Underrated Comedies You Definitely Should Be Watching

‘The Cable Guy’ (Hulu)

While its dark tone clearly threw 1990s audiences for a loop after the family-friendly appeal of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, a movie full of both transphobia and talking buttholes, The Cable Guy is one of Jim Carrey’s very best movies. Not only is Ben Stiller’s 1996 directorial effort a lot of creepy fun, but it also offers a still-relevant commentary on media consumption and a surprisingly accurate depiction of genuine psychological conditions.

‘Bored to Death’ (HBO Max)

Murder mysteries are all the rage on streaming services these days, what with your Glass Onions and your Only Murders in the Buildingses — so really, there’s no better time to check out Bored to Death, the 2009 HBO series starring Jason Schwartzman as a writer who randomly decides to dip his toe into the private detective business following a breakup. It also stars Ted Danson and Zach Galifianakis as his buddies. For some ungodly reason, the show was canceled after just three seasons, and plans for a Bored to Death movie have sadly never materialized.

‘Sidewalk Stories’ (HBO Max)

In a just world, Charles Lane’s Sidewalk Stories would have won an Oscar, while The Artist would be totally forgotten (like, even more than it already has been). Lane wrote, directed and starred in the 1989 black-and-white silent comedy about a street artist who’s forced to take care of a toddler. But unlike other throwbacks to the silent era, it’s set in modern times and shot on location in New York. For some reason, this gem has mostly fallen through the cracks over the years.

‘The Love Witch’ (Peacock)

Anna Biller’s The Love Witch was somehow released in 2016, but it genuinely feels like it was found in a time capsule buried in 1967 (minus the cell phone use). It’s a gloriously campy occult horror story about a young witch who uses sex magic to lure men to their deaths. 

‘The Man Who Knew Too Little’ (Starz)

One of Bill Murray’s less-heralded movies, The Man Who Knew Too Little stars Murray as an American simpleton who stumbles into a criminal conspiracy full of Hitchcockian suspense — but he thinks it’s all part of an elaborate role-playing game. Sure, Murray is allegedly a giant creep, but Alfred Molina, who seems lovely in real life, is also in the movie. So it kind of balances out.

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