The Good Place

comedians in cars getting coffee

I have a “free” weekend ahead of me.  When I say “free”, I simply mean that I don’t have anything scheduled.  My plan is to get a lot of stuff done leading up to the weekend so that when the weekend arrives, I can spend it in bed, watching TV.  It’s been a rough couple of months for me, so I am in the mood for something light and funny.  In preparation for my weekend of leisure, we have come up with some of the funniest movies and TV shows available for you on Netflix.  In this two-part series, we explore both hilarious TV, as well as some classically funny movies.  It’s not like us to mix the two, but here goes:

The Good Place

The video for The Good Place shown above is actually a sneak peek look at the second season.  But I hope that it will give you enough of a laugh to want to watch the first season if you haven’t already.  Why do I love The Good Place?  I find that a lot of the shows we see on television these days are all about drama and are very serious.  But this one isn’t.  It’s all about the silliness.  The other thing that makes it such a great show is that you don’t really know the “punch line” until you’re quite a way in.  In fact, it’s not really the “good place” at all.  Yes, that’s a spoiler, but you all knew that anyway, right?  Having a show about heaven really wouldn’t be that funny, would it?  Either way, check it out if you haven’t already.

American Vandal

You might remember a few years ago, Netflix released the documentary Making a Murderer.  Since then, tons of similar documentaries have been released, but it was only a matter of time until someone started making fun of this genre.  Which is what American Vandal is.  It follows Peter Maldonado’s attempts to prove Dylan Maxwell’s innocence after the prankster is accused of defacing 27 faculty cars at a high school.  While not a traditional comedy, this is definitely for you if your idea of comedy is a little darker.

Rick and Morty

While the show definitely has sci-fi roots with things like multi-dimensional travel, the show is actually concerned with being funny.  Think about it.  The story follows the adventures of a possibly sociopathic, alcoholic inventor and his extremely awkward teenage grandson.  Rick and Morty definitely hit the ball out of the park in terms of comedy.  This is one to binge over the weekend, for sure.

The Nice Guys

I wasn’t convinced that this was going to be a comedy when I first saw it.  But it is.  Again, the comedy isn’t overt, it’s much more subtle and dark.  Which is exactly the way I like my comedy. This movie comes to us from Shame Black, the guy who wrote the first two Lethal Weapon films.  It stars Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling and while you don’t automatically associate these guys with comedy, the movie is funny.  If any of this sounds appealing to you, you’re going to love this movie, for sure.

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee

I discovered Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee a couple of years ago, and it honestly cheers me up instantly when I’m in a mood.  What makes me laugh the most is actually just watching Jerry Seinfeld laugh.  He has a laugh that makes me smile.  I mean, yes, what these comedians issaying is funny, but his reaction takes it to the next level.  There are a total of 9 seasons.  Some aren’t overly long, but it will get your fix in.  I would recommend the Barack Obama episode if you want to get your fill of Obama and laugh.  It’s funny to see the two of them driving around the White House grounds.

The Big Lebowski

Is there any film from the Coen brothers that you don’t like?  Fargo was the breakthrough movie that gave them their reputation for managing to be funny, warm, dark and grotesque all at the same time.  Again, my kind of humor.  The Big Lebowski came out two years after, and it’s just as funny now as it was then.  Starring John Goodman and Jeff Bridges in a rambling story about money, revenge, and bowling.

Jim Jefferies: Freedumb

If you haven’t seen any of Jim Jefferies stand up, then you’re in for a treat with this one.  Jefferies isn’t known for holding back and his latest stand-up special is no different.  Jefferies isn’t for everyone though.  His humor can be a little on the controversial side.  So don’t watch it with people who have different political ideologies than you, or your mother.