5 comedies to watch on Netflix - because you need a laugh

This article exists for one reason, and one reason alone - the world is a pretty serious place right now, and that can't be ignored.

But you reallly need to take an occasional break from the news cycle, and let your brain unwind. This is important. Take a minute. Breathe. Have a chuckle. It won't hurt, promise.

To assist the process, here are four funny movies (and a series) to be found right now on popular streaming online service Netflix. You might have heard of it.

The Breaker Upperers

Executive produced by Taika Waititi, this unsung Kiwi comedy is written, directed, and stars Madeleine Sami and Jackie van Beek as two women who run an agency that helps to break couples up... with hilarious consequences. We do love a short, silly comedy, and this is 80 minutes of pure nonsense, worth it alone for the inspired flashback sequence set to Celene Dion's It's All Coming Back To Me Now.

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The Mitchells Versus The Machines

Don't make the mistake of thinking that this animated feature is just for kids - produced by 21 Jump Street and Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse creators Lord & Miller, it's about a dysfunctional family on a road trip, who wind up having to save the world from a A.I. program gone rogue - think Little Miss Sunshine with giant robots. Fun for all the family, with a surprising amount of heart, to boot. We're calling it an instant classic.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

A great comedy is the finest comfort food imaginable, built for watching and rewatching, the scenes populated with old friends and endlessly quotable lines. Netflix is stocked with faithful reliables aplenty, from Step Brothers and Life Of Brian to Clueless and Bridesmaids. We're going to go with writer-director John Hughes' 1985 teen classic, a perfect vacation from reality about, well, a perfect vacation from reality, starring Matthew Broderick and future Succession star Alan Ruck. All together, now: "Life moves pretty fast..."

Always Be My Maybe

While Netflix occasionally gets flack for the undemanding nature of some (okay, a lot) of its output, we can't help but wonder if that isn't the point - the majority of punters don't want to be challenged, after all, they want to be entertained. And in case you hadn't noticed, Hollywood doesn't really make romantic comedies anymore, which is why we can't help but appreciate entries like this When Harry Met Sally-esque charmer starring Ali Wong, Randall Park and A Major Movie Star in a hilarious extended cameo (he's in the trailer below).

I Think You Should Leave

Tim Robinson's utterly indescribable sketch comedy show has made us laugh more than pretty much anything else over the last few years of wanton insanity. Each episode runs a little over 15 minutes, meaning you can watch a six-episode season in less than the time it takes you to watch the average Netflix movie offering - is it just us, or is every Netflix movie at least half an hour too long? But we digress - Robinson's surreal brand of wanton stupidity definitely isn't for everybody - but man, that hot dog sketch is for the ages.

5 comedies to watch on Netflix - because you need a laugh

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