The 4 best Netflix comedy movies to bring laughs to your work week

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Some workdays end in flames. Thankfully, most just end. For the dumpster-fire days, I’ve already rounded up some great Netflix miniseries for a bad day at work—twice. These four comedies, all on Netflix in the U.S., are funny regardless, but are perfect when you just want a laugh before bed.

Here’s your off-the-clock schedule—Today is satire day with a clueless TV host chasing the meaning of life. Wednesday gets silly with a giant snake, and Thursday’s a record-store rom-com. Friday belongs to my top pick, a John Hughes classic with the world’s least qualified babysitter.

4

Cunk on Life

Life’s biggest questions meet their worst possible interviewer

I am a huge fan of Philomena Cunk’s previous series, Cunk on Earth, in which the hapless mock journalist traveled the world asking very smart experts really dumb questions about everything from how the Pyramids were built to the invention of evolution.

Thank God the BBC thought Diane Morgan’s hilarious character warranted her own feature-length movie, Cunk on Life, the follow-up we needed that sends her on her biggest search yet—for the meaning of life. This time out, the brilliantly uninformed Cunk puts real-life professors in the hot seat over the Big Bang (“We’re all in the Big Bang Gang”), God, art, and AI, and watching them squirm to keep a straight face is the best thing ever.

3

Anaconda

Middle-aged movie buffs versus one enormous snake

If you’re looking for some good monster-snake fun without too much of a commitment, just park your judgment at the door and have some fun with this weird meta comedy that pays homage to one of the best bad movies ever made. Doug (Jack Black) is a wedding videographer who has given up on his dreams of being a filmmaker. That is before his struggling-actor bestie, Griff (Paul Rudd), says he’s secured the rights to their favorite movie, 1997’s Anaconda, so they can realize their dream of shooting a remake … on the cheap.

Because they can’t afford the sets and CGI or a real production, they grab childhood pals Kenny (Steve Zahn) and Claire (Thandiwe Newton), and head to the Amazon to use it as a real backdrop. Win-win, right? But when a very real, very hungry snake crashes production, they end up running for their lives. It’s silly, the cast is fun together, and original Anaconda star Ice Cube pops up as himself.

2

High Fidelity

Heartbreak, ranked like a record-store top five

High Fidelity has so many cool things going for it, it’s no wonder the adaptation of Nick Hornby’s novel is so beloved. It stars the cooler-than-cool John Cusack (Say Anything, Being John Malkovich) as Rob Gordon, the top 5-list-obsessed owner of Chicago’s Championship Vinyl. Rob’s going through a midlife crisis after his longtime girlfriend Laura (Iben Hjejle) leaves him, so he takes viewers on a ride where he tracks down his top 5 most memorable breakups to understand why.

Meanwhile, Jack Black steals virtually every scene he’s in as pompous music snob Barry, who works at the store. You will be a fan of the Beta Band by the end of this movie, guaranteed.

1

Uncle Buck

John Candy and Macaulay Culkin are comedy gold

If you’re a fan of the late legend John Candy, then it doesn’t get much better than Uncle Buck. Of course, there are so many to choose from, but his performance as lovable underdog Buck Russell, the uncle no one calls unless it’s an absolute emergency, is one of my favorites. And with John Hughes writing and directing, it’s no wonder it’s a classic comedy.

When a family emergency calls the Russell parents away, their last-resort sitter is Buck (Candy), a jobless, cigar-chomping bachelor whose beat-up Mercury backfires on cue. He wins over Miles (Macaulay Culkin) and Maizy (Gaby Hoffmann) with a giant pancake, but angsty teen Tia (Jean Louisa Kelly) wants nothing to do with him, especially once he sizes up her sketchy boyfriend, Bug (Jay Underwood). But Buck’s heart of gold eventually wins them over.

A great lineup of laughs to get you through the work week

There’s no better recovery therapy than laughter, and it should be part of every balanced diet. With this roster of comedy, you’ve got one each day to keep you going until the weekend. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered for things to watch then, too.