The five best movies to watch on Netflix this weekend
Comedies have had such a weird run, and you have noticed it too, right? For years, it’s been this thing where if a movie is funny, people don’t treat it as “serious”. And at the same time, all these slow or heavy films get hyped up like they’re automatically better. Please give us a break. It’s so off. Because a comedy that actually works with the jokes that land and the perfect timing of actors is harder than you think. And now the bar is so low that when something actually makes you laugh properly, it almost catches you off guard.
So this week, the watchlist is full of such comedies. These movies are widely loved by people, and while some of them are old, most are from recent years. These picks are intended to make you relax and have a good laugh this weekend.
Some of these comedies are pure slapstick, while some will make you wonder things you never would’ve thought. And we have also tried to sneak in a musical there, so those not in the mood for a textbook comedy can have it as an option.
So here are your five movies for a weekend watch. And the first recommendation is a cult favourite.
The five best movies to watch on Netflix this weekend
White Chicks (Keenen Ivory Wayans, 2004)
White Chicks is considered one of the best classic comedies out there, and it only makes sense if you begin with it. The film follows two FBI agents, played by Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans, who mess up an assignment and are given one last chance to fix things. To pull it off, they go undercover as wealthy white socialite girls, which is where most of the humour comes from. The comedy is very physical and exaggerated in the film, but that’s the biggest reason why people love it so much.
What’s interesting is the amount of effort behind something this silly. The makeup process reportedly took up to seven hours every day, which explains how detailed the disguises look. It’s easy to dress as a white woman if you’re white, but for two coloured men, the transformation is epic. The film wasn’t well-received by critics when it was released, but audiences kept it alive through constant references, especially that “A Thousand Miles” scene. Over time, it became a proper cult favourite, and even now, people still quote it.
Tick, Tick… Boom! (Lin-Manuel Miranda, 2021)
After all that loud, exaggerated comedy, if you move into something that still grabs your attention but in a very different way, then we have Tick, Tick… Boom!. Directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, this film follows Jonathan Larson, played by Andrew Garfield, who is a struggling composer trying to finish his musical before turning thirty. The story focuses on his career pressure as he tries to maintain friendships, and that constant feeling of running out of time makes the humour feel seriously relatable.
What makes it hit more is knowing this is based on Larson’s actual life. That’s right! He later created Rent, which changed musical theatre completely, but didn’t live to see its success. Garfield learned to sing specifically for this role, and that effort really shows throughout the film. It’s not packed with obvious jokes, but the humour comes from the very real moments.
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (David Dobkin, 2020)
After watching someone struggle to make it as an artist, now you get two people who are fully convinced they already deserve the spotlight. Starring Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams, Eurovision Song Contest is a story of Lars and Sigrit, a small-town Icelandic duo who dream of winning Eurovision. They get a sudden chance to compete, even though they are clearly not on the same level as the other performers. The gap is what makes it so funny because they take themselves very seriously, while everything around them keeps proving otherwise.
Eurovision itself is a real international competition known for dramatic staging and over-the-top performances, and the film actually recreates that pretty well. One interesting detail here is that Rachel McAdams didn’t sing her own songs; her voice was blended with a professional singer’s, which is why it sounds so polished. The song “Husavik” was even nominated for an Oscar. And then there’s “Ja Ja Ding Dong”, which basically became a fan obsession after the film was released.
The Wrong Missy (Tyler Spindel, 2020)
It’s time for something embarrassing now. The Wrong Missy follows a guy who thinks he is texting the perfect woman he just met, but ends up inviting the wrong person to a work trip. That mistake turns into the entire plot because the woman who shows up, played by Lauren Lapkus, is completely unpredictable and has zero filter.
A lot of the film works because Lapkus didn’t stick strictly to the script and instead improvised many of her scenes, which is why her reactions feel so random and uncomfortable. It didn’t get great reviews, but people still watched it for how extreme and awkward the situations get. And after this, the final film keeps that idea of social games going, just in a much smarter way.
Do Revenge (Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, 2022)
After all the awkward situations and bad decisions in the last film, Do Revenge is a total plot twist comedy. Camila Mendes plays Drea, who wants revenge on her ex, while Maya Hawke plays Eleanor, who has her own issues from the past. Instead of handling things directly, they decide to switch targets so no one suspects them, which sounds like a smart plan at first.
But it doesn’t stay that simple for long. As things move forward, you start noticing that both of them are hiding parts of the truth, and the plan is leading towards a major blow-up. The film is loosely inspired by Strangers on a Train, just placed in a modern high school setting. It also takes visual inspiration from early 2000s teen films, which is why everything looks very clean and sleek. All in all, if you are a sucker for good comedies with a crazy plot twist, this is the one.