wood (1994)
- IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (177,962 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (107,299 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (65 reviews)
15. Stranger Than Paradise (1984)
- IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (36,300 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (15,648 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (26 reviews)
14. Dolemite Is My Name (2019)
- IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (61,771 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (113 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (232 reviews)
13. Good Bye, Lenin! (2004)
- IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (149,962 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (55,946 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (111 reviews)
12. The Breakfast Club (1985)
- IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (372,267 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (556,906 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (65 reviews)
11. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
- IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (745,547 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (97,896 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (310 reviews)
10. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
- IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (454,829 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (427,295 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (218 reviews)
9. The Big Sick (2017)
- IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (137,232 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (32,924 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (303 reviews)
8. Almost Famous (2000)
- IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (279,276 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (325,177 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (174 reviews)
7. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
- IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (530,779 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (498,702 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (213 reviews)
6. Manhattan (1979)
- IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (136,504 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (51,871 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (69 reviews)
5. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
- IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (134,739 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (127,206 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (66 reviews)
4. Brazil (1985)
- IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (194,716 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (103,103 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (49 reviews)
3. Wild Tales (2014)
- IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (196,455 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (10,000 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (157 reviews)
2. Life of Brian (1979)
- IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (412,500 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (259,144 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (70 reviews)
1. Parasite (2019)
- IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (810,722 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (5,000 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (475 reviews)