10 Murder Mystery Movies That Are Actually Hilarious

Murder mystery films are often dark and dangerous, but there are some that use a murder investigation as a setting for comedy. People often find relief in laughing about taboo subjects, which goes some way to explaining why crime comedies are so popular. Humor can also be used to deconstruct the rigid structure of the mystery genre, which often seems stagnant in the era of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle or Agatha Christie.

Some of the best murder mystery movies also double as hilarious comedies. It’s not easy balancing these two disparate sides, especially since murder can often feel very heavy. However, with some dark humor and a compelling mystery, murder comedies can work brilliantly. From the 1930s to the present day, there are many fantastic murder mystery comedies for people who can see the funny side of death.

10

A Shot in the Dark (1964)

The Pink Panther franchise goes from jewelry theft to murder

THE Pink Panther the franchise began in 1963 with Peter Sellers’ iconic Inspector Clouseau trying to arrest David Niven’s gentlemanly jewel thief for stealing a priceless diamond. The following year, Sellers returned as the incompetent French detective in a hilarious murder mystery that leaves the world of high-stakes heists behind in favor of a classic Agatha Christie-style whodunit.

Although the mysterious elements A shot in the dark are attractive enough, The film’s strength is in Sellers’s mindless physical comedy. Driven by a story that matches Poirot’s intelligence and cunning, Clouseau reaches the finish line through luck, angering his suspects and causing them to slip and fall several dozen times. To go along with his slapstick style, Clouseau has an endless line of hilarious quotes.

9

The Nice Guys (2016)

Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe make an unlikely but brilliant duo

Shane Black has long been the king of the buddy cop genre, following his work on Lethal weapon franchise and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. The cool guys also showcases its crime comedy chops, with Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe playing a pair of private investigators whose missing persons case turns into a murder investigation, which is also tied to a corporate conspiracy related to the auto industry.

Gosling and Crowe don’t seem to naturally fit into the role, but they balance each other out perfectly. Crowe delivers some surprising comedy, and his deadpan style counters Gosling’s frenetic comedic energy.. With a touch of 1970s charm and a strong supporting cast The cool guys grew a considerable following despite being a box office failure. The ending causes a Nice guys sequence, but the likelihood of this happening appears to have decreased.

8

Who framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)

Zemeckis’ mix of animation and live action is a joy to watch

Who Framed Roger Rabbit pays homage to the history of American animation, with iconic characters like Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse and Pinocchio making appearances. Robert Zemeckis’ comedy also has its roots in film noir, another American cinematic tradition that dates back to the mid-20th century. The combination of these two genres gives Who Framed Roger Rabbit fertile ground for comedy.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit will always be recognized for its unique blend of animation and live action, but it’s also a brilliant mystery comedy as Roger Rabbit teams up with a grizzled detective to clear his name when he’s accused of murder. Bob Hoskins gives a great performance, considering many of his scenes show him interacting with two-dimensional, hand-drawn rabbits. Who Framed Roger Rabbit uses its cartoon characters to expose the tropes of the mystery genre.

7

Knives Out (2019)

Rian Johnson’s Locked Room Mystery Shakes Up the Genre

Knives out features a classic locked room puzzle and a respectable house full of potential suspects. On the surface, it has all the hallmarks of a much older mystery film, but Knives outThe twisting narrative often surprises its audience subverting expectations. What starts out as a classic whodunit with an eccentric detective turns into something much more exciting and dangerous in no time.

Daniel Craig is captivating as Benoit Blanca brilliant detective with a Foghorn Leghorn accent who doesn’t hesitate to feign ignorance when he thinks it might help him. He is responsible for most of the funniest moments in Knives outjust like he is in the first sequence, Glass Onion. Wake up Dead Man promises more laughs and another intriguing mystery. Rian Johnson has already shown that he likes to play with his audience, so there’s no telling how the third Knives out the film will unfold.

6

The Thin Man (1934)

The Thin Man was one of the first murder mystery comedies

The thin man was released at a time when hardboiled crime fiction was fashionable and poked fun at the genre’s tropes and trends. 90 years later, it’s still a hilarious genre satirewhich goes to show that some mysterious tropes never die. The thin man was an immense success in 1934, leading to a long-running film franchise, which was incredibly rare at the time. It has aged brilliantly and can still be enjoyed today.

Based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett, The thin man follows a husband and wife who team up to solve a murder before things get too personal for them. William Powell and Myrna Loy have a charming push-and-pull dynamic, but their team isn’t complete without canine actor Skippy, who was an equally big star at the time. The dialogue of The thin man is scintillating, floating effortlessly between wry comedy and gripping mystery.

5

Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993)

Diane Keaton shines in a comedy of manners and murder

Fans of Only murders in the building you will probably admire Manhattan murder mystery, and it’s easy to think that the 1993 comedy had some influence on the hit mystery series. As OMIT, Manhattan murder mystery centers on a group of Manhattanites who begin investigating a crime occurring in their apartment building as a distraction from their comfortable, humdrum lives. It has the same mix of comedy and mystery, never letting one overpower the other.

Diane Keaton reaffirms her status as one of the best comedic actresses of her generation in Manhattan murder mystery. Without ever approaching the camera, his wide-eyed enthusiasm is hilarious against the backdrop of the gruesome murder. Like any of Woody Allen’s best screenplays, Manhattan murder mystery uses its peculiar premise to dissect the strange foibles of modern human life. In this case, the amateur homicide investigation is treated like a parlor game by a group of middle-class New Yorkers who see everything as entertainment and scandal.

4

Clue (1985)

Clue has become more popular over the years

Tip is based on the board game of the same nameand features multiple endings to reflect how players draw different conclusions in a game when presented with the same evidence. When Tip was originally released in theaters, audiences only saw one of the endings, with different theaters showing different versions. The film is much more entertaining, with the three endings happening one after the other, and it has grown in popularity since it began being shown on TV and sold on home video in this way.

TipThe riveting ending invites audiences to go back and watch it all over again. It deconstructs the entire mystery genre, in which people often want all the answers clearly defined at the end. Tip shows a keen awareness that these answers are rarely as satisfying as the game of trying to figure out what happened, so basically keep this game forever. Tim Curry leads a fun cast as the butler, and his frenetic energy picks up speed as he races toward the finish line.

3

Game Night (2018)

Game Night is a hilarious comedy

There’s something about Game night This feels like a throwback to the 2000s. It’s becoming increasingly rare to see mid-budget comedies with big casts like The hangover, the 40 year old virgin and Anchor. Game night It takes a fun initial concept and injects a lot of action to keep things running smoothly. Its commercial success proves that there is still a large audience for these types of films when done well.

Game night follows a competitive group of friends whose murder mystery party suddenly becomes all too real. While there is no actual murder, there is robbery, kidnapping, assault, blackmail, and a host of other crimes. Game night mines a lot of comedy from the fish-out-of-water strangeness of the pedestrian suburban couple who are thrown into a dangerous criminal conspiracy. Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams are in great shape.

2

Hot Fuzz (2007)

Action satire doubles as a murder mystery

Each film in Edgar Wright’s Cornetto trilogy parodies a different film genre and Hot fuzz mocks the excess of action films like Bad Boys and Lethal weapon. The action takes place in a picturesque English village, as far away from the typical action setting as possible. The film gains much of its comedy from this dissonance, with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost putting on their sunglasses to look as cool as Dirty Harry while chasing away swans from the model village.

In addition to offering plenty of high-octane action, Hot fuzz it also has a compelling murder mystery. Sergeant Nicholas Angel is used to solving big cases in London and is looking for more of the same in the sleepy village of Sandford. Hot fuzz takes a major plot twist to wrap up his murder investigationand the film turns into an adrenaline-pumping shootout from then on.

1

See How They Work (2021)

See how they work deserves more love

See how they work has a great cast, led by Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan as two mismatched detectives. It is indisputably one of the most underrated comedies of recent yearsas it puts a confident spin on the buddy cop genre. Rockwell is excellent as the gruff, world-weary senior detective, while Ronan plays his overzealous partner as they investigate a murder on the set of a West End play in London.

See how they work is a fun metatextual deconstruction of the murder mystery genreespecially Agatha Christie stories. The murder occurs during the production of a Christie’s adaptation The Mousetrapand the plot features as many dubious suspects and thrilling twists as the author’s best works. The two detectives continue to be the beating heart of See how they workhowever, and their hilarious dynamic conveys the story beautifully.