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As someone who is generally the first person to show up to a party (Pro tip: if you show up early, you can leave early and be in bed by 10pm!), I was extremely surprised to realize just how late I was to the Netflix party that is Derry Girls.
The three-season comedy set in Northern Ireland has been recommended to me on numerous occasions since its 2018 premiere. Co-workers (sorry for not listening, Sarah), friends and even the Netflix algorithm itself have been thrusting Derry Girls in my face for years. But why oh why did I not watch sooner?
Finally, just last year, I dove headfirst into season one episode one and before I knew it, I'd flown through all six episodes. (I then immediately dove into season two.) And by the end of it all, I knew one thing to be true: Derry Girls was the funniest show on TV or streaming at the time. Hands down. And thankfully, season three just arrived on Netflix (confession: I've only seen the first episode so far) and it's renewed my belief that Derry Girls is the best comedy out there.
First of all, I am a tough critic. It genuinely takes a lot for a TV show to get me to laugh out loud. Seriously. I have set a high bar when it comes to comedy. I want Seinfeld. I want Waiting for Guffman. I want Clue-level comedy, damnit!
But oh my god, I was cackling my ass off during Derry Girls. (Honestly, I think my partner thought something was wrong with me. He kept peeking his head out of the bedroom to see what the hell I was laughing so hard at.)
The story follows four teen girls (and one boy) on their small town adventures in Derry in Northern Ireland during the '90s. They navigate conflicting religious ideologies, financial hardships and deep teenage angst. Sounds hilarious, no?
Though it took a few minutes for my ears to adjust to their thick accents, I was totally taken aback by how fast the jokes were flying. From the get-go, Derry Girls delivers smart, well-crafted comedic characters, clever (and intentionally not-so-clever) one-liners and absurd storylines that are at once relatable and laughably stupid.
And in addition to the genius writing, the cast should be credited for delivering serious comedy. Saoirse-Monica Jackson as the lead, Erin, makes pulling goofy faces and getting into uncomfortable situations an art form. And Nicola Coughlan, who you may recognize as Penelope Featherington from another Netflix hit, Bridgerton, rivals some of today's top comedic actors. In her role as Clare, Coughlan consistently finds herself in hot water by sticking closely with her rabble-rousing friends. She is fiercely loyal...and she's the first one to sell them out when they inevitably get in trouble. She steals nearly every scene she appears in, even from episode one when she decides to go on a hunger strike for a charitable cause and barely makes it past lunchtime.
Where have the days of a good, goofy comedies gone? The prime of cartoonish, affable absurdity is so far away that goof gods like Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler are better known today for drama than comedy. Thankfully, the more definitive laugh riots of their careers, and similarly goofy films, can be streamed now on Netflix.
From familiar classics of yesteryear to recent originals under the Netflix umbrella, such as The Wrong Missy starring David Spade and Rob Schneider, the streaming service has more than enough to satisfy the lover of lowbrow, easy-going comedy in you. The range from family friendly romps to edgier, but just as silly, adult-oriented content is stunningly versatile and satisfying to the funny bone.
Having covered, arguably, the crown jewel of spy parodies, why not pay tribute to what is widely considered the definitive cop movie parody and, potentially, the definitive parody movie, period? While you could also make a case for Airplane!, the creators of that classic are the same masterminds behind The Naked Gun, in which the late, great, straight-faced Leslie Nielsen reprises his role of Lt. Frank Drebin, from cult crime spoof series Police Squad!, who must overcome an endless amount of cartoonish sight gags to prevent the assassination of Queen Elizabeth II. Once you have finished that, check out the follow-up, The Naked Gun 2-1/2: The Smell of Fear, which is also on Netflix.
Another beloved comedy masterpiece that does not require the holiday it is associated with to view is Groundhog Day, primarily because we have all gone through periods in our lives, at various times of the year, in which we feel like we are living the same day over and over again. Such is the case for cynical weather reporter Phil Connors (Bill Murray), who finds himself in an inescapable time loop on the second of February that may end up being the secret to curing his existential dread.
In yet another example of a friendly, underachieving outcast who tends to get hurt a lot, Andy Samberg stars in his first lead role in a feature film as Rod Kimble, a young man with big dreams of being the next Evel Knievel. The plot of Hot Rod, which has gained a modest cult following for its niche, bizarre sense of humor after initially tanking at the box office, sees this aspiring stuntman taking on his biggest feat yet: jumping over 15 buses with his motorcycle in an effort to raise money for to save his stepfather (Ian McShane) so that once he recovers, Rod can kick his ass.
Stephen Chow has gained a huge following in his native land of Hong Kong, and an impressive one in the States nonetheless, for his combination of highly-stylized martial arts with slapstick that has earned him much comparison to Jackie Chan. He brought this unique mix to its most acclaimed status as the writer, director, and star of Kung Fu Hustle, about kung-fu masters disguised as slum landlords taking on ruthless gangsters in 1940s Shanghai that Roger Ebert called Jackie Chan and Buster Keaton meet Quentin Tarantino and Bugs Bunny."
So, what do you think? Is this the ultimate binge for fans of goofy comedies, or do you find it goofy I would refer to these films as comedies? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check back for more hilarious streaming recommendations here on CinemaBlend.
Jason Wiese writes feature stories for CinemaBlend. His occupation results from years dreaming of a filmmaking career, settling on a \"professional film fan\" career, studying journalism at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO (where he served as Culture Editor for its student-run print and online publications), and a brief stint of reviewing movies for fun. He would later continue that side-hustle of film criticism on TikTok (@wiesewisdom), where he posts videos on a semi-weekly basis. Look for his name in almost any article about Batman."}), " -0-11/js/authorBio.js"); } else console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','no lazy slice hydration function available'); Jason WieseSocial Links NavigationContent WriterJason Wiese writes feature stories for CinemaBlend. His occupation results from years dreaming of a filmmaking career, settling on a "professional film fan" career, studying journalism at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO (where he served as Culture Editor for its student-run print and online publications), and a brief stint of reviewing movies for fun. He would later continue that side-hustle of film criticism on TikTok (@wiesewisdom), where he posts videos on a semi-weekly basis. Look for his name in almost any article about Batman.
If you were watching Netflix in 2019, statistics suggest some goofy comedies were on the menu. As streaming services continue to grow in popularity, some serious contenders have appeared to fight for Netflix's crown. Disney+ has a monopoly over Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and Walt's old animated classics, CBS and HBO now have their own in-house platforms while Amazon and Apple TV+ continue to build their respective rosters of material. As new services emerge, original content is more important than ever when it comes to attracting subscribers and seeing off rivals, and Disney+ discovered this the hard way when their numbers dipped dramatically as soon as The Mandalorian finished.
In terms of original content, Netflix has certainly been head and shoulders above the competition so far. One of its biggest hits, Stranger Things, has become a cultural phenomenon since premiering in 2016, and was a major landmark in terms of the success streaming services could achieve with their originals. House of Cards, though somewhat tainted by Kevin Spacey's use of the Frank Underwood character to defend himself from sexual assault allegations, was arguably the progenitor of the current streaming original model. In terms of movies, Netflix is becoming an increasingly viable release option, with Bird Box, Annihilation, and The Irishman all major productions with A-list stars that were released as Netflix originals.
As part of a larger report into streaming preferences and patterns, Flixed have unearthed significant changes throughout 2019 in terms of the original content Netflix are producing. Studying the tone descriptors that are attached to each movie or TV series and used to determine what kinds of material users are likely to watch, 2019 saw a massive 47% rise in content described as "goofy" and a corresponding 43-44% drop in "dark" "violent" and "cerebral" material.
These findings seem to fly in the face of the movies and TV shows that have courted massive popularity on Netflix as of late. For example, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch was one of the most talk-about things on Netflix in 2018 and was a ground-breaking project that could only work via the streaming medium. Bandersnatch was also highly cerebral, so it might be considered unusual that the following year would see such a drop-off in similar works. Likewise, despite violent and dark material being less prominent in 2019, the end of the year saw The Witcher become perhaps the biggest Netflix original debut of the past 12 months.
But despite these exceptions, there certainly was more emphasis on goofy material on Netflix in 2019, even if these weren't the titles fans were discussing at the water cooler last year, and this is perhaps indicative of how people are using the platform. The more cerebral material might be bothering the award ceremonies and "Toss A Coin To Your Witcher" is the meme of the moment, but most viewers use Netflix as background material, or something to unwind with at the end of a working day. No one's going to "Netflix and chill" to The Irishman (certainly not all of it, anyway), but the Adam Sandler movies, for example, can be watched more casually and 2019's Murder Mystery proved immensely popular. Consequently, subscribers are more likely to burn through light-hearted content that the darker cerebral stuff that requires more attentive viewing and, therefore, it's vital Netflix produces more of it to keep a fresh supply of new, goofy material.
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