Some people are happy with a Jane Austen adaptation. Some like a finely spun documentary, a tense thriller or a real think-y foreign film with subtitles and no plot.
But some of us just want a good time — and not necessarily a good clean time.
That’s where raunchy comedies come in.
What Are the Best Raunchy Comedy Movies?
So, what are the funniest raunchy comedy movies? Answering that question is an exercise in subjectivity, as it’s largely based on personal taste. But it’s a fun exercise to undertake.
A good raunchy comedy is generally sex-centric, although not particularly sexy. It’s a potty-mouthed, boisterous and more often than not, rather sweet. And here at DIRECTV, we host plenty of them.
Here are a few beloved classics that have stood the test of time:
- ‘There’s Something About Mary’
- ‘American Pie’
- ‘Not Another Teen Movie’
- ‘Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle’
- ‘EuroTrip’
- ‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin’
- ‘Superbad’
Let’s take a closer look at each.
‘There’s Something About Mary’ (dir. Peter and Bobby Farrelly, 1998)
Years before his Green Book won multiple Academy Awards, Peter Farrelly and his brother Bobby established a dubious reputation for raunch-o-riffic comedy. Dumb and Dumber and Kingpin remain cult classics, but 1998’s There’s Something About Mary is their hardcore comedy apex.
Mary is a stalker film, basically. But light-touch performances by Ben Stiller, Matt Dillon and a gifted supporting cast banish the darkness usually associated with such things. At its core, it’s a film about love and charity, and treating the one you love like a person, not just a status symbol.
Oh, and music geeks: enjoy Jonathan Richman’s cameo. And if you don’t like Jonathan Richman, you’ll love the end of the film.
‘American Pie’ (dir. Paul Weitz, 1999)
It’s right out of Shakespeare. Horny high school seniors vow to lose their virginity before graduation.
American Pie is considered a childish, gross-out sex comedy by some — but beneath its vulgar layers, it’s a film that accepts various sexualities. This includes man-woman, woman-flute, quasi-asexual and man-pie (one of the film’s most iconic scenes). American Pie struck a blow for postmodern sexual liberation decades before the topics reached the mainstream.
It’s also a sensitive film. The boys learn that cheap sex is unfulfilling, and that love is a beautiful, lasting thing if you tend to it warmly. Plus, the film’s realistically handled May-December romance popularized the term “MILF.”
‘Not Another Teen Movie’ (dir. Joel Gallen, 2001)
This parody of ‘80s and ‘90s teen sex comedies stands up well as its own thing. The basic plot is She’s All That (basically Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion), upon which the film hangs gag after referential gag.
What’s parodied? I mean, what isn’t?
- American Pie
- Cruel Intentions
- Pretty in Pink
- Never Been Kissed
- Rudy
- Road Trip
Even the uber-depressing 1999 “dark comedy” American Beauty comes in for a well-deserved ribbing.
The sheer laugh quotient of the film makes it something more than an exercise in performative nostalgia — something refreshing in our age of remakes and reboots. You don’t have to be familiar with its source material to find Not Another Teen Movie top-tier hilarious.
‘Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle’ (dir. Danny Leiner, 2004)
With minority representation top of mind in Hollywood these days, this groundbreaking buddy comedy gets too little credit.
Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle is a stoner travelogue of a finer sort. It’s horny, hungry, silly and surreal. It’s also a rousing reassessment of the American Dream. Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn, years before his stint in Obama’s White House) buck racial stereotypes.
Harold refuses to be the quiet, submissive Korean office drone, while Kumar, further bucking the “model minority” myth, is irrepressibly irresponsible. In the end, Kumar decides to go to medical school — not because it’s what his Indian-American family expects of him, but because he discovered (by discovering himself) that it’s what he truly wants to do.
And watch out for Neil Patrick Harris playing himself (kind of) in a role that reanimated his career.
‘EuroTrip’ (dir. Jeff Schaffer, 2004)
In EuroTrip, four pals from the Midwest travel to Europe to hook up with Scotty’s (Scott Mechlowicz) German pen pal after it’s publicly (and musically) revealed that Scotty’s girlfriend cheated on him. The film’s thesis is summed up in a line from “Much Ado About Nothing”: “Tush! fear not, man, we’ll tip thy horns with gold, And all Europa shall rejoice at thee” (V.iv.44-5).
And if Europa doesn’t exactly rejoice, it does willingly provide a playground for a bunch of newly single kids on a spree. There’s sex for sale in Amsterdam, football hooliganism in London, absinthe and the de rigueur hallucination scene in Bratislava, plus hijinks at the Vatican because nothing’s sacred in raunch land.
Without knowing it consciously, the protagonists view the Old World as a culturally dead zone where they can act on their deepest desires. At one point, those desires wind up in taboo territory, from which the group in an act of upright American moralism is repulsed, making EuroTrip the one film on our list that acknowledges the boundaries of sexual hedonism.
Finally, for the sake of their soul, there’s nothing to do but return home refreshed for the experience — and grateful for the chance to escape.
‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin’ (dir. Judd Apatow, 2005)
The 40-Year-Old Virgin touches on the terror at the heart of all aging male virgins, especially those that happen to be named Andy, a la the sweetheart of a dork played by Steve Carrell.
Andy gave up on losing his virginity after decades of sexual misfires. But once his friends find out he’s a virgin, they push him to find a woman to finally seal the deal.
He resists until he finds the right one. And even then he resists as much as he can, pushing her away and freaking her out before finally marrying her to the officiating priest’s cry of “… and for God’s sake, consummate the thing!”
Despite its raunched-up content, The 40-Year-Old Virgin is rooted in conservative values. Sex is a covenant between a man, a woman and God to be shared exclusively within marriage. But it isn’t dogmatic about it. Rather, The 40-Year-Old Virgin reasserts traditionalist values as one way to happiness — not the only way. .
‘Superbad’ (dir. Greg Mottola, 2007)
The tried-and-true plot is, again, high school seniors looking to lose their virginity before the year’s end. But things are different from, say, American Pie.
The leads in Superbad (Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, and a scene-stealing turn by Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Fogell, AKA McLovin) are not invisible enough to be outcasts, nor are they smart enough to be nerds. Unlike the popular jocks that are American Pie’s focus, they’re social second-stringers.
And there’s equity going on: The girls want to lose their virginity, too. Again, this differs from American Pie’s portrayal of women as sexual gatekeepers.
Can you imagine Michael Cera as anything but a perma-virgin? This is what makes his character so funny; one wonders how he ever even heard about sex. Indeed, he maintains a knightly innocence by forgoing an opportunity to know because, well, the moment isn’t right. But the right moment is coming, you can tell. Sometimes you have to hold out for what’s good and true — especially if doing so is profoundly, achingly funny.
Where Can I Watch Raunchy Comedy Movies?
Watch top raunchy comedy movies on demand in the comfort of your own home with DIRECTV. Sign up for a variety of packages and watch your favorite raunch-coms via satellite or internet anytime you want. For the ultimate movie lover — check out our PREMIER™ package, which includes premium movie channels like HBO , Paramount + with SHOWTIME®, STARZ® and Cinemax®.
Laugh out loud with raunchy comedy movies on DIRECTV!
Frequently Asked Questions
What does raunchy comedies mean?
Raunchy comedies are characterized by themes of sex, drugs and general debauchery. The jokes aren’t suitable for all ages. Most raunchy comedies receive a PG-13 or an R rating.
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