The 20 Best Crime Comedies To Steal Our Hearts

Stop! You're killing us!
The 20 Best Crime Comedies To Steal Our Hearts

We all know that crime sometimes DOES pay--in this case, in laughter. Look, we all love forgetting our troubles by bingeing Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, but why does crime always have to be so SERIOUS?!

The fact is, some of the best crime movies are actually comedies as well. We wanted to explore some of our absolute favorites. 

At some point during his tenure as James Bond, Daniel Craig really said to himself “I'm going to play this detective, investigating the murder of an elderly man, like Foghorn Leghorn." And we thank him for it.

The team behind the Clue movie produced one of the most (only?) successful film adaptations of a board game ever, thanks in large part to shooting different versions with different endings! The french maid outfits only provided minor assistance.

Check out our 20 favorite crime comedies below - Did we leave any out? Scroll on down to find out!

COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM KNIVES OUT (2019) DETECTIVE BENOIT BLANC INVESTIGATES THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF THE WEALTHY AND ECCENTRIC PATRIARCH OF A DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY. WHY IT WORKS: A great ensemble cast, tight storytelling with unexpected twists, and Daniel Craig's ridiculous southern drawl.
COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM CLUE (1985) SIX GUESTS ARE MYSTERIOUSLY SUMMONED TO A DINNER PARTY AT A STRANGER'S MANSION, AND THEY MUST IDENTIFY A KILLER THAT IS PICKING THEM OFF. WHY IT WORKS: Still the best adaptation of a board game seen on the big screen. Multiple endings were shot and edited, so audiences would get a different experience depending on which version they saw.

Fargo

COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM FARGO (1996) A CAR SALESMAN'S PLAN TO RANSOM HIS WIFE FALLS APART, AND ONE (VERY PREGNANT) LOCAL COP UNRAVELS THE BLOODY MYSTERY. WHY IT WORKS: The brutality enacted by the two invading criminals is perfectly juxtaposed by the homey charm of Minnesota's snowsuit wearing community.
COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM 48 HOURS (1982) A NO-NONSENSE COP RELEASES A CONMAN INTO HIS CUSTODY IN ORDER TO CATCH A KILLER. WHY IT WORKS: It's a buddy comedy before buddy comedies had to be meta and recontextualized. There's no greater foil to Nick Nolte than Eddie Murphy in his prime.
COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM BEVERLY HILLS COP (1984) A DETROIT COP FOLLOWS A MURDER INVESTIGATION TO BEVERLY HILLS, WHERE НЕ FIND HIS METHOD OF POLICEWORK AT ODDS WITH THE WEST COAST CULTURE. WHY IT WORKS: Eddie Murphy takes his 48 Hours role, drops the lisp, grabs a police badge, and he's ready to go.
COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM KISS KISS, BANG BANG (2005) IN A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY, A NEW YORK THIEF IS SENT TO HOLLYWOOD TO SHADOW A PRIVATE EYE FOR A MOVIE ROLE, WHERE THEY FIND THEMSELVES IN THE MIDST OF A MURDER MYSTERY. H WHY IT WORKS: 4th wall breaking narration and zany action from Robert Downey Jr., pre Iron Man, at his absolute Downey Junior-ist.
COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM THE BIG LEBOWSKI (1998) A РОТ SMOKING SLACKER EMBARKS ON A QUEST WHEN HIS PERSONAL PROPERTY IS DEFOULED AFTER НЕ IS MISTAKEN FOR A MILLIONAIRE WITH THE SAME NAME. WHY IT WORKS: The Dude is a character that will go down in film history, not for his heroism, or strength, or him overcoming mounting odds, but just for being a chill dude.
COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM OCEAN'S ELEVEN (1960) AFTER THEIR FRIENDSHIP WAS FORGED DURING WWII, A GROUP OF COMPATRIOTS GET TOGETHER YEARS LATER TO PULL OFF A STRING OF CASINO HEISTS. WHY IT WORKS: The friggin' Rat Pack robs Las Vegas. For a 60 year old film, the humor and high stakes action are still appealing, which is why we had to remake it in 2001 with Hollywood's biggest leading men.
COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM FLETCH (1985) A REPORTER IS OFFERED A LARGE SUM TO KILL A DYING MILLIONAIRE, BUT WHEN НЕ FINDS OUT THEY'RE ACTUALLY HEALTHY, НЕ MUST GO ON THE RUN AND GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THE MYSTERY. HEAD WHY IT WORKS: Before he got bloated and terrible, Chevy Chase was perfect at playing the affable, quick witted every-man. His quippy and physical comedy shines here.
COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM THE NICE GUYS (2016) PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS TEAM UP IN 1970'S LA TO UNCOVER DETAILS ABOUT A MISSING GIRL AND DEAD PORN STAR. WHY IT WORKS: Ryan Gosling plays a great bumbling detective, and Russel Crowe is perfect as his gruff partner in this slapstick throwback.
COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM RAISING ARIZONA (1987) AN EX-CON AND HIS WIFE STEAL ONE OF THE QUINTUPLETS JUST BORN TO A WEALTHY COUPLE TO RAISE AS THEIR OWN, BUT CHILD ABDUCTION ISN'T AS EASY AS THEY THOUGHT. LARRY GARRY NATHAN JR WHY IT WORKS: The Coen brothers craft a perfect, weird tableau of simple desert living, with Nicolas Cage refreshingly playing the straight man.
COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM IN BRUGES (2008) AFTER A KID ENDS UP AS COLLATERAL DAMAGE DURING A JOB, A HITMAN HIDES OUT IN BELGIUM AWAITING HIS BOSSES' NEXT ORDERS. JEAN VAREYCI WHY IT WORKS: A debauched black comedy that uses the quaint city of Bruges as a backdrop for the mayhem.

Steve Martin

COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS (1988) TWO CON MEN MAKE A WAGER TO SEE WHO CAN SWINDLE A WOMAN OUT OF HER RICHES FIRST. WHY IT WORKS: Steve Martin vamps and Michael Caine charms us as two of the most despicable men in comedy film history.
COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM THE OTHER GUYS (2010) TWO MISMATCHED COPS, SICK OF DESK DUTY, DECIDE TO STEP UP AND BE THE SAVORS THE CITY NEEDS. WHY IT WORKS: Narration by Ice-T, a farcical take on the buddy cop trope, and outrageous gags made this a surprising cult classic.
COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM HOT FUZZ (2007) A CITY COP IS TRANSFERRED TO A COUNTRYSIDE HAMLET, AND UNEARTHS A DISTURBING CONSPIRACY. WHY IT WORKS: Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg deliver another masterclass in storytelling that goes from a fish out of water story, to a murder mystery, to a balls-to-the-wall action flick at breakneck pace.
COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM 21 JUMP STREET (2012) TWO YOUNG POLICE OFFICERS MUST GO UNDERCOVER AT A HIGH SCHOOL TO UNCOVER A CRIMINAL DRUG ENTERPRISE WHILE NAVIGATING LIFE BACK IN SCHOOL. WHY IT WORKS: Surprisingly funny performance from Channing Tatum, the same year as Magic Mike. As another big screen reboot of an '80s IP, the film is self aware of the absurd premise.
COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM SNATCH (2000) UNSAVORY FIGURES OF LONDON'S UNDERWORLD WORK WITH AND AGAINST ONE ANOTHER TO TRACK DOWN A STOLEN DIAMOND. WHY IT WORKS: Guy Ritchie delivers another stylistic, madcap ensemble piece that doesn't let up from start to finish.
COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM MY COUSIN VINNY (1992) TWO NEW YORK COLLEGE STUDENTS ARE ACCUSED OF MURDER IN ALABAMA, AND ONLY ONE OF THEIR COUSINS, AN INEXPERIENCED LAWYER FROM BROOKLYN, CAN HELP. WHY IT WORKS: Joe Pesci brings extremely G-rated, wise guy energy to an unsuspecting town in rural America. What's not to love?
COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM GET SHORTY (1995) A MOB ENFORCER, DISILLUSIONED WITH BREAKING KNEECAPS, GETS SWEPT UP IN THE EXCITING WORLD OF HOLLYWOOD, DISCOVERING IT ISN'T so DIFFERENT FROM HIS PREVIOUS CAREER. WHY IT WORKS: The reinvention of John Travolta in the '90s after Pulp Fiction continues with his role as the charming Chili Palmer in this satire of the movie biz.

Turner & Hooch

COMEDY NERD CRACKED.COM TURNER & HOOCH (1989) A DETECTIVE ADOPTS THE ONLY WITNESS TO A BRUTAL MURDER: THE VICTIM'S SLOBBERING BEAST OF A DOG. WHY IT WORKS: Where would we be without the bizarre, animal team-ups from the '80s? Tom Hanks shows off his skills acting against non-verbal costars, a decade before Cast Away.
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