led to its mediocre reception from critics. The movie focused way too much on the jokes, and it damaged the more serious sequences involving Jane's cancer or Gorr the God Butcher.
However, there are tons of non-comedies that are laugh-out-loud funny, and they completely pull it off without ruining the overall tone of the film. Between a gritty gangster movie, a thriller about a serial killer, and a drama about Britain's most violent convict, these films are hilarious.
Goodfellas (1990)
Just as is the case with every gangster movie, Goodfellas is violent, the character's actions are repulsive, and they're all looking over their shoulders, even the "made" mobsters. But unlike the Godfather trilogy or King of New York, there's a surprising amount of humor in the 1990 film.
George_Parasol notes how comedic some one-liners and minor characters are, referring to one of the funniest quotes of the movie, "I’m gonna go get the papers, get the papers," which is said by Johnny Two-Times, who says everything twice. Henry Hill's voiceover is full of humor, even when he's detailing the most depraved actions and murders. But what director Martin Scorsese manages to do so well with the movie is make audiences laugh while still being terrified, and there's a no better example of that than the "How am I funny?" scene.
American Psycho (2000)
When it comes to American Psycho is absolutely in the conversation, as even the off-screen violence gets under viewers' skin with the horrific sounds. But Huevos__Rancheros recalls how oddly funny the eerie thriller is, noting, "Some of the s*** Patrick Bateman says is hilarious because of Christian Bale's delivery of the lines."
As the film is about New York yuppie Patrick Bateman (Bale) in the 1980s who genuinely gets furious if one of his peers has a better-looking business car than him, it's almost satirical. Furthermore, Bale's hilariously deadpan delivery adds to the absurdity of it all, especially when his alibi is always the same "returning videotapes," even when it's the dead of night.
Bronson (2008)
Bronson is the funniest non-comedy, positing, "It's so consistently funny that I'm convinced it was always supposed to be a comedy, but it's just played so straight and theatrically and it gets so dark and weird that it's hard to categorize it as such." Given its genre and how the subject of the film is the real-life criminal Charles Bronson, who is known as "Britain's most violent convict," the movie has no right to be funny.
But, somehow, the movie still manages to make audiences laugh with some directorial decisions. Bronson breaks the fourth wall throughout the movie, often speaking directly to the camera and addressing the audience. And between that and the convict demanding that police officers rub lotion on his body faster, it's one of the more left field biopics.
Inherent Vice (2014)
Nothing happens in Inherent Vice, but that's why it's so entertaining, as the movie follows private detective Doc Sportello wandering around 1970s California and not solving anything. GrouchyMacaque believes that the mystery crime movie is hilarious, specifically citing Josh Brolin, who plays Bigfoot in the film.
The Redditor explains, "Brolin's a terrific comedy actor in general, I think. I'd love to see him deadpanning it in a new Inherent Vice is certainly a lot funnier than the movies that writer-director P.T. Anderson is known for, as the 2014 release followed the powerful dramas There Will Be Blood and The Master. In that respect, it's no surprise that Anderson threw himself into something a lot more lighthearted.
Spider-Man (2002)
Spider-Man is one of the funniest movies that isn't a comedy, "I love the film, but when the green goblin crashes open the side of Aunt May's house while she was in the middle of saying her evening prayers and then tells her to 'finish it!!' in a supposedly scary tone, I absolutely lost it."
But that was intentional and that's what director Sam Raimi is great at. Horror comedy has been his trademark since The Evil Dead in 1981. And Raimi went full Evil Dead with Doctor Strange, as the director turned the MCU movie into a hilariously over-the-top horror comedy.
The John Wick Series (2014 - Present)
John Wick movies lately and they have such a wonderfully deadpan sense of humor."
The series has gotten funnier with each consecutive release, as Wick and Cassian trying to secretly kill each other as they walk through a train station in Roma is outright hilarious. Almost the entire third act of John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum could be called a comedy too, as the fight in the knife room is comedy violence that Raimi would be proud of. And killing enemies with a horse by slapping its rear can't be classified as anything but comedy.
Joker (2019)
In 2019, Todd Phillips, the director of the Joker. But while it's such a gritty movie, Sinularityengine notes that there's still plenty of humor. The Redditor explains, "When Gary couldn't reach the door handle and Arthur Fleck was brutally murdering the other guy. Was so absurd and over the top, so obviously played for comedic effect."
The 2019 crime drama certainly isn't a comedy by any means, but Phillips' comedy background undoubtedly bleeds through in some scenes, specifically the one the Redditor refers to. It's easy to imagine the scene being a Hangover cutscene too if it was Alan instead of Arthur sitting on the floor.
The Departed (2006)
Goodfellas isn't the only Scorsese-directed gangster movie that Redditors think is hilarious, as The Departed is one of the funniest non-comedies ever. The Redditor notes, "People typically just discuss the Mark Wahlberg character as the funny part but everyone gets great jokes and lines, from DiCaprio all the way down to Kevin Corrigan."
It might be the Boston vernacular that makes the one-liners hit differently, or the alpha male FBI agents making jokes at their colleagues' mothers' expense. But either way, the film is full of jokes whether it's Billy Costigan's weaselly cousin
The Room (2003)
The Room is so bad it's good, as it's so badly made and terribly acted, but the whole cast and crew put everything into it, including actor-writer-director Tommy Wiseau. The movie is intended to be a grueling and emotionally exhausting rollercoaster, but it's one of the most unintentionally funny movies ever made, which is mostly thanks to Wiseau's delivery of his own lines.
Mattchamp98 thinks the film is the best non-comedy, noting, "Tommy Wiseau is an unintentional comedic genius." Wiseau unfortunately never followed up with a sophomore effort, but The Disaster Artist, a genuine comedy, is a hilarious movie based on the making of the now cult classic.
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
While the 2009 movie might start with one of the most intense film openings of all time, as the first chapter is a whole 20-minute sequence in which Hans Landa interrogates a dairy farmer, there's no denying that Inglourious Basterds lightens up after that. Yugo86 thinks it's one of the funniest films that isn't a comedy.
In response to Redditors quoting the scene where the titular American Nazi killers when infiltrating the movie premiere, the adds, "I say this in real life more than I should." The movie is endlessly quotable, between impersonating Italian filmmakers and Hans' inability to understand American culture, the movie has its funny moments.
