THE 2000s were the peak of parodies and R-rated comedies: Superbad, The 30-Year-Old Virgin, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall are just some of the films released during the decade, and even now we can still hear people quoting the lines “F*ck me, right?” and “Oh, Kelly Clarkson!” as if these movies had just been released yesterday.
In previous years, websites like Movie Guide have said that the art of making raunchy comedies has started to die out over the years. This may be because of the rise of cancel culture, which makes it harder for people to figure out what jokes are too offensive, and which ones make the cut.
Or perhaps because Hollywood has moved on from making comedies and has started to focus on more serious ventures instead because comedy films don’t always earn a lot of money when it comes to box office ratings.
It may also be because many R-rated films have been labeled sexist; the Los Angeles Times said that when it comes to raunchy comedies, it really is a man’s world–from the director to the writers down to the viewers.
But just because society has grown more PC doesn’t mean you have to throw comedy out the window; in the past few years, there have been a number of great comedies that have come out recently that may toe the line of being offensive but remain hilarious and timely.
Here are some R-rated comedies that have come out in the past five years that prove that when watching a movie, you don’t have to psychoanalyze every scene to have a good time.
- Booksmart (2019)
Said to be similar to films like Superbad and Easy A, Booksmart revolves around the lives of Amy and Molly, played respectively by Kaitlyn Dever (Sasha in Bad Teacher) and Beanie Feldstein (Julie in Lady Bird.)
Amy and Molly have lived their entire teenage lives as uptight academic overachievers, and as they reach the end of high school, they realize just how much they’ve missed out on: the partying, the popularity, the sex, all of it.
They only have a limited number of days to catch up on all that they’ve missed before they leave high school once and for all. They quickly scramble in the days leading up to graduation to make up for lost time by going to parties, watching porn, and tripping on drug-laced strawberries–anything just to say they’ve had the complete high school experience.
Perhaps one of the highest-rated films on this list, Booksmart received good scores from both audiences and critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics have applauded it for adding a smart spin to the typical coming-of-age comedy, and audiences love it because it’s just so damn relatable.
- The Binge (2020)
Starring the comedic talents of Eduardo Franco (Argyle from Stranger Things,) Skyler Gisondo (Eric from Santa Clarita Diet,) and Dexter Darden (Deandre from Chang Can Dunk,) this film serves as a parody of films like The Purge. It asks its audience the question: “If you could only drink and do drugs once every year, how would you do it?”
In an attempt to create a better, more sober America, all drugs and alcohol consumption have been limited to one night only, “The Binge,” this film calls it. It focuses on Griffin, Hags, and Andrew, three friends determined to have a good time during the binge despite their school principal trying his best to stop them from doing so.
A simple comedy with a simple premise, but The Binge does a lot with its subject matter. And while it may not have gotten the best reviews from critics, audiences greatly enjoyed The Binge, as seen in its 77 percent audience score rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
One user writes that this is his favorite comfort movie, and while it’s not something one would call tasteful or fancy, it still offers a hell of a good time (which is exactly what an R-rated movie should be.)
- Bad Trip (2021)
What’s not to love about a film that stars both Eric Andre (Eric Andre of The Eric Andre Show) and Lil Rel Howery (Rod Williams from Get Out)? With their combined comedic prowess, a movie like Bad Trip is sure to provide a good time from the casting alone.
Hoping to make a change in their mundane lives, friends Chris and Bud decide to start living a little, which, of course, means stealing a car and going on what one can only describe as a road trip to hell.
Packed with rednecks, angry gorillas, drugs, and crime, Bad Trip is reminiscent of films like Borat and Jackass, what with their outlandish concepts and purposefully awkward moments.
What makes Bad Trip unique is it isn’t just another typical film about two buddies on a road trip; it also includes hidden camera clips of pranks done on unsuspecting civilians, promising audiences that each minute of this film is guaranteed to be a crazy ride.
This film received moderately high ratings from both critics and audiences and is a good watch if you’re looking for something raunchy with a little bit of romance sprinkled in.
- No Hard Feelings (2023)
Everyone who hasn’t been living under a rock knows who Jennifer Lawrence is. But while she’s best known for her serious performances in The Hunger Games trilogy and The Silver Linings Playbook, she’s also proven that she can do comedy with Don’t Look Up and, more recently, No Hard Feelings.
She plays Maddie, who’s down on her luck as an Uber driver who just recently lost her car. She moves to Craigslist to try to find another way to pay her bills. Here, she stumbles upon an ad made by two parents asking literally anyone to date their son who’s shown no interest in sex or romance thus far.
This film isn’t afraid to get down and dirty–literally, given its full-frontal nude scenes and its plot which is literally all about sex. But hey, it’s R-rated for a reason, and No Hard Feelings definitely lives up to its rating.
There has been a mix of different reviews since this film has come out. It’s gotten fairly positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, for example, but critics haven’t been as nice with their commentary.
One thing’s for sure though: JLaw kills it, as she always does.
- Bottoms (coming out later this month)
Perhaps one of the most anticipated queer films coming out this year is the comedy film Bottoms, starring breakout stars Rachel Sennott (Alice in Bodies, Bodies, Bodies) and Ayo Edebiri (Sydney in The Bear.)
Following the lives of two girls in high school named PJ and Josie, Bottoms has been labeled to be an instant high school comedy hit, with Variety even calling it a mix between Fight Club and Heathers.
As two self-proclaimed losers (“ugly, untalented gays,” as they’re so profoundly labeled in the trailer,) PJ and Josie try to change their reputation by starting a fight club at their school as a means of getting the interests of their cheerleader crushes.
While not much information about the film has been released, the concept of Bottoms has been labeled by Rotten Tomatoes critics as refreshingly unique, earning it a 96 percent critic rating on the site. We only hope that the audience scores will reflect the same when the film finally makes it to the big screen.
