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R-rated comedy films are a lot rarer these days. Studios can usually make more money with a G, PG, or PG-13 rating, as it appeals to a wider audience. Over the years, many R-rated films have been successful, critically acclaimed, and, of course, hilarious. Most of these comedies have entered the pop culture zeitgeist with memorable scenes and lines. If you are under eighteen, grab a parent or guardian because it is about to get raunchy. Let’s break down the top 20 R-rated comedy films.
Scary Movie
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Scary Movie brought back the tradition of movie parodies like Young Frankenstein, Monthly Python and the Holy Grail, Naked Gun, and Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery for a new generation. The Wayans brothers parodied a slew of horror films in Scary Movie, the main one being Scream. The film’s original title was Scream If You Know What I Did Last Halloween. Scary Movie had an amazing cast, and it launched the career of Anna Faris as she continued to star in four of the five Scary Movie films. The film grossed $278 million worldwide at the box office. It was so successful that it became a franchise, with four additional sequels and one more in the works. Other spoof movies were greenlit by the Wayans brothers, including Dance Flick and Fifty Shades of Black.
Friday
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Friday is one of the best ‘hangout’ comedies, leading the way for films like Half Baked, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, and Pineapple Express. Ice Cube co-wrote the film with DJ Pooh, and it was the first film he ever wrote, but it would not be the last. The film had a lower budget of $3.5 million but grossed $27.4 million worldwide. It has become a cult classic and was received well by critics, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of seventy-eight percent. Chris Tucker got his breakout role in this film playing Smokey. Friday also has one of the most classic lines in cinema — “Bye, Felicia.” The film was so successful that they made two sequels, Next Friday and Friday After Next. Ice Cube has confirmed that there will eventually be a fourth Friday movie.
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
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The satirical TV series South Park was and is still a hit TV show about foul-mouth kids living in a little “podunk” town. With the show’s success, Trey Parker and Matt Stone made the film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. Just like the title implies, for the time, the film did not disappoint in its attempt to go bigger, ruder, and raunchier. The film broke a record for the most swear words for an animated film, topping four hundred. What makes the film unique is it is a musical. Eventually, Parker and Stone would go on to make a hit Broadway musical, The Book of Mormon. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for the song Blame Canada. Famously, Parker and Stone attended the Oscars wearing the same dresses Jennifer Lopez and Gwyneth Paltrow wore, all while allegedly under the influence of something one could describe as mind-altering. It grossed $83.1 million worldwide, which was great considering the budget was only $21 million. The film was praised by critics and fans alike, with an eighty percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Eventually, hot off the success of the South Park movie, Parker and Stone would make Team America: World Police.
Coming to America
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With John Landis as director, who was known for Animal House and Trading Places, and Eddie Murphy as co-writer and star, known for 48 Hrs. and Beverly Hills Cop, you cannot lose. The result is the hilarious comedy Coming to America. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards, including Best Makeup. Rick Baker did the special effects makeup, which brought Murphy’s and Arsenio Hall’s multiple characters to life, especially in the infamous barber scene where they play multiple people, including an older Jewish man. Murphy and Baker would collaborate again on Vampire in Brooklyn, The Nutty Professor, Life, and Norbit. The comedic film was a huge success and grossed $288.8 million worldwide. There was even a sequel called Coming 2 America.
The Blues Brothers
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The Blues Brothers originally were characters on Saturday Night Live. Like many Saturday Night Live characters/sketches, it was turned into a film. John Landis and Dan Aykroyd wrote the film. They are also the creative comedic geniuses behind Ghostbusters and Coneheads. The film is unique as it combines action, music, and comedy. There were many iconic artist cameos, including James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and John Lee Hooker. The film grossed $115.2 million worldwide at the box office. There was eventually a sequel, called Blues Brother 2000, but that was after John Belushi tragically passed away. There were even two animated TV series and a docuseries. Aykroyd co-founded House of Blues Entertainment, a chain restaurant and concert venue. The Blues Brothers is part of the fabric of pop culture.
Bridesmaids
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Bridesmaids is a cultural phenomenon and was a significant film that paved the way for other female-lead comedies, especially raunchy R-rated ones. Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo wrote the film and based much of it on their personal lives. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and it was Wiigs’s first script she wrote. One of the shining stars of the film was Melissa McCarthy, who received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, which launched her career. The film was a huge financial success, earning $288.4 million worldwide at the box office. The film became the highest-grossing Apatow production then, dethroning Knocked Up. There were plenty of raunchy scenes, most notably at the food poisoning scene. The film became an instant classic.
Wedding Crashers
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Wedding Crashers is one of the films in the mid-2000s that helped make raunchy R-rated comedies popular again. The film was inspired by people who crashed weddings. This film works because of the chemistry and hilarious banter between Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn. Rachel McAdams and Isla Fisher also elevate the film. The film grossed $288.5 million worldwide at the box office. It was the first R-rated comedy to earn $200 million domestically. Overall, the film was received well, with a seventy-five percent Rotten Tomatoes score. It is an untraditional romantic comedy, but at its core, it is about men with commitment issues and avoiding something real.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
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Forgetting Sarah Marshall is a raunchy rom-com about heartbreak, newfound love, and singing Dracula puppets. Jason Segel wrote and stars in the film. Segel drew from his personal life and used an upsetting breakup to inspire the story. Segel also wrote a Dracula musical, which is why it is featured in the film. Segel was already a name starring in How I Met Your Mother and Freak and Geeks, but the film boosted his career. The film was successful, grossing $105.2 million worldwide. It even led to a loose sequel based on Aldous Snow, played by Russell Brand, called Get Him to The Greek. It was rated high on Rotten Tomatoes, scoring eighty-three percent.
There’s Something About Mary
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There’s Something About Mary is a raunchy R-rated comedy that pushed the envelope for the time, laying the tracks down for future R-rated comedies. The Farrelly brothers wrote and directed the film and iconic comedies like Dumb and Dumber and Shallow Hal. The film grossed a massive $369.9 million worldwide. Critics enjoyed the film, giving it eighty-three percent on Rotten Tomatoes. One of the most infamous scenes in the film is when Mary Jensen, played by Cameron Diaz, uses what she thinks is hair gel. There are other raunchy scenes where Ted Stroehmann, played by Ben Stiller, accidentally zips up his pants poorly or when Stroehmann has to fight off Jensen’s dog, leading the dog to be put into a full body cast.
Shaun of the Dead
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Shaun of the Dead is one of the greatest horror-comedy films. It is a parody of the zombie film Dawn of the Dead. Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg are long-time collaborators who co-wrote things like Hot Fuzz, The World’s End, and the TV series Spaced. It was on the set of Spaced where the comedy duo got the idea for the film. It was a commercial success, with $30 million worldwide at the box office. It was received well, with a high Rotten Tomatoes score of ninety-two. It won an Empire Award for Best British Film and was nominated for a BAFTA in the same category. The film is a highly stylized, violent, underdog story. There are many phenomenal scenes, but the zombie fight scene to the tune of Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” really stands out.
Office Space
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From the mind that brought you Beavis and Butt-Head, King of the Hill, and Idiocracy comes an office dark comedy called Office Space. Before the hit show The Office and subsequent office-related TV shows and films, Office Space was there. Mike Judge drew from his personal experience working in corporate jobs. Before Judge made the film, he made an animated short that ran on Saturday Night Live, also called Office Space. The Milton character inspired Milton Waddams, played by Stephen Root, in the film, who is a push-over who is obsessed with his red stapler. The film grossed a disappointing $12.2 million worldwide at the box office. However, the movie had a second life via home video and playing on TV. Even though it did not initially perform well at the box office, critics liked the film, giving it an eighty percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Step Brothers
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Adam McKay and Will Ferrell had collaborated before when writing Anchorman, Talladega Nights, and Step Brothers. They even co-founded the internet production company Funny or Die. Ferrell and John C. Reilly have collaborated on multiple projects, including Talladega Nights and Holmes and Watson. However, this is their most notable collaboration. Their chemistry and man-child performances make this film a cult comedy classic. The film grossed $128.1 million worldwide. It had mixed reviews from critics, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of fifty-five percent. However, audiences loved it, and it has become a comedy staple. There are many memorable scenes like the fight over the drum set and when Brennan Huff, played by Ferrell, and Dale Doback, played by Reilly, make a notorious music video involving a boat. The film is playful, silly, and full of improvisation from the comedy duo.
Deadpool
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There have been few R-rated Marvel films, and Deadpool was only the sixth one made at that time. It was a different tone for the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) and was considered a risk for the studio. It took Ryan Reynolds over a decade to get the film made, and it might have only happened due to fans’ engagement with the leaked test footage. Even after the film was greenlit, the film only had a modest budget for a Marvel movie of $58 million. However, it made that money back and then some, grossing $782.6 million worldwide. It was the highest-grossing R-rated film at the time of its release. The third installment, Deadpool & Wolverine, is now the new highest-grossing R-rated film with over a billion worldwide. It even beat The Passion of the Christ, which held a twenty-year hold on the highest R-rated domestic box office. Deadpool was an inventive comedy with techniques like Breaking the Fourth Wall. It inspired other superhero films to follow suit, like Thor: Ragnarok and Shazam!
The Big Lebowski
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The Coen Brothers have made iconic films like Fargo, O Brother, Where Art Thou, No Country for Old Men, and The Big Lebowski. The Big Lebowski is one of their most hilarious films. The cast is stacked, with Jeffery Lebowski, “The Dude”, played by Jeff Bridges, inspired by Jeff Dowd, Walter Sobchak, played by John Goodman, and Donny Kerabatsos, played by Steve Buscemi. At first, the film was met with mixed reviews and only made $46.7 million worldwide. Over time, it became a cult comedy classic with a seventy-nine percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The film has many iconic lines, like “The Dude abides” and “Over the line!” There is even an annual festival called Lebowski Fest, which includes fans dressing up, watching the film, and bowling. There was a spin-off movie, The Jesus Roll, about the character Jesus Quintana, played by John Turturro.
Borat
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Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan is a mockumentary satire that blends fiction and reality. Sacha Baron Cohen, who wrote and stars in Borat, holds a mirror up to society. Cohen plays the fool to get people’s guards down and exposes social prejudices. Cohen even promoted the movie in character to give the appearance of a genuine documentary. Cohen won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy. Borat became a cultural icon, with people quoting his catchphrase “Very Nice!” or “My Wife.” It grossed $262.6 million worldwide at the box office. It was so successful that a sequel called Borat Subsequent Movie Film was released.
Tropic Thunder
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Tropic Thunder is a satirical film about the foibles of the Hollywood industry. Ben Stiller starred and wrote and directed the film, which took him nearly two decades to make. The idea was started while Stiller was on the Empire of the Sun set. Despite the controversy surrounding his character doing blackface, Robert Downey Jr. was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Kirk Lazarus, played by Downey Jr., was a character satirizing method actors who take the roles extremely seriously. The film grossed an impressive $195.7 million worldwide and had positive reviews, with an eighty-two percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The cast was impressive, but one of the more notable cameos was Tom Cruise, who played the ill-tempered studio executive Les Grossman. Cruise looked unrecognizable in the role and made people laugh when he danced to Ludacris’s “Get Back.”
Blazing Saddles
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Mel Brooks is the master of parody movies, and one of his standout movies is Blazing Saddles. Brooks and Richard Pryor, comedy giants, teamed up to write this Western parody. It is silly, entertaining, and has a poignant narrative about racism. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards, including a nomination for the sensational Madeline Kahn. The academy rarely recognizes comedic performances. Critics adored the film, giving it an eighty-nine percent on Rotten Tomatoes. It grossed $119.6 million worldwide at the box office, which was a major feat for the time. Blazing Saddles was ahead of its time. Perhaps a scene where a bunch of cowboys farting around a campfire does not seem innovative, but it was the first American-made film to do it and most certainly would not be the last. It was also innovative in Breaking the Fourth Wall, like when an epic fight took place over multiple Hollywood sets.
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
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The 40-Year-Old Virgin was a hilarious, raunchy R-rated comedy that laid the foundation for early millennia of R-rated rom-coms. It was the first of many films in the Judd Apatow cinematic universe. Apatow would go on to direct other R-rated classic films like Knocked Up, Funny People, and Trainwreck. Apatow famously has launched many people’s careers. This film helped to launch the careers of Steve Carell, Seth Rogan, Paul Rudd, and many others. Originally, Carell created this character of a forty-year-old virgin in the sketch comedy group Second City. Carell went on to write the film with Apatow. The film was a major success at the box office, earning $177.4 million. There are many fantastic scenes, including when Andy Stitzer, played by Carell, gets his chest waxed. What makes that scene especially funny is that Carell genuinely got his chest waxed, and his reactions were authentic.
The Hangover
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The Hangover was a mega-hit R-rated comedy directed by Todd Phillips, who is known for Old School, Due Date, and Joker. It became the highest-grossing R-rated comedy the year it was released, with an unprecedented $469.3 million at the box office. It was well received and even won a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy. It spawned two additional sequels and launched the career of Zach Galifianakis, who played Alan Garner. The Garner character was a huge part of the cultural zeitgeist, especially the baby-wearing sunglasses. Mike Tyson’s cameo was also memorable, as was his real tiger, (which is also featured in the film). Another authentic part of the film is Stu, played by Ed Helms, missing tooth. Helms really had a missing tooth that worked its way into the film.
Superbad
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Superbad is the quintessential R-rated coming-of-age comedy. Besides being incredibly funny, the film tackles the fear of growing apart, especially post-high school. The comedy duo Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg wrote this original screenplay when they were teenagers, giving it an authentic feel. Even the main two characters are named after the writers themselves. The film was a cultural phenomenon and launched the careers of Jonah Hill and Michael Cera. It was critically praised, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of eighty-eight percent. It also grossed $170.8 million at the box office, which was great considering the film’s budget was $20 million. There are so many memorable scenes, from Seth dancing with a girl at the crazy house party to the infamous scene where Fogell, played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse, gets a fake ID with the name McLovin.